Large classes Essay

When students are in large classes it is very hard for the teacher to give every student individual attention. What can educational authorities do about this? It is quite obvious that when the students are in very large numbers in a class, the teacher can’t pay individual attention. I think as far as students are attentive in the class, teachers attention to individual hardly matters. Not all students in a class need personal attention, because they are smart and grasp the lessons quickly by themselves. However some of the students who are a little weak can surely get personal attention of the teachers. Nevertheless for the teacher to be able to monitor progress of all students of a class, it is necessary that proper student teacher ratio is adhered to. Student-Teacher ratio refers to the number of teachers in a school or university with respect to the number of students who attend the school or university. For example, a student teacher ratio of 10:1 means that there are 10 students for every one teacher available. The term can also be reversed to be teacher-student ratio. If one classroom has a 30:1 ratio and the other has a 10:1 ratio, the school could claim to have a 20:1 ratio overall. But if the ratio is 50:1, the school needs to hire more teachers. In a way 40:1 is the ideal ratio where all students can get proper attention of the teacher. Summarizing, this is the responsibility of the educational authorities to inspect schools and universities periodically to ensure a right student-teacher ratio and in the event of this ratio changing due to greater number of students, educational authorities must strictly advice schools to hire more teachers and maintain appropriate student – teacher ratio. This shall help all students get better attention of the teachers if not individual attention.

Week

Then find a current event in an article at the inline periodical listed to illustrate that concept. Compose an analysis of that event or situation using the weekly operations concept that you selected. Try to choose the concept that has been addressed the least by your classmates. Your post is due by Midnight (Central Time) Thursday. Next, respond to at least three classmates' posts by Midnight (Central Time) Sunday. Remember that content matters. You need to write more than â€Å"Great Job† or â€Å"l agree with you† to get full credit on your discussion responses.Week 1 Discussion The weekly textbook concepts for our discussion this week are: Operational efficiency Operational effectiveness Operational Sustainability Strategic Operations Planning Operational Productivity Operations and Supply Chain Strategy Select one of these concepts and find a related article at the New York Times: http://www. Anytime. Com/ . Try clicking on â€Å"Business† on the left to se e the business related articles or search by entering your topic in the search box. You'll find one (or several articles) to analyze.Remember to focus upon your selected concept in your analysis. After reviewing and analyzing one of the current events articles, post your analysis and comments to your classmates low. For full credit, review three of your classmates postings and reply to them. If you're the first to enter the Discussion there will only BEA Respond button. Otherwise, you will see others' posting below. Click on the + Expand All button to view all of the entries made by your fellow learners. This section lists options that can be used to view responses.Collapse All Print View Show Options Responses Responses are listed below in the following order: response, author and the date and time the response is posted. Response Author Defeatism* Week 1 Nicole Haunt 3/19/2013 PM Speedy Check-Len Lets Hotel Guests Bypass Front Desk The hotel industry is becoming more electronic fr iendly by placing check-in kiosks in their hotels for quick and easy check-in. It is the age of social networking and people like to get things done quickly and having this capability in the hotels will allow things to go a lot quicker.This also allows the hotels to cut down on staffing and increase revenue. They have also added kiosks by the elevators so that if their keys do not work the customer does not have to go all the way to the front desk to get it fixed. Having kiosks will allow the staff to monitor people heckling-in and then help then when it is needed. This represents operation effectiveness because it is something that can be continuously improved; it improves the hotels processes, and functional performance. The hotels are maximizing their check-in process by making it faster and reducing wait time. Http://www. Anytime. Mom/2013/03/19/business/speedy-chi eek-in -lets-h Tool- guests-bypass-front-desk. HTML? Ref=business&_r=O RE: Weekly Eduardo Bertha 3/1 9/2013 PM Nico le remember the first time when I encountered the electronic check-in. It was in NY City and it seemed very unusual. There I was checking into the hotel hill the lady was standing behind the counter watching me. This was about 8 years ago and din ‘t understand the point Of having the electronic check-in at a small hotel†¦ It makes sense to have it in a large hotel where the electronic check in will reduce waiting times†¦ RE: weekly Memorable Ramona 3/19/2013 PM Good point Eduardo.In big name hotels like Holiday Inn, Best Western, and Hilton I can see where providing kiosks to their guests would benefit in time managing. This way, the hotel clerks can accommodate and assist their guests in different areas. From experience, have had to check-in to plenty of hotels Ewing in the Air Force Reserves and it does get pretty bothersome having to wait in line, especially after a long tiresome drive. RE: Weekly Nicole Haunt 3/20/2013 AM also agree that it would seem unusual to have a kiosk at a small hotel because I would think that you would want more of a mom and pop feel when you go to small establishments like that.I know that when I go on vacation to Vegas or any where that is popular the last thing I want to do is stand in line so a kiosk would be helpful but then I wonder if customer service will go down because they are not pay too much attention to the customer. RE: Week 1 Nicole, Geisha Bristol 3/20/2013 9:48:49 PM You hit the nail right on the head. Customer service WILL go lacking. L, myself, have worked in the hospitality/hotel field (and hoping to one day get back into this field) and know that customer service is a BIG deal when it comes to that.That first â€Å"meet and greet† is important when checking into a hotel. I can understand the functionality of using kiosks. But can also see the downside. You would still need the staff to clean the rooms from previous guests. Somehow, the status on each room needs to be updated to make the system of the kiosk work. Housekeeping and the front desk work very closely in the hotel setting. As housekeeping cleans the room, the front desk is updated on what rooms have been cleaned and are ready for a new guest.The use of a kiosk, I feel can become a problem down the road. Thatcher's how feel. RE: Weekly Anthony Bennett 3/19/2013 5:44:19 PM Niccole, This was news to me! I was unaware that hotels would start using kiosks to check-in. I suppose it makes sense since the Airlines do it as well and the process has proven to work in that regard. As a customer, this is great. I would think that this is a win/win situation. I hope they do not do away with he bell man though! I kind of of still want my baggage carried for me if I'm on a fancy vacation!Tony RE: Weekly Instructor Cube 3/23/2013 AM Nicole, you wrote that â€Å"Having kiosks will allow the staff to monitor people improves the hotels processes, and functional performance. † You are doing a good job in this analysi s Of illustrating the similarities between services processes and assembly (manufacturing) processes. There really are a lot of similarities that are evident when we consider efficiency and effectiveness improvement methods. Chapter 2 (page 30-31 ) does a good job of illustrating how Operations managers measure productivity (partial, multiracial, total).Which of these methods would you think that a services business, like the hotel in your article, would apply? Class, any ideas on this†¦ RE: weekly Eunice Portfolio 3/23/2013 PM Professor, believe using a partial measure of productivity would be ideal. The Operation manager of a hotel would be interested in the productivity of its staff. Fifth Operations manager were in charge of multiple hotel chains, then he/she would use total measure of productivity or even malefactor measures. According to the textbook, a total factor measure would be used to measure he productivity of an entire organization.This way the Operations manager can compare and make adjustments in the less producing hotel chains. Eunice RE: weekly Instructor Cube 3/24/2013 8:3108 AM Right, in services process with lots of people, labor productivity (partial measure) is a good way to measure productivity. Shell in the Artic Anthony Bennett 3/19/2013 5:37:33 PM In 2012, Shell Oil Company had to suspend operations in the Arctic Ocean when their drilling rig the Kulak was grounded. Shell had attempted to drill for oil in the Arctic but the harsh climate made oversight of the operation very difficult.A recent review concluded â€Å"Shell had failed in a wide range of basic operational tasks, like supervision of contractors that performed critical work, including towing one of the company's two drilling rigs†. This failed operational control caused the rig to be damaged. The ineffectiveness to oversee these operations correctly diminished the value of drilling in the Arctic. For now Shell states that they â€Å"will not return to the Arct ic Ocean in 2013†. Overall, I believe it is wise to pause operations when they become a safety hazard to people or the environment.Despite the unfortunate towing incident, Shell has made the right decision to reevaluate how things are being managed. Brooder, John M. (2013), Interior Dept. Warns Shell on Arctic Drilling. Retrieved March 1 9, 2013 from http://YMMV. Anytime. Com/2013/03/1 5/business/gibbon/ RE: Shell in the Artic Instructor Cube 3/20/2013 8:40:23 AM Anthony, you wrote that â€Å"l believe it is wise to pause operations when they become a safety hazard to people or the environment. Despite the unfortunate towing managed. † Which of the weekly textbook concepts (above) do you thing was involved in this decision?Would it be Operations efficiency, Operations effectiveness, Operations productivity, or some other factor? Class, what do you think†¦.. RE: Shell in the Artic Sandra Rolling 3/20/2013 11 AM think this is would be under Chapter 2 – Page 22 , Exhibit 2. 1 – Shell is actively working their Triple Bottom Line Thanks Sands RE: Shell in the Artic Anthony Bennett 3/21/2013 8:23:38 PM Proof, would think that Operational sustainability was a big factor in considering to terminate operations in the interim. Because of the issues that happen, value was lost and therefore so was effectiveness and efficiency.Its to me that each concept must hold strong for operational management to work. RE: Shell in the Artic Matthew Bat-y 3/22/2013 10:35:02 AM I think, in this case, operational sustainability was going to be lost. There were too many negative consequences in continuing action in the Arctic, not least of which was the safety hazard to the employees. Inclusively, both efficiency and effectiveness would have been diminished. RE: Shell in the At-tic Instructor Cube 3/24/2013 AM Good observations about social responsibility. The way that companies pursue operations is very important.RE: Shell in the Artic Eduardo Bertha 3/24/ 2013 2:02:32 PM Social responsibility has different meanings depending on the culture where the many originates and where it operates†¦ Portfolio Eunice Portfolio 3/19/2013 PM Textbook definition Of efficiency means doing something at the lowest possible cost while effectiveness means doing the right things to create the most value for the company. (Jacobs & Chase 11). An article from the NY Times focuses on Promethean, a biodegrade company developing medical countermeasures against biological and chemical threats. (Promethean 2).It develops several medical treatments to meet the critical needs of the united States and its allies by developing and counterclaiming medical entrepreneurs against biological and chemical threats. The company employs both operational efficiency and effectiveness through reduced operating expenses that went from $21. 2 million in 2011 to $19. 5 million in 2012 by cutting unnecessary operating expenses. Also general and administrative expenses went dow n from $14. 3 million to $11. 6 million as a result of a reduction in legal and other general and administrative expenses.As a result of being efficient, some trade-offs were made. â€Å"Trade-offs occur when activities are incompatible so that more of one thing necessitates less of another. (Jacobs & Chase 27). The company had to make decisions of either making the product or delivering services cheap. In this line of business, dealing with break-through medical advancements, the company must strive on process quality. Being effective is more important than being efficient for Promethean. Jacobs, F. Robert & Richard B. Chase. Operations and Supply Chain Management. McGraw-Hill & Irwin. New York, NY, 201 1.Print. Promethean. â€Å"Promethean Reports Year-End 2012 Financial And operational Results. † NY Times. Com. 13 Mar 2013. Web. 19 Mar 2013. RE: Portfolio Instructor Cube 3/20/2013 8137138 AM Eunice, you wrote that â€Å"The company had to make decisions of either making the product or delivering services cheap. † Everyone should note that every business must choose among the focus dimensions (pages 25-27) to decide how they will compete, and then the Operations function of that company has to apply the business level focus dimensions that support the overall business plan.Class and Eunice, in this case above which of the focus dimensions did this firm adopt in its operations function and which did they trade-off? † Any ideas†¦.. RE: Portfolio Jill Davis 3/23/2013 PM Eunice, I liked your post. I think that in terms of product and service safety, especially in the health care fields, companies should make the trade off toward products and service quality, rather than a cheaper or faster service or product. Our text says that a company has to decide on which parameters of performance are critical to success and focus on those.High quality can be a trade off to low cost, but when it comes to health services and pharmaceutical companies the performance parameters critical to success are the well-being of their customers so low cost should have to take a back seat to product and service quality. Jacobs, Robert F. & Chase, Richard B. (2011). Operations and Supply Chain Management. Boston: McGraw-Hill Companies RE: Portfolio Instructor Cube 3/24/2013 AM Right Jill, we have all seen how a focus on low cost and low quality in the medical industry can endanger consumers.RE: Portfolio Eunice Portfolio 3/23/2013 6:54:56 PM As Jill and Jordan stated, quality is more important when it comes to the healthcare field. Not only would Promethean lose its business if even one person dies from the company's negligence, but it would face tremendous lawsuits from individuals and the government. Its reputation would be destroyed. Promethean understands the repercussions if they don't deliver a quality product so it sacrifices cost in order to deliver quality products. People are willing to spend money on medications that work.I think this is one field where consumers will pay anything for medicine that truly works. RE: Portfolio Instructor Cube 3/24/2013 8:36:44 AM Right Eunice, so these Operations managers do not focus upon low cost, flexibility, customized products, or high efficiency. They have traded off all of these focus dimensions and their approach is high quality. RE: Portfolio Steven Rice 3/24/2013 3:44139 PM would say the main focus dimension is to focus on quality, or â€Å"Make a great Product† vs.. â€Å"Deliver a great service†. Anything in the healthcare industry has a heavy emphasis in the quality control in design and process quality.I used to work for a company that produced Animal Drugs and was heavily regulated by the Food and Drug Administration, because the animals that received the drugs we produced were farmed for human consumption. As consumer, I always want the best quality for the price I'm willing to spend or can afford. Steve Rice RE-: Portfolio Jordan Edwards 3/20/20 13 PM Modified:3/20/2013 1184 PM Thanks Eunice for the insightful analysis on your article. It seems like a lot of firms/organizations are looking at ways they can save by eliminating inefficiencies or other processes altogether.In this case I would say that Promethean opted to focus on quality or making a great product and sacrificed cost or price-?making the product cheaply. RE: Portfolio Kristin Truer 3/24/2013 PM think that being effective vs. being efficient has paid off for this organization. Sometimes, a company or organization may have to pay a little more to be ore effective in delivering their product that they want and are needing to get out. In the end, its what is going to pay off for the company when the product is sold to its customers.Good info and article. Kristin Operational Sustainability Pamela Chafed 3/19/2013 10:58:43 PM I would not normally think of using Wall-Mart in the same sentence with the term operational sustainability but an article titled Unexpected A lly Helps Wall-Mart Cut Waste changed my thought process. Wall-Mart courted environmental groups and sought their input on its policies since it first announced a sustainability program. The major push for Wall-Mart to strive towards operational sustainability was to transform the publics' opinion of the corporation.With negative public views towards Wall-Marts environmental impacts and treatment of women in the workforce, H. Lee Scott, the chief executive, now retired, announced wide ranged plans to lessen the environmental impact the company had on the communities it served. The company has met some environmental goals and missed others. One of these was increasing reuse or recycle of waste produced in its stores by 64 percent, not quite the zero-waste goal that was set, but a huge step forward s progress continues to be made. Week Then find a current event in an article at the inline periodical listed to illustrate that concept. Compose an analysis of that event or situation using the weekly operations concept that you selected. Try to choose the concept that has been addressed the least by your classmates. Your post is due by Midnight (Central Time) Thursday. Next, respond to at least three classmates' posts by Midnight (Central Time) Sunday. Remember that content matters. You need to write more than â€Å"Great Job† or â€Å"l agree with you† to get full credit on your discussion responses.Week 1 Discussion The weekly textbook concepts for our discussion this week are: Operational efficiency Operational effectiveness Operational Sustainability Strategic Operations Planning Operational Productivity Operations and Supply Chain Strategy Select one of these concepts and find a related article at the New York Times: http://www. Anytime. Com/ . Try clicking on â€Å"Business† on the left to se e the business related articles or search by entering your topic in the search box. You'll find one (or several articles) to analyze.Remember to focus upon your selected concept in your analysis. After reviewing and analyzing one of the current events articles, post your analysis and comments to your classmates low. For full credit, review three of your classmates postings and reply to them. If you're the first to enter the Discussion there will only BEA Respond button. Otherwise, you will see others' posting below. Click on the + Expand All button to view all of the entries made by your fellow learners. This section lists options that can be used to view responses.Collapse All Print View Show Options Responses Responses are listed below in the following order: response, author and the date and time the response is posted. Response Author Defeatism* Week 1 Nicole Haunt 3/19/2013 PM Speedy Check-Len Lets Hotel Guests Bypass Front Desk The hotel industry is becoming more electronic fr iendly by placing check-in kiosks in their hotels for quick and easy check-in. It is the age of social networking and people like to get things done quickly and having this capability in the hotels will allow things to go a lot quicker.This also allows the hotels to cut down on staffing and increase revenue. They have also added kiosks by the elevators so that if their keys do not work the customer does not have to go all the way to the front desk to get it fixed. Having kiosks will allow the staff to monitor people heckling-in and then help then when it is needed. This represents operation effectiveness because it is something that can be continuously improved; it improves the hotels processes, and functional performance. The hotels are maximizing their check-in process by making it faster and reducing wait time. Http://www. Anytime. Mom/2013/03/19/business/speedy-chi eek-in -lets-h Tool- guests-bypass-front-desk. HTML? Ref=business&_r=O RE: Weekly Eduardo Bertha 3/1 9/2013 PM Nico le remember the first time when I encountered the electronic check-in. It was in NY City and it seemed very unusual. There I was checking into the hotel hill the lady was standing behind the counter watching me. This was about 8 years ago and din ‘t understand the point Of having the electronic check-in at a small hotel†¦ It makes sense to have it in a large hotel where the electronic check in will reduce waiting times†¦ RE: weekly Memorable Ramona 3/19/2013 PM Good point Eduardo.In big name hotels like Holiday Inn, Best Western, and Hilton I can see where providing kiosks to their guests would benefit in time managing. This way, the hotel clerks can accommodate and assist their guests in different areas. From experience, have had to check-in to plenty of hotels Ewing in the Air Force Reserves and it does get pretty bothersome having to wait in line, especially after a long tiresome drive. RE: Weekly Nicole Haunt 3/20/2013 AM also agree that it would seem unusual to have a kiosk at a small hotel because I would think that you would want more of a mom and pop feel when you go to small establishments like that.I know that when I go on vacation to Vegas or any where that is popular the last thing I want to do is stand in line so a kiosk would be helpful but then I wonder if customer service will go down because they are not pay too much attention to the customer. RE: Week 1 Nicole, Geisha Bristol 3/20/2013 9:48:49 PM You hit the nail right on the head. Customer service WILL go lacking. L, myself, have worked in the hospitality/hotel field (and hoping to one day get back into this field) and know that customer service is a BIG deal when it comes to that.That first â€Å"meet and greet† is important when checking into a hotel. I can understand the functionality of using kiosks. But can also see the downside. You would still need the staff to clean the rooms from previous guests. Somehow, the status on each room needs to be updated to make the system of the kiosk work. Housekeeping and the front desk work very closely in the hotel setting. As housekeeping cleans the room, the front desk is updated on what rooms have been cleaned and are ready for a new guest.The use of a kiosk, I feel can become a problem down the road. Thatcher's how feel. RE: Weekly Anthony Bennett 3/19/2013 5:44:19 PM Niccole, This was news to me! I was unaware that hotels would start using kiosks to check-in. I suppose it makes sense since the Airlines do it as well and the process has proven to work in that regard. As a customer, this is great. I would think that this is a win/win situation. I hope they do not do away with he bell man though! I kind of of still want my baggage carried for me if I'm on a fancy vacation!Tony RE: Weekly Instructor Cube 3/23/2013 AM Nicole, you wrote that â€Å"Having kiosks will allow the staff to monitor people improves the hotels processes, and functional performance. † You are doing a good job in this analysi s Of illustrating the similarities between services processes and assembly (manufacturing) processes. There really are a lot of similarities that are evident when we consider efficiency and effectiveness improvement methods. Chapter 2 (page 30-31 ) does a good job of illustrating how Operations managers measure productivity (partial, multiracial, total).Which of these methods would you think that a services business, like the hotel in your article, would apply? Class, any ideas on this†¦ RE: weekly Eunice Portfolio 3/23/2013 PM Professor, believe using a partial measure of productivity would be ideal. The Operation manager of a hotel would be interested in the productivity of its staff. Fifth Operations manager were in charge of multiple hotel chains, then he/she would use total measure of productivity or even malefactor measures. According to the textbook, a total factor measure would be used to measure he productivity of an entire organization.This way the Operations manager can compare and make adjustments in the less producing hotel chains. Eunice RE: weekly Instructor Cube 3/24/2013 8:3108 AM Right, in services process with lots of people, labor productivity (partial measure) is a good way to measure productivity. Shell in the Artic Anthony Bennett 3/19/2013 5:37:33 PM In 2012, Shell Oil Company had to suspend operations in the Arctic Ocean when their drilling rig the Kulak was grounded. Shell had attempted to drill for oil in the Arctic but the harsh climate made oversight of the operation very difficult.A recent review concluded â€Å"Shell had failed in a wide range of basic operational tasks, like supervision of contractors that performed critical work, including towing one of the company's two drilling rigs†. This failed operational control caused the rig to be damaged. The ineffectiveness to oversee these operations correctly diminished the value of drilling in the Arctic. For now Shell states that they â€Å"will not return to the Arct ic Ocean in 2013†. Overall, I believe it is wise to pause operations when they become a safety hazard to people or the environment.Despite the unfortunate towing incident, Shell has made the right decision to reevaluate how things are being managed. Brooder, John M. (2013), Interior Dept. Warns Shell on Arctic Drilling. Retrieved March 1 9, 2013 from http://YMMV. Anytime. Com/2013/03/1 5/business/gibbon/ RE: Shell in the Artic Instructor Cube 3/20/2013 8:40:23 AM Anthony, you wrote that â€Å"l believe it is wise to pause operations when they become a safety hazard to people or the environment. Despite the unfortunate towing managed. † Which of the weekly textbook concepts (above) do you thing was involved in this decision?Would it be Operations efficiency, Operations effectiveness, Operations productivity, or some other factor? Class, what do you think†¦.. RE: Shell in the Artic Sandra Rolling 3/20/2013 11 AM think this is would be under Chapter 2 – Page 22 , Exhibit 2. 1 – Shell is actively working their Triple Bottom Line Thanks Sands RE: Shell in the Artic Anthony Bennett 3/21/2013 8:23:38 PM Proof, would think that Operational sustainability was a big factor in considering to terminate operations in the interim. Because of the issues that happen, value was lost and therefore so was effectiveness and efficiency.Its to me that each concept must hold strong for operational management to work. RE: Shell in the Artic Matthew Bat-y 3/22/2013 10:35:02 AM I think, in this case, operational sustainability was going to be lost. There were too many negative consequences in continuing action in the Arctic, not least of which was the safety hazard to the employees. Inclusively, both efficiency and effectiveness would have been diminished. RE: Shell in the At-tic Instructor Cube 3/24/2013 AM Good observations about social responsibility. The way that companies pursue operations is very important.RE: Shell in the Artic Eduardo Bertha 3/24/ 2013 2:02:32 PM Social responsibility has different meanings depending on the culture where the many originates and where it operates†¦ Portfolio Eunice Portfolio 3/19/2013 PM Textbook definition Of efficiency means doing something at the lowest possible cost while effectiveness means doing the right things to create the most value for the company. (Jacobs & Chase 11). An article from the NY Times focuses on Promethean, a biodegrade company developing medical countermeasures against biological and chemical threats. (Promethean 2).It develops several medical treatments to meet the critical needs of the united States and its allies by developing and counterclaiming medical entrepreneurs against biological and chemical threats. The company employs both operational efficiency and effectiveness through reduced operating expenses that went from $21. 2 million in 2011 to $19. 5 million in 2012 by cutting unnecessary operating expenses. Also general and administrative expenses went dow n from $14. 3 million to $11. 6 million as a result of a reduction in legal and other general and administrative expenses.As a result of being efficient, some trade-offs were made. â€Å"Trade-offs occur when activities are incompatible so that more of one thing necessitates less of another. (Jacobs & Chase 27). The company had to make decisions of either making the product or delivering services cheap. In this line of business, dealing with break-through medical advancements, the company must strive on process quality. Being effective is more important than being efficient for Promethean. Jacobs, F. Robert & Richard B. Chase. Operations and Supply Chain Management. McGraw-Hill & Irwin. New York, NY, 201 1.Print. Promethean. â€Å"Promethean Reports Year-End 2012 Financial And operational Results. † NY Times. Com. 13 Mar 2013. Web. 19 Mar 2013. RE: Portfolio Instructor Cube 3/20/2013 8137138 AM Eunice, you wrote that â€Å"The company had to make decisions of either making the product or delivering services cheap. † Everyone should note that every business must choose among the focus dimensions (pages 25-27) to decide how they will compete, and then the Operations function of that company has to apply the business level focus dimensions that support the overall business plan.Class and Eunice, in this case above which of the focus dimensions did this firm adopt in its operations function and which did they trade-off? † Any ideas†¦.. RE: Portfolio Jill Davis 3/23/2013 PM Eunice, I liked your post. I think that in terms of product and service safety, especially in the health care fields, companies should make the trade off toward products and service quality, rather than a cheaper or faster service or product. Our text says that a company has to decide on which parameters of performance are critical to success and focus on those.High quality can be a trade off to low cost, but when it comes to health services and pharmaceutical companies the performance parameters critical to success are the well-being of their customers so low cost should have to take a back seat to product and service quality. Jacobs, Robert F. & Chase, Richard B. (2011). Operations and Supply Chain Management. Boston: McGraw-Hill Companies RE: Portfolio Instructor Cube 3/24/2013 AM Right Jill, we have all seen how a focus on low cost and low quality in the medical industry can endanger consumers.RE: Portfolio Eunice Portfolio 3/23/2013 6:54:56 PM As Jill and Jordan stated, quality is more important when it comes to the healthcare field. Not only would Promethean lose its business if even one person dies from the company's negligence, but it would face tremendous lawsuits from individuals and the government. Its reputation would be destroyed. Promethean understands the repercussions if they don't deliver a quality product so it sacrifices cost in order to deliver quality products. People are willing to spend money on medications that work.I think this is one field where consumers will pay anything for medicine that truly works. RE: Portfolio Instructor Cube 3/24/2013 8:36:44 AM Right Eunice, so these Operations managers do not focus upon low cost, flexibility, customized products, or high efficiency. They have traded off all of these focus dimensions and their approach is high quality. RE: Portfolio Steven Rice 3/24/2013 3:44139 PM would say the main focus dimension is to focus on quality, or â€Å"Make a great Product† vs.. â€Å"Deliver a great service†. Anything in the healthcare industry has a heavy emphasis in the quality control in design and process quality.I used to work for a company that produced Animal Drugs and was heavily regulated by the Food and Drug Administration, because the animals that received the drugs we produced were farmed for human consumption. As consumer, I always want the best quality for the price I'm willing to spend or can afford. Steve Rice RE-: Portfolio Jordan Edwards 3/20/20 13 PM Modified:3/20/2013 1184 PM Thanks Eunice for the insightful analysis on your article. It seems like a lot of firms/organizations are looking at ways they can save by eliminating inefficiencies or other processes altogether.In this case I would say that Promethean opted to focus on quality or making a great product and sacrificed cost or price-?making the product cheaply. RE: Portfolio Kristin Truer 3/24/2013 PM think that being effective vs. being efficient has paid off for this organization. Sometimes, a company or organization may have to pay a little more to be ore effective in delivering their product that they want and are needing to get out. In the end, its what is going to pay off for the company when the product is sold to its customers.Good info and article. Kristin Operational Sustainability Pamela Chafed 3/19/2013 10:58:43 PM I would not normally think of using Wall-Mart in the same sentence with the term operational sustainability but an article titled Unexpected A lly Helps Wall-Mart Cut Waste changed my thought process. Wall-Mart courted environmental groups and sought their input on its policies since it first announced a sustainability program. The major push for Wall-Mart to strive towards operational sustainability was to transform the publics' opinion of the corporation.With negative public views towards Wall-Marts environmental impacts and treatment of women in the workforce, H. Lee Scott, the chief executive, now retired, announced wide ranged plans to lessen the environmental impact the company had on the communities it served. The company has met some environmental goals and missed others. One of these was increasing reuse or recycle of waste produced in its stores by 64 percent, not quite the zero-waste goal that was set, but a huge step forward s progress continues to be made. Week In the trolley car problem I would hit the switch to save the 4 people and sacrifice the one because I would not be able to live with myself Just by allowing them all to die. At least even though I would be sacrificing one person I would still be able to save the rest of the people. The reasoning that has allowed me to come up with this decision is based upon my own personal values that I have which Is If there Is omitting that I can do some way shape or form that will allow me to make a difference I am willing to do It especially If It Is for the greater good to be helpful to someone else.By me Just sitting by and watching the trolley car and letting them all die would be something that I would physically be able to do because of the heart that I have. Though I am not a killer I would still weigh the options between the two and come up with one person dying Is better the all 5. When this problem was first Introduced I had the same decision to pull the switch to save the four guys op posed to letting them all die.But I can say that my reasoning behind the decision has somewhat changed before I looked at the situation as damage reduction and choosing between the lesser of the two but now I look at the situation as being to take into account the right thing to do and what I would want someone else to do for me if I were in that same situation. Week In the trolley car problem I would hit the switch to save the 4 people and sacrifice the one because I would not be able to live with myself Just by allowing them all to die. At least even though I would be sacrificing one person I would still be able to save the rest of the people. The reasoning that has allowed me to come up with this decision is based upon my own personal values that I have which Is If there Is omitting that I can do some way shape or form that will allow me to make a difference I am willing to do It especially If It Is for the greater good to be helpful to someone else.By me Just sitting by and watching the trolley car and letting them all die would be something that I would physically be able to do because of the heart that I have. Though I am not a killer I would still weigh the options between the two and come up with one person dying Is better the all 5. When this problem was first Introduced I had the same decision to pull the switch to save the four guys op posed to letting them all die.But I can say that my reasoning behind the decision has somewhat changed before I looked at the situation as damage reduction and choosing between the lesser of the two but now I look at the situation as being to take into account the right thing to do and what I would want someone else to do for me if I were in that same situation.

For Reasons Unknown

They are framed within the situation. However, the problem of Vladimir and Estrange in Waiting for God begins with their world and themselves. In fact, it is the beginning Of the play as well. They cannot realize the world nor can they realize themselves-?a characteristic of the typical absurdity as defined by Albert Campus in The Myth of Sisyphus. Like Campus in The Myth of Sisyphus, Go and Did do not know whether God exists or not. Their world without certainty promises only despair. They find a universe without moral restraint, so the universe is meaningless.The characters in the mentioned plays of Becket, Waiting for God and Act Without Words l, are condemned to move within the fixed framework of futility and hopeless labor. In The Myth of Sisyphus Campus observes: I see many people die because they judge that life is not worth living. See others paradoxically getting killed for the ideas or illusions that give them a reason for living (what is called a reason for living is also an excellent reason for dying). 1 Actually, Vladimir and Go have no reason to live nor have they any reason to commit suicide.They have a world which cannot be related with their idea of the past. They are driven by a nostalgic longing for the past that is unexplainable through the present. As Did says: the good of losing heart now, that's what say. We should have thought of it a million years ago, in the nineties. 2 Moreover, they have a present that is inexplicable through their idealism. Sago's boot, Dido's hat, the tree, the place, the day, Lucky and Bozo, the boy (or boys) and at last, God-?everything is incomprehensible to them. As a matter of fact, they are captured in the frame of their situation.Hence, for hanging themselves, the iris problem to Go and Did is the lack of rope and strong tree, that is, the devices and tools of committing suicide are absent here. Secondly, they cannot leave each other. If one hangs oneself successfully, whereas the other cannot, the other wil l remain lonely. So, they mar their plan of committing suicide. Thinking and talking of suicide, even trying it, may be a vision to them. It may be a way to pass the time. In fact, never do Vladimir and Estrange in Waiting for God think of suicide in a realistic context-?though suicide might have been an escape from the ennui Of life.Throughout the lay Vladimir and Estrange invent many devices to prove their existence and to pass the time. Taking off boots, Vladimir problem with his hat, their effort to commit suicide, their waiting for God-?all gives way to passing their time. It is an interesting fact that Vladimir and Estrange never search for other devices and processes for committing suicide. Maybe, a knife, a pistol, and starvation could suffice their purpose. Even, when they observe Lucky driven by rope, they forget all about it. They might have taken the rope forcibly for hanging themselves.In the second act it is easier for them to snatch it cause Bozo is blind and both of the two are helpless here. Moreover, they forget about when the devices are before them. In reality, they are not serious about killing themselves. They are only thinking of it, as many poets thought about and loved to die in imagination, but never committed suicide. Suicide for them, therefore, is just another diversion of fantasy. It is a strong consolation; it helps them to forget the boredom of everyday life where nothing can be done at all.They find it impossible for the two to kill themselves. They first realize that the only tree in their world, a weeping Lillo, will not support Vladimir weight on the noose and therefore will not break his neck. The second day, Vladimir and Estrange cannot hang themselves because they do not have the requisite piece of rope. By the second day, however, they have forgotten that they cannot hang themselves from the only available tree, and therefore their complaints about the lack of a suitable piece of rope are unnecessary.They observe a world that is devoid of the tools required for committing suicide. Accordingly they come, again and again, to the realization of nothing-to-be-done. Suicide might have been n end to this meaningless absurd life. They contemplate about hanging themselves on the tree. Suicide can be thought of the ultimate conclusion to a meaningless life. Campus claims that suicide is an attempt to escape from the consciousness of absurdity. But ultimately Campus proposes man to live. They do not commit suicide physically, yet they surrender to the captured situation.Whatever they do is to give the impression that they exist. But this sort of existence only calls for pity. Hanging from the tree would have proved that they have the guts at least to do something. This ontological problem is, no doubt, the main issue of the play. They are indecisive whether to go on this nothing-to-be-done life or to commit suicide. They are tired of living (Estrange says: I'm tired breathing. 3), yet they come to the realiz ation that ‘To be dead is not enough'. 4 They have no doubt that they are living beings. But they need a meaning to exist.So their realization will never let them commit suicide, rather they will be waiting for God until he comes. Again, their view of life is not to resign from life but to resume it. Vladimir, at the very outset of he play, clarifies it: â€Å"All my life I've tried to put it [Nothing to be done] from me, saying, Vladimir, be reasonable, you haven't yet tried everything. And I resumed the struggle. â€Å"5 After some time Go comments that Did always waits till the last moment. The big nothingness in their world has nothing to do with their life. They are hopeful in the depth of their minds of a bright future.So, Did says in the end of the first act, â€Å"Tomorrow everything will be better That is why they notice that the tree has sprouted leaves in the second act. Whether one says that in the two acts in the play nothing appends Nice or everything happens twice, Vladimir and Estrange are sentenced on the stage (symbolic of the life itself). They cannot escape it. They are habituated to such absurd life-?to talk, to eat, to wait and to live an meaningless life. Campus rightly puts it: â€Å"We get into the habit of living before acquiring the habit of thinking. ‘7 In this way all the character hopes to carry on living.Moreover, suicide itself may be considered as a vigorous aspect of life. When Go reminds Did of their plan of hanging, Did tells him that it them an erection. Suicide is considered in sexual term here. Though suicide as a sexual term may seem to be funny, it is, in fact, their view of life. They never consider suicide as the annihilation of life; rather their thought of suicide strengthens their bond and increases their yearning to live, as sexuality begets new life. In the mime play, Act without Words l, the only character is captured in the dust, symbolic of the uncomfortable life.In the beginning the man is see n trying to escape from this captured life, but he never can-?he is repeatedly thrown in the dust whenever he tries to escape. Gradually he becomes hopeless to flee, and surrenders himself to the taxation. In this play we find several steps. The entire action of the play takes place in a desert under the scorching sun, suggested by ‘dazzling light'. The unnamed man is directed by a whistle to move right or left. He can never escape the unbearable sun, though he is given a tree for shade. When he becomes intolerably thirsty he is shown water.But whenever he wants to catch it, it is lifted up somehow. He is forced to go without food and drink. The play seems a behaviorism experiment within the framework of the Greek classical myth of Tantalus, who stood in a pool of water which receded every mime he bent to drink it, and stood under a fruit tree which raised its branches every time he reached for food. The mythical Tantalus was punished for his own act. Whereas Godson's existenc e remains uncertain, in Act Without Words there is a God-like force, represented by a sharp whistle which will not permit the man to leave.The play is a parable of resignation from life; a condition one reaches only after a series of disappointments. The man has learned hardship that there is nothing he can depend on in life other than himself, even to commit suicide. Interestingly he cannot commit suicide also. Unlike Vladimir and Estrange, he has all the tools to kill himself-?tree, rope and noose, and box to stand on it. Yet he cannot commit suicide because whenever he needs the tools they somehow become unreachable.As a result, he has to submit to the situation without any effort to live or die. In this dumb show the man is not allowed to commit suicide, yet he is not allowed to be living. He is only granted inertia. AY last he is seen to lose hope to quench his thirst with water in the carafe. He remains defeated, having opted out Of the struggle. We observe here a man in frust rated efforts. The man in Act Without Words I possesses only two natural tools, mind and hands, which distinguish him from other animals, he tries to survive, to secure some water in the desert.The mind works, at least in part: he learns – small cube on large; he invents, or is given inventions – scissors, cubes, rope; he reacts and tries to end his life. But when he learns to use his tools effectively, they are confiscated: the scissors, when he reasons that in addition to cutting his fingernails, he might cut his throat; the blocks and rope, when he discovers that they might make a gallows. However, the man's effort to commit suicide s not a vision, rather he tries to escape a life that seems to be a nightmare. Yet he is seized in ‘no-exit' situation.

Fostering a positive work place Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Fostering a positive work place - Article Example Individuals need to put effort in achieving this type of a relationship. Questions therefore are often asked in to clarifying a good working relationship. It is the one that compromise of trust, respect, support and communication. These are the strategies that a good leader can oversee in order to achieve a healthy relationship among their staff. Trust should be a two way traffic, staff should work hard to earn trust from their colleagues and so their leaders. Trust generally involve integrity, believing in someone and giving them a chance in some highly rated activities. This comes with competence, congruency and constancy where competence involves being authentic, real and conscious about ones work e.g. nursing. When this is achieved, one can easily trust another. Congruency shows some level of unity in what have been agreed in unison. Constancy is the ability to be easily accessed or ones availability. Respect is also a thing to look for when trying to achieve a good and healthy working environment. This is through having unconditional positive regard for each other despite the position at work, social background, race, economic background or even the level of education. It is the belief that every human being has a contribution to make in the world. Support is also one of the major point when strategizing about creation of a healthy working environment. It’s the act of being there for each other at no cost. Nursing profession needs unity to moves its many activities in serving people. Communication is the core point to hit when soliciting for a healthy relationship in an organization. It is a good strategy in increasing positive interaction in the work place. Incentives. It is a reward or bonus given in appreciation of a good did or towards an outstanding performance. It is a vice that good leaders should always inculcate in trying to create a positive relation in a work place. Gifts can be given to all the staff at large and also

Critically discuss the position of legal aid in England and Wales Essay

Critically discuss the position of legal aid in England and Wales - Essay Example The government proposed changes in the civil legal aid as outlined by Justice Secretary Kenneth Clarke would see civil legal aid only routinely available for cases where life or liberty was so much at stake (Ministry of Justice, 2009, p.4). The funding would be removed on dispute like (Divorce, welfare benefits and school exclusion appeals, Employment, Immigration where the person is not detained and Clinical negligence and personal injury).However, legal funding would continue for cases like (Asylum, Mental health, Debt and housing matters where someones home is at immediate risk, Family law cases involving domestic violence, forced marriage or child abduction and for mediation as a means to resolve disputes). Other measures to be put in place are the use of telephone as single gateway to legal advice, purported benefit eligibility to access legal aid being replaced to depend on the disposable capital one has so as to qualify for the legal aid, and also the decrease in fees paid to the solicitors, judges and the barristers that provide the legal aid. The changes proposed in the legal aid are expected to cut the legal aid bill by  £350m a year by 2015. As its It is thought there would be 500,000 fewer civil cases as a result. The plan was taken through consultation from the public starting 15th November 2011 to 14th February 2011, so that the justice ministry could get the view of the public on the intended changes. It would discourage cases that are not worth taking to court being resolved through other methods of dispute resolution like mediation. As Mr. Clarke points out when reading the proposal to the MPs, he says that legal aid has seen unnecessary court cases that would have not reached the court-room door were they not being funded by tax payer’s money, but from the pocket of somebody else. He adds further that the proposal targets civil ‘and family schemes that discourage people to resort to lawyers and courts whenever they have

Dell Computers - Supply and Demand Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Dell Computers - Supply and Demand - Assignment Example However, the ethical issue of upholding the interest of the disadvantaged groups requires that the HR professionals should treat these groups as special interest groups, by granting them some favorable measures, which would make them have equal opportunities with others (Flynn, Mathis, Jackson & Langan, 2007). These two aspects create a sense conflict, since the HR professional are required to favor the disadvantaged group on one hand, while ensuring the principle of equality is upheld. For example, in an interview for the post of a staff accountant, the HR team was faced with a dilemma in selecting between an individual who was rated highly during the interview, and another one who had a slightly lower rating, yet belonged to the disadvantage group. While the law would require that the most qualified candidate takes up the position, it would be ethical to grant the position to the member of the disadvantaged group, who may not have many opportunities like the others. The similarity between the legal and the ethical responsibility is that they both advocate for the creation of equal of opportunities for all. However the contrast is; while the legal responsibility requires all people to be treated equally, the ethical responsibilities calls for the favor of some

Critical Review Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Critical Review - Essay Example The inclusive settings may be community-based such as private preschool programmes in day care centres, or may be public school based preschool programmes. For inclusion to be successful, children with disabilities have to be provided with all the necessary supports, to facilitate their forming friendships with peers, to actively participate in all classroom activities, and to accomplish the individualised goals designed to meet his or her needs. Both the disabled children and their non-disabled peers benefit from the integrated environment (Power-deFur & Orelove, 1997). Thesis Statement: The purpose of this paper is to write a critical review of the article by Odom (2000). First, the article will be summarised, followed by a background section giving a brief account of the reason why the article was chosen, its significance and the relevance to one’s research interest. The critical review of the article will include an investigation of the topic and key issues raised in the paper; also the author’s findings and suggestions; the arguments put forward by the article; and an evaluation of the strengths and shortcomings of the paper. In early childhood special education, it is now a primary service option to include children with disabilities with normally developing peers with typical growth patterns, in integrated classroom settings. This is a relatively new development, from the 1990s, although inclusion of preschool children was known since the early 1970s. There has been a gradual shift from special education programmes for school age children to those designed for preschool age children, to programmes in which children with disabilities are included in mainstream classrooms, with continued development in the settings offered for achieving improved outcomes (Odom, 2000). In this paper, the author Odom (2000) briefly investigates the literature available on the topic. Some research findings on

Critical Reflection of Learning Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Critical Reflection of Learning - Essay Example Secondly in this area, instructors have been shown as the real professionals and experts who administer the skills to learners as a way of passing knowledge from one generation to another. It is in this group that professionalism and integrity should be stressed so as to ensure that right and correct curriculum and procedure is followed. The government of the day is a unique figure in the propagation of knowledge in the country. They formulate policies that will improve the delivery of knowledge in academic excellence. They depend on learning centers and organizations so as to produce sufficient and qualified personnel which will carry on the nation in the coming generations. It is with this great interest and dependence of learning process that this paper shall outline the benefits of critical reflection so as to improve learning and enhance efficiency for both learners and instructors. Learning depends on a systemic guide that elaborates the academic procedure and curriculum which instructors lead learners through it, and assessment and evaluation is done to show if learning has taken place or not. Good performance in assessment and evaluation through examinations is seen as positive, while failure is shown to suggest that learning has not taken place. This critically does not reflect the true identity of learning process. This is because examiners may wish to examine learners in a specific topic or module which may not be friendly with the learner hence the poor performance of the student. This therefore, suggests that the student may have failed in this area but well equipped in other topics which may not have been examined. This illustration makes an argument that examination may not be the best tool to reflection of the learning process since it does not indicate all the possible avenues of education. On the hand, those who may have performed well in the exam may have had a good time with the topic examined hence their performance. Environment is a great contributor in the performance of a student that may enable one to perform well or poor. In cases where tension is identified, learners may be affected in their performance. Parents and instructors who threaten their children put pressure to perform on them hence passing or failing dos not reflect learning and acquisition of knowledge. This indicates that pupils may pass the exam because of the family, and friends pressure, and not as a result that they have achieved the goal of learning. This proves that stakeholders should come together and come up with ways to evaluate and assess learners in the learning process so as to send out qualified professionals that can be depended on to improve economies of the world and offer management expertise in global organizations. Academic performance has been set as a mark in the employment subject which has seen people with good certificates enter the job world. However, it has been argued that some of these people are considered incompetent e ven though they possess certificates with wonderful grades. This raises alarm on the merits of learning since in several high learning institutions, it is the choice and decision of the respective lectures that make or break a professional from the class environment. Proper machinery and

Healthy Grief Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Healthy Grief - Essay Example The positive attitude develops as a result of someone acknowledging that the departed person or item is irreversible. The acknowledgment will help a person to act a near normal in case of departure. The positive attitude towards grief is what the psychologists refers to as a healthy grief. There are five stages that are involved when helping a bereaved person to recover from the grief. The grieving process established by Kubler-Ross projects some reactions that Job underwent in his life that is described in the Bible. The denial stage is the beginning point of the healing process. At this stage, the bereaved person will want to deny his or her real situation that he or she is facing (Kubler-Ross, 1969, p. 140). In other words, as the term denial suggests, the person will want to focus on other issues in order to feel like he or she is acting on the normal life. Drawing the perspective from the biblical account of Job, after all his children and animals died, he acted as though there was nothing happened to him. He preferred to suggest that all he had was given to him by God and if he had decided to take it back; he had no other measure to deal with the situation. The second stage that forms part of Kubler-Ross grief process is that of anger (Kubler-Ross, 1969). Shortly after the denial process, the bereaved person will come to the reality that he or she has lost a dear one or a property that is so valuable. There is an increase of emotional pain that affect the bereaved person (Nithyananda, 2007, p. 175). The person begins to be troubled by questions regarding the cause of the loss. For example, you will hear people asking, why did this happened to me? The power of anger in manifested in many ways and blames will arise towards himself and to others. In the Biblical story of Job, we see him having anger in the way he tore his clothes and went into the road and stayed without food. The only thing he did was to sit on the road

United States Economy on the rebound Essay Example for Free

United States Economy on the rebound Essay Forbes. com reported that the United States economy recovered from an economic slump by 3. 4 percent in this year’s second quarter. It is reportedly a highly-favored performance in more than a year. The major force believed to be the largest attributing factor to this economic resurgence is the reinforcement of business spending. (AVERSA, 2007) The 3. 4 percent growth rate is said to be a bit higher than the 3. 2 percent estimated by Wall Street. (Daily Times , 2007) Despite the seemingly favorable pace, analysts predict that this show of strength may not continue for the rest of the year. The economic upswing can be credited to the rise of exports, a significant improvement in the global business scene, and a decline in consumer spending. Exports have reportedly grew to 6. 4 percent while imports dropped by 2. 6 percent. (Daily Times , 2007). Consumer expenditure is one of the factors that fuels economic expansion. However this component does not have too much of an impact. End user spending went up only 1. percent as opposed to 3. 7 percent in the first quarter. It is reportedly the weakest since late 2005. (Daily Times , 2007) The real estate sector also experienced a dip as real estate investments fell to 9. 3 per cent although not as low as the first quarter dip of 16. 3 per cent. Analysts are predicting that there are certain risks as brought on by this development. This is because the drop in real estate investments may have impacts of still unknown nature (Daily Times , 2007). Inflation rate is also among the meter sticks of economists. Inflation rates are better from the 2. 4 percent in the previous quarter to only 1. 4 percent in the next quarter; this is said to be the slowest rate since 2003. (Daily Times , 2007) It is expected that the American people will have more buying power resulting from the better condition of the economy and of the United States dollar’s show of strength. Personal incomes of the American people have increased by . 40 per cent or $47. 3 billion. Disposal personal incomes climbed up to $37. 6 billion or . 0 per cent according to the Bureau of Economic Analysis or the BEA. (Armah Rankin, 2007) Wages and salary payments have increased to a high $24. 9 billion in May. This is in stark contrast to the dip of $36. 4 billion in April. (Armah Rankin, 2007) In addition to the above factors, the real gross domestic product or the yield produced by industries and property in the United States, went up to 3. 4 per cent per annum. Elements that caused this increase in the GDP include upbeat inputs from personal expenses for services, exports, and nonresidential structures. Also lending a hand were federal government spending, state and local government expenditure. (Mannering, 2007) The uphill inclination of the economy will cause improvements in the financial stature of many Americans. Analysts and ordinary people alike expect that more and more people will be confident in their finances such that they will be able to afford more luxuries. This may cause a change in the lifestyle of many Americans. Banks are always on hand to offer loans that many people think will help alleviate their financial situation. People should be wary of this and be aware of the impact that interest rates may have on their finances, should they start to fail in making payments. In spite of the uphill trend of the economy, business analysts are hopeful but are still watchful of the possible outcome. Notwithstanding this positive development of the economy, it is still and always advisable to be careful of one’s spending habits. People should take advantage of the financial freedom that this economic condition will lend so that they can prepare for their future. Instead of spending a big portion of their hard-earned money on luxuries that will gradually deplete their monetary reserves because of expenditures such as taxes and depreciation, people should make it a habit to set aside a sum of money for investment instruments. Investment instruments such as pension plans, trust funds that will help them maximize their money’s earning potential and help them secure their future or make it easier for them to afford other comforts such as leisure trips out of the country or a new vacation home. Whatever state the economy is in, it is always wise to plan for the future. Those who are new in investing can seek the help of professionals who can aid them in making the right investment decision. One must always take advantage of investment tools that will help him enjoy and maximize the benefits of his hard-earned money. It is also important that people learn to stay debt-free. If they are already in debt, they should seek help of financial advisers on how to get out of debt in such a way that they can still live a comfortable life.

A burn injuries

A burn injuries Interpretation Exercise Burn injuries are most often caused when the skin comes in direct contact with a naked flame or a hot surface. Scalding can occur when there is contact with a hot liquid. There are several other types of burns such as chemical, caused by strong acids or bases, and radiation, the most commonly known example being sunburn from UV light. Burns are classified by degree, where severity increases with a higher degree. A newer classification system separates burns into three categories: superficial, partial thickness and full thickness burns. The patient in the scenario has a full thickness third degree burn. This usually results in loss of the outer skin layer (epidermis) causing the patients skin to be numb and feel hard and leathery to the touch. This degree of burn requires immediate medical attention as they do not heal on their own. Proteins at the site of injury denature and cells eventually die, marked by the formation of black eschar at the centre of the wound. Once the skin barrier has been broken, the homeostatic functions of the skin are lost. There is rapid loss of body fluid and blood plasma which can sometimes cause visible swelling. As the skin is the bodys first line of defence, burn wound infections correlate with the size of the burn injury. The epidermis constantly sheds off and takes harmful bacteria with it. Furthermore, the acidic nature of the skin prevents the entry of microorganisms that generally prefer neutral conditions. Burns are also associated with a depressed immune response. Given this information, it is no surprise that infection is the principal cause of death in burn victims. As it is a third degree burn, the patient will have spent some time in hospital where there is a greater risk of infection. Patient to patient contact via hospital equipment and staff allows rapid transmission of pathogenic bacteria. The burn wound is a favourable site for opportunistic colonization by pathogens because the eschar provides a moist, protein rich environment which encourages bacterial growth. The excess of necrotic tissue provides a rich growth medium for the microorganism. In the clinical presentation, the patient complained of fever, chills and an unpleasant smelling discharge from the burn wound. These are all signs of infection so the doctor was correct to prescribe the patient an antibiotic. However, on the basis of the array of microbiology data collected in the laboratory, the doctors choice of antibiotic was incorrect. A two week course of flucloxacillin 500mg was prescribed to the patient to be taken orally 4 times daily. Flucloxacillin is an antibiotic belonging to the penicillin group. It is used to treat infections caused by gram-positive bacteria, most commonly Staphylococcus aureus. In the laboratory, the microscopic slide was examined under a microscope using the oil immersion lens. Rod shaped microorganisms were observed and they were stained a pink/red colour. This indicates the bacteria present in the pus samples is gram negative. Therefore, flucloxacillin would have no therapeutic effect to the patient as it is only bactericidal again st gram-positive cells. The three agar plates were examined and observations on the colour, shape, size and smell of the colonies was noted. There was no visible growth on the Mannitol salt agar (MSA) plate. This type of selective agar is used to isolate Staphylococcus aureus as it inhibits most other bacteria due to its high sodium chloride concentration (7.5 %w/v). The absence of growth on the MSA plate provides further evidence that there is no Staphylococcus aureus colonisation in the patient. The colonies on the cetrimide agar were a pale, cloudy brown colour and gave off the smell of rotting fruit. The use of cetrimide agar as a selective and differential agar allows for the isolation of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, a gram-negative microorganism. Cetrimide is an ammonia compound which inhibits most bacteria, including some Pseudomonas species (but not P. aeruginosa). It also enhances production of the pigment pyocyanin which results in bright green colonies. However, some strains of P. aeruginosa do not produce the pigment. The growth on this plate confirmed the pathogen present in the patient is Pseudomonas aeruginosa and the colourless colonies indicate it is a non-pigment producing strain. There was also growth on the MacConkey agar where the colonies were somewhat colourless but had an orange tinge. MacConkey agar is a selective differential medium used to identify gram-negative bacteria and determine whether they are lactose fermenters. Fermenters appear as bright red colonies whilst non-fermenters are relatively colourless. As there was growth on this plate, the microorganism is definitely gram-negative but not a fermenter due to the absence of red colonies. P. aeruginosa does not ferment lactose which explains the colour of the colonies. An oxidase test was carried out which gave a positive result, indicated by a deep blue colour at the end of the test stick. An oxidase positive microbe possesses the enzyme required in the final stage of respiration to form metabolic water. Only aerobic or facultatively anaerobic microorganisms give a positive result. This biochemical test presents further evidence that P. aeruginosa is the infection causing bacteria because it is an obligate aerobe and therefore possess the cytochrome oxidase enzyme. Broth bottles containing growth medium, a bacterial culture and an antibiotic at five different concentrations (all in  µg/ml) were observed. Cloudy broth dilutions indicated the bacteria was resistant and was able to grow. Clear broth dilutions showed the bacteria was sensitive to the antibiotic and its growth was inhibited. The bacteria was resistant to erythromycin at all concentrations used (1.25-20 µg/ml). Erythromycin is a macrolide antibiotic related to penicillin. The results indicate it would have no therapeutic effect if prescribed to the patient. Amoxicillin showed antimicrobial activity against the microorganism at concentrations of 20 µg/ml and 40 µg/ml. However, at concentrations above 12 µg/ml, the bacterium is considered resistant to amoxicillin so it has no therapeutic effect to the patient. Penicillins do not seem to have significant antimicrobial effects for this pathogen which shows the doctor was incorrect in his prescription of flucloxacillin as it is too a member of the penicillin group. The dose of 500mg will unlikely be high enough to be beneficial and any therapeutic doses would be at too high a concentration and therefore impractical. Cefuroxime, a second generation cephalosporin, was effective at concentrations of 16 µg/ml and 32 µg/ml. Again, this was above the intermediate concentration range so does not benefit the patient. A newer generation cephalosporin may need to be used as they provide coverage against a broader spectrum of bacteria. The broth dilution containing ticarcillin was clear at concentrations of 8 µg/ml and 16 µg/ml. The intermediate concentration range for this drug is 10-20 µg/ml so the minimum inhibitory concentration is 8 µg/ml. This drug is a carboxypenicillin a sub group of the penicillin family. The bacteria showed moderate sensitivity to the drug but only at fairly high concentrations. Amikacin was also effective below its intermediate range (6-10 µg/ml) and inhibited bacterial growth at concentrations of 4 µg/ml, 6 µg/ml and 8 µg/ml. Amikacin is an aminoglycoside and is a suitable antibiotic to use against this pathogen as it showed high sensitivity to the drug. The doctors choice of antimicrobial therapy will not be beneficial to the patient as flucloxacillin is effective against gram-positive bacteria only and the patient is infected with gram-negative P. aeruginosa. Unnecessary use of this antibiotic could cause bacterial resistance. P. aeruginosa is naturally resistant to a wide range of antibiotics and thus infections where it is the causative agent can be difficult to treat. Broad-spectrum agents are required as they are the only drugs which provide coverage against the bacteria. The patient could be treated with an aminoglycoside such as amikacin. Gentamicin could also be used but the experimental data shows the pathogen is definitely sensitive to amikacin and studies have found that P. aeruginosa is more likely to develop resistance to gentamicin than amikacin. Aminoglycosides are bactericidal and act by interfering with the bacterial ribosome, leading to incorrect reading of messenger RNA. This would be used along with a third gener ation cephalosporin such as ceftazidime. Carboxypenicillins could also be used (e.g. ticarcillin) but they have only moderate activity against Pseudomonas species and research has shown that bacteria quickly develop resistance to them. Third generation cephalosporins provide coverage against P. aeruginosa, unlike 1st and 2nd generation which have a more limited spectrum of activity. They are also bactericidal and exert their effect by interfering with cell wall synthesis. Although there is no significant evidence of the benefits to using the two drugs in combination, it is rational to do so as it prevents the emergence of mutant genes resistant to one of the agents. Both drugs are also thought to have a synergistic effect when used together. Neither of these drugs are absorbed via the gastrointestinal tract so must be administered via the parenteral route. Amikacin is given via intramuscular injection at a dose of 15mg/kg daily in two divided doses. The dose must be decided carefull y as high levels of amikacin in the blood stream can cause damage to the ear (ototoxicity). Ceftazidime is given by intravenous infusion at a dose of approximately 2g every 12 hours, depending on the severity of the infection. In summary, the available microbiology data indicates that the doctors presumptive diagnosis was incorrect and that the patient has a burns infection caused by Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The absence of growth on the MSA plate disproved the idea of a staph aureus related infection. Gram-negative rods observed on the slide and growth on the MacConkey agar clarified that the microorganism was gram-negative. Growth on the cetrimide agar plate confirmed the presence of Pseudomonas aeruginosa in the patients pus sample. Examination of the broth dilutions helped determine a suitable combination of antibiotics for the patient to take. These would be need therapeutic and possess antimicrobial activity against the pathogen, unlike the doctors prescription of flucloxacillin. Use of a third generation cephalosporin with an aminoglycoside should effectively clear up the infection in the patient following completion of the course of antibiotics.

Leadership is about Forging Relationships

Leadership is about Forging Relationships â€Å"In a nut shell, I believe leadership is about forging relationships and perpetuating communication centered on and around a common vision, goals, and values.† Leaders set vision, strategies, goals, and values in order to guide for desired action and behavior. Leaders are characterized by certain traits which distinguish leaders from non-leaders includes Drive, desire to lead, honesty, cognitive ability, self-confidence and knowledge. Leaders are defined by their personal core values and they lead with their hearts.   In the winter of 1987, I was born in a farmer’s family and I grew up in a joint family of fourteen. Teamwork was not a choice, it was a necessity! I believe my greatest leadership asset is that I am socially resourceful. I can communicate effectively and am comfortable one-on-one or with a large group. I truly believe that learning from the experiences of others is an incredibly valuable resource. Learning about others is also a valuable tool. Exhibiting sincere interest in people empowers a leader with knowledge, perspective and insights they may not have considered. In addition, others are likely to increase their receptiveness to anything you have to say or hope to accomplish when they sense your genuine interest in their point of view. Genuine people who are true to themselves and to what they believe in turned into an authentic leader. They are more concern about serving others than they are about their own success or recognition. My journey into leadership is full of peaks and valleys. Leadership has not always been an easy road for me, but has provided me with several challenges. One of my first experiences was in high school and has continued throughout my professional career. My first experience in leadership was my being elected to represent my high school-Birla school, Mumbai for a state level event named India culture quest. We were team of 22 including dancers, singers, gymnastics, science innovation project team, and team to handle brainstorming and quizzes. I remember being so nervous not knowing how to lead or communicate effectively with my fellow students. It was my primary role that to engage and coordinate my fellow student and also represent our school as of the example for discipline and talent on a state level. I knew I could handle this challenge if I organized the team and prepared the charter. My charter was including everyone’s details about their strength and weaknesses. I organi zed all of them into their respective small groups based on their role in an event and asked each team to choose one leader among them. I distributed my responsibilities among these leaders and kept the track of quality of the performance. I also organized special event and outings to encourage my fellow students to engage them. This to me was my first experience in leadership and it helped me in college where I was pushed to organize and managed the annual cultural event named – ‘Odessy’. I felt challenged, but I knew by extending an outline of my high-school leadership. I agreed to commit that my leadership style improved a lot during those days. It became more authentic. Authentic leaders need to sustain high levels of motivation. Keeping that in mind I started my work by delivering motivational speech to my team and asked them to give best of what they have. I outlined my leadership style in such a way that my team mates should feel comfortable to speak up an d share their views. My contributions allowed others to have a better understanding of the overall planning and execution of the Annual Culture Event. This also helped me overcome challenges and differences by expressing myself among different personalities, ethnicities, and cultures. I learned that leadership has multiple dimensions. Articulating the vision and managing the task are not only the responsibilities of a leader. It’s more than that. It’s to influence others by your core values, your unique characteristics and your authentic and positive approach. You will be most effective as a leader when you find opportunities that highly motivate you and utilize your greatest capabilities. One without the other is insufficient. To find them you must understand your deepest motivations and be honest with yourself about your capabilities. Being motivated by something you are not good at will not enable you to succeed as a leader, nor will pursue leadership roles that do not motivate you. But when you find the role that meshes your motivations with your capabilities, you will discover the sweet spot that maximizes your effectiveness as a leader. I also learned one more lesson that accept both success and failure. My every step, whether it is a mistake or success strategy, will always give me an uncountable experience. I have to learn through that experience. Never afraid of failures because each mistake teaches us the important lessons to succeed. I also developed my listening ability during the whole event. I gained the experience of discovering capabilities which I did not know I had. Another example of leadership includes my managerial experience at my company. The greatest challenge I faced was building a product team at my company. On November 7, 2012 Vice president of my company, Mr. Mahesh Patil, sent me an email and asked me to join him in the cabin. Mr. Patil just returned from a meeting with board of directors. He reported that the company facing challenges to beat the high market competition and we will lose thousands of customers if we are not able to improve our product’s features. As a recently promoted product manager, I was asked to lead the project. I never had experience of leading a huge team of 17 people before. In past, I was working as an associate product manager for the same product and hence I was pretty sure about functionality and technical constraints about the product. I decided to take the opportunity and to challenge myself to enhance my leadership graph. When I entered into my current position, I knew I had to make changes in t he methodologies and product development process. The previous product manager had short of vision and neither organized research work, and process documents. The company relied solely on him, which caused inconsistency in products quality and customers dissatisfaction. I led and supervised 17 employees, coordinated the work of forty two people, and two months later implemented a solution. In order to start with I formed four distinguished teams and re-defined responsibilities and tasks. During the initial discussion with Mr. Mahesh Patil and 5 senior managers, I suggested the methodology for solving the problem. I presented the feasibility of the proposed solution and an initial estimate of the costs, and operational implications. I convinced them that how the new methodology will give us an edge over our competitors and innovative marketing strategy will help us to regain the brand name. However, I felt I have not yet consider all the real time risk factors and it may turn into operationally premature solution due to lack of ability in handling the risk. I asked for more days to conduct trials. I knew that the financial consequences of failure would be tremendous and hence I was very much stressed by this project. Leaders do not succeed on their own. Every leader defined by the members of his team. Strong-support team provides affirmation, advice, perspective, calls for corrections when needed, and, above all, team bonding. I knew that I want to lead a team where I should create comfort and open environment so that during the hard days and low points, as a whole team we should not lose our boost to achieve the target. I knew that it is easy to divert by the expectations of others but as a leader my role is to grounded my team mates with their core values and help them to stay on track. In our first team meeting, I shared my strength and weakness and asked others to join me by expressing their thoughts. Three of seventeen Team members were not open with one other about their mistakes and weaknesses. Such things make it difficult to build a foundation for trust. Teams that lack trust are incapable of engaging in unfiltered and passionate debate of ideas. Instead, they resort to veiled discussions and guarded comments. Again I felt challenged. Whether you are a leader or a team member, you can never take trust for granted. It was a big challenge for me to build a trust and create extremely harmonious and independent environment that embrace my personal values and principles. I took the opportunity and passed Quote of Trust and Accountability a.k.a. QTA based on our discussion. Our Quote of Trust and Accountability (QTA) stated as – ‘Trust lies at the heart of a functioning, cohesive team. Without it, teamwork is all but impossible. Unfortunately, the word trust is used—and misused—so often that it has lost some of its impact and begins to sound like motherhood. That is why it is important to be very specific about what is meant by trust. For me trust and accountability is what I perceive and conceptualize my core values and I am responsible to develop authenticity, integrity, knowledge, authority, respect for others, and trust’. We all agreed to Quote of Trust. Next day I gathered my staff and I presented the issues, emphasized the significance of the business opportunity, and defined a timetable. I also asked my marketing team to evaluate the magnitude of the problem in other markets. I set the vision of our team and also specified the norms of team. I distributed the task among four teams and created guidelines of communication and execution. It was two-way communication session where I asked my teammates to share their views, expert knowledge and level of confidence. It was a great session we had. I learned that being with your team-mates face-to-face; inquiring about their work, their families, their personal lives, and their careers; and being open and vulnerable with them creates an intimacy with people. As we moved forward in the project, I able to developed the series of positive interactions, suggestions, and problem solving methodologies. Initially, few members of my team were hesitating to open up due to language barrier. I organ ized Saturday late afternoon party at my home. I invited all to join and made them to participate in the musical chair game. I had also organized activity exercises’ for my team. We had great fun. The enjoyment ended with musical evening where everyone was singing and all were connected to the music. I was listening to the music with closed eyes but I was experiencing the engagement and strong bonding as a team with open heart. I succeed to diminish the language barrier. Whenever I feel stressed or down, I close my eyes and recollect those memories of empowerment. The breeze of empowerment boosts me to stand again.

Alzheimers Disease Essay -- Alzheimers Disease Essays

Alzheimer’s Disease   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Imagine waking up one morning and you cannot remember where you are or your own child’s name. This could be a direct sign that you or a family member has Alzheimer’s disease. Alzheimer’s disease is a form of dementia, which means that it affects certain functions of the brain such as memory, logic, and everyday bodily functions. This disease was first described by a doctor named Alois Alzheimer in 1906. He discovered unusual growths of fibers in the brains of woman that had died from an unusual mental illness (National Institute, 1995).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Many people do not realize how severe this disease really is. These people also do not realize how much of a risk there is of developing the disease. Four million people in the United States today are afflicted with Alzheimer’s disease. It is estimated that about 22 million people around the world currently have this disease (St.George-Hyslop, 2000). Another very interesting fact about Alzheimer’s is that the changes in the brain take place 20 to 40 years before the patient shows any symptoms. About ten percent of Americans have this disease by the age of 65, and about 50 percent of Americans have the disease by the age of 85. People can live well into their 90s, and they still retain most of their memories and control of their bodies (Kahn, 1998). This disease is a disease that everyone in the United States should be concerned about.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Scientists believe that they know what causes this disease to occur. It is caused by proteins in the brain that go terribly wrong. These proteins form clusters inside the brain, and they produce a toxin that affects nerve cells. These nerve cells are then lost, and this affects certain parts of the brain that control certain functions. This directly affects two parts of the brain, the hippocampus and the cerebral cortex. These two parts of the brain control memory, reasoning, language, and other bodily functions (St. George-Hyslop, 2000). Alzheimer’s disease has a major effect on not only the patient’s life, but on the lives of the patient’s family as well. This disease takes a very slow path in its development. It may start as just some short-term memory loss. This means that a person with Alzheimer’s may forget little things, like what he or she ate for dinner last night or why they went to the refrigerator. These symptoms can be overlooked as j... ...In Kahn’s story (1998) a daughter of a patient was very pleased with Aricept, â€Å"’ the reversal of her condition was remarkable. For over a year, I kind of got my mom back (p,18).’† This disease is obviously a horrible one. It can rip a family apart, and there is nothing that can be done about it. Hopefully, one day a cure will be found, but in the mean time, Alzheimer’s disease has total control over a person who is afflicted with it. It also has control over the family of the person afflicted with it. Almost everyone in this country has some sort of tie to this disease, and this is why more research should be done in hopes of finding a cure. References Kahn, C. (2007, November, 8). New drugs and hope for Alzheimer’s patients. Parade Magazine, 16-19. National Institute on Aging. (1995). Alzheimer’s Disease Fact Sheet. Retrieved October 22, 2008, from the World Wide Web: http://www.alzheimers.org/pubs/adfact.html Shenk, D. (2001, November-December). The War on Alzheimer’s. My Generation, 15-20. St. George-Hyslop, P.H. (2005). Piecing Together Alzheimer’s. Retrieved October 22, 2008, from the World Wide Web: http://www.sciam.com/2000/1200issue/1200stgeorge.html

The Population Solution :: essays research papers fc

The Population Solution Question... 1. Most people assume that human numbers will stabilize at some point in the future. Discuss the conditions which can contribute to the solution of the population explosion. "Let us suppose that the average human being weighs 60 kilogram's. If that's the case then 100,000,000,000,000,000,000 people would weigh as much as the whole Earth does. That number of people is 30,000,000,000,000 times as many people as there are living today. It may seem to you that the population can go up a long, long time before it reaches the point where there are 30,000,000,000,000 times as many people as there are today. Let's think about that though. Let us suppose that the population growth rate stays at 2.0 per cent so that the number of people in the world continues to double every 35 years. How long, then, will it take for the world's population to weigh as much as the entire planet? The answer is - not quite 1,600 years. This means that by 3550 AD, the human population would weight as much as the entire planet.... Even if that were possible, it wouldn't give us much time. If the growth-rate stays at 2.0 per cent, then in a little over 2,200 years - say, by 4220 AD - the human populat i on would weigh as much as the entire Solar system, including the Sun... and by about 6700 AD - the human population would weigh as much as the entire Universe." The preceding paragraph, by Isaac Asimov describes quite alarmingly just how bad the population problem really is, that in considerably less time that has passed since the days of Julius Caesar the population will equal in mass of that of the earth. Most people assume that human numbers will stabilize at some point in the future. Hopefully it will, but not without conditions that will contribute to the solution of the population explosion, conditions which include education, birth control methods and government action. Although not the largest in terms of population size, Kenya has one of the highest rates natural increase in the world. This rapid growth rate, which is predicted to reach 120 million by the year 2050, is primarily due to high birthrates and low death rates. Alarmingly, more than half of its population is under the age of 15. This is partly due to the fact that before western influence, health care was relatively poor and families needed to be large in order to guarantee the survival of at least a couple of children to take care of both the land and the elderly.

Youth empowerment through quality education

This paper considers quality education, its importance to youth empowerment and in what ways it empowers. The paper recommended proper implementation of the curriculum, continued Teacher Education, adequate budgetary allocation and priority for education and parental encouragement to mention a few. Nigeria celebrated another Independence Day recently marking her 53rd anniversary; however the pace of development and that at which policy decisions of government and by extension its policy makers are implemented, is not commensurate with how long she has been an independent state.It is believed that one sure way of measuring the responsiveness or otherwise of any government in the world today, is in its quick implementation of key policy agreement or decisions that will boost the advancement of any sector such policy is formulated As a resul t, it is not surprising to observe that nations that want to be reckoned with in terms of youth empowerment, religious tolerance, technological adv ancement, national transformation etc strive to position education as a focal point in its march towards development.It is in the face of this, that the steady decline in the overall standard of education cross all tiers in the nation therefore that education experts have continued to clamour for initiatives that would promote massive development of the sector that is daily experiencing backwardness. In fact, many graduates cannot express themselves properly. Some in practical disciplines can't practice what they have supposedly learnt in school.While some in offices lack adequate knowledge and sit idling away redundantly due to lack of empowerment. To empower means â€Å"to promote self-actualization or influence of† something or someone (Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary, 2000) or to â€Å"make (someone) tronger and more confident, especially in control of their life and rights† (Oxford Advanced Learners Dictionary, 6th edition). Empowerment can therefore be said to be the process of increasing the educational, social, economic, political etc strength of an individual.Opeyemi (The Punch, 2013) quoting Olatokunbo Somolu, chairman, Board of Trustees for Vision 20:2020 in his address at the 16th Vision 20:2020 Career Workshop in Lagos earlier this year noted that â€Å"one of the steps needed to move the nation forward is through youth empowerment†. He explained that youth empowerment as a tool for evelopment is an attitudinal, structural and cultural process whereby young people gain the skill, ability and authority to make decisions and implement change in their own lives and the lives of other people (youths and adults inclusive) and the society in general.He further said, miouth empowerment is often addressed as a gateway to intergenerational equity, civic engagement and democracy building. The need to guide and nurture our youth who are the future of our great country Nigeria cannot be over-emphasized and further pointed out that e mpowering of youths is an investment that pays off anytime, anywhere. Adding that, by investing in youths, government corporations, communities, NGOs and individuals can help prepare the youths for the challenges ahead†. Many things can be said to be responsible for non empowerment, under empowerment or inadequate empower.For instance, Oyeleye ( in SUN 2013:45) quoted an Oba saying † youths nowadays see elders especially those in power as the problem of the nation having failed to provide for them, thus mortgaging the future of the nation†. He further said that â€Å"for this nation to see a brighter future, government must devote resources to developing youths and empowering them etore they learn and operate a new style ot internal terrorism†. This paper however, is not meant to ascribe blame but to promote youth empowerment through quality education. With that said, who then are the youths of a society? What is quality education?How can quality education b ring about youth empowerment? What are the imperatives for achieving such education? YOUTH AND YOUTH EMPOWERMENT Youth is â€Å"a time of life when one is young especially the period between childhood or adolescence and maturity' (Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary, 2000). It is â€Å"the period between childhood and adult age† (Oxford Advanced Learners Dictionary, 6th dition). It is at this age or period of live that an individual is formed. The lessons, morals, values etc picked up or learnt at this stage of life that shapes who the individual becomes in the future.It is therefore paramount at this age, to promote self- actualization and increase the educational, social, economic, political etc strength of an individual. Youth empowerment occurs in homes, at schools, through youth organizations, government policy-making and community organizing campaigns. Major structural activities where youth empowerment happens throughout society include community ecision-making, org anizational planning, and education reform. It is often addressed as a gateway to intergenerational equity, civic engagement and democracy building.Many local, state, national, and international government agencies and nonprofit organizations provide programs centered on youth empowerment. Activities involved therein may focus on youth-led media, youth rights, youth councils, youth activism, youth involvement in community decision- making etc Even in politics, major political parties in the world have statements supporting youth empowerment. It is also a central tenet of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, which almost every country in the world (if not all) has signed into law.Presently, there are a variety of youth empowerment initiatives underway around the world. The 53 member countries of the Commonwealth of Nations have all signed up to the Commonwealth Plan of Action for Youth Empowerment (2007-2015). The Plan of Action underpins the work of the Commonwe alth Youth Programme (CYP). On the Commonwealth definition, â€Å"Young people are empowered when they acknowledge that they have or can create choices in life, are aware of the implications of those choices, make an intormed decision treely, ake action based on that decision and accept responsibility for the consequences of those actions.Empowering young people means creating and supporting the enabling conditions under which young people can act on their own behalf, and on their own terms, rather than at the direction of others. † QUALITY EDUCATION In any form or way it is presented, education is vital for human and national development. Through it, people acquire basic skills and attitudes by which they make meaningful living and coexistence (Okwuolise, 2005). Education brings about refinements, sobriety, dynamism, faith, technological advancement, empowerment, elf regard, aggregation etc (Okwuolise 1999).Osifo-Whiskey (in Okwuolise, 2005) said that â€Å"learning and kno wledge determines what people or society is, backward or advanced, civilized or primitive, enlightened or in darkness. Learning and knowledge are the equivalent of thinking in the matter of who is man or who is an animal†. Education however does not only achieve these, it â€Å"accretes equally national development and transformation, depending on the aspirations of the nation and the objectives intended to be achieved by it† (Okwuolise, 2005).From the foregoing, if considered in a formal sense, education is a process of nstruction for the purpose of preparing the learners to become useful to themselves and the society. It is therefore no wander, Onah et al (2012:41) defined education as â€Å"the process of transmitting what is worthwhile (desirable skills, knowledge, attitude, aptitude etc) to those who are committed to it, whether they are children, youths or adults in the hope of promoting their usefulness to themselves and the society'.Quality on the other hand me ans â€Å"of high worth, value or standard† (American Heritage Dictionary, 1996), or â€Å"degree or standard of excellence† (Collins English Dictionary, 2000). Quality education therefore means education that is of high or valuable standard, adequate and with valid teaching or instructional outings in terms of method and content. It must also, reflect the three domains of education (the cognitive, affective and psychomotor domains).It therefore goes without saying that, there are certain societal expectations or traits an empowered person (child, youth or adult) is expected to manifest. Along the line of philosophy and the line of educational domains as seen above, the empowered man should; l. Be a man of knowledge, i. e. e must be well grounded in what he is supposed to do, or what he is exposed to. II. Be of good nature with good relation and must be a sociable person and not a recluse Ill field of empowerment.Be able to practically pertorm and deliver . By and by, if we are to examine the role and importance of quality education in youth empowerment, much could be said. This paper however limits itself to the following areas where quality education accretes to youth empowerment; Knowledge and Insight Knowledge is the â€Å"acquaintance with or understanding of a science, art or echnique†, â€Å"range of one's information or understanding† while insight is the â€Å"ability to understand people and situations in a very clear way' (Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary, 2000).One of the attributes of quality education is the ability to instill in learners (in this case, youths) the total understanding and a range of information in a very clear way of who they are, what they want, can be and their role in nation building and transformation. It gives them the ability to apply theory and principles learnt, discriminatory analysis and sharpen their mental reflexes by which they are able to contribute in problem olving whenever the si tuation arises.Approval This is â€Å"the belief that something or someone is good or acceptable: a good opinion of someone or something† (Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary, 2000). It refers to â€Å"when someone likes something or someone and thinks that they are good† (Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English). Quality education instills in one traits, attitudes and capabilities that makes him/her acceptable and considered good enough anywhere, anytime. Such people are always involved in issues that enhance national development and transformation. Even the ible said â€Å"study to show thyself approved†¦. a workman that needeth not to be ashamed†¦. † (2 Tim: 2v1 5). Responsibility and Discipline Responsibility is â€Å"the state of being the person who caused something to happen† while discipline is an â€Å"orderly conduct or pattern of behavior† (Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary, 2000). A person empowered through quality ed ucation is a doer; always taking charge and making things happen instead of Just sitting back and letting others do the work. Such a person always conducts himself/herself in orderly manners and with refined behavior. nation.This group ot people is those who can contribute to the progress ot any Self Reliance and Confidence Self-reliance is â€Å"the reliance on one's own effort and abilities† while Confidence is â€Å"a feeling or belief that you can do something well or succeed at something† (Merriam- Webster Collegiate Dictionary, 2000). When one's education is of high standards, the person understands he/she is in control of their live and will always trust in his [her abilities, believing that success can be achieved at whatever task being given since the necessary information required to succeed has been duly imparted.It is obvious then that, quality education makes a man confident and confidence in turn gives him the impetus to rely on his effort. Resourceful Th is means being â€Å"able to act effectively or imaginatively, especially in difficult situations† (Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary, 2000). An empowered person who has knowledge and insight, is confident and self-reliant, disciplined and responsible will be able to think outside the box. He is not easily put down by difficulties and challenges. Imperatives of Quality Education It is now obvious that quality education empowers.Be that as it may, there are ertain necessities which are sine-qua-non for engendering quality education. They include: l. Educators must do their Job of educating thoroughly well. II. Provision of adequate infrastructure which includes good learning environments and classrooms. Ill. Employment of well trained, competent and professional teachers and educators. IV. Provision of adequate learning materials including well equipped libraries and laboratories. V. Organizing field trips, excursions and industrial (practical) trainings. VI.Provision of t eaching aids including public address systems and visual aids. VI'. Parental encouragement and support. VIII. Incentives for outstanding performances and performers. ‘X. Introduction and proper implementation of quality curriculum. X. Prioritization of the education sector in terms of budgetary allocation and funding. X'. Continuous teacher education. XII. Teacher motivation. Summary and Conclusion Through the ages, education has been known to be the antidote to poverty and ignorance, and key for unlocking natural resources ( ObaJi, in Onuoha, 2006).She stated that no nation striving for accelerated development does so without first developing its educational system. According to her; the visibility and publicity which ducation has enjoyed in recent times derives from the importance attached to education in national development. Quality education ensures the development of knowledgeable, insightful, self-reliant, skilled, disciplined, and a healthy population with the capacity to drive and sustain the socio-economic development of the nation.It goes without saying therefore, that in order to enable the youth to contribute constructively to the society; it is imperative to improve the quality of the educational system to ensure that the products of our educational institutions become critical thinkers, problem solvers nd accomplished leaders. There is therefore, a strong connection between education and national growth and development. Education not only provides scientific and technical skills, it also provides the motivation, Justification and social support for pursuing them.