Crime Rate in Centervale Essay

If one was to compare the crime in Centervale to that of Alaska or Alabama it would be clear that Centervale has the highest crime total. If one was to compare the crime rate it would be clear that Alabama has in fact the highest crime rate with Alaska and then Centervale sitting very close in numbers. Alabama has the highest population and Alaska has the lowest, but this would mean that Alabama would not be the safest place to live. In fact an individual would want to live in either Alaska or Centervale. Centervale has a lower aggravated assault rate than that of Alaska, but Alaska has a lower robbery rate that that of both Centervale and Alabama. When looking for a new place to locate its always a great decision to check out how a city, county, suburb, or state hold up against that of other similar places when it comes to crime. No one wants to live in a place where they are afraid to leave their homes. When looking at the actually numbers Centervale is the highest followed by Alabama and then Alaska, but if an individual was to look at the crime rate then it would appear that Alaska has the highest followed by Alabama and then Centervale, but both Alabama and Centervale are very close in rate percentage. Alaska has a problem with alcohol related crimes, whereas in other locations in the United States drugs and alcohol are secondary to the crime. Information Importance This kind of information is important due to the growing concern that most individuals and families have about the crime not only in their local neighborhoods, but also in places that they may be considering locating too. It’s also important to find out what programs are in place to keep the crime rate reduced. Each neighborhood has some sort of program in place to help keep children and adolescents occupied so they are less likely to go out and commit a crime, but crime doesn’t always involve children and adolescents. Crime can and is often committed by adults. Read more:  India Crime Rate Most communities have an early childhood development program in place. It’s been stated by Paul Leighton (2007), that children enrolled in this program have â€Å"half as many criminal arrests, less likelihood of going to jail, higher earnings and property wealth, and a greater commitment to family†. There are also drug treatment, recreation, gang- prevention, education, special curricula, job training, and the labor market (Leighton, 2007). When moving to a new community an individual can call around to find what programs have been put into place to reduce the crime rate and what else can be done to help reduce the crime. Parents with small children wish to make sure that they are bringing their children to a safe environment with programs set in place to help the children and adolescents occupied after school. Definitions of Crime Crime is defined as â€Å"the act or the commission of an act that is forbidden or the omission of a duty that is commanded by a public law and that makes the offender liable to punishment by that law† (Merriam-Webster, 2013). Alabama and Alaska differ when it comes to crime punishment. Alaska abolished its capital punishment in 1957, but has since then tried to reintroduce it to no avail. Alabama on the other hand does have capital punishment and certain crimes can lead to the death penalty. These crimes are capital murder charges, rape, robbery, and burglary. Alaska imprisons their convicted criminals for either short period of times to life. In both states children and adolescents are charged as juveniles unless found to have committed an adult crime such as murder (non-accidental), robbery that ends up with loss of life or assault or rape. Rape charges can be difficult to try depending on the age of the child or adolescents and how much understanding of the charges and their understanding of right and wrong. Charging children in an adult court can be difficult to do since their understanding and reasoning is far different and underdeveloped than that of an adult. Recommendations Recommendations to help reduce the crime rate would to beef up the police and special crime units to help get a grasp on the crime in the state. Have better programs put into place within the prisons/jails. This will give a positive opportunity and outlet for the prisoners so they will not wish to reoffend. Allow employers that wish to hire ex-convicts the opportunity to sit down with the convict prior to their release. This will give the individual something positive to look forward to and a better outlook on life. Have programs set up for ex-cons along with programs set up for those who may need a positive outlet. Ex-cons need the structure to help them adapt better to outside life than to be just â€Å"dumped† on the streets after their sentence with the hopes of not reoffending. Many individuals feel they have nothing â€Å"outside† so why even try. In many cases this is true, the individuals family and or friends have given up on them or they have a difficult time finding a job, so they do what they believe is the only thing left and this causes them to reoffend. Conclusion In conclusion crime is a scary thing for any family or individual, but with careful consideration and knowing the facts needed one can make the correct decision. Many criminals that are within the prison/jail system are those who have reoffended, but due to the unknown these individuals tend to end back up within the system. Families and friends of those ex-cons need to be there for the individual for emotional support. Those who don’t have the proper support feel alone and often believe they need to be back where they were. References Crime in the United States. U.S. Department of Justice (2009). Retrieved from http://www2.fbi.gov/ucr/cius2009/data/table_05.html What Every American Should Know About the Criminal Justice System. Leighton, Paul (2007). Stop Violence. Retrieved from http://stopviolence.com/cj-knowledge.htm Merriam-Webster. Crime (2013). Retrieved from http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/crime

Commercialization of Education Essay

Bacteria, Virus, and Parasites — Years ago, waterborne diseases accounted for millions of deaths. Even today in underdeveloped countries, an estimated 25,000 people will die daily from waterborne disease. Effects of waterborne microorganisms can be immediate and devastating. Therefore, microorganisms are the first and most important consideration in making water acceptable for human consumption. Generally speaking, modern municipal supplies are relatively free from harmful organisms because of routine disinfection with chlorine or chloramines and frequent sampling. This does not mean municipal water is free of all bacteria. Those of us with private wells and small rural water systems have reason to be more concerned about the possibility of microorganism contamination from septic tanks, animal wastes, and other problems. There is a little community in California, where 4,000,000 gallons of urine hits the ground daily from dairy cows! Authorities say that at least 4000 cases of waterborne diseases are reported every year in the U.S. They also estimate that much of the temporary ills and everyday gastrointestinal disorders that go routinely unreported can be attributed to organisms found in our water supplies. INORGANIC IMPURITIES: Dirt and Sediment or Turbidity — Most waters contain some suspended particles which may consist of fine sand, clay, soil, and precipitated salts. Turbidity is unpleasant to look at, can be a source of food and lodging for bacteria, and can interfere with effective disinfection. Total Dissolved Solids — These substances are dissolved rock and other compounds from the earth. The entire list of them could fill this page. The presence and amount of total dissolved solids in water represents a point of controversy among those who promote water treatment products. Here are some facts about the consequences of higher levels of TDS in water: 1. High TDS results in undesirable taste which could be salty, bitter, or metallic. 2. High TDS water is less thirst quenching. 3. Some of the individual mineral salts that make up TDS pose a variety of health hazards. The most problematic are Nitrates, Sodium, Sulphates, Barium, Copper, and Fluoride. 4. The EPA Secondary Regulations advise a maximum level of 500mg/litter (500 parts per million-ppm) for TDS. Numerous water supplies exceed this level. When TDS levels exceed 1000mg/L it is generally considered unfit for human consumption. 5. High TDS interferes with the taste of foods and beverages, and makes them less desirable to consume. 6. High TDS make ice cubes cloudy, softer, and faster melting. 7. Minerals exist in water mostly as INORGANIC salts. In contrast, minerals having passed through a living system are known as ORGANIC minerals. They are combined with proteins and sugars. According to many nutritionists minerals are much easier to assimilate when they come from foods. Can you imagine going out to your garden for a cup of dirt to eat rather than a nice carrot; or drinking a whole bathtub of water for LESS calcium than that in an 8 ounce glass of milk? 8. Water with higher TDS is considered by some health advocates to have a poorer cleansing effect in the body than water with a low level of TDS. This is because water with low dissolved solids has a greater capacity of absorption than water with higher solids. Toxic Metals or Heavy Metals — Among the greatest threats to health are the presence of high levels of toxic metals in drinking water – Arsenic, Cadmium, Lead, Mercury, and Silver. Maximum limits for each are established by the EPA Primary Drinking Water Regulations. Other metals such as Chromium and Selenium, while essential trace elements in our diets, have limits imposed upon them when in water because the form in which they exist may pose a health hazard. Toxic metals are associated with nerve damage, birth defects, mental retardation, certain cancers, and increased susceptibility to disease. Asbestos — Asbestos exists as microscopic suspended mineral fibres in water. Its primary source is asbestos-cement pipe which was commonly used after World War II for city water supplies. It has been estimated that some 200,000 miles of this pipe is presently in use to transport our drinking water. Because these pipes are wearing, the deadly substance of asbestos is showing up with increasing frequency in drinking water. It has been linked with gastrointestinal cancer. Radioactivity — Even though trace amounts of radioactive elements can be found in almost all drinking water, levels that pose serious health hazards are fairly rare–for now. Radioactive wastes leach from mining operations into groundwater supplies. The greatest threat is posed by nuclear accidents, nuclear processing plants, and radioactive waste disposal sites. As containers containing these wastes deteriorate with time, the risk of contaminating our aquifers’ grows into a toxic time bomb. ORGANIC IMPURITIES: Tastes and Odours — If your water has a disagreeable taste or odour, chances are it is due to one or more of many organic substances ranging from decaying vegetation to algae; hydrocarbons to phenols. It could also be TDS and a host of other items. Pesticides and Herbicides — The increasing use of pesticides and herbicides in agriculture shows up in the water we drink. Rain and irrigation carry these deadly chemicals down into the groundwater as well as into surface waters — There are more than 100,000,000 people in the US who depend upon groundwater for sources whole or in part of their drinking water. As our reliance upon groundwater is escalating, so is its contamination. Our own household use of herbicide and pesticide substances also contributes to actual contamination. These chemicals can cause circulatory, respiratory and nerve disorders. Toxic Organic Chemicals — The most pressing and widespread water contamination problem is a result of the organi c chemicals created by industry. The American Chemical Society lists 4,039,907 distinct chemical compounds as of late 1977! This list only is comprised of chemicals reported since 1965. The list can grow by some 6,000 chemicals per week! 70,000 chemicals may still be in production in the US. As of December, 1978, 50 chemicals were being produced in greater quantities than 1,300,000,000 pounds per year in the US. 115,000 establishments are involved in the production and distribution of chemicals, with the business being worth $113,000,000,000 per year. According to the EPA, there are 77,000,000,000 pounds of hazardous waste being generated each year in the US. 90 percent of this is not disposed of properly. This would equal 19,192 pounds of hazardous waste disposed each year on every square mile of land and water surface in the US including Alaska and Hawaii!! There are 181,000 manmade lagoons at industrial and municipal sites in the US. At least 75 percent of these are unlined. Even the lined ones will leak according to the EPA. Some of these are within 1 mile of wells or water supplies. There is still a lack of information on the location of these sites, their condition, and containments. THIS IS A HORROR STORY OF THE MILLENNIUM. Chemicals end up in our drinking water from hundreds of different sources. There are hundreds of publications each year highlighting this problem. The effects of chronic long term exposure to these toxic organics, even in minute amounts, are extremely difficult to detect. Contaminated drinking water may look and taste perfectly normal. The users’ symptoms might include recurring headache, rash, or fatigue – all of which are hard to diagnose as being water related. The more serious consequences of drinking tainted water are higher cancer rates, birth defects, growth abnormalities, infertility, and nerve and organ damage. Some of these disorders may go unnoticed for decades!! Just how toxic these chemicals are may be illustrated by looking at two examples: TCE is a widely used chemical which routinely shows up in water supplies. Just two glassfuls of TCE can contaminate 27,000,000 gallons of drinking water! One pound of the pesticide, Endrin can contaminate 5,000,000,000 gallons of water. Chlorine — Trihalomethanes (THM’s) are formed when chlorine, used to disinfect water supplies, interacts with natural organic materials (e.g. by-products of decayed vegetation, algae, etc.). This creates toxic organic chemicals such as chloroform, and Bromodichloromethane. A further word about chlorine: Scientists at Colombia University found that women who drank chlorinated water ran a 44% greater risk of dying of cancer of the gastrointestinal or urinary tract than did women who drank non-chlorinated water! Chlorinated water has also been linked to high blood pressure and anaemia. Anaemia is caused by the deleterious effect of chlorine on red blood cells.

Managerial Leadership Essay

Managerial Leadership is establishing direction and influenciing others to fallow direction, but I feel there is so much more to this difinition. The reason being is because leadership has many variations and diferent areas of emphasis. A common definition of managerial leadership is that Leaders are individuals who, by their actions, facilitate the movement of a group of people toward a common or shared goal. Leaders want and expect from followers competency in their skills and time span for accompishing tasks. Additionally respect for the person of the leader. The Leader has an expectation that when value is offered to the subordinate, training and learning work their capabilities to complete a task. There are many styles of managerial leaders, not all managers are the same, and some types are: * Vsisonary Leader articulates where a group is going, but not how it will get there. They tend to set there people free to innovate, experiment, they let them take risks. * Coaching Leader focuses on developing individuals, showing them how to improve their performance, and helping to connnect their goals to the goals of the organization, the feel that coaching works best with employees who show initative and want more professional development. But it can backfire if it’s; some may feel its like â€Å"micromanaging†. * Affiliative emphasizes the importance of team work, and creates harmony in a group by connecting people to each other. This style can be valuable when trying to heighten team harmony and increase morale, improve communication or repair broken trust in an organization. * Democratic draws on people’s knowledge and skills and creates a group commitment to the resulting goals. It may work best when the direction the organization, should take is unclear, and the leader needs to tap the collective wisdom of the group. This style can disastrous in times of crisis, when urgent events demand quick decisions. * Pacesetting this leader sets high standards for performance. This manager is obsessive about doing things better and faster, they ask the same from everyone else. This way should not be used alone, because it can undercut morale and make people feel as if they are failing. * Commanding is the classic model of â€Å"military† style leadership – probably the most often used, but the least often effective. The reason being it’s rarely involves prasie and frequently employs criticism; it undercuts morale and job satisfaction. This style is only affective in a crisis, when an urgant turnaround is needed. Managerial Leadership is a very important to a company, employees and the future of an organization. There are many types of leaders, and each type is can play a very important role. I feel that with great leadership and organiztions can go far, if you have great leaders you’ll have happy and motivated employees.

AIR ASIA Essay

Sadanand Maiya Talking to TWB on receiving the Honorary Doctorate, he expressed his happiness and gratitude to the people of Karnataka and said that coming from a Brahmin family he was supposed to offer free food to poor and needy people, but in business he was helpless, and as an alternative, he had now decided to help the people in the field of Education under the banner of his own trust namely â€Å"Sadananda Maiya Charitable Trust†. The PU Block consisting of 6 floors will be named after him at Jayanagar National College campus at an estimated cost of Rs. 6 crore sponsored by him with latest hi end technologies, and will start functioning shortly. For MCA from next academic year, four floors will be almost ready by June and the remaining 2 floors will be ready by October he said. Besides this, he has donated 40 computers to his home town school and constructed PU Block at Kotta Viveka School and a well stocked library at Sneha Sagar School. Belonging to a reputed hotelier family which had established the Mavalli Tiffin Room restaurant at Bangalore in 1924, Mr. Maiya imbibed the innate ability to â€Å"CREATE† foods with lasting taste and flavour even when he was studying in the school/college. While most of the boys at his age were more enamored by various extracurricular activities, Mr. Maiya chose to spend his leisure time to observe and learn the intricate art/skill of making new/innovative foods from his forefathers at MTR restaurant. It was this informal exposure, which had made him a real practitioner of art and science of cooking many traditional foods of South India. Mr. Maiya was born at Parampaalli in Dakshina Kannada district (presently Udupi district) on July 13, 1949. After a brilliant school career in his native place, he completed the Bachelor of Engineering course in Electrical engineering at BMS College of Engineering, University of Bangalore in the year 1973. Mr. Maiya, as a partner launched MTR Foods in 1976 and by 1978 established a small-scale facility to manufacture a host of ready mix products for many popular foods, which became instant hits in the market From a small-scale ready mix unit Mr. Maiya raised the status of his organisation to a major player in the industrial landscape of the country with high visibility and consumer goodwill. MTR Foods Ltd., as seen today, was incorporated in 1997 with Mr. Maiya as Chairman and Managing Director and growth of the organization ever since has been phenomenal, with the annual turnover of registering more than Rs. 1000 million during 2002-2003. Mr. Maiya was instrumental in transforming the status of his company from a small-scale unit to an ISO 9000 company with HACCP certification. Adoption of the internationally acclaimed -System Application Product in data processing, popularly known as â€Å"SAP†, by MTR Foods Ltd, for bringing up the management efficiency to be on par with

Library vs. Internet Essay

Introduction Nowadays, in a highly technological society, human productivity is made more efficient through the development of electronic gadgets. Now, with the advent of such modernization in education, one way to globalize the process of research is to realize that technology is advancing at an incredibly fast pace. Computers are not confined to being used for entertainment but its role in education is also vast. Library is derived from the old French term â€Å"librairie† which means â€Å"a collection of books. † Reading materials in school are stored in libraries. Library is a place in which books and related materials are kept for use but not for sale. It is also organized for use and maintained by a public body, an institution or a private individual. In addition, it is a place in which we get information in any format and from many sources. The librarian has to keep the room neat so that it is conducive for learning. The librarian is also the person who is liable for monitoring all the books that are borrowed and returned by the borrowers. Library systems, comparisons and contrasts. For the children of today, going to the library, searching through the card catalogue to look for books on topics they need to research on is quite archaic! However, many of us still remember how time consuming this was. The kids of today certainly have it easy. Imagine getting all the information you need with one-click of your mouse!?! An integrated library system (ILS), also known as a library management system (LMS), is an enterprise resource planning system for a library, used to track items owned, orders made, bills paid, and patrons who have borrowed. An ILS usually comprises a relational database, software to interact with that database, and two graphical user interfaces (one for patrons, one for staff). Most ILSes separate software functions into discrete programs called modules, each of them integrated with a unified interface. Examples of modules might include:  § acquisitions (ordering, receiving, and invoicing materials)  § cataloging (classifying and indexing materials)  § circulation (lending materials to patrons and receiving them back)  § serials (tracking magazine and newspaper holdings)  § the OPAC (public interface for users). Each patron and item has a unique ID in the database that allows the ILS to track its activity. Larger libraries use an ILS to order and acquire, receive and invoice, catalog, circulate, track and shelve materials. Smaller libraries, such as those in private homes or non-profit organizations (like churches or synagogues, for instance), often forgo the expense and maintenance required to run an ILS, and instead use a library computer system. (Wikipedia) Automation of the catalog saves the labor involved in re-sorting the card catalog, keeping it up-to-date with respect to the collection, etc. Other tasks which are now automated include checking-out and checking-in books, generating statistics and reports, acquisitions and subscriptions, indexing journal articles and linking to them, as well as tracking interlibrary loans. Since the late 1980s, windowing systems and multi-tasking have allowed the integration of business functions. Instead of having to open up separate applications, library staff could now use a single application with multiple functional modules. As the Internet grew, ILS vendors offered more functionality related to computer networks. As of 2009 major ILS systems offer web-based portals where library users can log in to view their account, renew their books, and authenticate themselves for access to online databases. (Wikipedia) In recent years some libraries have turned to major open source ILSs such as Koha and Evergreen. Common reasons noted were to avoid vendor lock in, avoid license fees, and participate in software development. Librarytechnology. org does an annual survey of over 1,500 libraries and noted in 2008 2%[3] of those surveyed used open source ILS, in 2009 the number increased to 8%[4] and in 2010(most recent year available) 12%[5] of the libraries polled had adopted open source ILSs. (Wikipedia) Read more: http://ivythesis. typepad. com/term_paper_topics/2011/06/local-studies-about-library-system-a-sample-thesis. html#ixzz2DsPW4UYZ http://ivythesis. typepad. com/term_paper_topics/2011/06/local-studies-about-library-system-a-sample-thesis. html Library: foreign literature. The network libraries now have autonomous library systems (TINLIB version 280 of IME) with reciprocal access to each others catalogs via the PHnet. Training on site and in UK has been provided by IME to the staff of the network. Staff expertise on the use of all the modules of TINLIB running on UNIX has been brought to a level where the staff can now confidently train others and maintain the system. Online support via the Internet is also provided by IME upon request. The choice of a common library system was decided by the technical committee of the network libraries to have a uniform platform, training programs, import profiles, etc. across the network and for ease in establishing a user group/systems administration group. TINLIB was chosen because it met the systems specifications prepared by the technical working group, and had favorable references from users. Additional features which gave it an edge over other systems is its utilization of hypertext techniques, client-server architecture, and ability to import and export data from any of the databases existing in the network libraries. The library directors and heads are under tremendous pressure to continue and expand the networked services. Four of the services which need to be implemented immediately are: 1) the creation of a union catalog for books, audio-visual, serials and Filipiniana articles and researches; 2) access to CD-ROM abstracts and indexes and full text journals and references from any site on the network, subject to copyright and licensing agreement with suppliers and publishers; 3) development of networking navigation tools and training programs; and 4) building of sufficient monetary resources and/or commitment of university officials to allocating sufficient funds for the maintenance of the network. 5) transforming the College of Science library into a National Science Library and Information Center to widen the scope of its services

British Abstract Expressionism Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 6250 words

British Abstract Expressionism - Coursework Example Introduction Art is an expression of someone's feelings and emotions. Every color and shape formed by an artist in his masterpiece speaks of his different thoughts and sentiments. In the late 19th and 20th centuries, expressionism in the different fields of arts became popular. This movement in the visual, literary, and performing arts aimed at expressing subjective feelings and emotions rather than the traditional way of showing reality or the appreciation of the beauty of nature in general. This artistic style depicts the responses of the artist towards the objects and events that arouses his emotions. Expressionism was a movement that developed as a reaction against the academic standards that had prevailed in Europe since the Renaissance period. In expressionism, artists try to illustrate visually their emotional experiences in such a way that they will be able to convince the observers how they feel at the time they developed their work of art. It does not concern with the reality or an association to the nature during the emotional state they were in at the development of the artwork, but it deals with the emotions that are aroused by the subject. The ar tist accomplishes his aim of showing his emotions through primitivism, and fantasy and through the vivid, jarring, violent, or dynamic application of formal elements. As a result, the subject appears exaggerated, caricatured, distorted and altered to stress out the emotional experience in its most intense and concentrated form as that of the subject. (http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761552391/Expressionism. html, para 1 & http://www.ibiblio.org/wm/ paint/glo/expressionism/, para 2) A... The paper "British Abstract Expressionism" investigates influence of abstract expressionism in Britain. This artistic style depicts the responses of the artist towards the objects and events that arouses his emotions. Expressionism was a movement that developed as a reaction against the academic standards that had prevailed in Europe since the Renaissance period. In expressionism, artists try to illustrate visually their emotional experiences in such a way that they will be able to convince the observers how they feel at the time they developed their work of art. It does not concern with the reality or an association to the nature during the emotional state they were in at the development of the artwork, but it deals with the emotions that are aroused by the subject. The artist accomplishes his aim of showing his emotions through primitivism, and fantasy and through the vivid, jarring, violent, or dynamic application of formal elements. As a result, the subject appears exaggerated, c aricatured, distorted and altered to stress out the emotional experience in its most intense and concentrated form as that of the subject. A painting movement in which artists typically maximized the use of brushstrokes and texture, applied paint rapidly and used sensuously; often with force to their huge canvases in an effort to show feelings and powerful emotions, painting gesturally, non-geometrically, sometimes applying paint with large brushes, sometimes dripping or even throwing it onto canvas.

Workplace Drug Abuse Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Workplace Drug Abuse - Essay Example This can be avoided by making sure employees get their loads checked. Also, new systems exist, such as Global Positioning Systems, that track the drivers and see how long they stop at each location. Another way employees could act as enablers to employees is if there are drugs readily available, such as at a hospital. Employers of hospital staff could make certain drugs like Valium, Marijuana, and others easily accessible. Actually, this is a common problem today, and somewhere from 10-15% of doctors are projected to be using perscriptions illeagally (Guadagnino). Some actions can be taken to prevent employers from acting as enablers to employees using drugs. One of these actions is simply having drug tests. These tests measure the amount of illegal drugs in the person's system, and they are very effective. However, some people argue that it isn't ethical, and it would only be successful for employers that want to stop the drug use, not the very few that encouage it. Currently my job doesn't encourage much drug use, I am a telephone surveyer, and my hours are spend sitting at a desk, being monitored in my calling. However, because it is such a simple job, one could use drugs before going, and it might not be as noticable as other jobs since not much is required to work.

Outsourcing Federal Healthcare (Operations Management) 2 Assignment

Outsourcing Federal Healthcare (Operations Management) 2 - Assignment Example Hospitals keep personal health records of patients and disseminate this information when it is needed. The other major stakeholder in the U.S. federal healthcare system includes employers; they take part in paying for the insurance costs of the employees. The goal of employers is to ensure that there is a contribution towards the insurance funds, which cater for the needs of employees (Harland, et. al., 2005). Another main stakeholder of the healthcare system in the U.S. includes patients, as well as consumers of the healthcare services, which are provided by the federal healthcare system. The goals of consumers include having access to adequate care from the government. Consumers also want to access affordable health services from the healthcare institutions. The needs of stakeholders are to get health services, which are within their reach and which can serve various health needs that they have. The federal government can also be regarded as one of the main stakeholders in healthca re provision, in the United States. As a stakeholder in the federal health system, the goal of the federal government includes providing affordable health services to the U.S. citizens. The other goal of the federal government is to ensure that medical services and facilities accessible to the United States citizens are of high quality (Medicare.gov, 2013). The current strategy of the federal government in the provision of health services, in the United States, focuses on the provision of affordable care to all citizens, in the United States. With the establishment of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, the United States government aims at ensuring that there will remarkable changes, which will have an impact on all healthcare organizations. The current status of healthcare reform in the United States also aims at ensuring that there is access to universal healthcare by all. The strategy used by the federal government aims at ensuring that more money is spent on health t han in any other activity. In addition, the current status of healthcare reform in the U.S. aims at ensuring that Medicaid and Medicare become affordable to all. This covers all American citizens, including the poor and unemployed persons who may face challenges when accessing healthcare (Medicare.gov, 2013). The current status of healthcare in the United States faces certain strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. This warrants a SWOT analysis of the U.S. healthcare system. One of the strengths of the current healthcare plan is that it enables the government to spend money on healthcare. In addition, the system can be credited since it has led to a decrease in the infant mortality rates. One of the weaknesses of the system is that it does not guarantee access to health insurance for the majority of American citizens. For example, sixteen percent of the American population does not have access to health insurance (Medicare.gov, 2013). One of the opportunities that the cur rent healthcare system has is that it receives funding from stakeholders such as non-governmental organizations, which are interested in providing healthcare in the United States. There is also adequate support of the system from other remarkable players in the United States. Despite the opportunities that the system has there are also some threats that it poses. One of the threats is that it may make people over-dependent on the government for the provision of other needs, which

Abraham maslow Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Abraham maslow - Essay Example His approach to psychology has motivated eupsychology, for example, a new way of doing psychology as a science and as a therapy. Abraham Maslow is thus a humanistic psychologist. Above all he is a humanist, because he places the human being at the center of his studies, at the center of the world. His faith in the human being is reflected on his own conclusions about the human race. In this paper we will take a look a his life and work."He was born and raised in Brooklyn, the eldest of seven children. He was smart but shy, and remembered his childhood as lonely and rather unhappy. Maslow attended City College in New York. His father hoped he would pursue law, but he went to graduate school at the University of Wisconsin to study psychology. While there, he married his cousin Bertha, and found as his chief mentor Professor Harry Harlow. At Wisconsin he pursued an original line of research, investigating primate dominance behavior and sexuality. He went on to further research at Columb ia University, continuing similar studies. He found another mentor in Alfred Adler, one of Freud's early followers." (PBS Online, 1998).Maslow dedicated most of his life to studies in psychology. He was really an academic professional as he took part in different universities throughout his career. PBS Online goes on narrating his life:"From 1937 to 1951, Maslow was on the faculty of Brooklyn College.... Maslow became the leader of the humanistic school of psychology that emerged in the 1950s and 1960s, which he referred to as the "third force" -- beyond Freudian theory and behaviorism." (PBS Online, 1998). The Wikipedia deals with his life in a slightly different way: "Abraham Maslow (April 1, 1908 - June 8, 1970) was an American psychologist. He is mostly noted today for his proposal of a hierarchy of human needs. () Born in Brooklyn, New York, Maslow was the first of seven children of Jewish immigrants from Russia. His parents were uneducated, but they insisted that he study law. At first, Abraham acceded to their wishes and enrolled in the City College of New York. However, after three semesters he transferred to Cornell, then back to CCNY. After he married, he moved to Wisconsin to attend the University of Wisconsin from which he received his B.A. (1930), his M.A. (1931), and his Ph.D. (1934) in psychology. While in Wisconsin, Maslow studied with Harry Harlow, who was known for his studies of rhesus monkeys and attachment behavior. A year after graduation, Maslow returned to New York to work with E. L. Thorndike at Columbia." (Wikipedia, 2006). It is important to note that the Wikipedia doesn't say that Maslow married his first cousin. Maybe they didn't want to get too personal. The Wikipedia continues speaking about Maslow's life in the following manner: "Maslow began teaching full time at Brooklyn College. During this time he met many leading European psychologists, including Alfred Adler and Erich Fromm. In 1951, Maslow became the chairman of the psychology department at Brandeis University, where he began his theoretical

Fair Labor Standards Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Fair Labor Standards - Essay Example This implies that the non-exempt personnel must work for over 40 hours a week to qualify for the overtime pay in which the employer is mandated to offer three quarters times their normal wage rate. It is also apparent that the exempt employees in the white-collar job category cannot benefit from the pay. The proposed changes to the FLSA since 1938 is that it allowed the employment of 16-year-old children in the agricultural sectors, but still prohibited those under that age. This is meant to defend the educational prospects of minors and rule out their employment in jobs deemed hazardous and injurious to their health. These laws differ from the 1938 regulations because it specifies the minimum amount that workers in the private sector, federal or local authorities should receive (Whittaker, 2002). I think these changes benefit both employers and employees because it prevents exploitation of workers by unscrupulous managers who underpay their workers. Similarly, it also benefits the managers since it reduces chances of industrial unrests from workers who feel mistreated or overworked. The controversy associated with these modifications is that the exempt workers feel discriminated against by the legislators and labor officials. For instance, the union’s objections are that the government should treat all workers equally regarding the overtime allowances and the proposed new rates for the working hours since this could deny the workers their established privileges (Whittaker,

Historical origins of sociology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Historical origins of sociology - Essay Example Auguste Comte responded to the aftermath of the French Revolution and could see changes to society occurring with the coming of the Industrial Revolution. He is often credited as being the â€Å"father† of sociology. Comte sought to apply the scientific method and concepts of rationality which he defined as positivism to study human social forms. The field of sociology was formalized in the modern period by such thinkers as Emile Durkheim, Max Weber, and Karl Marx. East of these thinkers presented different theories that first sought to describe the way social and civic units were organized. These theories explained the importance of certain habits such as religion, aggression, or the way work was organized. In the West, Durkheim, Weber, and Marx are seen as the 'founders' of sociology as their theories, methods, and insights can still be used to understand and develop new concepts dealing with social phenomena today (Bilton et al, p. 5). But what is interesting is to raise th e question did sociology exist even before these thinkers arrived on the scene. Or if it didn't, what did it mean in other periods of history. Certainly there were thinkers who studied their societies at other periods of history, possibly in the same way that current thinkers study their societies. One can imagine an advisor to an Egyptian pharaoh saying to the king that the poor community should be organized in such and such a way. He may say that they should be next to bodies of water and arid land and as well to a military community. He would explain to the kind that the people who are currently paying the most taxes are the middle class and that they even recognize their responsibilities more to this one god than this other god. The king would ask why and the ancient Egyptian sociologist would then describe the history of the forefathers of that group of middle class people, to make it appear that their religion served certain needs which should be provided for. Durkheim, Weber, and Marx each studied the social organizations and the religions of various ancient societies. Also each of these thinkers eventually wrote works that were specialties and represented individual concentrations of each writer. For example, Durkheim wrote books on religion and also on suicide. Marx, of course is the most known of the thinkers. His work was more or less in economics and social theory that dealt with classes (Bilton et al, p. 100). Marx's partner, Engels wrote a books on the English working class. Weber's most famous book was The Protestant Ethnic and the Spirit of Capitalism", but he had also written on Roman medieval societies. Weber ventured outside his comfort themes to write about religion and Asian societies. He wrote about ancient Confucianism and Taoism. He also wrote on Hinduism and Buddhism. Durkheim and Marx also had studied different religions. Durkheim demonstrated the importance of religion in forming early societies and how some of its standard activitie s merged into civic activities. Durkheim’s theory of anomie, social deviance, today forms the basis for which many sociologists and criminologists build theories of social deviance and subcultures (Bilton et al, p. 386). His theories concerning the division of labor among growing societies help provide good understanding of Marx (who wrote before him) and other theorists. The early thinkers of western sociology were also familiar with economics. It was the changes which the Industrial Revolution had placed

Case study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 1

Case Study Example Whilst the defendant may cite the absence of a legal statute that is binding in the contract, the terms of selling and buying as stipulated by eBay are open and very clear for all the participants to easily understand. Acknowledgement by all the participants is a mandatory requirement for participating. Whilst eBay would only facilitate the payment for the items sold between two parties, both of them would have agreed to the terms and conditions of the bid which is not entered into under any jurisdiction but where the highest bidder walks away with the item. Whilst some differences arose with the defendant arguing that he had not entered into a contract with the plaintiff after he had already made a 10 % payment, it seems that both parties were aware of the deal and the defendant had even given information to the effect that the plane had certificates of fitness and the highest amount of bid he expected. Surprisingly, the defendant’s sworn affidavit is silent about this payment which raises doubts. The plaintiff fulfilled all these terms and conditions stipulated in the conditions for eBay which may be folly for the defendant to argue that he is not legally bound to such a contract after kn owingly accepted the terms as provided by eBay which led Rein AJ to doubt his credibility. 5. The defendant argued that there was no binding and enforceable agreement between him and the plaintiff since he argued that it was only eBay which could remove him as a registered member which meant that he had no contract with the client since there is nothing binding if there is an issue of one party defaulting. He argued that the only contract that existed was between him and eBay and between the plaintiff and eBay again without direct relationship between the buyer and the seller. He also argued that placing an advert on eBay was just like placing it in any other classified sections of the press but it seems

Although consideration is often referred to as the 'badge of Essay

Although consideration is often referred to as the 'badge of enforceability' for a contract in English law, in assessing the - Essay Example However, under the doctrine of promissory estoppels, any party can recover what it has rightfully earned, or the value of detriment suffered by reliance on the agreement, even if a court decides there is no legal contract (MacMillan & Stone, 2013 p.27). Thus, consideration forms one of the fundamental elements of a legally binding agreement, and is often referred to as the ‘badge of enforceability’ for a contract in English law. However, in assessing the validity of a variation in the terms of an existing contract, consideration is but one line of argument. This is because: Consideration is regarded by the English courts as the principle way of determining the existence of a contract (MacMillan & Stone, 2013 p.34). The significance of consideration as a vital aspect of a contract in English law is that; it is through the existence of consideration, that the other essential elements of a legally binding agreement are fulfilled. ... However, while this aspect is a principal requirement in the English contract law, there are further assessments that might be made; in spite of the mere fact that consideration really existed in the contractual agreement, which then nullifies the agreement as unenforceable. Therefore, while consideration forms a fundamental building block as far as the English contract law is concerned, it has emerged that it is not indispensable, and thus there are circumstances under which the courts can regard a contractual agreement that did not entail consideration to be legally binding, while also nullifying a contractual agreement that involved consideration as unenforceable in law (Gillies, 1988 p.72). This simply means that, despite the fact that consideration is a cardinal requirement in the English contract law, it must be interpreted in the context of other principles of a binding contract, and thus consideration is but one line of argument. First, despite the fact that consideration cou ld really exist in a contractual agreement, there is limitation offered to the concept of consideration, which states that past consideration is not consideration (Busch, 2005 p.33). This legal requirement then makes consideration but one line of argument; because it clearly shows that the mere existence of consideration is not sufficient to make an agreement legally binding, since if consideration is past, the contractual agreement will be regarded unenforceable, despite the existence of the consideration (Schulze, 2007 p.49). This principle has been established and demonstrated in various case laws, which has served to show that consideration is a

Digital marketing plan Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Digital marketing plan - Essay Example The price of the product has been fixed as  £1,330, which is affordable by the targeted group. The distribution channels selected are retail agents and auction houses among others. The advertisement modes been selected are television, social networking sites and direct mailing among others. â€Å"To assure the customers with adequate value and trustworthy services in the store and to achieve ample customer satisfaction by providing them with the best quality products in alignment with their tastes, preferences and convenience needs.† Political- Considering, the political scenario and regulations of the UK, with respect to the retail industry, can be stated as stable. Currently, the furniture retailing industry within the UK does not face major challenges with respect to its political scenario. Notably, the UK government has shown a positive inclination towards investing more in developing the energy and the construction sectors that can also be considered as a favourable change to launch the intended product, i.e. Mysofa (BIS, 2012). The relationship that exists between the UK and other countries lays impact on the trade relations between them. In this respect, political factors might have an impact on the exports and imports regulations (London Borough of Hillingdon, 2012). This will further result in changes within the business operations. In this context, it can be ascertained that political impacts on trade regulations will affect the operations of the retail industry within the UK largely (McDonald & Wilson , 2011). Economic- The UK economy has shown a poor trade standard in the year 2012. Since then, the domestic economy of the UK has been depicting a sluggish growth of its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) i.e. of 1% each year. However, in the latter part of the year 2013, GDP growth in the UK was accounted as 2.1%, which was interpreted to be favourable for

Assignment as an essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

As an essay - Assignment Example ntesting states, international custom practices considered as law, and judicial decisions and teachings of qualified publicists in the different nations. The norms surrounding international laws are the principles and rules that apply to international law. This term is not common in international court systems though it can still be used to refer to principles and rules. There are seven principles of international law. They are borrowed from domestic law because international law is not developed and is mostly patchy (Aust 6). In reference to international law, the US violated the sixth principle. According to the principle, it is unlawful any person to plan, prepare, initiate, or wage a war in aggression in international agreements, treaties, or insurances. Subordination as applies to law is a situation where one principle overrides the other and nullifies the outcomes set by the principle seen to be weaker. Such a scenario is not legible in international law as all principles are w ell phrased to defend themselves in all situations (Aust 9). Territory acquisition in international law is achieved through a number of ways, which were set initially by ancient traditional laws (Aust 33). The first way is discovery. In this case, a country must be the first one to identify a territory that is not owned by any other state and it should perform symbolic acts like planting a flag to show official acquisition. Another method is conquest and annexation (Aust 36). It involves a forceful invasion of a state into a territory that is not theirs and demand ownership. It might include war and struggles and if the invading country wins, it takes over the territory. Another method used in acquisition is cession. It involves the voluntary giving up of a territory by a country. In such a case, another country can easily take over the territory. Another way of territory acquisition is occupation and prescription. This is where a sovereign state is already in ownership or control of a

Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl - Essay Example Yet, the polemic of the novel often distorts our perception of the heroine, driving the focuses from the multidimensional nature of a really existing human being to her reactions to the conditions of her slave life. It is preferable to analyze Harriet Jacobs’ (Linda Brent’) personality with the help of psychology. Linda’s childhood was happy and serene till she was six. Born in a family of beautiful and intelligent mulattoes, she â€Å"was so fondly shielded† that she never dreamed she was â€Å"a piece of merchandise, trusted to them for safe keeping, and liable to be demanded of them at any moment† (11-12). The death of her mother was the first blow. Then she learnt she was a slave. Yet, Linda did not realize the entire sense of the word for the following six years. She was taken to the house of her mistress, the foster sister of her mother, who treated the girl well and taught her to read and write, though it was forbidden by law. Though the mistress tried to replace the girl’s dead mother, she did not keep her promise to give freedom to the girl and her brother. This was a bitter truth poisoning the girl’s perception of the mistress. I would give much to blot out from my memory that one great wrong. As a child, I loved my mistress; and, looking back on t he happy days I spent with her, I try to think with less bitterness of this act of injustice. While I was with her, she taught me to read and spell; and for this privilege, which so rarely falls to the lot of a slave, I bless her memory (16). These lines convey the inner conflict, which Linda continued experiencing even as a grown-up. On the one hand, she understood that that her mistress behaved like most of whites, that she, Linda, was only a kind of a doll for the woman, who played with her without really caring of her. On the other hand, the mistress was Linda’s substitution of the dead mother, and Linda strove for happy recollections of her childhood,

Orangization Behavor- Phase 2 DB Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Orangization Behavor- Phase 2 DB - Essay Example The company is growing and to enable the company to cater to the different cultural markets, CSD will have to incorporate diversity and train the employees to be culturally sensitive about many issues. An organization can be viewed in many ways; it can be a machine, designed to be highly precise and organized, it can be an organism with a lifespan during which it grows, becomes weak and then dies, it can be an instrument of domination which is exploited by the wealthy and powerful. Thus organizations can be defined through metaphors, in itself it is complex and no single metaphor can define it completely. (Morgan, G, 1997). Within an organization there is a lot of communication taking place, information keeps flowing back and forth. Types of communication channels that are open to organization are formal and informal channels. Both of these channels have many techniques within them. In the formal channel there is upward and downward communication, and horizontal communication. In the informal channel, there is the grapevine and management by wandering around. Keeping in mind that the structure of the organization is a matrix structure, all types of formal communication should exist. Employees need to report to their supervisors with problems and feedback from the customers, while supervisors should share knowledge about the product to avoid problems such as selling the wrong widgets. Apart from this, since there has been a recent change in the structure, the department heads need to get together so that they can bring the organization together. The sales department is responsible for the sales and the customer services. They have only been concentrating on sales, it needs to be communicated to them that customer service is also a vital part of the company. Also to integrate diversity within the organization the department heads needs to cooperate so that all

Communication Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 10

Communication - Essay Example They take with them their respective cultures, values, beliefs and customs which are all so important. The need is there to save these dying languages because they have people who speak them yet in someway are now making use of other languages to satisfy their day to day affairs. Question 2: How do the media and communications technology affect culture? Discuss either how the content of media shapes culture in a particular social context, or how changing communications technology is affecting culture. Media and communications technology affect culture as these keep changing and the cultural adaptations do not seem to catch up. The changing communications technology affects the culture since technology is pacing ahead at a frenetic speed and there seems to be no stopping this phenomenon at all. The culture does not change at such a fast speed and hence the media and communications technology lags far behind resulting in more anarchy within the society than one can think of. This leads to a confused culture on the part of the people who are looking at media and communications technology on the one and adapting to the requirements of the culture on the

An Evaluation of Academic Performance of Grade Essay Example for Free

An Evaluation of Academic Performance of Grade Essay Introduction â€Å"Bright minds make bright future! † Preparatory children nowadays are far  Ã‚  better than before they are more advanced in teaching and more capable of absorbing the methods of learning that used with them. Modern teaching accompanied with modules and analytical measures develop the  preschooler’s memory retention that serves as the foundation of their education. Kids today  are more willing and not afraid to  try to discover new ways and methods of learning. The value of preschool is a  hot topic these days. A small but growing number of  studies link enrolment in preschool or child care  centers (which typically include a  preschool curriculum) to higher cognitive and language scores on kindergarten-entry tests The early childhood stage is a  permanent learning stage. Whatever they learn now, they will take home. This preschool education is the provision of education for  children  before the commencement of statutory education, usually between the ages of three and five, dependent on the jurisdiction. The institutional arrangements for preschool education vary widely around the world, as do the names  applied to the institutions. Effective preschool education can help make all children ready to learn the day they start school and, more importantly, help close the  enormous gap facing children in  poverty. Preschool gives our kids the strong  foundation they need to be  successful in school and in life. Children who attend pre-kindergarten programs have bigger  vocabularies and increased math  skills, know more letters and more letter-sound associations, and are more familiar with words and book concepts, according to a number  of studies (Patson P. Opido 2010). The child is the ultimate concern in all educational processes. He is the beginning at the end of all educational efforts. The goal of education is to help every child grow up well-rounded; physically well-developed, mentally healthy, intelligently alert, emotionally secure and socially well adjusted. These can be truly achieved by giving attention to the child’s foundation. The first day of the children in school is a unique experience. It may be their first contact with big group of children. The difference among first grade pupils in their level of preparedness to grade one work may vary. The grade I teacher should be aware of the differences in the children’s readiness; some readiness is the springboard to do actions. Knowing pupil’s differences will guide the teacher on what to do to develop them to the fullest ( Lindberg and Swedo, 1995). A child born of a healthy, responsible and emotionally mature parents has a good foundation. His parents, especially the mother, guide him through the proper habits of eating, sleeping and cleanliness. An individual’s attitude toward himself and others, his behaviour either at work or at play, and his emotional roots in his early childhood experiences. What he learns at home constitutes the basis for future learning and adjustment. As the child develops social awareness, he needs to experience association with a larger group outside his home. Parents send their children to school simply because they want them to develop basic health habits and self sufficiency. Furthermore, this also includes the ability to use language patterns for simple and correct social attitudes in relation to the company of people around him, whether adults or other children and the appreciation of the aesthetic attributes of his immediate surroundings. Modern teaching accompanied with modules and analytical measures develop the preschooler’s memory retention serving as the foundation of their education. Kids today are more willing and not afraid to try to discover new ways and methods of learning. The value of preschool is a hot topic these days. A small but growing number of studies link enrolment in preschool or child care centers (which typically include a preschool curriculum) to higher cognitive and language scores on kindergarten-entry tests. The early childhood stage is a permanent learning stage. Whatever they learn now, they will take home. This preschool education is the provision of education for children before the commencement of statutory education, usually between the ages of three and five, dependent on the jurisdiction. Parents on the other hand, play a vital role in educating their children because they are their first teachers, which is the greatest contribution before a child ever begins his formal education in school. When a child enters the formal school, he carries out with him the acquired values from his parents. Just like the teacher’s task, if parents fail to perform their responsibilities, it may bring misbehaviour on their children which may directly or indirectly affect the child’s academic performance. In the Philippine public elementary schools today, inner tensions have been continuously affecting the learners going to grade one level, especially those who had never gone to any kind of schooling before. These learners entering grade one have many apprehensions. Most of them have no experiences in going to school. Parents are not capable of sending them to school especially those in remote and slum areas. Instead of giving their children a chance to study in Day Care Centers and Kindergarten in some public elementary schools, they ended up waiting for their to be accepted in Grade One. With these scenarios the pupils encounter difficulties in catching up with different skills like numeracy and literacy which are now the basic skills necessary in the first grade level of formal schooling. These children also suffer in relating themselves to their new environment, the school. In order to have a smooth transition from home to school and to prepare them socially and psychologically, the curriculum on the Early Childhood Experiences was recommended for adoption in all public elementary schools as included in Every Child A Reader Program ( ECARP). It aims to developing the reading readiness and developmental reading in Grade one as launched by the Department of Education. One of the major goals of the 2015 Education for All (EFA) is the expansion of the coverage and improvement of the quality of the Early Childhood Care and Development (ECCD) programs in the country. The present government administration in its Ten-Point Agenda has declared a policy calling for the standardization of preschool and day care centers. The Department of Education (DepEd) in support of this thrust will administer School Readiness Assessment Test to All Grade One Entrants, effective SY 2005-2006. The School Readiness Assessment (SRA) is a tool to determine the readiness of Grade One entrants in tackling formal Grade One work. The School Readiness Assessment Tool will be administered by Grade One teachers assisted by the Grade Two and Three teachers one week before opening of classes. The assessment shall not be treated as an entrance test or examination. No child shall be refused entry to Grade 1 based on the results neither of this assessment nor without preschool experience. To continuously determine the school readiness of all Grade One Entrants, the School Readiness Assessment (SReA) was administered. One of the objectives of SReA is to assess pupils’ readiness across the different developmental domains – gross and fine motor, receptive/ expressive language, cognitive domain and socio- economic domain. The result obtained was the basis for grouping the Grade One entrants. It was also used to guide Grade One teachers in providing appropriate instruction and assistance to address specific needs of the pupils. The result of the School Readiness Test in May 2011 identified that there were at least forty two point ninety eight percent of the school population of Grade One entrants were not ready. Children with No Early Childhood Care and Development (ECCD) has low average in pupils’ readiness across the different developmental domains – gross and fine motor, receptive/ expressive language, cognitive domain and socio- economic domain. Background of the Study The researcher is motivated by the above mentioned situation and this led to the conceptualization of this study. As an educator, the researcher is faced with the fact that there is an imperative need to strengthen and streamline the internal management of educational arrangements in order to achieve efficiency and responsiveness to trends and challenges of the next millennium. It is therefore the aim of this study to empower parents and positively influence them on affirmative effects of pre-school education in the holistic development of their children particularly on the advancement of their academic performance. The value of preschool is a  hot topic these days. A small but growing number of  studies link enrolment in preschool or child care  centers (which typically include a  preschool curriculum) to higher cognitive and language scores on kindergarten-entry tests. The early childhood stage is a  permanent learning stage. Whatever they learn now, they will take home. This preschool education is the provision of education for  children  before the commencement of statutory education, usually between the ages of three and five, dependent on the jurisdiction. The institutional arrangements for preschool education vary widely around the world, as do the names  applied to the institutions ( Bustos Alicia and Espiritu 1985). The Early Childhood Experiences Curriculum, hence all Grade One teachers are expected to implement it. Teachers are also encouraged to make use of local songs, games, dances and indigenous materials to enrich the curriculum. It is hoped that the Early Childhood Experience for Grade One will greatly benefit the children and strengthen efforts to make the schools child-friendly. Theoretical Framework This study is anchored on Edward Thorndike’s, Jerome Bruner’s, and B. F. Skinner’s Theories of Learning. These theories enabled the researcher in the conceptualization of this work. The Law of Readiness as advocated by Thorndike is associated with mind set. It states that when an organism is prepared to respond to a stimulus, allowing doing so would be satisfying while preventing him would be annoying. This law works well in this study because the children is mentally ready to learn. The Law of Exercise states that the constant repetition of response strengthens its connection with the stimulus, while disuse of response weakens it. The exercises given to the children using a modifiable connection like instructional materials enables them to acquire the learning easier and faster because the responses will be utilized, the stronger the connection to be developed. Thus, when a modifiable between a stimulus and a response has been made, it is strengthened if its results in satisfaction as the Law of effect proves. Jerome Bruner’s (1915) theory of Instrumental conceptualization is also applied as it involves (3) three simultaneous processes as: Acquisition, Transformation and Evaluation. This theory of learning believes that the acquisition of whatever form of knowledge acquisition, who selects structures, retains and transforms information. Teaching without the use of proper strategic plans will result to failure. Through School Readiness Assessment Test (SReA), pupils will acquire knowledge through different techniques used by the researchers. Hence, learning to read is facilitated by Skinner’s Theory. Conceptual Framework This study focused on the evaluation of academic performance of Grade One pupils with and without Early Childhood Experience of Sto. Nino Elementary School. The independent variable consist of School Readiness Assessment Test (SReA) for children with and without Early Childhood Experience while the dependent variable is the academic performance of the respondents in terms of the following: Sensory Discrimination, Concept Formation, Numeracy, Reading Readiness and Construction and Visual Motor Integration. Research Paradigm Independent Variable Dependent Variable Figure 1 The above figure shows the relationship of independent variables to dependent variables of the study. Statement of the Problem This study intended to evaluate the academic performance of Grade One pupils with and without Early Childhood Experience (ECE) at Sto. Nino Elementary School, Division of San Pablo City. Specifically, this study sought to answer the following questions: 1. What are the mean pre-test scores of the two groups of pupils in terms of the following: a) Sensory, b) Concept Formation, c) Numeracy, d) Reading Readiness and e) Construction and Visual- Motor Integration? 2. What are the mean post-test scores of the two groups of pupils in terms of the following: a) Sensory Discrimination, b) Concept Formation, c) Numeracy, d) Reading Readiness and e) Construction and Visual Motor- Integration? 3. Is there a significant difference in the mean scores between the pupils with and without Early Childhood Experience (ECE) and their performance? Hypothesis The hypothesis stated below was tested in this study. There is no significant difference in the mean scores between the pupils with Early Childhood Experience (ECE) and those without Early Childhood Experience (ECE) and their performance in terms of the following: i. Sensory Discrimination, ii. Concept Formation, iii. Numeracy, iv. Reading Readiness and a. Construction and Visual- Motor Integration? Significance of the Study This study is of importance to the pupils, teachers, principals, parents and other researcher for the following reasons: Pupils are primary group which the study would benefit. They are the central point to be given much consideration because they are the recipients of this study. They will be assessed and it would be a big help for them to improve their academic performance. Teachers are the facilitators of learning. They may be able to undertake possible teaching alternatives that may be facilitate, enhance and improve their teaching skills to cater the needs of the pupils with and without Early Childhood Experience in order to improve their academic performance. They will specifically take cognizance of their status at present in terms of the problem arising in their own classroom. Likewise, they could assess definitely where the problem lie and thus, make remediation to solve them. Therefore the learners’ needs would be taken into considerations. The results of this investigation will also help other teacher in the field since the problems raised here may have also help them to improve the academic performance of their pupils. Principals are the ones who initiate support for every change that happens in the school. Good management and supervision of the school and the teachers, respectively, are the responsibility of the principals. Results which this study reveal may enable the school heads to plan out better and more effective ways to evaluate the academic performance of Grade One pupils with and without Early Childhood Experience. It is very important to take in consideration the needs of Grade One pupils because it is the foundation year for them. In that case the principal ought to have a plan to cater the individual needs of the learner to improve their academic performance to elevate the quality of education in the country. Parents are stakeholders of the school. The findings of this study are important to parents because they need to be informed about the performance of their school children in school. Through this, they will know the importance of Early Childhood Experience (ECE) for their children. For this reason, they will send them in preschool. So that their children will not be shocked with their new environment. The parents will work hand and hand with the teacher in facilitating strategies to evaluate the academic performance of the learners. They may also help influencing their children to have a good study habits. Their support to their children and school is important so that the goals will be attained. Other researchers who would be interested with this problem may gain further insights in developing their own research work. The data that will be revealed by this study may be used by other researcher to enhance their own studies. They may also use it as related study or augment data that they have to come up with a more comprehensive knowledge about the problem presented here into. Scope and Limitation of the Study The focus of the study to be conducted is An Evaluation of Academic Performance of Sto. Nino Elementary School, Dapdapan, District, Division of San Pablo City. It limits its coverage on the result of School Readiness Assessment (SReA) which includes the following areas – Sensory Discrimination, Concept Formation, Numeracy, Reading Readiness, and Construction and Visual Integration; the Pre test and Post test of School Readiness Assessment (SReA) and the instructional module being devised to answer the needs of Grade One pupils. The respondents of the study will be eighty (80) pupils of Sto. Nino Elementary School, forty (40) pupils with Early Childhood Experience (ECE) and forty (40) pupils without Early Childhood Experience (ECE). Definition of Terms For the interpretation of the study, the terms used are defined in order to avoid vagueness or ambiguousness meaning. Therefore, provide the reader a common point of reference. Public Elementary SchoolsThese are school managed, operated and maintained by the national government. It offers curricular programs for Grade One to Six children. Sensory Discrimination These refer to exercises in discriminating simplest form of mental operation that was clearly intellective. It includes exercises on identifying same and different shapes. Concept FormationThese refer to exercises that requires the learner to construct the properties of the object from the definition. It includes exercises on completing statements showing simple analogy. Numeracy The term refers the ability to learn the specific tasks in Mathematics like counting, arranging, sequencing sets of objects. The numeracy skills are designed to help with the more advanced levels of mathematics that pupils will encounter during the school lives and also into their adulthood. It includes exercises pointing out which has more or less sets. In this study, it pertains to the level of achievement of the Grade One pupils in different learning skills in Mathematics as perceived by their Grade One teachers. Construction and Visual-Motor Integration These skills refer to the smooth coordination of the eyes and hands working together. Sto. Nino Elementary School Public Elementary school situated in Brgy. Sto. Nino, San Pablo City where the present study is being conducted. Grade One Pupils. Refer to children entering the formal school in the primary grades as prescribed by the Department of Education, whose ages ranges from six (6) years old and above. Chapter II REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE AND STUDIES This chapter presents literature and studies which are related to the problem. The materials found in local and foreign books, educational journals and magazines, documents, guidelines and reports by Department of Education provided references. Related Literature Philosophy and Goals of Elementary Education. Philosophy of pre-school education as stated in DECS Memo no. 107 s. 1989 considers the child, the school and the teacher with the support of the family in the maximizing the child’s potential. Pre-school education is based on the knowledge that each child is unique individual with his own biological make up, interest, capacities, and ways of viewing the world. He has a tremendous capacity for learning. He is active and understands the world differently from adult. His language has developed with acquisition of wide vocabulary making him capable of communicating his ideas and feelings. A pre-school child is always on the process of becoming, and therefore if properly developed can become a critical thinker and a socially sensitive, directed, creative, responsible and caring individual. Pre-school education must aim to develop children in all aspects physical, social, emotional and cognitive so that they will be better prepared to adjust and cope with life situations and the demands of formal schooling. By doing so, learning gaps and dropouts may be reduced or avoided to the maximum. Objectives of Pre-School education is founded on the following objectives; (Inc.DECS Memo No. 45 1995). They are as follows: To develop the child in all aspects ( physical, social, emotional and cognitive) so that they may be better prepared to adjust and cope with the life situations within the context of his experience. To maximize the child’s potential through a variety of carefully selected and meaningful experiences considering his interests and capabilities, and; To develop the child in all aspects so that he becomes a self- propelling, thinking and contributing individual able to make decisions which all prepare him more complex demands for future life. DepEd Order No. 10, s. 2004 is the legal basis in the implementation of the Enhanced Eight-Week Early Experiences for Grade One. Its main thrust is development of academic skills among learners. It is because most Grade One entrants have not gone through pre-school experiences. Hence, the Early Childhood Experience has been enriched and aligned with the BEC making it’s integral part of the Grade 1 Curriculum. In 1995, Early Childhood Experiences for Grade One was institutionalized at the same time as the official age for entry into the primary school was dropped to six years of age. All Grade One teachers were requested to implement the Eight-Week Curriculum and gradually move to the regular Grade One curriculum. Pursuant to DepEd Order No. 15, s. 2005, which calls for the administration of School Readiness Assessment for All Grade One Entrants, all incoming Grade 1 shall undergo a school readiness assessment using the revised tool. The School Readiness Assessment (SRA) will be administered by Grade 1 teachers to be assisted by Grade II, III and master teachers of their respective schools. This assessment shall be administered twice. The first assessment given on May. The second shall be administered after the children have undergone 8-week curriculum, focusing on the competencies not manifested by the child during the first assessment. The SRA will determine the level of progress of Grade 1 entrants across different developmental domains that are critical in tracking Grade 1 learning competencies. The result shall be the basis for grouping the Grade 1 entrants. It will be also used to guide Grade 1 teachers in providing appropriate instruction and assistance to address specific needs of the pupils through the utilization of the 8-week curriculum. The assessment shall not be treated as an entrance test or examination as children may be anxious about passing or failing. No child shall be refused entry to Grade 1 based on the results of this assessment. â€Å" Educating our children at an early stage will give more chance for young Filipinos in the future to compete for jobs and opportunities in the new world order in which better educated and highly skilled persons have become the most valued resources. † Giving access to free quality early childhood education will bridge the gap between the rich and the poor that will give our less privileged countrymen a strong foundation for the challenges in the next millennium. (Eduardo J. Angara, 1997) The Early Childhood Care and Development ( ECCD ) Law, enacted in 2000, recognizes the importance of early childhood and its special needs, affirms parents as primary caregivers and the child’s first teachers, and establishes parent effectiveness, seminars and nutrition counselling for pregnant and lactating mothers. The law requires the establishment of a National Coordinating Council for the Welfare of Children which: (a) establishes guidelines, standards, and culturally relevant practices for ECCD programs; (b) develops a national system for the recruitment, training, and accrediting of caregivers; (c) monitors the delivery of ECCD services and the impact of beneficiaries; (d) provides additional resources to poor and disadvantaged communities in order to increase the supply of ECCD programs; (e) encourages the development of private sector initiatives the Republic Act 6972 known as â€Å" Barangay (village) Level Total Protection of Childen Act† has a provision that requires all local government units to establish a day-care centre in every village ; the law institutionalized the features of day-care programme that provide for young children’s learning needs aside from their health and psychosocial needs. The universalization of early childhood education and standardization of preschool and day care centers was established though the Executive Order No. 658 of 2008 (Expanding the Pre-School Coverage to Include Children Enrolled in Day Care Centers). (PTFE 2008). According to Clark (2002), in her article First Grade Readiness, there are signs one can look for, to know if a child is a ready for first grade. In the physical realm, the first grade child’s limbs are now proportion with the body and head . There is a loss of baby far and greater definition in the face. In the emotional realm, the young child who once expressed strong emotions through sudden outburst now has a feelings that begin to deepen. A child will talk of â€Å"hurt feelings† and being sad. Socially, the first grade ready child begins to form friendships which go deeper than before. The child feels loyalty for friends and often expresses the desire to be with them. In the mental realm, there is the birth of free memory. This is different than the memory of a four year old. The younger child’s memory must be triggered by a sight, smell, or rhythmic verse when the memory and recall it will. Kagan (2000) stated that the concept of school readiness has been defined and redefined over the years resulting in differing viewpoints. Several theories of child development and learning have been used to explain the term. In fact, there appears to be two types of readiness: readiness to learn, which involves a level of development at which the child has the capacity to learn specific materials, and readiness for school and readiness for school which involve specific set of cognitive, linguistic, social and motor skills that enable a child to assimilate the school’s curriculum. According to Quinto (2001) the lowering of entrance to six years old for grade one pupils in the Philippines public elementary schools have created inner tensions, especially to those who had never gone to any kind of school before. So, in order to have a smooth transition from home to school and to prepare them socially, psychologically, the curriculum on the Early Childhood Experiences was recommended for adoption in all public elementary schools. Studies show that child’s mind is almost full developed before he reaches the age of five. This presents a need for an organized early childhood education. Pre-elementary or preschool education is one of the latest trends in childhood education which gives equal opportunities to all children at the lowest step of educational ladder. Preschool education holds a prominent place, being that level in the school system wherein children are trained to be better prepared for grade one. For the development of the child, the curriculum focuses on these areas of development: physical ( gross and fine motor coordination through play and manipulated activities like games, simple work); cognitive ( communication skills, sensory-perceptual concepts, numeracy skills); personal social (health habits and independence in dressing, eating, sleeping, toileting; relating with teachers, peers and other people through group play and interaction; follow rules and routine. Groark (2006) stresses that the school and district administrators, as well as policymakers are increasingly recognizing that early education and intervention services for young children have a direct and positive impact on later school performance and quality. Soliven (1999) stated that an authority on child development, underscores the significance of pre-primary education to the mental development of children citing the results of research which showed that pre-primary education is important to the child, she pointed out the intellectual capacity of the child is most susceptible to reaches a substantially higher rate of intellectual development of Early Childhood especially in a favourable environment. It is apparent that intelligence is best developed in the first six years of life, if the child is exposed to a favourable environment for development during this formative period. Vittetow (1994) former Education Expert of International Cooperation Administration (ICA) in his Educational Series Bulletin for the Bureau of Public Schools gave growth characteristics of Pre-school Filipino children, which are true to all children at this level of growth and development. Said development and growth includes: 1) Physical Characteristics, 2) Mental Characteristics, 3) Social Characteristics, 4) Emotional Characteristics, 5) Spiritual and Moral Characteristics and 6) Aesthetic Characteristics. According to Kats (2001) what the children learn, how they learn, and how much they learn depend on many factors. Among the most important factor’s are the child’s physical well-being, and his emotional and cognitive relationships with those who care for him. The school readiness goal reflects two concerns about the education of young children. The first is that the increasing numbers of young children in poverty, in single-parent households have limited proficiency in English are affected by the drug abuse of their parents have poor nutrition, and receive inadequate health care. The second area of concern involves such matters as the high rates of retention in kindergarten and primary grades, delayed school entry in some districts, segregated transition in classes in others and the increasing use of standardized tests to determine children’s readiness to enter school. Standardized tests used to deny children entrance to school or place them in special classes are inappropriate for children younger than six. These trends are due largely to the fact that an academic curriculum and direct instruction teaching practices that are appropriate for the upper grades have gradually been moved down to the kindergarten and first grade. These two areas of concern suggest that reaching the school readiness goal will require a twofold strategy: one part focused on supporting families in their efforts to help their children get ready for school, and the second on helping the schools to be responsive to the wide range of development levels, backgrounds, experiences, and needs of children to bring them in school. Watson (1985) pointed out that groups of children of higher economic status have higher level of intelligence than those favored economic status, the higher their average IQ’s on Standford Binet or similar verbal test. The mismatch between the schools and children from low income working class families had led to concerted attempts to involve parents from these families in the schools. When the school can involve low-income parents, their children’s school attendance increases, the children are less disruptive in class and less aggressive on the playground, their classwork improves, and they are more likely to complete their homework. If they are raised in emotionally secured homes they tend to be emotionally secured children. If they are raised in homes which lack happiness and have little emotionally security they may in time tend to be unhappy and insecure. However, these differences between higher and lower socio-economic groups may be due to non-intellectual factors. Some of these factors serving to depress intelligence test scores among the lower socio-economic groups could be greater resistance to taking test, the effect of nutritional deficiencies, different attitudes towards education, suspicion, lack of support and the like. Although any or all of these factors seem reasonable, there are no definite research to establish the answer conclusively. It has been observed that most elementary teachers do not have the necessary educational background to teach visual arts. University of Hawaii’s Professor, Dr. Stephanie Feeny (1986); stresses the importance of the arts in the development of the thinking process in children.

Importance in the novel Essay Example for Free

Importance in the novel Essay Explore the portrayal of Serena Joy and the Commander in the early part of the novel. Also estimate their characters importance in the novel. Serena Joy is portrayed as a frustrated, hostile and rude woman who is full of hate; which in some respects you could say she is, but her character runs much more deeply than is first apparent to the reader. This is portrayed through her characters words, actions and pursuits in many different ways. An example of this is her frustration at the little amount of freedom she is allowed. Although when compared to a character like, Offred she has a lot of freedom, she feels she doesnt, It is a little thing, but in this household little things mean a lot. , Many of the wives have such gardens, its something for them to order and maintain and care for. By having a garden like this, and being allowed to take charge of it, and look after it, she feels this gives her some importance in the community. It is a distraction, a place of escape for her from the life that she leads, which is boring and she is not happy with. This is the only freedom she is allowed in the life she leads now, which although it doesnt mean a lot to her, it should be treasured because in Gilead to have freedom like that is unthinkable to most; this portrays Serena Joy to be a women who takes things and her status in the elite, for granted. The tulips are red, a darker crimson towards the stem; as if they had been cut and are beginning to heal there. The garden to Serena Joy is also something she can take her frustration out on, as she is not supposed to harm Offred. An aspect portrayed to us immensely about her character is her great longing for children; this is shown in many of the domestic pursuits she carries out, i. e. gardening and knitting, They arent scarves for grown men but for children. Although these are scarves supposed to be made for the Angels who are grown men, she makes the scarves in children sizes. This shows the reader how she is always thinking about children, and how she longs to have children of her own. Her garden also portrays these feelings she has about children of her own, Many of the wives have such gardens, it is something for them to order and maintain and care for. She treats her garden, like you would expect her to treat a child, by caring for it lovingly with great affection. She is rude and hostile towards Offred, because she hates the fact that she is there because she cant have children of her own, also it must be a humiliating experience for her, the thought of her husband making love to another woman, So, youre the new one, she said. She didnt step aside to let me in, she just stood there in the door way, blocking the entrance. She wanted me to feel that I could not come into the house unless she said so. This is where the reader, feels a little compassion for Serena Joy, as she is portrayed as an awful women, who really has bought this predicament on herself; but it must be humiliating for her. Her husband is sleeping with another women, and as far as she is concerned it is because she cannot have children. She also knows that this life that she has helped to promote, is awful and she hates the way in which she has to live now. Her name is also trying to portray an image of serenity and joy, which once she as a young woman had portrayed, but now with a new way of living, her nature has come to contradict her name, The woman sitting in front of me was Serena Joy. Or had once been. So it was worse than I thought. The Commander is portrayed as a man who will use his power and authority to get what he wants. He rebels against his own way of life that he has fought to promote, which portrays to us that he too is unhappy with the way he has to live his life, he isnt supposed to be here, He is violating custom. I feel that as we read further into the novel, the way he uses his power to get what he wants will be even more strongly portrayed as part of his character to the reader. We dont get vivid descriptions of the Commander at first. He is a character which you know is there but we dont get to meet or see at the beginning of the novel. This portrays him as a slightly mysterious, and you never quite know when to expect him to turn up, The commander stops, gets into the car, disappears, and Nick shuts the door. His clothes also gives an awe of uncertainty and mystery as he has to dress all in black, which is the colour closely associated to death. Hes a character of great importance in the society of Gilead, and we see this at the Ceremony. We see at the ceremony that he is a highly influential character too, We watch him: every inch, every flicker. Everyone watches him and wants to be him, which shows he is influential, this though is just because of the power, importance and freedom he has, which all the other characters can only dream about. The first description we get of the Commander portrays him as a very ordinary looking man, When you get down as far as the chin he looks like a vodka ad, in a glossy magazine, of times gone by. He looks like a friendly approachable man, which slightly contradicts the mysterious feel he has portrayed at the very beginning of the novel. As they are both characters of great power within the society, I feel they are very important in the novel as a whole, and as the book goes on their importance will increase. They are both very strong characters, and both feel that they are hard done by compared to how they used to live but they arent when compared to characters like Offred. This is also true of many people in the world today. They are two characters in the novel who care only for themselves and nobody else, even though they are very lucky with what they have.

Analysis Of Bcg Matrix Marketing Essay

Analysis Of Bcg Matrix Marketing Essay In business, there are times when an organization needs to expand or change the market or field. There are tons of ideas about things one could do. However, it is hard to determine which idea will be the best. Therefore, strategic marketing planning tools will be important and beneficial, such as BCG matrix, Ansoff Matrix or Porter 5 forces and so forth, to help one evaluate the options and decide on the one that suits the organization and situation best. As a result, it gives the best return on the considerable investment that an organization will need to make. Strategic marketing management involves the process of deciding the marketing strategy to follow and to ensure it is followed correctly, in order to compete against its rivals successfully. In an attempt to assist strategic marketing process, a number of different strategic marketing planning tools have been created. Igor Ansoff, Michael Porter, and the Boston Consulting Group have the best known models in the field of business. Strategies are developed according to the objectives within an organization. The establishment of the objectives will normally produce a difference between what had been achieved and what target needs to be met. The uses of strategies are to illustrate how this gap is going to be solved, and objectives met. Strategic Management is a systematic approach to the major and increasingly important responsibility of general management to position and relate the firm to its environment in a way which will assure its continued success and make it secure from surprises (Ansoff, 1990). This paper will focus on the BCG Matrix, which is one of the models like PESTLE, SWOT, Ansoff matrix, Gap analysis, GE matrix and Porter 5 forces. It is often used to assess the profits of business or resource allocation and divestment decisions by the marketers. The content of this report will explain and analyse the application of BCG Matrix with some examples. Some of the other analytic tools will also be mentioned in this work. Analysis of BCG matrix BCG Matrix is developed by Bruce Henderson of the Boston Consulting Group in the year of 1968 (BCG, 2012). It is one of the Portfolio analyses. It is used to determine high or low performers of businesses or products depending upon their market growth rate and relative market share. The idea behind this Matrix is that higher market share or a better market grows of the product is better for the organization. There are four categories in BCG Matrix, which are Stars, Cash cow, Question mark, and Dogs (Philip.K, et al., 2008). Furthermore, horizontal axis is given for relative market share position and vertical axis for industry growth rate (Philip.K, et al., 2008). Planners are to classify their products or businesses into the four categories according to their position on the matrix. It provides a framework for analysis and comparison of products or businesses for multinational companies with diverse products. The advantages of using BCG Matrix are to have the ability to prioritise a business or product portfolio; it is to know what products are doing well and what are not performing. It provides a useful insight into the potential opportunities and problems associated with a particular product. It is often a convenient graphical form that is easily understood by the staffs who are the decision makers. In appendix A, it takes Nestle company (table 1.0) as an example, prepared dishes and cooking aids, PetCare and confectionery would be classed as Cash cow; beverage products would be a star; whereas pharmaceutical products as Question mark. Water products are most likely to be classed as a Dog. The BCG matrix is linked to the Product life cycle. Introduction, growth, maturity and decline, it represents Question marks, Stars, Cash cows and dogs in the BCG matrix respectively. Referring back to the table 1.0, it shows that PetCare and Confectionery products are at the late maturity period in the Product life cycle. Therefore, Nestle must come out with new and better ideas, in order to prevent or slow down the product from further decline in sales, or perhaps becoming a Dog. However, it is expected that different product will have different life cycle. Therefore, some stars with short life cycle will be better to harvest rather than to commit further investment (Graeme. D and John. E, 2007). In a multinational company, it is essential for its products to have high and low growth rate, such as stars to assure future of the company, cash cows that supply money for further growth, and converting question marks into stars. It is because a balanced product portfolio will maximize organisation revenue. As mentioned by Bruce Henderson Only a diversified company with a balanced portfolio can use its strengths to capitalize on growth opportunities(BCG.P, 2010). The benefits of high growth products include high return at the cost of wide ranging resource to market. For low growth rate products, its benefits are customers familiarity with the product, thu s, lesser cost for marketing and a constant source of revenue. With the help of BCG matrix, it can be identified how organization cash resources can be used to maximize a companys future growth and profitability. It provides the criteria for determining which products or business one should invest in, hold, harvest, or divest. However, the BCG matrix is only useful to a certain extent, and its limitation makes it increasingly less accurate. The BCG matrix was created in 1970s; therefore, it is expected to be less accurate in the current society especially during periodic recession (Blythe, 2006). The situation in the current business market is much more complicated than before.The model of BCG matrix discouraged organizations to invest in businesses with a less than 10% growth rate in a year. During the hard time, many companies will not have a growth of 10%.Thus, it is not accurate to rely on BCG matrix during an economic downturn; it might create confusion in the companys direction. The connection between market share and profitability is argu able because sometimes low share businesses can be profitable too and vice versa (Babette Craig, 2012). As mention by experts, the markets are difficult to determine with a huge amount of overlaps and complex segmentation (Macmillan. H, 2000). There are many portfolios in real businesses consist of a high percentage of dog businesses and few star businesses (Macmillan. H, 2000). Thus, portfolio analysis is criticized for offering little help in these circumstances. Growth rate and market share are only one aspect of industry attractiveness and overall competitive position respectively. The market definition and measurement are not perfect as there are some problems faced (Wensley. R, 1981). Hence, poor definition of business market might lead to some misclassification, such as dogs, becoming cash cows. Moreover, the matrix mainly focuses on investment in current products of a company. Thus, it might neglect alternative investment such as setting new product lines or investing in ne w technology, which could be better than investing in current products or services. The matrix also ignores the potential competitive responses. When an organization tried to build their market shares and support growth, it is likely to get responses from the competitors as retaliation (Blythe, 2006). Furthermore, it is too simplistic and general just to use high and low to form four categories, which lead to a low accuracy analysis. In addition, the matrix is based on cash revenue, whereby profit should be a better phrase to use as it means the financial gain after all the deduction of expense from the revenue. General electric (GE) matrix developed by Mckinsey is a similar matrix that overcomes some of the disadvantage of BCG matrix. It uses market attractiveness instead of market growth rate which included a broader range of factors compare to growth rate. It also replaced market share into competitive strength which assessed each SBU with competitive positioning (Kozami,2002). H owever, this paper will not go into the details of GE matrix due to the words constraint. According to an article by Hiram and Clyde on portfolio analysis, they added three categories to the matrix, such as infants, war horses and dodos, to get a better coverage of the business society during recession. War horses represent a cash cow in a declining market. The veteran products in an organization are things which hold a strong market position. It is used to prevent an organization from eliminating a veteran product during a recession as it is always just a temporary phenomenon (Hiram Clyde, 1982). Dodos represent products that have little potential for growing and low shares in declining markets (Hiram Clyde, 1982). It is added into the matrix because it will enable the company to make an early decision in withdrawing or removing such products so as to improve the chance of selling the assets of such business. The authors categorized new innovative products to be infants (Hiram Clyde, 1982). Most of the time, infant products do not generate any profit to the company at the introduction period and may even have a negative cash flow. Thus, it is important to point out the new innovative products before they are treated as a dog or question mark. With the obvious limitations of BCG Matrix, it is not recommended to use the matrix alone. It is a portfolio analysis tool which focuses on the internal of an organization. Thus, it is always best to use with external analysis tools such as SWOT. SWOT will look at matters like the strength and weakness of the company, and the opportunities and threats that might occur. It is used to measure the degree of strategic fit between the organization and its environment. As a combination with BCG matrix, BCG matrix will focus on the internal factors and SWOT will be focusing on the external factors. Therefore, the O T of SWOT will mainly suggest using alongside with BCG matrix. For example, with the O T, the organization can recognise the opportunities and threats in Nestle such as an increase in health conscious society (PRweb, 2012) provide a huge opportunity for Nestle to produce more health care products and raw ingredient prices for chocolate production are increasing will affect the profit margin as threat (Christopher, 2011). If only BCG matrix is used, the planners will miss the external factors like the society or raw materials pricing which might cause problems to the organization. According to experts, it mentioned that a mixture of two or more analysis tools is recommended for a holistic view of strategic scenario (Wind, et al, 1983). Therefore, it is essential for an organization to capture the internal and external factors with appropriate marketing analytic tools to strengthen the company performance. Conclusion This paper focused on the analysis of BCG matrix. It evaluated the usefulness and weakness of the model. Recommendations had also been advised for further enhancement of the usefulness of the model. Although BCG Matrix has a number of limitations, it is still one of the most popular portfolio planning tools used by big companies with diverse products. It can measure the growth rate and relative market share of each sector in a table form. The table shows a clear understanding on how an organization is performing. With a simple and clear understanding, the company can develop strategies to deal with the sectors, and achieve the organizations aimed goals and objectives. It is also useful for small businesses to survey the companys market share and growth, in relation to relative market to see how products are performing. Lastly, BCG Matrix is not a tool to replace management decision or vision. It is a tool to help managers or planners evaluate their strategy alternatives together with other analysis tools, such as SWOT. It is a tool with flaws, but still suffices to be a good tool for portfolio analysis. References Ansoff, Igor, 1990. Implanting Strategic Management. 2nd ed. New York: Prentice Hall . Babette, E, 2012. Analysis Without Paralysis: 12 Tools to Make Better Strategic Decisions. 2nd ed. New Jersey: Financial Times. BCG. 2012. BCG History. [Online] Available at: http://www.bcg.com/about_bcg/history/history_1968.aspx. [Accessed 04 November 12]. BCG. Perspectives. 2012. The product portfolio. [Online] Available at: https://www.bcgperspectives.com/content/Classics/strategy_the_product_portfolio/. [Accessed 05 November 12]. Blythe, Jim, 2006. Principles Practice of Marketing. 1st ed. London: Thomson learning. Christopher Adams . 2011. Chocolate lovers face price rise as ingredients soar. [Online] Available at: http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3objectid=10701792. [Accessed 22 November 12]. Graeme, Drummond, and John Ensor, 2007. Strategic Marketing: Planning and Control. 3rd ed. Oxford: A Butterworth-Heinemann Title. Hiram, Barksdale and Clyde E. Harris,Jr., 1982. Portfolio analysis and the product life cycle. Long range planning, [Online]. 15(6), 74-83. Available at: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=MiamiImageURL_cid=271874_user=7229486_pii=0024630182900103_check=y_origin=article_zone=toolbar_coverDate=31-Dec-1982view=coriginContentFamily=serialwchp=dGLbVlt-zSkWzmd5=a00811c63fcac0a92dbec6cd66a1ece0pid=1-s2.0-0024630182900103-main.pdfsqtrkid=0.3659638183921414 [Accessed 23 November 2012]. Kozami, Azhar, 2002. Business Policy and Strategic Management. 2nd ed. India: Tata McGraw-Hill. Macmillan, Hugh, 2000. Strategic management: process, content, and implementation. 1st ed. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Nestle. 2010. 2010 Annual Report. [Online] Available at: http://www.nestle.com/Common/NestleDocuments/Documents/Library/Documents/Annual_Reports/2010-Annual-Report-EN.pdf. [Accessed 03 November 12]. Nestle. 2011. 2011 Annual Report. [Online] Available at: http://www.nestle.com/Common/NestleDocuments/Documents/Library/Documents/Annual_Reports/2011-Annual-Report-EN.pdf. [Accessed 03 November 12]. Philip Kotler,Gary Armstrong, Veronica Wong and John Saunders, 2008. Principles of marketing. 5th ed. Italy: Pearson Education. PRWeb. 2012. Yahoo news. [Online] Available at: http://news.yahoo.com/increasing-popularity-growing-health-consciousness-fuel-growth-global-130305822.html. [Accessed 22 November 12]. Wensley, Robin, 1994. Making better decisions: The challenge of marketing strategy techniques. International Journal of Research in Marketing, [Online]. 11/1, pp85-90. Available at: http://www.sciencedirect.com.libproxy.ncl.ac.uk/science/article/pii/0167811694900361 [Accessed 04 November 2012]. Wind, Young, Mahajan, Vijay and Donald, Swire., 1983. An Empirical Comparison of Standardized Portfolio Models. Journal of Marketing, [Online]. 47(2), pp89-99. Available at: http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=247ec63a-e348-45c1-a7b8-e1819fa6169a%40sessionmgr11vid=2hid=21 [Accessed 22 November 2012].