Private Public partnership

Over the last few decades, our administration focuses on developing our economy where they can address the problem of poverty and of modernization on the Philippines. As our country is still developing and the government resources are limited, new ideas and strategies such as partnerships are needed. This highly evolved development strategy is nowadays termed as Public Private Partnerships (Pops), is a cooperative venture between the public and private sectors in the provision of goods or services which is traditionally provided by the state (Recite &Affable, 2006). The public and private sectors have common goals and their partnership can take advantage of the separate strengths of each to achieve their objectives. On the Executive Summary of Proceedings about Public-Private Partnerships in the Social Sector they elaborated that the private sector exists to make a profit and applies market-based solutions to problems while the public sector attempts to ensure equity and access for c itizens and redresses problems of market failure (Asian Development Bank Institute, 1999).On view of this program, there will e greater opportunities that will come in the future especially in developing our country economically. The program caters mainly to the needs of the public users and also it creates an environment where there will always be consistent growth. Many are still skeptical and in fear of the Private Public Partnerships. Mainly because of there is a conflict of interest between the public and private sector and also there is a chance of higher transaction cost due to its long term contract. An article entitled, For Mutual Benefit-the Advantages and Challenges of Public-PrivatePartnerships cited, the state, that often provides the fixed assets and even the financing for APP is interested in improving the delivery of public goods and services; while on the other hand, private firms are concerned with enhancing profitability and the welfare of their stockholders (FIT Consulting, Inc. , 2012). On this sample risk, it shows that both sectors have different objectives which create a negative impact on the status of nation's social and economic health. In this partnership, the government and the public sector must work together to establish quality standards that will help OTOH of them in the long run.Real partnerships will require Joint planning and discussions and better specifications of the potential roles for each other is needed (Asian Development Bank Institute, 1999). Therefore; accountability, monitoring and transparency by both the public and private sector is really significant. On the conference in Tokyo, Dry. Patricia Craig (Asian Development Bank Institute, 1999) highlighted the urgency of solving some of the problems of the social sector today because of the intensifying pressures of population ageing and globalization on this sector.With the ever increasing population, greater expectations and demands from the society, our government is facing an increasing pressure to deliver new and improved services with only limited resources available. Thus, the private sectors who are much more knowledgeable in terms of market rules and the ability to deliver projects on time can greatly aid the government in providing the services to the public in a way that benefits the people and delivers economic development.Our country today experiences a so called ‘infrastructure deficit', evidenced by congested odds, deteriorated schools, lack of facilities in the hospitals, poorly maintained transit and water treatment systems, and other infrastructure assets which are either non-existent or in urgent need of repair (United Nations Economic Commission for Europe, 2008). Because of the increasing shortage of government funds as evidenced by lack of facilities and manpower, our country critically requires a more serious look at the APP option.With the help of the partnership program, the problems that our country is facing wil l be addressed properly since there will be proper distribution of susceptibilities between the private and public sectors. And as a developing country trying to approximate good governance, the Philippines has already properly characterized the private sector is its most potent partner in meeting said formidable infrastructure challenges, through Pops (Recite & Affable, 2006).Public Private Partnership will surely addressed the challenges of reducing poverty and establishing a more rapid developing system. The program will surely be a reliable strategy that can efficiently deliver its services. Sine there will be proper identification of the needs of our country, there will also be proper implementation of all projects planned by our government with the help of the private sector. This can too produce more Job opportunities for Filipinos since there will be more infrastructure projects so manpower will also be required.Also, the needs of the people will be properly catered since fa cilities are being improved and properly maintained. The APP agenda in various infrastructure sectors and development projects, is aimed at facilitating trading and investments thereby reinforcing the amounts investment climate and its competitiveness in the Asia and with the rest of the world (Recite & Affable, 2006). The Philippines is regarded as an ideal site for investment because of our rich natural resources, highly educated people and a high standard lifestyle at a low cost.With the help of APP, our country will invite more foreign investors which results to an economic growth. Private-public Partnership is a program that will provide greater opportunities in developing our country economically today and in the future. Because the program caters to the needs of the people, as a result, it creates an environment where there is growth and prosperity. Though many doubt the effectiveness of partnership between the private and public sector, but a change from the traditional welf are state is a moving step towards productivity.In reality, markets are imperfect and government may not always work in favor of the most disadvantaged but each sector can do certain things well. In order to have a good governance the private sector needs to consider its social responsibility while the public sector needs to create the appropriate legal and ejaculatory structures as well as a democratic and participatory process in decision making (Recite & Affable, 2006). Real partnerships will involve Joint planning by the public and private sectors, where a culture of true cooperation will need to develop.

Applied Research Technologies, Inc. Essay

The business case you have describes a situation in a company called Applied Research Technologies. As a team, you are expected to understand the situation and present your answers to the questions below: 1. As Peter Vyas, how would you handle the expenditure request for the re-launch of the mini water oxidation system? 2. As Cynthia Jackson, would you approve the expenditure request if Vyas sent it up to you? 3. How effective has Vyas been as a front-line manager at ART? How effective has Jackson been as an ART division vice president? All the information you need is contained within the business case you have. However, if you want to use additional information you are welcome to do so. You are expected to hand in a team report that answers the questions above. You are also expected to present your results to the class. Your grade will be assessed as follows: Grade Based on Percent of Total Grade Understanding of the case Team 30% Ability to answer the questions Individual 30% Clarity of the presentation Team 20% Neatness of work Team 20% You will be assessed based on the following: Clarity of answering the questions. Cohesiveness of answers and reports. Accuracy of details and conclusions.

Applying Anthropology Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Applying Anthropology Paper - Essay Example This is an English Second Language (ESL) program designed to increase the English proficiency of Mexican immigrant children so that by the time they reached high school age they could be successful in a unilingual English instructional setting. The other articles (Smith-Hefner) in 1988 and 1989 describes efforts in the Boston area for Khmer children from Cambodia to be provided instruction in their native language as well as English for 3 or 4 years again until they were deemed sufficiently proficient in English to benefit from mainstream unilingual English instruction. The data from the studies showed that language use preferences of both immigrant groups were strongly linked to aspirations of success in mainstream American society. Although they showed some degree of pride in their respective cultural heritages, there was also the realization even among children (implicitly if not consciously) that a high degree of proficiency in English As well as at least some acceptance of American social norms was essential to thriving in their new homeland especially in attaining higher socioeconomic occupations. In the Fuller study the parents of the 4 Mexican heritage children had mixed views of the importance of education, but the children expressed uniformly strong evaluations of it at least on a lip service level. .The 2 girls as time progressed tended to use more English in conversations with adult teachers and with each other as best friends. The 2 boys tended to use more Spanish especially to each other even though they were at least as proficient in English as the girls. This reflects that although they recognized the importance of English fluency in their future endeavors as breadwinners, they were more conscious of maintaining their Mexican heritage in their social relations than the girls. The Smith-Hefner study states that most Khmer parents placed a high value on both the acquisition of English fluency and

Strategic Issues and problems of Starbucks Essay

Strategic Issues and problems of Starbucks - Essay Example This is because such firms are found to generate higher revenue than Starbucks in the market. The company was forced to change its marketing strategy as it could not compete with advertisement investments made by McDonald’s. Moreover, since the economic downturn, financial analysis shows that gross profit of the company has fallen. The company since 2012 has ceased operations of more than 500 underperforming stores across markets of U.S. and many other nations. Currently, the firm lacks adequate finances to expand business in the long run. It is also found that McDonald’s has, unlike Starbucks, gained competitive advantage in business through outsourcing, R&D, distributions and sponsorships activities. At this juncture, it is analyzed that the company can only sustain in such competition by introducing new innovation process in business and product differentiation perspectives. For such expansion programs, the company needs to develop new fund raising strategies. In the contemporary world, extent of business complexity has significantly increased. Profit and revenue generation a strategy of firms in the not only depends on internal and external factors, but are also highly influenced by effectiveness of its strategic management. Presently, the restaurant industry is dominated by giant global firms like, McDonald’s and Starbucks. It is found that scope of business internationalization of these firms has increased remarkably since last few years. Through business expansion, these firms have gained impressive global market demand shares as well as augmented brand value in business. However, since the global financial crisis, McDonald’s has won over Starbucks in terms of market competition McDonald’s has invested huge amount of capital in business, thereby generating severe barriers to expand for Starbucks. From the case study is found that Starbucks is facing financial crunch in its business, at present.

Double reacation essay about David Cole interviews Dr. Francizek Piper

Double reacation about David Cole interviews Dr. Francizek Piper + David Cole on the Phil Donahue Show - Essay Example Buildings in Auschwitz and in other camps which are the alleged gas chambers of the holocaust were able to hold 700 to 800 people and openings in the roof allowed chemicals to reach those within the chamber who were told they were going to be showered or treated for lice or scabies infections. The designs allowed the doors to be airtight and bricks were used to cover windows. Disinfection signs were in place in order to keep prisoners calm. Those with no ventilation system installed took much longer for ventilation, and false showers were installed to keep with the propagation that these chambers located in the crematoriums were used for bathing and disinfection (The Seven Gas Chambers at Auschwitz). One of the chambers was able to contain around 2500 people; gas was released which would take 10-15 minutes to suffocate those inside and ventilation time was allowed before the chambers were able to be reopened. Many survivors who were indeed showered in such chambers found it miraculous to know that other chambers were used to disperse gas. Some youth in these chambers survived somehow, watching those around them die of suffocation (Weber). The Donahue interview I found somewhat shocking considering the massive amount of testimony and evidence of the holocaust. The Bergen-Belsen articles written by Mark Weber seem much more likely to be true and accurately represent facts as they were known by many. David Cole has examined actual sites, conducting forensic testing’s and viewing these ‘alleged gas chamber.’ Cole states his studies are based on his own observations yet he also shows a supposed video which he suggests provides definitive evidence that indeed there were delousing and disinfestation chambers with evidence differentiating between the two. Much of the arguments presented in the Donahue show seem to belittle the horrific fact that millions of Jews died as a result of the Holocaust regardless of the final cause of

Employability Skills Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Employability Skills - Assignment Example The major target market for Next is the 18-35 year old consumers and the firm’s major successes are due to offering lower- and mid-priced merchandise that make its fashion offerings desirable to the lower-resource consumer. Many of the firm’s sales come from its online website, referred to as NextDirect, which contributes to over 40 percent of the company’s total revenues (Next 2012). Why the business is so successful is that the company has established a low cost pricing strategy and the capability of procuring trendy and chic fashion merchandise that is relevant to the contemporary, younger consumer with a need for fast, mod fashion at an affordable price. Next competes with major retail companies such as Zara, Matalan, Debenhams and even New Look (to suggest only a few competitors). Internally, Next operates under a functional organisational structure where each division associated with the value chain is grouped and maintains reporting structures according to the purpose of the division. The company has a marketing department, a procurement division, a sales department, and customer service division (to name only a few) with each being responsible for their own activities. This is one of the disadvantages of Next’s internal structure as it does not provide many opportunities for cross-collaboration and inter-group consultations. Having had a lower-level management position in the women’s clothing department at Next, I gained valuable insight into what responsibilities and performance targets required development for future employment. At Next, there was little emphasis on teamwork throughout the entire business model and, therefore, I was not given many opportunities for networking, collaboration, or working within a group environment to solve organisational problems. Stover (2004) asserts that in order for a business to generate more valuable solutions to problems and innovate, it is critical to interact with

Financial analysis of Medtronic Inc Research Paper

Financial analysis of Medtronic Inc - Research Paper Example According to the research for every industry and every firm, marketplace responsibility is essential to maintain. The responsibility and accountability which medical sector holds is far more challenging than any other sector. A single incident of mistake from medicinal institution can rupture the reputation of the company. The case of Medtronic in regards to accountability and responsibility is much stronger as it has hardly encountered any severe case which would have violated the ethical standards. Medtronic Inc not only possesses leadership skills but also possess a strong marketplace in behaving with accountability and responsibility. This role of responsibility and accountability in marketplace reflects the integral role of suppliers and customers for the long term sustainability of Medtronic. Global quality strategy refers to maintaining the level of quality which is supplied at the global level. Some companies outperform others by providing the best possible quality to their p atients. This is the greatest strength which a medical firm can possess because it retains the existing number of customers. Being positive and trustworthy in the eyes of customer is very important in the field of medicine. The vision of Medtronic Inc is to sustain the quality of products, services, relationships and processes. In medical care, maintaining the quality of these concerns is integral. It is not only important for physicians but also for patients, hospital administrators and Medtronic’s performance and corporate reputation. ... The vision of Medtronic Inc is to sustain the quality of products, services, relationships and processes. In medical care, maintaining the quality of these concerns is integral. It is not only important for physicians but also for patients, hospital administrators and Medtronic’s performance and corporate reputation. The company has utilized systematic approach for maintaining quality which can be divided into risk management, centralized monitoring for quality processes and standards and resources for maintaining quality concerns globally. The company has expertise in maintain the quality of products which it offers including not medicines but therapies, equipments as well. This can be the major reason that in the subsequent mentioned SWOT analysis, the company has the lowest number of weaknesses which is a sign of a sustainable and peak performing firm. SWOT Analysis of Medtronic Inc SWOT analysis analyzes the strengths, weaknesses, threats and opportunities which a firm fac es while operating its business. Strengths and weaknesses are normally referred to as related to the internal environment of business, whereas threats and opportunities are generally regarded as related to the external environment of the business. Strengths Strengths of a company determines its strong points which assists that company in carrying out it operations. Medtronic Inc possesses a strong market position. It is considered as the global market leader in medicinal industry. Another strength of this company is that the company offers wide range of products for almost every type of medicinal field. Medtronic Inc’s financial stability is its major strength. The company has great control over

Theories to Todays Organizations Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Theories to Todays Organizations - Essay Example Nowadays, business organizations look at the employee in a different perspective by seeing him not just as a mere resource used in production but a strategic partner for the attainment of the various organizational goals. Thus, companies have made the leap in motivating employees through the use of positive reinforcement, non-monetary benefits, highly-conducive working environment, rewarding career, and programs which further boost their strengths and competencies. Dell, Inc. has been regarded as one of the best organizations to work for in terms the motivational techniques that it put in place to ensure company-wide efficiency. It should be noted that Dell practices employee empowerment in order to communicate its trust and confidence in the workforce. In contrast to the typical assembly line, Dell builds productive and cohesive work teams in the manufacture of its various products. The company also conducts regular training and workshops in order to further the strengths and competencies of its human resource. This effort shows the company's concern in the growth and development of its employees as well as its way of ensuring that its workforce which will help the organization further its thrust for profitability and operational success.

Usage of space in shell Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Usage of space in shell - Essay Example ssay aims at examining how the Shell Oil Company has utilized its operational space, particularly office space, to increase operations and profits as a result, in the United States. The Shell Oil Company is a subsidiary business of the Royal Dutch Shell Oil Company, located in the United States. In 2011, the Shell Oil Company leased a total of about 1.3 million feet squared of office space at the One Shell Plaza and the Two Shell Plaza in Houston (Hines, 2011). In the One Shell Plaza; Shell Oil Company occupies the largest percentage of office space. For instance, on the first floor, the Shell oil company has a small museum which illustrates the company’s history. The whole of Shell’s head office is located at the One Shell Plaza, while most of the other floors serve as corporate offices for the company. The Two Shell Plaza, on the other hand, plays the purpose of a parking lot as well as other Shell Oil Company offices. From 2011, the lease is set to expire after 15 years, thus making the Shell Oil Company a tenant at the Hines-owned property for over 55 years. According to Hines (2011), Shell renewed the lease in accordance with the latter company’s plan of consolidating more office space at Houston downtown. According to Cook (2012), the lease was the largest office space contract in the world that year. The acquisition of this office space is a significant leap from the 650, 000 square feet that the Royal Dutch Shell started with in 1970 (Cook, 2012). Over time, Shell has made progressive steps towards ensuring that there is enough working space for the thousands of people working in the company. In the 1990s, for example, Shell made major renovations to the Shell Plaza buildings aimed at easing operations and maximizing the output of the workforce (Cook, 2012). For instance, modern elevators were installed, electrical and mechanical upgrades were done, and architectural lobbies were upgr aded, in addition to other changes. In 2011, after Shell signed

Operating system as a heart of the computer Essay

Operating system as a heart of the computer - Essay Example Operating systems are what most people use to interact with computers today. Desktop and laptop computers come with pre-loaded operating systems, and it is through these that the users interact with the software and applications. The operating system also takes care of all the processes so the user doesn't have to be a computer expert to use his machine. Operating systems are all about making computers available to the average person, with little technical knowledge required. Just as there are many types of computers, there are different types of operating systems. Most people know about single-user, multi-tasking operating systems, such as like Windows and Mac OS, which are on desktop and laptop personal computers. These systems are designed for one person to use to run many applications at once. (Coustan and Franklin) It is not just personal computers that have operating systems, however. Operating systems that have virtually no user interface capability and are running machines that are imbedded in various objects, like computers in cars, are known as real-time operating systems. Cell phones and personal digital assistants (PDA) use single-user, single task operating systems, as the equipment is designed to perform only one task at a time. There are also multi-user operating systems that allow many users to use the machine at the same time. A mainframe computer system is an example of this. (Coustan and Franklin) A single-user, multi-tasking o... (Coustan and Franklin) In managing the processor, the operating system has to make sure that the processor's power is being allocated around in the most efficient way possible. The operating system gives priority to background processes that need to run, such as virus checking and memory management. Applications are the programs with which the user is directly working, such as an internet browser, word processing program, or a video game. By managing the processor, the operating system will not allow the applications to take processor power away from the processes that need to run for the system to function properly. (Coustan and Franklin) Memory management goes hand in hand with processor management, as the operating system needs to allocate memory for the processes and applications to run efficiently. The operating system and drivers for hardware take up memory, and the operating system must allocate the remaining memory needed for applications. There are four different types of memory that all must be managed: Disk storage - The operating system allocates data to available spots on the hard disk, a practice known as virtual memory management High-speed cache - The operating system predicts which pieces of data the computer will need to access and stores them in this fast, temporary cache for quicker performance. Main memory - This is the RAM that specifies how much memory your machine has when you buy a new computer. Secondary memory - This is the memory that keeps the data from active applications available. (Coustan and Franklin) In device management, the operating system also talks to the hardware in the computer by way of programs called drivers. Drivers are used so that the operating system doesn't have to keep track of hundreds of

Analysis of Learning Theory Essay Example for Free

Analysis of Learning Theory Essay Teaching and education in the church utilizes both the spiritual, as well as the psychological. Andy Stanley and Lane Jones in their book Communicating For A Change discuss teaching the Bible in a clear and concise way that encourages one to change. William Yount in his book Created to Learn examines traditional learning theory and how it applies to teaching the Bible. Andy Stanley has come up with three ways one can approach teaching the Bible. The first way is to teach the Bible to people. This method is just to educate the people about Bible facts. It does not address doctrine or to dig deeper into biblical truth. Stanley states, â€Å"This is the perfect approach for the communicator whose goal is to simply explain what the Bible teaches.† This is not a very helpful teaching method. Just knowing Bible knowledge will not impact one’s life. Change requires application. The second way to approach teaching Scripture is to teach people the Bible. This is the traditional way pastors and teachers approach the Scriptures. It is three points and a poem. Stanley states, â€Å"This goal differs from the first in that the communicator takes his audience into account as he plans his approach.† The third method of teaching is the method the authors present, which is hearing and doing. Stanley states, â€Å"A third goal, and the one I subscribe to, is to teach people how to live a life that reflects the values, principles and truths of the Bible. In short, my goal is change. I want them to do something different instead of just think about it.† This is best summed up when James states to be a doer of the Word not just a hearer, in the first chapter, talks about being a hearer and a doer of the Word. Appling the Word is the only way one will see any change in one’s life. Learning also has a psychological aspect as well. There are various theories on how one learns. One such theory is behavioral learning theory. Behavioral theory teaches that one learns through conditioning. Edward Thorndike has adapted traditional beha vioral learning to the classroom. William Yount describes Thorndike’s law of readiness. â€Å"The law of readiness states that learning proceeds best when learners are properly prepared to respond†¦In the classroom, learning proceeds best when learners are made ‘ready’ – when they are engaged in the subject – at the beginning of the session.† The law of readiness takes into account the environment where learning takes place. By providing the optimal learning environment, the teacher is creating an atmosphere that encourages learning. Learning also takes place through repetition and practice, which is known as the law of exercise. The third law Thorndike recognizes is the law of effect. Yount states, â€Å"The law of effect states that any response that is followed by pleasure or reward strengthens the association between that response and its stimulus.† This theory treats human learning just like training an animal. It does not take into consideration man’s spiritual nature. However, conditioning is useful in classroom management and conduct. Another theory of learning is social learning theory. Albert Bandura is the psychologist who popularized this theory. It has four stages. Stage one is known as attention. Yount states, â€Å"Attention is attracted, intentionally or not, by the perception that models help status competence, popularity, success, or similarity.† The concept of modeling is best described biblically as discipleship. The next phase is called retention. Yount states, â€Å"Retention – ‘retaining information or impressions’ – refers to the observer’s encoding of the model’s behavior into memory so that it can be remembered and produced at a later time.† This is done by mentally storing the information in one’s brain. The third stage is production. Production is practicing the observed behavior and adapting it based on feedback. This concept is learning by doing what one has seen in the model. Jesus sent out the disciples in groups of two to put into practice what they have learned. The fourth stage is motivation. The learning is motivated by their behavior being reinforced. This is done through feedback, both positive and negative. Social learning theory is consistent with the process of discipleship. Mentors are able to model what the Christian life looks like and the disciples put that behavior into practice. A third learning theory is cognitive learning theory. One form of cognitive learning is known as discovery learning. Yount states, â€Å"Discovery learning builds upon direct instruction to help students see the relationships among principles and concepts. It leads to longer-lasting retention of the material, as well as higher self-esteem in learners. Discovery learning encourages the development and use of creative thinking skills, involving formal logic, but more, including beliefs, desires expectations, emotions, and intentions of learners.† Discovery learning is made up of five concepts. The first concept is structure. This is organizing material in a concrete way in order to be taught. It is organizing material into outlines or graphs and the like. The next concept is presentation. Yount states, â€Å"Bruner believed that people possess different modes of under standing, and that these modes were available to learners of any age. He called these modes the enactive, the iconic, and the symbolic.† The enactive mode is learning by doing and seeing presentations. The iconic mode is learning visually by pictures and such. The symbolic mode is learning by describing complicated concepts verbally. The third concept is economy. This concept deals with the idea that providing too much information can cause overload and actually hinder learning. Stanley refers to this when evaluating traditional Bible teaching. The next concept is power. This power is best found in keeping learning simple and concise. Breaking concepts down into formulas or diagrams is helpful. The final concept of discovery learning is motivation. Yount states, â€Å"Intrinsic motivation sustains that will to learn; extrinsic motivation does not. Intrinsic motivation comes from the student’s own curiosity, their drive to achieve competence, and reciprocity – the desire to work cooperatively with others. These are rewarding in themselves, and thus, self-sustaining. The fourth learning theory is educational humanism. This concept takes the whole person into consideration and is learner focused. Yount states, â€Å"Learners are persons; therefore, life-changing learning engages personal attitudes, emotions, and values. The goal of educational humanism was to personalize the classroom.† There are several positive aspects to humanistic learning. One is the ability for teachers to build relationships with their students. This can also apply the modeling concept of social learning. Another positive aspect is the ability for students to explore their feelings and emotions. Yount states, â€Å"In the context of Bible study, exploring personal feelings and sharing personal testimonies are means to spiritual growth as God’s Word speaks, and Bible truths are discovered, personalized, and integrated into the authentic activities of life.† Learning theory impacts how one approaches teaching the Bible. In the opinion of the author, social learning theories, as well as, aspects of discovery learning and humanistic learning are effective in teaching the Scriptures. The concept of modeling is biblical. When Jesus told the disciples to follow Him, He was inviting them into a modeling relationship. This is the call to discipleship. By discovering biblical truth and applying to one’s life, both individually and in community, is how one grows in Christ. Bibliography Stanley, Andy and Lane Jones. Communicating For A Change. Colorado Springs: Multnomah Books, 2006. Yount, William R. Created to Learn: A Christian Teacher’s Introduction to Educational Psychology. Nashville: BH Academic, 2010. [ 1 ]. Andy Stanley and Lane Jones, Communicating For A Change, (Colorado Springs: Multnomah Books, 2006), 93. [ 2 ]. Stanley and Jones, 94. [ 3 ]. William R. Yount, Created to Learn: A Christian Teacher’s Introduction to Educational Psychology, (Nashville: BH Academic, 2010), 178. [ 4 ]. Yount, 179. [ 5 ]. Ibid., 219. [ 6 ]. Ibid., 220. [ 7 ]. Ibid., 221. [ 8 ]. Ibid., 242. [ 9 ]. Ibid., 243. [ 10 ]. Stanley and Jones, 102. [ 11 ]. Yount, 244. [ 12 ]. Ibid., 313. [ 13 ]. Ibid., 323.

Intervention In Early Childhood Education Essay

Intervention In Early Childhood Education Essay Studies have shown intervention in early childhood may be crucial for the development of a child. According to Siraj- Blatchford, it is believed that children who have access to early childhood care and education may fare better in their future development. Government bodies advocate for intervention in early childhood as they believe that children from poor background may have equal chance to move out of the poverty cycle through education. However, it may be challenging to provide quality early childhood care and education to combat poverty. The relevance of early childhood models, social and cultural context, co-ordination within families, communities and government bodies play an important role in developing appropriate intervention programme to help children in poverty reach their full potential in mental and social development (Siraj-Blatchford). Context ( what are the legislation UNCRC, ECEC, NGO, statistics on what is happening globally, definition of term) The context of poverty differs in developed and developing countries. Developing countries may refer to countries in Africa, South America and Asia where there is a lower standard of living, for example, in healthcare and education. In developing countries, some of which may be torn by wars and internal conflicts, children live in hunger, poor health and poor nutrition. In these countries, poverty may be translated to high infant and child mortality, lack of education and surviving on less than a dollar a day (Penn, 2005). Developing countries may receive fundings from non-governmental organizations such as World Bank, International Monetary Fund, World Trade Organisation and United Nations to finance programs to bring the people out of the poverty cycle. According to Conleys human capital theory, investment in young children will bring the greatest return to society in the future. This is concurred in the human development case as explained in Siraj-Batchford, which states that intervention in early years will prevent loss of development potential in the children. Early childhood is a crucial period of development, poor health and nutrition which may arise out of poverty have negative consequences on the child. Early Childhood education and care (ECEC) has the potential to help children in poverty develop and equalize life chances. As such, much significance is given to ECEC in policies development globally. Developed countries may refer to the countries in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). In developed countries, some government measure poverty as family earning less than half of the median income. In other countries, poverty may refer to people who cannot make the minimum requirement which is need to love as set by their governments (Penn, 2005). Poverty in developed countries may arise as a result of migration. Statistics have shown that UK and USA has the highest child poverty rate (Wilkinson Pickett in the Spirit Level, 2009) and Penn , 2005. People may migrate to the cities to seek employment or to move from countries in conflict. Statistics has shown that 1 in 37 people in the world is a migrant in search of work (Penn, 2005). As they go to the cities to seek employment, they may end up in low-paid job and both parents may need employment. For some mothers who stayed with their children in their hometown, they may need to seek employment in their hometown. As such, demand for child care services increases. In developed countries, government invest in early childhood care and education on the understanding that people contribute to the nations wealth. The economic benefits generated from investment in ECEC will churn greater gains in the future as it will lower health and social risks, like crime rates. In return, it will improve childrens development which is translated to jobs skills and higher worker productivity in future ( Siraj-Blatchford) Another rationale for early intervention in ECEC is the social justice case. All people should be given equal chances in life. Government has a responsibility to ensure all people has the same rights to education. Moreover, it is through education that people learn the fundamental attitudes and values to do well (Siraj-Blatchford). United Nation Convention for Child Rights (UNCRC) and every child matters (2006) states that all children have a right to life and governments must ensure that all children survive and stay healthy. Countries which have adopt the UNCRC therefore advocate for early childhood intervention plan. Non-governmental organizations like World Bank, IMF, WTO also understand the significance of ECEC and provide fundings for ECEC programmes in developing countries. Discussion (start by telling about developed and developing world, brofenbrenner) Findings ( Critique for intervention) govt need to be more realistic in addressing chn needs Government may set up non-profit organization to provide ECEC for children, for example , Head start program, which provides large scale early childhood programme which shows significant short-term benefits. However, long term benefits are not clear (Garces). Research by Obama administration show it provides little benefits to the children. In addition, survey by the US government show there is lack of qualified staff and health care professionals which will have adverse effect on the development of the children. Inequality of quality and access as private sectors tend to cater to the affluent and not set up in poorer regions of the countries Challenges to ECEC in developed countries may include lack of funding, inadequate co-ordination of the agencies involved, quality of programme and lack of qualified staff (Waller, 2009). Another challenge in developed countries is that one of the objectives of ECEC is to enable women to have equal participation in the workforce and to enable chidlren to learn and socialize (Penn, 2005). Early intervention to curb poverty is not the main priority, as such, this is another reason why ECEC is left to private operators. In USA, ECEC is left to individual providers so the quality of care and education is variable and there is inequitable access to these services. Individual providers are also more likely to set up ECEC centres in urban areas and this may be incompatible with the government aim to provide quality education for all children. Starting strong describe the progress made by OECD countries to implementation of ECCE However, there are some successful ECCE model in other countries, such as Te Whariki in New Zealand. The curriculum includes content which meets the needs of the people in the cultural and social context. As such, it applies to the children in the setting. It is also true for Reggio Emilia, which is highly successful as it is based on the local context where it promotes communication between adults and children (Waller 2009). These ECEC models work in the place where they originated because it caters to the social and cultural context of the people. Evidence is highly specific to certain group and programme cant be transferred Although NGOs like World bank provide fundings to developing countries for education, their priority lies in primary education (Coraggio, 1996). ECEC programme were mostly operated by private entrepreneurs and community-based (Penn, 2008). In addition, these ECEC programme were adopted from ECEC models developed in the western countries. These models may not be relevant in the developing countries. Most NGOs, for example, World bank is seen to concur on research studies done by Western institutions on child development. Decision to invest in ECEC programmes have been based on the experiences and practices of ECEC in developed countries (Penn, 2005). Maynard and Thomas(2004) noted that ECEC is given low priority in government policies in developing countries and they are usually maintained by private sector, or NGOs. As a result, faces of the following problems, developing countries (using developed countries model in developing countries) Lowly qualified teachers Irrelevant curriculum Inappropriate assessment Taught in foreign language , eg Malawi has oral language Parents cant afford school fees, clothes, shoes Children too hungry to learn Chidlren needed to help at home Stigma of AIDS/HIV shun by communities As in the case of Malawi, the ECEC set up in rural areas are community-based with poor program and unqualified staff. In addition the stigma of AIDS keep some of the children ostracized and as a result did not attend ECEC. Furthermore, Malawi has only oral language so it is a challenge to teach literacy to the children (Clark Tucker, 2010). ECD (urban intl org) CBCC (community based) Developing countries ECEC may widen the gap for intergenerational poverty as poor children may not have access to ECEC. Studies in Peru show that 30% of children whose mother have low education do not attend ECEC (Woodhead). UNCRC set rules on child rights but countries may not adopt them Even for countries who adopt UNCRC, they may made ratifications which may go against the interest of the child, for example, education for girls in certain Islamic countries . However, it has been noted that ECEC brings changes to the child for example, in the case of Mother-Child Education Programme in Turkey (Bekman) which involves mothers, it brings positive changes in the childs key environment and relationship. Studies show that these children enjoy higher education which result in better employment. Arango et al concur ECEC alone does not help, need active involvement from families, communities and all stakeholders to make it successful PROMESA in Columbia. 20 evaluation of program in various countries in Africa, South America and Asia show positive results Conclusion Most of the ECEC models are developed in Western countries where their chidlren accounted for less than 10% of the popuation in the world (LeVine, 2008). As in Brofenbrenner theory, the family and community (environment) has direct and indirect impact on the development of the child. This is one of the reason ECEC models cant work in developing countries where the cultures and values are totally different from where they originated (Penn 2005). Family values in developing countries may be different from Developed countries and intervention in ECCE may not be relevant (video-Babies)As in the case of PROMESA, when the parents, teachers and community are involved in the programme, they have positive effect in the child and thus make the programme successful. This is also true in the mother-child education in Turkey. As such, steps have to be taken to modify the ECEC program to include local context and to take into account English is not the main language in some of these developing countries. It would be beneficial to train local workers to be qualified educarers as it would provide employment and at the same time to be able to impart relevant skills in local context. Governments and NGOs like UN, World Bank should place priority on early childhood education instead of Primary Education. Perhaps Article 28 of UNCRC should be changed to all children should have the right to education instead of primary education.

Immunosorbent Assay in a Synacthen Test

Immunosorbent Assay in a Synacthen Test Introduction In this practical, an immunosorbent assay was performed to determine the outcome of a Synacthen test. This test is used to assess adrenal gland functions. It is routinely used to diagnose adrenal insufficiency and other related conditions. It works by giving a patient a dose of synthetic adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) (Synacthen) in the morning after taking a baseline serum sample. The Synacthen will normally stimulate the adrenal glands to produce cortisol. Further serum sample are taken post dose (after 30 and 60 minutes) to determine if there is an expected increase in cortisol levels. If there is no response from the adrenal glands (low levels of cortisol), the patient is then diagnosed with adrenal insufficiency (Ref). The levels of cortisol are measured by using an enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). This method uses specific monoclonal antibodies that target cortisol. These antibodies are coated to the plate, once the sample is in contact with the antibodies, the cortisol present in the sample will bind to the specific coated antibodies to form an antibody-antigen complex (Ab-Ag complex). This complex is then bound to a secondary detection antibody which is coupled to horseradish peroxidase (HRP). This secondary antibody creates a coloured signal in the presence of TMB substrate due to the HRP. The reaction is then stopped with a stop solution and the coloured signal can then be detected by a spectrophotometer. The intensity of the signal is correlated to the concentration of Ab-Ag complexes. Materials 96 well plate Pipette and tips Primary antibody Patient serum sample x6 (2 samples per patient) Secondary antibody Wash buffer TMB substrate Hydrochloric acid HCl (stop solution) Plate reader Method Firstly, a first washing step was performed on the pre-coated plate. This was done by adding 200 µl of wash buffer to each well of the provided pre-coated plate. The plate was then emptied and the gently tapped on a cloth until all the buffer was removed. This was performed 3 times in a row. Then, 100 µl of the samples were added to a separate well in duplicate and the plate was left to incubate at room temperature for 30 minutes. After the incubation at room temperature, a second washing step was performed. 100 µl of the secondary antibody was then added to each well and the plate was left to incubate for 60 minutes at room temperature. After incubation, a third washing step was performed. 100 µl of TMB substrate was added to each well and the reaction was left to develop for 15 minutes. Finally, 100 µl of stop solution (HCl) was added to each well to stop the reaction and the plate was read at 450nm on the plate reader. Results The results below were provided to interpret the cortisol levels of the 3 patients: Table 1. Provided results Standards: [Cortisol] nM Absorbance 0 0.046 50 0.060 200 0.132 500 0.200 750 0.339 1000 0.482 Samples and internal quality controls: Sample Absorbance IQC1 0.052 IQC2 0.161 IQC3 0.241 Patient 1 Sample 1 0.081 Patient 1 Sample 2 0.263 Patient 2 Sample 1 0.069 Patient 2 sample 2 0.138 Patient 3 sample 1 0.050 Patient 3 sample 2 0.049 By using the results provided from the standards, a standard curve can be plotted. Figure 1. Standard curve of the absorbance over the concentration Then, by extrapolating the known absorbance from the QCs and samples, corresponding concentrations can be determined as shown below. Table 3. Quality control results QC (45 nmol/L) QC (315 nmol/L) QC (520 nmol/L) absorbance 0.052 0.161 0.241 concentration 48.47 302.75 489.37 Bias % 7.71785044 3.889442 5.889947428 The accuracy of the controls is calculated as absolute bias (% RE, where relative error [RE] = [measured value actual value]/ actual value). The bias is within the 20% range for every quality control meaning that the assay is accurate and that the results generated from the assay are validated (De silva EMEA). Finally, by extrapolating the provided absorbance of the samples on the standard curve, a corresponding concentration can be determined. Table 4. Sample results sample 1 (t=1) sample 1 (t=2) sample 2 (t=1) sample 2 (t=2) sample 3 (t=1) sample 3 (t=2) Absorbance 0.081 0.263 0.069 0.138 0.05 0.049 Concentration (nmol/L) 116.12 540.69 88.13 249.09 43.81 41.47 Discussion As described earlier, assays measuring cortisol levels in the blood are used to interpret Synacthen tests. In this case, 3 patients had undergone a synacthen test, a baseline serum sample and a second serum sample taken after 30 minutes post synacthen dose were taken. The samples were analysed and the cortisol levels were determined for each sample. Using the results obtained from the cortisol assay, a clinical interpretation can be done. According to guidelines, adrenal insufficiency is ruled out if the basal cortisol level is greater than 180 nmol/L, if the increase of cortisol levels 30 minutes post dose is greater than 200nmol/L or if the maximum serum cortisol level is greater than 500-600nmol/L (reference ranges vary depending on the laboratory) (https://www.nbt.nhs.uk/sites/default/files/Short%20Synacthen%20Test.pdf)( http://www.pathology.leedsth.nhs.uk/dnn_bilm/Investigationprotocols/Synacthentestsshortlong/StandardShortSynacthenTest.aspx)( http://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/cortisol-14668#2) (https://cks.nice.org.uk/addisons-disease#!diagnosisadditional). Patient 1 is a 65 year old male which performed a synacthen test after a surgery to remove a pituitary tumour to assess the adrenal functions. The baseline cortisol levels at time 0 minutes was 116.2nmol/L and the cortisol levels after 30 minutes post dose was 540.69nmol/L. Following the guidelines, this patient does not suffer from adrenal insufficiency even though his basal cortisol levels are lower than 180nmol/L. This low basal level can be explained because part of the pituitary was removed due to a tumour, meaning that the ACTH signal from the pituitary gland to the adrenal cortex will be diminished, therefore the basal cortisol level is decreased. But since the cortisol levels at 30 minutes have increased by more than 200nmol/L and are above 500nmol/L, it can be determined that the Synacthen response is normal. Patient 2 is an asthmatic 15 year old female that performed a synacthen test following a long term steroid treatment. Her basal cortisol level measured was 88.13nmol/L followed by a 30 minute cortisol level of 249nmol/L. Following the guidelines, it can be said that this patient suffers from adrenal insufficiency. This diagnostic is given since the increase in cortisol levels after 30 minutes post synacthen dose is below 200nmol/L, furthermore, the cortisol levels at 30 minutes is greatly below 500nmol/L. The 3rd and final patient is a 38 year old male, admitted to AE after collapsing. His cortisol levels at the time were described as low. Following the synacthen test, the results showed that the basal cortisol level was 43.81nmol/L and the cortisol level after 30 minutes was 41.27nmol/L. According to the guidelines, this patient is suffering from adrenal insufficiency. This diagnosis is determined since the basal cortisol level is below 180nmol/L plus there is no increase in cortisol levels 30 minutes post dose (there is a decrease even!), therefore remaining below normal cortisol levels. This practical used a sandwich ELISA method, a sandwich ELISA uses a primary antibody (capture antibody) coated on a plate, this antibody binds to the antigen present in the sample,in this case the antigen is cortisol. The antigen is then bound to a secondary antibody (detection antibody). In other words, the antigen is sandwiched between the antibodies (see figure 2 step 3). This can only be done if the antigen has at least two antigenic epitopes that can bind to the antibodies. This method has various advantages compared to other ELISA techniques such as the direct method. For example, the sandwich method does not require for the sample to be purified before analysis, also, this technique offers a high sensitivity compared to the direct ELISA technique. Figure 2. Sandwich ELISA schematic (http://www.elisa-antibody.com/ELISA-Introduction/ELISA-types/sandwich-elisa) As shown above the antibody in step 1 is the capture antibody which is coated to the plate prior to the addition of the sample. Step 2 shows the antigen present in the sample binding to the specific capture antibody before being bound to the detection antibody in step 3. Step 4 and 5 show the addition of the secondary antibody which binds to the detection antibody to then create a coloured signal when in presence of the correct substrate. This signal is then measured spectrophotometrically. Another widely used ELISA method is the competitive method. This method is different to the sandwich ELISA since the detection of the antigen or antibody is done in a different approach. The main advantage of using a competitive ELISA is that an antigen can be detected even though the sample is crude or impure. Figure 3. competitive ELISA schematic (http://www.elisa-antibody.com/index.php?page=competitive-elisa) It works on the principle that the more antigen/antibody present in the sample, the less coloured signal will be produced. The antigen or antibody bound to the plate will bind to the specific antibody or antigen present in the sample. A detection antibody is then added, this detection antibody will only bind to the antigen or antibody that was originally bound to the plate, and cannot bind to the antigen/antibody from the sample (it is specific to the plate-bound antigen/antibody). Therefore, the added antibody/antigen and the antigen/antibody present in the sample are in competition for the plate-coated antigen or antibody. Only the detection antibody added after the sample will produce a coloured signal in presence of the correct substrate. This creates a change in intensity of the coloured result depending on the amount of antigen/antibody in the sample. The amount of antigen/antibody in the sample will decrease the intensity of the signal. This practical used wells coated with monoclonal antibodies. Monoclonal antibodies are identical antibodies produced from a single type of B cell. These identical B cells produce antibodies that present only one unique epitope. These cells are isolated and grown to multiply the production of these single epitope antibodies. The characteristics of these monoclonal antibodies offer a very high specificity since there is only a single epitope, minimizing cross reactivity with different epitope presenting antibodies. These antibodies are preferred in assays which require quantification due to the high specificity. Another type of antibody that can be used in immunoassays are polyclonal antibodies. These antibodies, unlike monoclonal antibodies, originate from various types of B cells. They can recognize more than one epitope of an antigen or antibody. Technically, individual polyclonal antibodies are monoclonal antibodies, they therefore have the same characteristics as mentioned earlier. They can bind to specific epitopes on an antigen/antibody. But since there are many different types of monoclonal antibodies present (polyclonal), the antigen can be detected by binding the antibodies to different epitopes present on the antigen. Polyclonal antibodies have various advantages, for example, production is less expensive and quicker than producing monoclonal antibodies since the specificity is not as important. The use of polyclonal antibodies is preferred in assays that require less specificity, more robustness, stability, sensitivity for detecting small amounts of antigen and time constrained p rotocols. Conclusion   Ã‚   Immunosorbent assays are widely-used in clinical laboratories to detect compounds in samples. They are highly sensitive, specific and reproducible which makes them a great tool in a clinical laboratory. There are different types of enzyme linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA), each with its own way of detecting the antigen/antibody. The use of monoclonal and polyclonal antibodies varies depending on the antigen/antibody needing to be detected and they both come with their own advantages and disadvantages. One of these ELISA methods can be used to detect and measure cortisol levels in serum samples. By performing a synacthen test, a set of serum samples from a patient can be drawn before and after administering a dose of synthetic ACTH. By measuring cortisol levels in these samples, an assessment of adrenal functions can be made. This test helps diagnose adrenal insufficiencies and disorders related to it.

Napster - Stare And Live The Nightmare :: essays research papers

For many years the record companies have fixed record prices to avoid competing with each other and to maximize their profits. Currently, the record companies are collaborating in order to force Napster to shut down. The record companies are claiming that Napster is breaking copyright laws. Napster is a peace of software available for free on the Internet, which allows you to download almost any song you can think of. All you need to get Napster is a computer and Internet connection, the faster the better. Should people feel sympathy for the record companies because of the supposed starvation as a result of Napster file sharing? Or should the sympathy lie with the users of Napster? Let us examine who is trying to shut down Napster and for what reasons. Let us also determine the reasons why people want Napster to remain open. The Record Company is strongly opposed to Napster for one reason and one reason only. Apparently, the record companies are losing more and more of the market to Napster file sharing on the Internet. Record companies justify their lawsuits against Napster with the line so often used in press conferences, â€Å"Napster breaks copyright laws.† This phrase seems like a legitimate argument. One could understand the reasons for feeling this way. For simplicity sake, we will use Dave as an example. Dave developed a product and sells it, and, at first, his product does very well. His product is then duplicated again and again by a person who purchased his product. Dave watches his sales plummet and, of course, feels cheated. Should Dave have the right to sue the person who copied his product? Most people would say yes. This is the argument the record companies are making in defense of the lawsuits against Napster. However, let us look deeper into the matters of sales within the record companies. Record companies say they are suffering as a result of Napster. The price of a CD has stayed the same for many years as far as I can remember. Why would the record companies not raise the price of a CD if their profits were dropping? Also, the sales of records from1999 to 2000 have actually increased 2%. Why would there be an increase in sales if, the record companies claim, Napster is hurting their business and taking up some of the market? I am sure if Napster was good for business in the record companies’ eyes, the record companies would not be complaining about copyright infringement laws being broken.

Meghans rough draft Essay -- Essays Papers

Meghan's rough draft For the past fifty years or so, Americans have had the great fortune of living safely in a relatively peaceful world. That perspective changed the moment a commercial airplane slammed into the World Trade Center on the morning of September 11th. Terrorists killed over 6,000 American citizens within a few hours. Suddenly, life as America knew it changed. Many stood in disbelief when they saw the joyous reactions of people cheering on the streets of Palestine. Our nation came to realize that we were truly hated, and that terrorist regimes rejoiced in our pain. The leader of one such a regime, Osama bin Laden, became America's clearly defined worst enemy. A war has begun between bin Laden and his terrorist followers, and all people who believe in freedom. Osama Bin Laden and the terrorists were unjustified in attacking America, and cannot rationally legitimize their actions. Evidence of this, as well as a better understanding of their reasoning, can be found through examination of Presi dent Bush's speech to the nation given on September 20th, and through examining additional information on Osama and his terrorist followers. It was the heavy influence of Islamic extremism at an early age, as well as his personal experiences fighting jihad, or holy war, that prompted Osama bin Laden to become a terrorist. During his speech, President Bush identified a terrorist regime named Al Qaeda as being responsible for the attacks, and said "a person named Osama bin Laden " (Bush, par. 16) was the leader of the group. Osama bin Laden was born in 1957 as one of fifty-some children sired by his father Mohammed Awad bin Laden. Due to his father's royal connections and construction business, his family had quite a bit of m... .... 2001. <http://www.msnbc.com/news/639057.asp> Zakaria, Fareed. "Islam and the West." Online posting. 12 Oct. 2001. Newsweek Live Talk. 15 Oct. 2001. <http://www.msnbc.com/m/nw/talk/talk.asp?lt=101201_islam> Miller, John. "Greetings, America. My Name Is Osama Bin Laden" Esquire. 1 Feb. 1999. Frontline. 2001. 15 Oct. 2001. <http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/binladen/who/miller.html> Doe, John. "A Biography of Osama bin Laden." Frontline. 15 Oct. 2001. <http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/binladen/who/bio.html> Doe, John. "Osama Bin Laden vs. the U.S.: Edicts and Statements." Frontline. 15 Oct. <2001. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/binladen/who/edicts.html> Bush, George. "President Bush's Speech to the Nation September 20, 2001." 20 Sept. <2001. http://www.u.arizona.edu/~wendres/docs/bush_sept20.html>

Graduation Speech: Prime Time :: Graduation Speech, Commencement Address

The age of reality TV has arrived. There's a different show on every night of the week. And I hate to admit it, but once you get started on a series, it becomes pretty addictive. They should have a disclaimer when they roll the credits or something. Now don't deny it, I know you've all fallen into the trap, too. You promise yourself you're only going to watch for ten minutes to see what all the craze is about, and 45 minutes later you're still watching, but wondering why you just wasted your time. That happened to me when "Married By America" came out. I honestly think that was one of the worst reality shows yet! I didn't watch it religiously, but there were a few episodes that I got suckered into. So which show is your favorite? Let's take a look at our TV Guide. ... It's Monday night. You just got home from practice and finished dinner. It's 8:00, so... naturally you turn on the TV to channel 5, because it's time for "Fear Factor." We all could have been on an episode of "Fear Factor." Four years ago we entered these halls as fearful freshmen. What were we afraid of? The typical rumors: getting stuffed in a trash can or taped to the flagpole, or maybe getting lost in this huge campus, which we could now find our way around blindfolded. From watching "Fear Factor," we've learned that eating maggots and sheep eyeballs on a pizza won't kill you. Apparently, living off of cafeteria food for four years won't kill you either. We've been fearful of finals and failing our CE's, but we made it. All of us here tonight have conquered those fears. Hey, we may not walk away with $50,000, but hopefully a diploma will get us where we want to go. So it's Tuesday night and you just finished your homework. You need to relax, so you flip the TV on to channel 13 just in time to catch "American Idol." You listen to the music and wait for your favorite budding rock star to perform. When the show is over, you cast your vote along with 24 million other Americans who want their own voice to be heard. Now there's a lesson here for all of us, Grads. It would seem that the American population gets more excited about voting after watching an hour of "American Idol" than they do about voting for President.

Different Approaches to Promoting Wellbeing and Resilience

Unit 512 Lead practice in promoting the well-being and resilience of children and young people Understand how different approaches to promoting positive well-being and resilience in children and young people. Explain the importance of well-being for children and young people. â€Å"Child well-being and deprivation represent different sides of the same coin. From a child rights perspective well-being can be defined as the realisation of children’s rights and the fulfilment of the opportunity for every child to be all she or he can be.The degree to which this is achieved can be measured in terms of positive child outcomes, whereas negative outcomes and deprivation point to the denial of children’s rights. † Bradshaw et al. Young people's social and emotional well-being is important in its own right but also because it affects their physical health and can determine how well they will do at school.Good social, emotional and psychological health helps protect young p eople against emotional and behavioural problems, violence and crime, teenage pregnancy and the misuse of drugs and alcohol (‘Systematic review of the effectiveness of interventions to promote mental well-being in children in primary education’ Adi et al. 2007) If young people don't have positive outcomes of well being then some young people who have low levels of happiness are much less likely to enjoy being at home with their family or carer, feel safe when with their friends, like the way they look and feel positive about their future.Children unhappy in this way are also more likely to be victimised, have eating disorders or be depressed. Explain the importance of resilience for children and young people. Resilience is important because young people who are resilient have the ability to adapt  despite experiences of significant risk or trauma. If young people are resilient they will be able to cope better with problems, they will have better health and they will b e happier and more fulfilled. They will also be less likely to develop emotional problems like depression or anxiety. Resilience: qualities which cushion a vulnerable child from the worst effects of adversity in whatever form it takes and which may help a child or young person to cope, survive and even thrive in the face of great hurt and disadvantage†. Adoption and Fostering, 21, 1997,pp. 12-20 Critically analyse different approaches to promoting well-being and resilience of children and young people. I researched that ideas about resilience are increasingly being applied to practice from a professor at at Brighton University suggest a framework based on four ‘noble truths’; accepting, conserving, commitment and enlisting.They continue to explore how resilience can be built in five ‘compartments’; basics, belonging, learning, coping and core self. These ideas, and the very pragmatic approach that accompanies them, can be helpful in working with yp fr om even the most difficult environments and offer a hopeful context for practice. Strongly based on the research evidence, resilient therapy involves a partnership between Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS), academics, social workers, youth workers, nurses, teachers, learning support assistants, the parents and carers young people themselves.As such, it is ideally suited to a whole school, whole system approach that promotes well-being for all and addresses the needs of young people with behavioural, emotional or social difficulties. This appears like a good framework to work with and breaking it down into steps when working with a young person. In 2009 I went on Resiliency training in Cambridge. I was trained by top psychologist professors from America. We realised that a lot of what we researched or learnt is already what we were putting into practice but didn't label it. We learnt how to put some of what we learnt into practice when supporting young people.There were 5 levels of an iceberg which is called the ABC module. One part taught you skills into showing a young person not to over think situations that might not of actually happened or that has been over exaggerated or blown up. You teach the young person to think differently and break it down to simplify it and help the young person understand it and to support them to overcome it. Every Child Matters promotes the 5 outcomes, which all sync with meeting the needs a young person well-being and resiliency especially around achieve economic well-being and promote positive contribution.Promoting and supporting young people in regards to their health, self esteem, attachment issues, emotional security and relationships is very important to help the young person develop to their full potential into adult hood. At the home young people have a keyworker and work very closely with them. Young people are registered with nearest doctors, dentist, opticians to ensure they are getting all the nec essary check ups and health needs required.Young people if they they suffer from anger management issues, emotional issues can speak with their keyworker and discuss incident occurrences and put in strategies to help the young person over come this. Also the young person maybe referred to CAHMS worker if needed. A young person will have a routine and weekly planner of school, activities and other social events will be on this calender. This helps that young person develop their self -esteem and confidence, learn social skills, gain an education and remain in good physical health. Be able to lead practice in supporting children and young people's well being and resiliency . 1Lead practice that supports others to engage with children and young people to build their self esteem. I supervise and support a member of staff who keyworks a young person who suffers low self-esteem after growing up in a family dynamic of abuse. This young person suffers from attachment issues and has been kno wn to be sexually exploited by older males. The young person also find it difficult to maintain positive relationship and after a short time will break down the relationship. The keyworker was advised to ask the social worker to do a referral to CAHMS to help support the young person in terms of their emotional needs.Myself and the keyworker had a consultation with a psychologist to discuss the case and what strategies we could use to help build the self-esteem and confidence of young the young person that was clearly showing signs that they needed support in this area. I also sent the keyworker on training on supporting young people manage their emotional needs. The strategies that myself and the keyworker put in place for the keyworker to work with the young person was: *weekly keyworker sessions to for keyworker/keychild bonding * Identify yp's strengths.Get the yp to list thier strengths and always work from your their strengths when trying to deal with less successful events. * create situations where they can make decisions and choices. *Help the set realistic goals and targets. Helping to set realistic targets ensures success and can be built on. Encourage charts to help measure progress. And so on. 2. 2Support others to work with children or young people in manner that is open, trustworthy, respectable and reliable In a supervision with a new staff member A was asked how his relationship with the young people is.A said it is ok. Sheryl gave A some guidance on how to build his relationships with the young people and how to earn their respect and trusts such as spending time with a young person, asking how their days has been, asking what is wrong when they appear upset, praise them when they have something well or better, helping them tidy their room or cook and talk about stuff in general and encourage them how to achieve their goals in life.Challenge the young people when they are displaying negative or inappropriate behaviour and be honest and clear w ith them on what they consequences of the behaviour could be if they don't take on responsibility for their actions. Also that if A puts something in place for a young person he needs to ensure this is followed through as this will not only maintain consistency, but also gain a young person respect,trust and show that he cares. A was honest about this and said he is finding it hard coming from adult services to children services.A advised that if he takes on board and listens to the advice that he is been given then he will be fine and will finish the placement on a good note. A told of Sheryl's experiences of working with yp's and building her relationship with the young people and eventually A will also feel confident with his relationship with the young people. A told that he needs to monitor the other staff and reflect on how he manages situations with the young people. This can also be discussed in staff debriefs and this is a good tool for reflection work for A to gain skills. 2. Demonstrate through own practice ways to encourage and support children and young people to express their feeling, views and hopes. Observation with tutor with young person may also cover this. Through my experience with working with many challenging young people who do find it hard to engage and talk about their feelings etc. I feel that the most important thing is to have a relationship with the young person which is built on trust and respect. As a staff member you must be approachable and be non judgemental towards a young person for them to be able to open up to you.Also as a young person young people like to have attention from people they like or find approachable and it is important that you give them some of your time or if they want to discuss something with you then you listen. Young people are obviously after your opinion or what you to know something for a reason whatever that reason maybe. Also its important for them to find their own answers for them to connect wi th it and take control of it. This supports a young person to feel empowered in regards to their own lives and will help them accept responsibility. 2. Explain how to challenge practices that act as barriers to children and young people's well being and resilience. Young people often have limited ability to recognise and identify own emotions, limited receptive ,not knowing it’s OK to have emotions. Carers expectations can be too high when trying to engage the young person and getting them to discuss their emotions and feeling. This can be difficult situation if the carer becomes frustrated with the young person and can have an effect on the young persons development in regards to their well- being and resiliency.This would be challenged by myself and 2. 2 and 2. 3 explains challenges of practice. 3. Be able to lead practice in work with carers who are supporting children and young people. Develop strategies to support carers understanding and involvement with the well-being and resilience needs of a child or young person. Please see 2. 1 and 2. 2 Also training is important in this area in regards to self esteem building, motivating positive behaviours, self-harm, resiliency, keyworking skills.CAHMS intervention and consultation takes place at the home with keyworkers to give them the opportunity to discuss their keychild and support the keyworker to support their young person in regards to thinking of strategies to put in place to support them with their well-being and development. Team meetings and Team days are also put in place for the staff team to communicate ideas on strategies to use with individual young people and what will help support them with group living. Also see attached development plan. Lead practice that supports carers to engage with children and young people to build their self esteem.Please see 2. 1 and supervision observation with JM by tutor. Monitor the involvement of carers in supporting children and young people's well-being and resilience. Managers and myself are assigned to a staff member and the young person they are keyworking and known as case managers. On a daily basis the young person is discussed with the keyworker and monthly case planning meetings will take place with the case manager and keyworker. In this the case manager monitors all the 5 outcomes from Every Child Matters and goes through what has been done and what still needs to be done to meet the young persons needs.Also the young persons goals are looked at to see if they are achieving them and to see if they need amending. Also all recordings are monitored that takes place through the daily log book, contact sheets, incident reports, bullying reports, 1-1 sheets, yp's meetings, Mfh logs, meeting are in place that needs to take place, incentive plans put in place. Keyworkers also need to complete risk assessments and updated when required and residential placement plans. We also monitor through reg 34's completed by team manager and t he reg 33's completed by the counsellors every month.Evaluate strategies used to engage with carers who are supporting a child or young person. Please see 2. 1, 2. 2, 3. 3 Feedback and monitoring is evaluated at the case planning meeting and if a strategy appears to be working with the young person and needs continuing at that level then this will continue. If a strategy is not working with the young person not developing in a certain area then this needs discussion and new strategy put in place. 4. Be able to lead practice in responding to health needs of children and young people. Lead practice that supports children and young people to make positive choices about their health needs.Young people when admitted to the home need to be registered to the a doctors, dentist and opticians asap. A Lac medical will also need to take place and this take place every 12 months. This will monitor any medical issues outstanding and monitor weight, height, diet and immunisations. We also have dr op in sessions from the sexual health nurse every month and she does drop in sessions for the young people to teach them the importance of safe sex. This is confidential for the young person. The young persons RPP is updated monthly by the keyworker and used as a monitoring process. Also it evidences on what has been actioned and completed.A young person interests and hobbies are also taken on board and if a young person is interested in football then we will encourage the young person to attend a football club and help find the young person a good club to play for. If young person is struggling emotionally with anger, mental health issues then the young person will be supported by being referred to a health professional (CAHMS, psychiatrist, psychologist). An assessment may need completing and strategies put in place from there. The keyworker will liaise with the professional in regards into how support the young person. . 2Assess any risks to or concerns about the health of childr en and young people A young person when admitted to the home was suffering badly from toothache who came from his family home and had suffered neglect. I delegated a staff member to call NHS direct who advised us to give the young person paracetomal for the pain and to book an emergency appointment to the dentist. The young person went the next day and had dental treatment and prescribed anti biotics. This was then put on his risk assessment and RPP in regards to his treatment and being prescribed medication. . 3Support others to recognise and record concerns about a child or young person's health following agreed procedures. If staff are not trained in recording and report writing then this is training course they will go on. This also gives guidelines in regards to the services policies and procedures when recording on legal documents. If a staff member raises concerns re a young persons health then this needs to be addressed with keyworker and case manager to action. If it is an urgent matter staff are advised to call for medical advice or attention and inform a manager.These guidelines are in place for staff and part of a staff members inductions when starting the job and where any medical contact should be recorded and followed up. If a young person return under the influence of alcohol or other illegal substance and is due medication there are clear guidelines in the medication policy that NHS direct should be called to see whether the medication can still be prescribed or not. This will also be on a young persons risk assessment if this is an ongoing concern. If a young person come back injured and has hurt their leg after playing a sport.The young person must be offered medical treatment and action required completed. This must be recorded on an accident book and there a clear guidelines for staff. Work with others to take action to address concerns identified about the health of children and young people. If young person is struggling emotionally with anger, mental health issues then the young person will be supported by being referred to a health professional (CAHMS, psychiatrist, psychologist). An assessment may need completing and strategies put in place from there. The keyworker will liaise with the professional in regards into how support the young person. CAHMS ntervention and consultation takes place at the home with keyworkers to give them the opportunity to discuss their keychild and support the keyworker to support their young person in regards to thinking of strategies to put in place to support them with their well-being and development. Be able to lead the development of practice with children or young people to promote their well-being and resilience. 5. 1 Develop methods of evaluating own practice in promoting children or young people's well-being and resilience. In my supervision my own practice is evaluated and monitored. Me and my line manager discuss the young people I case manage .We discuss what the issues a re, the young persons goals and what the keyworker is currently working on to support the young person on their development. Constructive critism is given to help myself develop or a fresh idea on how to manage a young person through their own experiences. We also have a development plan for the home that we have ideas and goals to work towards to promote and develop our own practice in our responsibilities. It is also beneficial to have feeback of the young person and the staff member of how they feel they are being managed and if they have any suggestions on how I could further support them.Develop methods of evaluating organisational practice in promoting children and young people's well-being and resilience. As a management team we evaluate our methods in Managers meeting and discuss any developments or changes that maybe needed to enhance the running of the home for the purpose of the well-being of the young people. We also hold meetings with other homes managers to discuss the services developments, policy amendments from new legislation, paperwork developments for recording purposes, Ofsted framework.We have monthly meetings with the police re intervetion and restorative justice strategies for the young people to promote preventatives for young people causing anti social behaviour. We also having education meetings with a strategic lead from education to discuss any issues we have with school or what resources are on offer. We also have health leads meeting to support us on how to promote young peopole with a health diet and any policy changes that need to be implemented into the home. This is also an opportunity to discuss individual cases in regards to hygiene and dietary issues.Lead others in practice that supports solution focus approaches for supporting children and young people's well-being and resilience. RPP are put in place for all young people when admitted and a lot of work is done with the young people around their present behaviours. Young people are asked about the future goals and the things they would like to change in their current life with looking into the future. Young people are supported in this by being giving clear routines and realistic goals are set for them through their own choice. These goals will be recorded on the yp's RPP.To help encourage young people a goal chart will be put in place along side an incentive plan so they see rewards when they achieve their individual goals. The keyworker goes over this weekly to see how they are getting on. If this is not working, new goals will need to be set and incentive plan re looked at so the young person doesnt lose their focus on what they are trying to achieve for themselves. 5. 4 Lead others in developing areas of practice that promote children and young people's well-being and resilience. Please see above.

Home Video Game

1: Why the rapid growth of Atari? Why the 1982-85 collapse? How did Nintendo rebuild the industry? What was its strategy? After Bushnell settled on Atari, his first built was the simplest game, which people knew the rules immediately, and this game could be played with only one hand. Then, Bushnell talked his way into a $ 50000 line of credit from a local bank to start his business. By 1974, 100,000 Pong-like games were sold worldwide, and although Atari manufactured only 10 percent of the game, the company still made $3. 2 million that year. Atari had a rapid growth because it is a new industry, and Atari does not have any competitor at that time. So, Atari is the only company in this home video game industry, and it has a huge power of supplier with no competitors and substitutes. After 1976, about twenty different companies were crowding into the home videogame market, Atari still has more than 50% market share in the industry. Until 1978, Atari estimated that total demand would reach 2 million units. In 1982, Atari lost $500 in the first nine months of the year. Part of the blame for the collapse was laid at the feet of an enormous inventory overhang of unsold games. With more and more new games hit the market, the average price would goes down and the profits goes down as well. Nintendo established a commanding worldwide position by the end of the decade. The first step of Nintendo was to license video game technology from Magnavox. Then, Nintendo tried to develop its own video game machine (Famicom) that combined superior graphics processing capabilities and low cost. In the US, Nintendo established a subsidiary named as Nintendo of America (NOA) by 1980, and Nintendo repositioned the market in U. S. NOA spent about 2% of sales budget for advertising and also sought out promotion partner, and it practiced careful inventory management in releasing its new games. In conclusion, Nintendo made an innovative new game system which had some competitive advantages such as cheaper, superior image quality, faster hardware processing and a connector that can be used for future addition of a modem and keyboard. : How was Nintendo able to capture value from the home video game business? First of all, with the video game industry’s collapse, none of the company seems to have anything to do with the with the home video business except Nintendo. So, it was a big chance for Nintendo to monopolize the video game business, and it was a good chance to negotiate and license other companies to develop games for its system. Secondly, Nintendo has good market posi tion and distribution in United Stated. Thirdly, Nintendo has good game designing and technology, and it uses the regulation, contract and patent license to limit the market share of other game companies. 3: How was Sega able to gain market share from Nintendo? With Sega’s first game Periscope, Sega built up a respectable export business. Then, Sega realized that great games drove sales and more powerful technology gave game developers the tools to develop more appealing games. Sega also licensed other companies to develop games for the Genesis platform, but asked for lower royalty rates than Nintendo. Despite aggressive marketing in the 80s, it wasn't until the introduction of Sonic the Hedgehog in 1991 as a direct competitor to Nintendo's Mario character that Sega was able to capture a meaningful amount of the market with its Genesis console. The key point was Genesis does what Nintendo don’t, and Sega version out sold Nintendo’s two to one. 4: Evaluate the competitive strategy of 3DO. What flaws can you see in 3DO’s approach? The vision for 3DO was to shift the home video game business away from the existing cartridge-based format and toward a CD-ROM-based platform. The belief at 3DO is that the superior storage and graphics processing capabilities of the 3DO system would prove very attractive to game developers, allowing them to be far more creative. In turn, better games would attract customers away from Nintendo and Sega. The 3DO’s strategy was to license its hardware technology for free. However, only a few 3DO titles were available by the Christmas period where reports suggested 150 titles, and sales of the hardware were slow. As can be seen, 3DO did good at its software, but bad at its hardware. As a result, 3DO announced that it would either sell its hardware system or move into joint venture. 5: How come the Sony Play Station has succeeded where 3DO failed? Sony set up a retail channel separate from its consumer electronics sales force, and Sony has a good communication with retailers before the launch to find out how it could help them sell the play station. Sony targets its advertising for PlayStation at specific generation and age range. So, Sony focused on it retailers and customers, and it has a good market position. On the other side, 3DO only focused on its products but lack of the communication with its retailers and customers. 6: What drove Microsoft’s decision to enter the industry with its X-box offering? Because before Microsoft entered the home video game industry, it was no stranger to games. Microsoft had long participated in the PC gaming industry and was one of the largest publishers of PC games. X-box was based on Microsoft’s PC technology, and it would be much easier for software developers to write game for. Microsoft enter the industry because with annual revenues in excess of $20 billion worldwide, the home video game industry is huge and an important source of potential growth for Microsoft. 7: What lessons can be learned from the history of the home video game industry that has been used to help launch the Sony PlayStation II and Microsoft’s X-Box? Do Microsoft and Sony appear to have learned and applied these lessons? The lesson can be learned from the history of the home video industry was to focus on R&D, market positioning, cost leadership, innovation, technology and communications. Sony PlayStation II has consumed about 1. 3 billion in R&D, and Sony actually loses money on Sony PlayStation machine but gain from game CDs. On the other side, Microsoft’s X-Box cut X-box price over time but guaranteed a profit margin. There are three technical factors determined the quality of a video game: data width (in bits), clock speed (in MHz), and the amount of RAM (in bytes). Both Sony PlayStation II and Microsoft’s X-Box have their own competitive advantage in these technologies, and they also both are good game designers.

Green Iguana Ethogram

Animal Behavior Lab An Ethogram on the Green Iguana Lecturer: Dr. P. Deluca Due Date: 2. 10. 12 Classification Kingdom | Animlia | Phylum | Chordata | Subphylum | Vertebrata | Class | Reptilia | Order | Squamata | Suborder | Sauria | Family | Iguanidae | Subfamily | Iguania | Genus | Iguana | Species | iguana | Introduction: The Green Iguana (Iguana iguana) was studied at Ardastra Gardens and Zoo in Nassau, Bahamas for approximately two hours on September 25th 2012.The Green Iguana is a large, arboreal herbivorous species of lizard of the genus Iguana native to Central, South America, and the Caribbean (Meshaka et al. , 2007). They are active during the day, feeding on leaves, flowers, and fruit. They generally live near water and are excellent swimmers. If threatened, they will leap from a branch, often from great heights, and escape with a splash to the water below (Meshaka et al. , 2007). Furthermore, they possess a row of spines along their backs and along their tails which helps to protect them from predators (Meshaka et al. 2007). Their whip-like tails can be used to deliver painful strikes and like many other lizards, when grabbed by the tail, the iguana can allow it to break, so it can escape and eventually regenerate a new one (Meshaka et al. , 2007). In addition, iguanas have well developed dewlaps which help regulate their body temperature. This dewlap is used in courtships and territorial displays (Meshaka et al. , 2007). The habitat of these iguanas was tropical warm and wet. The weather on that day ranged from 93Â °F to 95Â °F. Methods: The green iguanas were studied using Focal sampling.With this method, the green iguana was located and its behavior was observed for a standard time. During this focal study, the following data was recorded as they occur: * the context (date, time, location, weather, habitat, social context) * the sequence of behaviors * the duration of behaviors (using a stopwatch) Name of behavior: Head-Bobbing During this obse rvation, the green iguana (Iguana iguana) began this behavior by raising its body up and moving its head up and down. The time or duration of this behavior was between 12:18 pm- 1:39 pm.There were different modes of this behavior that was interpreted and could have been an indication of threat, a harmless greeting or protection of territory. The bobbing of the green iguana may also probably be done in a variety of situations and signaling of different things. The most notable description of this bobbing is the usual straight up and down with a minor side-to-side movement, which is vibrated quickly in the up-down-sideways mode. When bobbing is completed, the head is kept raised upwards after the last movement. This is held for a moment or two, followed by an up-and-down bob again.This process occurs when the iguana sees another one of its kind (neighbor), other lizards such as the brown anole and curly tail lizard and people visiting the zoo. When an individual would stay more than 1 0- 15 minutes the green iguana body will settle down into a relaxed, laying down position rather than the raised and laterally compressed body position that typically accompanies the aggressive bobs. This behavior occurred in three different sessions and they lasted on an average of thirteen (13) minutes and giving a total of thirty nine (39) minutes.The first observation of the green iguana was one of the slowest movements of its head when approached by a nearby lizard of a different species such as the brown anole that was passing by within the territory of the green iguana. This slow head bobbing appeared to be in a form of a greeting to the brown anole. At first however, the green anole was lying flat on its stomach not doing much and when the brown anole came pass, the green iguana changed its body posture by raising the body and flaring its dewlap (small pulsation of dewlap).However, the slight bobbing became more of an advertisement that the iguana was concerned about its ter ritorial rights. During the second observation, another green iguana that was sharing the same territory with the previous green iguana being studied appeared in the nearby area. When this happened, the green iguana (studied individual) bobbing changes its frequency or rate and became more rapid. This was probably an attempt to indicate that it was becoming more annoyed and offended by the trespassing of the other green iguana.It also had appeared to be warning the other iguana away from its basking area. During this behavior, the head is vibrated quickly in the up-down-sideways mode, and its head was kept raised upwards after the last movement. This was held momentarily followed by an up-and-down bob, as stated previously. However during the final bobbing observation, the green iguana head was moving in a slow jerking motion that was accompanied with little sneezing. This occurred approximately 1:22pm. During this observation, there were no visible stressors in its environment.It w as also moving along a piece of log and extending its dewlap. The dewlap is the fan like structure that hangs beneath the chin of the green iguana. The extension of the dewlap only lasted momentarily and it began to fold and tuck up under its chin, as if it was a sign of submission. This behavior lasted for approximately 8 minutes. Reference: Meshaka, E. W. , Smith, T. H. , Golden, E. , et al. (2007). Green Iguanas (Iguana iguana): The Unintended Consequence of Sound Wildlife Management Practices. Herpetological Conservation and Biology. 2(2):149-156.

Poverty in America Essay

Poverty is a disturbing but significant global concern. Just as it is for millions of other people all over the globe, poverty is occurring in America. Over the past decades, income disparity is ascending, in addition to the number of communities that failed to keep up with the national economic standard. Although poverty is present everywhere, it is more serious in developing countries, wherein one in every five person lives on not more than $1 for each day, which is the threshold being applied by the World Bank to classify poverty. The unrelenting problem of poverty is a multifaceted one that embraces individuals and communities who, without their fault, find themselves powerless to manage in this information-intensive and constantly developing world. For the majority Americans, poverty implies destitution, or the lack of ability to provide the family with reasonable shelter, clothing, and nutritious food. Despite the fact that material destitution does exist in America, it is relatively confined in severity and scope. To be aware of poverty in America, it is necessary to observe several statistics, as well as to observe the actual living conditions of the persons that are considered poor by the government. Overview of Poverty in America A large numbers of the country’s population live at or below the threshold of poverty, which means payment of bills every month and financing for the essentials, consisting of shelter, clothing, and food, not counting access to health care and a number of simple comforts is a constant struggle. According to estimates in 2003, roughly 25 percent of counties in the United States had low rates of workforce participation, soaring rates of unemployment, high reliance on government transfer expenditures, and incomes that is lower than one-half of the national average or less for each person. The Census Bureau classifies poverty as a family of three earning not more than $14,680, and not more than $9,393 for a worker without any dependent (Blanco, 2004). According to the 2003 statistics of the Census Bureau, almost 36 million Americans lived in poverty, which is 1.3 million more in 2002. Since 2000, the country has experienced an increase of 4.4 million people who lives in poverty (Blanco, 2004). According to a survey, the present American families are experiencing worse living conditions than they have in the previous years, as 10 percent of all families or approximately 7.6 million families in 2003 lived in poverty, which is an enormous ascend from the previous years (Blanco, 2004). In 2005, the registration of the United States Census Bureau of poor individuals in the country totaled to approximately 37 million poor Americans (Rector & Johnson, 2004). Therefore, there is one in every eight Americans that is struggling with inconceivable poverty. These millions of Americans are asserted to be deficient of the necessary clothing, shelter, and enough money for the food, as well as being forced to live in unpleasant conditions (Rector & Johnson, 2004). Common Factors of Poverty In the concluding half of the 20th century, the three factors that are generally offered to explain movements of poverty in the United States are changes in family structure, economic inequality, and income growth. If the average per-capita incomes are increased, such as increasing wages and employment, then it is expected that poverty will generally decline. Nevertheless, economic inequality can take the edge off the overall constructive impact of income growth if lower-income workforce and unemployed citizens do not benefit from the fruits of such development. On the other hand, changes in the family structure, primarily the ever-increasing number of families headed by female may be linked with higher rates of poverty for the reason that such families are more expected to be poor and are more economically vulnerable. I. Economic Equality Certainly, the country has made several enhancements over the intervening decades in terms of the overall minimum living standard as measured through material conditions. Yet the living conditions of the poor individuals are severely different from that of families and individuals who take advantage of various degree of economic security as measured through income levels that provide unstressed and comfortable situations. The escalation in the number of poor individuals and families in the country ought to provide the government various apprehension, but even more upsetting is the increasing difference between the underprivileged and wealthy in America. In the previous decades, compensation for more affluent Americans has considerably ascended, stimulated by increase in stock options, bonuses, salaries and other rewards. However, the compensation provided for millions of lower-wage workforces dropped off; and in fact, a number of them have even lost their jobs (Blanco, 2004). Therefore, this factor has prevented the advantages of economic growth from being equally drawn out. Moreover, in 2005, non-Hispanic white men, not less than 25 years of age, holding only high-school qualification have $35,679 median income; whereas women within the same age group, need a degree in college in order to obtain a comparable median income (Spriggs, 2007). The outcome is that the households headed by female are harmed by the major earnings gap, which has a poverty rate of 31.1 percent in contrast to their male-headed household counterparts, which only had a 13.4 percent poverty rate (Spriggs, 2007). In 2005, poverty for women is excessively elevated than men, which is14.1 percent in contrast to 11.1 (Spriggs, 2007). The disparity reflects unrelenting gaps in earnings between male and female workers. At the same time, since 1959 the median income of white males with a family of five has been higher than the poverty line, but for women with a family of three, it was only in 1990 that their median income broke beyond the poverty line (Spriggs, 2007). Further, notwithstanding the progressive structure of benefit procedure in Social Security benefits, the constant gap is best reflected in disparities in poverty among the elderly, where the lifetime earnings of women suggest they have lower assets than men. II. Family Structure Higher rates of poverty among women have generally been contributed to the changes in family structure. The percentage of families headed by single female with children rapidly rose over the previous decades of the 20th century, which reached 26.5 percent in 1995 from only 11.5 percent of all families with children in 1970; with higher rates for Hispanics and blacks. At the start of year 2003, roughly 26.1 percent of the entire families with children in the country were headed by single woman. A number of such families do not obtain any or adequate child support from the absent fathers of the children. It is suggested in one study that if fathers married the destitute mothers of their children, approximately three-quarters of the single-parents would instantly be elevated outside poverty status (Rector & Johnson, 2004). Obviously, two parents in a household generally earn more than single-parent. The burden of receiving enough income to raise dependent children outside poverty additionally confronts women who are the single head of the family, as well as getting and paying for child care concurrently with their work and management of the household without help. Since this hazard confronted by women of serving non-working dependents as well as their efforts in looking after their elderly parents is not distributed by society, women who head such families are expected to obtain lower levels of education, therefore, resulting to their lower earnings. Aside from the fact that women are more expected to earn significantly less than men with similar qualifications, mothers have a tendency to accumulate less experience than other workers. III. Income Growth Poverty is associated with the lack of sufficient income, so the core problem therefore is the compensation for the workers. Among the poor, only 11.4 percent or 2.9 million jobs around the clock is available for the whole year (Spriggs, 2007). This sector of the population is further directly impaired by minimum-wage laws that have hindered costs of living. This setback is particularly severe for poverty stricken American-Hispanics and American-Asians, where 18 percent of them worked year-round for full time (Spriggs, 2007). There are several reasons why numerous people lack the income to overcome poverty. For instance, people do not work or if they work, they do not earn sufficient amount of money. Whether in good or bad economic times, the ordinary poor family with children exerts only 800 hours of work throughout a year or 16 hours of work for each week (Rector & Johnson, 2004). Evidently, almost 75 percent of poor children would be lifted outside certified poverty status if work is provided in every family, that would increase the work hours to 2,000 for every year or comparable to 40 hours for each week all through the year (Rector & Johnson, 2004). In 2005, approximately 61 percent underprivileged families have no less than one worker; and of twice-poor families, 71 percent have no less than one worker. In view of the 1990s record job creation, the number of poor but working people declined to 8.5 million in 2000 from 10.1 million in 1993. In short, America is capable of dealing with poverty. But there have been vast stubborn concerns that have lodged the face of poverty. Mounting disparity in the labor market has increased the share of the working age poor citizens, and the unsympathetic federal minimum-wage laws that have amplified the numbers of poor people working year-round for full-time. In a country with a per capita Gross Domestic Product is exceeding the poverty line for a family of four, it is atrocious that there are still more than 12 million poverty stricken American children, and nearly 3 million people work around the clock, for one whole year who are still finding it hard to make ends meet. Facts Concerning the American Poor Sector Based on the American’s accepted definition of poverty, only a small number of the 37 million individuals fit the poor description, contrary to what the Census Bureau classified. Despite the fact that real material destitution undoubtedly does take place, it is limited in severity and scope. A number of America’s underprivileged lives in material conditions that would be considered as well-off or comfortable some generations ago. The following are information obtained from different government reports regarding people classified as poor by the Census Bureau: 1. Roughly 46 percent of the entire poor households actually own their individual houses (Rector & Johnson, 2004). The typical house owned by persons identified as poor by the Census Bureau is a three-bedroom house with a garage, one-and-a-half baths, with at least a patio or porch. 2. About 76 percent of underprivileged families have air conditioning in their houses (Rector & Johnson, 2004). By comparison, merely 36 percent of the entire population of the United States benefited from air conditioning 3 decades ago. 3. Only 6 percent of the underprivileged families are considered overcrowded, and not less than two-thirds of them have extra two rooms for every person (Rector & Johnson, 2004). 4. The typical poor American has more living space than the average individual living in Athens, Vienna, London, Paris, and other cities all over Europe (Rector & Johnson, 2004). 5. Practically three-quarters of poor families own an automobile, while 30 percent own at least two automobiles (Rector & Johnson, 2004). 6. Approximately 97 percent of poor households own at least one colored television, while half of the said percentage has at least two colored televisions (Rector & Johnson, 2004). 7. Roughly 78 percent own DVD or VCR players, while 62 percent have satellite or cable television reception (Rector & Johnson, 2004). 8. Around 73 percent of the poor households have microwave ovens, one-third owns an automatic dishwasher, and over half own a stereo system (Rector & Johnson, 2004). Further, as a group, America’s poor are far from being constantly malnourished. In fact poor children have usual protein intakes of 100 percent beyond the medically suggested levels and consume more meat than children of higher-income do (Rector & Johnson, 2004). Nevertheless, despite the fact that in general the poor are well-nourished, there are still several poor families who experience short-term distress due to food deficiencies. According to the United States Department of Agriculture, although most of the time the hunger is temporary, still 2.6 percent of poor children and 13 percent of poor families experience food shortage sometime during the year (Rector & Johnson, 2004). Approximately 89 percent of the poor account sufficient food to eat to their families, at the same time only 2 percent says they often do not have adequate food to eat (Rector & Johnson, 2004). Conclusion / Recommendations Following the United States government classification of poverty, the typical poor American people have a living standard far superior as compared to what the public envisions. Nevertheless, the typical poor person’s living conditions should not be taken to suggest that every poor American lives devoid of hardship. Millions of Americans are still continually struggling to hang on, making tough choices between housing, hunger and health care for their families. Economic inequality, income growth, and changes in family structure without doubt affected poverty trends over the latter half of the 20th century. Poverty in America can be readily reduced, if parents are provided with sufficient hours of work and if fathers are at all times present with their families. Although marriage and work are unyielding ladders away from poverty, the country’s welfare system uncooperatively continues to be unsympathetic to both. Foremost programs such as Medicaid, public housing, and food stamps keep on reprimanding marriage and rewarding idleness. Therefore, if welfare could be turned around to uphold marriage and work, the remaining number of poor family would quickly decrease. Further, as a matter of course, the United States has employed over the years job creation and economic growth to trim down poverty, but at present situation the courses are consequential only to the extent that inequality on wages is reduced. Poor people are generally not victims of themselves, but of appalling economic policies along with obstructions to opportunity. Since work generates income, it is important therefore that the government must provide a great increase in available working hours in different labor sectors for the poor. Along with the work opportunities, it is also important to eliminate economic inequalities based on gender, age, economic status, and many others in order to provide higher wages and higher incomes to the underprivileged sectors of the country. America is a nation with one of the most productive and strongest economies in the world. As such, the country must exert a continuing effort to fully utilize the abundance and therefore eliminate the country ’s alarming poverty rate.