Asian Americans fighting for their rights Essay

Asian Americans fighting for their rights - Essay Example This essay discusses that the crucial moment in the forming of the model minority myth is the actual productivity of Asian Americans. And it is not the matter of race, but more of the upbringing: there is no belief among Asian American kids that the math is an inborn talent – everything can be learned. They strive harder than Whites do, become better, meet higher social expectations and have to strive harder – it becomes a vicious circle (The Model Minority Is Losing Patience). The issue is not in Asian excellence, but in the racial inequality that artificially creates seemingly equal conditions under the point that the measurement sample is White. This stereotype may sufficiently harm the Asian American students themselves.The model minority is a myth artificially inspired by the post-war times. This myth encompasses the variety of reasons: actual efficiency prescribed by both upbringing and cultural influence, the seemingly long-gone prejudice of the alien nature of A sians, the cultural-social urge to seek the living embodiment of the American dream, the racial bias of the society that allows the permission of not accepting students under their race, disproportional statistics conduction. The historical lesson accepted by American Asians taught them the things that White children have long forgotten –fighting. The actual situation regarding the social state of Asian Americans remains the same: they are the alien nation that strives to preserve the rights that are inherent to each American – but not to each Asian American.

Difference Between America and South Korea Health Care Essay Example for Free

Difference Between America and South Korea Health Care Essay Each country has a different procedure when it comes to their health care and their care with pre and postnatal. Some countries can spend a great amount of money on their health care (such as the United States) but still might not have the best health care in the world. Others have special arrangements that new mothers and infants can go through to make sure that they start off their life in a good and healthy environment. In this paper I am going to compare and contrast the infant health care and the overall prenatal care in the United States and South Korea by referencing multiple articles and textbooks that focus on this subject. Both countries have various ways in which they handle their health system and the care of their newborns. There are many factors that determine the health of a newborn such as the nutrition that the soon to be mother consumes, the environment that the mother and the child live in, and the hospital that the child is born in. Throughout the years each of these countries have been putting time and money into their health system with the goal of having the most outstanding health care system in the world. Their progress can be recorded in many different ways which will be discussed within this paper. Also the United States and South Korea both have very different systems when dealing with prenatal and infant care. One way that the infant care of a country is measured is through the mortality rate of the infants. In fact (Bae et al. , 2011), â€Å"Neonatal mortality rate (NMR) and infant mortality rate (IMR) are two of the most important indices reflecting the level of public health of a country† (Abstract Section Para. 1). Without measuring and keeping track of these mortality rates, researches would not be able to figure out what countries are working towards a better health care service and which countries need help. Even though the United States is a developed country, and unlike less developed countries, it should have a high mortality rate. In all actuality the United States has one of the worst mortality rates compared to other counties. According to Levine and Munsch (2012), â€Å"Despite the wealth and the availability of (but not always access to) world-class edical facilities, the United States has the same or worse infant mortality rates compared with 37 other industrialized countries (Hoover Institution, 2007)† (p. 176). There are reasons for the high mortality rate, such as the fact there are many different races, ethnicities, and social statuses within the United States. Race and ethnicity do have an input in a person’s health and their life style. Some races (such as Asians) have a higher life expectancy and a lower mortality rate throughout their race because of the way that they are raised and the traditions that they fallow. The social statuses of the expecting mothers also have an impact on the future children because when the parent is part of a higher social status, it is assumed that they have a higher level of education and therefore know more about how they should care for themselves and their infants. The opposite goes for people who are part of a lower social status. The United States has been lowering the number of infant mortality rates by putting programs in affect to try and help out the health system. Some of these programs are (Bae et al. , 2011), †¦execution of Medicaid (1965), Medicare (1965), Supplemental Security Income (social health care security programs for children and pregnant women of the lower income group), provision of State Children’s Health Insurance Programs, Children Vaccine Program, Health Start Program (1991, Early Head Start Program, full day care service, parent education, case management, Community Resource Assistant)†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Discussion Section para. ) and much more. The United States has more programs to help reduce the risk of infant mortality and various diseases, they are also working on other ways to help out the infant mortality rate by focusing on premature and low-birth weight babies. According to Levine and Munsch (2012), â€Å"Birth data compiled by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2007a) for 2005 found that the rate of premature births in the United States is 12. 7% or 525,000 babies annually† (p. 178). This number is high for premature births and these programs that are being put into place should help lower it. Even with all of these programs working toward a better health system, South Korea has less of an infant mortality rate. South Korea has improved its health system throughout the years and it has shown in their child care. Their country includes programs such as (Bae et al. , 2011), †¦tests for inborn error of metabolism and care for sick infants (1991), registration of pre-term and congenital abnormal neonates and medical expense support 2000), early diagnosis of deafness (2007), campaign for preventing blindness of preschoolers (2000), prevention of maternal hepatitis B infection (2002†¦(Discussion Section Para. 1) and much more. There are also more programs that are scheduled to appear throughout the fallowing years. As mentioned before it is easier for South Korea to keep their infant mortality rate down because they do not have to focus on many different nati onalities in their country, most of the population in South Korea are Korean. If you compare the two countries and the programs that they are producing it is shown the South Korea has been receiving more advances in the 2000’s while the United States had a breakthrough in their health care in the 1900’s. Copyright  © 2011 The Korean Academy of Medical Sciences. This chart shows that South Korea started off with a higher mortality rate and it had a drastic decline. The United States had a decline in the 1900’s and during the 2000’s it started to stabilize. Copyright  © 2011 The Korean Academy of Medical Sciences. This Chart gives a better understanding as to where the United States and South Korea stand with other countries. Neither of them are the best or the worst country, however they are on opposite sides of the scale. It is expected for the United States to have a lower mortality rate because of the amount of money put into their health care system, but according to the chart this does not appear to be true. South Korea has a lot of respect when it comes to their infants. They see their children as the future to their country and they are willing to do anything to make sure that their infants are well taken care of. This is shown through the data on the chart above because South Korea is closer to the bottom of the scale instead of the top. Both South Korea and the United States have a different hospital system. South Korea has a post-natal care facility called a sanhujoriwon. According to Yeon-soo (2013), Dozens of mothers and newborns stay together in such facilities and more than half of the places operate as non-medical institutions, leading to occasional problems with hygienic management. To prevent mass infection among babies at sanhujoriwons, the government recently beefed up disease surveillance of workers there and instituted a standard terms of use (Para. 2) South Korea is the only country that has these facilities available for their new mothers. Many pregnant women from all over the world come to South Korea just to get this treatment after they give birth. However, this facility is expensive, so not everyone can afford this luxury. According to Yeon-soo (2013), â€Å"The cost of using an upscale sanhujoriwon is 5 million (4,730 U.  S. dollars) to 10 million won (9,460 dollars) for a two-week stay, but the facility is so popular that a reservation might not be possible if not made six to seven months prior to childbirth† (para. 4). That is the price for the most expensive and luxurious places; other places can be thousands of dollars cheaper. In these facilities the nurses make sure that the patients get the right exercise (such as light yoga) and eat the correct food so that their recovery after birth will be as pleasant and beneficial as possible. They also care for the newborn and make sure that they get the nutrients that they need in the first couple of weeks. This helps out the new mother because they have time to relax and recover while their baby is getting the necessary care that is needed. When the mother is ready to go home after a couple of weeks they have a better time adjusting to their new life with a baby because they had the rest and help that they needed. In the United States they do not have these same accommodations but they to do have systems to help out the new mother. The United States has many medical professionals to help with neonatal and postnatal care. Some of those occupations include (Link, Jakubeez, Temple, 2013), â€Å"†¦neonatologist, neonatal nurse practitioners, bedside nurses, a clinical pharmacist, neonatal respiratory therapists, a nutritionist, a social worker, medical residents, and medical students† (Backgroud Section Para. 1). With a hospital consisting of these medical professionals the patients are likely to get the help that they need while going through the birthing process. Also many hospitals are expanding in the United States to include more room for neonatal care. The Hillcrest Hospital in Cleveland, Ohio expanded their hospital and included (Link, Jakubeez, Temple, 2013),†¦Ã¢â‚¬ a new 24 bed level 3 neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) and additional beds to accommodate high-risk maternal medicine patients† (Background Section para. 1). They expanded their hospital so that they could care for more patients at once; also so that the patients got the opportunity to receive the best care available to them. Usually after a mother gives birth (depending on the birthing method), the mother will stay at the hospital for a couple of days, and then return home. While at the hospital the nurses will help the mother with nursing, feeding, and changing the child. They will also make sure that the mother is recovering well after the birthing process. Both in the United States and in South Korea, they have programs to help mothers and infants after birth. However, the system in South Korea is more advanced because it keeps the mother and infants for a longer period of time which is more beneficial to their health. Nutrition to a pregnant women is a very important factor. If the mother does not get the correct nutrition than they are putting themselves at risks for multiple diseases. Also they are not only putting themselves at risk but they are also putting their unborn baby at risk. Some diseases that the mother can catch from bad nutrition are gestational diabetes, gestational hyptertension, and preeclampsia. Gestational diabetes when not looked after turns into gestational hyptertension; the worst out of the three that were mentioned is preeclampsia. This is because (Sizer Whitney, 2011), â€Å"Preeclampsia affects almost all of the mother’s organs—the circulatory system, liver, kidneys, and brain† (p. 508). If all of these organs are affected than the baby is at a serious risk of getting hurt. Most of these diseases will disappear after giving birth, but it raises the risk for the mother to catch another serious disease, such as type two diabetes. When a pregnant women is diagnosed with having gestational diabetes they are more likely to catch type two diabetes later on in life. It might not be right away but it could happen a couple of years later. Also they are more likely to be diagnosed with gestational diabetes again if they ever become pregnant again. Being overweight and pregnant is a big risk during pregnancy. In fact (Chen et al. , 2013), â€Å"Metabolic impairments in maternal obesity and gestational diabetes (GDM) induce an abnormal environment in peripheral blood and cause vascular structure alterations which affect the placental development and function† (Abstract section Para. 1). As mentioned before it does not only affect the mother but it also affects the unborn child, but it also affects the child after they are born. Using APA, 2013), â€Å"The historical poor outcomes of pre-gestational diabetes are testimony to the harmful effects of high glucose in early pregnancy as manifest by congenital malformations and in later pregnancy as evidenced by LGA [large-for-gestational-age] and its consequences. † (para. 2). The reason why this is more of a problem in the United States is because they have a higher obesity record than South Korea has. So more women throughout the United States are developing these diseases than women in South Korea. (Amamoto et al. 005) â€Å"Comparison of body mass index (BMI) distributions in Japan and Korea showed the highest value in the normal category (74%) together with a very low obesity rate (1. 2%)† (Results section para. 1). Since South Korea has a low obesity rate within their, they are less likely to give birth to large babies. However, the opposite goes for Women who live in the United States and are obese. This is a problem because (Sizer Whitney, 2011), â€Å"The infant of an obese mother may be larger than normal and may be large even if born prematurely. The large early baby may not be recognized as premature and thus may not receive the special medical care required† (p. 492). A premature baby might not be completely developed and need medical assistance after the birth. If the doctors don’t know that the baby has developmental problems than the newborn runs the risk of dying. This could also explained for the high mortality rate in the United States since they have a higher rate of obesity and it is difficult to label a child as premature and unhealthy if they are at a healthy weight. The environment that the pregnant women is living in is very crucial to her and her unborn child’s health. There are many illnesses that a woman can pass on to her child from environments that are hazards. When a mother is in her embryonic stage her baby is at a point of rapid development. This is a very crucial stage because the baby is starting to grow their organs, however they are also more likely to catch a disease which could cause a deformity during this stage. If the mother catches a disease than they are more likely during this stage to pass it to their baby which could cause a miscarriage or deformities. The issue of the environment is more of a problem for South Korea because of all the pollution that is in the air. South Korea is a very overpopulated country (especially in Seoul) and with all the cars and factories the air gets easily polluted. According to Sizer and Whitney (2011), â€Å"Pregnant women who are exposed to contaminants such as lead often bear low-birthweight infants with delayed mental and psychomotor developments† (p. 04). This is also an issue in some part of the United States, but it depends on where the person lives. If a pregnant women lives next to a factory that produces hazardous smoke than they are more likely to give birth to a baby with deformities. However, in South Korea many pregnant women are exposed to polluted air for most of their pregnancy and some of their babies are born with serious skin pro blems. There is air pollution everywhere a pregnant women goes but if the pollution is high than they are putting the baby more at risk. There are many factors that play into the prenatal and postnatal health. South Korea and the United States both work hard to make their health system the best that it can be. They have many programs in place and many more programs to come in the future. They are working on their hospitals to make sure they are as convenient as possible so that the mothers and newborns can have the best possible health care. Both countries are working towards lowering their mortality rate and lessening the amount of premature and low-birth-weight children. There is also the nutrition and the environment that the mother is exposed too. A simple factor as being obese can cause serious damage to the mother and the unborn child. Many expecting mothers do not understand that concept so they do not see the risk in it. Of course one country has a better health care system then the other, however they both have pros and cons to their countries. The United States has more funds to deal with and has more medical professionals working in their hospitals so that their patients can receive the best care possible. The negative aspect of the United States is that they have a high obesity rate and a high mortality rate. They also need to work on more programs to lower their mortality rate so that they can have the best possible health care. South Korea has excellent postnatal care, which many people around the world want to experience and be a part of. Also they have a low level of obesity so they are not as likely as the United States to get the diseases that come along with being overweight. The negative aspect of Korea is that their environment is not the best because of the pollution that is surrounding the air. South Korea is an overpopulated country so the air is filled with pollutants that are not good for a pregnant woman and can cause low-birth weight and birth defects. Overall both countries have areas in their health care system that they have to work on and areas outside of their health care system that they need to address. However, as of right now South Korea has a more exceptional health care system than the United States, especially when it comes to infant care.

A Definition Of Postnatal Depression Nursing Essay

A Definition Of Postnatal Depression Nursing Essay One of the prime factors is considered to be the sudden postnatal drop in progesterone levels in the post partum days. (Nappi et al 2001) The placenta is responsible for the vast majority of circulating progesterone during pregnancy and its delivery is effectively responsible for the precipitate drop in levels post partum. There may also be other related hormonal changes including the fluctuations in prolactin levels (Hendrick et al 1998) and falling oestrogen and cortisol levels. (Halari et al. 2004) Symptoms can initially include irritability, tearfulness, insomnia, hypochondriasis, headache and impairment of concentration. There is a maximal incidence of these symptoms on about the fifth post partum day and these can progress to frank depressive symptoms over a variable period. (Ramsay et al 1995). There are various tools that can be used to measure the degree of depression and these include the Edinburgh postnatal depression scale,(Cox et al 1987), The Stein scale for maternity blues, (Stein 1980) and the Beck depression rating inventory. (Beck et al 1961) Key issues affecting vulnerable patients There have been a number of studies that look at the effectiveness of treatment of postnatal depression. One of the most recent publications (Dennis 2005) provides a meta-analysis of the factors which influence the outcome in the condition. The author concluded that the only strategy that was shown to have a clear preventative effect was intensive post-partum support from the healthcare professionals involved in the case. Curiously, this was found to be more effective than similar regimes which included an ante-natal component as well. The morbidity associated with postnatal depression has a number of potential consequences not only for the mother, but also the child and the rest of the family as well. (Oakley et al 1996) One of the most significant is the fact that one episode of postnatal depression is the greatest predictor (or risk factor) for another episode after subsequent pregnancies. The children are likely to have difficulties because of possible problems with bonding and the mothers possible negative perceptions of the behaviour of the children. (Cooper Murray 1997) Some studies have shown that mothers with postnatal depression have derived beneficial help from social support during pregnancy. (Ray et al 2000). It would therefore appear that the key issues in this area are identification of the predictive factors that make postnatal depression more likely and then the provision of prompt supportive measures if those factors are established. Local resources for support Apart from the more traditional resources of the primary healthcare team of the General Practice the Midwife and the Health Visitor, some centres have tried experiments with postnatal support worker provision (Morrell 2000). This particular study found that the patients found an high level of satisfaction with the service but no more so than with the services provided by the rest of the primary healthcare team. Analysis of the results showed that the postnatal support worker helped to achieve higher levels of breast feeding, but had little impact on the severity or frequency of postnatal depression. One significant factor that was found, however, was that support from a partner was a significant positive factor in preventing severe postnatal depression. Communication strategies Several recent studies have shown that healthcare professionals often fail to spot the signs of postnatal depression. (Bick et al 1995). Making the diagnosis is obviously the prerequisite of establishing a treatment regime so it is clearly vital for all healthcare professionals to be on their guard for warning signs sleep disturbance, irritability, mood swings and irrationality. (Ramsay et al 1995) Reflection and reflective practice is a vital part of effective nursing. (Gibbs 1998) . Each healthcare professional should ideally reflect upon their management of each individual case to decide whether they were communicating optimally with the patient and that they were fully receptive to all that was on the patients agenda. Communication is a two-way modality. Bulman (et al.2004) points to the need to understand, at a deeper level, just what it is the message that the patient is taking away from any interaction. Communication is therefore vital in the strategy to empower and educate the vulnerable patient. Role of midwife and Health Visitor The new mother is often at the centre of an emotional rollercoaster. The sudden culmination of nine months of expectation results (frequently) in a flurry of support from healthcare professionals and family, which then rapidly evaporates and the mother is left to deal with the new situation which is frequently stressful. (Kitzman et al 1997) The midwife can obviously help by preparing the ground in the antenatal period and offering support in the immediate postnatal period. (Dennis 2005). The health visitor is probably better placed to be aware of any developing warning signals that postnatal depression is developing, as they are likely to be in contact with the patient during the high risk period. (Cooper Murray 1995). It has been suggested that encouragement of the mother to attend the health visitor clinic rather than to have home visits is a positive way of encouraging social inclusion. (Seeley et al 1996) Studies which have looked at the cost-effectiveness of using community postnatal support service workers have shown no benefit over the more traditional midwife and Health Visitor support. (Morrell et al 2000) Back to: Essay Examples References Affonso DD, De AK, Horowitz JA, Mayberry LJ. 2000 An international study exploring levels of postpartum depressive symptomatology. J Psychosom Res 2000;49: 207-16. Beck AT, Ward CH, Mendelson M, Mock J, Baugh J. 1961 An inventory for measuring depression. Arch Gen Psychiatry 1961;4:561-71. Bick D, MacArthur C. 1995 The extent, severity and effect of health problems after childbirth. Br J Midwifery 1995; 3: 27-31 Bulman Schultz 2004 Reflective Practice in Nursing The Growth of the Professional Practitioner Third Edition Edited By: CHRIS BULMAN, School of Health Care, Oxford Brookes University SUE SCHUTZ, Oxford Brookes University 2004 Cooper Murra 1995 Course and recurrence of postnatal depression. Evidence for the specificity of the diagnostic concept The British Journal of Psychiatry 166: 191-195 (1995) Cooper P, Murray L. 1997 Prediction, detection, and treatment of postnatal depression. Arch Dis Child 1997;77: 97-9 Cox JL, Holden JM, Sagovsky R. 1987 Detection of post-natal depression. Development of the 10-item Edinburgh post-natal depression scale. Br J Psychiatry 1987;150:782-6. Dennis C-L. 2005 Psychosocial and psychological interventions for prevention of postnatal depression: systematic review BMJ, Jul 2005; 331: 15. Gibbs, G (1998) Learning by doing: A guide to Teaching and Learning methods EMU Oxford Brookes University, Oxford. 1998 Halari, V. Kumari, R. Mehrotra, M. Wheeler, M. Hines, and T. Sharma 2004 The Relationship of Sex Hormones and Cortisol with Cognitive functioning in Schizophrenia J Psychopharmacol, September 1, 2004; 18(3): 366 374. Hendrick, L. L. Altshuler, and R. Suri 1998 Hormonal Changes in the Postpartum and Implications for Postpartum Depression Psychosomatics, April 1, 1998; 39(2): 93 101 Kitzman H, Olds DL, Henderson CR, Hanks C, Cole R, Tatelbaum R, et al. L 1997 Effect of prenatal and infancy home visitation by nurses on pregnancy outcomes, childhood injuries, and repeated childbearing. JAMA 1997; 278: 644-652 Nappi, F. Petraglia, S. Luisi, F. Polatti, C. Farina, and A. R. Genazzani 2001 Serum Allopregnanolone in Women With Postpartum Blues Obstet. Gynecol., January 1, 2001; 97(1): 77 80. Oakley A, Hickey D, Rajan L. 1996 Social support in pregnancy: does it have long-term effects? J Reprod Infant Psychol 1996; 14: 7-22. Oates MR, Cox JL, Neema S, Asten P, Glangeaud-Freudenthal N, Figueiredo B, et al. 2004 Postnatal depression across countries and cultures: a qualitative study. Br J Psychiatry Suppl 2004;46: s10-6. OHara M, Swain A. 1996 Rates and risk of postpartum depressiona meta-analysis. Int Rev Psychiatry 1996;8: 37-54. Ramsay. R and T. Fahy 1995 Recent Advances: Psychiatry BMJ, July 15, 1995; 311(6998): 167 170. Ray KL, Hodnett ED. 2000 Caregiver support for postpartum depression. In: Cochrane Collaboration,ed. Cochrane Library. Issue 1. Oxford: Update Software, 2000. Seeley S, Murray L, Cooper PJ. 1996 The outcome for mothers and babies of health visitor intervention. Health Visitor 1996;69:135-138. Stein GS. 1980 The pattern of mental change and body weight in the first post partum week. J Psychosom Res 1980;24:1165-71.

Babbage Charles :: Essays Papers

Babbage Charles Charles Babbage was born at Walworth, Surrey England in December 26,1791. He achieved many great feats and belonged to many very distinguished groups before he died in October 18, 1871. Many people consider him to be the grandfather of computer science due to his great works with his Difference Engine (1821), which printed tables of polynomials, and his Analytical Engine (1856), which was intended as a general symbol manipulator. Babbage grew up with a fascination with the way mechanical objects worked and was an excellent mathematician. This was discovered at an early age when he employed a tutor only to find out he knew more about math than the tutor did. He was home schooled for most of his early education mainly on account of his invalid health. Babbage eventually enrolled in Cambridge University in 1810, an institution where he would later hold the position of Lucasian chair of mathematics from 1828 to 1839. He was involved in many different fields of science. He was the first person to be presented the Gold Medal award given by the Astronomical Society, and a key figure in the founding of the Astronomical Society in 1820, the British Association for the Advancement of Science in 1831, and the Statistical Society of London in 1834. He authored the very influential book On the Economy of Machinery and Manufactures, as well as a series of papers on varied topics such as optics and cryptology. Charles Babbage had a fascination with numbers and statistics. He was obsessed with quantifying everything observable in nature. Babbage delighted in the thought of having a daily account of food consumed by zoo animals, or the "proportion of sexes amongst our poultry". He proposed tables to calculate the amount of wood (elm or oak) a man would saw in 10 hours, or how much an ox or camel could plow or mow in a day. In Mechanics Magazine in 1857 Babbage published a "Table of the Relative Frequency of the Causes of Breaking of Plate Glass Windows" detailing 464 breakages, of which "drunken men, women, or boys" were responsible for 14. Babbage thought the table would be "of value in many respects", and might "induce others to furnish more extensive collections of similar and related facts". In Babbage’s early years he was a popular and well-liked socialite. In fact, he was known for extravagant dinner parties where many famous and prominent people would be in attendance.

Despite the Potential Advantages

Discuss the proposition that despite the potential advantages of formal strategic planning approaches, it is of limited benefit to organisations operating in uncertain and dynamic environments. About this discussion, I would like to introduce two steps. First step, I want to introduce the potential advantages of formal strategic planning approaches. Then I will introduce the second step: some important reasons about the formal strategic planning is of limited benefit to organisations operating in uncertain and dynamic environments.Finally, the main purpose of this paper is to prove the formal strategic planning is of limited benefit to organisations operating in uncertain and dynamic environments. My conclusion will emphasize it again. First, how should we understand the formal strategic planning? The objective of the formal strategic planning is to convey that a company’s strategic planning process includes specific systematic procedures used to gain the involvement and commi tment of those principal stakeholders affected by the plan (J. Richard Falshaw, Keith W.Glaister, Ekrem Tatoglu, 2006). What is the purpose of strategic planning? Generally, formal Strategic planning is an organization's process of defining its strategy, or direction, and making decisions on allocating its resources to carry on this strategy. In order to determine the direction of the organization, it is necessary to know its current position and the possible ways through which it can pursue a particular course of action strategic planning do with at least one of three key questions: â€Å"What do we do? † â€Å"For whom do we do it? † and â€Å"How do we excel? (J. Scott Armstrong, 1986) OK, I have a simple introduction about the character and purpose of formal strategic planning. Then we must make clear about the structure about formal strategic planning approaches. There is common view about strategic planning researchers that the strategic planning process consist s of three major parts: (1) Formulation (which includes developing a mission, setting major objectives, assessing the external and internal environments, and evaluating and selecting strategy alternatives). (2) Implementation. (3) Control. J. Richard Falshaw, Keith W. Glaister, Ekrem Tatoglu, 2006). Some famous formal strategic planning approaches include SWOT analysis (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats), Balanced Scorecards, Scenario planning, PEST analysis  (Political,  Economic,  Social, and  Technological), STEER analysis (Socio-cultural,  Technological,  Economic,  Ecological, and  Regulatory factors). What are potential advantages of formal strategic planning approaches? Generally, formal planning has these advantages: 1. Formal plans represent a useful standard. . It is fully formulated; communicated plan is an important motivational device. 3. The analysis and survey by all those participating in the planning process is useful and can improve the companies' understanding of it's position. 4. Plans which swift actions in anticipation of future changes in the environment is a better approach to strategic management than an advertisement to events. Take me for example, for 20 years, contradictions between the planning and process schools of strategy have shaped the debate on strategy planning.Here we illustrate that a scenario-based approach to strategic planning can serve as a new management tool in the field with the potential to overcome differences between the two opposing schools of strategy. The scenario-based approach to strategic planning builds on the strengths of traditional scenario planning. It is an open and creative approach that considers many strategy options and takes multiple perspectives into account. Synchronously, it overcomes the weaknesses of traditional scenario planning by offering a systematic process to scenario creation that is built on specific management tools and is easy to implement.The outco me of this approach is an important strategy that is complemented by several strategic options derived from different scenarios (Torstenwulf Philip Meissner and Stephan Stabner , 2010). Torstenwulf Philip Meissner and Stephan Stabner (2010) illustrate the benefits of scenario-based approach using experience gained in a consulting project in the German photovoltaic industry. And they further proof that the approach can thus be used in an extremely flexible way to account for the increasing volatility of environmental developments.These advantages of our approach are apparent in the illustrative case study presented. By combining traditional scenario planning, strategic thinking, real-option reasoning and strategic planning, this approach makes the intricacy, dynamics and volatility of the current business world manageable. On the other hand, the approach can be applied for different time horizons. Our project experience leads us to believe that the approach increases the effectivenes s and efficiency with which strategic planning can be conducted in practice (Torstenwulf Philip Meissner and Stephan Stabner , 2010).I have illustrated Torstenwulf Philip Meissner and Stephan Stabner’s research about Scenario planning, so we can make clear about the potential advantages of formal strategic planning approaches. About the limited benefit to organisations operating in uncertain and dynamic environments, I think there is a lot of evidence to prove this case. The major change for managers is guaranteeing competitiveness as well as profit capacity for their companies in turbulent environments. The rate of change in the business setting has never been as fast as it is currently (Grant, 2003).In Torstenwulf Philip Meissner and Stephan Stabner’s research, they also think What formal strategic planning seems to be lacking most is the flexibility and open system that allow for the responsiveness and creation required in dynamic, complex and uncertain environments (Torstenwulf Philip Meissner and Stephan Stabner , 2010). In the environment of globalization, the world is changing more and more rapidly. Managers must face a series of unexpected events. For example, like financial crisis, economic downturn and Arab Spring. Each incident and formal strategic planning approaches in test managers.In the past, plan researchers have not concentrated on uncertain settings. The majority of the existing devices in strategic management unreservedly presume a benign environment that is basic yet not very dynamic. (Harrington, Lawton and Rajwani, 2005). For firms to thrive in an uncertain future, they have to develop realistic strategies on the basis of many options that react to the prerequisites of various likely futures opposed to one strategic guarantee. (Grant, 2003). So how to treat the formal strategic planning is of limited benefit to organisations operating in uncertain and dynamic environments?In this essay, â€Å"A causal analysis of formal st rategic planning and firm performance: Evidence from an emerging country†, the nature of the external environment (difference from very uncertain and unstable to certain and stable) will influence the organization structure made by the companies. It is argued that in uncertain and dynamic environments the most effective organization structures start to be more organic when in stable and more certain environments more artificial structures will be received (Keith W. Glaister et al, 2008).Although some studies have found that certain parts of strategic planning are relative with performance, theory also predicts that these relations will be influenced by external environment. If one of the purposes of strategic planning is to point the organization in its association with the external environment, so organizations that precisely project and estimated environmental changes should display an extraordinary or specific level of performance. In this sense strategic planning may be mo re useful in an uncertain environment than a calm one.So the relative between planning and performance may be stronger in an uncertain environment, and weaker in a calm environment. There exist, however, some opposite arguments that strategic planning is more likely to have a positive influence on firm performance in relatively less uncertain environments where future conditions are easier to anticipate(J. Richard Falshaw, Keith W. Glaister, Ekrem Tatoglu, 2006 ). About a company's future development, the external environment of the strategic analysis is very important. Robert M.Grant referred this point in his essay â€Å"Strategic Planning in a Turbulent Environment: Evidence from the Oil Majors†, First, a view of the external environment: This typically included guidance as to some characters of energy markets over the planning period? -For demand, supply, prices, and margins? -which were not so much forecasts as a set of assumptions relating to prices and supply and deman d conditions that provided a common basis for strategic planning across the firms. Second, corporate management provided most direction to the planning process through a statement of priorities, guidelines, and expectations.A key part of this direction was setting company wide performance targets (e. g. , ‘raise return on capital employed to 12%,' ‘reduce costs per barrel by 10%,' ‘a 110% reserve replacement rate,' ‘reduce the ratio of debt to equity ratio to 25% by 2000'). Guidance often concern to resource allocation, e. g. , ‘to shift investment from downstream to upstream,' ‘to refocus on core businesses,' ‘to take advantage of opportunities in China and East Asia,' ‘to increase the proportion of gas in our hydrocarbon reserves (Grant, 2003).In the process of management of the company, what is the role of analytical formal planning in dynamic environment? Different people have different views; Grant thought strategic planning is a responsible. Increasing volatility and indeterminacy of the external environment was accompanied by two changes in strategic planning responsibilities: first, a shift of decision-making responsibility from corporate to business-level managers; second, a shift of planning responsibilities from planning staff to line managers (Grant, 2003).There is other view; Hamel and Prahalad argue that the role of strategy should be not adapting an existing industry structure but rather to change it. † They see the role of competitive creation as identifying the orthodoxy in a present strategy and redefining the terms of engagement to exploit this orthodoxy. And the emerging Infocom mega-industry provides an interesting laboratory for testing the adequacy of existing frameworks for competitive strategy. They are not designed to deal with the kind of turbulence that we are witnessing in this industry.Strategists may have to assume a low role in dealing with turbulence. When being a pioneer an d an innovator will help, it is not enough. Investing in and growing a customer base can strengthen the chances of success, but success in the end is determined by industry forces outside the companies' control. â€Å"Co with the flow† is not an inspiring strategy but perhaps the best a company can do when face turbulence (Chakravarthy B, 1997). Each method is not a panacea.Although formal strategic planning approaches have many advantages, it also makes limited benefit, like Scenario planning. However, the approach has only been applied in a few companies to date. Therefore, research on a larger scale is necessary to determine the performance of the scenario-based approach to strategic planning (Torstenwulf Philip Meissner and Stephan Stabner , 2010). Evidence of the impact of environmental turbulence upon strategic planning is limited. Cross sectional studies have produced contradictory findings.Long evidence is fragmented, but more consistent: in response to increasing env ironmental turbulence, strategic planning systems actually have changed from the highly formalized processes of the 1960s and 1970s (Grant, 2003). In conclusion, formal strategic planning approaches indeed have a huge potential advantage. Some famous formal strategic planning approaches include SWOT analysis, Balanced Scorecards, Scenario planning, PEST analysis and STEER analysis have many advantages. If companies do not have strategic planning, it is bound to be about to disappear.If companies ignore the strategic planning, it is bound to be lagging behind the development of enterprise. According to previous research and study about strategic planning, strategic planning can mobilize workers to actively increase the cohesion. It also can make enterprises competitive mechanism enhanced. Strategic planning can be summed insufficient and the shortfall, it is an important measure in the steady development of enterprises. I've used a lot of evidence fully proved these points.About the formal strategic planning is of limited benefit to organisations operating in uncertain and dynamic environments, I also have used many evidences and examples to prove it. In general, with the development of the times, companies as an open system, it focuses on the external environmental factors there will be more and more, more and more diversified development trend, and thus the external environment faced by the enterprise will become more complex and uncertain. Even Scenario planning, Torstenwulf Philip Meissner and Stephan Stabner have pointed it had many potential advantages.They also said,in an increasingly complex, dynamic and volatile world ,Scenario planning has only been applied in a few companies to date (Torstenwulf Philip Meissner and Stephan Stabner , 2010). Finally, I must emphasize once again, in the environment of globalization, the world is changing more and more rapidly. Managers must face a series of unexpected events. In a word, formal strategic planning approac hes indeed have many potential advantages; it is of limited benefit to organisations operating in uncertain and dynamic environments.References J. Richard Falshaw, Keith W. Glaister, Ekrem Tatoglu, â€Å" Evidence on formal strategic planning and company performance† (2006) Management Decision, Vol. 44 Iss: 1 pp. 9 – 30 Hugh G. Courtney, Jane Kirkland, and S. Patrick Viguerie, â€Å"Strategy under uncertainty†. (1994) Keith W. Glaister, Omer Dincer, Ekrem Tatoglu, Mehmet Demirbag, Selim Zaim, (2008),†A causal analysis of formal strategic planning and firm performance: Evidence from an emerging country†, Management Decision, Vol. 46 Iss: 3 pp. 365 -391 Robert M.Grant â€Å"Strategic Planning in a Turbulent Environment: Evidence from the Oil Majors† Strategic Management Journal, Vol. 24, No. 6 (Jun. , 2003), pp. 491-517 Selsky et al. , 2007. Contrasting Perspectives on Strategy Making in Hyper Environments. Organization Studies, 28(1), pp. 71-94 . J. Scott Armstrong (1986). â€Å"The Value of Formal Planning for Strategic Decisions: A Reply† Strategic Management Journal  7: 183–185. Chakravarthy B, ‘A New Strategy Framework for Coping with Turbulence’ Sloan Management Review, Winter 1997Torstenwulf Philip Meissner and Stephan Stabner â€Å" A scenario-based Approach to Strategic Planning-Integrating Planning and Process Perspective of strategy† (2010) http://www. scenariomanagement. de/fileadmin/user_upload/Scenario-based_strategic_planning_WP. pdf Harrington, D. , Lawton, T. &Rajwani, T. 2005. Embracing and Exploiting Industry Turbulence: The Strategic Transformation of Aer Lingus. European Management Journal, 23(4), pp. 450–457. Bibliography Johnson G, Scholes K, Whittington R, Exploring Corporate Strategy 8th Edition, 2008 – Chapter 2 Campbell D, Edgar D, Stonehouse G, Business Strategy 3rd Edition, 2011, Palgrave – Ch 3

The Many Uses of Swipe

The Many Uses of Swipe The Many Uses of â€Å"Swipe† The Many Uses of â€Å"Swipe† By Maeve Maddox Ben writes: I have noticed the changing in usage of words. When I was growing up â€Å"to swipe a card† (credit cards were not around then) meant to steal it and now you see the term â€Å"swipe the customers card.† No one’s quite sure where this word swipe originated. It’s kin to sweep and swoop. All three words suggest a wide sweeping motion. They can be used as nouns or as verbs. A batter takes a swipe at the ball. (noun) A waiter swipes a table with a towel. (verb) A hawk swoops down on a chicken. (verb) Macduff, learning of the murder of his family, cries: All? What, All my pretty Chickens, and their Damme, At one fell swoope?† (noun) A housewife sweeps the steps. (verb) An opera diva sweeps onto the stage in a long gown. (verb) A card player makes a clean sweep of all the stakes. (noun) The compound noun sweepstakes, meaning â€Å"prize won in a race or contest† entered the language in 1773. An earlier form of the word, swepestake existed in Middle English with the meaning â€Å"one who sweeps or wins all the stakes in a game.† King Henry VII of England had a ship with that name. The verb sideswipe, â€Å"to strike with a glancing blow,† dates from 1917. Its most common use is in speaking of vehicles: His mother was sideswiped by a driver in a green pickup truck. Swipe with the meaning of â€Å"to steal† is a latecomer, dating from 1889. This meaning is said to have originated as theatrical slang used of actors stealing jokes or stage routines from one another. Like Ben, I would have thought, growing up, that â€Å"to swipe a card† meant to steal it. That sense of swipe is still current. Swipe meaning â€Å"to run a credit card† came into use in the 1990s. In practice there’s probably not much chance of confusing the two meanings because context will make the difference clear: I swiped my credit card. The clerk swiped my credit card. Somebody swiped my credit card. Another popular use of swipe in the expression â€Å"to take a swipe at† with the meaning â€Å"to criticize† or â€Å"to make a verbal attack on† or even, perhaps, as in the Google quotation below, â€Å"to threaten†: Lindsey Graham Takes Another Swipe At Glenn Beck Google Takes Another Swipe at Newspapers And Magazines With Fast Flip The Vampire Diaries takes a swipe at Stephenie Meyers Twilight The New Yorker takes a swipe at  everyone Clearly swipe is a word we like to use in a variety of contexts. My only suggestion is that I’d avoid using swipe as a synonym for â€Å"to steal† in a serious context. It’s acceptable enough when used in a non-larcenous context among friends: Who swiped the last donut? He was drinking, so I swiped his car keys. Used of real crimes of theft, it becomes a euphemism to soften a vicious act. For example, this headline about the two juveniles who stole weapons from a gun cabinet and went on to murder five people and wound ten others: School shooters swiped guns from unlocked rack and these: Criminals swipe cables to cash in on soaring value of scrap metal the victim left his building, which is near 75th Street, the night before only to return at 10 am to discover his vintage basketball cards, valued at $2,000, had been swiped. I see no reason to avoid the stronger and more precise word steal in such contexts. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Punctuating â€Å"So† at the Beginning of a Sentence"Have" vs "Having" in Certain Expressions50 Synonyms for "Song"

Financial Rewards Are the Only Way to Gain Employee Loyalty

Financial Rewards Are the Only Way to Gain Employee Loyalty Financial rewards and incentives are the only way to gain employee loyalty because actions speak louder than words. People Like to See and Have Cash Money Let’s face this very important fact: Most people work for someone else – the owner of a business, and that business owner wants to make as much money as they possibly can off the work of their employees. This means paying them as little as humanly – not humanely – possible to make a profit. This is wrong, of course, but until we figure out, and pursue our dream, we’re pretty much going to work to fulfill someone else’s dream. And that means we have to work for what they will pay us, what the business itself is willing to pinch out of their fat wallets. Naturally, this terrible system is one-sided, a bit unfair, and employees begin to resent their employees for their greediness and lack of compensation. So people move on to other companies that will pay them more for their work and time. People need, want, like to see and have  cash money. So, therefore, financial rewards are the only way to gain employee loyalty. People are Apprehensive about Running out of Money For one, financial rewards and incentives keep employees loyal to a company because people are traditionally apprehensive about money – well, about running out of it. This goes back to the 1920s when it felt like, for some folks, money just poured in like champagne. Then the stock market crash of 1929 changed all that, the Great Depression set in – and money was never the same again. Even today in 2016, a few years after the Great Recession of 2008, people are worried about running out of money, so they work hard to find work at companies that will pay them well. Financial rewards, therefore, assure a person that the company they’re working for understands this apprehension and wants to keep the employee happy and paid well. Financial rewards – such as quarterly performance bonuses, yearly salary promotions and general monetary gifts and gift cards – are the key to keeping an employee’s loyalty, because more money is what people need and want . They’re afraid of not having enough of it, which is understandable. Actions Speak Louder than Words Secondly, financial rewards and incentives are the only way to gain employee loyalty, because actions speak louder than words. Any supervisor or boss can promise a promotion, a raise or a much-needed bonus. That may be enough to temporarily quell an employee’s apprehension at not getting paid what they want – but that certainly wears off. But until that check is given or that direct deposit made, when the employer actively demonstrates they want to keep an employee’s loyalty, the employee remains skeptical and increasingly disloyal. Actions speak louder than words. They begin to look for other jobs, better-paying jobs, at companies that do provide sufficient financial rewards and incentives. Companies have the revenue to pay their employees more money, but so many businesses fail to retain their employee’s long-time loyalty because these businesses are cheap and greedy. Employees don’t Need Emotional Support    They Need Money Lastly, a company that gives its hard-working employees well-earned financial rewards and incentives is one that will flourish and retain employees for life. Business owners know this – but they often take the path of the cheap, and exhibit extreme short-sidedness: they would rather hire younger employees who can do the same work for cheaper than pay their existing employees more for doing the work. This is how it is, unfortunately. What an employee needs, in order to retain employees long term and keep their loyalty, is to show an investment in the employee. Employees don’t need emotional support, a nicer office, better working conditions. What they need is money, cold, hard cash. People need cash in this economy. This world is getting more expensive by the second, so people want more money to add financial cushion to their lives, which is more than understandable, and companies must make this effort to retain their best employees. MONEY MAKES THE WORLD GO AROUND In conclusion, we have here, in this argumentative essay, acknowledged the greedy, exploitative nature of capitalism in America. The corporate culture is going in the wrong direction; maybe it’s always been this way. Perhaps that’s why the one-percent keep their fortunes growing. Perhaps greediness and exploitation keep the capitalistic society going – or else we’d all be the same: and that’s Socialism, Communism. That’s not American. What is American, evidently, is not paying employees what they are worth, which results in unhappy people – those who flee to other companies because these other companies pay better and offer enticing financial rewards and incentives.

Political Advertising essays

Political Advertising essays Political Advertisings Influence on News, the Public, and Their Behavior In this article, the author Marilyn Roberts says that there are two ways of political advertising to influence the public opinion towards the candidates. According to her the candidates have the ability to influence voters directly through paid advertising and indirectly through their campaigns. Roberts also says that agenda setting plays a big role in political advertising. The main idea of the article is the use of political advertisements to deliverer the salience or the importance of the information about the candidates or the issues to the public. She also uses other authors articles and researches in order to give us more information and examples about the political advertising. Based on other authors researches, Roberts demonstrates that political advertising was a contributing factor to candidate choice in the decision making process. She suggests that a particular advertisement may have a variety of effects based on voters needs and motivations. She talks about the triad relationship that a high level of television exposure leads to a high level of advertising exposure, which in turn leads to high effect toward candidate and high salience of issues stressed in the candidates advertisements. People do not know about some of the existing problems and they only find them out during the elections. The candidates bring out different kind of issues and problems that are in the public interests, and they promise to solve them if they get elected. So people choose the candidates by looking what kind of issues they will raise. But unfortunately, we have to agree that it is only for a short period of time until they get elected. As we all know, most of the candidates just forget or do not care anymore about those issues afterwards. The author distinguishes four main aims of political advertising. The...

Constructivist Learning and VLEs Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Constructivist Learning and VLEs - Essay Example As the essay stresses learning theories are the basis of instructional-design theories. Reigeluth comments that the relationship between a learning theory and an instructional theory could be equated to that of a house and its foundation. Problem-based learning (PBL), is a constructivist learning model, which is fundamentally an instructional-design theory. Reigeluth observes that a theory is considered to be an instructional theory if it â€Å"offers explicit guidance on how to better help people learn and develop.† From the report it is clear that constructivist theories are based on the assumption that students must construct their own ideas through the guidance of a teacher. Here the teacher is a mere guide and the student shoulders the responsibility of unravelling knowledge for themselves. In constructivist model of education, there is no memorising of theory and data. Students have to reach upon their conclusions and have to develop knowledge by themselves. As Miller suggests, if the learner is to acquire specific knowledge, then the instruction must employ the correct instructional strategy for promoting the acquisition of that kind of knowledge. Cognitive Constructivism propounded by Piaget believes in the supremacy of mind in learning process and considers the organization of information around concepts, problems, and the interrelationships of associated subjects and ideas.

Critical analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Critical analysis - Essay Example With these clearly set, one can now set on to writing, and this makes writing simple. In earlier stages, students write based on their experiences. However, in academic writing, one maybe required writing on a totally new topic, and this requires one to have good research skill. Research in academic goes beyond Google and Wikipedia, to databases with scholarly writings. One also must have the ability to read complex texts and analyze them to succeed in academic writing. Academic writing is described as an argument. This is because; one presents a case and offers support to it, in an attempt to convince others. This depends on the writers ability to present their ideas in an organized manner and persuasively. Academic writing is also an analysis where the author focuses on the how and why questions. It is advisable to start with a draft and then develop the ideas on the draft to create the final paper. Success in academic writing depends on how well one knows what they are doing as well as how they approach

Powerpoint is Evil Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Powerpoint is Evil - Assignment Example PowerPoint, just like any other piece of technology, helps enhance learning and how students relate with their teachers and interact with content. Teacher-centered uses of technology are not as effective as student-centered ones. Student centered technology allows students to be more creative and view content in new ways. For example, in the NPR program, one of the teachers notes that PowerPoint has enabled her students to retell the story in new perspectives. With teacher-centered technology, the teacher is still in charge of learning, and this does not really change it from the traditional teacher-centric classroom. One of the most important aspects of the student-centered uses of technology is that it allows the learner to organize his activities, thereby making the student responsible for his own learning. PowerPoint, for instance, can help students organize their information in new and exciting ways that are appreciated by both the student himself and the teacher. Through student-centered technology, learners will be in a position to build connections with the various materials that have been covered in class. As noted in the NPR program for instance, PowerPoint allows students to bring together information from a variety of sources. Student-centered use of technology is thus

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

Current Event - Essay Example s to achieve a two-fold objective, to wit: (1) to provide explanations on the issues discussed within the article; and (2) to demonstrate the ways that the article is related to the course material. Terkel noted Pelosi to emphasize that Republicans were advancing three legislations that limit or restrict access to abortion by (1) preventing the use of taxpayers’ money to fund abortion-related services; (2) denying tax credits to employers or business establishments that allow health coverage of employees with abortion access; (3) denying â€Å"federal family-planning funds under Title X to groups that offer abortion access† (Terkel, 2011, par. 4); and (4) allowing hospitals to turn away women who opt to terminate pregnancy even for the purpose of saving lives (Terkel, 2011, par. 5). The concerns raised by Pelosi are related to the issues on women’s health, particularly on reproductive health and reproductive rights (Kirk and Okazawa-Rey, 2004, p. 173). The topic of abortion is still a controversial issue when taken within a global perspective. Not only to take into account the issue seen as barred and illegal in predominantly Catholic nations, the issue has been monitored to provide risks to women (Malter and Wind, 2012). Accordingly, â€Å"research from WHO shows that complications due to unsafe abortion continued to account for an estimated 13% of all maternal deaths worldwide in 2008; almost all of these deaths occurred in developing countries† (Malter & Wind, 2012). The concern on Pelosi, as disclosed in the article focused primarily on the legislation that sought to deny federal family planning funds to groups that offer access to abortion services. As averred, â€Å"I cant believe that everybody who is anti a womans right to choose is anti-birth control and contraception and family planning† (Terkel, 2011, par. 7). Aside from denying rights to avail or restrict access of services to abortion, these legislations actually aim to limit the funds to be

EMAS Advantages Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

EMAS Advantages - Essay Example The System depth gradually increases as the airplane travels into the arrestor crib, providing increasing deceleration when needed by faster or heavier aircraft. Aircraft run out distance gets determined by the airplane bed configuration size, weight and speed (Richard de Neufville, 2003). At most commercial airfields, the RSA remains 500 feet wide extending 1000ft beyond each runway end. The FAA has this requisite in an event that an airplane of the overruns, undershoots, or swings off the sides of the runway (Richard de Neufville, 2003). The greatest danger of these incidents remain overruns, but since many airdromes got built before the 1000ft RSA length got adopted 20 years ago, the range beyond the runway end remains where many airdromes cannot achieve the full RSA standard. This is due to complications such as water bodies, highways, railroads and severe drop-off of terrain or populated areas (Richard de Neufville, 2003). The FAA devours a high - priority program of enhancing safety by advancement of the RSA at commercial airports and provides federal aid to support those advancements. However, it still can not be feasible for some airports to attain the RSA standard. The FAA, perceptive that it would be hard to achieve a RSA standard at every airport, began steering research in the end of 20th century to determine how to guarantee maximum safety at airdromes where the full RSA may not be obtained. Working in performance with the Dayton University, the New York Port Authority and the ESCO (Engineered Arresting Systems Corporation) the new technology developed to provide an additional measure of safety (Richard de Neufville, 2003). This system remains a cost - effective approach of improving safety where the runway safety area distance stays limited by site circumstances. The range of airplane operating at each airfield and available overrun distance in each runway gets

Mexico Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Mexico - Term Paper Example Small pox, unknowingly brought in by the Spaniards, ravaged the Aztec Empire killing millions including the ruling Emperor. It confirmed the victory of Cortes and under him the Spanish invaded the territory and ruled it as the Viceroyalty of New Spain. This is what would become Mexico later on. The Spanish rule continued in Mexico for the next 300 years till 1810 when the Mexicans led their first revolution to freedom which they gained in 1821. The colonial Spanish rule witnessed territorial expansion across a huge part of Central America and a lot of it to the south and west of what is now the United States. Trade and commerce swelled and the time saw a flourishing mining, textile, and agrarian economy. There was large scale religious conversion to Roman Catholicism. However, by early nineteenth century resentment simmered among the locals and set the tempo for a revolution. Independence. Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla and Jose Maria Morelos were the main protagonists of the revolution. Both of them led successful run-ins one after the other but were executed: Costilla was executed by the firing squad in 1811 and Morelos was captured and shot in 1815. However, the struggle for independence did not slack momentum and continued under the Creole colonel Agustin de Iturbide. In 1821 the independence of Mexico was officially recognized after Iturbide along with representatives of the Spanish crown signed the Treaty of Cordoba and the Declaration of Independence of the Mexican Empire. Iturbide declared himself emperor of the First Mexican Empire. He was overthrown in 1823 and the United Mexican States was formed. Forms of Government. The military rule ended thus with the United Mexican States being declared a federal republic and Guadalupe Victoria becoming the first President of the newly formed country in 1824. However, this was not the beginning of an organized era. The country was steeped in turmoil of many a kind. In 1836 General Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna, a rebel general and dictator, suspended the 1824 Constitution and a civil war ensued. His radical reforms dissolved republicanism and institutionalized the centralized form of government. The landmark event that followed was the Mexican-U.S. war in which Mexico lost Texas, California, and New Mexico to the U. S. Close at heels were Native American revolts and a series of reforms which brought back the federal form of government. In 1861 the Liberals won and the country was led by President Benito Juarez. He is worth a mention because the country underwent drastic democratic and economic reforms and cessation of Church powers. However, chaos set in soon imposed by the monarchy of Austrian Archduke Maximilian who declared himself Emperor in 1864. He was executed by the Liberal forces under Juarez who continued his term of presidency till 1872. Juarez period is also termed Restoration of the Republic. Weak governments followed. The next noteworthy period was the presidency of the authoritaria n general Porfirio Diaz who ruled most of the years between 1877 and 1911. The military dictatorship of Porfirio went well with Mexico that saw phenomenal economic reforms and progress in science and art. But his political repression snowballed into yet another revolution in 1910 which continued till 1920. The significant leaders who paced through the turbulence include Francisco

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

Current Event - Essay Example s to achieve a two-fold objective, to wit: (1) to provide explanations on the issues discussed within the article; and (2) to demonstrate the ways that the article is related to the course material. Terkel noted Pelosi to emphasize that Republicans were advancing three legislations that limit or restrict access to abortion by (1) preventing the use of taxpayers’ money to fund abortion-related services; (2) denying tax credits to employers or business establishments that allow health coverage of employees with abortion access; (3) denying â€Å"federal family-planning funds under Title X to groups that offer abortion access† (Terkel, 2011, par. 4); and (4) allowing hospitals to turn away women who opt to terminate pregnancy even for the purpose of saving lives (Terkel, 2011, par. 5). The concerns raised by Pelosi are related to the issues on women’s health, particularly on reproductive health and reproductive rights (Kirk and Okazawa-Rey, 2004, p. 173). The topic of abortion is still a controversial issue when taken within a global perspective. Not only to take into account the issue seen as barred and illegal in predominantly Catholic nations, the issue has been monitored to provide risks to women (Malter and Wind, 2012). Accordingly, â€Å"research from WHO shows that complications due to unsafe abortion continued to account for an estimated 13% of all maternal deaths worldwide in 2008; almost all of these deaths occurred in developing countries† (Malter & Wind, 2012). The concern on Pelosi, as disclosed in the article focused primarily on the legislation that sought to deny federal family planning funds to groups that offer access to abortion services. As averred, â€Å"I cant believe that everybody who is anti a womans right to choose is anti-birth control and contraception and family planning† (Terkel, 2011, par. 7). Aside from denying rights to avail or restrict access of services to abortion, these legislations actually aim to limit the funds to be

Mexico Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Mexico - Term Paper Example Small pox, unknowingly brought in by the Spaniards, ravaged the Aztec Empire killing millions including the ruling Emperor. It confirmed the victory of Cortes and under him the Spanish invaded the territory and ruled it as the Viceroyalty of New Spain. This is what would become Mexico later on. The Spanish rule continued in Mexico for the next 300 years till 1810 when the Mexicans led their first revolution to freedom which they gained in 1821. The colonial Spanish rule witnessed territorial expansion across a huge part of Central America and a lot of it to the south and west of what is now the United States. Trade and commerce swelled and the time saw a flourishing mining, textile, and agrarian economy. There was large scale religious conversion to Roman Catholicism. However, by early nineteenth century resentment simmered among the locals and set the tempo for a revolution. Independence. Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla and Jose Maria Morelos were the main protagonists of the revolution. Both of them led successful run-ins one after the other but were executed: Costilla was executed by the firing squad in 1811 and Morelos was captured and shot in 1815. However, the struggle for independence did not slack momentum and continued under the Creole colonel Agustin de Iturbide. In 1821 the independence of Mexico was officially recognized after Iturbide along with representatives of the Spanish crown signed the Treaty of Cordoba and the Declaration of Independence of the Mexican Empire. Iturbide declared himself emperor of the First Mexican Empire. He was overthrown in 1823 and the United Mexican States was formed. Forms of Government. The military rule ended thus with the United Mexican States being declared a federal republic and Guadalupe Victoria becoming the first President of the newly formed country in 1824. However, this was not the beginning of an organized era. The country was steeped in turmoil of many a kind. In 1836 General Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna, a rebel general and dictator, suspended the 1824 Constitution and a civil war ensued. His radical reforms dissolved republicanism and institutionalized the centralized form of government. The landmark event that followed was the Mexican-U.S. war in which Mexico lost Texas, California, and New Mexico to the U. S. Close at heels were Native American revolts and a series of reforms which brought back the federal form of government. In 1861 the Liberals won and the country was led by President Benito Juarez. He is worth a mention because the country underwent drastic democratic and economic reforms and cessation of Church powers. However, chaos set in soon imposed by the monarchy of Austrian Archduke Maximilian who declared himself Emperor in 1864. He was executed by the Liberal forces under Juarez who continued his term of presidency till 1872. Juarez period is also termed Restoration of the Republic. Weak governments followed. The next noteworthy period was the presidency of the authoritaria n general Porfirio Diaz who ruled most of the years between 1877 and 1911. The military dictatorship of Porfirio went well with Mexico that saw phenomenal economic reforms and progress in science and art. But his political repression snowballed into yet another revolution in 1910 which continued till 1920. The significant leaders who paced through the turbulence include Francisco

Natural world threatening Essay Example for Free

Natural world threatening Essay On the whole, Plath finds the natural world threatening. ’ In the light of this statement, compare the ways in which Plath and Hughes write about the natural world. You must include in your response detailed reference to ‘The Moon and the Yew Tree’ and to at least one other poem. ’ The natural world often seems to reflect the writer’s mood vividly and traditionally, nature is used to convey emotions. Plath uses nature to express her interior misery by comparing aspects of nature with her own emotions to show how she is alone, isolated and emotionally cold; this is particularly visible in both ‘The Moon and the Yew Tree’ and ‘Elm’. In contrast to Hughes, who finds the natural world fascinating as seen in ‘Hawk Roosting. ’ In The Moon and the Yew Tree, Plath focuses on two features of landscape, which are used to establish the mood. The poem quickly becomes a bleak statement of nothingness and despair, whereby she projects her feelings onto the moon and onto the yew tree. Throughout the poem, her gaze remains fixed on the moon, an image which Plath finds threatening since the light it gives off is ‘cold and planetary’ an unsettling image with Plath does not find particularly comforting, since she is describing the moon as emotionally cold. The moon seems to have its own troubles with it being ‘terribly upset’ here Plath uses the moon to express her own feelings of sadness, although the moon conveys her own despair, she describes the moon as having despair a reason why she ‘live[s] here’ –inside the moon, in her world of despair. The personification of the moon has made it a female character traditionally for Plath a symbol of barren coldness; hence Plath finds the natural world threatening by the negative power of the moon. The Yew Tree also lies at the heart of the poem, it is immediately associated with overwhelmingly negativity ‘the trees of the mind are black’. Plath uses pathetic fallacy giving emotions to inanimate objects throughout the poem, creating a tense, threatening atmosphere. In contrast to Plath who finds the natural world threatening, Hughes writes about the power of nature and how immense it is. Yet Hughes uses the power of creation to highlight the evil in nature, which is highlighted by the God like powers of the hawk, where the bird’s arrogance and self-importance is emphasised sitting ‘in the top of everything’. Metaphoric images underline the hawk’s opinion of its own superiority ‘Now I hold creation in my foot’ exemplifying the God-like power of the hawk. The hawk is like a prehistoric monster ‘nothing has changed since I began’ it is something that other creatures need to fear and that underlines the sense of its own power. Hughes finds nature threatening within the poem by the evil within the hawk – it is a killing machine, everything about it is geared to ‘the allotment of death’. Ultimately, what Hughes presents is an accumulation of onomatopoeic and metaphoric images that may cause the reader to fear the bird, which finally may persuade the reader to see nothing other than an immense specimen of nature. Similar to Plath who in ‘Elm’ writes the poem from the Elms perspective, Hughes adopts the persona of a hawk, effectively showing us the world from the birds prospective. However in contrast to Plath who uses Elm to show an image of femininity, Hughes uses the masculine hawk as a very powerful image, who is threatening because of the evil things it does.

Motivation n Second Language Learning

Motivation n Second Language Learning It is natural that students achieve differently in the same class, learning from the same teacher. How students learn and why they achieve differently has been a field of interest among many scholars, especially in the field of second language (L2) learning. Many studies have been conducted about the different factors that affect learner variables, both cognitively and affectively. On a general basis, there are mainly three factors that contribute to the individual differences in L2 learning experience: learning styles, learning strategies and affective variables; Motivation being one of the most important issues in affective variables. (Ehrman et all, 2003) According to Wigfield (1994), motivation is based on how much the individual expect to succeed and their value of their success. Gardner defined motivation as the combination of effort plus desire to achieve the goal (learning the language) and favorable attitudes towards it. (Gardner, 1985) Although the theories and researches c oncerned on motivation have never been free from criticism, it is generally agreed that motivation have great impacts and influences on individual learners. Based on the classification of different types of motivation, this essay aims to explore how it affects a students learning experience, particularly in L2 learning. This essay also provides some suggestions on teaching which might provide help to the formation of a positive motivation. The different types of motivation Theories and models of motivation began to appear in the 1950s, when Gardner and Lambert proposed the Socio-Educational model of language learning, which contained two types of motivation: integrative and instrumental. (Gardner Lambert, 1959). Such model laid the ground work for further research, being developed by following scholars. Deci and Ryan (1985) distinguished between intrinsic and extrinsic motivations; the motivation inside and outside the individual. And based on Skehans (1989) four hypothesis, Ellis (1994) categorized four types of motivation: integrative motivation, instrumental motivation, resultative motivation and motivation as intrinsic interest. (Ellis, 1994) While Lambert described integrative orientation as a sincere and personal interest in the people and culture represented by the other language group, (Lambert, 1974) Ellis (1994) emphasized that orientation and motivation are two concepts which need to be considered separately. While Orientation refers to the underlying reasons for studying an L2, i.e. the effort plus desire; motivation is the directed effort that learners make. (Ellis, 1994) In other words, integrative motivation is the desire for students to want to become part of a speech community, an important aspect of which is using the target language for social interaction. Immigrants are usually examples of people with high integrative motivations. Integrative motivation is normally considered oppose to instrumental motivation, and often believed to be more powerful in its effects than the latter. Gardner and Lambert studied English speakers learning French in Quebec and argued that integrative motivation led to greater suc cess in L2 learning. (Gardner and Lambert, 1959) Instrumental motivation developed from Skehans (1989) The Carrot and Stick Hypothesis, which originally implies external influences and incentives. (Ellis, 1994) Different from integrative motivation, which appears to be less achievable and requires longer time as well as effort; instrumental motivation is more centered on concrete goals such as a job, diploma, or the ability to read academic articles. This form of motivation is thought to be less likely to lead to overall success than integrative motivation, as the ultimate goal is more feasible. Rewards could also be seen as an instrumental motivation, which could aid the learning process to some extent. Gardner and MacIntyre (1991) reported a study for a vocabulary task in which the group of students who were offered awards did significantly better than the comparable group, although the positive effects decreased as soon as the reward stops. Generally, the effects of instrumental motivation tend to maintain for a shorter time per iod. Unless the individual pushes himself further by setting up new goals, the effect ends as soon as the goal is achieved. Despite the differences in integrative and instrumental motivation, some (Muchnick Wolfe, 1982) argued that it is impossible to separate the two in certain occasions, when students have strong motivations for both. (cited from Ellis, 1994) Resultative motivation is concerned with the relationship between motivation and achievement, which Ellis (1994) identified as interactive. Learners motivation is strongly affected by their achievement. Students who perform well in classrooms are more likely to gain confidence and to be more willing to participate. However, Gardner, Smythe and Clement (1979); suggested that while greater motivation and attitudes lead to better learning, the converse is not true (Cited from Ellis, 1994). But the vicious circle of low motivation = low achievement = lower motivation could always develop. (Ellis, 1994) Interest is a powerful psychology tool in receiving attention from students and urging them to make efforts. There are various ways that teachers could help students to develop their intrinsic interest motivation, such as welcoming students with a big smile, or introducing new activities into the classroom. The effects of motivation From the psychological perspective, motivation could also be categorized as positive and negative motivation. Positive motivation means an optimism and upbeat response towards the tasks being assigned to. Negative motivation implies unwillingness and is often companied with anxiety. Nearly all students will experience both positive and negative motivation in some level of their studies; therefore, it is important for them to understand that both positive and negative motivations could be helpful or harmful. Positive motivation It is generally believed that positive motivation leads to better results in the learning process. Students who enjoy learning a L2 or have a clear aim tend to work harder that those who have no interest. However, one of the limitations of the studies in motivation is that the main tool is normally questionnaires, which has questionably validity. There is always the possibility that students would write down what the teacher hopes them to, or what makes them look good, even if the questionnaire is confidential. Also, motivation is different from the actual effort that people make. A student could be highly-motivated judging from his questionnaire but might not have made any efforts in his studies. (Ellis, 1994) In terms of the learning process, motivation itself is not enough. It is just an urge which pushes the student work harder, which means nothing if not taken action. Adoring the teacher and enjoying the class does not necessarily imply that the student understood what he should have learned. Also, motivation is quite changeable; making it difficult to measure which against time and persistence. Besides, a positive attitude might lead students to be overly relaxed or improperly prepared and perform worse than they could have. There is a thin line between confident and arrogance. Negative motivation Negative motivation is normally associated with anxiety, unsatisfactory performance and low achievement. But it might not necessarily be like that for every one. Oller and Perkins suggested that negative motivation might be more powerful to some learners in motivating them to excel, which they referred to as Machiavellian Motivation. (Oller Perkins, 1978) I recall a similar situation from my own learning experience. When I was studying English in primary school, one of the strongest motivations that drove me to work harder was a Korean girl who used to make fun of me. I had the urge to show her that I was capable of learning the language. Although Machiavellian Motivation did not always work that way. I did not like my French teacher when I was studying French as a L2 in my university. But I was never intrigued by the idea of working hard and proving to her that I could manage to learn the language properly. Instead, I got trapped between Elliss vicious circle of low motivation = lo w achievement = lower motivation. (Ellis, 1994) Supposable Machiavellian Motivation is more likely to domain when the imaginary opponent is of the similar level. When the opponent is far more advanced than the learner himself, the idea to conquer would not easily arise, although there could always be exceptions. The formation of a positive motivation Although negative motivation may lead to positive results in the learning process, Machiavellian Motivation is quite risky which might not be suitable for all learners as well. It is generally more simple and beneficial to form a positive attitude when learning an L2. As Pintrich and Schunk (1996) indicated, motivation depends greatly on context, the people involved and specific circumstances. (cited from Ehrman et all, 2003) Motivation is never a fixed dimension; teachers could always help students to form positive motivations. Not all L2 learners have the opportunity to be integrated in a country where the target language is used as L1. However, there are other methods which teachers could use to help students form integrative motivation, such as introducing the culture, using authentic reading material, or asking students to watch foreign movies in the target language. One of the methods that my English teacher used when I was in primary school was asking us to write letters to our American pen pals. We were all deeply engaged in the activity and highly motivated by the desire to communicate with our friends on the other side of the world. Teachers could help their students to form instrumental motivation by setting up clear goals and aims. There could be little steps for beginners, and gradually help students to form the habit of setting up goals for themselves. Realistic and feasible short term goals are very helpful to students in finding their weakness and knowing where they want to be. Teachers could also encourage students to set up long term goals and set up study journals to record their progress. Motivation is always closely linked with performance. To avoid the vicious circle of low motivation = low achievement = lower motivation, (Ellis, 1994) it is necessary to form a positive motivation towards all learning process. In helping students to form a positive resultative motivation, teachers should always consider the difficult of tasks. Students could easily be depressed by their work and put in less effort or all effort when they have decided that it is too difficult for them. The instructions should also be clear so that they would understand what they are expected to do. The tasks should be deigned to suit the demand of the majority of the class, within their cognitive ability and slightly out of their reach so that they would make an effort to accomplish it. Also, how to give feedback and what type of feedback should be given to students is another important issue. An assignment all in red marks would easily discourage anyone. What the teachers could do, particularly for writing class is to have one focus each week such as future tense or pronouns and only look for mistakes in the specified area. The errors could be marked by letters or underlined and ask the students to correct them by himself. Teachers need to understand that errors are inevitable in the learning process and actually a sign that learning is taking place. (Broughton et all, 1980) In SLA theories, error analysis (EA) is a technique which aims to describe and explain the systematic nature of errors generated in the learners language which was established in the 1970s by Stephen Pit Corder. (Corder, 1967) The errors that people make reveal patterns of L2 language development and the differences between L1 and L2 acquisition. Errors provide valuable feedback to both teachers and learners regarding learner strategies and the learning progress; help the teachers to understand the students level and reflect on their own teaching methodology. They also indicate whether the students are rea dy to further their studies. Moreover, errors provide insights into the nature of SLA process. As mentioned before, interest is a powerful tool in L2 learning. To start with, teachers should always try to create a comfortable atmosphere within the classroom. A teacher with a good personality, someone who is adored by the students could make the class much more enjoyable. To boost students interest, teachers could always being new activities into the classroom. Task based learning combined with stories and games would easily attract young learners. For more advanced learners, teachers could occasionally bring culture and drama into the classroom for a change. Also, according to a study by Bachman (1964), students are more motivated when are involved in decision-making, which lead to overall productivity. (Cited from Ellis, 1994) As indicated, students will show more interest in their studies when they feel that they have made decisions. Consequently, teachers could ask for the students opinions to decide on a particular subject for their assignments. Group work also has signifi cant values in increasing students interests, providing with the students an opportunity to interact with each other and share their opinions. Small group tasks are particularly motivating as the students know that their peers are working towards the same project. (DÃ ¶rnyei, 2001) By working cooperatively, students will be urged to perform better, being a representative of their own group. Conclusions As how motivation works and the effects of motivation differ among each individual, also being influenced by many variables, the studies regarding motivation have never been free from criticism, including its classification. However, the impact and value of motivation is generally impossible to ignore. Although both positive and negative motivation could lead to higher achievement in L2 learning, students should be encouraged to form positive motivations as it is more likely to encourage success than Machiavellian Motivation. (Oller Perkins, 1978) Motivation is not an unchangeable domain; teachers could help students form motivation in all of the four categorizes identified by Ellis: integrative motivation, instrumental motivation, resultative motivation and motivation as intrinsic interest. (Ellis, 1994) Also, it is important for students to learn to control their motivation and use it in an active way; to maintain longer motivation for greater success. (Word Count: 2310)

Claude McKay & Jean Toomer Essay -- essays research papers

Claude McKay was born on September 15th 1890, in the West Indian island of Jamaica. He was the youngest of eleven children. At the age of ten, he wrote a rhyme of acrostic for an elementary-school gala. He then changed his style and mixed West Indian folk songs with church hymns. At the age of seventeen he met a gentlemen named Walter Jekyll, who encouraged him to write in his native dialect. Jekyll introduced him to a new world of literature. McKay soon left Jamaica and would never return to his homeland. In 1912, only 23 years old, Jekyll paid his way to the United Sates to study agriculture at Tuskegee Institute. Before leaving Jamaica, McKay had gotten a reputation as a poet. He had produced two volumes of dialect poetry, Song of Jamaica and Constab Ballads. His work is said to always echo both the British colony’s musical dialect and the sharp anger of its subject race. McKay moved to Harlem, New York in 1914, during a very discriminating time. His first American poem appeared in 1917. Of all the Renaissance writers, he was one of the first to express the spirit of the New Negro. By 1921, McKay had become the associate editor of a magazine called, The Liberator, a socialist magazine of art and literature. In 1922, Harcourt, Brace and Company published a collection of seven poems called, Harlem Shadows. This made him receive the status of being the first significant black poet. Even though he was considered an African-American icon, McKay said he still considered himse...

pay equity :: essays research papers

The American Association of University Women (AAUW) has long fought to end wage discrimination. Despite the Equal Pay Act and many improvements in women’s economic status over the past 40 years, wage discrimination still persists. AAUW continues to believe that pay equity—economic equity—is a simple matter of justice and strongly supports initiatives that seek to close the persistent and sizable wage gaps between men and women. The effects of pay inequity reach far. According to a 1999 study by the Institute for Women’s Policy Research and the AFL-CIO, based on U.S. Census Bureau and Bureau of Labor statistics, women who work full time earn just 74 cents for every dollar men earn. That equals $148 less each week, or $7,696 a year. Women of color who work full time are paid even less, only 64 cents for every dollar men earn—$210 less per week and $11,440 less per year. With a record 64 million women in the workforce, pay discrimination hurts the majority of American families. Families lose $200 billion in income annually to the wage gap—an average loss of more than $4,000 for each working family. In addition, wage discrimination lowers total lifetime earnings, thereby reducing women’s benefits from Social Security and pension plans. Wage inequalities are not a result of women’s qualifications or choices. Wage discrimination persists despite women’s increased educational attainment, greater level of experience in workforce, and decreased amount of time spent out of the workforce raising children. †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Education. Although the number of women attaining baccalaureate and advanced degrees now surpasses the number of men, in 1999 the median wages of female college graduates were $14,665 less than those of male graduates. College-educated African American women earn only $1,500 more than white male high school graduates. †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Experience. Women gain only approximately 30 cents per hour for five additional years of work experience, compared to $1. pay equity :: essays research papers The American Association of University Women (AAUW) has long fought to end wage discrimination. Despite the Equal Pay Act and many improvements in women’s economic status over the past 40 years, wage discrimination still persists. AAUW continues to believe that pay equity—economic equity—is a simple matter of justice and strongly supports initiatives that seek to close the persistent and sizable wage gaps between men and women. The effects of pay inequity reach far. According to a 1999 study by the Institute for Women’s Policy Research and the AFL-CIO, based on U.S. Census Bureau and Bureau of Labor statistics, women who work full time earn just 74 cents for every dollar men earn. That equals $148 less each week, or $7,696 a year. Women of color who work full time are paid even less, only 64 cents for every dollar men earn—$210 less per week and $11,440 less per year. With a record 64 million women in the workforce, pay discrimination hurts the majority of American families. Families lose $200 billion in income annually to the wage gap—an average loss of more than $4,000 for each working family. In addition, wage discrimination lowers total lifetime earnings, thereby reducing women’s benefits from Social Security and pension plans. Wage inequalities are not a result of women’s qualifications or choices. Wage discrimination persists despite women’s increased educational attainment, greater level of experience in workforce, and decreased amount of time spent out of the workforce raising children. †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Education. Although the number of women attaining baccalaureate and advanced degrees now surpasses the number of men, in 1999 the median wages of female college graduates were $14,665 less than those of male graduates. College-educated African American women earn only $1,500 more than white male high school graduates. †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Experience. Women gain only approximately 30 cents per hour for five additional years of work experience, compared to $1.

Birmingham International Airport Essay

In the space of just 30 minutes every weekday, around 5.00 in the evening, around 20 flights arrive and depart from the Eurohub Terminal. At the same time, aircraft are arriving and leaving from the Main Terminal next to the Eurohub. Across the runway and acres of tarmac, at the site of the original airport, the overnight freight operation is just beginning to wake up with the arrival of staff and the preparations for the first aircraft from Europe or the United States. Some of the 7,000 staff from the 150 organisations based at Birmingham International Airport (BIA) see to the needs of their customers. The baggage handling operation is sorting, checking and dispatching bags to the many departing aircraft. The ground crews are loading and unloading aircraft, putting meals on board, filling the fuel tanks and cleaning aircraft during their brief spell at the airbridge. The airlines’ ticketing staffs are dealing with lines of passengers, each of whom may have a different final destination. The information desk is fully staffed, dealing with the many queries, such as people wanting to know if their plane is on time, the location of a bank or hotel, or trying to work out how to get by road or rail to their final destination. Passengers flow through the lounges, passport control and security checks, and use toilets, duty free shops and restaurants, all of which have to be kept clean and stocked for their convenience. All of these activities, and more, are coordinated by BIA’s Operations Director, Richard Heard. Richard explains his role: ‘Out of all the people that work at the airport, BIA employs about 700 and I oversee about 600 of them. These operations people are basically concerned with the day-to-day running of the airport and the short and medium-term operational planning. This includes a whole raft of things on the airfield and in and around the terminals. The air-field side of things essentially involves maintaining the runways, agreeing slot allocations with the airlines, developing and implementing the safety management systems and  keeping the fire crews fully trained. For example, this is a heavily regulated area so we work very closely with the Civil Aviation Authority. The other side of the operation is about managing the terminal buildings and other facilities. This is almost like running a shopping centre with its focus on customer service but with special security arrangements. Airport security is a key task which we run in-house, employing about 300 people. I also have a facilities manageme nt team and an engineering services team that look after the maintenance of the whole site. ‘In terms of long-term design and development, we set up teams to oversee the planning of new building projects, such as new catering outlets, car parks and people mover systems. This plan uses the forecasts of passenger numbers and guides our decisions about what to build and when, and how to pay for it. We have been growing at a rate of about 10 per cent a year over the last 10 years. In 2000 the airport handled 7.6 million passengers and our growth is set to continue, with an anticipated 10 million passengers expected to travel through Birmingham by 2005. This plan involves serious money; we are talking about a capital plan of about  £50 million a year over the next 15 years. This is all very much driven by operational needs. Managing and developing the airport’s operations are huge challenges. ‘One of the major tasks for operations is not just to provide the infrastructure for all the other organisations on site – such as airlines, handling agents, retailers, cargo handlers – but also to provide the leadership and coordination for them. There are also groups off site, such as community groups, which we liaise with as we work to monitor and improve the environment. My personal job is about coordination and setting the safety and customer service standards for everyone to adhere to. ‘All of us from the different organisations try to work together as a team and there is a great community spirit here that has built up over the years. Everyone wants their own bit to work well and the whole thing to work well together. We all have a great understanding of everyone’s problems and there is an excellent spirit of cooperation. ‘The real secret of managing operations, if you are ever going to sleep at night, is to make sure you have really good processes and procedures in place. We can’t have people making it up on the spot. Everything has to be thought through and tried and tested. We spend a great deal of time reviewing and developing processes. We have to have procedures for fires, evacuations, bomb threats, ill passengers and even deaths in the terminal. Unfortunately, we do have medical emergencies, not surprising since we have about 30,000 people passing through the airport every day in the summer. ‘Another key task is operational planning. We do this on an annual basis. Operational planning is about making the operation as efficient as possible by working out how we can best allocate our infrastructure to the airlines. For example, we need to decide who is going to get the airbridges, who is going to get certain stands, who is going to have their passengers bussed to the terminal at peak times and so on. However, you have to remember that the operational plans are just that and as ever, things go wrong – schedules fall apart because of plane delays or mechanical problems, for example. So we also have terminal duty managers whose job it is to sort out the day-to-day operational problems. Our team of terminal managers covers the airport 24 hours a day, every day of the week, with one senior manager overseeing each shift. ‘Many of the things that happen are recurring problems, such as delays or diversions and you know you will end up with a lot of passengers waiting around a lot longer than they want to. The job of the duty manager is to coordinate all our efforts, ensuring that the catering people know what’s happening and making sure our information services people know so they can tell the passengers, for example. The terminal managers need to keep their own ears and eyes open. Passengers may report that they have seen someone acting suspiciously and the managers need to know what to do. When passengers get off the plane and their bags are not there, although it’s the responsibility of the airlines or their handling agents, our people may have to pick up the pieces. When people try taking prohibited items through security, such as a family heirloom with a large curved blade, we have to explain patiently to them that they have to leave it with us. ‘ The terminal managers also have to deal with major incidents – things like bomb threats or, like last year, when Spanish coach drivers went on strike leaving many passengers stranded at the airport. The job of the terminal manager is to sort it all out and make sure everyone knows what is happening. It involves a great deal of common sense but it is not easy. If you do an evacuation, for example, everyone will be at different stages in the passenger processing and security clearance procedures, so when the incident is over, we have to try and put them all back where they came from without mixing them up or making them start the process again! ‘We have the equivalent of the terminal duty managers looking after the airfield side: operations duty managers. Their job is about dealing with the day-to-day problems, such as changing stand allocations when delays occur or arranging snow clearance if we have a sudden fall. Again plans are in place and everything has to be thought through. We also have weekly communication meetings when we get the operations and duty managers to work with the operational planning department. ‘Our mission is to be the best regional airport in Europe. To do this we need continually to try and improve everything we do. It sounds simple, but it is not easy. For example, we have almost no capacity at peak times, that is between 7.00 a.m. and 8.00 a.m. and between 5.00 p.m. and 6.00 p.m. when we are busy with short-haul European traffic, so we are trying to encourage other airlines to fill in the off-peak times. This is ideal for long-haul operators and we now have flights to South East Asia and America, and just last year we added an Emirates flight to Dubai. This allows us to use the middle of the day when we have runway and terminal capacity and it suits everybody as we can all make better use of our facilities. ‘Running an airport is a fascinating and exciting challenge. No two days are the same. We know that we can make a real difference to our customers, both passengers and airlines, by what we do. We also make a major contribution to the impact on the local economy by encouraging inward investment and exports. As an operations manager, my job is to make it all happen. It’s a  fantastic opportunity and it really does make a difference – its great!’ Long-term issues are mostly derived from day-to-day tasks which are not addressed properly and get accumulated into a bigger problem. For example, the recurring delays and arranging for snow clearance are common problems, operations duty managers must have a good plan in place so everything is thought through and covered – avoiding any unanticipated events. Richard is able to handle this through weekly communication meetings where the operations and duty managers work work with the operational planning department. It is through interaction and communication that allows Richard to have a better overview of what is currently happening so long-term plan can be thought off. Another example, the airport is trying to encourage other airlines to fill in their off-peak times to fully utilize their resources. This is also a day-to-day observation where a long-term plan is being drawn out. It is apparent that Richard is able to oversee the day-to-day tasks and manage long-term issues through communication and proper operational planning. It is with planning, he is able to anticipate what could go wrong before it could happen or becomes a big issue. Through operational planning the airport is able to make a major contribution to the impact on the local economy by encouraging inward investment and exports.