Blood Pressure and Electrocardiography Assignment

Blood Pressure and Electrocardiography - Assignment Example 1. Define diastolic blood pressure. "Diastolic" came from the Greek diastole meaning "a drawing apart." The term has been in use since the 16th century to denote the period of relaxation of the heart muscle. The diastolic pressure is specifically the minimum arterial pressure during relaxation and dilatation of the ventricles of the heart when the ventricles fill with blood. In a blood pressure reading, the diastolic pressure is typically the second number recorded. For example, with a blood pressure of 120/80 ("120 over 80"), the diastolic pressure is 80. By "80" is meant 80 mm Hg (millimeters of mercury). (Braunwald E, 2004; Moreno MN, 2006)) 2. Given a blood pressure of 125/80, what is the mean arterial pressure? Mean Arterial Pressure = DBP + 1/3(SBP-DBP) Given: SBP = 125 DBP = 80 80 + 1/3(125-80) = 95mmHg Electrocardiography 1. When the electrode pads are placed on the subject, where is the positive electrode placed? An electrocardiogram is obtained by measuring electrical potential between various points of the body using an amplifier. A lead records the electrical signals of the heart from a particular combination of recording electrodes which are placed at specific points on the patient's body. When a depolarization wavefront (or mean electrical vector) moves toward a positive electrode, it creates a positive deflection on the ECG in the corresponding lead.

Problem solution speech Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Problem solution speech - Essay Example When an individual records a body mass index that is more than thirty, that person is considered obese according to the obesity society. The Body Mass Index can be calculated by dividing the weight of an individual that is measured in pounds by the height, which is measured in inches, then multiplying the figure that is arrived at by 704.5. Obesity is the product of consuming more calories than the body can be able to utilize and this leads to the body storing the excesses as fat (Wolin and Petrelli 19). Large unnecessary portions and lifestyles that continue to be more sedentary everyday also contribute heavily to the problem of obesity that keeps getting worse. Fast foods such as burgers, pizzas among other food products that have very high calories such as chips that are deep fried and the foods that are sugary are very easy to find and relatively cheap in the United States. These particular foods are also not useful at all as far as nutritional value is concerned therefore, to reduce and ultimately prevent obesity, the United States Surgeon General proposes a diet that is rich in nutrients which abides by the 2010 USDA Dietary Guidelines for America. There is also the recommendation that adults should be able to get at least half an hour of exercise in most of the days while the children should exercise for a whole hour. The best ways that an individual can be able to include more activity in their day-to-day lives is through using the stairs instead of the elevator, using parking spaces that are further than the entrances to so that one can walk more and using a push mower as opposed to the power mower. The children should be encouraged to play outside after school instead of sitting idly or watching television so that they can remain active. The burden of finding solutions to the problems that are associated with obesity have

Singlish As A Language In Singapore

Singlish As A Language In Singapore To begin, we need to establish the difference between English and Singlish. English in this essay refers to standard international English that is used by native speakers of English and bilingual users of English for cross-cultural communication. (McKay 2002:132) It is the language formally used in public administration, law and education in Singapore. On the other hand, Singlish refers to Singapore Colloquial English, which is used by many Singaporeans. It is fused with the terms and intonations with the native mother tongues such as Bahasa Malayu, Chinese, Hokkien, Cantonese and Tamil. Singlish can be spoken both by people who do not have a good grasp of English, as well as those who have a strong command of international standard English. Firstly, Singaporeans understand the need for proper English for economical purposes. In the increasingly globalised and interconnected world, the government realizes the need to be able to communicate fluently with others not from Singapore. Singapore is an economically prominent city and does much of its trade with other countries, America being the second largest consumer of Singaporean exports after China. (Statistics Singapore: Ministry of Trade and industry, 2008) The economic situation of Singapore requires the people to be fluent in English so as to be able to communicate well with foreigners who are doing business with them. As such, the government has put in place measures to ensure that Singaporeans are able to speak English fluently. The first language of the Singaporean education system is English and very recently, in September 2009, the Education Minister Ng Eng Hen mentioned in his ministrys work plan seminar that raising the standard of English of students will be a main goal for schools in the coming years. He indicated that they would realize this by allowing students to speak up more often in class. Another government measure to raise help Singaporeans speak proper English is the initiation of the Speak Good English Movement that started in 2000 and is still in effect. The then deputy Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong spoke at the launch of the Speak Good English Movement 2001, and voicing that there is a need for Singapore to grow into an attractive economic hub for foreign companies and foreign talent. Through out his speech, DPM Lee Hsien Loong constantly draws the link between Singapore being an economic center and the need for Singaporeans to be fluent in English. From these examples, we can see that th e government in Singapore recognizes the need for English and thereby initiates practices in education and public campaigns to increase the use of English in Singapore. I personally feel that greater emphasis on standard English in the Singaporean education system is in the right direction. I had previously tried relief teaching at a neighborhood school for a few months. On many occasions, I had the opportunity to read the English essays of the students and was rather unsettled by the fact that the students could not express themselves clearly in proper English. Many times, it was apparent that they used the sentence structure of mandarin and translated it to their written English. On many occasions, I find that the students are unable to switch between the use of standard English and Singlish, even when speaking. If they continue to use English and Singlish interchangeably, there is no doubt that people from other countries would not be able to understand them. Due to this, I agree that there is a need to raise the standard of English in Singapore. The government is not the only party who is aware of the need for proper English. Many Singaporeans are aware of this as well, especially when it comes to representing Singapore to the global world. This is clearly exemplified in the recent controversy over Miss Singapore World beauty queen, Ris Low. A local news channel, Razor TV, interviewed Low and it was revealed that her standard of spoken English was not up to the standards of many Singaporeans. Viewers were appalled that she was chosen to represent Singapore despite her low standard of spoken English. Soon after, it was made known that she was charged for credit card fraud. Nonetheless, there were many requests by the public who wrote in to the Straits Times forum, as well as other online forums, to oppose her being chosen as Miss Singapore World even before her credit card fraud case was publicized. This shows that Singaporeans understand the need to speak proper English when portraying Singapore to other countries. Together with their call for the usage of proper English in Singapore, government figures have also expressed concern over the use if Singlish in Singapore. In the opening speech at the launch of the Speak Good English Movement 2000 by Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong, he expressed concern over Singlish, instead of English, becoming Singapores common language. He maintained that if Singaporeans continue to use Singlish, something he referred to as a corrupted form of English not understood by others, we would lose our competitiveness in the economy. He also mentioned, if they (young Singaporeans) speak Singlish when they can speak good English, they are doing a disservice to Singapore. DPM Lee Hsien Loong highlighted a similar concern regarding this issue in his speech the following year. DPM Lee stated that on top of having more people speaking English, it is equally, if not more important to get Singaporeans to speak good, standard English à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ rather than Singlish, a local dialect unique to Singapore. He added that if we want to reinforce our identity as Singaporeans, we should choose something other than Singlish. Through this, we can see that together with their call for proper English, DPM Lee and PM Goh were also calling for a reduced usage of Singlish. Although I agree with the implementations in educational policies and public campaigns for the usage of proper English due to the need for economic competitiveness, I think that Singlish has a role to play in Singaporean Society. Singlish is unique to Singapore as it is a direct result of the interactions between people of different races and native tongues and is part of the national identity because people are connected to the language and to each other when they use it. Language is fundamentally a tool for us to communicate with one another and Singlish enables Singaporeans to do this effectively among ourselves. In fact, Singlish came about precisely to perform this function. Singapore, before and during the colonial times, already had a wide variety of people from different native tongues working here. Due to its situation as a port along the naval Spice Route, there were many emigrants from the region, such as southern Chinese and Indian laborers. Coupled with the indigenous Malay speaking population, this made Singapore a place with diverse language background. English was introduced when the British colonists used English as the medium for administration. Soon after independence in 1965, the government made English that main medium of education in Singapore. (Low, Brown, 2005, 20) Gradually, English came to be localized with terms from the native tongues of the people in Singapore. Malay, Mandarin and its dialects, and Tamil words were incorpor ated into this local version of English. This is especially so for words which seem to have no direct English equivalent, such as kiasu, blanjah or shiok. Singlish also often takes on the syntax of Chinese and Malay. (Wee, 2009, 56-59) It is seen that the Singaporean version of English, or Singlish, has come about as a result of the interactions between the different cultures and languages here and this mix is not observed anywhere else in the world. Wee (2009, 63-66) states that the formation of Singlish was not from a committee who sat down and discussed the structure, grammar and vocabulary of Singlish. Rather, Singlish was a natural result of the people from different native tongues and cultures in Singapore, communicating and interacting with one another. It is precisely because of the fact that Singlish is a cultural product that came about naturally from Singaporeans that makes it relevant to Singaporean society. While English can be used by everyone in Singapore and allow them to communicate with one another effectively, Singlish has an added quality to it. It allows Singlish speakers to feel a sense of connection to and through the language because Singlish is localized and English does not possess this trait. From my personal experience as a student in Singapore, it is apparent that my teachers try to use proper English during lessons where it is in a formal setting. As a student, I would answer and pose questions to my teachers in standard English. However, I would use Singlish when conversing with my friends because it is an informal setting. In fact, sometimes when we hear someone speaking in proper English in an informal setting, my friends would comment that that person was pretentious and that there was no need to use proper English among friends. In another experience, where I went for an inter- secondary school leadership camp, we were put in groups with students from other schools and backgrounds. During the first group discussion session, I had taken to speaking in standard English because I had thought that it would be more appropriate. However, I realized that some of my group mates were not responsive so I decided to switch to Singlish, hoping that they would open up and contribute more. As I had hoped, they immediately started to speak up more during the discussion. In the following group discussion sessions, I realized that when the facilitator posed a question in standard English, my group mates did not seem forthcoming with their thoughts, but once someone contributed to the discussion in Singlish, they would speak up more and subsequent contributions were in Singlish. Perhaps they initially didnt contribute because they had trouble understand that question or topic of discussion. However, I do not think that they had any trouble grasping what was being asked or discussed. Rather, they started to open up because Singlish provided us the opportunity t o establish a bond with each other. Although simple, these examples show us that Singlish connects Singaporeans together through a common colloquial language in which we are comfortable in expressing our thoughts. Singlish is also used in the media in Singapore to give it an authentic sense of being Singaporean. Singaporean sitcoms like Phua Chu Kang Pte Ltd, My Sassy Neighbor, Police and Thief, Under One Roof and Growing Up are seen as portraying the lives of Singaporeans and the characters in these shows speak in Singlish. Local films like I Not Stupid, Money No Enough and Just Follow Law had actors speaking in Singlish throughout the film. Even their titles are in Singlish. Musicals like Beauty World, Dim Sum Dollies and $ing Dollar incorporate Singlish as well. In fact, Beauty World was originally a play and it is seen as one of the more successful creative literature locally and has been produced into a musical a few times. It is about a girl called Ivy from Malaysia who comes to Singapore to find the true identity of her father. Her boyfriend, Frankie, accompanies her to Singapore as well. As noted by Low and Brown, both Ivy and Frankie speak in standard English throughout the show while the other Singaporean characters speak in Singlish (Low, Brown, 2005, p. 181). This amplifies how the use of English and Singlish by different characters help identify their nationalities in the show. These shows target the local audience and as a result, include the Singlish language to depict an authentic local portrayal. The Singapore tourism Board portrays Singapore as Uniquely Singapore and a common question asked is whether Singapore has anything to call their own. Singlish is definitely something that is uniquely Singaporean. A poll by NUS Students Political Association done on 750 undergrads revealed that Singlish was considered most Singaporean with 75.3% of the votes (Leo, 2005). Similarly, in a recent Political Science forum, the topic of debate was whether Singapore had a national identity. Singlish came up quite often because many forum participants recognized people who speak Singlish as being Singaporean. Whenever I visited Malaysia, my sister and I would even play a game where we would try to distinguish if a person was Malaysian or Singaporean simply by the way they spoke. Despite the fact that Manglish (Malaysian English) and Singlish are somewhat similar, we were still able to find something distinctive and unique in the way that Singaporeans speak. In this sense, Singlish can be said to be part of Singapores national identity because it differentiates us from people of other places and nations. In conclusion, I do agree that there is a need for Singaporeans to be fluent in standard English so as to be competitive in the global world and raising the standard of English is indeed the right course of action by the Singaporean government. However, I do not think that Singlish should be excluded from being used in Singapore. Not only does it transcend people of different racial identities in Singapore, it allows people to feel a sense of connection to the language itself, which English does not offer. Singlish is part of the nation identity because people are connected to the language and to each other when they use it.

Responsibilities Essay -- essays research papers fc

Life is full of adventure and triumph, but sometimes the grass is not greener on the other side. Sometimes many sacrifices must be made in order to accomplish our own goals. We may all have duties that we have to deal with just to make it by, but we can acknowledge them through our personal experiences. In, Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck creates symbolism through George's journey leading him to the eventual realization that everyone has responsibilities. Many themes occur throughout the novel, but one can apply to everyone: we all have tasks we must perform in order to achieve a better life. Initially, this theme becomes apparent through Candy and his dog, "' That dog ain't no good to himself. I wisht somebody'd shoot me if I got old an' a cripple'" (Steinbeck 45). The theme is you gotta do what you gotta do. Candy recognizes that it is his responsibility to put down his dog. It is the same with George when he has to kill Lennie: he knows that he will miss him, but he also knows that it must be done. Similarly, one critic agrees that actions such as, the dog being shot out of Candy's compulsion, predict the future demise of Lennie (Lisca). Lennie does not understand why certain things cannot be done and it only causes trouble for him. George comprehends his duty towards society, and the sacrifice that must be made in order to achieve his own utopia. Our own duties can become clear when we relate to this conceptual them e. ...

Middle School vs. High School Essay

Waking up on the morning of the first day of high school felt like butterflies took over my stomach. I had to put together an impressing outfit, fix my hair, and put on appealing makeup. Knowing that in about an hour I would be entering a totally different school environment than what I’m used to frightened me. Within every period of the school day, the butterflies started to flutter out of my stomach and into my new learning atmosphere. Although students tend to fear high school and think it is a nightmare to transition from middle school to the next level, attending high school is not much of a dramatic change. Before beginning high school, you are required to pick levels that you feel comfortable with that correspond with the school-picked courses. You also have to choose three elective classes. Any of these classes could include Art, Chorus, Intro to Family and Consumer Science, Accounting, Graphic Presentations, and many more. All of your chosen classes receive a letter grade, just like middle school, but the required classes are picked according to your academic capability. For example, if you are the type of student that does not do well scholarly, you would choose a level three class. This option is a great way to do better in school. Also in high school, there are more extracurricular options. High school offers a numerous amount of clubs and sports. From soccer and swimming to ping pong club and French club. If any of the extracurricular activities don’t interest you, you even have the opportunity to create your own club with the help of a teacher. In middle school, your classes are already selected and you cannot change them. These classes are mandatory, just like high school, but everyone learns at the same level. This can be a disadvantage for students who take longer to process than others. Also, in middle school, you cannot create your own clubs. The sports and clubs the school provides are your only selections. Transitioning to high school is a big eye opener especially because of the people. Guys have facial hair and girls are more matured. High school goes hand in hand with many different kinds of people and different types of cliques as well. Some examples are jocks, nerds, populars, druggies, and gays. In middle school, there were less people making everyone familiar with each other. Some being naive and inexperienced, they are not used to seeing different types of people. Overall, high school is a lot bigger. Not only is there a downstairs, but an upstairs as well and there are many more hallways. Even though classes are farther apart, there is more time in between classes. In fact, three minutes more than middle school. This allows time to go to your locker before a class and you can even stop to talk in the hallways. Since middle school allowed only two minutes in between classes, you had to be quick with exchanging books. In high school, you can take your time and arrive to class on time. The transition to high school is a big step in education, but it does not have to be a feared one. A new environment brings with it new challenges and worries, however, after awhile you will realize it wasn’t much of a striking change as you thought.

Financial Statements Paper Essay

The statement usually includes beginning balance, net income for the current cycle, dividends disclosed in the current period and ending balance. Balance sheets detail assets and claims to assets at a distinct point in time. Claims of creditors and claims of owners are examples of claims to assets. This particular statement provides a clear outline of the financial standing of the company as a whole. The direct function of a statement of cash flow is to present financial information such as cash receipts and payments during a set point in time. This assists investors and creditors to analyze a company’s financial position.. These statements address a company’s financing, investment and operational activities. Financial statements are useful to managers as these statements are utilized to measure the performance of the organization. Sales and expenses are compared to the income statements from previous periods by management to pinpoint possible problematic areas. Major variations adjure management to thoroughly understand what the causes of those changes are. Variations in liabilities and assets are examined on the balance sheets from one cycle to the next. Any large variations need to be identified, explained and reasons established to whether the variations benefited the company, or caused a loss as consequences of problems. From this point management can make adjustments to correct any problems, or future planning, so these losses or problems do not repeat again. The benefits can be capitalized upon as well. Financial statements are useful to employees for the reason of collective bargaining, discussing compensation, and ranking. Employees also use this information as a means to determine the ability of the company to provide retirement benefits and opportunities for advancement. Financial Statements are useful to investors as they hold an interest in the profits of the company. The investors are looking for a return in the money they have invested, usually in the form of stocks, as they seek increases in stock value and profitability. Lending decisions to be made by creditors are based upon the financial statements. The creditors want to ensure that the companies they are lending the funds to have the ability to manage its finances so they are not at risk of not being able to pay back its debts. References: Kimmel, P. D. (2009). Financial Accounting: Tools for Business Decision Making (5th ed. ). Retrieved from The University of Phoenix eBook Collection database..

Youdao - An excellent free online Chinese dictionary

Youdao - An excellent free online Chinese dictionary As a learner of Mandarin Chinese, its sometimes frustrating that there seem to be no good dictionaries around. When compared with other major languages (especially English), dictionaries in Chinese are often very hard to read and often lack information we expect to be there, such as indications of how a word is used and example sentences. One excellent exception: Youdao.com. æÅ"‰é â€œ (Youdao.com) To use this dictionary, go to the main page and click the drop-down menu in the leftmost part of the search field where it says ç ½â€˜Ã© ¡ µ (wÇŽngyà ¨) websites and select è ¯ Ã¥â€¦ ¸ (cà ­diÇŽn) dictionary instead. You can also go directly to the dictionary via dict.youdao.com. Once there, just search for words in English or Chinese. If you input only Pinyin, it will still try to guess the word in Chinese.. Once you have found the word youre looking for, you have three options (tabs) to choose from: ç ½â€˜Ã§ »Å"释ä ¹â€° (wÇŽnglà ¹ shà ¬yà ¬) internet explanation - Here you can choose between many suggested translations and see how they are defined elsewhere on the internet. The explanations are mostly in Chinese, so if you feel that this is too hard, just look for English words.ä ¸â€œÃ¤ ¸Å¡Ã©â€¡Å Ã¤ ¹â€° (zhuÄ nyà ¨ shà ¬yà ¬) professional explanation - This doesnt mean that the definitions are professional, but that they refer to specialized language for a certain area of study or expertise. For instance, you can show answers related to engineering, medicine, psychology, linguistics and so on. Great for translation work!æ ±â€°Ã¨ ¯ ­Ã¨ ¯ Ã¥â€¦ ¸ (hnyÇ” cà ­diÇŽn) Chinese dictionary - Sometimes, English explanations just arent enough and you need to go to a Chinese-Chinese dictionary. As explained earlier, this can be very daunting for students and you might be better of asking someone for help. The fact that this option is here makes the dictionary much more useful for advanced students, though. Below the explanations, you will find definitions of the word, often from 21ä ¸â€"ç º ªÃ¥ ¤ §Ã¨â€¹ ±Ã¦ ±â€°Ã¨ ¯ Ã¥â€¦ ¸ (21shà ¬jà ¬ d yÄ «nghn cà ­diÇŽn) The 21st Century Unabridged English-Chinese Dictionary. There are also translations of phrases in which the keyword appears, another feature that many dictionaries lack. Next, you can either display è ¯ Ã§ »â€žÃ§Å¸ ­Ã¨ ¯ ­ (cà ­zÇ” dunyÇ”) compounds and phrases or Ã¥ Å'è ¿â€˜Ã¤ ¹â€°Ã¨ ¯  (tà ³ngjà ¬nyà ¬cà ­) synonyms and near-synonyms. Bilingual Example Sentences Last but certainly not least, there is a section called Ã¥ Å'è ¯ ­Ã¤ ¾â€¹Ã¥  ¥ (shuÄ ngyÇ” là ¬jà ¹) bilingual example sentences. As the name implies, you can find numerous sentences in both Chinese and English, which is by far the best way to quickly figure out how a word is used in Chinese (going on basic definitions often wont work). Note that it only displays the first three sentences by default, click æ› ´Ã¥ ¤Å¡Ã¥ Å'è ¯ ­Ã¤ ¾â€¹Ã¥  ¥ (gà ¨ngduÃ…  shuÄ ngyÇ” là ¬jà ¹) more bilingual example sentences to see the rest.

Micro level Opinion The Psychology of Opinion Holding

Micro level Opinion The Psychology of Opinion Holding Liberal and conservative elites are distinctively different. What are the political implications of these differences? When respondents during opinion polling are requested to identify themselves along the liberal-conservative dimension, their answers correspond to their stance on policy matters.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Micro level Opinion: The Psychology of Opinion Holding specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The conservatives are interested in maintaining the existing state of affairs and institutions, they have the desire to maintain status quo. Liberal elites are considered to have flexible moral standards and they are not religious in thought. The opinion of the liberals is reflected in their response regarding contemporary issues like abortion and the rights of gay people. Conservatism places great importance and attach significance to the past, they like tradition and resist change, to them change is not w elcome. Conservatism is a product of Roosevelt’s new deal (Erikson Tedin, 2011). The main aspects that differentiate liberal and conservative elites are: political philosophies, change, and their traditional connotation. Concerning political philosophy, the conservatives prefer traditional and relatively slow changes. This is reflected in their opinions on topics like religion, culture and nationalities which are well defined. The liberals consider individual liberty the fundamental principle; also liberals emphasize equality and opportunity. Liberals value principles like the freedom of expression and the limitation of government role and transparency and accountability are dear to them. Regarding change, conservatives acknowledge change but they believe change is gradual. Liberals on the other hand believe in radical change, they also have the common belief that traditions must be adjusted for the good interest of humanity. In the American political scene, the republicans are considered to be generally conservative in their ideologies whereas democrats are considered to be liberal. In America, the conservatives are associated with their anti-abortion, anti-gay marriage and legalizing of gun possession stances. Their stand on national issues is motivated by empirical understanding as opposed to rationality. Liberalism advocates for equality among all men and they value rationality. Liberalists support a level playing field in all matters ranging from wealth to race to religion. It is argued that conservatism emanated due to the excesses of liberalism.Advertising Looking for essay on political culture? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Rules and mechanisms that citizens employ to convert information into political opinions Party Differences: Democratic and republican political parties have different ideologies. The supporters of these political parties have different perspective on hot t opics that are subject of public debate. During presidential campaigns presidential candidates of these political parties’ express their stand on public issues. Among the hot topics that elicit debate in America are matters of abortion, foreign policy and creation of employment. The position of these candidates is considered as the opinion of the supporters. Political opinion is a product of partisanship; Americans prefer association with political party and its policies without necessarily having substantial information regarding the political party. Party association gives an individual a sense of political identity. Liberal and conservative dimension: This is used by majority of the population to derive their political opinion. This is due to the fact that being either a conservative or a liberal makes an individual to take a predetermined position on particular political debate. The political situation in the US have always developed a predetermined position for the conse rvative and liberals and any individual who traces his opinion along one of the dimensions will have no choice but to respect the stand of their respective ideological dimension. Personal Ideologies and Individual Perspective: There is a group of people who are independent minded and as such they don’t subscribe to the opinions of other people, neither do they follow their party lines or is their opinion dictated by their ideologies as being either conservative or liberal. They arrive at their opinion based on their personal way of looking at things. This is often demonstrated on the debate concerning social issues like abortion and gay rights (Erikson Tedin, 2011). Macro level Opinion: The Flow of Political Sentiment Question One: Social welfare concerns the distribution of wealth and the ability of the government to assist the under-privileged persons in the society. Civil rights on the other hand pertain to the demand for equality of all people before the law. Foreign po licy refers to views of the citizens concerning the role of the United States in the international matters. Cultural issues refer to the dissimilarities and variations in the lifestyle or moral values afflicting the society like abortion, religion and capital punishment. On social welfare, Americans have expressed hostility towards matters regarding welfare. Race forms part of people’s opinion when social welfare is discussed. The white’s opinion on this matter is that the black population is lazy and majorly populates the welfare roles. The white segment of the population believes that the black population is the beneficiaries of welfare and that the black despite this fact are still opposed to welfare. Majority of the American citizens are not willing to pay more taxes to uplift their welfare and to receive better public service. This response is often captured in survey questions concerning taxing and spending. Concerning civil rights, there has been changing trends . The whites’ populations have liberal perception regarding the ideals of the civil rights but they demonstrate limited efforts in implementing the ideals. Pertaining to the fair employment practices, it has always been on the rise and by 1992 approximately 96 percent of the Americans had endorsed it. The failure by the whites to endorse civil rights ideals was evident in 1944 and 1958 when in 1944 a small 45 percent agreed that the Negroes should have equal chance as the whites to secure employment and in 1958 only 38 percent of the whites were willing to vote for a black presidential candidate. In America, racial discrimination is a universal phenomenon. The government has done little to alleviate this matter. The implementation of the ideals concerning civil rights is conservative in form.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Micro level Opinion: The Psychology of Opinion Holding specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More This was evident by the desire of the whites to instill the belief that they have every right to keep the blacks out of their neighborhood which was supported by 87 percent of the white respondents. On of the contemporary civil rights matters is affirmative action. Racial messages are heavily latent among the whites. On foreign policy, majority of the American people agree that US should avoid any foreign war. There is a group calling itself internationalist who advocates for the American involvement in world affairs. Their opinion was brought to fore when America was involved in the Second World War. There is also another segment that is opposed to the internationalist perspective, this group is referred to as isolationist and they advocate against the involvement of the Americans in international affairs. The appreciation of foreign policy as an important instrument of promoting America’s influence abroad is popular among majority of Americans as evidenced by their suppor t for the United Nations. There has been a shifting and often varying public opinion regarding defense spending. Majority of the Americans believe that the defense spending by the government is small and it is underfunded. Concerning America’s foreign intervention and war, Americans have always paid attention and raised their voices when their state gets involved in a war. There is always a widespread support when the country expresses desire to go to war but public opinion diminishes when the war is protracted. On social issues, there has been widespread and varying support by the public. This has been evidenced in such issues as debate on marijuana, abortion, gay rights and pornography. Support for gay rights has been gaining public support (Erikson Tedin, 2011). Public opinion and foreign policy has vacillated between internationalism and isolationism There has been debate over the position of America in the international arena. This was sparked by the act of Roosevelt to furnish the Great Britain with military aid.Advertising Looking for essay on political culture? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Isolationists believe that the United States should adhere to its traditional policy of non-alignment or non-involvement in European matters just as it had been during the period of the World War 1. Internationalists believe that the United States should assert its role as a dominant actor in international affairs. This debate between the internationalists and isolationists has been sparked by various events in the international debate which range from the world wars, the UN, independence of Germany where each side of the debate has adopted extreme approach. America’s opposition towards European wars was considered an isolationist tactic since it demonstrated that America wished to withdraw its involvement in the international politics especially of the western hemisphere. The isolationist stance of the Unites States of America was demonstrated when the senate rejected the treaty of Versailles that sought to establish the League of Nations. The setting of high tariffs and dut ies on all foreign goods was aimed at curtailing the fact that its high wage scale needed protection from cheap foreign labor (Erikson Tedin, 2011). The idea that pursuing isolationist alone could jeopardize the interest of USA abroad especially economic interest led to the adoption of internationalist approach. Internationalist approach began with the Warren Harding’s policy on disarmament and foreign policy which was considered necessary. Consequently, internationalist approach was demonstrated by the signing of the four –power pact and the nine-power pact which permitted status quo in the Western pacific and China. Majority of the American population support America’s participation and intervention in foreign affairs, they are against the idea that USA should adopt an isolationist stance. Despite this strong public opinion in favor of USA involvement in foreign matters, majority of them express their dissatisfaction with particular aspects of USA role in int ernational affairs since they consider it destabilizing. Most of the Americans are for the establishment of US military bases in the soil of traditional American allies. Also regarding foreign policy, majority of the Americans are against the hegemonic role of the US and they have modest concerns for the preservation of the role of the US as the main superpower. Concerning the United Nations, a significant population of the United States believes that UN plays a very important role in the globe and they strongly support US participation in the United Nations (Erikson Tedin, 2011). The factors influencing opinion on America’s foreign policy are: the bureaucracy, public opinion, the media, interest groups and political parties. These are the domestic factors. International factors include power, norms and international l institutions. Bureaucrats are the government officials who are charged with the responsibility of formulating government policy and they can also advocate for an amendment of policies, this is an indication that the bureaucracy has the chance to significantly change the foreign policy of America. Public opinion: This is a critical source of opinion on foreign policy. Government officers especially the elected derive their mandate form the voters. Public opinion puts pressure on the government if it is dissatisfied with a particular policy and they can express it through demonstrations or petitioning the government. Public opinion is also significant in lending support to the interest groups and other actors in the society when it seeks to influence government opinion. The media: The media is often considered the link between the public and the government. The media is a fundamental instrument for building support on foreign policy. Media is also important in articulating foreign policy matters and can also set policy agenda. Interest groups: The influence of interest groups has gained momentum in the recent years. They pay attention to t opical issues that are hot and capture the attention of the voters. Since they are in touch with the voters, their affinity to influence voters’ opinion on foreign policies is very high. Political parties: These are particularly the political parties that are represented in parliament, both the one forming the government and the one in opposition. A partisan realignment occurred during the 1930s.What is the composition of today’s electorate? Party identification in USA refers to a situation whereby an individual identifies with a political party of his/her choice and it is determined by analyzing an individual’s support for a particular the opinion and policies of a political party. In the US, individuals identify with one of the two main political parties: the republican and the democratic. In the US, party identification is considered an important aspect of political identity. Realignment is understood as the change in the voting patterns behavior, it is the s witching of voter preference from one party to another. The history of American politics is characterized by strong party system and political realignments on special circumstance. These two factors define the partisan party politics of US. In the period of New Deal, the realignment resulted in the Democratic Party replacing the dominance of the Republican Party in the American politics. This was evident when the democrats won seven presidential elections out of nine elections (Erikson Tedin, 2011). The realignment concerned the new deal on 1930s and it involved a transformation of the new deal from predominantly republican affair to a democrat issue. This transformation was as a result of the great depression in eras of both republican president and a democratic president. Elections that were held during the great depression period was characterized by shift in the American voting patterns since it created a permanent realignment which led to overwhelming vote for Franklin Delano Roosevelt , a democratic candidate. All voters irrespective of race, religion, party affiliation and social status and a coalition of labor unions approved the economic policy of New Deal by Roosevelt and voting him to power for three terms. The realignments during the 1930 brought a new dimension in the party system and party politics of the USA. This realignment was brought about by the Great Depression and it catalyzed the transformation of the democrats from a minority to a majority political party. The realignment was dubbed the New Deal Democratic coalition and it encompassed support from all the working class or labor unions and other minority groups to the already existing democratic followers There were several reasons as to why there were political realignments in the era of New deal. This was due to the shifts in the distribution of the popular vote which was a response to the crisis that was witnessed during the 1930s which had attracted widespread tension and dissatisfa ction. It had little to do with dissatisfaction of the party in government by the electorate. The main purpose was to give any party whether opposing or in government an effective capacity and an opportunity to implementing policies that were considered to be perfect response to crisis. The end result of the realignments was to be considered a response to crisis and also as a reflection of the dissatisfaction that one party was rejected by the voters, it consequently involved the endorsement and an affirmation of the advantaged political party following the elections. Therefore, combination of factors prompted the political realignments: they included shifting in voting patterns, the case of need for policy action and the desire by the people to approve the New Deal as stop gap policy actions. Political and party realignments do not necessary imply that there is a complete and radical shift with the existing tradition of party loyalties but it is only taken to be an emergency or a s top gap measure. On the composition of the American electorate, the low income and the minority segment of the population are isolated from the voting population. This is despite their substantial population and as such, the proportion of the population who are registered to vote and those who have not been registered is skewed in form since those voting are the whites, the wealthy and the educated. American electorate is made up of the whites, the blacks, the Hispanic and the Asian (Erikson Tedin, 2011). Reference Erikson, R. S Tedin, K. L. (2011). American Public Opinion (8th ed.). New York, NY: Pearson Longman.

Book Review The Study Of Human Nature Philosophy Essay

Book Review The Study Of Human Nature Philosophy Essay In The Study of Human Nature by Leslie Stevenson, Stevenson writes about Confucian philosophy, most notably the Confucian philosophers Mencius and Hsun-tzu. In the several extracts from the Book of Mencius, Mencius to oppose the claim that human nature is neither good nor bad, but instead good. While from the Book of Hsun-tzu, Hsun-tzu states the opposite, that humans are naturally evil. Both books include the writings from these philosophers arguing whether human nature is good or evil. In the Book of Mencius, Mencius provides the arguments that show that human nature is indeed good. In the first few selections, Mencius quotes Kao Tzu and then follows to argue against him that human nature is not good or evil. Kao Tzu states that â€Å"human nature is like a chi willow† (23), where changing a human’s morality is like turning willow into cups and bowls. Mencius responds by saying that in order for willow to turn into cups and bowl it must be altered, and then you must also alter a human to make him good. Mencius is stating that the words of Kao Tzu are considering that morality is a mutilation of human nature. In addition, Kao Tzu states that â€Å"human nature is like whirling water†, it will flow whenever there’s an opening with no preference (23). However Mencius retaliates that it may be true that it has no preference but water will always seek low ground. It is water’s nature to flow downward, and thus there must be a nature for man. Hence, there is no man that is evil, because there is no water that does not flow downward (23). This means it is water’s nature to flow downward, and it is also human nature to be good. However you can manipulate water, whereas by splashing it and forcing the change of nature is like saying that humans can be evil, under forced circumstances (24). Mencius view of human nature can be concluded that all humans are naturally good but sometimes under certain conditions would be bad. Menc ius view is further supported on the rest of the sections. In section 6, Mencius again responds to Kao Tzu about the human nature of people. Kao Tzu uses a real-life example dictating the reign of a â€Å"good† and â€Å"bad† king. Mencius answers that all men are capable of being good. Mencius brings up the role of the four hearts: Heart of compassion to benevolence, heart of shame to dutifulness, heart of respect to observance of the rites, and the heart of right and wrong to wisdom (24). These four hearts are possessed by all men, however if they do not seek the hearts they will lose it. Mencius is saying that all men differ in development, as there are men who are â€Å"five times or countless times better than another man† (24) and that is because â€Å"Seek and you will find it; let go and you will lose it.† With that said, Mencius is saying it is not the fault of one’s nature to become bad, instead people who don’t make use of their h earts and follow it would untimely lose the hearts pertaining to doing good.

Final Project for a linguistic class called Introduction to Essay

Final Project for a linguistic class called Introduction to Linguistics - Essay Example In 1889 operators of central telephone exchange were called as hello girls. Hello can be used in a lot of senses; it can be used as a greeting, to answer a telephone, to attract attention, an exclamation of surprise or wonder (e.g., we went to see Eiffel Tower and hello! It was beautiful). We can even use hello as a noun when we say (e.g., it was a cry of hello), basically hello is an interjection expressing some informal greeting. It is also used when we’re questioning something with someone being addressed, (e.g. are you happy with what is going to happen here? Hello!). We can use hello as a noun as well (e.g. I went to meet Alex but he gave me a cold hello), as verb (e.g. I helloed very loudly before someone could take notice of my arrival). Tough the whole world now uses Hello but British people still use hullo. This word â€Å"Dude† is from American vocabulary, it was first used in the year 1883. Dude is used for a male and when using for a female. Two words dudine & dudess are used; however dudine is more popular than dudess. This word is pronounced as â€Å"dood† and it has quite a few meanings, initially it was used in America for those Easterners who move to west and start living there but that meaning is not accurate anymore. Dude in present day is used in quite some other meanings. Dude can be used as slang for friend, chap, mate or a fellow. Other than that dude is also referred to some guy who is very concerned about his dressing as per fashion, another meaning of dude is used for a some man who is staying on a farm but that is also an old meaning of Dude. We also say dude up as slang for dress up (e.g. look at him! All dude up to impress the girls at bar). Some people are of the opinion that dude is derived from another word dud which means a failure or a flop which is the opposite of Dude. This word has a very long history; it was first recorded in 1050 in England. It was first called godsibb which means godparent as in god-sib (sib as

Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 291

Assignment Example In other cases where the survey instruments used are flawed, errors occur. Due to the flaws discussed, the results are normally misguided (Haring, 2008). From the onset, a telephone directory results in a number of biases. In some cases using the directories may lead to picking up respondents (sample) that does not represent the population being surveyed. The directory does not give enough details about the individuals; does not offer enough resource to establish the right sample space and size. Different research studies normally delve in a given set of information that make up the sampling frame based some characteristics. Telephone directory usually does not have the requisite information that can be used to determine the best sampling frame since it does not have all information (Reynolds et al, 2010). With regard to marketing research, measurement is the process of allocating a given number to the characteristics being analyzed in the marketing research survey and is usually based on pre-specified rules. Measurement mean refers to the precise way of measuring a given concept in a market survey. This is usually because, in some cases, there are many ways of measuring a concept hence precision (Haring, 2008). Reynolds, N. L., Simintiras, A. C., & Diamantopoulos, A. (2010). Theoretical justification of sampling choices in international marketing research: Key issues and guidelines for researchers.  Journal of International Business Studies,  34(1),

Cultural Diversity 2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Cultural Diversity 2 - Essay Example (Gay, 2003). There is no one single definition of labeling. It is a form of differentiation through which people try to identify and group people with any similarity they may have. (Diller, 2004). However, labeling never leaves a positive impact on the person being labeled since it a one of the major forms of prejudice and discrimination. (Hudak, Kihn, 2001). Moreover, labeling is judgmental. (Gallozzi, 2009). The people being labeled are judged and evaluated in relation to the specific stigma attached to them and become stereotyped. Labeling usually starts with a description and then turns into a stigma later on. (Gallozzi, 2009). For example, Harry always scores good at his tests so based on this fact, it can be said that Harry is intelligent. Here, â€Å"intelligent† is a description. However, if he keeps on scoring good, many people at his school would start calling him a â€Å"nerd† and would start associating everything with him that are thought to be associated with a nerd. Eventually, even the people who don’t know him and haven’t even talked to him once would start judging him based on other peoples’ judgments and harry would be socially known as a â€Å"nerd† even if he is not. This is a label. (Diller, 2004). The most common way of labeling people is through their personal attributes and habits, nationality, religion, culture, ethnicity, etc. (Hudak, Kihn, 2001). People tend to label those who are different from them. (Gay, 2003). It is a part of human psyche to group things and people together and then regard them as the same in order to prevent mental clutter. (Gallozzi, 2009). They prefer to attach similar characteristics and attributes to the entire group of people and things that they have created in their minds so that they do not have to think about every single member of the group individually. In this act of grouping, people often engage in stereotyping and discrimination and most of all, labeling. (All

Case Study on Land Law Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

On Land Law - Case Study Example It is stated, in this case, that the property is registered; therefore, the relevant legislation is the LRA, although the original concept of overriding interests was established in the Land Registration Act 1925. Under the 1925 Act, certain overriding interests would only continue until the point at which the land is registered. As Shambles has now been registered, the rules relating to third party interests contained in the LRA must be referred to. The first issue to be considered by Lance is that of Porter's ex- partner, Rina, who has been living in the property for a period of at least five years. On the assumption that Shambles became registered to Porter, after 1st October, 2003 and where the LRA is in force, then the rights attached to Rina will be in accordance with the LRA. The overriding interest of actual occupation existed under the 1925 Act in s70(1)(g). Whilst this old right still exists, it is now subject to the new law as contained in the LRA. Essentially, the overriding interest and the right of a third party in actual occupation will exist where there is actual occupation, at the relevant time, by the owner. This is important, in this case, due to the fact that there may be some debate as to whether or not Rina is, in fact, an actual owner, i.e. legally or beneficially entitled to the property. As Rina is an estranged partner of Porter, Rina may have a valid argument that she has an equitable entitlement to at least part of the property. Recent case law has suggested that, where both parties have contributed in some way to the property, even if it is registered in only one person's name, the court will determine the shares of the property to be held by each party, based on the course of dealings between them1. With this in mind, it would be necessary to consider the relationship between Rina and Porter and whether she could legitimately claim an equitable interest in the property (Abbey & Richards, 2007). On the assumption that Rina can show an equitable interest, she would potentially be able to rely on the actual occupation interest as stated in Schedule 3, Para 2 of the LRA. This right would exist, provided it was not an interest under the Settled Land Act 1925, it was not a deliberate failure to disclose the right and the occupation would have been obvious on a reasonably careful inspection of the land in question at the time of the disposition. Under the provisions in the LRA, there is no precise definition of actual occupation; however, case law previously heard under the 1925 Act is thought to be current and relevant under the LRA2. Under the LRA, Rina will only forfeit the overriding status of her interest, if she would have been reasonably expected to declare her right to Lance. As Lance undertook his own conveyancing, it is unlikely that sufficiently detailed questioning was undertaken in relation to any adults in actual occupation. Moreover, in the absence of such questioning, it is therefore highly likely that Rina will not have sacrificed her overriding status, based on failure to disclose reasonably. Furthermore, as Rina lived in the main property and has done so for 5 years, her presences and actual occupation would be reasonably noticeable to anyone who had made an inspection of the property. The facts suggest that Lance did not actually inspect the property, at all, due to his location in London and had he made a reasonable inspection, he would have been aware of Rina's occupation, prior to

New age hip hop vs old school Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

New age hip hop vs old school - Essay Example This is attributed to the fact that what was sung in the earlier year has either been modified to meet the current demands in the market and the consumers. Lack of modification is a clear indication to the singer that he might not attract a large number of consumers but instead a specific one that is characterized by a given age category (Nattiez 49). The youth will prefer to listen to the hip hop music because of the way in which the musicians are dressed and the celebrity cars and houses in which they shoot their videos. It is therefore all about the complex nature and how classy the music appears to be. This may not be the case for the old school listeners whose intention is to listen to the message being communicated through music. They bought the music because of the skills that were being portrayed and the rhyming beats. This is not common among the hip hop listeners who love the wack rhythms and dope beats. Most of the old school songs always have a theme whenever they are being composed and it is easier for the listener to tell what the intention of the singer is. This may not be the case for the hip hop songs which in most cases the intention of the musician is to show off the classy assets they have or are aware of in their country (Hickmann 60). They rarely have a theme when recording and singing an indication that they end up only attracting a smaller and specific age category. Most of their productions are considered to be short term as they are only listened to for a specific period of time whereas those of the old school remain hit songs throughout even after the demise of the singers. Most of the other age categories apart from those of the youth may not easily tell what the intention of the hip hop singer was as some of them aim at hitting back at their fellow hip hop musicians. Music as an entertainment genre is meant to be educative in its own way and it should not only limit itself to a specific age

Cultural Diversity 2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Cultural Diversity 2 - Essay Example (Gay, 2003). There is no one single definition of labeling. It is a form of differentiation through which people try to identify and group people with any similarity they may have. (Diller, 2004). However, labeling never leaves a positive impact on the person being labeled since it a one of the major forms of prejudice and discrimination. (Hudak, Kihn, 2001). Moreover, labeling is judgmental. (Gallozzi, 2009). The people being labeled are judged and evaluated in relation to the specific stigma attached to them and become stereotyped. Labeling usually starts with a description and then turns into a stigma later on. (Gallozzi, 2009). For example, Harry always scores good at his tests so based on this fact, it can be said that Harry is intelligent. Here, â€Å"intelligent† is a description. However, if he keeps on scoring good, many people at his school would start calling him a â€Å"nerd† and would start associating everything with him that are thought to be associated with a nerd. Eventually, even the people who don’t know him and haven’t even talked to him once would start judging him based on other peoples’ judgments and harry would be socially known as a â€Å"nerd† even if he is not. This is a label. (Diller, 2004). The most common way of labeling people is through their personal attributes and habits, nationality, religion, culture, ethnicity, etc. (Hudak, Kihn, 2001). People tend to label those who are different from them. (Gay, 2003). It is a part of human psyche to group things and people together and then regard them as the same in order to prevent mental clutter. (Gallozzi, 2009). They prefer to attach similar characteristics and attributes to the entire group of people and things that they have created in their minds so that they do not have to think about every single member of the group individually. In this act of grouping, people often engage in stereotyping and discrimination and most of all, labeling. (All

New age hip hop vs old school Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

New age hip hop vs old school - Essay Example This is attributed to the fact that what was sung in the earlier year has either been modified to meet the current demands in the market and the consumers. Lack of modification is a clear indication to the singer that he might not attract a large number of consumers but instead a specific one that is characterized by a given age category (Nattiez 49). The youth will prefer to listen to the hip hop music because of the way in which the musicians are dressed and the celebrity cars and houses in which they shoot their videos. It is therefore all about the complex nature and how classy the music appears to be. This may not be the case for the old school listeners whose intention is to listen to the message being communicated through music. They bought the music because of the skills that were being portrayed and the rhyming beats. This is not common among the hip hop listeners who love the wack rhythms and dope beats. Most of the old school songs always have a theme whenever they are being composed and it is easier for the listener to tell what the intention of the singer is. This may not be the case for the hip hop songs which in most cases the intention of the musician is to show off the classy assets they have or are aware of in their country (Hickmann 60). They rarely have a theme when recording and singing an indication that they end up only attracting a smaller and specific age category. Most of their productions are considered to be short term as they are only listened to for a specific period of time whereas those of the old school remain hit songs throughout even after the demise of the singers. Most of the other age categories apart from those of the youth may not easily tell what the intention of the hip hop singer was as some of them aim at hitting back at their fellow hip hop musicians. Music as an entertainment genre is meant to be educative in its own way and it should not only limit itself to a specific age

Managerial Communications Essay Example for Free

Managerial Communications Essay Hynes introduces a calculated approach to managerial communication by dissecting it into three separate, yet mutually dependent functions. Hynes believes that with these approaches, management and employees alike can learn to adapt to one another to create an effective work force. The first layer is based on the idea that an employer and his employees can create a positive work atmosphere with the communication climate they set with one another. If a manager and his employees have an open and trusting relationship, it makes communications much easier for the both of them, regardless of their status. By allowing employees to contribute their thoughts and opinions without the fear of backlash, managers will see better job performance within their workers. Employers can often create an open communication climate through regular team building meetings and workshops. Communication climate also challenges managers to do their part by listening to their employees’ feedback. In order for effective communication to occur, an employee should feel comfortable in their work atmosphere and fully believe that their manager will take their words into deep consideration. Founder and President of Pillar Consulting LLC , Joelle K. Jay, PhD states, â€Å"On a personal level, people feel acknowledged when others validate their feelings. Managers who ignore feelings can create distance between themselves and their employees, eroding the relationship and ultimately affecting the working environment (Jay, â€Å"Communicate Well: Five Strategies To Enhance Your Managerial Communication Skills†). † From that statement, managers must also learn the boundaries within successful communication. In Hynes’ text, he also states that, â€Å"a positive climate is fragile†¦after only one or two critical errors, a positive environment can quickly change to one of distrust and closed communication, making future communication more difficult† (28). Managers must also learn to face the challenges of workers who become too comfortable in their environment. For example, Manager A and his Employee B, may have a friendly and casual relationship—one in which they may feel so comfortable that they talk about their personal and/or family business with one another. This is good in the sense that Employee B learns to trust Manager A and feels he can chat comfortably about his feelings toward his job. Now, if Employee A begins to feel so comfortable that Manager A is finding consistent errors within Employee B’s work, it is only right for Manager A to step in and confront him about the matter. Depending upon the choice of words used by Manager A and how Employee B feels about the situation, it can change the communication climate. One bad meeting can leave Employee B feeling angry with Manager A. He may no longer wish to have such a friendly demeanor towards him in the future. This can cause a strain on their communication with each other in the future. Another way to open a communication climate is through organizational culture. In an age of such advanced technology, many businesses no longer feel the need to speak to a person directly, either face-to-face or over the phone. The use of email has become a strong tool in business as it allows users to speak to each other without having to schedule a set time for both parties to meet only to say a few words. From the previous example, Manager A may be in a business that is highly dependent on email to speak to his employees in order to give clear, direct orders. Employee B may have previously come from an organization where meeting face-to-face was the ideal way to speak to anyone—management or employees alike. If Manager A decided it would be easier to email Employee B of the mistakes that he’s been making, Employee B may take that as a sign of disrespect. Employee B may not understand the tone that Manager A is reflecting in the email, leaving Employee B with the notion that Manager A couldn’t take time out of his schedule to speak with him directly. Their different perspectives of organizational culture could cause their gap in communication to widen tremendously. Organizational culture can help managers to better understand Hynes’ second layer in his approach to strategic communication. As the sender, Manager A’s personal characteristics can greatly affect the way he communicates with his employees. Before speaking with Employee B about his mistakes, Manager A must first reflect on what he will say to Employee B and how he will say it to him. Efficient communication can be the determining factor for communications in the future. While an employee only has to adjust his communication for his manager, a manager will need to find a way to relay his message to each employee in the most comfortable and appropriate manner they deem fit. The manager must constantly adjust this speech for each person that he meets with to ensure a satisfactory outcome. Though employees must mainly focus on how to communicate with management, there are various factors they must also take into consideration. How an employee takes in what an authority figure is saying to them greatly depends on their closeness with management, how they feel about the subject, concern for the subject, their current mindset, and their differences in position. As a receiver, an employee can choose how to accept a message being given to them by their employer. In the previous example between Manager A and Employee B, it was said that Manager A would have to speak with Employee B about the mistakes he’s been making in his work. Since both parties already have a close relationship, Employee B will be more open to hearing what Manager A has to say. Employee B may have had a bad morning and doesn’t want to talk to anyone, let alone hear what Manager A has to say about his errors. By having a platonic relationship with his employee, Manager A is at an advantage because Employee B will respect him for their friendship. Employee B will be more willing to take Manager A’s words into consideration and change his future actions. Managers must also be mindful of the language they use when speaking with their employees. If they are knowingly using jargon that their employee will not understand, communicating properly will be a difficult task. Not all conversations between employers and employees are ones that criticize their work. Before speaking to their employees, whether in a group setting or a one-on-one conference, a manager must first carefully examine the topic. He must verify that the subject matter would be something that is beneficial to the work force, or something that is unnecessary to building the work morale. In Hynes’ third layer, it is learned that in order to measure how successful a communication approach is, managers must also consider how to get their message across to their employees. As stated before, Manager A may want to email Employee B on the subject of his work. Before doing so, Manager A must fully analyze the words he will be saying to Employee B and recognize if the matter is something that may be better said in person. Also, in Employee B’s organizational culture, he may not be acclimated to receiving the critique of his work in writing. By speaking to Employee B personally, Manager A has the chance to show him that he respects him by meeting him face-to-face. To ensure a message is clearly stated to employees, managers must also take the necessary steps to find a comfortable place and time for them to meet. If the place of employment is one that deals with much noise such as a construction site, managers should take his directed employees to a comfortable place away from many outside distractions. Managers must also consider the amount of time it may take to speak to his workers. On a construction site, more time wasted can also lead to more money wasted. Managers must carefully plan their speech in an amount of time that does not interfere with the actual workload. By using these tactics laid out by Geraldine E. Hynes, managers can begin to set up their own communication strategies to ensure future success. Managers can compare and use these strategies as a baseline to communicating efficiently.

Singapore Assessing the impact of the regionalization strategy

Singapore Assessing the impact of the regionalization strategy Has the regionalization strategy succeeded in sustaining Singapores economic competitiveness in Asia for the period from 1995 to 2010? Explain your answer with supporting evidence. The formulation of national strategies to leverage upon global resources for economic development has always been part and parcel of Singapores drive to engender continued economic growth since independence in 1965, based upon the reallocation of economic resources via the Developmental State Model (Evans, 1995). To this end, the Singapore government engaged in foreign direct investment (FDI)-oriented growth models from the 1960s to the 1990s, investing in education, healthcare, and infrastructure to achieve economic growth and enhance the countrys economic competitiveness through the creation of a secure and pro-business environment. (Yeung, 2001) State investment on infrastructure and human capital was also seen as a means of benefiting from developmental effects such as the generation of employment, earning of foreign currency, and transfer of technological or managerial expertise (Chang, 1999). The subsequent onset of globalisation and advances in information and communication technologies (ICT) from the 1980s onwards led to structural changes among the economies of the developed world, necessitating a shift from labour-intensive, low value-added manufacturing towards high-tech, high value-added industries and financial services. At the same time, several governments in the region, including those of Malaysia and Indonesia, sought to liberalise their economies and capitalise on lower average labour, land, and raw material costs in order to attract foreign investors (Tongzon, 1998), emulating the FDI-oriented strategies adopted previously by the economies of Singapore, Taiwan, and Hong Kong. By 1990, rising labour and land costs in Singapore had led many transnational corporations to relocate their lower value-added operations to the regional newly-industrialising economies (NIEs), where overall operating costs were lower by as much as 75%. (Kumar Lee, 1991) The Singapore governments response vis-Ã  -vis this rising competition for capital investment in the industrial and manufacturing sectors was to ensure Singapores continued relevance in the new global marketplace despite her resource constraints and limited domestic market (Singapore Economic Development Board (SEDB), 1995a) by implementing new national strategies for economic development, marking the onset of the regionalisation strategy, aimed at creating an external economy through participation in the dynamic growth opportunities of regional economies in the Asia Pacific. (SEDB, 1995b). This essay aims to demonstrate that the regionalisation strategy has succeeded to a large extent in sustaining Singapores economic competitiveness in Asia for the period from 1995 to 2010, given its central role in facilitating Singapores transition from an export-oriented manufacturing centre to a knowledge-based economy and global business hub in the Asia Pacific, although it should be recognis ed that these regional initiatives do not reduce Singapores external dependence but instead augment her economic vulnerabilities. Regionalisation 2000 To harness external economic space and overcome local supply-side constraints (Regionalisation Forum Proceedings, 1993), the concept of Regionalisation 2000 was introduced in the 1990s to encourage greater investment and business in the Asia Pacific region, rationalised by the liberalisation of foreign investment controls occurring in large Asia Pacific markets such as China, Vietnam, and Indonesia, and by the high growth rates being achieved by these economies. (Okposin, 1999) Explicitly designed to enhance Singapores competitiveness within the regional and global economies (Wong Ng, 1997) given Singapores decreasing comparative advantages in the industrial and manufacturing sector due to its significantly higher labour, land, and raw material costs vis-Ã  -vis the Asian NIEs, Regionalisation 2000 consisted of programmes for creating a knowledge- and service-based economy via four main regional initiatives comprising regional headquartering, regionalisation of local enterprises, r egional investment, and regional industrialisation, with regional investments and regional industrialisation projects constituting the major transnational aspects of Singapores regionalisation drive. According to the Economic Development Board (1995), The strategic intent of the regionalization programme is to build an external economy that is closely linked to and which enhances the domestic economy by participating in the growth of Asia. This programme seeks to form a network of strategic zones in key markets with emphasis on building good linkages between our regional projects and domestic clusters. (SEDB, 1995, p. 8) The regionalisation strategy should therefore be conceptualised as an economic programme explicitly designed to carve out a new economic niche for sustaining Singapores competitiveness and relevance, particularly during a period when its former economic strength in manufacturing was being eroded by rising competition with Asian NIEs and structural changes in the world economy. In this regionalisation drive, as in prior economic development programmes, state intervention and collaboration played an important role, with the governments regional headquartering and regionalisation of local enterprises programmes representing instances of state intervention within national boundaries. Construed as the twin objectives of further internationalizing Singapores indigenous firms and assisting the transnational restructuring and cost-competitive endeavours of hosted foreign TNCs in an adaptive context (xxx), the government aimed to encourage foreign and local enterprises to invest and establish business ventures in the region, using Singapore as a headquarters for high value-added operations such as product development, customer support, and financial services. To this end, the government has invested in institutional infrastructure and the enhancement of local factors of production such as workforce quality (Ho, 2000), offering tax incentives and supporting services in its self-conceived role as stakeholder, facilitator, and partner (Perry Yeoh, 2000) to strengthen the competitive advantages of transnational corporations and domestic enterprises in their outward expansion into the region. To complement regional headquartering and the regionalisation of local enterprises, regional investment and regional industrialisation programmes were introduced to further facilitate Singapores embrace of economic globalisation through investment-driven economic growth (Porter, xxx) and economic restructuring through the relocation of local low value-added industries to Singapore-managed industrial parks in the region. Noting how some transnational corporations had been reluctant to relocate operations from Singapores secure business environment to the emerging NIEs due to a scarcity of high-quality industrial infrastructure and management (Kumar Lee, 1991), the Singapore government sought to build and manage industrial parks across Asia at locations such as Batam in Indonesia, Suzhou and Wuxi in China, at Bangalore in India, and in Thailand and Vietnam, combining Singapores expertise in industrial development with the low cost of regional land, labour, and raw materials, whilst ma ximising the use of savings and state revenue through investment in regional investments to further profit from the economic growth in Asia. Serving as interesting examples of government intervention outside of national boundaries, given their transnational nature, the governments intention to export Singapores expertise in industrial infrastructure development across the region (Perry, 1995) is therefore implicit in the regionalisation strategy, promoting regional economic linkages and the concept of Singapore Incorporated based upon close cooperation between the Singapore government and a wide range of Singapore business entities. Has the regionalization strategy succeeded in sustaining Singapores economic competitiveness in Asia for the period from 1995 to 2010? Explain your answer with supporting evidence. Regionalisation 2000- A Success? According to the Singapore Department of Statistics (2011), the first 15 years of the regionalisation drives implementation from 1995 to 2010 was characterised by overall strong GDP growth, from S$124,581.8m in 1995 to S$284,560.7m in 2010, with Singapore registering double-digit growth in 2010 from the previous year. Negative economic growth, however, occurred in the years 1998, 2001, and 2009, following poor regional or global economic performance, and this is attributable to Singapores vulnerabilities and dependence on external economies for economic growth. In terms of real economic growth, the states economic transition into a knowledge-based economy is evident from Figure 1, given the overall decreasing percentage share of manufacturing in GDP from the years 2000 to 2010, whilst business and financial services together account for approximately 22 percent of GDP as of 2010, on par with the percentage share held by manufacturing alone. FDI in Singapore has grown from strength to strength, pointing to a successful sustenance of foreign investment inflows by the governments regional headquartering strategies aimed at attracting high value-added industries and investment to enhance Singapores niche as a global business hub in the Asia Pacific. From 1995 to 2005, FDI in Singapore more than tripled from S$93b to S$311b, representing an average growth of 13% per annum, with FDI in professional, technical, administrative, and support services gaining importance and increasing from 1.7% to 3.1%. (Singapore Department of Statistics (SingStat), 2007). Europe, Asia, and North America constituted important sources of FDI, accounting for up to 82% of the total, with Asian FDI more than doubling from S$31b to S$74b (SingStat, 2007). Of this FDI, 87% was concentrated in diversified sectors such as financial and insurance services, high value-added manufacturing of pharmaceuticals, electronics, and petrochemicals, wholesale and retail trade, and hotels and restaurants, reflecting Singapores attractiveness to foreign investors as a business hub (SingStat, 2007). It can be surmised, therefore, that Regionalisation 2000 has succeeded in this regard, ensuring Singapores transformation into a regional business hub in the global market, sustaining its economic competitiveness in Asia through the creation of new economic niches in product development, customer support, and financial services for foreign and local enterprises. The other transnational aspect of Singapores regionalisation programme has, however, proved less successful. Direct investment abroad by Singapore has not managed to exceed levels of FDI in Singapore itself (Figure 3), indicating that the regional headquartering programme along with FDI were responsible to a large extent for Singapores economic growth over the past 15 years. The onset of the Asian Financial Crisis in 1998, in particular, significantly negated the regional industrialisation, regionalisation of local enterprises, and regional investment programmes, causing many projects to suffer financial loss due to a severe contraction in demand for industrial products from both consumers and producers in the region. (Henderson, 1999) Still, despite no actual reports of the regional industrialisation programme being profitable (xxx), and the absence of verifiable information on Singapores investment performance by Temasek Holdings and GIC in the long period spanning 1995 to 2010, it can be argued that the regional industrialisation programme was designed to supplement the domestic economy in the long run, since infrastructural projects require large initial investments of capital resources. The regional industrialisation programme brought about positive economic benefits, not least for those companies which relocated their lower value-added operations to the regional industrial parks, facilitating Singapores shift towards a higher-tech and higher value-added economy. In the case of the Batam Industrial Park, most of the enterprises that chose to occupy these it generally established additional units instead of shifting all operations overseas, and also tended to upgrade the remainder of their operations in Singapore (Kumar Lee, 1991) Furthermore, investors located in Singapore-developed industrial parks were reported to be highly satisfied with the operation and management of these industrial parks, especially in terms of cost savings (Kumar Lee, 1991). The regional industrialisation and regionalisation of local enterprises programmes thus served as strategic outlets for transnational and local corporations to reduce operating costs and improve profit margins, sustain ing Singapores economic competitiveness and relevance in the region to a large extent despite the limits of state intervention in transnational business environments. Instead of focusing solely on profits generated, a long-term view of Singapore Inc. indicates that it is built upon strong business fundamentals, as exemplified by the sound infrastructure and superior administration of the regional industrial parks. These offer the potential of future profits for the Singapore government in times of strong manufacturing demand for industrial products, having proven its feasibility based on the high take-up rate of industrial space in Singapore-developed industrial parks prior to the crisis, and growing demand for industrial units after 1999 (xxx). Evaluating Regionalisation 2000- A Success to a Large Extent Singapores regionalisation drive has therefore exposed her external dependence and vulnerabilities with regards to the external economic environment, which most negatively affected the regionalisation programme, rather than failings in the strategy itself. In contrast to the domestic success of the regional headquartering programmes in attracting FDI to Singapore, the experience of Singapores regionalisation strategy overseas has shown that the achievement of national competitiveness in the global economy cannot be brought about by the states policies and support alone, with the external environment and availability of global opportunities playing an equally important role, given the states limitations in economic, political, and social resources, and factors beyond its control in the regional economy and investor confidence. The Suzhou Industrial Park, in particular, has often been alluded to as an example of a foreign venture gone wrong, with the Singapore government divesting its ownership and management of the Park to the Suzhou municipal authorities. Much media attention has also been devoted to the financial losses incurred by Temasek Holdings in foreign investments and acquisitions, and these notable examples further demonstrate that the success of Singapores regionalisation drive does depend to a large extent on international economic cycles. The regionalisation strategy, though, has succeeded to a large extent in sustaining Singapores economic competitiveness in Asia for the years 1995 to 2010, mainly due to its success in ensuring Singapores continued relevance in the global economy by exploiting new economic niches. The overseas regionalisation initiatives hold the promise of success given their strong fundamentals, and possess potential for much greater returns, if not much greater risks, and are instrumental in Singapores embrace of economic globalisation if she desires not to be out-competed by NIEs in the region. Indeed, the main thrust of Singapores economic development since independence has been to thrive in change, and the overall success of the regionalisation programme is reflected in Singapores been ranked the worlds easiest place to do business. Singapore, too, is ranked among the top few when it comes to cities with best investment potential, foreign trade and investment, business legislation and efficiency, quality of human capital, and minimal corruption. (SEDB, 2011) To further sustain and improve its regional economic competitiveness in the years ahead would require Singapore to further improve its attractiveness to foreign FDI, given its success so far, particularly in the services sector, which is still relatively underdeveloped, and regional tourism, which is also seeing success since the opening of the two Integrated Resorts, with overall visitor numbers to Singapore increasing and reaching a peak of approximately 11m in 2010 (SingStats, 2011), indicating its potential. The years from 1995 to 2010 have also afforded the government extensive opportunities to adapt and modify its transnational investment strategies for maximal success in differing socio-political environments, allowing future success. Conclusion Singapore has, over the years, proven itself capable of mobilising economic, social, and political resources to create economic space, despite its resource constraints and small domestic market. Through regionalisation, it has managed to tap into the lower land, labour, and raw material costs of neighbouring NIEs in the region, ensuring its economic dominance through export of the Singapore Inc. concept throughout Asia and the world, making Singapore a top choice for transnational and local enterprises to do business today. The regionalisation strategy has therefore succeeded to a large extent in sustaining Singapores regional economic competitiveness since its onset, despite the cultural and political complexities of external economies diminishing the efficiency and commercial viability of overseas ventures in tandem with the uncontrolled external environment. These difficulties, however, are outweighed by the potential successes these ventures can bring if the Singapore government manages to learn from its errors, successfully creating an external economy which serves as a launching pad for Singapore into the global economy.

Man and Nature in Norman Macleans book, Young Men and Fire Essay

Man and Nature in Norman Maclean's book, Young Men and Fire Norman Maclean's book, Young Men and Fire, recreates the tragedy of the Mann Gulch fire. His ambition to have this lamentable episode of history reach out and touch his readers triumphs in extolling the honor and respect deserved by the thirteen smoke jumpers who died. This book is a splendid tribute to the courageous efforts of such men, as well as a landmark, reminding mankind to heed the unpredictable behavior and raw power of nature. Deep in the midst of the Mann Gulch valley in Montana, above the densely wooded forest and below the towering precipices lies the fast-burning cheat grass, home to twelve of the thirteen dead smoke jumpers. The smoke jumpers were an elite group of the United States Forest Service's firefighters compiled in 1940, and their mission was to parachute from the open sky down unto the fires to extinguish them before they became too large. Triggered during a lightning storm the previous day, the Mann Gulch fire didn't pose a threat until the afternoon of August 5, 1949, when the thermostat reached its summertime peak and the various crosswinds from the three surrounding rivers began to whirl and swell up the fire. Before the big "blowup" occurred, the smoke jumper crew was dropped down unto the fire led by their foreman Wag Dodge to quench the fire's thirst. The recapitulation of events which Maclean embarks the reader on traces the perseverance, endurance, and fortitude of the crew as they raced for life against the ever-raging wall of fire roaring behind them. Maclean utilizes various fragments of factual interviews, personal observation, theoretical fire science, and his own distinct exploration to compose this "factual fabricati... ... its ashes, and as the biblical phrase goes, "ashes to ashes, dust to dust" Dodge literally was resurrected from a certain death. Maclean wanted to know so much, each detail, in order to reconstruct the tragedy. It is remarkable how his determination to "tell this story" sustained him over the fourteen years he devoted to this project. Maclean writes like a true master. His story creates its own rhythm, and the reader is captivated by his masterful storytelling. He retells the same strain of thoughts, with slight variations on his theme, much like the repetitiveness of a musical composer's refrain. Maclean's "Young Men and Fire" makes the reader vicariously experience the inexplicable pain and suffering of the crew and relatives. In this respect, Maclean has forever engraved this misfortune into my mind, and through this magnificent tale, the dead live on. Â  

Movie: Disaster At Hillsborough :: essays research papers

Movie: Disaster at Hillsborough Summary The movie "Disaster at Hillsborough" showed the complexity of a stampede. From the build-up of people outside the gate, to the disaster that ended in the death of 95 people. The film started out outside the stadium where 95 people died at a soccer game. The stadium was not equipped for the masses of people to show up all at the same place at the same time. According to the officer interviewed there was no plan in case of an emergency and no problems anticipated. The atmosphere outside the gates was pleasant and people were looking forward to a good game. The stampede started when the people in the rear realized that the game was to start before they were going to get in. The stampede could possibly been averted if the kickoff were delayed but the man "in charge" refused to delay. Just as at the "Who" concert the people in the rear of the line were in an acquisitive panic to get into the stadium. This pressure was recognized by the police in the front of the line and due to poor communication nothing could be done to stop it. A large gate "gate C" was finally opened to let off the pressure in front. This is when the true disaster occurred. People funneled straight onto the already full pens and created the stampede which killed the 95 people. People in the rear were in an acquisitive panic and the people in the front who were getting crushed were in a fearful panic. The emergency gates would open but the police, not realizing the situation, kept people in and closed the gates. Critique This example could not be anymore perfect to show a stampede and panic. All four components were met. (1) Partial entrapment; the reality is complete entrapment. As at the Who concert the only avenue of escape was blocked by the police. (2) Perceived threat; this comes from both ends of the panic. The people at the rear were threatened by the fact that they would miss the kickoff of the game or even not be able to get into the game. The people at the front were facing the threat of being crushed. (3) The partial breakdown of escape routs is obvious from the front. The gates to get out were blocked by the police and there was a high fence blocking everyone on all sides except the tunnel which was blocked by people trying to get into the pens. (4) Front to rear communications breakdown occurred when the people at the fence realized the

Free Primary Education in Kenya Essay

Acknowledgement I acknowledge my God for provision of good health, sound mind and in tender caring. I also express the same to my lecturer Mr. Malel for his diligent and industrious work he did to me in the process of writing up the project. I also acknowledge the contributions of my colleagues and my family for the patience and encouragement that they have given me since I begun the project. I also acknowledge the free access to the Kenya National Library Service in Kericho. Dedication I dedicate this report to my Almighty Father for His countless Mercies and Eternal Providence. I also dedicate it to my family, my parents and my children. Abstract The study investigated the statistical relationship between the introduction of FPE and the enrolment of kids in ECD centers. The paper begins by assessing the changes in enrolment prior and after the introduction of FPE in 2002. It then delves into the question of why this happens. The covered Mogogosiek Zone although the findings is relevant for the whole country. The researcher sampled six schools as the sample to represent twenty schools in the zone. The random sample technique was used since all schools are homogeneous. The researcher used questionnaires and observation to collect data in the field. The project is useful for the stakeholders in the ECD sector ranging from school heads to government administrators involved with ECD work. Table of Contents DECLARATION BY CANDIDATEii DECLARATION BY THE SUPERVISORii Acknowledgementiii Dedicationiv Abstractv Abbreviations and Acronymsviii CHAPTER ONE1 Introduction1 1. 1Background of the Problem1 1. 2 Statement of the Problem3 1. 3Objectives of the Study4 1. 4 Purpose of the Study5 1. 5 Justification of the Project6 1. 6 Significance of the Study7 1. 7 Limitations8 1. 8 Delimitations9 CHAPTER TWO10 Literature Review10 2. 1 The effects of the introduction of FPE on enrollment10 2. 2 Factors that have led to low enrolment as a result of introduction of FPE in Kenya13 2. 3 Impact of FPE on enrolment in ECDs16 CHAPTER THREE18 Methodology18 3. 1 Research Design18 3. 2 Location of the Study19 3. 3 Target Population20 3. 4 Sample Population21 3. 5 Sampling Method22 3. 6 Research Instruments23 CHAPTER FOUR24 Data Representation24 4. 1 The Extent to Which ECD Enrolment Declined as a Result Of Introduction of Fpe in the ten Sampled Institutions24. 4. 2 Reasons for the Decline Of ECD Enrolment as a Result Of Introduction Of FPE26 4. 3 Impact of FPE on ECD Enrolment per Economic Class27 CHAPTER FIVE28 Conclusions28 5. 1 The Relationship between the Introduction of FPE and Enrolment in ECDS Attached to Public Primary schools28 5. 2 The Effects of Introduction of FPE on Enrolment in ECDS in Private Primary Schools28 5. 3 Causes for the Low Enrolment of Pupils in Public Primary School ECDS as A Result of Introduction Of FPE. 28 5. 4 Effects of Introduction of FPES on ECD per Economic Class29 APPENDIX A30 QUESTIONNAIRE FOR ECD TEACHERS30. APPENDIX B35 BIBLIOGRAPHY35 APPENDIX C36 Work Schedule36 APPENDIX D37 Budget37 APPENDIX D38 Introduction letter38 Abbreviations and Acronyms ECD = Early Childhood Development ECDE = Early Childhood Development and Education. MDG = Millennium Development Goals. UN = United Nations FPE = Free Primary Education. GER=Gross Enrolment Rate is calculated by dividing the number of children of whatever age enrolled in preschool by the estimated number of 3-5 year olds. UNESCO= United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural organization. OECD=Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. MOEST=Ministry of Education, Science and Technology CHAPTER ONE Introduction This chapter introduces the research topic. It begins with an introduction followed by a statement of the problem and finally the purpose of the study. 1. 1Background of the Problem As part of his campaign manifesto, President Kibaki introduced the Free Primary Education program in Primary schools. The program was meant to lead to high enrollment of pupils in both primary school and ECD centers in Kenya. The natural corollary was that the ECD enrollment would rise as a result of the introduction of FPE. However, statistics show the contrary. The rate of enrolment in ECD centers has reduced following the introduction of FPE. This shows a negative correlation between enrolment and FPE. This project sought to establish the fact that indeed enrollment in FPE has declined since the introduction of FPE in schools. Paper also sought to give reasons why the rate of enrolment in ECD bears a negative correlation with the FPE funding. This has been a surprise finding given that the aim of the government is to develop education in Kenya holistically. The project also assessed the likely statistical relationship between enrolment in primary and ECD It showed that . the higher the enrolment rate in primary school the lower the enrolment in ECD. This project sought to give reasons for that relationship and provide for suggestions on how the problem can be solved. 1. 2 Statement of the Problem The problem was to study the effects that FPE has had on enrollment in ECDCs. The project also studied the causes of the negative relationship between FPE funding and low enrollment in ECDCs. The problem is that due to the introduction of FPE, pupils have been joining class one without going through the ECD classes. This is a worrying trend as it suggests a low level of preparedness of the pupils in lower primary school. It also points to the need to consider ECD in public funding 1. 3Objectives of the Study The project studied the following objectives: [a] To establish the effect of the introduction of FPE on enrolment in ECDS attached to public primary schools. [b]To establish the effects of the introduction of FPE on enrolment of pupils in ECDS attached to private primary schools. [c] To determine the extent to which enrollment in ECDCs have declined in Mogogosiek zone as a result of the introduction of FPE. [d] To determine the effects of introduction of FPEs on enrolment in ECDS per economic class. 1. 4 Purpose of the Study The purpose of the study was to determine the effects of the introduction of Free Primary Education on enrolment in ECDs in primary schools in Kenya. 1. 5 Justification of the Project This project is justified on the following grounds. First, little attempt has been made to determine the relationship between the introduction of FPE nationally and enrollment of pupils in ECDs locally. There is also need to determine the causes of the decline in enrolment in ECDs as a result of introduction of FPE. The decline has mostly affected the poor who consist of the most vulnerable group. That the introduction of FPE has negatively affected the poor in terms of taking their children to the ECD has great implications to fighting poverty in the country. It shows that the children of the poor have poor foundation and will most likely perform poorly later in life thereby widening the poverty gap wider still 1. 6 Significance of the Study This study is important because of a number of reasons. First, the government must know the impacts of its funding primary schools or other institutions. The FPE is an integrated development program and it should lead to a holistic development of the education sector in general and not a lopsided development of the country. Secondly, the government will get information on the level of foundational education in rural areas and design effective policies that will aid the state in ensuring high standards of education in ECD and ensure effective transition from ECD to primary school. Thirdly, there is an ongoing pressure on the government to fund the ECD sector in Kenya. This paper is meant to ensure that this goal is attained. Lastly, educational practitioners particularly ECD teachers and administrators will be reminded of the need to ensure a high level of enrolment in ECDs and effective transition to primary schools 1. 7 Limitations During the study, the researchers were limited by the following factors. First and foremost, rural ECD managers were not willing to talk about the low enrolment in ECD centers. They feared that releasing the information would lead to negative publicity. Secondly, most residents were not very open to give information on where their children were learning to outsiders. Thirdly, the county is very large and expansive. It was not very easy for the researchers to travel from one location to another due to poor and rugged terrain. Fourth, most residents have just recovered from the post electoral violence that affected most of the Republic. They are very suspicious of new comers and more so even residents asking questions. They easily take such gestures as police investigations. Fifth, though not least, the researcher was affected by lack of enough funds to carry out an in depth analysis covering the entire zone. Even if funds were availed, there was still the need for more time to carry out the work. The researchers were affected by lack of sufficient time since they are full time teachers who need time to run their institutions apart from conducting research work. The project was also be affected by low literacy rate since most parents are not literate enough to interpret and respond to questionnaires. 1. 8 Delimitations The delimiting factor is that the researchers come from the study location and are highly familiar with the area. Secondly, the researchers being ECD and Primary teachers, have long and extensive experience and contact with ECD and primary school children. They are also conversant the running of ECD centers in the country. Thirdly, the researchers used written questionnaires distributed to schools. This minimized the time needed to move from one institution to another and effectively reduce the time needed to talk with an interviewee. CHAPTER TWO Literature Review 2. 1 The effects of the introduction of FPE on enrollment Many studies have been conducted to ascertain the actual effect of FPE on ECD enrolment. Most of the studies have been conducted by International development Agencies such as USAID and DANIDA. The most comprehensive overview, however, are the studies conducted by UNESCO and approved by the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology. A UNESCO Policy Review Report, UNESCO/OECD Early Childhood Policy Review Project, 2005, hereafter to be referred simply to as the UNESCO report 2005, reports that, ‘A 1969 survey counted about 200,000 children enrolled in 4800 ECD centers with about 5,000 teachers. The number of ECD Centers and teachers have been growing steadily and, after a stalled increase of only 15% between 1993 and 2000, the enrolment ratio leaped by 50% over the next three years. The current (2001/02) GER in preschool is officially 35%, although the Government’s own statistics appear to show a GER of 48% in 1998, falling to 41% in 2002. † Such a report shows a decline in GER in ECD. The year in which the FPE was introduced is 2002. Therefore, changes occurring between 2001 and 2002 truly indicate effects of FPE on enrolment. A UNESCO Policy brief on Early Childhood entitled the Impacts of Free Primary Education on Early Childhood Development in Kenya, Jan. to Feb. 2006, by Yoshie Kaga, claims that the overall effect of FPE has been the reduction of enrollment in ECD. Here is an excerpt from the report, â€Å"Studies have been conducted to assess the effects of FPE on ECD centers. Some report on negative effects, while others note no major draw backs. While the overall impact of the policy is yet to be determined, the UNESCO/OECD Early Childhood Policy Review Mission, which took place in September 2004, observed that the policy did have a negative impact of FPE on ECD in Kenya and outline two major options that may mitigate possible negative impact. † EFA Global Monitoring report, 2005, UNESCO Publishing reports that the gross enrollment rate for the age group 3 to 5 was 44. 4% in 2001. However, the theory that enrollment rates declined as a result of the introduction of FPEs is not automatically to be accepted. Some reports indicate that the GER increased as a result of the introduction of FPE. The UNESCO/OECD Report, 2005, reports in item number 3. 4. 1, â€Å"The Background Report of Kenya shows that, while enrollment increased substantially from 1,076,606 to 1,281,846 between 1998 and 2002. A closer look at the figures, however, suggests two rather disturbing trends. First, GER’s in preschool have clearly declined since 1998 from 48% to 41%, and the major overall decline took place between 1998 and 1999 before the FPE option arose. In fact, a small increase occurred from 2002 to 2003, after FPE was introduced in January 2003. Second, while he 1998 GER was about the same for boys and girls, a gap of about 4% in favor of boys opened up in 2001 and grew to 6% in 2002. â€Å" The figures in the above report are not the same as other documents. According to the Quantitative Study of the Early Childhood Development Project : Final report to MOEST statistics, the 2002 figure is 1,416,048 and not 1,281,846. These dissenting views and conflicting figures show that the inverse relationship between FPE and ECD needs to be verified by qualified actuarial review. The extent of the relationship may need other factors to explain other than the factors stated above. 2. 2 Factors that have led to low enrolment as a result of introduction of FPE in Kenya Many workers have tried to give reasons for the decline in ECD enrolment as a result of the introduction of FPE. However, these are not in the form of complex scientific theories. The UNESCO Policy Brief on Early Childhood is one such document. It explains the phenomenon in the following terms, â€Å"The main reason for this phenomenon is that since the implementation of FPE, poor parents are choosing to withdraw their children from ECD centers and/or keep them at home until they reach the age of primary school entry. They refuse to pay the fees for ECD on the grounds that ECD, lie primary education, should be free. † However, this assertion needs to be corroborated by more extensive scientific studies on the causes of the inverse relationship. Economic theories may help to describe the situation better. According to Ricardian analysis, low cost items such as table salt are already sold cheaply and are therefore associated with poor sections of the population. If the price of salt, for example is reduced further, it becomes too cheap and the buyers may shift for more costly brand of salt. This theory seems to hold true for the ECDs in rural areas of Kenya. They are considered very cheap. Due to government subsidy, the parents may actually feel that the quality of primary education in public primary schools will decline. They see children who have been idle at home, such as street children being brought to school. This makes them to hate public school education and instead opt for the costly private schools. As a basic strategy, they decide to enrol their children in private ECDs with the reasoning that by the time the child enters primary school, he or she will have laid a strong foundation in ECDE. The UNESCO/OECD Report in section 3. 3. 5. Reports that, â€Å"Meanwhile, an assessment study of FPE on ECD carried out jointly by the MOEST and UNESCO in February 2004 found that ECD programmes had almost collapsed because children’s enrolment had decreased after the introduction of FPE. The study found that parents opted to send their children straight to standard one, which became free, without having them go through ECD, which was still fees paying. Moreover, Standard one teacher reported that children who skipped ECD had difficulty coping with lessons in primary school and poorly performed. † Section 3. 3. 4 reports that, â€Å"The Review Team found widespread anecdotal evidence of drops in enrolment at ECD centres, especially in poor provinces such as North Eastern†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ many parents have by passed ECD altogether ; many others send their children only to pre-unit class of ECD to prepare them for primary school. In some areas, parents are keeping their children at home until they reach the age of 6 entitling them to free education. † Yet other factors have been suggested by the UNESCO Policy Briefs on ECD. Calling it the unintended consequence on ECD, the report went on to report that, â€Å"ECD classrooms set up on the premises of public primary schools have been shut down in order to accommodate the surge of enrolment in primary schools sparked by FPE. In some cases, ECD children and teachers must put up with reduced space; in others, they have been moved to the worst classrooms in the premises. At the district level, inspection and supervision of ECD centres some of which is carried out by the district based Zonal Inspector of schools, have reportedly become less frequent. † The UNESCO/OECD report presents a critique of the situation thus: ‘Despite these observations, the impact of FPE on ECD is still subject to dispute. For example, it is unclear whether FPE has been the main cause of falling ECD enrolments, given the evidence that the decline may well have begun well before the introduction of the policy. Also, it is yet to be determined how many of the unprepared pupils newly flowing into standard one would have gone to ECD centres if FPE had not been in place. The influx could simply be explained by a rising enrolment of at risk children who would not have been able to afford primary education when it was fee paying, let alone ECD centres. 2. 3 Impact of FPE on enrolment in ECDs There is an indication that poverty may be a great factor determining patterns of enrolment in ECDs. The UNESCO/OECD Report 2005, reports in section 3. 3. 8. Suggest that there is no direct relationship between FPE and ECD. Otherwise, such relationship could exist between FPE and other factors that mitigate leading to low enrolment. The paper points at poverty as one of the factors that lead to low enrolment as a result of the introduction of FPE. Section 3. 4. 3 on inequalities in the same report shows that, â€Å"There are obvious geographical inequalities. In Nairobi, for instance, far more children are likely to be enrolled in ECD than in other provinces with similar poverty levels. Meanwhile, North Eastern Province has the highest poverty level and the lowest enrolment rates. There are also gender disparities. In Nairobi, girls are more likely to be enrolled whereas in North Eastern province, the reverse is observed. ‘The report claims that the poor are generally not able to access ECD services. â€Å"Even within Nairobi, middle and upper class children benefit most from preschool experiences. Overall, those lacking access to preschool services tend to be children from disadvantages communities such as semi arid and arid areas and urban slums. This observation is reinforced by the findings of the Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey. (UNICEF/Government Survey, 2000) showing that 29. 5% of children whose mothers had secondary education were enrolled in some form of ECD compared to 10. 7% of those whose mothers had only completed primary school and 12. 4% of 2002 of those whose mothers had no schooling. There is also a clear association between GERs in 1998 and 2002 and the absolute poverty index (1997) at the district level, with eight of the ten correlations being negative and statistically significant though not very large. ’ The table below was meant to encapsulate the correlation between poverty index and Ger at district level. If these reports are anything to go by, the researcher expects to find the decline in ECD enrolment to affect mainly the public ECD centres as opposed to the private ECD units. | 1998| 1999| 2000| 2001| 2002| Boys| -0. 355| -0. 252| +0. 145| -0. 096| -0. 271| Girls| +0. 007| -0. 287| -0. 272| -0. 048| -0. 290| Correlations between poverty index (1997) and GERs at District Level Ref: Kenya Human development report (2001). UNDP/Background Report of Kenya for the UNESCO/OECD Early Childhood Policy Review Project (2005). MOEST , Govt of Kenya. Statistically significant p is less than 0. 05. The researcher will therefore study the impacts of socio economic status on enrolment in ECD centres. CHAPTER THREE Methodology 3. 1 Research Design The researcher adopted the diagnostic research design. According to Kothari, diagnostic research studies are necessary to establish causality and causal nexus of two or three phenomena. The diagnostic research design was be inevitable as the researcher was needed to establish causality among variables: school enrolment and enrolment. 3. 2 Location of the Study. The study was carried out in Konoin District, Mogogosiek Zone. It targeted three schoo 3. 3 Target Population The study targeted ECD children, ECD teachers and primary school Head Teachers in Early Childhood Development centres. 3. 4 Sample Population The study sampled ten schools from a total of twenty two in Mogogosiek Zone, Konoin District, Bomet County. 3. 5 Sampling Method The researcher used simple stratified sampling. The listed schools were classified as boarding and day schools. Two schools were picked from private and three schools will be picked from day public schools category. The proportion was used since there are only 1 out of 5 boarding schools in the zone 3. 6 Research Instruments The researcher used questionnaires and study schedules as the basic research instruments. The questionnaires will be designed and tested on a school that is not part of the samples. The test will enable the researchers to determine the efficacy of the questionnaire. The researcher then wrote to the heads of the sampled schools seeking permission to conduct research in their institutions. The researcher sampled three schools representing all types of primary schools in the study locale. CHAPTER FOUR Data Representation 4. 1 The Extent to Which ECD Enrolment Declined as a Result Of Introduction of Fpe in the ten Sampled Institutions The researcher studied the data from ten schools relating to the rate of enrolment just before and after the introduction of FPE. The results were as under: SCHOOL| ECD ENROLMENT IN 2000| ECD ENRLMENT IN 2001| ECD ENROLMENT IN 2002| ECD ENROLMENT IN 2003| 1| 51| 50| 53| 43| 2| 48| 47| 53| 44| 3| 67| 69| 71| 58| A| 41| 43| 44| 61| B| 47| 52| 51| 58| The graph below depicts these data. The results show that there was a general trend for the enrolment in ECD in public primary schools to decline in the year following the introduction of FPE in 2002. There was increase of the number of pupils enrolling in ECDs manned by private schools following the introduction of FPE. 4. 2 Reasons for the Decline Of ECD Enrolment as a Result Of Introduction Of FPE The researcher sought to establish the causes of declined enrolment in public ECDs following the introduction of FPE in 2002. The following responses were established. REASON GIVEN| % OF RESPONDENTS| | Fear of low quality due to high enrolment in class| 44%| | Fear of poor foundation in public ECDs| 23%| | Need to give children good ECD foundation before joining private ECDs| 76%| | Decline in the status of public ECDs| 39%| | Demand for free education in class one | 17%| | These data show that most parents preferred private school ECDs to public school ECDs due to the reasons above: fear that the free primary education would lead to high enrolment hence low quality of education; the fear that the public school ECDs were not preparing pupils adequately for primary  school education; need to children good ECD foundation and the decline of the status of public school ECD. This was aggravated by the introduction of street boys enrolling in public primary schools. 17% wished to get free education in class one hence skips the ECD class in order to achieve this. 4. 3 Impact of FPE on ECD Enrolment per Economic Class The researcher sought to establish the effects that the introduction of FPE has led to decreased enrolment in ECD by economic class. She studied the composition of ten pupils in each sampled school to determine their economic class. It is found that most of the high class parents of course send their children to schools A to D. However, the following statistics relate to the composition of the pupils in the ECDs attached to public primary schools. The parents were classified as either poor [earning less than 3000 per month] or average [earning between 3001 and 6000] per month. The statistics below show the effect that the introduction of FPE affected the composition of pupils enrolling in public school ECDs. SCHOOL| POOR| AVERAGE| LOWER MIDDLE| 1| 88%| 8%| 4%| 2| 78%| 9%| 13%| 3| 91%| 5%| 4%| CHAPTER FIVE. Conclusions 5. 1 The Relationship between the Introduction of FPE and Enrolment in ECDS Attached to Public Primary schools The study established that there is a negative relationship between the introduction of FPE and the enrolment in ECD centres in ECDs attached to public primary schools. The introduction of FPE led to reduced enrolment in primary schools in these schools. 5. 2 The Effects of Introduction of FPE on Enrolment in ECDS in Private Primary Schools The study established that the introduction of FPE in 2002 led to increased enrolment in ECDS in private primary school 5. 3 Causes for the Low Enrolment of Pupils in Public Primary School ECDS as A Result of Introduction Of FPE. The study established that the introduction of FPEs led to low enrolment in ECDS in public primary schools due to the following reasons: First, most parents feared that the admission of many pupils in primary schools will lead to low quality of education. They therefore sought to enrol their children in private institutions to escape from the low quality education to be experienced in public primary schools. Secondly, the parents associated the introduction of FPE in public primary schools to low prestige. The poor class could now take their children to school. This was not possible before. Those in the average class sought to take their children to better schools in order to maintain their status ahead of the poor class. Thirdly, the introduction of free education in primary school led to the poor class parents taking their children direct to class one in order to escape the fees paid in ECD and directly benefit from the FPE program 5. 4 Effects of Introduction of FPES on ECD per Economic Class. The introduction of FPE led to decline in the number of the children of the economically poor members of the community as compared to the middle class and the rich who continued to take their children to private school ECDs. APPENDIX A Questionnaire for ECD Teachers This questionnaire is part of a research project carried out by the researcher in partial fulfilment for award of the Diploma in ECD. The information obtained will be used for academic purposes only and will not be divulged to third parties. PART ONE General Information 1. Number of Years You have worked in the station:____________________ Current position held:_______________ 2. Kindly give the pupils enrolment in your class by filling the form below: YEAR| BOYS| GIRLS| TOTAL| STREAMS| 2002| | | | | 2003| | | | | 2004| | | | | 2005| | | | | 2006| | | | | 2007| | | | | 2008| | | | | 2009| | | | | 2010| | | | | 2011| | | | | 3. Who pays for your wages? Parents NGO County Council 4. Who collects the fees? Heat Teacher Pre-School Teacher 5. How is the fee collected if parents fail to pay? Sending pupils Teachers visiting parents 6. How are you paid your wages? Monthly Quarterly 7. Are parents willing to pay school fees? Yes No 8. Is the fees paid enough for your wages? Yes No 9. Are defaulters of fees common? Yes No 10. If yes, what reason do they give for defaulting? ____________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________ 11. Are head teachers supportive in dealing with defaulters? Yes No 12. ————————————————- What is your suggestion to the government in relation to free primary education and the way it affects preschool parents? ————————————————- ____________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________ 13. Briefly give the age range of the pupils in your current class. SEX| 3| 4| 5| 6| 7| 8| 9| BOYS| | | | | | | | GIRLS| | | | | | | | TOTAL| | | | | | | | 14. Briefly give the range of pupils in 2003 class. SEX| 3| 4| 5| 6| 7| 8| 9| BOYS| | | | | | | | GIRLS| | | | | | | | TOTAL| | | | | | | | 15. In your opinion, has the entry age changed since introduction of FPE? Yes No 16. Do your pre school classes have a committee? Yes No 17. How often are parents meetings held? Once a term. Once a year. 18. Do you keep financial records of fees collected? Yes No 19. If yes, how many pupils failed to complete fees in the previous year ? _____________________________________________ __________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ Thank you very much for responding to questionnaire truthfully and for being mindful of our research. God bless you. APPENDIX B. Bibliography 1. Economics Simplified, 2009, Saleemi Publications, Kenya. 2. EFA Global Monitoring Report(2004). New York: UNDP. S 3. MOEST, Government of Kenya,2005, Background report of Kenya for the UNESCO/OECD Early Chidhood Policy Review Project, Government of Kenya. 4. Ngwere M. W. et al (2004). Quantitative Study of the Kenya Early Childhood Development Project, final report to the MOEST, June 2004. Nakuru: Sermon educational Consultants. 5. UNESCO/OECD Early Childhood Policy Review Project, Policy Review Report: Early Childhood Care and Education in Kenya, by UNESCO, Paris, February, 2005. 6. Yoshie Kaga, 2006,UNESCO Policy Brief on Early Childhood, Impacts of Free Primary Education o Early Childhood development in Kenya, Paris. APPENDIX C Work Schedule MONTH | YEAR| ACTIVITY TO BE DONE| December | 2010| Preparation for the research proposal and budgeting| January-March| 2011| Writing of the proposal| April| 2011| Approval for the proposal| May| 2011| Compiling and revising of the research proposal| June-July| 2011| Collection of the data| August| 2011| Analyzing of the data| September-December| 2011| Compiling and presenting the final project. | APPENDIX D Budget. ACTIVITY| PLACE/ITEM/USE| AMOUNT KSH| Travelling | For Literature review during data collection while typing and compiling the project. | 5001,5002,000| Stationery| Papers, pens, ruler, books, foolscaps, stapler, paper bunches | 2,000| Typing/photocopying | Research proposal and final project. | 3,500| Food| Lunch, tea break, snacks| 1,500| Miscellaneous Expenses| Emergencies| 2,500| TOTAL| | 13,500| APPENDIX D Introduction letter CHEBET JOYCE, KIRIMOSE PRIMARY SCHOOL, P. O BOX 174 , LITEIN. 25TH JUNE 2011. TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN Dear Sir/Madam, REF: PERMISSION TO CONDUCT RESEARCH IN MOGOGOSIEK ZONE. I wish to seek for permission to conduct a research in your pre-school centre on THE EFFECTS OF INTRODUCTION OF FREE PRIMARY EDUCATION PROGRAM ON ENROLMENT IN ECD CENTERS in MOGOGOSIEK zone. I am a Diploma Student at Valley Teachers Training College The Kenya National Examination Council is requiring a research as part of examination from me. I am therefore required to collect data from your E. C. D. E teachers, parents, and head teachers of the selected school. I look forward for your positive respond. Thanks in advance Yours Faithfully Chebet Joyce.