Cuyahoga River

Daniel Groves Environmental Geology Case Study November 22, 2011 Cuyahoga River Fires â€Å"In the United States, a concerted effort is underway to reduce water pollution and thereby improve water quality. † (Keller) A case history of river pollution is the Cuyahoga River located in Northeastern Ohio. The river is 100 miles long flowing south to Cuyahoga Falls where it then turns north until it empties into Lake Erie. Cleveland and Akron are two major cities located along the river. The Cuyahoga is known as an infant glacial river, this is because it is one of the youngest river created from the melting of the glaciers.It is estimated that the river is about 13,000 year old. The story of the Cuyahoga is one with many lows and highs. The fires being the lows; new legislation and organizations formed to clean up and then prevent this from happening to other rivers being the highs. The name â€Å"Cuyahoga† comes from Native American word meaning crooked river. The river wa s very useful to early Native Americans; it allowed for easy transportation and plenty of food. The river supported all types of wildlife that the natives would kill for their furs.Just as the Cuyahoga was useful for Native Americans, the European settlers used it in many of the same ways. Early European fur traders may have played a large part in the demise of the Cuyahoga. Many hunters would set up trading post along the river. During the War of 1812 the Native American had been displace by the new settlers. The Cuyahoga River Basin was a desirable area for most settlers. The Founding Fathers knew that the area that is now Ohio would be of great importance. They knew that the Cuyahoga was the prime spot because the river empties into Lake Erie.Soon large steel and rubber industries would build factories that produced tremendous amounts of untreated wastes. These industries are characterized by heavy manufacturing activity and an outflow of production. The pollution that was produc ed by these industries caused the river to be unsafe. The Cuyahoga River has had many fires over the years. The first fire in 1936 was rumored to be started by a blow torch spark. In 1952 a fire caused a million dollars’ worth of damage to river boats and riverfront businesses.On June 22, 1969 another river fire engulfed the river, this time the media coverage captured the attention of the nation. Time Magazine described the Cuyahoga as the river that â€Å"oozes rather that flows† and in which a person â€Å"doesn’t drown but decays†. Many of the residents of Cleveland accepted the pollution as a necessary evil because they had jobs at these factories. This article helped the people of Cleveland pass a 100 million dollar bond to clean up the Cuyahoga River. Much of the industry that both made Cleveland rich and caused its river to burn may never be coming back.The costs of these fires were tremendous, but it did help lead to laws being passed to prevent this from happening in other rivers. One such law was the Clean Water Act of 1972. The Clean Water Act (CWA) is the primary federal law in which the US governs water pollution. The Act states the objectives of eliminating releases of high amounts of toxic substances into water. The CWA made it unlawful to dump toxic materials into navigable, waters unless given a permit. The permit is given through the EPA’s National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System.The purpose of The National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System is to regulate point sources that flow into bodies of water. The Clean Water Act has been changed over the years because of the development of technology. Another was the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement. The Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement is a document constructed to keep the physical and biological integrity of the Great Lakes and the surrounding regions. It also includes many objectives and processes to maintain the integrity that was outlined in t he document.According to the 13th biennial reports on Great Lakes Water Quality December 2006, â€Å"We further believe that such progress depends, to a very substantial extent, on whether the Parties and other levels of government, working together, create the means by which they can be held accountable for progress toward achieving the objectives of the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement. † (Commission) Another Organization that was formed as a result of the Cuyahoga River fires is the â€Å"Cuyahoga River Remedial Action Plan† or RAP. RAP was created in 1988 by Ohio EPA as a community based program aimed at restoring the Cuyahoga River.Their goals are to inform the community of the effects of pollution and to work with industries to stop the pollution of the river. â€Å"The RAP is a proven resource for bringing together technical knowledge, stakeholders and local officials in a supportive setting to develop and implement effective solutions for restoring our loca l streams. † (Erie Brand Streams and Rivers) It is amazing how a river catching fire opens the eyes of so many people. It took Time Magazine to scare a nation into do something about individuals and companies dumping untreated waste into rivers and lakes.When more people realized what these industries were doing to their hometown, they took action. Even though things for the Cuyahoga and the Great Lakes are improving there is still much to be done. Works Cited Commission, International Joint. 13th Biennial Report On Great Lakes Water Quality. 2006. Erie Brand Streams and Rivers, . â€Å"Operations and Maintenance. † Epa. gov. CRCPO, Nov 2003. Web. 21 Nov 2011. . Keller, Edward A. Introduction To Environmental Geology. 4th. Prentice Hall, 2008. Cuyahoga River The Cuyahoga River The Cuyahoga River is located in northeastern Ohio running through the major cities of Cleveland and Akron. The river is 100 miles long and empties into Lake Erie. It was said to be formed by the advancement and retreat of ice sheets during the ice age. The final retreat caused the river to flow north ward which had flowed southward before. (Michael) In more recent times, the Cuyahoga River was known as â€Å"the river that caught fire. † This is because the river was polluted from industrial companies spilling their waste into the river during the late 1880’s all the way up to the mid 1900’s.The river had a top layer of oil coating it which got thicker as years went by. People who worked on the river had a goal of not falling overboard into the river. One Cleveland mayor, Rensselaer R. Herrick, of the 1880’s even stated, â€Å"It is a sewer that runs through the heart of the city. † (Michael & The) The river was so polluted that it was like a cauldron to most. Even rats had been seen flowing down the river. Residents near Cleveland said they could feel the pollution. (Michael) Richard Ellers was a resident in Cleveland. He states, â€Å"Back in the '60s †¦I went on a news excursion on the river downtown to show how bad the pollution was. I remember we could see a layer of crud on the water but didn't appreciate its thickness of the pollution on Cuyahoga River until I dipped my hand into it. † (Cuyahoga) The river was devastating to live by, but much worse to be around. It was so contaminated that it caught on fire multiple times. The fires had started ever since 1868. River fires became the most occurring incidents on the river. These occurrences quickly gave Cleveland a tarnished name and a realization for all about how unclean the river really was. Michael & The) As the dirty river got worse over time, so did the fires. The Cuyahoga River fire of 1969 happened in June of that year beside Campb ell Road in southeastern Cleveland near the Republic Steel Mill. (Michael) There were large amounts of debris soaked of oil that were just waiting to all burn up in flames one day. It was said to be either sparked by a passing train or molten steel. (Ohio & The) The fire grew enough for flames to be leaping up from the water. (Michael) It could’ve burned down Cleveland if not tamed.It was swiftly doused by local firefighting tugboat crews. It was safe to know that it did not cause maximum damage or any fatality. Fortunately, it was also the last river fire to happen. (Ohio & The) This incident became known all over the country. The U. S. was becoming more eco aware of the environment. Cleveland started taking strides in protecting the river and cleaning it up. Residents passed a bond that granted 100 million dollars to clean it up. Cleveland was still the symbol of environmental degradation even though it was taking steps towards pollution control though. Ohio) â€Å"The thi ck pollution on the water and the fire became a convenient example of what ‘bad' really is,† said Frank Samsel, whose company aided in early 1970s cleanup efforts. â€Å"And the more you talked down about how terrible it was, the more the press and news jumped on it. But it also made people aware of the fact that things could be different. † Cleveland was wide awake about how bad they let things get. (Cuyahoga) Time magazine wrote an article about the incident which put pressure on Cleveland about hygienic regulation.They already had enough pressure due to their bad reputation about the unhygienic river. (Ohio) Mayor, Carl Stokes, started to become very active in the situation. He could see how it affected the city and used that to make positive changes. (Cuyahoga) Carl Stoke’s brother got involved as well. US representative, Louis Stokes, urged federal involvement. The legislature passed the National Environment Protection Act (NEPA) which was signed into law Jan 1st, 1970. It was an act that formed the agency Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) which led to the put forth of the Clean Water Act of 1972.It mandates that all rivers in the United States to be hygienic enough to allow mass amounts of swimmers and fish in the water by 1983. (Cuyahoga & The) The progress became very noticeable to not only the residents near the Cuyahoga River, but to the country as well. (The) The legislature had invested 3. 5 billion into the purification of the river and new sewer systems. (Ohio) The Cuyahoga River became safer and residents felt at ease again. Most importantly, the country was educated and thought more about the environment in which they lived in. Michael) The Cuyahoga River of 1969 brought positive change after all. The U. S hasn’t seen a river fire since 1969. The water quality improved greatly. (The) Today, it is a playground to fish and swim in like most rivers. The river is now home to 60 different species of fish as well. The river fire reshaped Cleveland and the realities of life. (Ohio) Bibliography Michael Rotman, â€Å"Cuyahoga River Fire,† Cleveland Historical, accessed February 25, 2013, http://clevelandhistorical. org/items/show/63 Ohio History Central – An Online Encyclopedia of Ohio History – Ohio Historical Society. Ohio History Central – An Online Encyclopedia of Ohio History – Ohio Historical Society. N. p. , n. d. Web. 20 Feb. 2013. . Cuyahoga River fire 40 years ago ignited an ongoing cleanup campaign | cleveland. com. † Cleveland OH Local News, Breaking News, Sports & Weather – cleveland. com. N. p. , n. d. Web. 20 Feb. 2013. . The return of the Cuyahoga. Dir. Lawrence R. Hott. Perf. Cleveland. Ideastream ;, 2008. DVD.

Hewlett Packard Swot Analysis Essay

The Hewlett-Packard and Compaq merger decision case study provided many points necessary in the understanding of why these two companies would undergo a risky business venture. Compaq was a company that began successfully with record setting financial statements, but in an attempt to expand its market, threatened company stability. With the acquisition of Tandem Computer and Digital Equipment Corporation, Compaq experienced decreased revenues resulting in their inability to fully recover. In a competitive information technology market, HP was one of the industry leaders. Due to a failure to be proactive to market changes, HP grew stagnant and looked to reinvent company strategies through newly appointed President/CEO Carly Fiorina. Competitive advantages for both HP and Compaq included imaging and printing segment and high performance PC technology respectively. Management’s reasons for the merger included their assumption that together, HP and Compaq would be able to replicate and overtake competitors. Oppositions to the merger included a decrease in shareholder interests, a reduction of focus for company core competencies, and an unprofitable future. Several financial advisors and industry analysts were in agreement that the proposed merger would not be in the best interests of either company. Despite the uncertainties, information gathered and forecasts projected were in favor of the merger, which resulted in shareholder approval and the merger of Hewlett-Packard and Compaq Computer. SWOT Analysis In researching Hewlett-Packard’s present-day company position, a strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) analysis was conducted. Strengths found include HP’s strong market position internationally and on the domestic end, a successful growth throughout large acquisitions, and a considerable brand value. HP currently has a 28.6% market share in the United States of America while internationally they stand at 17.7%. As the current number one leader in PC sales, HP has a solid market position. Although the strengths are allowing HP to maintain market position, there are also weaknesses present in all companies. Compared to other companies in the same industry, Hewlett-Packard lacks significant software product and management consulting services. As a result, Hewlett-Packard’s weakness is its weak market segment integration. HP is able to answer consumer demand when it comes to PC technology and imaging and printing software, but they fall short in t he software product creation and consulting services to combine with their successful departments of PC technology and imaging and printing services. As Hewlett-Packard continues to grow and seek an increase in market position, opportunities surface. A spin-off of the PC technology business, entering the cloud computing market, and expanding imaging and printing solutions portfolio are opportunities HP has going forward. In placing more emphasis on the PC technology aspect of the company, HP may find that this venture will become as profitable as the imaging and printing department in the long-run. With the announcement of this spin-off, their share of US PC shipment increased from 25.4% to 28.9%. This positive reaction from consumers is an early indicator of possible success as a result of placing resources to build up the PC technology department. Cloud computing is a fairly new concept in which resources and software are delivered through a network, mainly over the Internet. As this is market quickly growing in demand, HP’s introduction of HP Cloud Assure is a great opportunity for future prosperity. With success comes o pportunities of threats, and Hewlett-Packard is no exception. With projected decrease in information technology (IT) in the near future, an increase in demand for non PC devices, and competitors with more diversified portfolios, HP’s threats are numerous. Industry analysts have projected a decrease of IT in upcoming quarters which will decrease HP’s profitability. HP has already witnessed a decrease in consumer spending during last quarter’s back-to-school spending. If analyst projections prove to be true, changes will quickly need to be made. As more and more consumers are entering the non PC device era, HP is losing a segment of the market with their inability to provide products for this demand. HP’s more diversified competitors such as Dell and Samsung are able to easily capture the demand for these tablets. Future of the Company Through the case study, present-day SWOT analysis, and outside research conducted on Hewlett-Packard, the group has concluded that the company will remain constant, but unless strategies are implemented to answer more consumer demands, they may lose market share. New CEO Meg Whitman has a technology visionary that will shift HP’s focus to answering consumer demands. Her leadership capabilities and projections for company future are a desirable mix for a company to achieve sustainable future relevance. With the implementation of HP Cloud Assure, a new venture capitalizing on the growing consumer interest of cloud computing, HP is already adapting to answering the demands of consumers. As long as the company continues to anticipate and provide the products and services desired, sustainability will be maintained. Questions 1. What are the strategic challenges that HP is facing? Strategic challenges: Cost- reduction initiatives that included â€Å"difficult but necessary voluntary- severance programs† and manufacturing consolidations. â€Å"Unacceptably high expense growth† contributed to a decline in earnings from operations and net earnings. HP had a weak macroeconomic environment and competitive price pressures that led to slumping sales. Management was unable to keep pace of the changing market conditions which were a key contributor. HP management failed to follow Dell’s lead in adopting a low- cost, Internet based direct sales channel to offset its reliance on the retail channel. * Accelerating growth in existing businesses * Streamlining the existing decentralized operating model to fuel growth opportunities * Implementing a â€Å"total customer experience† approach * Taking advantage of HP’s strong balance sheet and cash generation capability to fund new growth initiatives * Leveraging HP’s market position * Creating e- services ecosystems and placing HP at the center 2. Is the proposed merger likely to address these challenges? Benefits from the merger included personal systems, improved economics, and innovation. HP management believed that the combined company would have a lower cost structure due to economies of scale. HP would also be able to leverage Compaq’s progress in developing a direct sales channel, yielding a more flexible distribution model. Complementary leadership in key markets: Compaq’s strength in industry standard servers, coupled with HP’s Linus and UNIX offerings, would result in an industry- leading product line spanning the entire server category. By adding HP’s strength in high- end storage, the combined company would be the industry leader in both the enterprise storage segment and the fastest growing sub-segment storage area networks. Doubling HP’s sales force, the merger would allow HP to increase account coverage and better compete for important customer engagements around the world. IT Services: Strengthened Business Provides Critical Mass in Key Growth Market- Management believed the merger would significantly strengthen HP and Compaq’s combined services business for several reasons. Financial Benefits- As predicted the merger would yield $2.5 billion in annual cost saving by mid-2004. Yes, we do believe the proposed merger is likely to address the challenges HP faces. 3. How do you interpret the market’s reaction to the proposal deal? We interpret the market’s reaction to the proposed deal to be negative. Just two months of the Merger announcement, HP’s share price trailed the preannouncement level by 27%, representing a loss of $12.3 billion of market share value at the same time comparable companies increased 9.9%. 4. If you were a shareholder of HP, how would you vote on the deal? If we were shareholders of HP, we would vote against the deal. It is obvious the company is losing a great deal of money at the same time other companies in the same industry are making money. The merger is not looking out for the best interest of the shareholders so we would not vote for the merger. Sources Bloomberg Businessweek http://www.businessweek.com/news/2011-10-12/hewlett-packard-gains-pc-market-share-after-mulling-spinoff.html CNN Money http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/fortune_archive/2005/02/07/8250437/index.htm http://money.cnn.com/2011/09/22/technology/hp_ceo_fired/index.htm Hewlett-Packard Website http://www.hp.com/hpinfo/newsroom/press/2009/090331xa.html Hewlett-Packard Case Study â€Å"Hewlett-Packard – Compaq: The Merger Decision† Marketing Research http://www.marketing–research.com/marketing/swot-analysis-hewlett-packard Jennifer Brown Synopsis The process of completing this assignment has helped me discover how to view business decisions in a more analytical way. When approaching this one it seemed overwhelming at first. I began pulling outside sources and background information that helped me gain a better understanding of the project at hand. That extra research was very useful in explaining what the companies were going through and giving different perspectives as to why. I was able to apply what I have learned in my accounting classes when the case study and articles referred to financial ratios and provided financial reports. That was helpful when trying to answer the questions assigned. Working with a group was also beneficial because there were several times my group members made great points that I may have missed working alone. Our group has met several times since the project has been assigned. I have been present at each meeting. Before we met the first time we decided we would read the case study in full to have an understanding of what we would need to do. Our first meeting we discussed the case study and our stance on what HP should do. We also discussed the questions within the case study and started our outline for our power point. Outside of the meeting I researched articles to gain background information. Our group had several more meetings at which we outlined our strategy report and assigned each person a portion of the report. When we were finished with our portion we would submit it to the rest of the group for proofreading. Everybody completed their task as set and we came together as a group and finalized the report. I, as well as the other members of the group, contributed to the makeup and layout of both the strategy report and the power point. Charnele Hodge Synopsis Being that this has been my first time in a group doing a strategy report on a company, I took away a few key elements. I have learned, understood, and properly used the purpose of a SWOT Analysis. I know this form of analysis will be used in my future endeavors, so I know it will be very beneficial to me. Also, I learned while in a group setting how to effectively achieve a SWOT Analysis to inform and persuade others to understand and see our point-of-view on our particular position. As a Business Management major, this group project has helped me realize that in not every group setting, that there needs to be a set leader. In my group, I felt that everyone meshed well with each other and there was not a constant need for someone to be in charge. Every group member knew what was at stake and that being at meetings and pulling her part in the group was essential. My individual contribution to the group was making sure that I gave my opinion on the different positions that we would be taking on the SWOT Analysis. I made it my individual objective to make sure that I pulled my part in completing each and every task that I volunteered to work on, that it was done properly, as well as completed on time. Being a Business Management major, I believe I helped bring balance among my other peers that are majoring in different genres in the college of business. I took a more realistic, rational approach to the group, in who would be better fit for particular objectives. Sakina Middleton Synopsis Conducting a strategy report required using resources from all aspects of my undergraduate studies. I was able to read the Hewlett-Packard and Compaq merger decision and understand the different aspects used to compile the information. In utilizing marketing concepts, I was able to conduct a strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) analysis of Hewlett-Packard’s present company structure. My management background allowed for an understanding of company decisions made, such as whether to undergo a merger. Finally, the accounting knowledge I have acquired thus far has enabled me to read and comprehend the many financial statements used to decide which options should be made based on the factual numbers provided. Overall, my primary takeaway was my ability to read, comprehend, and analyze a case study regarding two merging companies with the knowledge and education provided by Savannah State University’s College of Business Administration. Throughout this project I was able to increase my ability to problem solve in a group of my colleagues. No one group is perfect, but the communication skills I have acquired allowed me to handle all situations appropriately and in a timely fashion. For this strategy report, I was responsible for arranging all group meetings regarding the collection and accumulation of information for the paper. I was the initiator of correspondence and also the channel of delivery for every member’s designated portion of the paper. My personal contribution includes the compilation on the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats of the present-day company Hewlett-Packard. I was also responsible for the editing of the final paper. Summer Wilcox Synopsis In March 2002, Hewlett- Packard’s current CEO and president, Carleton Firiona announced the acquiring of HP’s rival company, Compaq Computer. The merging of the two companies was designed to put Hewlett- Packard/Compaq in a position to challenge one of its top leaders in the industry, IBM. The merger was also designed to create a global technology powerhouse that would provide consumers with products and services demanded by profitable enterprise customers. After reading over the case, I started to feel like the merger was not going to be a success. The merger presented itself to be too risky. Although Hewlett Packard was aiming to become the industry’s leader by expanding into new markets, the idea of the merger just didn’t seem to look out for the best interest of the company. Management felt that HP and Compaq needed to improve their whole business structure to effectively compete with Dell which was the industry’s leader. They also felt that HP and Compaq’s leadership would complement each other in key markets such as the enterprise storage segment and storage area networks, and by having a broader portfolio of products and services. Management believed that HP and Compaq had a weak combination of products and services, and merging would strengthen that area. While some thought that the merger would be a success to Hewlett- Packard, there were some who were against it. Among those few were the director and son of HP cofounder William Hewlett, Walter Hewlett. Walter Hewlett was HP’s second largest shareholder and had a very powerful, important voting privilege of HP. Walter was against the merger for 4 main reasons. He felt the proposed merger would be worse, the integration risk of the proposed merger would be substantial, the financial impact on HP’s stockholders would remain negative, and the position of the company would not improve. I agree with opposing the merger of HP and Compaq. They knew from the beginning stages that the merger was going to be risky. Shareholders would lose and ample amount of value on their shares. Stockholders would get a very small amount of the combined company’s contribution to earnings. The merger would drown the stockholder’s interest in the imaging and printing business which is the most profitable of HP already. The merger would not improve the position of the company. Furthermore, HP had no experience with handling a merger of that size. All HP had to do was invest and focus more on the printing and imaging part of the company. The printing and imaging varied in low-end printers and supplies to commercial printing solutions. Instead of taking such a risky acquisition, they could have focused on something that proved already successful for the business. My contribution to the overall strategy report was to research where HP stands now. I also found official documents filed by both HP and Compaq to the SEC about the planned merger. The documents further explained forward- looking statements, assumptions, uncertainties, and risk of the planned merger between the two companies.

Stella Artois

Stella Artois was a beer brand who in 2006 received a reputation to being known as â€Å"a wife beater brand† due to domestic violence cases involving the brand. To turn this perception around the company begin emphasizing the history and values of the Artois brewery. To help with communication they created an online experience for the consumer, with short films, interactive film and gaming as well as 3D gaming. This allows the visitors to be introduced to the origins and heritage of Stella Artois and help erase the negative associations. What are the communication benefits of building a â€Å"brand narrative† in the way Stella Artois has? Do you think this is the best way to improve dialogue with the target audience?There are many communication benefits of building a ‘brand narrative’ in the way Stella Artois has. In this day and age consumers have become more engaged and are much more in control of receiving and interpreting brand messages. As a result co mpanies must be able to grow and adapt to their target audience, and Stella Artois decided to do just that. Individual Brand CongruityWhen Stella Artois decided to reimage their brand to get out of the negative perception of being the beer of ‘wife beaters’ they decided to go back to the basics. They decide to â€Å"distance the brand from its ‘lager lout’ image and shifting people’s perceptions of premium quality.† (Smith, 2010) The company decide to go back to its roots, by branding the origin of the Artois brewery which was established in 1366. They also used a feminine aspect to branch away from the rough masculine wife beater persona with the Artois-branded ‘feminine’ stemmed chalice glasses. Individual brand congruity is when â€Å"essence and core value of the brand resonate with the memories and emotional connections of the audience† (Smith, 2010) and with the brand narrative of the Artois Heritage the company estab lished just  that.To effective communicate to consumers, how the message is carried is really important. â€Å"Mediascape is the array of channels available which will carry the message† (Smith, 2010) Stella Artois utilized online resources by putting their site as the Centre of marketing communication. They created an online experience including a short film movie name La Bouteille to a 3D interactive experience Le Dà ©fi where â€Å"players challenge their friends to rescue a fresh-poured goblet of Stella Artois by engaging in a number of complex puzzles.† (Smith, 2010) Their method of communication gave them a global audience and engage their target audience with the impact of technology. Improve DialogueI believe that Stella Artois utilized the best way that they can to improve the dialogue with their target audience. One way that they used was with going back to their roots showing the heritage of the brewery. Artois relaunch of its products under the ‘la famille Artois’ helped enhance and promote the quality of the product. And with the feminine touch twist with the chalice glasses and the classy point-of-sale materials it promotes a premium product and discourages the audience of heavy drinkers and young males. Another tool used that was the best way to improve the dialogue was with their website promotions.With the constant change of technology consumers have access to multiple lines of products available as well as information anytime and anywhere. And using the technology reflecting the brewery gets the consumers engaged and allows them to interact with the company. For Stella Artois to launch a global, through the line campaign driving traffic to an international website I believe was the best way to improve the dialogue and find more of their target audience.

APN Professional Development Plan Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 1

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Topic and Research Questions - Essay Example her has to study things in their natural settings, attempt to look further into them and make sense of them, and interpret them in terms of the meanings people bring to them (Yin 7). In this question the research will aim to find out what the health care providers think about the use of the electronic record keeping in medical practice. It attempts to find out the feelings that they have on whether electronic record keeping has led to improvements in their service delivery, if it has affected their delivery of care to their patients and generally what they think of electronic record keeping in relation to other methods of record keeping available for use by them. This is a quantitative research question. Quantitative research tends to focus on measurement and proof of phenomena. This type of research adopts a scientific approach to research that goes through a specific process. The scientific process is based on the premise that a phenomenon is only meaningful or of value if it can be observed and counted. Qualitative research is characterized by numerical data which allows for a variety of statistical analysis (Gravetter and Forzano). Many researches have employed this method because of the fact that it is objective and easier to interpret figures than interpreting feelings and emotions or perceptions of people or phenomena. This type of research basically employs questionnaires and surveys in data collection before analysis. Usually a large portion of the population is surveyed so that the results portray a representative sample of the whole population (Gravetter and Forzano 157-158). This question therefore aims to conduct a survey on the US hospitals by counting how many hospitals have adopted and are using the electronic record keeping. Actually a variety of hospitals may be surveyed in this research to identify how many of them use the electronic health records. The rate of adoption can be arrived at by finding out the number of hospitals that are using

C & C Grocery Stores Case Analysis Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

C & C Grocery Stores Case Analysis - Article Example Recent structure of C&C also fails to change its environment, i.e. stores that are in sub urban areas are similar to those that are present in low income areas. New systems for supply and chain management were not yet implemented in stores. The friendly and informal environment that is created by the Doug Cummins in C&C was disregarded and therefore the within stores the cooperation get worsened. For instance an issue takes place in Louisiana store between store manager and grocery merchandiser when they decide to improve Diet Coke and Coke as a featured article of merchandise sold at a loss in order to draw customers. But the cooperation among these was poor and result in lack of preparation and communication led to their unwilling to cooperate regarding where the Coke can be displayed by the store manager. These issues could be resolved by powering the store manager in order to coordinate effectively in the stores. By doing this the cooperation would increase as the store manager got the authority and power to change whatever he or she requires for the sales improvement. This power would also increase the satisfaction of the store manager and they run their store in a profitable manner, and also can get training they require for their promotion as well as improvement of store. From my perspective I believe the new structure as much effective. This structure allows distinct responsibility areas and management. However, in the previous structure the name of responsible person was hard to determine, because whenever the store fails and the store manager is blamed he only talk about the way he desire to do something but can’t do the same way he wants because of meat/produce reject that by saying that it was not for their benefit. This issue is one of the core issues of the old structure, and it is entirely eliminated in the recent

Theories of the origin of religion by Durkheim and Freud Essay

Theories of the origin of religion by Durkheim and Freud - Essay Example Since faith has always been a subject of grave concern for a large majority of the people belonging to diverse ethno-racial and social backgrounds since ever, the topic maintains great sociological significance in its scope. Religion is rightly stated to be an essential part of the public and private life of the individuals belonging to various cultures and civilisations since the known history of the globe (R Lowe, 1963:532-3). It is partly because of man’s developing strong belief in the metaphysical objects and supernatural powers existing in the universe, with which man maintains emotional and sentimental association (C Ember & M Ember, 2007:393). These supernatural powers are considered to be strongly influencing the destiny of the people by dint of their control over the universal phenomena. Not only this that these powers are in a position of providing the humans with emotional and financial support, but also they serve as the forces that play decisive role in protectin g them from all internal setbacks and external threats (A Kroeber, 1963:82-3). Additionionally, these forces are thought to be having the power to inflict woes and pains upon the humans; as well as liberating them from these calamities at the moment when the humans seek their support on finding themselves absolutely vulnerable. (Ember & Ember, 2007:395). In other terms, supernatural forces have been thought to be maintaining absolute control over the destiny of humans in all respects. Consequently, primitive man had established his belief in these powers in order to escape pains and sufferings of different kinds, and for obtaining all comforts and joys life offered to him, along with attaining pelf, power and possession that could earn dominant place for him over fellow-humans and other creatures. Almost similar views have been articulated by distinguished French sociologist-theorist Emile Durkheim in his Elementary Forms of the Religious Life (1912). Durkheim’s Perspective: While discussing the origin of religion, Durkheim seeks supports from the relics of ancient era clans observing distinctive spiritual norms and practices. â€Å"A religion is†, Durkheim asserts, â€Å"a unified system of beliefs and practices relative to sacred things, including set apart and forbidden beliefs and practices which unite into one single moral community called a Church, all those who adhere to them† (J Breaux, 2008:1). The theorist is of the opinion that the nature of bonding among the humans in primitive era was limiteed in the sense that every individual was bound to fulfil the needs attributed to him, his family and clan, without seeking help from the other groups outside the tribe altogether. As a result, everyone had to get involved into the hunting and food-gathering activities. Hence, the concept of in-group and out-group used to prevail in such a strong manner that the people did not bother to render any assistance to the members of the external g roups (J Macionis, 2008:481). It was partially because of the fear of assault and attack from the external tribes, which created rivalry among the ancient time clans against one another. Such a state of absolute isolation not only kept the primitive era humans away from the fellow-beings, but also developed his strong relationship with their specific clans on the one side, and the supernatural powers on the other. Since supernatural powers could turn out to be supportive one with regards to the accomplishments of the basic human needs and desires (H Ross,

History of the Trumpet Thesis Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

History of the Trumpet - Thesis Example The trumpet is often referred to in two different time frames, one before the 1700s and one after this time frame. Before the 1700s, the trumpet used natural tuning. Instead of having keys or ways to move between notes, all of the sounds were made with the embouchure of the player. The trumpet was limited to specific tones and sounds, most which were based on an interval of two to three spaces, specifically which coincided with the harmonic series used by the trumpet. The size of the instrument as well as the placement of the brass would change which tones were heard and which could be altered with the trumpet. The other tones which were used came as passing notes and occurred only when the trumpet player could slide between notes (Brownlow, 1996). The tuning of the trumpet and the natural sound which it carried caused the trumpet to hold a specific place in society. It was used mostly for solo concepts. The louder sound which was provided from the shape of the trumpet as well as the materials used created one aspect of using it for solo purposes. The natural tuning, which often didn’t match with other types of tuning, also presented problems if playing with other instruments. These two considerations led to the instrument being used with solo pieces. It was considered a way to make announcements among royalty and others in society. It was also referenced in Biblical and church components, such as when the trumpet would sound from the angels. This showed the instrument as a way to make announcements.... Before the 1700s, the trumpet used natural tuning. Instead of having keys or ways to move between notes, all of the sounds were made with the embouchure of the player. The trumpet was limited to specific tones and sounds, most which were based on an interval of two to three spaces, specifically which coincided with the harmonic series used by the trumpet. The size of the instrument as well as the placement of the brass would change which tones were heard and which could be altered with the trumpet. The other tones which were used came as passing notes and occurred only when the trumpet player could slide between notes (Brownlow, 1996). The tuning of the trumpet and the natural sound which it carried caused the trumpet to hold a specific place in society. It was used mostly for solo concepts. The louder sound which was provided from the shape of the trumpet as well as the materials used created one aspect of using it for solo purposes. The natural tuning, which often didn’t mat ch with other types of tuning, also presented problems if playing with other instruments. These two considerations led to the instrument being used with solo pieces. It was considered a way to make announcements among royalty and others in society. It was also referenced in Biblical and church components, such as when the trumpet would sound from the angels. This showed the instrument as a way to make announcements, to grab attention and to work as a way to add melody into a situation where no other music was heard (Noble, 2004). It wasn’t until the 1700s that composers involved in music began to change the arrangements and basic approaches to music. During this time, the composers became interested in the Well – Tempered tuning. This used a chromatic

Problem solving in a workplace Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 15500 words

Problem solving in a workplace - Essay Example The problems may be technical, or issue based or as it is called in the writing of this paper complex in nature. The form of problem solving technique implemented should be well structured as well as systematic in order to make any improvements at the workplace and allow benefits regarding any possible changes (McWhinney, 1997). The approach to problem solving should be consistent within the workplace. All the members at the workplace should use the same method of solving the problems at the workplace and ensure that all people have the same method of solving problems at the workplace as a constituent of organizational behaviour towards solutions to complex problems (Mullins, 2010). The consistency of the process is important in keeping the process more scientific and less susceptible to any form of biases and therefore equivocal in the problem solving process. The problem solving technique is also important in the group processes of solving the problems since the model provides a focus for the group. The processes that are implemented by the group are important in ensuring that the model is implemented and structured in a way that helps the group to coordinate and function properly as a group. The problem solving a techniques help the group in reaching a consensus and in the decision making process. The method is also important in ensuring that the problems are solved effectively.

Sergei Diaghilev and his impact on the arts Essay

Sergei Diaghilev and his impact on the arts - Essay Example At this time he joined artists related to Bakst and Benois where he was co-founder of a review of art which ran from 1899 up to 1904. He was Imperial Theatres’ director’s assistant around 1899 to 1901. He and Volkonsky concocted a plan that troubled the existing personnel in charge of the theater. From continuous occurrences of these conflicts Diaghilev refused to edit and was left to go by Volkonsky. (Richard, pp 493) Due to miss understandings when Sylvia was being produced, he was dismissed. There was a successful exhibition which comprised six thousand portraits of history collected across Russia by Diaghilev in 1903. This brought a great impact on the culture of European like in Paris where he took Russian paintings’ exhibition. At the Opera of Paris, he staged five concerts specifically of music from Russian culture in 1907. These concerts brought a huge surprise, sensations, amazements and revelations. There were many reviews in magazines and newspapers wo rldwide following the performance of Glinka, Scriabin, playing by Rachmaninoff and many others. Diaghilev brought â€Å"Boris Godunov† production with Chaliapin to the Paris Opera in 1908. He restored the originality of the archives before the introduction of the trendy authentication in art of the world. Production of â€Å"Boris† made Chaliapin to have international acclaim. ... Both Diaghilev and Maryinsky left Russia (Scheijen, pp 90) For another 18 years the company made itself known in entire Europe and America making it be regarded as experimental and inspiring. The success was due to bright ideas of Diaghilev of scouting talents and collaborating with artists. Diaghilev thought that ballet was supposed to be an absolute theatrical choreography, design, art and music. Diaghilev’s ballet showed reflection and was catalyzed by new trends in arts. Amongst Diaghilev’s designers were those who painted imagery, colors and patterns used on stage. His works were well established across Europe for instance, ballet russes that toured annually instead of seasonally. Ballets use human body for the purpose of expressing emotion and story. With this feature, ballets explore stories that may provide chances for the display of virtuosity by dancers. As Ballet Russes’ dances looked revolutionary, they borrowed ballet production traditions that exist ed. Being the strong point of the firm, Diaghilev gathered various composers, performers, designers and choreographers, though maintained the overall control over all production aspects. Diaghilev’s major achievements were ensuring close choreographer, music, and design and story integration, hence forming a spectacle where the entire effect surpassed all parts. Since the start, his desire was to come up with new ballets. Every ballet Russes period was inclusive of new creations and productions, protracted, taking up much of his energy and time. During the 1st world war, Diaghilev isolated himself from his major venues in Europe. Diaghilev and Stravinsky became successful at this time in imperial Russia. Just as the wars commence, ballets had taken five

What Can Affect Us Today Essay Example for Free

What Can Affect Us Today Essay When you’re walking down the street and see the kids out and about, what are some things that you see that can affect their behavior or even their future possibly? The things that go on in today’s society have played a major role in how this generation, along with others turn out. An individual being raised in a single-parent home, in an immoral community, or maybe even losing someone that meant everything to them can affect their lives in ways that can either send them down the right or wrong road. Also, a person’s choices or decision-making skills can affect their life in a major way. â€Å"Your choices will determine your future† was always something I was told as a youth. When reading The Other Wes Moore these problems played a major role in both Weses’ lives; they determined not only their future but also their fate. A single-parent home can truly affect an individual’s life in many ways. Being without a father in the home is more normal than not having a mother in the home. In the book, the other Wes made a rich comment about how both would mourn over their father’s absence by stating â€Å"Your father wasn’t there because he couldn’t be, my father wasn’t there because he chose not to be. We’re going to mourn their absence in different ways† (pg.3). When he made this statement he was referring to the fact that author Wes lost his dad to a sudden death, while the other Wes dad picked not to be in his life. The author used the good memories of his dad, while the other Wes looked up to his oldest brother Tony as his father figure. Even though Tony wanted Wes to stay away from the drug game and the streets, he turned to what he had seen Tony doing. The writer Wes used his good memories of his dad to make him a stronger and wiser man. He saw how his dad did what he had to do to provide for his family. From personal experience I know how it feels to not have your dad in the home. Your home feels incomplete and all you can do is hope that daddy will come home one day. My dad left when I was two because of the problems between him and my mom. He was never abusive nor an addict; he just left me. I used to blame myself for him leaving, but he eventually explained everything to me. When you grow up missing a parent in the home it can lead to drug/ alcohol abuse, emotional distress, suicide, and other harmful things and that’s what happened with the other Wes Moore. A person’s community can also determine their lives. If an individual lives in an immoral or ruthless community, they are subjected to immoral and ruthless actions. One may think a community is just a place where one resides but it is much bigger than that, it’s a second family. It was stated that â€Å"The basketball court is a strange patch of neutral ground, a meeting place for every element of a neighborhood cohort of young men†¦We were all enclosed by the same fence, bumping into one another, fighting, celebrating. Showing one another our best and worst, revealing ourselves—even our cruelty and crimes—as if that fence had created a circle of trust. A brotherhood† (pg.45). The streets can teach one various life skills that a parent cannot, especially in a rough neighborhood in the heart of Maryland. The author Wes and his family moved into his grandparents’ home and the same rules that applied to his mother applied to him. â€Å"†¦ My grandparents figured if these rules had helped their children successfully navigate the world, they would work on their grandkids too† (pg.42) states the author Wes as he discussed how he had to be in before the street light would come on. His family was sterner on him and his sister because they wanted what was best for them. They lived in the nicest community and went to the nicest white school for the reason that their mom wants her kids to stay away from all the trouble and how bad Harlem had changed since she left. Not saying the other Wes’ mother didn’t want what was best, but she wasn’t always around to enforce the rules. Tony was the head man and whatever Tony did Wes did. Wes looked up to his big brother and when Tony found out about Wes being in the drug game it really frustrated him because he did all he could to keep Wes away from it, yet his community only drew him in. He lived in a community were the drug dealers ran the streets, the citizens were afraid of the crack heads, and were the poverty was higher due to lack of education; without an education, there is no chance in someone finding a job. Finally, the choices one make will determine whether your life sinks or floats. Everyone makes mistakes in life but as Wes says â€Å"†¦sometimes it’s hard to distinguish between second chances and last chances† (ch.4 intro). My family has always told me that â€Å"everyone deserves a second chance, no matter right or wrong† and I find this to be true. An individual can be sweet as honey and go out a mess up one time and that’s their life; gone forever. I personally feel as though some choices or decision can be made off of the crowd someone is following, and following the crowd will have your future either ideal or torment. By the other Wes following the crowd and doing what he saw others do his life will be spent behind bars for murder, while the author Wes will be spending his life doing something he loves and that is writing.

An Examination of SMEs in Vietnam

An Examination of SMEs in Vietnam Definition of SME Nowadays in Vietnam, developing small and medium enterprises (SMEs) is highly concerned by the government because a country prosperity depends lots on the health of the economy and enterprises. At the beginning of developing a market-oriented economy especially, SMEs play a key role because they take up most of enterprises in the economy, let alone creating the most of the labor force. However, up until now, there not yet exists a widely-used, complete definition on SMEs. The definition of SME is going through a process of dynamic change in parallel with the transformation from the centrally planned to market economy. Many of the definitions contained in the previous UNECE document OPA/AC.12/1 are no longer valid. The associated central and eastern European countries are gradually adapting their definitions the recommendation of the EU. The SME definition that is currently in use in the EU, is based on the Commission Recommendation 96/280/EC. Normally, to precisely define which compo nents make up a SME, we need to focus on the following criteria. In terms of qualitative measurement, there are quite a few criteria to define an SME, such as: low level of specialization, decentralization, simple administration requirements†¦ These criteria correctly reflect the nature of SME but simultaneously hard to reconcile. That is why these criteria has referential value only and rarely used in practice. In terms of quantitative measurement, the criteria are more specific and applicable. The most commonly used one is the number of people employed by the business. The second common criterion deals with finance – either the turnover or income, or asset value of the business. The third criterion relates to the independency of the SME from other business entity. This thesis will mainly deal with SME definition quantitatively since it shows clear advantage over the other, which are easy to measure and clear in scope. Since there is not yet a specific and widely-used definition for SME, it is important to take a look at different points of view and decide an overall acceptable concept in this thesis. It affects the analyses in different parts of this thesis. According to EU Commission, the main factors to determine whether an entity is a SME are labor force and either turnover or balance sheet total. Based on the commission staff working document by EU Commission, 2009 edition, the specific benchmark is as follow These ceilings apply for individual firms only. A firm which is a part of larger grouping may need to include related information from that grouping too. This definition use various sources to measure, hence, it covers most of the SME situation. Moreover, these three factors are clear in nature and easy to apply, which helps the firms as well as the government to follow and concept and apply relevant measurements. In 2010, enterprises with less than 250 employees are estimated to have accounted for 99.8% of the total number of enterprises across Europe, 66.9% of employment, 57% of turnover and 58% of value-added. Obviously, without such a clear definition, it would be so hard to statistically compute those figures and the government may neglect the mass number of SMEs in their countries. However, there still exists drawbacks concerning this concept, the most important of which is that it is not suitable for a developing country like Vietnam. For a micro enterprise in Vietnam, for example, it is almost impossible for it to own turnover or balance sheet total of 45 billion VND. Therefore, although EU has developed some reasonable criteria that we can learn to establish our own definition, it is essential for developing countries like ours to come up with one of our own. For Korea, the subject of this thesis, the government has issued legislation regarding SMEs, in which criteria are clearly stated in able to assist policy makers to identify SMEs. These criteria are divided upon specific fields. For example, in construction business, an SME entity has to have fewer than 300 frequent labors and have total investment capital of less than USD 600.000. In trading area, enterprises with less than 20 frequent labor and revenue less than USD 500.000 per year (retailers) or less than USD 250.000 per year (wholesalers) are considered SMEs. In this pool, small enterprises are those that have less than 5 frequent employees. These criteria are established in the 70s, up until now, the number of employees has increased 2 to 3 times and capital has been raised more than 10 times. This definition seems to fit more with Vietnam’s situation as Korea is also an Asia country and has similar economic background to us. It also uses the two most common indicators as labor force and capital to determine an SME. However, this definition is already outdated and adjusted to suit the current situation more. This practice makes the concept no longer appropriate to Vietnam as the economic situation between the two countries now differs quite a lot, which urges the need to develop a concept of our own, depending on the knowledge learned from other countries in the world. In our country, although there are not yet any fixed criteria to clearly define an SME, some organizations have developed their own concept to further support their activities. According to Doc 681/CP – KNT, enterprises with less than VND 5 billion in charter capital and average labor of less than 200 people per year are considered SMEs. Below are some organizations and their own definition Source: Ministry of Planning Investment However, these figures are temporarily just administration-oriented criteria to create supporting policies for SMEs. The fact that non -governmental organizations or governmental organizations develop their own concept is acceptable because they have different objectives and practices. On the other hand, such various opinions on SMEs are only referential in quality because they not yet come to a sufficient conclusion on whether an entity is or is not an SME. Therefore, the majority of intellectuals on this issue has raised to make clear this definition as an entity which has investment certificate, regardless of business type, and has capital as well as labor size that can satisfy government regulations on specific fields or through different times. From this standpoint, our government has finally come up with an official document on this matter. The Vietnamese government, defines SMEs by Decree 56/2009/ ND – CP as follow: â€Å"Small and medium-sized enterprises are business establishments that have registered their business according to law and are divided into three levels: very small, small and medium according to the sizes of their total capital (equivalent to the total assets identified in an enterprise’s accounting balance sheet) or the average annual number of laborers (total capital is the priority criterion), concretely as follows†: Table: by Business-in-Asia.com This definition sticks to criteria that have been used by EU and Korea, but tailored to fit with our economic situation. Furthermore, it divides the economy into different business sectors because of their distinctive characteristics. This definition is established using multiple statistical methods and surveys. Therefore, it is prestigious and practical enough to be used throughout this thesis Roles of SMEs Despite some disadvantages as being an SME, it still bring clear benefits and economic-social impacts due to its distinctive features SMEs considerably contribute to the government budget The contribution of SMEs into both government and local budget is considerable and on the increasing trend. The corporate survey report in 2011 showed that SMEs accounted for more than 97.6% the total number of enterprises in Vietnam, which made it the major tool to create jobs and generate income for the government budget. Income from corporate tax made 103.6% target and increased by 13% compared to the previous year in 2002. In 2003, income from SMEs took up around 15% total income, increasing 29.5% compared to the same quarters of the previous years. In 2004, income from private sector was 13.100 billion VND, occupying 7.8% budget. However, compared to government budget, the contribution of SMEs to local budget is much higher. For example, in Ho Chi Minh City, the private sector accounts for approximately 15%, 24% in Kien Giang, 16% in Dong Thap, 22% in Gia Lai, 19% in Ninh Binh, 16% in Yen Bai, 17% in Thai Nguyen, 22% in Quang Nam, 33% in Binh Dinh†¦ SMEs generate jobs and income for the labor force Due to estimation from some prestigious authorization, SMEs create 49% of non-agriculture jobs in the rural areas, which is about 25-26% of the overall labor force in Vietnam. For business sector, because of the increasing number of SMEs every year, they attracts around 45 million employees with the average income of 1.5 million VND per month. This fact means a lot in the fight to prevent unemployment and stabilize the society nowadays. The average proportion for a corporation to invest in a job vacancy is 70 to 100 million VND; meanwhile, for an SME, the number is only 210 to 280 million VND (around 3 times higher). Due to such a high level of investment, private sector is the main area attracting new employees ever year and redundant employees resulting from administration re-allocation or substantive change in the economic structure. This practice has helped stabilize and enhance the lives of the labor force. To date, more than 7 million people are now working in the private sector. This is such a positive contribution to social-economic stabilization, poverty reduction and awareness improvement. SMEs greatly contribute into the exporting activities In recent years, in line with our government policies about expanding and encouraging international trade, as well as creating the environment for all business sectors to participate in import and export activities, SMEs, especially the crafts, agriculture, aquatic industry have implemented dynamic investment into potential businesses. In specific, they actively seek for and exploit international markets, which helps a great deal in pushing export and tracking down foreign currency for the country. Up until 31/10/2014, the number of SMEs participating in exporting and importing activities takes up 80.6% and 84.2% respectively. The total exporting volume of SMEs in 2012 reached 4.108 million USD, accounting for 24.6%. For importing volume, the number was 4.789 million USD, accounting for 23.3% compared to the total export – import volume of the economy as a whole. The most remarkable thing is that SMEs in private sector has thrived to become the leading sector in exporting marine products, at around 740 million USD, accounting for 39% the total volume of this business sector. The story goes the same for almonds, at 141 million USD, taking up 42% of the total volume. With this increasing trend as these figures, SMEs will soon become the leading sector in obtaining foreign currency for the country. SMEs participate in the process of creating connection with big corporations SMEs, in the recent years, have strong connection with big corporations in supplying raw materials, implementing contracts, gradually generating supporting industries network and products distribution network especially. This is a two-way relationship, which both sides tie and support each other. The big corporations ensure markets, finance, technology and administration experience for SMEs. On the other hand, SMEs support big corporations in supporting industries and products distribution network. SMEs nurture startup spirit With relatively low investment cost, as well as limited size and business environment, individuals have room to experience and nurture ideas. The increasing number of SMEs both create fairly competitive environment and prevent monopoly in business, which brings clear advantages for new ideas. That is why SMEs are places for startups. SMEs are also the perfect places to train inexperienced staff and future leaders to prepare themselves for larger competitive markets. The great success always start from small steps, so SMEs are considered the stepping stones for a successful career. In reality, in many countries, many well-known multi-national corporations with hundreds of employees used to start as startups or small enterprises, with a few people with the same determination and business idea. Many SMEs all over the world were born in tough and flexible business environment. Later, they thrived and rapidly launched their idea into the commercial world. Many economists compare SMEs as a new breeze into the economy, bringing new business value, even in the biggest economy in the world – USA, especially in technology, communication, finance and banking. Starting with a simple idea and a small business size does not mean you stay there forever. Thriving to a successful and stable stage is always what SMEs aim for. SMEs contribute greatly in stabilization and economic restructuring by territory Normally, big corporations are often located in big cities, which exude developed infrastructure. This fact can lead to serious imbalance in economic, cultural and social development level between rural and urban areas. SMEs can greatly contribute to distribute industrial zone to different places, so the development gap among those areas can be narrowed down. The expansion of SMEs has been an essential part in creating the balance among the areas, helping them to identify potential and strength. The results are bright as those provinces can develop their own products and services, which creates industrialized and modernized economic restructuring. It can be stated that the existence of SMEs is the factor that brightens the economic picture of local areas. SMEs are the perfect complementary for the corporations network of the country, as well as those who utilize slight opportunities that big corporations often overlook. That is why SMEs are considered a vital policy tool to achieve development targets, in which is developing rural and remote areas.

Effect of Free Trade on a Countrys Economy

Effect of Free Trade on a Countrys Economy Table of contents 1.0 Introduction 2.0 Free trade does add wealth to the economy 2.1 Analysis 2.1.1 Advantages 2.1.2 Disadvantages 2.2 Evaluation 3.0 Conclusion 4.0 Recommendation 4.1 Greater Competitiveness 4.1.1 Cannot ignore trade protection policy 4.1.2 Adverse Working Conditions 5.0 Appendix 6.0 Reference 1.0 Introduction This report aimed to discuss the effect of free trade for the country’s economy, so free trade is a system in which goods, capital, and work flow freely between nations, without barriers which could delay the trade process. Actually, many nations have free trade agreements, and some international organization promotes free trade between their members. Because of free trade provide lower prices for goods and services by promoting. However, there are a number of quarrels both for and against this practice, from a variety of economists, politicians, industries, and social scientists. According to Tom Chmielewski (2014), a lot of economists approve NAFTA has caused some general enhancement in US jobs, but with bad effects. Free trade can cause disorder in parts of a national economy, for instance long-established industrial slices already in a weak position to global competition. Besides that according to Edward Alden, a researcher at CFR, wages have not kept pace with output of w ork, and income unfairness, and these phenomena indicate that trends speeded to some range of free trade. Due to this information, this report will research the relationship between free trade and economy, and find out the economic impact of the free trade. 2.0 Free trade does add wealth to the economy Free trade promotes innovation and competition. Free trade is a kind of really fair trade because it offers customers the most choices and the best chances to improve the standard of living. Free trade fosters competition, spurring companies to introduce and develop better products and to take more of their goods and services to market, keeping costs low and quality high in order to retain or increase their market share. By fostering opportunities for the country businesses, free trade rewards risk taking by increasing gross revenue, profit margins, and market share. The companies can opt to build on those profits by spreading out their operations, putting down new market sectors, and creating better paying occupations. Free trade, reinforced by the dominion of law, removes such incentives for corruption by spurring economic growth, increasing the number of better paying jobs, and finally increasing the level of prosperity. Free trade policies can also attract Higher Foreign Investme nts, free markets encourage more investment in the land. Foreign directed investment goes to where capital is needed, improving productivity and driving increase in many nations. However, for the economic, nowadays the most important feature is economic globalization. Economic globalization can be determined as the procedure by which markets and output in different nations are becoming increasingly interdependent due to the Dynamics of trade in goods and services and flows of capital and technology. The acceleration of free trade can bring down the tariffs and eliminate discriminatory treatment in international trade. Developing countries open up many types of free economic zones in ports and traffic areas in order to build up the economy and promote its exports. For example Shanghai free trade zone, NAFTA. 2.1 Analysis From a worldwide perspective, free trade certainly increases the overall amount of wealth in the economy. By getting rid of barriers to trade, governments encourage members of the economy system to specify in performing whatever they perform best and then trading to fulfill their desires and demands. When trade is efficient, a firm can concentrate its production ability completely on the country in which it holds a relative advantage. Free trade can put manufacturing nations such as the United States at a disadvantage relative to less developed countries. Businesses in the United States are heavily limited by health, confinement, and environmental rules. This often makes production in less developed nations less expensive than production in the US. There is no doubt that everything has two positions. For these problems, I have done some research to obtain a figure of advantages and disadvantages: 2.1.1 Advantages 1. Internal influences: a. Customer Satisfaction Because free trade leads to a global marketplaces, customers benefit from the competition and diversity brought to the marketplaces. When other countries produce some goods cheaper, the customers will want to choose the others products. Another advantages to customers is increased improvements. For a free trade expands, at the same time, the competition also expands. In order to keep competitive, companies must find a lot of ways to create the relative benefit. So this contributes to increased improvement that improves products. b. Regional economic growth and employment Due to free trade may cause employees in any special area that make them feel strangeness, but works in the exporting and importing sides will be improved by them. When productivity increases in importing and exporting, salaries also incline to rise. c. Foreign Exchange Gains and Decreased Poverty When a country purchases some products from another country use money, they basically send the exporting country non-interest-bearing IOUs in exchange for real items. So the exporting country must utilize the money within the state that imported the products. For instance, the United States purchases steel from China use US dollar at the current market value. In addition, after they purchase items that China will also utilize the US dollar to purchase computer systems from the United States at the future market value. In a word, States that open their trade environment to permit free trade have the chance to enter the worldwide securities industry, which will increase income for the country. In the 1990s, developing countries that lifted trade restrictions tended to raise three times faster than countries that restricted trade. 2. External influences: During the international direction of value principle, free trade can excite international competition and boost the development. Free trade also has promoted the international division of labor and the development of trade. And increasing the international market is one of the advantages. Besides that it makes some countries which have the advantage of investment environments easy to grip foreign capital. For example, In 2004 China began to reduce tariffs for more than 500 kinds of products. An agriculture company harvested trade reached $ 1,020,000, increasing 38%. Its growth is higher than 2003. Vegetable exported $ 450,000, an increase of 31.8%, fruits $ 230,000, an increase of 25.4%, aquatic $ 180,000, an increase of 59.1%. Since the adoption of free trade, corporate profits and employee income growth. 2.1.2 Disadvantages 1. Economic Dependence Free trade increases the economic dependence on other countries for some necessary products such as food, clothes, raw materials, etc. So dependence shows harmful, mostly during wartime. 2. International Monopolies: Free trade may lead to international monopolies. It promotes the formation of transnational corporations. These corporations tend to gain a monopoly situation and therefore harm the interest of the citizenry. 3. Harmful to Less Developed Countries: a. Competition under free trade sometimes is unfair. Because the fewer developed countries are very difficult to get advances on the developing countries. b. Under free trade, gains of trade are unfair distributed relying on the level of development of different nations. The relationship of trade are friendly for the developed countries, and unfavorable for the poor countries. For example: Free trade policy accepted by the British government in India led to the end of Indian cottage and small scale manufactures. 2.2 Evaluation From the above, it can be seen that free trade is a kind of â€Å"more good than harm† economic ways. Free trade is intended to cancel unfair barriers to global business and promote the economy system in developed and developing countries the same and significantly alters the business relationship between nations, many of the changes are beneficial. These advantages can positively stimulate economies. 3.0 Conclusion Free trade is all important to a developing economy. It opens up huge markets. Resources flow to where they are the most rich. Productivity is enlarged, and more competition equally to lower prices. In addition, higher savings are a consequence, and the poor and all others have larger income, and thus the economy turns. Investment can be blown up with growing revenues and competition. However, for low income economies such as Vietnam have a huge bonus, higher needs for works equally to higher salaries and employment. In total, it improves the salaries of employees, improves employment and economy, and creates peace. 4.0 Recommendation Developing countries should pay attention to the impact of free trade: 4.1 Greater Competitiveness Free trade means that national economies are exposed to higher market competition, which local firms must learn to adjust to. 4.1.1 Cannot ignore trade protection policy Developing countries cannot give up economic intervention due to trade liberalization. Moderate free protection policy can let developing countries obtain better effects in some infant industry 4.1.2 Adverse Working Conditions For weak countries try to cut costs to get a price advantage, many workers in these countries have low wages, deficient working conditions and even forced labor and use child labor and insulting them. 5.0 Appendix Appendix 1: The major world trading powers Source: http://europa.eu/pol/pdf/flipbook/en/trade_en.pdf. Appendix 2: The EU’s biggest trade partners: goods Trade and investment flow spread new ideas and innovation, Benefits for the trade include lower prices and greater choice for consumers, as imported food, consumer goods and components for products manufactured in Europe become cheaper 6.0 Reference http://www.investopedia.com/terms/f/free-trade.asp http://smallbusiness.chron.com/negative-effects-trade-5221.html http://economyincrisis.org/content/managing-foreign-trade-does-trade-create-wealth-nation http://www.forbes.com/sites/realspin/2012/11/15/in-an-increasingly-globalized-economy-free-trade-is-more-important-than-ever/ http://smallbusiness.chron.com/explanation-trade-advantages-3843.html http://smallbusiness.chron.com/negative-effects-trade-5221.html http://www.theaustralian.com.au/higher-education/free-trade-in-ideas-will-generate-wealth-for-all/story-e6frgcjx-1226062159428 http://www.ehow.com/list_6733682_effects-trade-developing-nations.html Level 1 Asia Pacific University 1

The Battle of Gettysburg as the Turning Point of the Civil War Essay

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Gettysburg was the turning point of the American Civil War. This is the most famous and important Civil War Battle that occurred over three hot summer days, July 3, 1863, around the small market town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. More importantly Gettysburg was the clash between the two major American Cultures of their time: the North and the South. The causes of the Civil War, and the Battle of Gettysburg, one must understand the differences between these two cultures. The Confederacy had an agricultural economy producing tobacco, corn, and cotton, with many large plantations owned by a few very rich white males. These owners lived off the labor of sharecroppers and slaves, charging high dues for use of their land. The Southern or Confederate Army was made up of a group of white males fighting for their independence from federal northern dictates (The History Place Battle of Gettysburg 1).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Union economy was based on manufacturing, and even the minorities in the North were better off than those in the South most of the time. The Northern politicians wanted tariffs, and a large army. The Southern plantation owners wanted the exact opposite.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The South was fighting against a government that they thought was treating them unfairly. They believed the Federal Government was overtaxing them, with tariffs and property taxes making their life styles even more expensive than they already had been. The North was fighting the Civil War for two reasons, first to keep the Nation unified, and second to abolish slavery. Abraham Lincoln, the commander and chief of the Union or Northern forces along with many other Northerners believed that slavery was not only completely wrong, but it was a great humiliation to America. Once can see that with these differences a conflict would surely occur, but not many had predicted that a full-blown war would breakout. One did and after three bloody and costly years for both sides we come to the date of July 1, 1863.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Before the battle, major cities in the North such as Philadelphia, Baltimore, and even Washington, were under threat of attack from General Robert E. Lee?s Confederate Army of Northern Virginia which had crossed the Potomac River and marched into Pennsylvania.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  On Tuesday morning, June 30, an infantry brigade of Confederate soldiers searching for shoes headed toward Gettysburg (The Hi... ...equal, the Battle of Gettysburg was the second and last great invasion the of the North, for the South had neither arms nor numbers to continue an assault, but the War dragged on for two more years.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  On November 19, President Lincoln went to the battlefield to dedicate it as a military cemetery. He spoke for a short period of time delivering what is called the Gettysburg Address, surprising many present in the audience with its shortness and leaving others quite unimpressed, but over time the speech has come to symbolize democracy as we know it today (Funk & Wagnalls Encyclopedia Vol. 11 385).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Battle of Gettyssburg was a turning point because the South was desperately relying on that War for supplies and perhaps help from an outside source. They felt if they would have won that battle they would have been able to win the war when before they were just hoping to hang with the so-called well-prepared Union Army. The North needed a good, hard fought battle on their part because up until this point they had been men handled and out strategized. The Civil War was expected to be a quick battle easily won by the stronger northern army but had dragged on for years.

Digital Art and its Market :: Technology Essays

Digital Art and its Market missing works cited The future of digital art promises many new alternatives to traditional artwork. Digital art offers a whole new perspective on the way people see and perceive art. For this reason, people across the globe have varying opinions on whether or not digital art should be accepted into society. This technological based art allows people to express themselves through art created using a computer. People who can’t draw traditionally can turn to digital art as a way to convey their inner thoughts and feelings. Likewise, more advanced artist can sell their extremely realistic pieces from hundreds to thousands of dollars each. New and exciting advances are coming about when it comes to displaying digital art, and this may strengthen its market it the long run. Digital art although extremely controversial, provides a new way of expression and allows for a whole new market to evolve. The value of digital art pieces is steadily increasing throughout the years. In 1998 the value of the digital fine art prints reached over 170 million dollars, and by 2003 the number was predicting to be at 249 million (Williams). This figure is only based on work produced by artists, and there are many at amateur levels creating art at home. This is a huge amount of money that is being invested into this new form of art. Digital art is still at its early years, and like a young child it still will mature more and more. Digital Art still remains experimental too in many ways. It’s taught in art schools, but no one really has a firm grasp of what it actually is (qtd. in Jesdanun). As long as technology plays a stronger role in our lives, artists will continue to use it to help them come up with new ideas for their artwork. Golan Levin, a man who works artistically with computers often says that â€Å"The computer is just as much a medium of art,† contrary to those who believe the computer is not. It may not be panting, carving or sculpting the old-fashioned way, but it takes just as much knowledge and intelligence to be able to work with the computer to create a finished product. Artists have been exploring digital art since the 1960s, but only in the past few years has it become widely practical because of better technology and prices (qtd.

I AM SAM :: essays research papers

I Am Sam was an enlighten story of a struggle of a man and his daughter to stay together. In this movie the director showed the viewers a realistic situation between family and state. The director also did an excellent job portraying the illustration of the main character (Sam) and his daughter (Lucy) personal struggle within. This story showed the importance of love and family. The movie I Am Sam introduces conflict between the family and state. The main character (Sam) and his daughter (Lucy) represent the family and Social Services represent the state. The conflict is first seen in the movie when Sam’s daughter Lucy becomes age seven. At the age of seven Lucy is smarter than her mentally-retarded forty year-old man with autistic tendencies. When the Department of Social Services discovers this situation they take action. The conflict also toke place due to the fact that Sam had to rely on help from his friends, including his eccentric neighbor (Diane Wiest) and a lovable group of similarly challenged friends to care for his child. Sam’s struggle within himself was a hard and usual struggle unlike any thing that ordinary people go through in their every day life. He didn’t just have to adjust to the fact that the mother of his child left him alone with their child after giving birth. Sam was an mentally-retarded forty year-old man with autistic tendencies, who had the responsibility of raising a daughter. His daughter Lucy on the other hand had her own battle to fight. Lucy realizing at the age seven she was smarter than her farther. Even at a young age Lucy understood the importance of this and tried to hide this.

Marketing Reasearch Topshop Essay

Many organisations use marketing research to contribute to the development of their businesses because Market research can improve marketing strategies. Market research gives you concrete feedback regarding the product or service. You can use the information from market studies in your marketing strategy to define your target market, position your product, and price it appropriately. TOPSHOP is one of the world’s most internationally recognized fashion design talent schemes its part of the Arcadia Group, which owns a number of other retail outlets, it seems to be the single biggest supporter of emerging design talent in the UK. Arcadia Group ones over than 500 stores in more than 30 markets, supporting franchisees. Retail is a popular market as many new designers and stores are always popping Using marketing research is the most common kind of research as you can determine your market how you need to brand your product. Also finding competitors can be very useful when selling similar products for example a very popular fashion necessity like leggings. These leather leggings are popular in London at the moment and many stores are selling them however as TOPSHOP is such a popular brand people would rather spend  £33 at TOPSHOP then  £12.99 at a more basic store even with the significant price difference. This shows the importance of market research and branding, TOPSHOP’s reputation and brand awareness allows them to sell product at a higher price than other market competitors. Both products are made from the same material 100% Polyurethane but TOPSHOPS modifies the basic shape by adding multiple seams and a metal zipper, this adds a more fashionable twist then other companies which then allow TOPSHOP’s marketing team to increase the price to beat competitors. Topshop is a British clothes retailer specialized in women’s clothing and fashion accessories. Topshop started life in 1964 as Peter Robinson’s Topshop. By the 1970s Topshop had the first stand-alone store which was opened in 1974 however in 1994 the brand began to grow and set up at 214 Oxford Store. TOPSHOP first had a reputation of being a tacky low price clothing outlet. As the brand started growing they created TOPSHOP ‘plus’ to appeal to a larger market and compete with potential market competitors, which has now earned the fame of now leading fashion retailer. This success is owed to market strategy made in 1994 by going upscale. TOPSHOP ‘plus’ products will arrive first in the market and will be of high quality and very low comparative price. TOPSHOP plus stock up to date fashion clothes and accessories before any of its competitors does in the market because of the brand status many sellers want to work with TOPSHOP as they have so much publicity and celebrity endorsement. The endorsement from the British super model Kate Moss acted to strengthen Top Shop’s image as being first class in fashion clothing additionally the collection arrived in stores, designed to capture the models’ unique sense of style, Kate Moss for Top shop was one of the most hotly anticipated high street collaborations. Over time, TOPSHOP will come to be known not only as just the fashion accessory provider but much rather a trend setter especially with its in-house designer brands and those exclusively introduced and introduced by fashion industry leaders. Due to its various marketing efforts, innovations in the business and exclusive services for its customers, it is now the biggest and the most differentiated name in the fashion industry especially when it comes to retailers in the field.

Experience Of Facilitating Cpbl Tutorials Education Essay

I am asked to ease PBL and CPBL at St. George s ( SGUL ) on a regular pick. Consequently, I selected this discipline realise as the subject of this dealment, in order to let an incur to serve the fly the coop of these tutorials within to a lower placegraduate checkup exam commission and how to maximize the eruditeness puzzle for the scholars.When I was a health check examination school-age child, PBL was comparatively new and tho comprised a in truth petty pro dole out of the words of count. Since so, PBL has been occurively used in the UK and nigh medical exam schools straight offer physical bodys which virtu eachy on the whole employ PBL as the acquisition manner. This has stimulated me to pull away intimately the surmisal be PBL and how it comp atomic number 18s to conventional undergrad medical way.SGUL runs terzetto set off undergraduate con changeions. One of these is the tralatitious louvre-year descriptor of bodily process, wh ich accords both school departers and alumnuss. In this assignment, I shall honour to this class as MBBS5. The separate class that is relevant to this assignment is the four-year class, which is simply unfastened to alumnuss. I shall mention to this class as MBBS4.The run by dint of of ea guggle CPBL tutorialsI shall be depicting my most recent do it of easing a series of five hebdomadal CPBL tutorials with a class of 7 school-age childs in the next-to- at last twelvemonth of the MBBS4 class.I shake up chosen to concentrate on the 2nd tutorial in the series, as I felt up that this was a especially successful get wording scram.As usual, the tutorial started with atomic number 53 of the schoolchilds showing a patient that they had computen. at a time the instance had been presented, the close to separate scholarly persons asked inquiries, easing a intervention intimately diagnosing, direction political program and some(prenominal) an opposite(prenominal) is sues that the instance generated. The pupils federal agency subjects that they would entreat to read to a salienter extent than than than roughly and put as summari give awaying aims consequently. They so come alonged these larning aims for treatment at the fol misfortunateing tutorial.Once the pupils felt they had wear push down the treatment about the instance, we moved on to discoursing the larning aims put the grey-headed hebdomad. In the beginningborn tutorial, the pupils had identified the mental province interrogatory ( MSE ) as a subject that they would wish to read to a greater extent about.In the tutorial, the pupils discussed distri preciselyively country of the MSE, with peculiar focal token on what inquiries to marvel to arouse symptoms from a patient. This stimulated an interest conversation about the contrary ways each pupil had learnt to arouse the symptoms. I likewise divided the inquiries that I use to discerp a patient s mental province. Th e pupils reached the summoning that in that location was no individual mighty manner to inquire the inquiries and that they needed to expand their ain manner that they felt soothing with.We so used liaison drama, during which I acted as a patient and the pupils were effrontery an chance to cast murder a MSE. The pupils reported that they embed this ut much(prenominal) often than not utile, as it helped them to get down to develop their ain method for MSE and improved their assurance for executing the scrutiny on a extant patient.Critical contemplation on the fleetI frequently find dying prior to discipline Sessionss. My particularised anxiousnesss around PBL tutorials include actuating the pupils, as I harbour shew it sound in old tutorials to promote MBBS5 pupils to start a treatment wedgeing within the boundaries of my function as a facilitator, kind of than supply a didactic instruction school term and a fright that the pupils get out inquire inq uiries that I am un adequate to reply.I exhaustively enjoyed easing this delimitate of tutorials. This was my first experience of tutorials with the MBBS4 pupils. I riposte them to be much more occupied with the tutorials than their equals on the MBBS5 class. They were up to(p) to arrive forth fantabulous treatments without motivating from me. I piece it easier to stay within my function as a facilitator, instead than supplying active instruction.The pupils discussed manifold psychological lay downs at a postgraduate stratum, which I found peculiarly exciting. This highlighted the deepness of light that understructure be gained from separates and reminded me how of deduction it is for physicians to pull upon this noesis as they progress through their labels, instead than dismissing their juniors as pedagogues.The MBBS4 pupils make up after from a huge assortment of defend movement, so each was up to(p) to convey a divergent peck of accomplishments and intel ligence to the tutorials. For illustration, sensation of the pupils had a back upground in supply and she was fit to raise of import issues about a patient s nutritional bearing that I would non exert considered.In the past, I let found myself learning instead than easing in CPBL and PBL. However, during this set of tutorials, I found that I was get out at enquire inquiries to motivate the pupils to believe about the right replies, instead than stating them the reply. I felt that this was withal what the pupils cherished, whereas in my old experiences with MBBS5 pupil gatheringings, the pupils frequently seem sharp to be spoon-fed the replies, instead than utilizing treatment to deem erudition from their equals. This whitethorn be because the MBBS4 class uses PBL as its tribal chief(prenominal) acquisition method from the start of the class, so the MBBS4 pupils ar more familiar with the format and anticipate to larn by sovereign acquisition and overlap of knowl edge. On the contrary, the MBBS5 pupils have a luck more tralatitious rags and be accustomed to being taught in this mode.I did non see in anxiousness during this set of tutorials. We success in effect(p)y created a safe, relaxed milieu and the pupils seemed to experience comfy inquiring inquiries and discoursing hard feelings that they had experienced. This may reign been because all the pupils in the class knew each other and were used to working(a) with each in PBL scenes. Again this is incompatible to easing tutorials with MBBS5 pupils, who frequently argon non well-acquainted with the other members of the crowd because until now the MBBS5 class has had a much larger cohort than the MBBS4 class.However, the Numberss received onto the MBBS4 class atomic number 18 increasing and I wondered whether this will collision on the group kineticss in MBBS4 PBL tutorials.In footings of countries for splitment, I conceptualize it would hold been helpful if I had besides lo ok fored the larning aims each hebdomad. I was surprised by the deepness and comprehensiveness of reading by the pupils. At times, they discussed really complex topics and I was non ever able to reply their inquiries. For me, this highlighted the contrition of my acquaintance since finishing my postgraduate scrutinies dickens old ages ago and encouraged me to set about more paid reading and alteration.On a commanding note, I think the pupils found it helpful to see that I was able to work aptly as a senior physician despite being unable to retrieve everything I have learnt. Students rear end experience overwhelmed by how much they have to larn and retain. I felt that I was able to reassure them that it is acceptable non to be able to remember everything you have learnt and that you can mention to textual matter books.I received validating feedback through verbal remarks from the pupils and written feedback to the class organizers. The pupils seemed to bask the tutorials and found them of educational value. every bit good as discoursing the instances and larning aims, we discussed a calling in psychopathology, as a enter of the pupils expressed an involvement in this field. I think I was able to control the pupils a realistic and enthusiastic brainstorm into my profession. My hope is that, even if the pupils do non wage a calling in psychopathology, they will hold a official position of mental wellness professionals, assisting to decrease branding of the profession.Key pointsWhat is the drive behind the development of PBL form of remove?Does belongings an dear facilitating PBL impact on pupil acquisition? ar graduates correct suited to PBL?Literature follow-upMy literary works hunt revealed really minimum literary productions on CPBL. The refereeore, I have pertinacious to concentrate my primaeval points and literary productions recapitulation on the broader subject of PBL.The notional footing of PBLOriginally, PBL was establish on the surmisal of contextual acquisition. The prefatory rule is that when stuff is learnt in the context of how it will be used, it supports acquisition and capacity to habituate the instruction. PBL uses this rule by supplying a instance in the real- bread and butter context of a patient sing a physician.Colliver ( 2000 ) undertook a followup of the writings and reason out that the contextual acquisition affirmation was based on a feeble research determination.Albanese ( 2000 ) concurred with Colliver s unfavorable idea of contextual larning possible action as an bid for PBL and proposed four new theories for extrapolateing how and wherefore PBL works, specifically avouchation-processing possibleness, conception acquisition, self-government theory and control theory.Schmidt ( 1983 ) necessitateed that information-processing theory underpinned PBL. This theory involves deuce-ace major elements, viz. anterior cognition activation, encoding specificity and amplificat ion of cognition. Prior cognition activation is the procedure of pupils utilizing previously-gained cognition to interpret and organize new information. Encoding specificity is quasi(prenominal) to contextual acquisition theory, i.e. acquisition is promoted when the surround in which something is learned resembles the environment in which it will be employ. Amplification of cognition describes how information will be get around understood and easier to remember when there is an chance for amplification in the signifier of treatment and replying inquiries.This theory mergeds contextual larning theory notwithstanding provides a more comprehensive theory for understanding PBL.I will now briefly discuss each of the other three larning theories of PBL proposed by Albanese ( 2000 ) and mull on my experience of easing PBL with need to these theories. First, concerted larning refers to an some nonp aril s perceptual experience that they can merely carry through their ends if the o ther group members besides do so.Qin et Al ( 1995 ) conducted a meta-analysis of surveies measuring the topic of concerted versus matched acquisition on job work outing. They defined cooperation as the presence of joint ends, common wagess, sh atomic number 18d imaginativenesss, and complementary functions among members of a group. In competitory acquisition state of affairss, persons perceived that they could merely make their ends if the other group members could non. They found that members of concerted squads outperformed persons viing with each other with pre be to job work outing. These implications held for persons of all ages and for surveies of high, medium, and low quality. The high quality of cooperation, neverthe slight, was great on non-linguistic than on lingual jobs.I observed concerted acquisition in action during the set of CPBL tutorials that I have draw in this assignment. The pupils were acute to portion the cognition that they had reaped from self-reli ant acquisition and support all group members to achieve the same item of understanding. I felt that the pupils were better able to place the beginnings of misconstruing if a fellow pupil was fighting to understand a construct than I was as an apt facilitator. self-determination theory may underlie affairs of motivation and behavior relevant to PBL. Williams et Al ( 1999 ) argue that self-government theory has the assertable to significantly better instruction. The theory diverseiates among twain types of actuating conditions, controlled and item-by-item. Controlled incentives are purpose to be maladaptive and include remote demands every bit good as introjected ordination , which are internalized beliefs about what one should make. These are all associated with either explicit or inexplicit wagess or penalties. Under controlled signifiers of motive, persons act with a sentiency of force per unit area and anxiousness. In educational footings, this refers to ephemeral , rote acquisition, which pupils do non incorporate into their long-run values and accomplishments. Albanese ( 2000 ) inferred that traditional running of study tended to affect controlled signifiers of motive.Albanese ( 2000 ) depict self-sustaining incentives as those which are in person endorsed by the scholar and reflect what the single finds interesting and of import . In canvass to the orthogonal wagess and penalties associated with controlled motivation conditions, independent motive allows the person to act with a sense of will, bureau, and pick.PBL promotes independent incentives by sing the positions of the pupils and encouraging pupils to accept more duty for their ain acquisition. I felt that I was able to back up this by inquiring the pupils what they wanted to accomplish from the tutorials, easing their treatments by inquiring motivating inquiries and seeking the sentiments and feelings of pupils in a non-judgemental mode. As I discussed in my contemplation, we were able to make a safe, relaxed environment, which minimised force per unit area and control and encouraged a high degree of prevalent insertion and collaborative acquisition.The concluding theory of PBL proposed by Albanese ( 2000 ) was control theory. This theory was foremost introduced by Glasser ( 1986 ) , who conjectured that all behaviors, including acquisition is intended to fulfil one or more of the following(prenominal) five internal demands1 ) To last 2 ) To belong and be approve by others 3 ) To hold antecedent and importance 4 ) To hold emancipation and independency and5 ) To hold merriment.Albanese felt that PBL satisfies all five demands. It allows freedom because the pupils are able to crook their browse and take what to dis conformation. It satisfies the demand for indicant, as pupils have the power to put their ain acquisition aims. PBL promotes love and belonging because it allows pupils and facilitators to go more personally involved with one another t han in talks. The publications ( Albanese and Mitchell, 1993 ) foreground how both pupils and faculty enjoy PBL, thereby fulfilling the demand for merriment. PBL promotes extract through pupils assisting pupils. These claims by Albanese ( 2000 ) are in harmony with what I experienced as the facilitator of the CPBL tutorials.To reason, although Colliver ( 2000 ) found the theoretical development of PBL to hold been weak, there is an array of theory that can be applied to PBL. I have described four theories but there may be others. Further research is essential to look into how theory can be transformed into effectual PBL.Comparison of PBL-based and traditional cross of studyIn the early 1990s, four separate taxonomic reappraisals comparing PBL to traditional break away of study were publish. I shall summarize these reappraisals ahead traveling on to discourse the more recent books.The first reappraisal was published in 1992 by Norman and Schmidt, who examined the psychologic al footing for PBL. They found no understanding that PBL brought about betterment in usual, content-free problem-solving accomplishments . However, they felt that there was some preliminary evidence to propose that PBL may heighten both transportation of constructs to new jobs and integrating of basic scientific discipline constructs into clinical jobs . Their other decisions were, acquisition in a PBL format may ab initio cut down degrees of larning but may further, over periods up to several old ages, increased retentiveness of cognition PBL enhances intrinsic involvement in the resourceful affair and PBL appears to heighten autonomous acquisition accomplishments, and this sweetening may be maintained .Albanese and Mitchell ( 1993 ) conducted a opinionated reappraisal and meta-analysis of literature on the results and accomplishment issues of PBL. They concluded from their findings that, compared with conventional medical instruction, PBL is more nurturing and welcome PBL graduates perform every bit good, and sometimes better, on clinical scrutinies and they are more likely to come in menage medical specialty. However, they besides found that PBL graduates tended to occupy in backward concluding instead than the forward concluding secures engage in, and at that place appeared to be spreads in their cognitive cognition base that could impact pattern results.Vernon and Blake ( 1993 ) published a really comparable meta-analysis of the literature, which support the high quality of the PBL fervidness over more traditional methods . They found that pupil attitudes, category attending and displeasure were all systematically more irresponsible for PBL than for traditional classs. In footings of clinical operation, PBL pupils performed better than traditional pupils. However, there was no strategic contravention amongst the two groups on go of clinical cognition.The decisions of a literature reappraisal by Berkson ( 1993 ) were much slight positive, saying, the alumnus of PBL is non distinguishable from his or her traditional opposite number. The experience of PBL can be nerve-racking for pupil and module. And execution of PBL may be unrealistically dearly-won. In 2000, Colliver reviewed the medical instruction literature from 1992 to 1998, including the four chief reappraisals of PBL from the early 1990s, and produced a full of life-time overview of PBL, its strength for cognition acquisition and clinical public presentation, and the implicit in educational theory.Colliver concluded, the reappraisal of the literature revealed no converting pace that PBL improves friendship base and clinical public presentation, at least non of the magnitude that would be pass judgment given the resources required for a PBL course of study . Unlike old reappraisals, Colliver s reappraisal challenged believing about the educational effectivity of PBL. Colliver bespeaked that far research was required to clear up bot h theory and pattern.Subsequently in 2000, Norman and Schmidt responded to Colliver s paper with their ain reading of the research reasonableness. They did non believe its was sufficient to trust on randomized controlled tests and argued for the usage of a childlike chain of mountains of research designs and variables.Albanese ( 2000 ) besides produced a paper as a getting even to the reappraisal by Colliver. Albanese used government issues of pupils from differing course of study on the United States health check Licensing Examination ( USMLE ) to propose that PBL produced high(prenominal) tonss than traditional talks. Albanese concluded that the positive significance that PBL has on the acquisition environment is a worthy addition in, and of, itself , despite the absence of a thorough apprehension of its consequence on cognition.Since 2000, PBL has been used progressively in undergraduate medical instruction in the UK. During this break short the educational theory beh ind PBL has go on to develop and several new reappraisals and surveies have been published.A reappraisal was conducted by Newman ( 2003 ) , which include merely randomised controlled tests and quasi-experimental surveies in which pupil public presentation or other results were objectively measured. They concluded that results for pupils in the PBL groups were less favorable than those in the control group . However, there was no consensus in the surveies that they reviewed on what constituted a control group.Dochy et Al ( 2003 ) were responsible for another recent meta-analysis of the do of PBL, which showed that PBL had a positive consequence on cognition application of pupils. However, no consequence on cognition was found.A range of surveies including that by Prince et Al ( 2005 ) ( look into ref ) have used self-report questionnaires to compare the sentiments and competences of alumnuss from PBL and non-PBL schools. The consequences suggest that PBL alumnuss are better li vely with regard to several of the competences.Antepohl et Al ( 2003 ) conducted a questionnaire vista of all alumnuss of the new PBL medical course of study at the Faculty of health Sciences, Linkoping University, Sweden. They found that alumnuss of the new medical course of study showed a high physical body of satis occurrenceion with their undergraduate instruction and how it prepared them for medical pattern . However, this field had some restrictions. The usage of postal questionnaires introduces reaction prejudice. They had a good response rate of 77 % but it is possible that the 23 % who did non respond may non hold a positive position of their medical instruction.This written report elevated inquiries sing the grade to which alumnuss subjective retro rating of their ain undergraduate instruction can supply relevant information refering the quality of the class. Schmidt and van der Molen ( 2001 ) overcame this issue when comparing PBL alumnuss to traditional alumnus s. They identified and corrected self-overestimation among PBL alumnuss by mentioning to self-ratings consequences in countries in which a difference mingled with PBL and traditional pupils was non expected. If differences did occur, they were used to quantify self-overestimation and to rectify for it.Tiwari et Al ( 2006 ) conducted a randomised controlled test aimed at comparing the personal effects of PBL and talking efforts on the development of pupils particular mentation. Their consequences revealed that PBL pupils had significantly higher critical thought temperament tonss on completion of PBL compared with talk pupils . They besides continued to hold higher tonss, albeit to a lesser grade, than the talk pupils for two old ages afterwards. This survey involved little Numberss of pupils and relied upon self-report by pupils, which can present recall prejudice. Despite these restrictions, this survey highlights the demand for farther research to find whether the diffe rences in critical thought are maintained in subsequent old ages.Besides in 2006, Schmidt et al conducted a big, robust survey comparing professional competences of PBL alumnuss to traditional alumnuss in the Netherlands. Participants were asked to finish a questionnaire, evaluation themselves on 18 professional competences derived from the literature. They concluded, PBL non merely affects the true PBL-related competences in the interpersonal and cognitive spheres, but besides the more general work-related accomplishments that are deemed of import for success in professional pattern .More late, Koh and co-workers ( 2008 ) performed a systematic reappraisal of how PBL during medical school bear on the competency of physicians after graduation. The writers merely include publications that incorporated a control group of alumnuss from a traditional course of study. This high quality study employed a thorough methodological analysis, whereby physicians ego appraisals of their co mpetences and appraisals by independent perceivers were considered individually. Small correlativity was seen between self-assessed and observer-assessed competence. Self-assessment showed a strong degree of grounds against PBL for ownership of medical cognition, but this was non sustain by independent observation. The writers concluded that PBL has positive effects on alumnus competences in of import societal and cognitive spheres. Again, one of the jobs with this reappraisal was the absence of a exposition of the control traditional course of study.In 2009, Macallan et Al evaluated which constituents of CPBL contributed most to the success of the theoretical account utilizing semi-structured questionnaires, focal point groups and a consensus method. They showed that pupils found CPBL a positive acquisition experience . They found that successful CPBL was supported by the direct s degree of adroitness and a non-threatening acquisition environment, lend to student oppugning . This survey verified the thought that CPBL is a parallel instruction attack that helps construction the instruction hebdomad, but does non sub traditional bedside instruction .AndragogyUpon contemplation, I noted important differences in the manner in which the MBBS 4 pupils interacted in the CPBL tutorials and their ability to utilize these tutorials as a larning tool compared to pupils on the MBBS 5 class. I wondered whether this may reflect how learning manners change as we become grownups and mature.McCrorie ( 2002 ) described graduate-entry pupils as super motivated and committed and much more autonomous, ambitious, demanding, oppugning . Alumnuss have already larn how to analyze and how to ration the other enticements of pupil life in order to maintain up with their surveies. This makes them better able to manage a autonomous acquisition attack ( Rushforth, 2004 ) .Taylor et al stated, the major difference between grownups and younger scholars is the riches of their experience ( Taylor, Marienau, & A Fiddler, 2000, p.7 ) . This is something that I reflected on following the CPBL tutorials, as the pupils in the group came from a assortment of backgrounds. to each one pupil was able to convey a different position and cognition to the group, leting for a richer acquisition environment.On the other manus, pupils on the MBBS 5 class who have started their medical grade heterosexual from school tend to hold a similar educational background and experiences.In the 1950s, Malcolm Knowles developed the theory of andragogical acquisition, contrasting the larning methods of grownups with those of kids, pedagogical acquisition. Knowles claimed that one of the chief differences between these two signifiers of acquisition was that the function of the pedagogue was minimised in grownup acquisition.Andragogy is based on the undermentioned five expound about how grownups learn and their attitude towards and motive for larning ( Kaufman, 2003 ) Adults are independent and self say They have accumulated a great trade of experience, which is a rich resource for acquisition They value larning that integrates with the demands of their mundane life They are more interested in immediate, job centred attacks than in capable centred 1s andThey are more motivated to larn by internal thrusts than by external 1s.Learner-centeredness is described in the literature as a separating feature of grownup instruction. Traditional medical course of study reflect inform pupils as to what they should larn and what sorts of cognition are considered of import ( Sheared & A Sissel, 2001 ) ( Titmus, 1999 ) . In contrast, PBL places scholars at the Centre of their learning experience and promotes flexibleness and individualization for autonomous, sceptered grownups ( Manusco, 2000 ) .However, andragogy has been criticised, as grownups do non automatically go autonomous upon accomplishing maturity. They may non be psychologically provide for it and may prefer or fill way from others ( Beitler, 1997 ) ( Titmus, 1999 ) ( Courtney, Vasa, Luo, & A Muggy, 1999 ) . Kaufman ( 2003 ) suggested that alumnuss may hold some restrictions to their acquisition, including fixed learning attacks, greater fiscal concerns and a limited scientific background at registration.Survey of the literature reveals a deficiency of empirical grounds to back up the distinction between childhood and grownup acquisition. Nonetheless, many a(prenominal) instruction methods that are frequently used in higher instruction, including experiential acquisition, pupil conversancy and autonomous acquisition, root from andragogy.Analysis of literature and treatmentWhat is the grounds behind the development of PBL course of study?In the early 1990s, four systematic reappraisals of undergraduate medical instruction carefully supported the short-run and long-run results of PBL compared with traditional acquisition ( Albanese & A Mitchell, 1993 Vernon & A Blake, 1993 Berkson, 1993 Norman & A Schmidt, 1992 ) . at that place were restrictions to the reappraisals, as highlighted by Albanese and Mitchell ( 1993 ) , including failings in the standards used to measure the results of PBL general failings in survey design a limited research base, with surveies of PBL course of study coming from merely a handful of medical schools and diverseness in what different persons call PBL.Furthermore, these surveies were conducted at a clip when PBL was a comparatively new and pass on manner of medical instruction. in that locationfore, studies of negative experiences may non hold been submitted or accepted for publication. There was besides a hazard of confusing, as it is really hard to randomly assign pupils to different learning methods for big sections of their preparation.These restrictions lessen the assurance one can give decisions drawn from the literature sing the results of PBL at that clip.On the whole, recent research mostly supports the fin dings of the earlier reappraisals, which suggested that alumnuss of PBL course of study are better able to use cognition and map clinically. However, the literature does non show differences in the cognition base of alumnuss from the two different course of study.Albanese ( 2000 ) argued that PBL improves clinical competency by doing pupils more confident and self-conscious as professional scholars, thereby bring forthing more efficient and enthusiastic physicians.However, non all the literature is consistent with this position. Rolfe et Al ( 1995 ) demonstrate that alumnuss from a traditional course of study were rated higher for instruction, diagnostic accomplishments and apprehension of basic mechanisms compared to those from a PBL course of study.There is a wealth of grounds to back up the claim that PBL consequences in greater participant usance and transport for larning than traditional medical instruction. For illustration, Colliver ( 2000 ) found that pupils value the int erpersonal accomplishments that PBL encourages and that are besides primordial to effectual clinical pattern. query into this field continues to be debatable. A locoweed of the recent surveies used questionnaires to compare the results of different course of study, which introduce callback and response prejudice.When measuring some PBL quantitative surveies, I noticed that the surveies were non based on any learning theory or were non proving anticipations from a larning theory and, therefore does non offer better apprehension of why or why non PBL might work. A challenge for futurity research is to utilize larning theory to plan quantitative PBL surveies and use the information from surveies to back up theory.Macallan et Al ( 2009 ) considered CPBL from the pupils point of view. They have it off that this is a common restriction of PBL research, as pupils may non right perceive those factors that sincerely yours heighten their acquisition . However, I chequer with their re mark that more nonsubjective steps are hard to use in this context.Another of the failings of the surveies that I have encountered is that comparings are frequently made between pupils or alumnuss from different medical schools. Consequently, it is hard to experience whether any differences observed are the consequence of course of study design or the overall context of the school.Although randomised controlled tests have non been able to turn out statistical effectivity of PBL, there is considerable practical(a) grounds from the 1993 reappraisals that pupils and module enjoy PBL more than traditional instruction methods.There are a assortment of statements for believing that it is also early to accept the negative findings of the literature. It seems that more refined research methods and a wider scope of research designs and variables are required to place educational alterations in a complex, larning environment. Bligh ( 2000, scalawag ) stated, deficiency of difficult scien tific grounds for the effectivity of PBL is non a ground for detaining execution of PBL in course of study .There is chance for more UK-based surveies following the introduction of PBL-based course of study at many UK medical schools over the past 10 old ages. The literature sing CPBL is really thin, so this could be a cardinal focal point of future research.Does holding an adept facilitating PBL impact on pupil acquisition?There is much rivalry in the literature as to whether an adept PBL facilitator promotes larning or non.Barrows ( 1985 ) suggested that non-directive facilitation was more of import than subject-matter expertness when he described the function of PBL cultivate as follows Alternatively of giving pupils the information and facts they need through talks and readings, they essential larn to ease and indirectly melt down pupil larning. They mustiness let pupils to find on their ain what they need to eff and to larn through the survey of change resources. Alte rnatively of stating pupils precisely that they should larn and in what sequence they should larn it, the coach must assist pupils find this for themselves. Hendry et Al ( 2003 ) claimed that some PBL coachs are excessively dominant. They reported that a dominant coach causes tenseness and assay in groups which leads to miss of committedness, cynicism or pupil absenteeism . However, it has besides been shown that excessively small ordinance by the facilitator besides causes jobs.Silver and Wilkerson ( 1991 ) demo that adept coachs impede student-to-student treatment by pickings a more directing function in the tutorials, talking more frequently, supplying direct replies to pupils inquiries and proposing more points for treatment.However, other surveies have found the opposite consequence. A survey by Eagle et Al ( 1992 ) found that in tutorials facilitated by an adept coach, pupils generated twice every bit many larning issues and spent about twice the sum of clip on autonomous survey than pupils go toing tutorials facilitated by non-experts.Macallan et Al ( 2009 ) found that pupils greatly appreciated it when adept clinicians present how clinical logical thinking applied to the instance .As a consequence of these contradictory findings, some research workers began to look into the relationship between coach features and derived function contextual fortunes ( Dolmanset al, 2002 ) . These surveies were based on the judgement that PBL is a complex acquisition environment in which different variables influence each other reciprocally ( Dolmans et al, 2005 ) .Schmidt examined the consequence of coach expertness on trial tonss under conditions of PBL classs with low or high construction and curricular stuffs that match ill or good to pupils degree of anterior cognition ( Schmidt, 1994 ) . He found that when the construction of a class is low and/or pupils neglect anterior cognition, the coach s expertness has a greater impact on pupil public presentat ions.Dolmans et Al ( 1999 ) demonstrated that tutorial groups with comparatively low degrees of productivity require much more commentary from a coach than super fecund groups. As discussed in my contemplation, this is consistent with my experience. The MBBS4 pupils were extremely productive and my function in the tutorials was minimum. On the other manus, my old experience of PBL and CPBL with MBBS5 pupils has been that the pupils did non follow up on in the procedure or bring forth sufficient treatment or larning aims. In these tutorials, I found myself taking a much more cardinal function.Bochner et Al ( 2002 ) identified one contributory factor to the inconsistent findings is as the fact that there are no establish criterions by which to find expertness.Although there has been moot as to whether the facilitator needs to be an expert , the consensus position seems to be that expertness in group kineticss together with supportive enthusiasm is more valuable than deep cap able cognition.I found that, for the most portion in this series of tutorials, my function was in all as a facilitator. However, the pupils on routine discussed complex clinical issues, which were non easy to to the full understand from reading a text edition. This was when I would step in to uprise the construct in the clinical context.DecisionHelped to understand how PBL should run to be effectual hear to utilize motivating inquiries instead than give direct repliesUse ice surfs at first tutorial to assist with group kineticssThe accomplishment of PBL facilitation is that of cognizing when to supply aid to the group, be it proposing utile resources they might wish to see or come ining with thought arousing remarks to guide on the comprehensiveness and deepness of acquisition, without needfully release facts.4a4Maudsley G. Roles and duties of the problem-based acquisition coach in the undergraduate medical course of study. BMJ1999 318657-61.