Monday, September 30, 2019

Postmodern Philosophy Essay

Postmodern philosophy is a means through which people’s ways of reasoning are evaluated and analyzed. It seeks to explain why everyone has a different opinion towards things that they come across or face in life. A current post modern belief is that a correct description of reality is impossible and in order to enable others to understand the way you perceive or prefer certain things, you need to interpret them. Post modern philosophy can be reflected in the way we live our lives and at our places of work. An example in my own life is the way I would convince people about how something is good so that even if they are not interested, eventually they would give in and in the end I w will be happy. And according to (Weis, 2003 P. 161) this is Persuasion through self interest which is created by developing a trust since I have the best interests of the other person at heart. I may tell a friend that we should take a certain class during that semester because I know he/she is focused and would make a good study partner even though that class does not really interest him/her. This does not mean I do not want him/her to focus on what interests them I know we will be helping each other out and maybe next time they will be the ones convincing me. In an organization, it can be seen when a company wants to become a better competitor as said by (Kotter,1996) that in order to be successful now and in the future, we need to empower others to act and create wins while consolidating gains. In order to promote team work at the office, a company may decide that in its’ engagement in social corporate responsibilities it will take it’s staff to work at the remote parts of the country where the is a school for the orphans and they will have to forego things like internet, family time and nice joints to hung out. In such a situation, the workmates will have to work together to help the children, listen to different opinions all this to enhance their bonding which is vital in their work ; This is what (Ritti & Levy, 2002) call creating positive outcomes through negative reinforcement. References Kotter J. P. (1996). Leading Change. Published by Harvard Business Press Ritti R. R. & Levy. S. (2002)The Ropes to Skip and the Ropes to Know: Studies in Organizational Behavior. Published by Wiley Weiss. A. (2003) Organizational Consulting: How to be an Effective Internal Change Agent. John Wiley and Sons

Sunday, September 29, 2019

Objective structured clinical examination Assessment of Critically Ill Patient Essay

This essay will critically analyse my performance throughout the Objective structured clinical examination (OSCE) assessment I completed, including the escalation strategy utilised by the Nation early warning scores (NEWS) (RCP, 2012) as a track and trigger tool (NICE, 2007). Based on the findings from the assessment interventions will be recommended and supported by evidence and formatted on the ABCDE approach I used in the OSCE. The ABCDE assessment is used as a tool to assess for the critically ill patients Airway, breathing, circulation, disability & elimination. (RCUK, 2005). It is a systematic approach that can assess the severity of the critically ill patient, assess and treat life threatening conditions and have rapid intervention when needed (Grindrod, 2012). During the Assessment I introduced myself to Mrs Jones to remained respectful, non-discrimitive and ensuring the comfort and dignity of my patient, to which I pulled the curtains (NMC, 2008). I gained verbal consent from the patient to carry out the physical assessment (NMC, 2008), although I should have gained consent at the beginning when I started talking to the patient. This is important because the patient needs to understand the proposed assessment, according to the NMC (2008) the process of establishing consent should demonstrate a clear level of accountability. If consent is refused then the patient’s wishes should be respected although the patient needs to be fully informed of what can happen (NMC, 2008). Standard precautions are put into place in the clinical setting to protect patients and staff which are vulnerable to infection. Alcohol based hand rubs are at the point of contact of each patient (NPSA, 2008) to help prevent hospital acquired infections and cross contamination (DOH, 2009), which I used prior to seeing Mrs Jones. Airway The assessment of Mrs Jones airway went well I assessed for an open airway by alking to her to see if there was any vocal response, Mrs Jones responded coherently so there was a patent airway, no noises were heard which can indicate partial obstruction of the airway (RCUK, 2010). Mrs Jones was able to cough to clear secretions independently. Lack of oxygen can lead to anaerobic respiration at a cellular level which produces acidosis as lactate is produced which can lead to hypoxia (Jevon, 2011). Breathing I looked for evidence of hypoxaemia by assessing mouth and oral mucosa for central cyanosis (O’Driscoll et al, 2008), none was evident. Respiratory rate was assessed over 1 full minute to ensure accuracy (Hunter, 2008) as deviation of 4 or more can be clinically significant (Subbe, 2006) The rate was raised at 24 which I record on the observation chart and the resperation rate falls in the orange band generating a score of 2, The acceptable normal respiration rate is 14 – 18 breaths per minute (Mallett & Doherty, 2001) indicating Mrs Jones could be compensating for metabolic alkalosis and It also contributes to the diagnosis and management of a variety of pathological conditions and helps to evaluate therapeutic interventions. Monitoring the patient’s respiration level is one of the most accurate indicators of deterioration, which is often poorly monitored and recorded Cretikos (2008). Accessory muscles should have been observed to assess for increased work of breathing, which would result in inadequate ventilation and poor gas exchange (Esmond, 2003). Oxygen saturations are considered the fifth vital sign (BTS,2008), and these were reduced at 93 %, normal range is 94% to 98% (BTS, 2008). I record on the observation chart whichs generates a score of 2. The drug chart was checked to see if target saturation has been identified and oxygen prescribes as per BTS (2008) guidance, and so 2L of oxygen was give via a nasal cannula to increase saturations to within target range. Mrs Jones was also sat up to increased functional residual capacity which helps to reduces the work of breathing helping to improve oxygenation (Kennedy, 2007). As per BTS (2008) guidance saturations were checked after 5 minutes and had risen to within target range. Crackles were heard on inspiration when I listened to Mrs Jones chest, this can be an indicator for pulmonary Oedema or pneumonia (Sheppard, 2003). Circulation Mrs Jones looked unsettled and felt cool and clammy, her radial pulse was easy to palpate but was very irregular which made me instigate an ECG, manually Mrs Jones pulse was 85bpm but recorded on the ECG was 114bpm that showed evidence of atrial fibulation (AF), the patient didn’t have a history of AF. Capillary refill was just over two seconds and blood pressure was115/85, I did not calculate the pulse pressure or arterial pressure. Her temperature was within normal range at 36. 3. I record the observations and the heart rate falls in orange band generating an additional score of 1. Mrs Jones explained that she had passed urine 5 hours ago which was 200mls. NICE (2007) state that an adult urine output should be measured at ‘>0. 5mls/kg/hr’, I knew this was low for the patient but I did not use the calculation to work out how much it was an hour, volumes of less than 0. 5ml/kg/hr can indicate cardiovascular compromise and renal impairment can occur (Dutton, 2012). Mrs Jones has signs of ankle oedema, which made me concerned for her fluid status so a fluid chart was commenced of intake and output. Disability Mrs Jones was awake and responding to myself using the AVPU tool, The AVPU scale is a quick and easy method to assess level of consciousness which can be affected by hypoxemia and hypercapnia (Palmer et al, 2006). It is ideal in the initial rapid ABCDE assessment (Smith, 2003) although a full assessment would require using the Glasgow coma scale (NICE, 2007). Mrs Jones blood glucose level was checked as this can rise as a result of sympathic activation, but the level is within normal range. Exposure With Mrs Jones consent I checked her invasive lines for phlebitis and her skin for any rashes, erythema or signs of pressure sores, all were normal and no phlebitis was noted. I did not assess to see if Mrs Jones had sacral Oedema, oedema only becomes apparent when the interstitial volumes has increased by 2. 5 – 3L (Porth, 2007) possible caused by heart failure. Care Escalation I documented all the patients’ observations on a NEWS Chart which generated a score of 7, this score then gives me appropriate actions to take as there is a marked deterioration of the patient. 7 or more triggers the Action of escalating care by contacting the medical registrar looking after the patient and also consider moving the patient to a level 2 or 3 care facility. When contacting the registrar I used the Situation, background, assessment and recommendation (SBAR) briefing model to tell the medical registrar about the patient so they are fully aware of the patient and their condition and actions I want them to take. The handover I gave to the registrar was slightly muddled and I jumped back and forth instead of remembering the systematic order that the tool was designed for there for I missed out information about Mrs Jones that could of been highly important to the doctor. Conclusion The ABCDE assessment gives health care professionals a framework which helps detect life threatening conditions and are addressed early. The patient I had during my assessment had a lot of complex issues but This approach helps remember the essential things and intervening and referring along the continuum of A to E helped reduce further determination progressing.

Saturday, September 28, 2019

God Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

God - Essay Example Here, premise 2 fails in the sense that all souls have a chance to know more about God since it is free and it is own choice to learn about him or not. All people are therefore in the position to go to heaven for they have the opportunity of choosing the good that God require of them despite their denominations. This is where we all stand a chance to deeply get the knowledge about the heavenly qualifications. Being a Christian for example, is not a guarantee ticket to heaven, one has to work hard by choosing and doing what is right which is mostly seen as what God desire of us. God thus exist and that is why we all can denote the good from the bad, wrong from right, as a belief for God helps us in choosing the good and moving from evil (Plantinga, 2009). For Christians, God is said to have intervened in various moments in the past according to the biblical point of view. During the Israelites exodus from Egypt, God first helped them by punishing pharaoh by sending plaques, which later led to their release. While crossing the red sea, in the desert where they faced many difficulties e.g. food shortages which he provided for them in form of manna from heaven (Plantinga, 2009). The Hindu family accepts the existence of God who is a creator. Having the law of karma, where they believe that most of human actions happen because they are being triggered by a supreme being. This god knows better about the humans helps them when they make mistakes and need assistance of picking up again. This karma is hence their only proof of Gods existence according to the Hindus. All this as much as they are different denominations, leads us to one point where all refer to ones faith God exist (Plantinga, 2009). In the other hand, the Muslims have faith in the existence of God because there was the revelation of their holy book the Qur’an which they believe to be the preexistence

Friday, September 27, 2019

History of Religion Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

History of Religion - Assignment Example pecific mission generally their major focus was on advising people to mend their ways to achieve redemption through the Messiah they had been waiting for. They like Jesus himself were highly concerned about social justice and true devotion. 4). Jerusalem Temple for the second time was destroyed by the Roman legions at the time of Rehoboam the son of Solomon. Sadducees were one of the prominent groups of Jewish society who were bit orthodox and strictly followed the laws of the Torah. Essenes, the comparatively small sect of the Jewish society were located near the Dead Sea and to whom the ‘Dead Sea Scroll’ is attributed. Zealots were revolutionists who aggressively stood against the Roman dominance over Israel. 5). Orthodox Jews strictly adhere to the laws of Torah believing that all these books were written by God and handed over to Moses. Conservatives believe that only the ideas of the books were contributed by God but written by some chosen people; and therefore it contains some human elements too. According to the Reform Judaism, several races have involved in the process of compiling Torah. The movement retains the values and at the same time integrates with the modern culture. Reconstructionist Judaism approaches Jewish law as valuable aspect of Jewish culture rather than binding laws given by God. Hasidsm maintains that bonding with God is the ultimate goal of all studies of Torah; whereas Kabbalah is oriented on esoteric mystic doctrines. 6. The modern state of Israel was founded in 1948. Obviously it was for the first time Israel enjoyed freedom in its real sense. However, the state of Israel has been opposed by many Muslim states as they claim the ownership of some of the region. Jerusalem has been considered as a holy place by different religions including Judaism, Islam, and Christianity. 7). Mithra is the name of Zorastrian divinity. In many ways Mithra and Jesus are similar to each other. 1) Both said to have been visited by three wise men

Thursday, September 26, 2019

A French Joint Venture Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

A French Joint Venture - Essay Example well, French construction materials company restructured the loss-making state-owned Huaibei Mining Company (HMC) by entering into the joint venture in 1994 and turned the company as profit making company in 1999 by implementing various structural reforms in labor, production, technology, and marketing.(Goodall 103). Entering into joint venture will help to acquire innovative know-how and skills. When China opened its market in 1978, it has become most attractive land for foreign direct investment (FDI) in the whole globe. It is to be observed that three-fourths of FDI attracted by China took the shape of Joint ventures (JV’s). JV offers distinct advantages like reduction in costs. A foreign JV partner may offer capital by way of cash, technology, machinery, know-how whereas the Chinese partner may offer factory land, building, skilled workers, and machinery. Collaborating a joint venture with the state-owned enterprises (SOE’s) in China frequently has raised issues for foreign companies as SOE’s are the distinct form of business entity with a diverse cultural setting. There is less freedom for foreign investors in JV’s as foreign partners have to operate in co-operation with the local SOE’s. By opening the doors for foreign investors, China is transforming to market economy from the centrally planned economy or government controlled economy. Earlier in the joint venture, the HMC Management had failed to keep its promise of granting financial rewards for good performance by employees. As the result, employees lost their faith in the management. HMC HR function was found to be disassociated from business goals and acted only as policemen or administrative function. (Goodall 105). As such, in JV, Lafarge encountered higher extent of complexity due to socio-economic, cultural, political and institutional divergence involved.

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

Report on Performance Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Report on Performance Management - Essay Example The report will cover the definitions of each link and the transitional aspect portrayed in management process undertaken by the firm. This report is an application of theoretical course work into practical work. Performance management is a continuous process which never ends. Once incorporated in an organization, it forms part of the culture of that enterprise. The process involves six closely related components namely; prerequisites, performance planning, performance execution, performance review, and performance renewal and re-contracting. Each of the above components requires thoroughness in implementation. In the event of poor implementation of any of the above, the entire performance system suffers. This is why it is eminent for links to be established between the components. Some of the recommendations suggested to performance in Omega Inc. include; management and the employees should together identify the necessary tasks to be accomplished and the mode of action necessary to ensure success. This involves the prior analysis of the anticipated results and the appropriate behaviours required to accomplish those tasks. The objectives should be mutually agreed between the organization management and the employees. ... Excellent performers should be encouraged through concentrating on their strengths and enlightening them on how they can capitalize on their strengths to improve performance. In conclusion, the consequences suffered due to the failure of the performance management process in the case study indicated that the process is a strategy that systemizes and manages the impact of all contributing factors that influence the organizational productivity and performance. The analysis of Omega Inc. has provided the practical facts that involve the transition from one link to another as stipulated in the basics of the performance management process. From the above discussion on the case study, it is clear that for any performance management process to be successful, everyone in the organization should be involved; not just the sale representatives or managers. Contents Executive Summary 1 Contents 2 Topic Background 4 The Case Study: Performance Management Process in Omega Inc. 5 Discussion 5 Perfo rmance management links 5 Prerequisites 5 Performance planning 7 Performance Execution 8 Performance Assessment 9 Performance Review 10 Performance Renewal and Re-Contracting 11 Conclusion 12 Recommendations 12 Robbins, S.P. (2012). Management, Pearson Australia, Frenchs Forest, N.S.W. p. 444. 15 Report on Performance Management Performance management is a continuous process of measuring, identifying, developing and aligning the performance of teams and individuals with the organizational goals. The process involves six closely related components namely; prerequisites, performance planning, performance execution, performance review and performance renewal and re-contracting. Each component of

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

Destination Marketing Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Destination Marketing - Coursework Example Tourism destination has been defined as â€Å"a geographical region, political jurisdiction, or major attraction, which seeks to provide visitors with a range of satisfying to memorable visitation experiences† (Bornhost, Ricthie and Sheehan, 2010). A tourism destination must also seek to enhance the economic and social well-being of the residents within its boundaries. To be called a tourism destination it must also offer a wide range of activities and experience to the tourists. Kenya can be called a tourism destination as it is an attractive, and one of the most developed tourist destinations in Sub-Saharan Africa (Ayoo, 2007). As of 2007 Kenya had 29 National Parks and 29 National Reserves that together occupy about 7.5% of the country’s total area. Biodiversity ranging from marine parks, mountain, arid and semi-arid parks to ecosystems can be found at these parks. The Equator divides the country into almost two equal halves. The country has several attractions such as natural and cultural attractions such as game viewing, bird-watching, deep-sea fishing and mountain climbing, apart from being free of terrorism (Pennington-Gray et al., 2005). The diversity of physical landscape and scenery provide both beauty and variety to the country (Odunga, 2005). Wildlife and nature-based tourism is the greatest attraction for the tourists visiting Kenya. Tourism in Kenya grew over the years and became an important economic activity. However, the sector has been experiencing decline because it could not segregate mass tourism from eco tourism and sustainable tourism. The focus initially was on mass tourism but then the focus shifted towards attracting a niche segment or the upmarket segment (Odunga, 2005). This affected the image of Kenya as a tourist attraction. With another policy shift the focus was again on both mass tourism and the niche segment. The constant shifting of strategies has led to an adverse image of the destination. Tourism in Kenya is in the decline stage of the Tourism Area Life Cycle as product quality has declined. Effective promotion is needed to restore the image that Kenya as a destination carried. Situational analysis would help recommend a suitable promotional strategy to attract the UK tourists, comprising of a niche segment. 2. Situational Analysis An analysis of the macro environment or the external factors that influence tourism in Kenya would help develop the framework for promotion as well as the marketing objectives. 2.1 Environmental Analysis The country is undergoing political instability and political unrest. One of the major issues is the unequal distribution of resources such as land on which tourism depends. Some hold the view that while tourism consumes large resources the distribution of the revenue remains at the discretion of the central government, which often disregards the social and economic needs of the region (Mayaka and Prasad, 2012). The political situation in the country makes the tourism industry vulnerable to uncertainties and volatility. The tourism sector in Kenya contributes to 11 percent of the GDP but the global financial crisis further affected the political events, which resulted in reduced flow of tourists (Mayaka and Prasad, 2012). Tourism has reduced unemployment while maintaining balance of payments (Pennington-Gray et al., 2005). The recession

Monday, September 23, 2019

Respond to classmates-Sexuality Around the World Essay

Respond to classmates-Sexuality Around the World - Essay Example For example, homosexuality is openly condemned in many African countries and viewed as an act against African customs. Specifically, a Sub-Saharan country, Uganda, has been pushing for a legislative action against homosexuals dubbed â€Å"Kill the Gays Bill† by the media (Sharlet, 2010). This high criminalization of an aspect of sexuality instills fear and degrades sense of belonging when homosexuals have to leave their countries for fear of being incarcerated or killed so to speak. Societies and governments can essentially play a vital role in reducing sexual dysfunctions. They need to consider individual differences in sexual orientation, personality, character, sexual needs, and sexual interests. Expecting all persons to exhibit the same sexual behavior is ignorant to the actual environment within which people are brought up. Sexuality freedom should be upheld. Countries around the world approach sexuality from diverse and dynamic points of view. Your focus on Indonesia is very informative and country-specific, thus highlighting sexuality in an intensive and extensive approach. The highlights you have presented about Indonesia are shared by many other countries worldwide. For instance, in many Middle East and African countries, women are there to be seen and not heard. Ultimately, their self-esteem is highly affected subject to sexuality and sexual performance. Beading of girls is a common practice among the Samburu people of the Kenyan communities in East Africa (Parkinson, Phillips, & Gourlay, 2006). Young girls engage in sexual activities with older men, resulting in the belief that their sexual behavior is best designed for the older males in the community. Notably, underage marriages are common alongside female genital mutilation (Parkinson, Phillips, & Gourlay, 2006). These practices often result in sexual desire and arousal implications relative to what the young girls are made to believe and

Sunday, September 22, 2019

Arthropod pests Essay Example for Free

Arthropod pests Essay The concern that human society will be inevitably obsessed with death is a valid one. Although there may be people today who escape depressing thoughts of death, all will be distraught after reading only a few lines of the Lament for Ignacio Sanchez Mejias. This essay will analyze parts of the work by Federico Lorca and provide some basic interpretations and thoughts on the subject. Beginning with the first line of the lament, the reader is struck with an overwhelming sense of time—five in the afternoon. It fills the mind as the words continue. â€Å"It was exactly five in the afternoon. † Ignacio has obviously died. The time of day is noted, and the question arises immediately: why repeat the time â€Å"five in the afternoon† after every line (up to five times)! I think the point of repeating the time excessively is to pound a feeling of monotony that accompanies utter grief into the mind of the reader. Also, it provides a broad scope to help the reader understand how many hopelessly depressing things are going on at once. A possible answer, then, is that the lament needs synchronization in order to deliver the correct emotions that Lorca felt. For example, leaving out the repeated time, the first stanza becomes, â€Å"A boy brought the white sheet, A frail of lime ready prepared, The rest was death, and death alone. † In this version, the reader feels like three mundane, somewhat depressing things are happening in sequence as opposed to feeling a horrifying realization of the simultaneous events surrounding the loss of a close friend. Without the repetition it may still seem sad, but nowhere near as powerful as the original. Adding the repetition back in, one feels as though time has been stopped during a metaphorical symphony of pain from grief. As the horrible moment continues, Lorca adds additional imagery: â€Å"Groups of silence in the corners†¦ A coffin on wheels is his bed†¦ The room was iridescent with agony†¦ In the distance the gangrene now comes†¦ The wounds were burning like suns†¦ at five in the afternoon. At five in the afternoon. Ah, that fatal five in the afternoon! It was five by all the clocks! It was five in the shade of the afternoon! † It is no accident that we read of the time of day five times at the end of this section. Also, both of the first two stanzas contain five references to the time as well, almost suffocating us with the existence of the terrible hour. Lorca perfectly displays the effect of death on the human mind. Cluttered with the details most ignored in regular life, our brains (perhaps as a self-defense to keep us alive) go through an almost physical withdrawal when those near to us die. In conclusion, It is obvious that our lives revolve around death whether we like it or not. Death is the nemesis of survival, and survival is our primary goal in life as humans. Reproduction, social reform, religion, or anything else we live for (even hedonism) must manifest itself through survival of ourselves or others. Thus, as long as we survive, humans will always be obsessed with death.

Saturday, September 21, 2019

People and society Essay Example for Free

People and society Essay The writer basically talks about the conditions, events, problems, and trends of the larger regions as well as the individual nations. The writer basically uses a cross-disciplinary approach and talks about the physical landscapes and the culture that is being followed in the Asian-Pacific countries where most of the people live, mainly China and Japan. Moreover, some of the highest mountains and longest rivers are also found in Asia. These populated countries consist of many people belonging to various ethnic groups who follow different cultures, religions and speak different languages. (Weightman, 2001). The chapters that I would be mainly focusing are based on the aspects of people and society in Pacific Asia. The people of Japan mostly reside in Honshu, Kyushu, Hokkaido and Shikoku. The two terms that means people of Japan are Nipponjin and Nihonjin and they basically resemble the Tibetans. Japan has a very high population and in 2002 it was declared to be the 10th most populous countries; however the Japanese population has been facing a decline due to the western influence because of which small household have become a trend. Japan has a homogenous culture, tradition and language and the main religions are Buddhism and Shinto. Most of the people in Japan live in the urban areas than in cities. (Maps of the world. com, n. d. ). Like Japan, China is also one of the populous countries in the world. China is a multi ethnic country and majority of the population speak Chinese. (Welcome to China, n. d. ). Most of the people in China grow rice, ride bicycles and fewer cars can be seen only in cities. They Chinese people prefer doing things in the old ways their ancestors used to. The Chinese people use the decimal system as their currency that consists of paper money as well as the coins.(Ebrey, n. d. ). Reference Ebrey, P. B. (n. d. ). People. January 21st, 2009. Retrieved from: http://depts. washington. edu/chinaciv/geo/people. htm Maps of the world. com. (n. d. ). People of Japan. January 21st, 2009. Retrieved from: http://www. mapsofworld. com/japan/culture/people-of-japan. html Weightman , B. (2001). Dragons and Tigers: A Geography of South, East, and Southeast Asia. 2nd Edn. Wiley, Hardcover. Welcome to China. (n. d. ). People of China. January 21st, 2009. Retrieved from: http://www. tooter4kids. com/china/people_of_china. htm

Friday, September 20, 2019

The Strategic Priorities Of Glaxosmithkline Plc Economics Essay

The Strategic Priorities Of Glaxosmithkline Plc Economics Essay Part I Pharmaceutical Business Model The business model of companies in pharmaceutical industry for almost two decades is blockbuster model. The blockbusters (drugs that have sales over $ 1 billion per year) have turned out to be a significant factor that driven the pharmaceutical industry from 1990s. There were 65 blockbusters in 2002 increased from only 7 blockbusters in 1990 (Deutsche Bank, 2003 cited in Froud et al, 2006: 169) but, by 2006, the number was raised to 114 (La Merie Business Intelligence, 2007). Exhibit 1 shown that the sales of top ten blockbuster companies from blockbuster drugs alone were accounted larger than one-fourth of world pharmaceutical market in 2006. This blockbuster model was adopted in order to maximize revenue because it was seemed to be possible approach to satisfy high growth expectation of financial community (Business Insight 2003: 10). To conclude, the blockbuster business model was underpinned big pharmaceutical companies success over the past decade. This model is embedded in phar maceutical industry. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Exhibit 1 Top 10 Blockbuster companies, 2006 Company Sales of Blockbuster US$ billion Number of Blockbuster As % of World Pharmaceutical Market Pfizer 28.8 9 4.48 GlaxoSmithKline 24.3 12 3.78 AstraZeneca 21.1 11 3.28 Sanofi-Aventis 19.9 9 3.09 Johnson Johnson 17.5 8 2.72 Roche 16.1 7 2.50 Amgen 13.4 5 2.08 Merck Co. 12.7 4 1.98 Wyeth 10.0 5 1.56 Eli Lilly 9.4 5 1.46 Total 173.2 75 26.94 Source: La Merie Business Intelligence, 2007 Challenges of Big Pharmaceutical model To begin with, the big pharmaceutical companies such as Pfizer and GSK are over-reliance on the sales of blockbuster drugs. In other words, the companies are generated their main revenue from small number of drugs from their product lines. For example, in 2006, Pfizer had 9 blockbuster drugs which generated almost 60 % of total sales. GSK had 12 blockbuster drugs that contributed 56 % of total sales. Another example, in 2007, we can see that 12 blockbuster drugs of GSK accounted for almost 60 percent of companys total drug sales (see Exhibit 2). Therefore, companies are exposed to high insecurity if they cannot find replacement of products which have equivalent financial size. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Exhibit 2 GSKs contribution of blockbuster to total drugs sales, 2007 Products Sales US$ million As % of total drugs sales Seretide/Advair 7,001 18.26 Flixotide/Flovent 1,243 3.24 Valtrex 1,869 4.87 Lamictal 2,195 5.72 Imigran/Imitrex 1,371 3.57 Seroxat/Paxil 1,107 2.89 Wellbutrin 1,059 2.76 Coreg 1,175 3.06 Avandia products 2,439 6.36 Augmentin 1,061 2.77 Hepatitis 1,059 2.76 Infanrix/Pediarix 1,087 2.83 Total 22,663 59.1 Source: Company annual report, 2008 Next, the less productive of RD pipeline and increasing cost of RD. There is a downward trend of the number of New Molecular Entities (NMEs) and Biologics License Applications (BLAs). In 1996, there are almost 40 approvals of NMEs and BLAs but, by 2007, the figure was decreased to 18 (Riley 2008). In addition, the cost to develop a drug is ten-fold increase from $138 million in 1975 to $ 1.318 billion in 2006 (PhRMA 2009) (see Exhibit 3). Hence, from the opposite direction of RD cost and RD productivity, we can conclude that the overall efficiency of RD in industry is lower than in the past. Finally, the expiry of patent and the impact of generics. For example, the best selling drug of GSK Seretide/Advair which generated US$ 7,653 million or 17 % of total turnover in 2008 will be expired in 2010 in the US and in 2013 in the EU. In this case, there is a possibility that GSKs turnover might drop sharply after the expiry of Seretide if the company cannot develop product or new source of income to make up for the loss of Seretide/Advair sales. In addition, the increasing in number of patent expiries of blockbusters has a positive impact to the growth in generic market. As exhibit 4 shows, the compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of the global generic market was 16.4% during 2004 to 2007. In contrast, growth rate of overall pharmaceutical industry was at a CAGR of 8.3% in the same span. Another factor driven the growth of generic drugs is the greater attentiveness of payors as a result of current economic recession such as tightened healthcare budget of governments or private p ayors. It is likely that the price of drugs will be pushed down by the greater bargaining power. For instance, Japan had cut the price of drugs on the National Health Insurance (NHI) in 2008 by average 5.2% (Business Insight 2008). All in all, economic and stakeholders in the demanding side of the industry are now shaping the new form of the pharmaceutical market. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Exhibit 3 Cost of developing new drug, 1975 2006 Source: PhRMA, 2009 à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Exhibit 4 Global Generics Market, 2004 2007 Source: Business Insight, 2008 The Strategic priorities of GlaxoSmithKline PLC In 2008, Andrew Witty was selected to be a CEO of GSK. After two months of being a CEO, he announced new strategy to steer GSK in global pharmaceutical market. There are three new strategic priorities; grow a diversified global business, deliver more products of value and simplify the operating model. This section will discuss how these new strategic a response to problem pharmaceutical business model problem. Grow a Diversified Global Business In this strategic, the company is trying to lessen its risk by widening and balancing its products across all geographic boundaries. In other words, company tries to reduce reliance on blockbuster drugs for companys growth as Witty said The biggest thing Im trying to change is to go from saying its okay to have a blockbuster once every five years to a situation where we are delivering several new products every year (Goodman 2008). As a recession in the USA, it had a huge impact in the US sales which is a main market for company that accounted for 40% of total revenue in 2008. The sales in the US decreased by 4.2% in 2008 compare to 2007 while Europe market and rest of the world market sales were increased by 16.3% and 16.6% respectively (GlaxoSmithKline 2009). Therefore, at this moment, the US market is saturated; company is now focusing on the market which has high growth such as Africa, China and India but also not ignore the US market. It shows that company is adapted to the curr ent market situation. There are many actions that have been taken by the company that response to the business model problems. First, company is focusing on vaccine, biopharma and consumer healthcare which have high potential growth which in turn might create revenue to make up the loss of sales from expired patent blockbusters. Second, fulfill the potential of emerging markets and Japan market. Japan, alone, accounted for 10% of global pharmaceutical market (Medicines Australia 2009) which is the second largest from the US. It is a big market and a high growth market with market value of US$ 68.6 billion in 2008 and sales growth of 17.2% over 2007 (Business Insight 2009). In emerging markets, particularly, the seven pharmerging market including China, Brazil, Mexico, South Korea, India, Turkey and Russia seem to be the major driven of growth in the global pharmaceutical industry (see Exhibit 5). Better approach to generic is driven this growth. It is likely that GSK is now more con centrated on generic drugs, for example, company acquired branded generics from both Bristol-Myers Squibb and UCB as well as formed alliance with South Africas Aspen Pharmacare and Dr Reddys of India (Hirsler, 2009). To conclude, this strategic priority seems to be positive reaction of the company regarding the over-reliance on blockbusters, market decline in the US and the impact of generics as Johnson et al. (2008) suggested that diversification is suitable when current markets saturated while need for more rapid growth. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Exhibit 5 Sales in 7MM and pharmerging markets ($m), 2003 2007 Markets 2007 CAGR 2003-07 7MM 466,145 5.62% Pharmerging markets 58,652 15.79% 7MM = USA, Japan, France, Italy, Spain, Germany, UK Pharmerging markets = China, Brazil, Mexico, South Korea, India, Turkey and Russia Source: Riley, 2008 Deliver More Products of Value GSK is lack of therapy area diversification and technology concentration. We can see that there are only 6% of biopharma in GSKs pipeline. Moreover, oncology area represented only 1% of GSKs Sales in 2007 while this area had global market growth of 3%. In order to maintain growth in the long term, GSK need to adjust its RD issues (Riley 2008). Therefore, company announced plan as follow. First, company will focused on eight areas of therapy. Second, externalize RD as its take a long time to create and develop by in-house. Third, GSK will create new biopharma and oncology RD unit in China that have lower cost than established in developed countries which in turn help company to control RD budget. Finally, divided RD units into small group and financed dependent upon its performance which in turn will stimulate innovation. To conclude, GSK redefined its RD pipeline and structure is reacted directly to the problems of RD as mentioned previously as well as problem of over-reliance on blo ckbusters. Simplify the Operating Model GSK is trying to reduce cost in running business. First, develop commercial model; for example, integrate the back office finance system into one system across organization. Second, reduce cost in manufacturing. Company has a plan to cut two-third waste in production by 2015 (Jack, 2009a). As a result, company will be able to redeploy the money from cost reduction into investment. Overall, this strategy is not related directly to the problems of business model, however, the amount of reduction in working capital can be put to RD or other investments which might turn to be in form of company growth (Bender and Ward 2009). In conclusion, it is obvious that new strategy of Andrew Witty is reflected directly to the problems of business model which are heavily reliant on blockbusters, RD problem and impact of generic drugs. However, company is likely to put their focus on small molecules which is the core heritage of the company and the existing products as well as diversify its portfolios and adapted itself into recent market environment. Part II Will new strategy succeed? The new strategy of GSK is likely to lead the company to succeed in the future as it is reflected straightforwardly to the problems of business model. Additionally, it is not simple to point out or evaluate the firms performance as Rosenzweig (2007) argued that the success or performance is not totally forced by internal factors; in contrast, it is relative to a company itself and environment as a whole. Therefore, successful of strategy in this paper will be defined as if company can increase its shareholder values in the long term. In addition, how will company succeed will evaluate by if the new strategy will increase value of its shareholder. Rappaport (1998) pointed out that shareholder value can be driven by seven factors; raise sales growth, boost operating profit margin, lessen cash tax rate, reduce incremental investment in capital spending, reduce investment in working capital, increase time period of competitive advantage, and reduce cost of capital. Regarding companys diversified global business strategy; there are many significant improvements as a result of applying this strategy. First, there is sales growth compared with quarter in previous year in every quarter from third quarter of 2008, after announcement of new strategy, in British pound term. Furthermore, GSK had an increasing in third quarter 2009 of sales 19% in Japan, 25% in emerging market, and 8% in consumer products (Jack, 2009b). In first quarter of 2009, company experienced decline in US market by 22% company Overall, this strategy reflects directly with sales volume which leads to growth in sales. Therefore, company increases its shareholder value as it can raise its sales growth. Deliver more products of value; from this strategy, company should be able to create more revenue from its value added activities. From the company financial data comparing nine month of 2008 and 2009, we can see that GSK had an increasing in gross profit and operating profit 16% and 8% respectively (see Exhibit 6). However, gross margin and operating margin were decreased slightly by 0.4% and 2.39% to 74.05% and 29.48% respectively. Therefore, company unable to raise its shareholder value by this strategy as it was failed to increase operating margin. Moreover, company has less efficiency as its return on capital employed (ROCE) was dropped (see Exhibit 6 and 7) from 22.18% in three quarter of 2008 to 19.71% in three quarter of 2009. There is a probability that company is unable to deliver more values from money that put it investment. However, value added activities of this industry is more likely as RD process. It takes long time to get outcome from money that invested today. For example, to evaluate the RD performance, we should not consider only the approval of new drugs only, as it takes 10 15 years to develop a new drug which mentioned in part I but also we need to take in account the drug development in the early phase, this drugs which are in process cannot generate profit for company today. Overall, we can see that in this strategy. The company is unable to enhance in shareholder value as it cannot increase it operating margin. This is mean that at this period of time a company is inefficiency to control their selling, administration and RD expense. The third strategy, simplify the operating model. There is one mission in this strategy that related directly to increase shareholder value which is reducing working capital. As in September 2008, company was able to reduce its working capital by 500 Million GBP, therefore, shareholder value is increasing as money from working capital can be return to shareholder in form of dividend or can reinvest in company at low cost of capital. This strategy should able a company to lower cost of operation, in contrast, exhibit 6 shows that selling and administration expense was increasing by 24% while turnover increased only 16%. It seems that company cannot succeed its goal by this strategy. If we take a look at stock price of company, we can see that price is hit the highest in 52 weeks in December 2009 (see exhibit 8). This can indicate that market gains confidence about the company performance. However, P/E ratio 13.79% of the company as 14 December 2009 is still lower than competitors; Pfizer at 15.19% and Novartis at 16.1%. This can be interpreted that price low of GSK is low than competitors. All in all, despite the confidence of the market about GSK, in my opinion, up to the present moment the new strategy is not successful in term of maximizing its shareholder value. As we can see from the numbers such as ROCE and operating margin that company cannot build up or even maintain these ratios. However, it needs to be seen it long run whether strategy will succeed since only internal factors cannot make company to succeed. (2420 Words) à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Exhibit 6 GSK; Nine Month ended Income Statement, 2008 and 2009 Source: GSK Press Release, 28 October 2009 Available at : www.gsk.com [accessed 13 December 2009] à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Exhibit 7 GSK; Nine Month ended Balance Sheet, 2008 and 2009 Source: GSK Press Release, 28 October 2009 Available at : www.gsk.com [accessed 13 December 2009] à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Exhibit 8 Stock Price of GSK, London Stock Exchange, 2years ended 14 December 2009 Source: http://uk.finance.yahoo.com

Thursday, September 19, 2019

An Analysis of the Poetry of Yeats :: Biography Biographies Essays

An Analysis of Down by the Salley Gardens One of Yeats' poems, Down by the Salley Gardens is a typical story of inexperienced youth in the realm of love. The final two lines hold the key to the theme of the poem: She bid me take life easy, as the grass grows on the weirs; But I was young and foolish, and now am full of tears. The poem is evidently about the relationship between the narrator and the woman with the "little snow-white feet†¢ and the narrator's failure to be able to cope with that relationship. Whilst she wanted to enjoy herself and "take life easy†¢, he was too "young and foolish†¢ to understand her needs, resulting in them going their separate ways, hence the ?nal line. Down by the Salley Gardens has a number of problems, probably due to it being written at an early point in Yeats' writing career. It lacks the subtlety of his later poems; there really is very little to analyze in terms of the themes and issues raised within. The language is also far simpler - there are no very memorable lines in this poem, whereas his later works contained lines that would eventually enter most people's collective unconscious, such as some of the first few lines of The Second Coming: Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;/Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world, The repetition used in the last two lines of each stanza is obvious and overstated, and the bouncy, cheerful rhyme scheme does not seem to compliment the rather downbeat and morose tone of the poem. Down by the Salley Gardens simply lacks the power and depth with which he later infused his poems. The Lake Isle of Innisfree Written only four years after Down by the Salley Gardens, The Lake Isle of Innisfree is a remarkable advance. This poem is far more sophisticated in all respects. An immediately noticeable difference between it and the previous poem is its maturity; the themes explored and the techniques used to do so are far more complex and detailed than those used in Down by the Salley Gardens. The central theme is that of exile, and it is portrayed in a somewhat curious way. The narrator longs to live on the island of Innisfree and be closer to nature, hence the lines:

Wednesday, September 18, 2019

Reflection on Alternative Assessments Essays -- Education Assessment E

Reflection on Alternative Assessments   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Traditional and alternative assessments share some key elements, yet differ as well. All assessments, whether given as a test after a unit or alternative, should be measurable and be reliable and valid by having clear criteria to measure the learning targets. Traditional and alternative assessments generally differ in timing, feedback, student's involvement, and how the teacher uses the information.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The time in which traditional assessments such as after the unit tests are designed to provide feedback is at the end of a unit only. There is also generally a time limit to complete this type of assessment as well. These are not true of alternative assessments. A KWL or pre-test can provide feedback before a lesson or unit. Nearly all alternative assessments can also provide ongoing feedback during the lesson or unit as well as after it is completed. Also, many alternative assessments do not have a time constraint to demonstrate understanding of content.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The feedback given from a traditional assessment is a letter or percentage grade, which does not tell the content that the student knows, only a measure of quantity of knowledge from a scale of nothing to everything. This feedback is used to tell the teacher and/or school whether or not to promote the student and how they fall in comparison to the other students. With alternative assessments the feedback can be used by all parties (teacher, student, parent, and sch...

Tuesday, September 17, 2019

Internet Browser Essay

Despite the fact that Internet Explorer 5. 5 is one of the most popular in companies, I’d like to recommend another one – Maxthon Browser 2. 0, because it is much more convenient for office working. Maxthon Internet Browser 2. 0 is a powerful tabbed browser nowadays. Its main advantage is a highly customizable interface. Although Maxthon Browser is based on the engine of Internet Explorer, it has many additional efficient features. What works in Internet Explorer works as well in Maxthon Browser and even better and faster. (Maxthon). Maxthon Browser includes many new features involving full customization of layout, new clean interface, multi-tab workspace, better security and improved rss/podcast reader. Until nowadays a big inconvenient was: bookmarklet, toolbar and 3rd party plugins. Maxthon 2. 0 supports all of the functions compared with Internet Explorer, Opera, etc. Additionally Maxthon has few exclusive screenshots below. Nevertheless the most interesting feature of new Maxthon is its possibility to create an account and to store all necessary information and settings online. The function is simply used just by logging in. Although Opera, Internet Explorer and FireFox are more sophisticated and have got more market share, Maxthon is swiftly gaining popularity. (Maxthon) Today is the era of Internet and application functionality is able to expand beyond the operating system into the desktops and the web. Personalization and delivery is very important and Maxthon Browser with its organic growth is a serious representative of such trend. In several years Maxthon will become a key player in the Internet market, because it has serious investors such as Morten Lund, CRV, and WI Harper, growing community and actually beautiful product. I recommend Maxthon, because it differs from other browsers and makes working process with Internet easier as it includes the visible gestures and customizable Tab handling. But the most useful is if the browser is closed accidentally with ten tabs open, the next time it is opened, they are still there. (Maxthon). References â€Å"Maxthon: the Browser that Rocks†. (2006, February 28) Retried September, from http://www. techcrunch. com.

Monday, September 16, 2019

School wide positive behavior support

For the past 28 old ages, LAKE Academy ( once known as LifeStream Academy ) has served kids and striplings with emotional upsets and behavioural challenges as referred by the School Board of Lake County ( LCSB ) . LAKE Academy is housed at two sites within Lake County and serves a sum of 110 Emotional/Behavioral Disabled and Emotionally Handicapped ( EBD/EH ) pupils, 45 Alternate Education ( AE ) pupils, and 80 Alternate Disciplinary Program ( ADP ) pupils. LAKE Academy was formed as a charter between LifeStream Behavioral Center, a Mental Health Hospital and Lake County School Board. LAKE Academy is under contract to keep a teacher/student ratio of 1:11 in the Emotional/Behavioral Disabled and Emotionally Handicapped ( EBD/EH ) plan ; a teacher/student ratio of 1:15 will be maintained in the Alternate Education plan. The instructor to student ratio in the Alternative Disciplinary Program schoolroom will average one instructor to twenty pupils. Recently, the Lake County School Board charter contract with Lake Academy added the No Child Left Behind Act enfranchisement demand. All instructors are required to demo annually advancement towards capable country and/or Exceptional Education Certification. However, LifeStream Behavioral Center, the employer, pays on the norm of 10 dollars less per hr with no planning period or responsibility free tiffin. In add-on, this school requires frequent and sometimes drawn-out restraint of pupils which frequently risks hurt to staff.Purpose of StudyTraditionally, schools have used reactive, punitory schemes in an effort to discour age pupils from unwanted behaviours. These effect based behavior systems have been proven uneffective. The Families and Advocates Partnership for Education provinces that â€Å" harmonizing to over 500 research surveies, penalty is one of the least effectual responses to job behaviours. School-wide policies that punish pupils for negative behaviours but that do n't honor positive behaviours really increased aggression, hooliganism, hooky, tardiness, and dropping out of school † ( FAPE Research Brief, p. 1 ) . We need to believe more about our pupils and learn them how to act and larn, within a system that is positive and collaborative. â€Å" What is needed is a systemic, proactive attack that seeks to forestall disputing behaviours from developing while comprehensively turn toing the demands of all kids on the continuum of hazard for disputing behaviours † ( Dunlap, Lewis, & A ; McCart, p. 1 ) . Over the last 10 old ages, research workers have been looking at the effects of positive behaviour intercessions. These constructs were foremost used in particular instruction scenes. â€Å" PBS was developed ab initio as an option to aversive intercessions that were used with pupils with terrible disablements who engaged in utmost signifiers of self-injury and aggression † ( OSEP, ND, p. 1 ) . More late, this attack has been successful in regular instruction scenes every bit good. Researchers George Sugai and Rob Horner from Oregon, funded by the U. S. Office of Special Education Programs ( OSEP ) have formed a collaborative including universities and educational bureaus with the end to â€Å" help provinces in large-scale execution of School-wide Positive Behavior Support to accomplish both decrease in job behaviour and enhanced larning environment † ( OSEP Brochure, p. 1 ) . One survey, by Bradshaw, Leaf and Debnam ( 2007 ) paperss a randomised control test conducted in Maryland in which execution of school-wide positive behaviour support ( SWPBS ) was demonstrated to happen with fidelity, and to be linked to improved organisational wellness, improved academic results, and decreases in office subject referrals. ( Horner & A ; Sugai, 2007, p. 8 ) A reappraisal of the incident information for both campuses last twelvemonth showed that the Leesburg campus had 299 incidents that were caused by 70 pupils. Sixteen pupils had 5 or more incidents for a sum of 203 or 68 % . 55 % of all incidents were Acting Out ( 51 % AO & A ; 4 % AO, with hurt ) 31 % of all incidents were assaults. The Eustis campus saw 120 incidents that were caused by 47 pupils. 9 pupils had 5 or more incidents for a sum of 64 or 53 % 56 % of all incidents were Acting Out ( 44 % AO & A ; 12 % AO, with hurt ) 21 % of all incidents were assaults. Lake Academy keeps making the same thing and expects different consequences. The school must switch from a reactive and aversive attack to pull offing job behaviours to one that is preventative and positive. Lake County Schools introduced Positive Behavior Support in several schools last twelvemonth. One school saw a about 50 % decrease in subject referrals. The Academy already has A? of the PBS work done with the Leveled Behavior Modification Program.Literature ReviewDefinitions/ Background of PBSSchool-wide positive behaviour support ( SWPBS ) can be defined as â€Å" a systems attack for set uping the societal civilization and behavioural supports needed for a school to be an effectual acquisition environment for all pupils † ( Sugai, 2008, presentation slide 9 ) . SWPBS is a more proactive option to reactive, punitory behaviour direction processs. Administrators, instructors, and staff work collaboratively to better the school clime by learning behavioural outlooks and societal accomplishments for all scenes within the larning community. Positive support is used to admit pupils who are exhibiting the expected behaviours. For pupils who are non reacting to the given outlooks, t here is a continuum of intercessions designed to suit the demands of the person.Cardinal Elementss of PBSThe chief elements of the PBS theoretical account include â€Å" a prevention-focused continuum of support, proactive instructional attacks to learning and bettering societal behaviours, conceptually sound and through empirical observation validated patterns, systems change to back up effectual patterns, and experimental determination devising † ( Sugai & A ; Horner, 2002, p. 2 ) .Prevention.There are three degrees of bar used in SWPBS. â€Å" Primary bar focal points on diminishing the figure of new instances of a job behaviour or state of affairss by guaranting and keeping the usage of the most effectual patterns for all pupils † ( p. 2 ) . This degree of bar is used with all pupils, school-wide in all scenes. Students are taught the behavioural outlooks and societal accomplishments for usage in all countries of the school. Positive support is used by instructors and staff to admit those pupils who are acting harmonizing to these outlooks. The end of secondary bar is to cut down the figure of bing job behaviour instances or state of affairss by supplying extra instructional and behavioural supports for the comparatively smaller figure of pupils who are at hazard of important school failure and who need more specialised supports than those provided by primary bar attempts. ( Sugai & A ; Horner, 2002, p. 2 ) In these instances, intercessions are used to back up these persons in following the behavioural outlooks established in the school. The concluding type of bar, â€Å" third bar focal points on cut downing the figure of bing instances of complex, intractable, and long-standing job behaviours displayed by pupils who are at high hazard for important emotional, behavioural and societal failure † ( Sugai & A ; Horner, 2002, p. 2 ) These pupils require more individualised and intensive intercessions, including the usage of functional behavioural analysis and other informations aggregation to find the best manner to back up them.Proactive Approach.The 2nd cardinal component of PBS is that the attack taken by the instructors and staff is proactive instead than reactive. At the beginning of the twelvemonth or at the start of a new activity, behaviour guidelines are taught explicitly and reinforced so that all pupils know what is expected of them. This attack is characterized by a careful consideration of instructional patterns, constructions and procedures for ( a ) maximising academic results ; ( B ) selecting and learning school-wide and classroom-wide outlooks, regulations and modus operandis ; and ( degree Celsius ) practicing and promoting the usage of academic accomplishments and behavioural outlooks across multiple relevant scenes and contexts ( Sugai & A ; Horner, 2002, pp. 2-3 ) . Students are taught societal accomplishments and given schemes for covering with other pupils, such as struggle declaration and how to react to being harassed or bullied. It is besides made clear to pupils when they should seek aid from an grownup in a given state of affairs.Sound Practices.Many of the constituents of PBS come from the pattern of Applied Behavior Analysis ( ABA ) , which has been â€Å" refined, tested, and replicated to organize an of import disciplinary attack for turn toing socially of import concerns in instruction, particularly bettering behavioural results for single pupils † ( Sugai & A ; Horner, 2002, p. 3 ) . PBS focuses on two specific methods used in ABA: functional behavioural appraisal and behaviour intercession programs. Functional behavioural appraisals are used to roll up informations about the variables associated with job behaviours, such as â€Å" scene, ancestor, and effects. † This information is used to make behavior intercession programs, which â€Å" focal point on the strengths and of import societal contexts of the pupil and household and do job behaviour ineffective, inefficient, and irrelevant so that more desirable or adaptable behaviours can be encouraged † ( Sugai & A ; Horner, 2002, p. 3 ) .Systems Perspective.A big portion of the PBS attack is the fact that it is used school-wide. Having the systems set up throughout the school scenes is important to the successful execution of these patterns. This involves ongoing preparation and coaching of instructors and staff to guarantee that there is consistence throughout the school. â€Å" Systems supports m ust be in topographic point to back up the accurate, efficient, and sustained usage of evidence-based patterns and informations direction systems † ( Sugai & A ; Horner, 2002, p. 4 ) .Stairss for Implementation.The execution of PBS in a school involves several stairss. First, the leading squad is established. â€Å" With input from all staff, squads determine which features they will aim foremost, how advancement will be monitored, and what the behavioural outlooks will be, when and how to learn the behavior outlooks, and the type of informations that will be used to inform determinations † ( Dunlap, Lewis, & A ; McCart, p. 2 ) . Next, the squad defines the behavioural outlooks for the pupils. For school-aged kids, there are normally about five guidelines used throughout the school. These are posted throughout the assorted educational scenes, utilizing linguistic communication pupils can easy understand and associate to or utilizing images or icons. ( Dunlap, Lewis, & A ; McCart, p. 2 ) Once the school-wide behaviour outlooks have been determined, they must be taught to the pupils. â€Å" Expectations can be taught with a scope of schemes that include mold, pattern, function playing, and feedback in context, and a assortment of stuffs can be used to assist the instruction procedure ( e.g. books, games, marionettes, societal narratives ) † ( Dunlap, Lewis, & A ; McCart, p. 2 ) . Children are taught societal accomplishments every bit good as schemes for struggle declaration. There is besides treatment about appropriate behaviours for different scenes within the acquisition community, such as the schoolroom, the hallways, the tiffin room, and the resort area. It is of import that the instruction of these outlooks is clear and consistent and that the pupils are cognizant of the effects for non following with the guidelines. After pupils have been taught the behavior outlooks, the following measure is to utilize changeless positive support to admit those pupils who exhibit the coveted behaviours. Giving the kids this feedback lets them cognize when they are on the right path and besides shows other pupils that they will be noticed if they make the right picks. â€Å" Acknowledgement of coveted behaviours is such a critical characteristic of PBS that frequently the leading squad needs to set up particular monitoring schemes to assist motivate staff to ‘catch the kids being good ‘ with a high adequate frequence † ( Dunlap, Lewis, & A ; McCart, p. 3 ) . Data is used to assist the PBS squad to work out jobs and do determinations sing the actions taken to implement the plan successfully throughout the school. The squad meets to make up one's mind what types of information they will roll up to supervise the effectivity of the systems at different degrees: school-wide, within each schoolroom, and with single pupils. One normally used step to measure the school-wide plan is to look at the figure of office subject referrals ( ODRs ) . Many schools besides use behavior incident signifiers which â€Å" papers happenings of targeted disputing behaviours, and note the type of job behaviour, the scene in which it occurred, the type of activity and any other possible triggers to the behaviour, the people involved in the activity and the effects ( if any ) that were provided following the behavioural incident † ( Dunlap, Lewis, & A ; McCart, p. 3 ) . This information is collected and analyzed on a regular basis by members of the squad in their determination devising. Students who do non react to the behavioural outlooks set Forth are provided with extra intercessions, as decided by the PBS squad. â€Å" Data from behavior incident signifiers can assist squads find which kids and schoolrooms need support and what supports are appropriate † ( Dunlap, Lewis & A ; McCart, p. 3 ) .Effectiveness of PBS.A survey of PBS in urban high schools analyzing PBS and its effectivity at the secondary degree was conducted over the class of 4 old ages. Overall, school-wide PBS has been associated with decreases in ODRs at this school. Although the deficiency of experimental control in the survey prohibits the ability to presume causality, during the months and old ages where school-wide PBS intercessions were implemented, ODRs declinedaˆÂ ¦ Besides, comparing baseline informations to the first twelvemonth of execution revealed that a significantly smaller figure of pupils received multiple ODRs during the execution twelvemonth in comparing with the baseline twelvemonth. ( Morrissay, 2010, pp. 30-31 ) Many other surveies have shown similar consequences, including decreases in behavior incidents, office subject referrals ( ODRs ) and suspension rates. â€Å" Recent research indicates that school-wide positive behaviour is associated with reduced exclusionary, reactive and punitory subject patterns, increased pupil satisfaction, and improved perceptual experiences of school safety † ( Putnam, Horner, & A ; Algazzine, 2006, p. 1 ) . Teachers report holding more clip for direction in the schoolroom because there are less behavioural distractions. There are more positive interactions between pupils and staff, which create a better environment for everyone.Legislation.The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act ( IDEA ) was originally passed as our state ‘s particular instruction jurisprudence in 1975. Its intent is to guarantee that pupils with disablements have an equal opportunity to hold â€Å" a free appropriate public instruction, merely like other kids † ( hypertext transfer protocol: //www.nichcy.org/idea.htm para 2 ) . The act has been revised and amended many times, and was most late reauthorized by Congress in 2004, with consequences published in 2006. The new act, IDEIA ( Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act ) , states that â€Å" school decision makers continue to hold legislative support for their usage of functional behavioural appraisal and positive behavioural intercessions and schemes for back uping kids with disablements who exhibit job behaviours † ( IDEIA, 2004, p. 2 ) . The IDEIA provides more flexibleness in support, leting schools to utilize a per centum of their financess toward implementing PBS. It is besides proposed that these intercessions be used school-wide, to make an inclusive acquisition community for all pupils. Congress is presently fixing to reauthorize the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, known as â€Å" No Child Left Behind. † It appears that â€Å" policymakers have begun to admit that there are many non-academic factors that affect pupils ‘ school success † ( Mandlawitz, 2007, p. 1 ) . In her recent publication, Myrna Mandlawitz describes two measures that have been introduced, the Reducing Barriers to Learning Act of 2007 and the Positive Behavior for Effective Schools Act. Both of these involve the usage of school-wide positive behaviour support. On May 21, 2009, theA Positive Behavior for Safe and Effective Schools ActA ( HR 2597 ) was introduced by Representative Phil Hare ( D-IL ) .A If signed into jurisprudence, HR 2597 will better school clime and promote pupils ‘ academic success by promoting the usage of schoolwide positive behavioural supports ( PBIS ) . Research has documented that PBIS leads to better instructional clip, reduced disciplinary jobs and increased trial tonss. Harmonizing toA Rep. Hare, HR 2597 â€Å" provides schools with the flexibleness and proficient aid needed to implement, spread out, and prolong the usage of the Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports system. † The end of this measure is to see more execution of positive behaviour supports â€Å" in order to consistently make a school clime that is extremely contributing to larning, cut down subject referrals, and better academic result. They besides propose more flexibleness in the usage of Title I financess for School-wide Po sitive Behavior Supports to do it more accessible to all schools.SWPBS and Academics.â€Å" Several surveies have found relationships between academic public presentation and job behaviour across class degrees † ( Putnam, Horner & A ; Algazzine, 2006, p. 1 ) . â€Å" Other research has demonstrated that pupils with terrible job behaviour experienced big academic shortages as compared to typical equals. In most countries these shortages remained stable over clip † ( p. 2 ) . In many instances, behavior jobs arise because a pupil is seeking to avoid an academic undertaking. If a kid is weak in a certain country or is fighting with a undertaking, he or she may move out as an flight. For illustration, if a â€Å" pupil ‘s literacy accomplishments do non maintain gait with those of equals, academic undertakings become more aversive, and job behaviours that lead to get away from these undertakings become more likely † ( Putnam, Horner & A ; Algazzine, 2006, p. 1 ) . It is of import as instructors that we learn what is reenforcing our pupils for their behaviours and expression at what the map of the behaviour is. Research workers have late begun to analyze the relationship between SWPBS and academic accomplishment. With less clip and energy traveling to pull offing job behaviours, instructors have more clip available for direction in the schoolroom. â€Å" Research has systematically shown that the sum of clip that direction is provided is extremely correlated with pupil accomplishment † ( Putnam, Horner, & A ; Algazzine, 2006, p. 2 ) . Some surveies have besides shown increased clip on undertaking and academic battle in schools and schoolrooms utilizing PBS. â€Å" Student academic battle has been found to be correlated with improved academic achievementaˆÂ ¦In a survey of six schoolrooms that implemented behavior support programs, on-task behaviour increased by 24 % over baseline degrees † ( Putnam, Horner, & A ; Algazzine, 2006, p. 2 ) . Research is besides get downing to demo that execution of SWPBS is associated with improved trial tonss. â€Å" There is increasing grounds that school-wide positive behaviour support intercessions improve standardized trial consequences † ( p. 3 ) .MethodologyThe Academy already has a leading squad in topographic point and a Behavior Modification plan. This undertaking will concentrate in the positive facet. The leading squad defined the cosmopolitan behavioural outlooks as Respect, Responsibility, and Safety. The undermentioned chart shows what each of these behaviours ‘ expression like:RespectDutySafetyUse appropriate and positive linguistic communication Follow staff waies Keep custodies, pess, and objects to yourself Listen when others are talking Care for your properties and clean up after yourself Walk at a safe gait Raise your manus and speak when it is your bend Give your best attempt Enter and issue in orderly lines Respect others, staff, and belongings Be prepared The leading squad so developed a usher to how the plan will work. The bell will peal indiscriminately throughout the twenty-four hours. Techs will give PBS points for pupils that are exhibiting the Expected Universal Behaviors when the bell rings ( Respect, Responsibility, and Safety ) . An excess column has been added to Daily Point Log for this trailing. Points can be turned in at the terminal of the hebdomad for school shop points. The minute the bell ringsaˆÂ ¦ the really 2nd the bell ringsaˆÂ ¦ is when the PBS point is earned. It does non count what behavior the pupil displayed two seconds ago, two proceedingss ago, or two hours ago. It does non count if the kid has non â€Å" made his twenty-four hours. † All that affairs is if he was exposing cosmopolitan behavior outlooks at the minute the bell rang. If he was, he earns the PBS point. The squad so established the regulations for the school shop. School shop will be on Friday from 1:30pm-2:30pm. Students must be escorted and supervised by their schoolroom staff. Appropriate behaviour must be demonstrated at the school shop. Students will be asked to go forth if their behaviour is unacceptable. Rules of school shop will be posted at the shop site and a transcript will be given to each schoolroom for staff to reexamine with pupils. Students must be gaining 80 points, must be dress codification compliant, and have no major moving out behaviours to go to shop. School shop will be announced on the talker and a agenda will be implemented of schoolroom times. Merely appointive staff will be allowed to run and hold entree to school shop and shall keep shop stock list. It is the duty of the schoolroom staff to track pupil ‘s points in order for them to purchase points from shop. Any staff/student that is suspected of larceny, pull stringsing points, non tracking pupil ‘s points, non leting pupils to use shop will be reported instantly to an Administrator and have a effect for their actions. There will be a suggestion box for any petitions for stock list, alterations that may be needed, or comments/concerns at the shop that will be reviewed by the PBS squad. PBS squad will supervise point/inventory relation and do necessary accommodations. The incident informations each month will be compared to the information from last twelvemonth and disaggregated by types of incident. This comparing informations will be used to measure the effectivity of the plan and to find the mark country for the 2nd grade. It is projected that the figure of incidents per month will diminish by 50 % like that of other schools in the county.

Sunday, September 15, 2019

Memorial Day Essay

Memorial Day, is a day of joy, a day of sorrow, that means many different things to many different people. Memorial Day is on every last Monday of May. Traditionally on a Monday the Kids will go to school and the parents go to work, but not on the last Monday in May, the school closes, the grills light, the beer cans flood the sidewalks like water during a category five hurricane. Or at least that’s how it use to be, now all of the stores are open, the pools opens, and how you really see what the day is about, the soldiers. Memorial Day for me is all about soldiers and veterans. About four years ago I would always wait anxiously on every Sunday morning from a call from my dad, who was 3,000 miles away on a tiny new found country called Kosovo. Memorial Day is supposed to be a day of remembrance, but some people can’t even bare the thought of thinking about loosing their veteran, like me. Memorial Day was created to honor the soldiers of America, but now it is known for honoring the Memorial Day parade or sales event. Times and traditions have changed drastically, and so have the people of America. In conclusion even though we live in a free country our freedom is still not free. What Memorial Day means to me. When I think of Memorial Day I think of the soldiers I think of the way that these heroes get out of bed each day, and walk to the battlefield to defend our country. Memorial Day is not just a day to respect our current and past veterans, but a day to remember the fallen veterans. Also I think of the heart of a soldier which is like the size of the Titanic, and twice as big, and the soul of a soldier which is free and peaceful. If only the world was free and peaceful. What Memorial Day means to me is the soul of America. Memorial Day is a day that represents no other country on except the United States of America.

Saturday, September 14, 2019

Managing Groups in a Multicultural Setup

Surviving and succeeding in today’s global competitive business environment is obviously difficult. Cross-cultural working, managing changes, technological advantages give the much needed edge to set organizations apart. Our progress and approach strategies clearly defines our success. Developments in recent years have reinforced the view that we are moving from a world in which we determined our destination to one in which we must learn to navigate a path between myriad future possibilities (Stickland,1998).I had been assigned to a study group, which I was to work with, during the first semester. The group members met each other for the first time in the lecture theatre and decided to meet after class. The meeting was informal and we all introduced ourselves, exchanged e-mail addresses and phone numbers. All five team members talked about their backgrounds and I seemed to like the team from the beginning.Everyone seemed humble. As we kept on talking, it became apparent that s ome team members were more talkative than others. Team members, A and B were very talkative and kept asking questions while C and D were more quiet. I was more like an average participant, but in the end I too talked less. A and B looked at each other and me but not at C and D; C and D were thus not included in the conversations. I noticed this, but decided to ignore it for the time being. I thought I need to only change it later.The five members came from different countries across four continents. A was from India and from experience I knew that Indians would talk a lot and have strong opinions. B was from Honduras whom I thought would be talkative and easy going like my friends from Nicaragua and other Central American countries. While C was from Georgia, a country I did not know much about, D was from the US whom I thought would be a hard working, self-centered and confrontationist.The team was truly diverse. Having lived in Asia, North America and Europe, working with several m ulticultural teams for over a decade; I knew from the beginning that I had to learn more about their cultures and backgrounds. This was perhaps the only way I could interpret their behavior and adapt to them, while they could adapt to me too. I believed that judging people even before you get to know them was wrong, while at the same time I was sure that my assumptions about certain cultures and the norms within these cultures, were mostly right.We were assigned the first group task in management science. I walked into the assignment with a positive attitude and everyone else in the group did, too. After all, the first get-to-know meeting had been positive. Once we had gathered, we decided on where to work. We sat down and focused on the task that had been given to us. We read the assignment and were ready to discuss the task.Here things started to go wrong. As group members are not much familiar with each other, there is a certain amount of uncertainty and suspicion, when interpret ing each other’s conduct and action. Lack of positive relationship carries opportunities for development of serious conflicts. These may not only be difficult to resolve, but also decrease team performance, particularly when a relationship conflict is not differentiated from task disagreements. (Pamela and Sara 2002)As we had not established a hierarchy structure, there was no leader. It was an equal platform for all to put forth their contributions, at an identical level. I come from a consensus driven society and thought that it was the right approach. I believed that everyone knew how dynamics in a consensus driven group works. However, I was proven wrong. People were not listening to each other! People would not let each other talk. Instead they interrupted each other!I could not overcome the feeling that some people wanted to prove that they were intelligent and knowledgeable. We did not have a dialogue. The task’s problems and scope were not discussed. We did not talk about how to solve the task at hand. Instead people presented their solutions!. The team found it hard to keep up the schedules, and inefficient communication was taking its toll.I have worked as a management and strategy consultant in many countries and even founded companies in cultures foreign to me and I had never seen such chaos and unstructured behavior. In fact, gradually the team structure itself broke down and began functioning like two divided teams working on separate agenda. Did this have to do with some people’s inexperience?! Or was this peculiar only to me?.I went along with what was happening in the group, always trying to pull people back to discuss the task’s scope. The group agreed that we needed to look at the scope and understand it. However, people continued to argue their causes defending their ideas. We were not getting anywhere. Time was running out and I knew that we did not have a good solution. This was confirmed when we saw what other groups presented. Now, I wondered whether the other people in the group saw it the same way? But I never asked them. We had talked to each other in the first assignment but not with each other now . We were not communicating well.Several days later, the second assignment was given to us. We went back to the same room we had used earlier. We read the task and, to my surprise, nobody’s approach had changed. Everyone was talking and no one listening. D who had been quiet in the first meeting tried to explain his idea which I thought was good. I wanted people to listen to D and they did after I specifically asked them to. D has only studied English for four years and he had a hard time expressing his thoughts, lacking the necessary vocabulary.Everyone else in the group speaks English fluently. I believed this might be the reason why no one listened to him. Anyway, after D had talked, they resumed their unconstructive debating, ignoring D’s ideas. After I initiated a secon d attempt to get D back into the discussion without any success I must admit that emotions replaced my otherwise logical and rather rational thinking. The other group members’ ignorance upset me. I decided not to participate anymore. Instead, I decided to observe what was going on in the team, making mental notes and checking my initial assumptions about each others’ attitudes.I then realized that initiating a groupwork successfully is very important and difficult. Perhaps the task or objectives at hand need to correspond to an initiation level too. Not much has been said or written on tasks, which are more suitable for groupwork, particularly at the initiation level. But it has been widely accepted that group work must be established in defined stages or steps, so that there is a better sense of direction and focus at the early stages. It would also be more beneficial if the topics and activities are initially focused at a simpler, straightforward and interesting agen da, gradually moving on to complicating issues. (Elisabeth 1990)Once again, we ran out of time without having completed the task, we returned to the lecture theatre only to find that our solution was substandard. At this point, I thought we have had enough and decided that we need to have a team discussion to analyze why we were under performing and how can we improve?. I sent out an e-mail to the group on this and to my surprise the team agreed with me, and we met the next day. During the subsequent meeting everyone admitted that we have been under performing.We also agreed that an important problem was that we were not letting everyone speak up and that some members dominated the discussions. We had to change this. This is when we created a â€Å"Group Work Guidebook† and work structure guidelines. We established guidelines on courtesy, respect, conduct and criticism, which are to be exhibited by all, in the course of our groupwork. We also took certain strategic initiative s like sharing our strengths and weaknesses and setting up a roadmap for achieving our objectives.Even though we did not have specific roles I soon became the facilitator, with many suggesting that I take over as a secretary. I made sure to empower others in the group as we went along but also made sure that discussion went smoothly without getting stuck in details. When emotions started to come up in discussions I tried to intervene usually with humor. I had to skip a meeting as I was sick; however it gave me an opportunity to understand how the team performed in my absence. I was surprised to note that the team was indeed more receptive to each other than before. Meetings were however becoming more hectic due to time constraints caused unnecessarily by professors, and at times we felt like we were slipping off as before.What made me uncomfortable at times was that some group members started to see me as the leader, which I did not like. Group members would look at me when there wa s an argument or when they had questions. I felt like a judge! I did not want this because I felt that it would hold the group back from having open and productive discussions. I believed that we could have â€Å"new leaders† every time depending on what we talked about. The leader would naturally emerge and it would obviously be the one who knew the most about the matter at hand. When I received for example questions, and people looked at me.I would give my opinion but then make sure that I asked everyone else what they thought. It was a time consuming process and ate into our efficiency but it was worth it. We ended up with good results and everyone felt involved. However, not everyone felt that they had been involved every time we met. C had never worked in a multi-cultural team before and likes task-focused approaches. C took over the role of coordinator without us noticing.A says that she comes from a passive culture and thinks she is helping us which isn’t. . In the session, A mentioned that she was not feeling that everyone understood her and she had a hard time expressing her feelings in the group. I spoke to A about it, who needed more reassurance when she worked in groups. She had a tendency to talk a lot and many group members found it distracting and I sensed that she was being kept outside the team a little bit. We had agreed on some guidelines but, especially A and C wanted to work the way they were used to, unwilling to accept others’ ways of working. We started to prepare slides so that we could hit the ground running and it took a long time before we felt comfortable with dividing tasksThe initial phase helped us to bond. As we went along, the group worked harmoniously with some few interruptions. The group bonded more and more as we went along. Mostly, because we now understood each other’s needs and how everyone liked to work. Our team outing also contributed to this bonding, giving us an opportunity to talk on so mething personal. Also, we started to split tasks and worked in small groups. The objectives and approaches were discussed with the team.Then tasks were delegated. We were able to work faster this way. This also satisfied C who wanted a more task oriented approach. However, we did not exaggerate the task focus. A admitted that she in general has problems to express feelings, and we as a team assured her that everyone does have it, but that it is better to talk to us, so that we can support her as we work together almost every day. We were here to learn, try new things and have fun. In the â€Å"group therapy† session, the team agreed that efficiency was an issue although, it had improved over the past weeks. The question now was how quickly we could improve our efficiency and how?. We decided, especially during our project, to pick up the pace and set more deadlines.As we continued to progress well, it was becoming obvious that some team members missed a hierarchical structur e. The more experienced members however, were fine with not having one, while the less experienced ones looked for guidance and at some time even thought that they had turned into leaders as they tried to enforce a hierarchy or assigned themselves tasks such as structuring meetings, etc. I believe this helps them tackle their insecurity.The younger members showed that they could not handle stress very well. When we had client meetings C would get nervous and start bossing people around. I laughed at it initially, but pointed it out to him. Even other group members pointed it out to him and he improved. As we entered the final phase of the project I discovered that the younger members liked to talk in the â€Å"I† form more and more. When I had put together a model with A or C they would still say â€Å"I created XYZ† in the group. B picked up on this and it irritated her as well as me. I explained to them the importance of teamwork and made it clear that it should alwa ys be ‘We’ and not ‘I’.The study group bonded more and more. Even C who in the beginning thought that dinners were simply a waste of time now started to enjoy them and even initiates them. He felt comfortable with the team and the team in general spoke openly about everything. Today, we are still improving our organizational skills and efficiency. However, we are very comfortable with each other, joking and laughing more than we work at times. This slows down work, but we still achieve good results and most importantly we discuss things outside the assignment, which is also a way of developing.The project presentation went very well. C talks and jokes more than he has ever done before – not just with the group. D has found a humorous side as well and has been very calm throughout the process. B is very involved sometimes at a level that is too detailed but she keeps everyone positive. A is motivated again after the Management Science debacle when we scored lower than we had expected. I am more structured in my approach and communicate much clearer (harder) than before pulling the teams back to the essential problems, when needed. And, yes, I still spend much time talking to group members outside the group, helping in any way that I possibly can. Did it require much energy and time? Yes! But it was worth it.I look forward to working with this group again, because we are now working well together, learning more and faster; being adapted to each other’s working style and body language. There are people in the MBA with whom I do not want to work with. These are people who do not understand integrity, honesty and respect. Selfishness does not go well with me. I have understood and realized this only in the past few weeks, more than ever before. I continue to believe that my passive leadership style in which I try to make people discover their flaws themselves is good. Sometimes I have to be more direct, or there will be misun derstandings leading to potential conflicts.Creating a group and implementing a working plan or road map is a difficult and time-consuming task. The planning stage is very crucial for the effective working of the group, however it is also essential that we do not hold on completely to the plan. The group and leader must react to situations impulsively. (Linda 1997). I see myself more of a transformational type leader who set goals and inculcate awareness on the setting and achieving of goals by others to pull them from unworthy preoccupations.Transformational leadership elevates levels of morality and motivation among others and are more effective, It has not been possible to relate their leadership with demographic, social or personal characteristics (Linda et al). I have indeed been benefited by this groupwork experience, a benefit that will remain with me, contributing to whatever I would be involved in.REFERENCESLinda et al., 2001;Organizational Behavior; A Management Challenge, Lawrence Erlbaum AssociatesLinda. F. Groupwork in Occupational Therapy. Nelson Thornes (1997)Elisabeth D. Talking and Learning in Groups. Routledge (1990).Pamela J. and   Sara. K Distributed Work   MIT Press, (2002)Stickland, F.; The Dynamics of Change. Publisher: Routledge, London (1998).

An overview of US economy

America An overview of US economy The economy is the most important indicator to judge the internal living conditions and social development of any country. It provides information about the development of basic factors like health, education, happiness, infrastructure, living standard, etc. United States is one of the largest economies that has gained huge level of hold on the world economy and controls the world economy through its internal situation. The very interesting fact about the Americas economic growth is that Americas GDP is 26 % of the worlds total economic output. It is clear that US has created its powerful industrial structure and per capita income is also appreciable inside the country. The industrial development is tremendous, and the country has worlds maximum number of a billionaire. Currently per capital GDP of US is $49,800 which is very high. Further, the role of technology within the US economy is also remarkable. Technologically the US has seen highest advancement and development that is suff icient enough to grow the economy as compare to other countries. The external economic factors put the positive impact at each another and lead towards the growth of the economy and the internal economic environment. The US economy is mostly based upon the capitalist economy structure, and the ideology suggests that the privatization is the basis of growth and development of countrys economy. The government has their intervention into only health sector and transportation area. The country has maximum number of private companies who are successful and have earned huge profits all across the world. Even the government buys the required products from private companies. This economic ideology is highly success in US and ensures the proper flow of income and effective utilization of natural resources. The decision making is in the hands of private firms in the US. Here the private companies faced the high level of leverage of such kind of economic structure in expanding their business a nd taking the decisions appropriately. The technological areas have brought down the revolution in entire world and America has become the pioneer of such advancements. The aerospace, computers, communication and information technology, medical, military, etc. these are certain areas where US have surpassed all other countries and have effectively contributed well into economic development. These sectors have become the foundation of countrys rapid growth in oversees as they expand their business and fulfill their needs. IN 90s US has transformed their entire economy as the industrial set up was on the peak and the companies were performing well at international level. While 90s the growth rate was extremely high as the economy grew by 3 4 percent every year. The residents of the country get their own home that was the positive indicator for US economy. After 1975, the household income has been increased by 20 %, and it is something that creates confidence among the people towards the US economy. But another fact is that the people who had less technical skills and educational qualifications they face trouble in establishing their growth in the era of technology. They found obstacles in facing pay rises and other benefits at work place. It determines the unequal distribution of wealth and employment opportunities. At the same time, the US economy has faced huge level of growth in literacy ratio. To meet out the requirement of technology people started to get educated and it just raises the level of employment within the country. Thus, the technology works positively in the long run and negatively in the short run. But its negative consequences are negligible as compare to the positive results. Unequal distribution of wealth is another factor that could be realized in US economy over the recent past or industrial development time. Th e people who dont have good education the employment opportunities are less for them, and it created less earning opportunities. Now the contribution or the role of oil is very significant in US economy. It is to acknowledge that 55 % of total consumption is the oil only. The America imports such huge amount of crude oil for the consumption of residents. The rise in the prices of oil just create a burden on US economy and reduce the GDP growth rate. During 2001 to 2008 the petrol prices were not so stable, and it just create trouble for US economy to handle the situation. At the same time, the financial crisis took place in the entire world and America faced two major problems. One was dampening the housing market, and other was related to the rise in oil prices. It just created the trade deficit and most importantly the value of the dollar was depreciated as compare to other currencies. The fluctuations become very common scenario, and it creates trouble in handling the economic st ructure. Another problem that America started to face is related to high import ratio as compare to export. The US has plenty of natural resources, but most of them have been utilizing for inside consumption. There was very less export, and it just stuck the internal flow of money and capital. The infrastructural development was on the peak that is another indicator for healthy economic structure. Still the infrastructure development of US is appreciable and increasing year on year. The bankruptcy of banks like Lehman Brothers was the worst era for US economy where they found trouble in managing the mortgage prices, investment failures, credit failures and so on. At that time, US faced a high level of issues with respect to their economic structure. The reason behind the economic recession is the socially huge spending habits of people and low saving ratio. It was the actual scenario of US that people earn less, but they spent more than their earning. For the same purpose, banks issued more number of loans, and the amount was so high thus it creates the negative flow of money within the economy and it just lead towards the economic recession. Other than this the expenditure upon the security of the country from outside attack is something that has affected the US economy negatively. The country spent billion dollars every year to protect their territory or boundary. Developing the military equipment and weapons has become a priority of US government, and it just affects the US economy negatively. Various plans have been implemented with respect to ensuring the low level of the trade deficit. The fiscal stimulus for the amount of 787 billion dollars was something that was passed by the president to be used for social welfare and economic structure repairing process. It helped in generating the job, revenue for the country through various processes. The economic structure come into trouble as the US government put their leg into wars with Iraq and Afghanistan and were in search of terrorist groups and their leaders. It also affects the GDP growth rate in recent past. The impact of terrorist attack took place at world trade center could be realized after a long period. The US government faced lots of issues with Iraq and Afghanistan in resolving the problems. It has been estimated that by the 2011, the total cost for wars was near to 900 billion dollars which are very huge amount from economic growth perspectives. Improving the health care se ctor is another prioritized area for concern for US government. To stabilize the US economy and to pass the benefits of American citizens, the government has put various efforts. However in future there are certain problems which could be faced by the US government like lower income people, unemployment, low saving ratio, rapid increment in the pension and medical cost of old age population, energy-related issues, problematic relations with other countries, pressure to create employment, budget deficits etc. Very latest economic data represent the consumer price index at stabilized rate of .2 whereas the unemployment rate is 5.5 percent. Further, the GDP rate is also increasing with an increasing rate and has been reached to 16.77 trillion US dollar. Currently, the US government needs to improve their international relations and have to focus on basic economic components or sectors. They need to grow the agriculture sector and need to increase their export ratio of natural resources. The infrastructure development is required to be maintained within the national economy. Funding to an international organization is required so that the interest could be received, and this long term investment can strengthen the base of US economy. Ahead the openness within the economy is required to be minimized so that the benefits of selling goods internally could be transferred to local manufacturing firms. Other than expenditure on war and acquiring the weapons there is need of spending on social welf are and creating the investment opportunities. The US economy is still very powerful and highly diverse economy, and they have control on worlds economy. The private companies of US have created their reign all over the world and have put a hold on worlds industrial development. They need to perform well on the continuity basis and need to contribute for national welfare rather than individual growth and development. Thus, the US economy has brighter future if the government removes their attention from wars or spending on manufacturing military equipment and spending excessively on security matters.