Imagine: John Lennon Essay

Considered by many as one of the greatest songs of all time, â€Å"Imagine† was performed by John Lennon in his 1971 album Imagine. It was thought that the lyrics of the song reflected solely Lennon’s hopes for a utopian world. However, the song’s refrain can be found in several of Yoko Onno’s poems written in the early1960s, before she met Lennon, and in her 1965 book Grapefruit. It was coined by Yoko Ono, in reaction to her childhood in Japan during World War II. (â€Å"Imagine: John Lennon†, 2006) The song contains a strong political message that is sugarcoated in a beautiful melody. In the book Lennon in America, written by Geoffrey Giuliano, Lennon commented the song was â€Å"an anti-religious, anti-nationalistic, anti-conventional, anti-capitalistic song, but because it’s sugar-coated, it’s accepted. † (â€Å"Imagine: John Lennon†, 2006) Lennon realized that the softer approach would bring the song to a wider audience, who hopefully would listen to his message. Lennon therefore used soft melody and easy lyrics in order to convey a much deeper meaning to more people. Lennon used empathy in his words, in his call to the people to â€Å"imagine. † He knows a world without â€Å"countries† or â€Å"religions† does not exist, but Lennon is asking the listener to take a moment and imagine what it would be like if the words in the song would ever come true, to imagine living in a utopian world and experience the peace that everyone has been longing for. Also, the lyrics imply that Lennon recognizes the suffering of other people less privileged than he is, so he empathizes with these people and â€Å"imagines† being the same as them, being in a â€Å"brotherhood of man. † And through the song, he is also asking the listener to see and feel the things that he sees and feels, and to want a better world like he does, to end all suffering and division between peoples. Such call to â€Å"imagine† also involves the sympathetic identification with the singer and the collective â€Å"us† who Lennon refers to when he sings, â€Å"You may say I’m a dreamer, But I’m not the only one, I hope someday you’ll join us. † He recognizes that he is not the only dreamer, that he is not the only one dreaming of a perfect place. But he also wants the listener to â€Å"join† him and the other dreamers, and be part of the collective â€Å"us† and imagine. Lennon knows that people long for peace, but these hopes for a better and ideal future have been long abandoned by many people whose lives have been tainted with negativity. But he calls out to these people and asks them to â€Å"imagine† and remember what it is like to hope again, no matter how impossible it is for the world to live as one. In identifying with Lennon and the other dreamers, their dreams become the listener’s own. That a listener realizes that their dreams are also his own, implies the existence of a social order the evils of which, if removed, would make the dream of everyone a reality. The feeling of being a part of the dream and making that dream come true reaffirms the sense of shared responsibility and the recognition that such misery in the world ought not to be. The message of the song is pure and simple, but the ideas it imparts are radical in more ways than one. It implies that religion has been nothing but destructive to human societies. It divides people into groups, feeds them with supernatural explanations and otherworldly notions of the world, gives them something to believe in and something which they fear, in order to control them and pit them against other people of another â€Å"religion†, all in the name of God. It also recognizes how countries have been divided and that many have died because of wars waged for these countries. The song also implies that want and need for the accumulation of material possessions is a cause of suffering in the world. It causes greed and hunger, a complete imbalance between those who have and those who do not. Lennon is imagining a world where people are sharing and living together, no man better then the other, a total state of equality. It is only when all people are equal, no rich or poor, where people will realize that there is no cause for division among them. When all is united, a perfect place becomes possible because one acts not for one’s own good but for the good of everybody. Many people criticize the song as a naive dream of a man far removed from reality. â€Å"But the reason critics dislike ‘Imagine’ also happens to be exactly why the song, and all such art, is necessary. It envisions, and in doing so creates, a world that we can’t in real life. † (â€Å"John Lennon and Neil Young†, n. d. ) Such grand statements of longing for world peace seems almost hypocritical to other people. But Lennon himself once said, â€Å"We are willing to become the world’s clowns if it helps spread the word for peace. † (â€Å"John Lennon and Neil Young†, n. d. ) Truly, this song is admirable simply for its capability to influence its listeners enough to pause and think about an ideal world†¦ to imagine, even for a second. WOKS CITED: â€Å"Imagine: John Lennon. † (2006, October 31). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved October 31, 2006, from http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Imagine:_John_Lennon â€Å"John Lennon and Neil Young. † n. d. Retrieved October 31, 2006, http://www. thrasherswheat. org/jammin/lennon. htm.

Parliamentary Supremacy Essay

â€Å"In the absence of a written constitution, the UK Parliament is the sovereign law-making power, incapable of limiting its own power, or being limited by an external power.† In the absence of an unwritten, or rather, uncodified constitution, the doctrine of Parliamentary supremacy (also called â€Å"Parliamentary sovereignty†) emerges as a principle factor granting legitimacy to the exercise of government power within the UK. The doctrine of Parliamentary supremacy is a set of rules that determine how courts should approach Acts of Parliament. This includes rules pertaining to how courts should handle contradictory provisions, or Acts, as well as the status attached to an Act of Parliament. This doctrine recognises Parliament as the ultimately supreme, sovereign law-making body within the UK. The rules that construct the doctrine of Parliamentary Supremacy may be found in a number of sources; case law, constitutional conventions, statute law, and the writing of famous academics. The purpose of this essay is to analyse the extent to which the UK Parliament is â€Å"the sovereign law-making power, incapable of limiting its own power, or being limit ed by an external power.† Anytime the sovereignty of the UK Parliament is mentioned, Prof A.V. Dicey’s classic, three-point definition springs to mind. According to Dicey, a) Parliament has the right to make or unmake any law whatever, b) no Parliament can bind a future Parliament, and c) person or body has the right to override an Act of Parliament. The three points given above summarise the Doctrine of Parliamentary Supremacy (or Sovereignty). Dicey’s first and last points, pertaining to Parliament having the right to legislate on any matter and no person or body being able to override those laws, have been strongly confirmed by UK courts. Judges have repeatedly upheld the principles of Parliamentary sovereignty, in cases and quotes. Sir Ivor Jennings once stated â€Å"Parliament can legislate to ban smoking on the streets of Paris; Parliament can legally make a man into a woman.† In Madzimbamuto v Lardner-Burke (1969), Lord Reid stated â€Å"It is often said that it would be  unconstitutional for the UK parliament to do certain things†¦but that does not mean it is beyond the power of parliament to do such things.† Similarly, in ex parte Simms and O’Brien (1999), Lord Hoffman stated â€Å"Parliamentary sovereignty means Parliament can†¦legslate contrary to fundamental human rights.† In Brit Railways Boards v Pickin (1974) and Edinburgh and Dalkeith Rly Co v Wauchope (1842), the courts refused to challenge the validity of an Act of Parliament, regardless of procedural flaws. This gave rise to what is now the â€Å"Enrolled Bill Rule†- which is courts will not look beyond the â€Å"Parliamentary roll.† In Jackson v AG (2005), the validity of the Act of Parliamen t 1949 and subsequent Acts passed under that procedure, was questioned. The concept of Parliamentary supremacy was challenged in obiter statements of three judges; however, the Acts were ruled as valid and the sovereignty of Parliament was again confirmed by the courts. Dicey’s second point relates to Parliament being unable to bind its’ successors. The mechanism through which courts give effect to this point is known as the â€Å"doctrine of implied repeal.† This requires courts to enforce the latter, and impliedly repeal the former, when two Acts conflict with each other. This is exemplified in the Ellen Street Estates Ltd v Minister of Health (1934). Thoburn v Sunderland City Council (2002) examined the doctrine of implied repeal more closely and held there is a special class of statutes, called, â€Å"constitutional statutes†, that cannot be impliedly repealed. Rather, they can only be expressly repealed. These constitutional statutes are those defining fundamental rights, such as the Magna Carta and Bill of Rights 1689. The Act of Union 1706 Act intended to bind future UK Parliaments, but that eventually failed. In MacCormick v Lord Advocate (1953), it was argued the principle of Parliamentary sovereignty is not reco gnised in Scottish law. The â€Å"manner and form argument† declares that although there is no limit to the subject matter on which Parliament can legislate, and a Parliament cannot bind its successors, the manner and form in which it legislates may be limited. Special procedures for legislation may be set down by the courts. This was illustrated in Minister of the Interior v Harris (1952). The two factors that challenge the concept of Parliamentary sovereignty are  the ECA 1972 and the HRA 1998. EctJ judgements are binding on all UK courts, and according to S.2 of the ECA 1972, all Acts of Parliament are to be construed according to EU law. EctHR judgements are not strictly binding on the UK Supreme Court (formerly House of Lords), but the HRA 1998 calls for all legislation to be interpreted according to Convention rights. If an Act of Parliament is incompatible with the HRA, a â€Å"declaration of incompatibility† will be issued by the courts but the Act will remain in force until Parliament amends it. This â€Å"declaration of incompatibility,† in fact, enphasises the sovereignty of Parliament. In the Jackson case, Lord Hope states the supremacy of Community law limits the sovereignty of the UK Parliament. In summary, it appears the UK Parliament, to a large extent, is a â€Å"sovereign law-making power, incapable of limiting its own power,† as evidenced by many cases mentioned above. Parliament can legislate on any subject matter it chooses to, and no body has the authority t override an Act of Parliament. As illustrated by the Enrolled Bill Rule, even procedural flaws cannot invalidate an Act of Parliament. However, it is limited slightly by external powers, such as the ECA 1972, the HRA 1998, and special procedures may be laid down to make legislation difficult. However, the fact that Parliament, of its own free will, chose to pass the ECA and HRA indicates that these Acts do not limit its’ sovereignty. Parliament can, after all, legislate to undo the above-mentioned Acts and procedures if it chooses to. The phrase â€Å"what the queen enacts in Parliament is law† remains a fairly accurate embodiment of the doctrine of Parliamentary Sovereignty.

Best Solution

To Inform and persuade your audience that a specific problem exists, It Is serious, and It affects them. Time: 6-8 minutes Topic: Choose a topic that interests you and would probably interest your audience (the class). Consider what your audience already knows about this topic and what their attitude about this topic will be. Do not choose something the audience already knows a lot about. This topic must be presented in a persuasive manner; if the majority of your speech Is informative, you will fail this speech.Requirements: You must Inform and persuade the audience of a position on a topic you have researched. – You must Identify a problem, explain several possible solutions (preferably 3 or more), and then convince your audience of the best overall solution. Identify the opposition, then defeat it with your position's/view's support. – You must use at least one technology-based visual aid (ELM with 2 or more pix, chart, diagram, etc†¦ Power Point, video (Youth o r DVD/VS..), or other audio/visual aids, etc†¦ Oh may use additional non-technology based visual aids if you want) – must prepare & type an outline, to be turned in right before you present. Must orally cite at least four published or copyrighted sources as support. – must type a Works Cited of your sources to be turned in with your outline. – may use no more than TWO note cards (ex.) – keywords or phrases only! – write out your entire speech word for word on the note cards! You DO NOT *You must have teacher approval for your topic, and you will not present the same topic as another student. Oh do not complete this speech, you will NOT receive credit for the course, regardless of your current grade. Persuasive Problem-solution Where do I start? Problem – Convince us the problem exists and Is serious! Use persuasive language and powerful, colorful word choice to make a major impact on your audience (especially with Pathos) Examples: If w e do not do something†¦ We must recognize†¦ †¦ Wiped from existence. †¦ Slow, agonizing and painful death (then show VA) †¦ Perished forever.State an opinion then a fact to back it up, or a fact then an opinion with either a persuasive tone Word use a rhetorical question. – If we do not do something about the AIDS epidemic, entire generations and races will be wiped from existence. We must recognize that life is about more than money and cars; our world, our future is in grave danger. OPINION] Millions have perished from this disease, and it is projected that by the year 2014, 60 million more people will die a slow, agonizing and painful death.So by the time some of you graduate from high school or college, the Indianapolis population will be destroyed over 60 times or the world will bury over 17,143 North Central-sized schools. [FACT] – Millions have perished from this disease, and it is projected that by the year 2014, 60 million more people will die a slow, agonizing and painful death. So by the time some of you graduate from high school or college, the Indianapolis population ill be destroyed over 60 times or the world will bury over 17,143 North Central-sized schools. FACT] If we do not do something about the AIDS epidemic, entire generations and races will be wiped from existence. We must recognize that life is about more than money and cars; our world, our future is in grave danger. Or is life just not that precious to you? [OPINION] You do not have to overload your speech with lots of numbers and facts – 2-3 good opinions with facts to back up the opinion or 2-3 facts with connecting opinions, like the examples provided, are all you need. Solution – You can use solutions that are already out there, but not currently in use.You Just have to work out the kinks; meaning, why are these solutions not being used? Then, decide on the best solution to this problem – is it one thing or is it a combinat ion off couple of the stated solutions. Show us pictures of the world with (and possibly without) the problem. Be very visual and descriptive Paint us a mental picture with your words. What should we (as society) expect after your solution is implemented? Action – Give us contact information- hotness numbers, shelters, government agencies ND advocates, web addresses, postal addresses, etc†¦

Primark Supplying Consumers With Ethically Sourced Garments Essay - 18

Primark Supplying Consumers With Ethically Sourced Garments - Essay Example The researcher states that Primark produces wide ranges of products comprising of various sub-brands such as Early days, Rebel, YD, Atmosphere, Ocean club, Love to lounge, OPIA, No secret, Denim Co., Cedar Wood State. Additionally, Primark also manufactures accessories, clothing’s, footwear and other essential consumer items with respect to the needs of men, women as well as children. Furthermore, Primark produces different varieties of home and beauty products as per the needs of customers. Primark thus operates as a branch of â€Å"Associated British Foods† that has enabled expansion of its business with respect to food items as well as the development of its retail group. The improvement in technology has increased the demand for products and that in turn has raised the importance of supplying ethically sourced garments. On the other hand, buying behavior of consumers tends to affect the growth as well as the profitability of supplying organizations in the long run. The organization claims to be ethical by producing low-cost products in underdeveloped countries with the aim of serving the low-income groups. Primark also bear responsibilities towards nature and natural resources existing within. The report’s objective is, therefore, to define Primark’s manufacturing process and reflect the way it can affect the underdeveloped countries while producing low-cost products. Business ethics can be defined as the core principals and rules as well as regulations required to be followed by businesses, considering the demands of consumers. In the ethical context, Primark has developed principals and rules that in turn has enhanced its social responsibility and has proven to be effective for its success in attaining the determined organizational goals.

Proof reading Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 3

Proof reading - Essay Example he council planned to be charging staff for parking in other to encourage them to use public transport, which they thought would be more cost effective. The council also wanted to measure any changes in behaviour that occurred as a result of the campaign that was planned for this autumn. The results from the sample were analysed by gender. Just 6% of males traveled to work by bicycle and 9% of females did the same. The results for males and females were remarkably close but were not representing. Furthermore, 20% of male staff used the bus to get to work while 14% of female staff used the same mode of transportation; according to this survey, more males use bus to get to work than female staff. It is amusing to know that 17% of male staff use the car car to get to work while 16% of females use the same mode of transportation too. Analysing the results for both male and female reveals no difference between the car users, and the results suggested that the respondent preferred to use this mode of transportation more than any other mode. 3% of male staff traveled to work on a motorcycle while there is no single female in the survey that used this mode of transportation. It could be that it is not a preferred mode of transportation for female respondents. 20% of males u se trains compared to 24% of females that use the train as a mode of transportation. The underground is even more popular with females as 26% use this mode while only 21% male in the survey. 16% of males preferred to walk to work and 9% of females also preferred walking. The mean amount of time it takes Camdington Council staff, based on the results of the survey, was 34 minutes to travel to work for males and the same amount of time for female staff members. The standard deviation was 19 minutes for males, which was an equal time for females at 19 minutes. The (Coefficient of variation for males was 56% and 58% for females). These figures showed that there was no bias, even though the respondents were

Google's Internet Business Model Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Google's Internet Business Model - Term Paper Example Google is presently touted as the "world's best search engine" ("Company Profile"). They pioneered the use of text-based ads with a search engine that has a clean, spartan layout. The creators also devised a system of page ranking that assesses a site's value on the premise that the number of sites pointing to a particular page is an indicator of its importance. This system, coupled with a match to a searcher's text query can give out the most relevant and accurate results. Their innovative take on the search engine is the foundation of their success, and they have branched out to offer a wide array of services. Google's content-based advertising scheme results in a service that accurately zeroes in the appropriate market. This produces a " higher than the industry average " ("Company Overview") click-through rate for their text ads compared to traditional forms of Internet advertising (banners, animation, e-mail, etc.). Their philosophy regarding advertising includes the precept that one "can make money without doing evil" ("Corporate Information"). They maintain that the ads on their results pages can actually "provide useful information" ("Corporate Information") and are only shown on the basis of relevance to the person's query. The company also adopts an unconventional approach to its business model. Instead of promoting their company as a brand, like what their competitors do, their focus is in enhancing the technology of their primary service-that is a faster, easy to use, and effective search engine. Their initial popularity is owed more to word-of-mouth, rather than to marketing and brand promotion. This has enabled them to tap into greater revenue-generating services such as AdWords and AdSense ("Corporate Information").Google proclaims that its company's mission is to provide a superior search engine "organizing the world's information and making it universally accessible and useful" ("Company Profile"). It also projects a relaxed corporate atmosphere which is elucidated by their philosophies such as "work should be challenging and the challenge should be fun" or "you can be serious without a suit" ("Corporate Information").  Ã‚  

International Trade Operations group project Essay

International Trade Operations group project - Essay Example The United States (U.S) is one of the countries that invest mostly in large scale production of dairy products and is in top ten in the production of dairy milk worldwide. Most of the dairy products in U.S. are exported to other countries, one of them being Egypt. Indeed, Egypt’s relations with the U.S in terms of trade has been very good (Kotschwar & Schott, 2010), and this is evidenced by the fact that Egypt is one of the largest importers of agricultural products including milk and dairy products from the US. This memo will discuss the level of development and economic status of Egypt, fiscal and monetary conditions, imports market status and the general willingness of the country to import Content Cow's products from the US. Level of Egypt Economic Development In Egypt, the ministry of international cooperation and the ministry of economic development are the ones mandated to take control of economic development. In addition, because Egypt is situated around Nile Valley, i ts economic and gross domestic product (GDP) growth rate is always very high. The only problem in Egypt is that, although the economy is very good most of its citizen still live in poor conditions due to political instability. There has been reduction in government revenue in Egypt in the recent past due to slow growth of economy propagated by political problems. Because of this slow growth rate of economy in Egypt, a reform plan was made to stabilize the economy; this was to include free market economy (Knaus, 2009). To begin with, social policies and proper procedures were adopted and put into action to promote economic growth in Egypt. Again, checks and balances were made on demand for money and savings procedures, including developing ands regulating prices of products, and privatization policies of underperforming government institutions. Lastly, the Egyptian government made reforms monetary policies related to local and international trade in order to encourage investment. The introduction of these reforms in Egypt led to economic development, and this can be evidenced by the continued economic growth rate in the recent years. Indeed, the recovery and growth of the economy has made Egypt to enjoys significant international trade with many countries including U.S (Kotschwar & Schott, 2010). This also boosted Egypt’s competitive international energy prices and agricultural products prices. This market-oriented idea, reforms and policies strengthened Egypt economy, albeit under fragile political climate. However, like other African countries, a large population in Egypt is still living in poverty coupled with insecurity, unemployment, and underemployment. Again, there are always heightened protests in Egypt due to bad leadership, corruption cases, lack of political freedom, and poor living standards. This political unrest has been frequent in Egypt and cases of the youth forcing the president to step down was seen in 2011 where president Hosni Mubara k was overthrown from government due poor economic policies as well as lack of political stability and peace in Egypt (Aggour, 2013). In addition, it is important that the Egyptian government should be involved in more economic development and invest more in its citizens, thus enhancing stabilization of the government. Again, political unrest has scarred investors in Egypt; also, poor market and economic growth has placed the

ACC403, Principles of Accounting Mod 4 Case Assignment Essay

ACC403, Principles of Accounting Mod 4 Case Assignment - Essay Example The existing cost allocation uses factors which identify the portion of costs for each multi-purpose facility that are specific to individual purposes (separable factors) and the proportional allocation of remaining joint costs among multiple purposes (joint factors). c. COE-Transferred Facilities – These include facilities that were constructed by the COE and transferred to Reclamation for operational and financial integration with the CVP. They appear in Schedule No.1 of the CVP financial statement. d. Non - Reimbursable Costs – The plant-in facilities include components directly set aside to a non-reimbursable category pursuant to Congressional legislation. In the CVP allocation these component costs are directly assigned to the appropriate category and are removed from the allocation base. f. State Share of San Luis Unit - In the allocation of CVP costs, the State share of the construction costs of joint-use facilities is directly assigned to the State and removed from the allocation base. The above said approach seems to be good. This is because the costs are identified and allocated separately. After completing the adjustments the remaining costs represent the total capital investment to be allocated among the authorized project purposes of the CVP. For single-purpose facilities, costs are allocated in total to the purpose served. Cost allocations can be made both within and across time periods. If two or more cost objects share a common facility or program, the cost pool of the shared unit is a common cost to the users and must be divided or allocated to them. Bases of allocation typically are based on one of the following criteria: cause-and-effect, benefits derived, fairness, or ability to bear. The selection of a criterion can affect the selection of a basis (Answers.com). Some cost information is reported to external users such as shareholders and creditors in

U.S history Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

U.S history - Essay Example Brazil was the only exception – there slavery was abolished later than in the US. However, the period of independent existence of this country was much shorter. Severe nature of the Northern states provided appropriate conditions for the industrial development. The local model of economy required highly motivated and skilled workers. Of course, the quality of slave labor could not meet these requirements. On the other hand, plantation economy of the South was in need of mass low-qualified labor force. The institute of slavery seemed to be a perfect solution. The bigger the plantation was, the more slaves its owner needed. Thus, the economic advancement of the Southern states was rather fast-paced. Unpaid slave labor became its integral component. The economy has been especially profitable from the 1840s until the beginning of the Civil War. Cotton, its main export product, was one of the most important factors of its success. The demand for cotton was really high in European countries, especially in Great Britain. In addition, the prices for cotton tended to increase. People used to call cotton â€Å"the King†. Southern plantations supplied 75% of the worlds cotton by 1860 – it accounted almost 50% of the export of the US. The agrarian slave-owning South and the industrial North used to be independent economic regions in the early 19th century. Each state could pursue its own economic policy. Despite the constant population increase and economic development, the flow of integration processes was rather slow. The North required resources from the South, especially cotton. At the same time, the South was in need of machinery from the North. That is why the coexistence of these two regions had been peaceful and mutually profitable for a long time. However, a number of contradictions emerged soon. One of the most disputed issues related to the institute of slavery. It is possible to provide many examples. Fugitive slaves is one of them.

Introducing a New Food in Australia Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Introducing a New Food in Australia - Assignment Example The Australian National Food Safety Standards has the role of labeling food standards to be introduce. In Australian Capital Territory (ACT) the agency responsible for ensuring the safety of food is the Health Protection Service (HPS) of ACT Health. The HPS under its Food Sampling Working Group (FSWG) looks after the development, overall implementation and co-ordination of the Food Survey Program (Program). These government agencies monitor the introduction of new food as well as supply to ensure that it is safe and pose no risk to the consumers. The new food should comply with standards for microbiological contaminants, pesticide residue limits and chemical contamination. Introduction of new food in Australia has to meet all the food surveillance data from public health units in Australia. This data includes the results of compliance testing, and specialty targeted surveys. If the new product is canned food then it comes under the Canned Food Information Service Inc (CFIS Inc) for the promotion and review of the product. The CFIS aims to convince consumers about the foods contained, and to dispel misconceptions and so generate increased purchases. The nutrition programme of CFIS is aimed to create the awareness of the influences of public opinion. After that the authority issue a license only after carrying out a comprehensive risk assessment process so that Australian environment and human health and safety would not be at risk. The national regulatory scheme does not look into the marketing issues of new food. The main objective of the authority is to provide an unambiguous recognition, under Commonwealth law. Nutrition labelling Mandatory nutrition labelling is necessary for the launch of any new food product as it has significant impacts on health in the community. The method of nutrition labelling divided into two steps, first, it identify the risk factors of diet-related disease and study their impact on health systems expenditure and the value of life. Secondly, it estimates the level of reduction in risk factors. Risk factors can be identified through diet-related diseases, which are associated with three risk factors, namely, obesity, hypertension and high blood cholesterol. It is no denying fact that nutrition information greatly influences consumer choice. According to an American study of the impact of the introduction of mandatory nutrition labelling the consumers principally respond to negative nutrition information. Nutrition labelling really boosts the consumer behaviour as it reduces the risk factors. In Australia food products that carry nutrition labels is considered as healthy. A nutritional analysis programme is vital for any new food product to know the size and complexity of the product and a careful assessment of the resources, skills, courage and discipline required to progress the task to completion (Scheelings 1987). The programme is more about data evaluation, which identifies the critical elements of quality assurance. The Nutrition Committee of the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) has developed work programme for the current revision of the Australian food tables. The work programme is composed of four components: the analytical programme; the processing and validation of food composition data and preparation for publication; the establishment of the Australian Nutrient Data Bank to store and process data; and the development of the

Sonoco HR Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Sonoco HR - Essay Example The industry’s shift towards a more involved supplier that offers end to end packaging solutions made it hard for SONOCO to compete directly with its competitors until serious change are implemented in the company. In response SONOCOs leadership implemented strategies designed to control cost that is juxtaposed to its new business model of generating top line growth. The strategy involves retooling its consumer packaging divisions to meet the large demands of clients that is sensitive to consumer taste or preferences. The new business model practically granted more autonomy to the General Managers of each division in terms of managing his or her own talent pool despite the new business model’s demand for more cross functional cooperation to respond to the dynamic customer needs. SONOCOs corporate culture is family-oriented, paternalistic, collaborative, and team oriented. Due to its long profitable history the company in its entirety tolerates underperformance so long a s the company can afford it. But the employees are also extremely loyal to the company with majority of them enjoying tenures of more than 20 years. The company’s employees pride themselves of being able to set the phase in the packaging industry. The Issues Cindy Hartley was hired to assist SONOCO to support the strategies of DeLoach the company’s CEO that is aimed at: (1) increasing GMs accountability for talent management; (2) distribute HR talent and support more evenly across the company’s divisions and make HR systems and process consistent; and (3) to optimize HR’s ability to provide customize strategic support to the GMs businesses. These priority areas are designed to align the organization with the dynamic demands of the packaging industry. After conducting a comprehensive assessment of SONOCO’s HR needs, Hartley identified three priorities that she needs to resolve at once to respond to the challenge posed by DeLoach. First, the mechanic al and arbitrary compensation and performance-management systems needed to be linked and made consistent and more accurately reflective of employee contributions to company performance. Second, the company needed to create an employee-development process to refine employees’ skill and to identify and develop deficient skills. Third, develop succession planning to identify and prepare the next generation of leaders was urgent. It would be prudent to ensure that whatever changes and initiatives that will be implemented by the organization it will also change the corporate culture and psyche of SONOCO to sustain its continuous implementation (Devero, 2007). The onus should be geared towards continuous improvement through iterative compliance to dynamic policies and procedure of a learning organization (Senge, 2006). The transformation should also be complete that it will positively influence or impact the correct core values of the organization (Whiteley & Whiteley, 2006). Analy sis of the issues SONOCOs steady growth through acquisition of other companies over the years has contributed to the redundancy of several departments across divisions when the acquired companies were eventually consolidated to their respective divisions (DePamphilis, 2009). One of these departments is the HR department. Operational imperatives or requirements that call for expedient filling of positions to meet orders from customers also contributed to

Career competence Essay Example for Free

Career competence Essay 1. Create one professional goal using the SMART goal setting techniques you learned in Week Two. How did the results of the Career Interest Profiler and Career Plan Building Activity on Competencies contribute to your professional goal development? One career goal would be to finish getting my degree here at the University of Phoenix. By doing this not only will I have a degree but I will know what it takes and what’s necessary when it comes to starting my own business. Once I’ve increased my knowledge of the business tip, I will have the ability to maximize in my career. 2. Describe how you will balance academic expectations and your personal and professional responsibilities. I will balance academic expectations and my personal and professional responsibilities by following my weekly schedule. My schedule helps me manage my time so I won’t procrastinate too much or spend too much time doing extra-curricular activities. I also scheduled free time because personal problems can develop at any given time, that way I can see to my personal problems as well. 3. How can understanding the importance of SMART criteria and your career interests and competencies help you move toward your career and academic goals? By applying these rules of SMART, I know exactly what is required of me to complete my goals. SMART criteria removes any unnecessary directions that is not needed in accomplishing your goal which makes it more realistic. I think that goals are much easier to achieve when you’re using SMART criteria

Empirical Literature on Asthma Care

Empirical Literature on Asthma Care This brief critically considers the empirical literature on asthma care. Emphasis is on UK studies although research from the USA (and other countries) is also considered. It is argued that both environmental and genetic factors are implicated in asthma onset, based on epidemiological evidence. Deficits in care provision persist: these gaps in care may be attributable to a wide range of modifiable factors, including unsatisfactory health professional (GP, nurses) input, limited use of care plans, and patient unawareness. Overall, however, conclusive inferences about asthma care provision are hampered by: A preponderance of retrospective/correlational studies, and a paucity of randomised control trials, which demonstrate causality; A paucity of research on particular gaps in asthma care; Failure to account for third-variable moderator effects. The Office for National Statistics (2004) publishes comprehensive statistics on asthma-related mortality, morbidity, treatment, and care, collapsed by demographic categories. Data is collected from the General Practice Research Database (GPRD). Issues addressed include mortality, prevalence, time trends, patients consulting general practice, incidence of acute asthma, and hospital inpatient admissions. Research suggests that health care providers often fail to agree on the precise criteria for diagnosing asthma, whether mild or severe (e.g. Buford, 2005). Severe asthma is often defined based on pulmonary function measurements, such as forced expiratory volume in 1 second, and hospitalisation. However, neither of these indicators reliably predicts asthma severity (Eisner et al, 2005). Eisner et al (2005) evaluated the efficacy of a method for identifying a cohort of adults with severe asthma based on recent admissions to an intensive care unit (ICU) for asthma. Four hundred adults with severe asthma enrolled at seventeen Northern Carolina hospitals were surveyed. A control group of patients hospitalised without ICU unit admission was also recruited. The study examined whether admission to an ICU unit is in itself a reliable indicator of asthma severity. Asthma patients with a recent ICU admission generated higher asthma scores (based on the frequency of current asthma symptoms, use of steroids and other medications, and history of hospitalisations/intubations), and poorer quality of life, were more likely to have been hospitalised, visited an asthma specialist in the previous twelve months, been in an asthma-related emergency department, and received inhaled corticosteroids in the past year. Data analysis controlled key background variables (e.g. demographic factors), increasing confidence in the reliability of the findings. However, this study was based on quasi-experimental design and hence may be confounded by sampling bias. Trends in annual rates of primary care consultations, mortality, and hospital visits/admissions were monitored for children under 5 years and 5-14 year olds. For children aged For 5-14 year olds, weekly general practice visits rose in the early 1990s (circa 70/100,000 in 1990), showed a fluctuating pattern through the mid 1990s, but has declined steadily since 1997 (about 50/100,000 by 2000). The number of patients treated annually for asthma has risen slowly but steadily, although this increase seemed to level out by the mid/late1990s. Both mortality rates have dropped steadily since the early 1990s, from about 14 million in 1990 to circa 2 million by 2000. Annual hospital admissions has also fallen steadily, from just under 30/10,000 in 1990 to about 15/10,000 by 2000. These patterns suggest an increase in self-management (e.g. action plans) that obviates the need to visit a general practice, and that asthma care overall is having the desired effect on mortality. The prevalence of wheezing and asthma in children has generally increased during the last 40 years. Although there is a paucity of reliable national statistics, data is available from specific parts of the UK, notably Leicester, Sheffield, and Aberdeen (see Figure 1). The prevalence of wheezing increased from 12% (1990) to 26% (1998) in Leicester, and from 17% (1991) to 19% (1999) in Sheffield. The prevalence of asthma showed a similar pattern in both cities, rising from 11% (1990) to 18% (1998) in Leicester, and from 18% (1991) to 30% (1999) in Sheffield. Wheezing incidence rates for Aberdeen increased from 10% (1964), to 20% (1989), 25% (1994), and 28% (1991). Data from national birth cohorts suggests a sharp increase in the average weekly GP consultations for hay fever/allergic rhinitis from 1991 to 1992. The rates rose from circa 13/100,000 (0-4 year olds) and 40/100,000 (5-14 years olds) in 1991 to about 25/100,000 (0-4 year olds) and 76/100,000 (5-14 year olds) as 1992 approached. Trends subsequently dropped off slightly but then started to show an increase again around 1998. By the year 2000 the figures were roughly 20/100,000 (0-4 year olds), and 56/100,000 (5-14 year olds). Data from a nationally representative sample of schools across the country suggests that the prevalence of asthma was fairly even across different regions. However, Data for England suggests a higher prevalence outside big cities. The greatest proportions of wheezing was found in the South West, while the highest proportion of asthma cases was found in East Anglia and Oxford (see Figure 2). In a recent Annual Report, Asthma UK (2003/2004) noted that one child in 10 has asthma and a child is admitted to hospital every 18 minutes due to an asthma attack. Over 600 copies of Asthma in the Under Fives are downloaded from the UK Asthma website monthly and on average every classroom in the UK has at least 3 children with asthma. The impact of acute asthma can be debilitating. Around 5.2 million people in Britain are presently being treated for asthma, and asthma prevention/care costs the NHS on average almost  £900 (i.e.  £889) million per year. GPs across the country treat over 14,000 new episodes of asthma each week, and UK Asthma met almost 25,000 requests for health promotion documents and other materials. About 40% of workers who have asthma find that working actually exacerbates their asthma, and 1 in 5 asthmatic people feel excluded from areas of the workplace in which people smoke. Over 12.7 million working days in the UK are lost as a result of asthma, and it is estimated that the annual cost of asthma to the economy is  £2.3 billion. Asthma UK also states that 82% of people who are asthmatic find that passive smoking triggers their asthma, and 19% of people with asthma indicate that their medical condition makes it difficult for them to play with children in their family. One in 3 children has had their routine daily activities disrupted due to asthma and 39% of asthmatic people are badly affected by traffic fumes (which stop them exercising). About 500,000 people have asthma that is very difficult to control. In 2003/2004 over 90 researchers worked on Asthma UK-funded projects and, Asthma UK spent  £2.5 million on asthma-related research. The group funded/is funding 63 research projects. These statistics paint a rather bleak picture of asthma prevalence, incidence, and the effects on people’s lives. Numerous epidemiological studies have been published that address the etiology of asthma in population groups (International Archives of Allergy Immunology, 2000; Kitch et al, 2000; Schweigert et al, 2000; Tan, 2001; Court et al, 2002; Smyth, 2002; Weissman, 2002; Tan et al, 2003; Wenzel, 2003; Gibson Powell, 2004; Barnes, 2005; Pinto Almeida, 2005). Barnes (2005) considered evidence on the role of genetic factors in resistance to atopic asthma, Studies which focus on the role of genetic factors in resistance to tropical/parasitic diseases (e.g. malaria) overlap with genetic associations found for asthma. It was concluded that genetic factors might be implicated in the development of allergic illnesses. Pregnancy is thought to increase the probability of asthma attacks in about 4% of all pregnant women. Beckmann (2006) assessed eighteen pregnant women with asthma. The study was based on a longitudinal design. Participants were recruited from local prenatal clinics and private enterprises, and enrolled during the first trimester. Patients kept a daily log recording peak expiratory flow data until delivery. Three peak-flow assessments were recorded after which the best value was entered into the log. Asthma was diagnosed by a health professional. Participants were also required to record asthma symptoms, exacerbations, medications, and cigarette use. To increase participation, subjects were reminded by telephone to complete their log. Data analysis showed that peak expiratory flow (PEF) was variable as a function of particular trimesters. Peak air flow was highest during the second trimester, with a statistically reliable difference between the second and third trimester. Unfortunately, the small sample size limits the generalisability of the findings. However, the study was based on a longitudinal design, allowing tentative causal inferences. Schweigert et al (2000) reviewed the literature on the role of industrial enzymes in occupational asthma and allergy. Enzymes used by detergent manufacturing companies (e.g. amylases, cellulases) are toxicologically benign, with mild irritation effects on the body. However, these enzymes do affected asthma and allergy. Thus, the industry is required to adhere to exposure guidelines for these enzymes. Kitch et al (2000) considered literature on the histopathology of late onset of asthma (i.e. onset in adulthood), and whether allergic exposure and sensitivity have the same impact on asthma development in adulthood as they do in children. Epidemiological studies suggest that the prevalence of asthma in older adults aged 65years or more is between 4% and 8%. The illness appears to be more common in women, especially those with a long history of smoking, and with respiratory symptoms (e.g. cough, wheeze, shortness of breath). Asthma in adulthood often developed before the age of 40, with maximum incidence occurring around early childhood. Beyond the age of 20 years the incidence of asthma tends to remain stable through young, middle-aged, and older adulthood. Death rates in adults are generally lower than figures for children; â€Å"Mortality rates attributable to asthma among those aged between 55 and 59 years of age and 60 and 64 years of age were 2.8 and 4.2 respectively, per 100,000 people, the highest rates among all age groups† (p.387). However, as adults get older asthma is less and less likely to be identified as the main cause of death due to the increased incidence of other pathology. Epidemiological research in Japan highlights a link with air pollution (International Archives of Allergy Immunology, 2000). The prevalence of asthma among kindergarten and elementary school children has increased steadily since the early 1960s, rising from 0.5-1.2% between 1960 and 1969, to 1.2-4.5% (1970-1979), 1.7%-6.8% (1980-1989), and 3.9-8.2% (1990 onwards). By contrast, data indicates little or no change in asthma prevalence amongst adults. Figures range from 1.2% in 1950-1959 to 1.2-4.0% (1960-1969), 0.9-5.0% (1970-1979), 0.5-3.1% (1980-1989) the 1960s to 1.6-2.9% (1990 onwards) (see Figure 3). Asthma in Japanese children is more common amongst boys than girls although this gender difference has diminished noticeably since the 1960s. Asthma usually appears in infancy or early in childhood but has been known to begin across all age groups. Inherited (genetic) dispositions to allergies have been implicated in the onset of asthma. There is normally a strong correlation between asthma onset and a family history of asthma. Overall, asthma-related mortality in Japan has decreased since the mid 1990s. Delays in seeking treatment and rapid exacerbation of symptoms have been strongly implicated in asthma mortality. Unfortunately, this article offers little information about the designs of studies reviewed. Inferences regarding the possible causes of asthma morbidity and mortality may be inconclusive if much of the evidence is derived from cohort studies, rather than case control studies that more effectively eliminate alternative causes. The premenstrual period in women has been implicated in asthma exacerbation. Tan (2001) reviews epidemiological literature suggesting that female sex-steroid hormones may be significant in understanding the premenstrual-asthma link, albeit the available evidence is tenuous. The luteal phase of the menstrual cycle is associated with airway inflammation and hyper-responsiveness, and hence may explain asthma exacerbation during the premenstrual phase. However, this increase in asthma severity can still be treated effectively using the normal drugs. Studies suggest that premenstrual asthma affects the rate of hospital admissions – the majority of adults admitted are women, indicating that hormonal factors play an important role. Other evidence suggested that emergency presentations increased before ovulation. It is suggested that oral contraceptive pills or gonadotrophin releasing hormone analogues may be especially effective treatments. However, premenstrual asthma was rarely associated with serious mortality. Unfortunately, most of the studies reviewed were retrospective and questionnaire based, and hence subject to response bias. There was a paucity of randomised control trials, or pseudo experiments that may permit causal inferences. Court et al (2002) considered the distinction between atopic (extrinsic) asthma, common in younger people, and non-atopic (intrinsic) asthma, found mostly in older groups. Additionally, they also considered whether identification of asthma cases in epidemiological research should be based on a doctor’s diagnosis or self-reported asthma symptoms. Nearly 25,000 people in England were surveyed. Data was collected regarding whether participants had experienced wheezing in the past 12 months and/or had been diagnosed as asthmatic by a doctor. People with atopic asthma were more likely to have experienced wheeze and been diagnosed as asthmatic in the past, compared with the non-atopic group. Logistic regression analysis showed that gender, social class, smoking status, living in an urban/rural area, and house dust mice (HDM), were all risk factors for the presence of wheeze both with (age not significant) and without (urban/rural area not significant) a diagnosis of asthma. Wheeze/asthma was more prevalent in women, younger people, lower social classes, previous/current smoking, living in an urban area, and greater HDM IgE levels. Smoking status, social class, and age were all risk factors for wheeze in both atopic and non-atopic cases. Gender was also a risk factor for atopic subjects, and urban living for non-atopics. Other research has considered the epidemiology of severe or ‘refractory’ asthma, which is rather less well understood compared with milder forms of asthma. Wenzel (2003) reviews evidence indicating that severe asthma (defined as asthmatics requiring continuous high-dose inhaled corticosteroids or oral corticosteroids for over half of the preceding year) may account for circa ≠¤ 5% of asthma cases. Data from a large Australian-based study, which has followed a large cohort of asthmatics for over three decades, implicates childhood pulmonary problems with reduced lung function in adulthood. Data suggests that over two-thirds of severe asthmatics were afflicted with asthma in childhood. Other risk factors implicated include genetic mutations (in the IL-4 gene and IL-4 receptor), and environmental factors (e.g. allergen, tobacco exposure, house dust mite, cockroach and alternaria exposures), respiratory infections (e.g. pathogens like chlamydia), obesity, gastroesophageal reflux disease, increased body mass index, lack of adherence to corticosteroid regimes, and poor physiological response to medication. Physiological factors are also implicated, notably structural changes in airway reactivity, inflammation of the peripheral regions of the lungs. Steroids are the main form of treatment. Tan et al (2003) demonstrated the role of respiratory infection in patients with severe (i.e. near fatal) asthma, acute exacerbations, or chronic obstructive pulmonary illness (COPD). Participants had all been diagnosed as asthmatic by a physician and were undergoing treatment. All showed evidence of forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1) increase of 200mL. COPD patients were suffering from chronic cough and dyspnea, with a predicted FEV1% 50%, with no ÃŽ ²-agonist reversibility. Near fatal cases were patients undergoing ventilatory support in the intensive care unit of a hospital (National University Hospital and Alexandria Hospital, Singapore) as a result of a severe exacerbation. Acute asthma subjects were characterised by non-improvement following administration of ÃŽ ²-agonists, and/or severe exacerbation judging from clinical/blood data. Analysis showed that near-fatal cases were the least likely to have the influenza A + influenza B virus, but the most prone to have adenovirus and picornavirus, compared with the other two groups (see Figure 4). This suggests that viral infection may be a risk factor for severe asthma. However, due to sampling size/bias (n= 68), and failure to control for key background variables (e.g. asthma history, smoking history, prior medication use, and outpatient spirometry), the findings can be considered tentative. Smyth (2002) reviewed epidemiological studies on asthma in the UK, and worldwide. The number of new asthma cases seen by GPs has increased noticeably since the mid 1970s. Nevertheless, asthma incidence has tended to decrease since the early 1990s, consistent with data from the Office for National Statistics (2004). By the year 2000 circa 60-70, 40-50, 20-25 new cases (per 100,000 of a given age group) were reported amongst, respectively, preschool children, 5-14 year olds, and people older than 15 years. Significant ethnic differences have been reported, with high asthma prevalence in Afro-Caribbean children. Since 1962, the number of preschool children hospitalised for asthma rose steadily, then peaked in the late 80s and early 90s, and has begun to decline since. The hospitalisation rates in 1989 were 90/10,000 (preschool children), 30/10,000 (5-14 year olds), and 10/10,000 (15 years or older). By comparison the rates for 1999 were 60/10,000, 20/10,000, and 10/10,000 respectively ( see Figure 5). The British Thoracic Society identifies specific benchmarks or ‘best practice’ which health professionals are required to meet when caring for asthma patients (BTS, 2004). These recommendations are mostly based on scientific evidence from RCTs, epidemiological studies (cohort and case-control), meta-analytic reviews, and other good quality research. The recommendations related specifically to the following topics: Diagnosis and assessment in children and adults (e.g. key symptoms, recording criteria which justified diagnosis of asthma); Pharmacological management (e.g. use of drugs [inhaled steroids, ÃŽ ²2 agonist] to control symptoms, prevent exacerbation, eliminating side effects, employing a ‘stepwise’ protocol for treatment); Use of inhaler devices (technique and training for patients, agonist delivery, inhaled steroids, CFC vs. HFA propellant inhalers, suggestions on prescribing devices); Non-pharmacological management (e.g. breast feeding and modified milk formulae for primary prevention, and allergen avoidance for secondary prevention, alternative medicines); Management of acute asthma (initial assessment, clinical features, chest x-rays, oxygen, steroid treatment, referral to intensive care) Asthma in pregnancy (drug therapy, management during labour, drug treatment in breastfeeding mothers); Organisation and delivery of care (e.g. access to primary care delivered by trained clinicians, regular reviews of people with asthma, audit tools for monitoring patient care after diagnosis); Patient education (e.g. action plans, self-management, compliance with treatment regimes). Overall, despite these guidelines, recent research suggests that patients’ treatment needs are not being met. For example, Hyland and Elisabeth (2004) report data on the unmet needs of patients. Focus groups were organised between parents, patients, and clinicians. Patients and parents reported various needs that weren’t been met including frequent exacerbations, and a preference for less complex drug regimens (i.e. with fewer drugs). Many individuals had worries regarding treatment and experienced asthma symptoms 3 or more days per week. As Levy (2004) suggests, there is a need for health professionals to address these concerns, especially in relation to the BTS guidelines. Levy, a GP and Research Fellow in Community Health, identified current deficiencies in the care of asthma victims. These comprised: Higher than expected exacerbations (42/1000 patients per year); Under-diagnosis: more patients presenting for treatment with uncontrollable asthma, who had not been diagnosed previously; Deficiencies in treatment uptake: many patients fail to collect their prescriptions; Many patients with symptoms delay presenting for treatment, until their medical situation becomes critical; Health care professionals are failing to assess patients objectively (PEF, oximetry), both pre- and post-treatment; Failure to adhere to national guidelines for the care of acute asthma (e.g. not enough oral steroids and ÃŽ ²-agonists are prescribed for patients presenting with asthma attacks. Considerable variations across GPs, NHS Trusts, clinics, and other sources of care provision: patient follow-up appointments range from a few days to six months, in direct violation of standards set by the British Thoracic Society (BTS, 2004). Levy suggests various strategies for improving asthma care including diagnosis criteria (e.g. â€Å"any patient with recurring or respiratory symptoms [cough, wheeze, or shortness of breath], or who has been prescribed anti-asthma treatment should be considered to have asthma† (p.44)), use of computerised templates, having systems or triggers in place for recalling patients (e.g. patients requesting more medication, or who have been seen out of hours), introducing more effective protocols for monitoring and informing asthma patients (e.g. using a checklist to ascertain various key information on patients status, such as effects of asthma on patients life, recent exacerbations), providing written self-management plans (e.g. how to detect uncontrolled asthma, using PFM charts), and having an agreed procedure for managing acute asthma attacks (e.g. selecting a low threshold for using oral steroids). Currently there is a lack of research testing the value of these recommendations on asthma health outcomes. However various strategies are continually being implemented in various parts of the country to improve the quality of asthma care. For example, Holt (2004) describes the effects of implementing the RAISE initiative, launched by the National Respiratory Training Centre, in a primary care setting. This scheme is designed to raise awareness of existing variations in standards of care, improve standards of care through education, support, and feedback, increase awareness and understanding of respiratory disease, use asthma as platform to demonstrate the value of shared experiences across different agencies/professionals, and augment the profile of primary care settings as the main source of asthma care and innovation. The RAISE led to various improvements, such as: The use of ‘active’ and ‘inactive’ asthma registers, to distinguish patients who currently have asthma symptoms from those who don’t. Introduction of computerised templates to improve accuracy and reliability of data recording during consultations (e.g. progressing sequentially from assessment of symptoms, to peak flow, inhaler, and advice stages). Use of symptom questionnaires (e.g. handed out with repeat prescriptions) that help patients with well-managed asthma decide whether they can opt for a telephone consultation, rather than taking the trouble to visit the practice for a face-to-face consultation. Haggerty (2005) identifies several factors paramount to effective care and management of asthma in UK patients. These comprise adequate patient education about the nature of asthma (e.g. number of asthma episodes, use of quick relief medicines, long term symptoms, restrictions on daily activities, and emergency visits), use of asthma action plans, and customised treatment plans (to achieve early control), and addressing patients own concerns and perception. Treatment for asthma is usually in the form of regular inhaled corticosteroids (ICS), oral corticosteroids (OCS), and ÃŽ ² agonists. These treatments are usually administered by a health professional when symptoms manifest and/or become severe. However, since asthma can often exacerbate rapidly, before an individual can seek medical help, it is vital that asthma patients receive the necessary care from health professionals, and also self-management skills. GPs and nurses play a critical role. Griffiths et al (2004) conducted a randomised control trial to assess the effect of a specialist nurse intervention on the frequency of unscheduled asthma care in an inner city multiethnic clinic in London. The role of specialist nurses in asthma care has been uncertain. Interventions in which specialist nurses educate patients about asthma, after hospital attendance with acute asthma, were shown to have inconsistent effects on unscheduled care. However, outreach initiatives to educate medical staff had shown no effect. Thus, an intervention was designed that combined patient education with educational outreach for doctors and practice nurses. It was suspected that such an integrated approach would benefit ethnic minority groups, especially given their higher hospital admission rates and reduced access to care during asthma exacerbation. The key research question was whether specialist nurses could improve health outcomes in ethnic minority groups. Outcome variables were the percentage of patients receiving unscheduled treatment for acute asthma during a 12 month period, and time to first unscheduled attendance with acute asthma. The study was based on 44 practices in two east London boroughs. Participants comprised over 300 patients (aged 6 to 60) who were admitted to or attending the hospital, or the out of hours GP service with acute asthma. Half the sample were classified as South Asians, 34% were Caucasian, while 16% were Caucasian. The intervention was based on a liaison model. Practices were assigned to either a treatment or control condition. Practices randomised to the treatment condition ran a nurse led clinic involving liaison with GPs and practice nurses, incorporating education, raising the profile of guidelines for the management of acute asthma, and providing on-going clinical support. In practice these practices received two one-hour visits from a specialist nurse who discussed guidelines for managing patients with acute asthma. Discussions were based on relevant empirical evidence. A computer template was provided to elicit patient information on various treatment issues, such as inhaler technique and peak expiratory flow, and offer self-management advice. By contrast, control practices received a visit promoting standard asthma care guidelines. Data analysis showed that the intervention lengthened the time to first attendance (median 194 days for intervention practices, and 126 days for control practices), and also reduced the proportion of patients presenting with acute asthma (58% treatment practices versus 68% in control practices (see Figure 6). These effects were not moderated by individual differences in ethnicity, albeit Caucasians seemed to benefit more from the intervention compared with minority ethnic groups. O’Connor (2006) noted that asthma care in the UK remains below the required standards. The majority of the 69,000 hospital admissions and circa 1400 deaths annually are attributable to poor patient adherence to treatment regimens. Nurses, it is argued, play an important role in promoting adherence. Additionally, use of a new inhaled corticosteroids – circlesonide – may also help increase adherence. Circlesonide is much easier to use than more established asthma drugs (e.g. it has a once-daily dosing). Evidence is reviewed suggesting that peak expiratory flow remains stable when patients are given circlesonide compared with a placebo. Tsuyuki et al (2005) assessed the quality of asthma care delivered by community-based GPs in Alberta, Canada. They reviewed clinical charts for over 3000 patients from 45 primary care GPs. Of this number 20% had ever visited an emergency department or hospital, 25% had evidence that a spirometry had been performed, 55% showed no evidence of having received any asthma education, 68% were prescribed an inhaled corticosteroid within the past 6 months, while a very small minority (2%) had received a written action plan. Figure 6 shows percentage of participants receiving medication. Sixty-eight percent were prescribed an inhaled corticosteroid, 11% were given an oral corticosteroid, and 80% received a short acting ÃŽ ²-agonist, while 8% were prescribed a long acting ÃŽ ²-agonist. Participants with an emergency room/hospital event were (marginally) more likely to be prescribed medication (no group differences in use of short acting ÃŽ ²-agonists). Regarding pulmonary testing, 25% had evidence of a pulmonary function test (not peak flow), 46% had peak flow monitored, 34% showed no evidence of pulmonary function tests, while 26% had an x-ray. Again individuals with an emergency room/hospital event were more likely to be tested (see Figure 7). Data about education received by patients was also evaluated. Twenty-two percent received information about environmental triggers, 20% on inhaler use, 10% on how to perform a home PEF test, 2% on written action plans, while 55% received no education at all. Those with an emergency room/hospital event were more likely to receive education. Receiving asthma education, use of spirometry, and prescription of inhaled corticosteroids, were all predicted by number of asthma-related clinic visits (4 or more) and having an emergency room/hospital event. Additionally, asthma education was predicted by cormorbidities, and absence of documentation regarding asthma triggers, while use of spirometry was predicted by being a non-smoker, and symptoms or triggers. Finally, use of inhaled steroids was predicted by symptoms. Overall, this study highlights numerous gaps in the care provided by GPs, partly echoing criticisms of GPs in the UK (Levy, 2004). For example, Levy (2004) cited ‘under

Objective Purpose Of Industrial Training Education Essay

Objective Purpose Of Industrial Training Education Essay Practical Training is compulsory for all students in Pasig Catholic College which is a part of academic credit hour to have a diploma. As an Accounting Student, they must undergone practical training for 5 months with 400 hours as per requirement of Pasig Catholic College before they were qualified to receive a diploma in Accountancy. With the combination of knowledge working experience during three months training, students are required to produce a written report. Chapter II Background of the study Pasig Catholic College offers Bachelor of Science in Accountancy. This is a five year course to finish, and students are required to attend OJT with four hundred hours or five months. They are required to attend this training before they receive a diploma. On the other hand they would not be able to receive a diploma unless they finished the training. This study wants to find out the impact of Industrial training if it is useful, or needed to become a competent student. This study want to find out the importance of this training, the advantages and disadvantages, the good and bad training, and the benefits of this training to the students of Accountancy Department. To make this research possible, there should be the target respondents and these are BSA graduating students who are the major respondents and also the information from College OSA and College Guidance Office. Statement of the problem The primary objective of this research is to explore approaches to the effectiveness of industrial training conducted by institutions of Accountancy Department in Pasig Catholic College. This research is also prompted by the concern that the increase in the number of students annually seeking industrial training may burden organizations hosting them and may undermine the quality of training. Objective/ Purpose of Industrial Training The main objective of Industrial Training is to expose the students to actual working environment and enhance their knowledge and skill from what they have learned in the college. Another purpose of this program is to instill the good qualities of integrity, responsibility and self confidence. All ethical values and good working practices must be followed by student. It is also to help the students about the safety practices and regulations inside the industry and to instill the spirit of teamwork and good relationship between students and employees. Employers are increasingly looking beyond a graduates academic knowledge and whether they have what is commonly known as employability skills. According to a survey of skills needed by SME employers (Beta Technology, 1994), 58 percent of respondents viewed qualifications and experience as equally important when recruiting, with further 39 percent commenting that experience only was more important. As such a UK government has established a National Committee for Work Experience (NCWE) whose propose is to engage business and in a national effort to promote student work experience, build on current and past work and encourage the spread of good practice (Blunkett, D., 1999). The value of developing stronger links with industry in the current economic climate is being realized more and more by higher education institutions. Increase input by employers in course development, students placement and the offering of sandwich option in many degrees stem from increasing awareness that it must be mutually beneficial to bring academic and industry closing together. Industry can influence the learning of undergraduates to produce a potential workforce with the academic knowledge and flexibility they will require; students can learn first hand the type of demands which will be made on them when they enter the world of work and are hence batter prepared; academics and industrialists can work together on projects of mutual interest an can pool their expertise and experience to achieve the best results (Kemp and Foster, 1995). In United Kingdom (UK), the prepared report in 1997, endorsed the value of employer based student training by recommending that the Government, with immediate effect, work with the representative of employer and professional organizations to encourage employers to offer more work experience opportunities for students (Huntington, 1999). The University of Ulster has produced its Policy for good practice for all courses incorporating an element of work experience document (Neill Mulholand, 2003). The document defines the main objectives of industrial training being to: Enhance students familiarity with the world of work and enable them to reflect constructively in issues related to work Assist students to evaluate and understand how to work experience relates their personal or career and future professional development Develop employability skills, intellectual skilss, core of key skills, personal attributes and knowledge about how organizations work Consolidate, complement and extend the academic programme and enable the essential integration of professional practice Maintain and develop links between the university, the placement provider and the community and Develop professional skills and strengthen the application of theory to practice. Definition of terms Industrial training is viewed as important strategies expose students to real work life and to equip them with necessary skills so that they would be job ready when they graduate. Institutions tend to introduce this component irrespective of the discipline of studies with the intention of ensuring their students competency and fully prepared for job. Industrial training comes from the word industry. You have heard many times that the United States is a great industrial nation. This is true; USA does owe high standard of living and its position in the world, at least in part to its ability to mass- produce high quality products (Linbeck Lathro, 1974). Industrial training is a form of contested learning. Contested learning means ambiguity and conflict between what is espoused and what is practice in the workplace and/or the university or college classroom. Contested learning in industrial training reflects competing interest (economic,educational or personal) that are found in the actions and values of students, teaching staff or workplace supervisor. In the context of national reviews of vocational education and training, industrial also need to be re-examined in terms of policy, administration, work place and learning outcomes (Hank,1996). Industrial Training or Classroom Training? The question arises as to where training should take place. Should a course be organized and a number of employees trained in a classroom, or should employees be trained individually on the job by the supervisor? These are sometimes difficult questions to answer, but there are some guidelines that will help us. There is some misconception that must be cleared before we can go into a comparison of the two methods. We must understand that there is no perfect way to train in any specific case where training is required. No one way is without its drawbacks. There are many considerations that present themselves. There are questions of money, time, effectiveness, energy required, instructors, and so forth. One method maybe much more effective, but the cost may be prohibitive. Another may be cheap and effective but require more people or more time is practicable. So it isnt just a matter of looking at classroom versus on the on-the-job training and saying that one is obviously better than the other. Both have their good points and both have their drawbacks (Broadwell, 1986) Similarities between Industrial Training and Classroom Training We should see the similarities as well as the differences between the two methods in order to decide which should be best for a particular training program. For example good communication is essential of all learning, no matter whether an employee is learning how polish widgets, a childhood are learning fractions or a preschooler is learning how to set the table. Someone who is good communicating must show them how to do the job, or little learning will take place. Another similarity classroom training and industrial training, at least in a company program, is that the instructor is very likely to be the employees regular day-day supervisor as well. This double relationship can pose special problems on its own, and we should understand how to handle them before going on to decide where the training should take place. There are, of course, differences as well as semilarities between Industrial training and classroom training. No matter what kind of training is done, one basic requirement is good communication. Whether there is a group of students in a classroom or one supervisor with one employee, the whole point of the relationship is for the teacher or supervisor to communicate information in certain skills. Even if the employee has only the textbook and no instructor at all, there still must be good communication. The book must be written so that the employee can easily grasp what is said, and it must present the information is such a way that the employee will not only be able to absorb the material, but motivated to absorb it (Broadwell, 1986). Good communication is not an accidental thing. There are things that stand in the way of passing information to others, and there are aid the process (Broadwell, 1986). Differences between Industrial Training and Classroom Training Just are there are similarities between training done on the job and that done in the classroom, there are some rather important differences. Remember, the reason of mentioning these likenesses and dissimilarities is to show that no one means is perfect, nor is one method always the best. Each has the advantages and disadvantages. Supervisors should examine each of the methods and see what suits their needs and problems. (In this research we are emphasizing Industrial training, but not because it is the only method that should ever be used.) Communication One major difference that works to the advantage of the person doing Industrial Training is that there is only one person to code ideas for. In the classroom the instructor must worry about trying to find words that can be decoded by the entire group, although it has different background. When the supervisor is instructing one man on the job, the problems of the communications are solve if the instructor can find the level that works for this one person. Natural Environment Another advantage is that the two of them are working in a real situation under nearly actual conditions, rather than trying to simulate them in the classroom. There is rarely ever a better arrangement than to have employees training at the machines where they normally work, especially if they actually train in the natural environment of the job. Such a situation cuts down considerably on the amount of information that has to be transferred from the training back to the job. This is one major problem with classroom training. It is always difficult to simulate a real situation in the classroom, so the employees find it equally difficult to make the application of the training when they get back to the job. On the other hand, when the training is done at the work site, they do not have to carry it back. So from this standpoint, on industrial training has a decided advantage over classroom training (Broadwell, 1986). Advantages and Disadvantages of Industrial Training Lets summarize all of the advantages and disadvantages of using Industrial Training to make sure we see this type of instruction in its proper perspective. Well look the advantages first. There is the matter of time. It generally is much quicker to train one person right at the job site than to bring the person into a classroom situation. There is less travel time to and from the training; it takes less preparation of facilities at the job than the classroom, the training can be more effective when done on the actual equipment, so time is saved through efficiency in training. Next there is less interference with production because only one person is involved at a time. The supervisor can take the worker from the loom, or from the assembly line, or from whatever activity, and let the rest of the work go on. The training sessions are usually short anyway, so even if the employee is needed for production all the time, the shutdown time will be short. Working under actual conditions has already been shown to be one very good advantage of training at the job location. We mention it again to emphasize that the whole point of training is to show the employee how to perform on the job. What better way to do this than to train under actual conditions, at the same place where the work is to be done, on the same equipment that is going to be used in doing the work? Having the one person who knows the standard of a good jobthe supervisor-do the training is certainly a major advantage of Industrial training. Taking employees of to a classroom has some advantages, but if the instructor in the classroom does not know exactly what is expected of the employees back on the job, practical training will not be accomplished. Even an instructor who had considerable experience on the job being trained for may still not know what exactly is expected of this employee, on this specific job, by this specific boss. Finally there is a matter of economics. Having only one employee off the job at the time at a time is less costly than taking several at the same time. If the production is not cut off, or at least is reduce only slightly, there is saving. The time saved by not having to move employees to a training room is always worth money. There is saving, too, if it is not necessary to provide and maintain a classroom facility. We discussed some of the disadvantages earlier. Lets summarize them also. The matter of the supervisor representing authority can be a disadvantage. The employee may resent being trained by the boss, especially if the boss exerts too much of this authority. (Look, youd better learn this in a hurry and get back to your job, or Im going to dock your pay.) One hindrance to any kind of instruction is a poor trainer. On the job the supervisor may be an excellent boss, he may know the job very well, and he may be well thought of by the employees, but teaching is a skill and the supervisor may not have this particular skill. If not, then it well be a drawback to good training. Some of the characteristics that make a person a good supervisor will help make a good instructor. But one has to learn to be a good supervisor, so one must learn to be an instructor. To do otherwise will be to go on being listed as a disadvantage to Industrial Training. Distractions will interfere with successful training and are more likely to be present at the job site than elsewhere. The problem may be noise, other employees, people asking questions (of either the employee being trained or the person doing training), normal movement in the surroundings, or a number of other things. Whatever they are, distraction are problems that have to be face and solved before the training will be successful. Time is also disadvantage. While training one employee at a time is efficient for that employee, it certainly isnt the most efficient way to train large groups of people. If the supervisor is expected to carry a normal load and still spend considerable time training each employee individually, there is going to be a real time problem. Ideally, the time for training should be built into the job so that it can be taken as a regular part of the job and not sandwiched in between other assignments. In any case it should be noted that good training takes time, and since good training is the only kind that will pay for itself, time (or lack of it) may be disadvantage to doing the training on the job (Broad well, 1986). What is good or bad training? It is much easier to define the results of good training than to define the action of good training. If, after training, the students can do what he couldnt do before the training, and if training did not take too long and didnt cost too much, we conclude that the training was good. On the other hand, the bad training is, when the training is over, the students still cannot do the job for which she was trained, then the training may have bad. We say may because the good training is that training which produces the desired result (Broarwell,1986). Benefits of Industrial Training Industrial training refers to the acquisition of practical skills and firsthand knowledge about the industry concerning a profession whilst still acquiring a relevant degree or diploma. Students of tertiary and vocational institutions are presented with the opportunity to work in the field of their profession with companies and organizations relevant to that profession and as a result bridge the gap between the knowledge obtained by theory and practical working knowledge required in their professions. For many, the thought of going out in the field with very basic knowledge of how it operates is a daunting prospect as they may not know what to do or even how to go about the whole process of industrial training (IT). This is not helped by the reluctance of companies when it comes to accommodating these students with vacancies or opportunities to carry out their IT. For many companies, they do not see the direct benefits they may accrue as a result of equipping students with such pract ical knowledge without the certainty that they will not take the advantage of newly obtained skills to benefit another rival company. On the other hand, for many students, it is a matter of who they know to obtain opportunities in certain companies rather than an equal opportunity policy. Also, a lot of these students participate in this IT program as casual on lookers with the sole driving force as the prerequisite to graduate rather than the opportunity to grasp as much of the skills and knowledge relevant to their profession as possible. Therefore on that note, this article goes ahead to present the benefits of IT to all parties directly and indirectly involved with the aim of changing the negative attitudes of both the students and the business community as well as gaining a better understanding and appreciation for it (Ayarkwa, J.,Emmanuel Adinyira,E., Osei-Asibey,D., 2012) Chapter lll. Methodology Type of research This type of research is face-to-face interview and written questionnaire. The proponent conducted a survey by giving out questionnaires to the graduating students of Accountancy Department, and also by conducted interview at College OSA and College Guidance. Respondents The respondents of the research are from BSA Graduating Students which compose of 24 students and the staff of College OSA Department and College Guidance. And these students and Staff of College OSA and College Guidance department answered and make my researched succeed. Questionnaire Dear respondents, This survey questionnaire serves as basis to determine the impact of industrial training to BSA students. Please answer each item honestly. Rest assured that your answer will be confidential. Have you finished Industrial Training? _____ Yes ______No If yes, where? Name of the Company _______________________ Location __________________________________ Which of the following are considered benefits in attending Industrial Training? Acquiring skills from the IT. Learn about how industry operates and how it relates to our life. Career opportunities give you a glimpse into the future possibilities of your selecting a career wisely. Learn to apply basic information and procedures in home maintenance. As you explore industrial training you found an interesting hobby You may decide to continue your studies in one or more of these areas. You develop an interest in one of the many jobs industry offers. After the training, how do you feel for your future career? Confident Doubt Competent Presentation, Interpretation and Analysis of Data BSA 5th year Students: Finished Industrial Training Respondents Percentage Yes 20 83% No 4 17% Total 24 100% Based on the survey result, out of twenty BSA graduating students, twenty of them finished the Industrial training which eighty percent and only four students not yet finished Industrial Training. Benefits of Attending Industrial Training Choices Total respondents Percentage Acquiring skills from the I.T 10 20 50% Learn about how industry operates and how it relates to our life. 15 20 75% Career opportunities give you a glimpse into the future possibilities of your selecting a career wisely. 20 20 100% Learn to apply basic information and procedures in home maintenance. 18 20 90% As you explore industrial training you found an interesting hobby 2 20 1% You may decide to continue your studies in one or more of these areas. 16 20 80% You develop an interest in one of the many jobs industry offers. 19 20 95% All the choices above are the benefits of attending Industrial Training. We make sure and we want to know which is the most effective as benefit to the students in attending Industrial Training. To come up with this I get the frequency to know which is the most effective to the BSA graduating students. As a result, the benefits in attending Industrial Training follows: First, Career opportunities give you a glimpse into the future possibilities of your selecting a career wisely. Second, you develop an interest in one of the many jobs industry offers. Third, learn to apply basic information and procedures in home maintenance. Fourth, you may decide to continue your studies in one or more of these areas. Fifth, learn about how industry operates and how it relates to our life. Sixth, acquiring skills from the Industrial Training. Lastly, as you explore industrial training you found an interesting hobby Choices Respondents Percentage Confident 5 25% Doubt 0 0% Competent 15 75% Based on the above result, after Industrial training of students of Accountancy Department they are competent and ready for a job in the future career which seventy five percent and followed by twenty five percent who have self confident after the training. It means that Industrial Training helps students to become competent. The impact of Industrial Training is very important for the competency of students in Accountancy Department. Competency can be defined in a number of ways. It can be defined as the ability to work to apply knowledge, skills, attitudes and values to standards of perfection required in specific context (NZQA,19996). On the other hand, commercial organizations view competency as an underlying characteristic of an individual that is manifest in superior performance in the work place as evidenced by their behavior in a variety of work context (Spencer Spencer, 1993). The term competence refers to the potential capacity of an individual or a collective to successfully perform to certain formal or informal criteria, set by one self or by others, to handle certain situations or complete certain task or job. (Ellstrom,1997). Conclusion Based on the result of the study, the following are the conclusions. Industrial training is very important or necessary to the graduating Accounting Students. It is very useful or helpful to every accounting students or individuals to motivate competency. The benefits of industrial training are also needed, especially when you are applying a job. The advantage of attending industrial training is very significant to our personality. The competency of students is not only from the classroom training, but also the big part is to have industrial training. Therefore, I conclude that the impact of industrial training is very big in the part of individuals. It is very useful and helpful and most especially to our personality. Recommendations: Promote Industrial traianing to individuals and make it more and more effective training to the students in Accounting Department. The adviser must monitor the students workplace and status if he/she doing well or trained well. The students must focus the training and make sure that he/she learned effectively from the training.

Dreaming with Lolita Essay -- Essays Papers

Dreaming with Lolita What world are you living in? Over the past hundreds of years psychologists have been studying the functions of the human mind. It is a task that seems to prolong as information and new methods arrive. What makes us dream or imagine things? The fact that we have dreams and ambitions in life strives us to believe through imagining and dreaming that we will eventually get a break in life. Lolita, by Vladimir Nabokov, is a novel that characterizes these types of situations. It implies similarity in plot and theme between Lolita and certain fairy tales. Furthermore, Nabokov implies the folk characterization in Lolita to show the paradoxical relationship of art and reality thus showing how real life people live out the lives of fictional fairy tales. It is also evident that because of the folkloristic material portrayed in Lolita, it is seen that man lives between two worlds, the imagined one and the true one. The image of Lolita had such effect on society in the way that pre pubescent ch ildren wanted to be like her, they wanted to be as pretty as her and wear those heart shaped sunglasses like her thus living in a world of fantasy. Even today's society still has, more then ever that Lolita syndrome thus causing a lot of pre pubescent kids to live in a fantasy world instead of the real one. Nabokov shows all throughout the novel the strong parallel between real life characters and folk characters. The four main characters in the novel all play an have their own folkloristic roles in the novel. For example, Charlotte Haze, which is Lolita's mother, is portrayed in the novel as the, "jealous mother who is so frequently the villain in folk tales such as "Cinderella" and "Snow White" (Jones 69). All through out... ...gative things can occur. For example, you can tarnish a kids self esteem (Marks 71). The Lolita syndrome also deals with the fact that any new or material good that comes out on the market; the Lolita syndrome will "change everything it touches into a new and infinitely flexible form" (Marks 71). This transcends anything because people want to be like Loita. If she wears heart shaped sunglasses then so do pre pubescent and adolescent kids who fantasize being her and the only way their fantasy can become remotely a reality is by buying these items. Man lives in two different worlds. It is evident that through Lolita it is shown how real life characters can live out the lives of folk characters. Are we living in a fantasized world then? The truth of the matter is that we live in an imperfect world. We need to get that through our heads. What world do you live in? Dreaming with Lolita Essay -- Essays Papers Dreaming with Lolita What world are you living in? Over the past hundreds of years psychologists have been studying the functions of the human mind. It is a task that seems to prolong as information and new methods arrive. What makes us dream or imagine things? The fact that we have dreams and ambitions in life strives us to believe through imagining and dreaming that we will eventually get a break in life. Lolita, by Vladimir Nabokov, is a novel that characterizes these types of situations. It implies similarity in plot and theme between Lolita and certain fairy tales. Furthermore, Nabokov implies the folk characterization in Lolita to show the paradoxical relationship of art and reality thus showing how real life people live out the lives of fictional fairy tales. It is also evident that because of the folkloristic material portrayed in Lolita, it is seen that man lives between two worlds, the imagined one and the true one. The image of Lolita had such effect on society in the way that pre pubescent ch ildren wanted to be like her, they wanted to be as pretty as her and wear those heart shaped sunglasses like her thus living in a world of fantasy. Even today's society still has, more then ever that Lolita syndrome thus causing a lot of pre pubescent kids to live in a fantasy world instead of the real one. Nabokov shows all throughout the novel the strong parallel between real life characters and folk characters. The four main characters in the novel all play an have their own folkloristic roles in the novel. For example, Charlotte Haze, which is Lolita's mother, is portrayed in the novel as the, "jealous mother who is so frequently the villain in folk tales such as "Cinderella" and "Snow White" (Jones 69). All through out... ...gative things can occur. For example, you can tarnish a kids self esteem (Marks 71). The Lolita syndrome also deals with the fact that any new or material good that comes out on the market; the Lolita syndrome will "change everything it touches into a new and infinitely flexible form" (Marks 71). This transcends anything because people want to be like Loita. If she wears heart shaped sunglasses then so do pre pubescent and adolescent kids who fantasize being her and the only way their fantasy can become remotely a reality is by buying these items. Man lives in two different worlds. It is evident that through Lolita it is shown how real life characters can live out the lives of folk characters. Are we living in a fantasized world then? The truth of the matter is that we live in an imperfect world. We need to get that through our heads. What world do you live in?