Gender and Technology Essay

This essay will take a look into an article called, â€Å"Caring About Connections: Gender and Computing† written by Jane Margolis, Allan Fisher and Faye Miller. In their article they take a look at differences in women and males with their uses and influence in technology, and women’s efforts to pursue an education in computer science and technology. This paper will be able to sum up their main ideas, critically analyze their beliefs, and take a particular look at women pursing fields of study in the technological workplace and technological studies. Gender Definition The definition of gender is not a very easy word to define. There are many meanings and terms that can be characterized under both males and females and mixed genders. However according to dictionary. com gender is the following: â€Å"(in many languages) a set  of classes that together include all nouns, membership in a particular class being shown by the form of the noun  itself or by the form or choice of words that modify, replace, or otherwise refer to the noun, as, in English, the choice of he   to replace the man,   of she   to replace the woman,   of it   to replace the table,   of it   or she   to replace the ship. The number of genders in different languages varies from 2 to more than 20; often the classification correlates in part with sex or animateness. The most familiar sets of genders are of three classes (as masculine, feminine, and neuter in Latin and German) or of two (as common and neuter in Dutch, or masculine and feminine in French and Spanish). â€Å" (Dictionary. com 2012) This definition of gender is what said to best fit the word however I believe that this is not the only way to describe a gender. Gender in my opinion the biological make up and the combination of actions and norms an individual follows and goes through. The biological make up of an individual is not the only way to depict what gender they are associated with but the actions and ideas they follow can also influence them. People are able to choose which gender they are associated with even if they pursue a gender different from their biological make up. Definition of Technology Technology is similar to gender where there truly isn’t one single definition behind the word. This term is also relatively new and has was not heavily used until World War one and two and after these event, the term began to be used as much as the word science. (Lecture18, March 27th). Science and technology are often closely related to one another because technology relies on science and the more science that is understood, the more technology can be created and change. With this is mind, innovation is key to defining technology and how to describe what technology is. In one our lectures, Kevin Kelly described technology as, â€Å"Anything that is invented after we are born. † With this in mind, a definition of technology can be described as any new innovation created that may help or hurt society as a whole. Authors’ Main Ideas The Authors of this article take a look into many different angles in the field of computer science. The ideas of the authors vary from some being where these individuals first got their first interest into this study. The authors also discuss the world around computer science and the individuals that are apart of this select group. Finally the authors also touch on the overall fact that the computer science is a field of study that is heavily associated with male users and students. Students who want to pursue this field of study often have different reasons and answers as the first enthusiastic moment in the study. The different reasons also relate to the basis of their gender. For many women in this study, there reasons to enter this field of study were to use the knowledge and information from studying to work with another field of study, such as education or science. Men on the other hand had different explanations or reasons for entering the field of computer science. Many men that were interviewed brought up a time in which they first remembered a time in which computers interested them or discussed items that are used for technology. Margolis, Fisher and Miller, also discuss a finding from a studying done by a researcher named Brunner. In his study, he found â€Å"The feminine take on technology looks right through the machine to its social function, while the masculine view is more likely to be focused on the machine itself. As a result, when technology is introduced as an end in itself, as in a programming class, for instance, young women are less likely to be interested than young men. (Brunner, 1997). This study done by Brunner helps show partial reason why men are more likely to show a strong interest n technological studies and pursue degrees in these fields. Because of this gender barrier that women are going to have to overcome in these fields it does show that many women do face a harder time in this field because of a view they are more likely to see rather then males. Many individuals that pursue the study of technology often associate themselves as different from the average group of people. Many men that pursue this field often believe they are truly the right individual and they often see women in the field as weaker or as someone that may struggle. According to Margolis, Fisher and Miller, in regard to the selective image and individuals that are perceived in the technological fields. â€Å"The pervasive image of the computer science student has a more deleterious affect on women students† (Margolis, Fisher and Miller 1998). Women are more affected by the â€Å"image† that select individuals are able to be apart of this industry. However not only are the classroom settings and social impact of other members impacting women. The media, Internet, and many other factors also impact women and the opportunities to pursue technology. These factors include the media depicting men as experts in technology, societal expectations of different goals for boys and girls, the structure of learning tasks, the nature of feedback in performance situations, and the organization of classroom seating† (Hale Pg 1). The social implications that women face show that they struggle when they are trying to join the field of technolog y. Finally, the field of technology is a field in which males already heavily dominate the workforce amount often turning women away from pursuing jobs and technological influence in the field. In their essay, Margolis, Fisher and Miller discuss the curriculum of computer science and its basic functions. Many classes in technological studies involve mathematics and scientific studies. Overall many of these classes have shown on average the men usually score high grades in these classes as these classes. Many women seem to steer away from classes like these because of the heavy presence of males, and the pressure of males in the classroom setting. Another item that many individuals that are apart of this industry are often characterized as nerds or geeks. According to the New York Times, â€Å"†¦another explanation for the drop in interest, which is linked to the pejorative figure of the â€Å"nerd† or â€Å"geek. † She said that this school of thought was: â€Å"Girls and young women don’t want to be that person. †Ã¢â‚¬  (Spertus, 2008). Many individuals, but particularly men and women want to avoid being called a geek or nerd and because of these names associated with many people in this industry, many women avoid these studies. Critical Analysis Overall Margolis, Fisher and Miller have shown many areas in which women and men have differences in the studies of computer Science field. The reasons for many of these individuals were different depending on their genders, which is often the case for many jobs and areas of studying. Many fields of studies do relate to individuals with certain preferences and the way many are set up in structure can benefit one gender over another gender. This is a fair argument because there are certain curriculums that do tend to have classes that are easier and a slight advantage to different genders. Secondly, the fact that many women are steered away because of the intimidation of not having the â€Å"image† of a computer science individual is also true. People in general want to fit in with a group of people that they are going to be studying their major in. Because of the large decrease of women entering the field of computer science and technological studies, many women are beginning to feel isolated from others and intimidated by the class structure. Finally, the heavy dominating field of men and the often-characterized nicknames of geeks and nerds also turns many women away from these studies. The increasing number of men studying in this field turns away many women from entering the field through intimidation and the infamous nickname of â€Å"geeks† and â€Å"nerds†. These names often associated with people in technological studies can steer individuals that want to learn more about the technological field into a different area of study to prevent harassing. However, though Margolis, Fisher and Miller did bring up many excellent points about gender inequality and differences in the fields of technology, these authors did fail to bring into that fact the usage of ICTs varying amongst genders. Though many women do not pursue degrees or jobs in technological fields, they are still heavily active in their use. Women in general are the largest users of cell phones, and among races, African American Women are the largest users of the Internet. However men do dominate women in some categories of ICT usage. Males are most notably the users of online gaming, however among races, African American men are least likely to use any form of technology. These differences are important to acknowledge with gender differences in technology. Men and women do both have different usages of ICTs and races do play a small role in the measurement of ICTs. With this in mind, though there are gender differences that exist in the fields of technology and ICT usage, each gender does have an area in which they do have the dominant share of usage. Conclusion In the world we live in, technology is constantly growing and adopting. New innovations are causing changes in simple items and transforming items we would have never thought to have. Genders are playing roles in the usage of technology. Though genders may face barriers or issues that can cause them to struggle, each gender does control heavy usage in certain ICTs. Margolis, Fisher and Miller passage has helped show the decline in women in the field of technological studies, particularly in computer science. Many women meet much conflict from the curriculum, to the intimidation factor of a primarily men filled class setting, to the often associate selective group of people in this field. Though these problems are common, many women do continue to pursue in these fields. As a result, men and women both face gender conflicts with technology, and certain technologies are more associated with genders. Overall, men and women still benefit from technology and the growing rate of technology in the world will lead to new items and new change.

Title: What does personalised learning mean in practice

Assignment TMI Title: What does personalised learning mean in practice? Analyse the learning needs of EAL pupils, and those of SEN pupils. Discuss how the needs you Identify can be met most effectively in subject teaching. Within this context over the past ten years' the term ‘personalised learning' gained political capital and could be considered as a defining feature of the UK's educational system. Miliband 2004) Personalised learning – theory and practice The Sussex report states personalised learning is ‘characterised by high levels of participation of pupils and staff in the schools, learning to learn and pupil voice'. It is a continuous progress which facilitates a ‘deeper learning'. (University of Sussex, 2007). Personalisation is concerned with people, hence what or who is a person, their purpose, how they develop, are motivated, gain skills, form abilities and relate to others.Hence, personalised learning is not simply the acquisition of knowledge or skills but how to forge a person's capacity and capabilities to do so. Consequently, concepts of personalised learning have reflected diverse contemporary theoretical discourses, including Piaget's conceptualisation of cognitive development based on iological maturity and environmental experience to behavioural psychologists focus on learning through conditioning, through to Skinner and Watson's reward and punishment.Vgotsky explored how a person's individual social, economic and cultural influences can determine their ‘actual' and ‘potential' development levels within school based learning. Howard Gardner could be considered as a paradigm shifter (Smith 1994) as he questioned the concept of intelligence based on cognitive development, and sought to demonstrate that a child may be at different stages of evelopment at a single time, and that this is reflected in their ability to learn their maturity on dfferent learning styles.He therefore questioned the concept of scaff olding referring to seven multiple intelligences, two of which have been adopted within school environments, namely linguistic intelligence relating to the ability to learn and use of verbal and written language, and logical mathematical Intelligence relating to analysis of issues, grasping of quantitative information and the sciences. I Implemented this pedagogy with my top set 10 class while teaching controlled ssessment vocabulary.Recent UK Government policy has encouraged an educational approach that tailors support to Individual needs so that ‘every child matters'. The five core inter-related aims; be healthy, stay safe, enjoy and achieve, make a positive contribution and achieve economic well-being underpinned by practice guidance ana regulatory perTormance systems slgnlTy tne Importance 0T social, economic and environmental factors on child development. Peter Senge said â€Å"many children struggle in schools because the way they are being taught is incompatible with t he way they learn† (Capel, S. al, 2007) hence teaching and support can be improved by encouraging school based learning to be designed around a pupil's needs, hence Miliband's quote above. Assessment for learning directly relates to national teacher standard 6; ‘make accurate and productive use of assessment'. Teaching uses both formative ongoing assessments and summative assessments, normally at the end of a module, scheme of work or a part of an academic year. Summative assessments usually relate to formal examinations that inform streaming and ranking, to inform accountability (Black, Harrison, Lee, Marshall and William, 2002).Summative assessments are often isolated from normal teaching and learning, and are often areas of which teachers have little direct control in terms of personalising for learners, for example ‘6SCEs'. Key formative techniques include higher order questioning that targets towards their current level; personalised comment marking, identifyi ng clear targets for improvement, self and peer assessments and analysing and using mark schemes and feedback from summative assessments to assist individual learning plans.According to Williams (2009) the effectiveness of formative assessments can generate nearly three terms extra earning per year. However Ofsted reviews have identified teachers' difficulties in identifying clear learning objectives and outcomes by the use of attainment levels to inform structured lesson planning and assessment (Ofsted, 2007). For example in my second placement school I asked a mixed ability group of year 7's to assess sentence exemplars and explained the success criteria based on Bloom's taxonomy.This showed what was expected to answer higher order questions and levelled answers. It was difficult at first however as soon as they got accustomed to my expectations a marked improved was identified in their work. They were able to interpret the differences properly and with scaffolding the majority of them were able to vastly develop their answers. (See appendix 1) When considering Howard Gardner's multiple intelligence, personalisation leans towards the understanding and application of different learning styles, namely audio-visual, and kinaesthetic.However Cofield et al (2004) suggest that the effectiveness of this focus is varied, in terms of their reliability and as a motivator for learning. Placing the learner at the heart of the teaching process and in turn enabling them to take more responsibility or their learning can also be delivered through developing learning objectives reflective of individual and classroom needs. Bloom's taxonomy provides a classification of learning objectives under cognitive, affective and psychomotor providing a methodology for scaffolding actual and potential learning within the classroom.Differentiation can ensure a classroom of mixed ability students are all stimulated and stretched, and this can be achieved regardless of ability when setting tasks, if executed as though one were climbing a ladder in order to reach the top, or objective of the lesson. (Petty, 2009). Within the MFL department we operate an ‘ALL, MOST, SOME' to differentiate our tasks, (see appendix 2 ; 3) adding a challenge at the bottom for the most able or for native speaking students. This ensures that every single student can be accessed and also be stretched regardless of ability and rank order.Alex Moore suggests tnat a good teacner needs to De strategic In applylng models and theories to shape and develop ‘pedagogic identity (Moore, 2000). Using these ideas, together with Wgotskys theory of constructivism has helps practitioners develop and go on to plan lessons that are creative, fun, focused, tructured and interesting combined with delivering content to any ability, regardless of need (be that G&T, nixed ability or SEN) or those that encounter difficulty with focus, learning and progressing in a traditional classroom environment.Some of the methods used in the classroom to take advantage of ‘multiple intelligences' are video clips, imagery and displays for visual learners and group work such as role plays or quizz type games for interpersonal learners. For the intra-personal learners, enabling them to set personal goals and challenges for themselves, for the more verbally inclined students question and answers or ualitative assessment and finally problem solving and modelling for more kinaesthetic pupils.Curriculum entitlement and choice relates to national teacher's standard 3. The Salamanca Statement and Framework for Action recommended at a national and school level that â€Å"schools should accommodate all children regardless of their physical, intellectual, social, emotional, linguistic or other conditions† (1994) As abovementioned, and experienced in both my school and in my placement schools, many Stage and 1 and 2 EAL students are withdrawn from MFL and other on – core subjects in or der to focus on literacy and numeracy improvement.Interestingly, MFL is one of few areas that many EAL students do not feel isolated as other students are also at a new stage of learning a different language also, and thus can excel in the subject. The National Curriculum (1999) outlines that â€Å"in order to overcome any barriers to learning in MEL†; specific requirements such as laptops, support and help should be provided in order to access the learning for EAL students needing support. Indeed, this subject specific inclusion information decrees that â€Å"all upils have a right to participate in the study of MEL† (Pachler, Barnes ; Field, 2009).

Advantages and Disadvantages in the Lake District National Park

This is an essay about the advantages and disadvantages that arise in and about National Parks, focusing on the Lake District National Park. The Lake District is shown on the map below. As you can see the Lake District is situated in Cumbria in the North West of England. The Lake District National Park is the largest National Park in Britain. It was established in 1951 and covers an area of 2,292 sq. km. It is home to the largest lake in Britain -lake Windermere which is an amazing 16.9km long, 2km wide and has an area of 16sq km-quite a lot of water! It is also home to Scaffel Pike which is the largest mountain in England rising to a very tall 966m. Both of these features, along with many more, encourage people to visit the park. The Lake District is one of the National Parks in Wales and England, the others being Exmoor Dartmoor The Pembrokeshire Coast The Brecon Beacons The Yorkshire Dales Northumberland Snowdonia And The North York Moor 7% of all the land in England is National Park Land and 20% of the land in Wales in National Parks. A National Park is defined as an area of scenic beauty. National Parks have two main aims A) To preserve and care for the beautiful environment may it be coast or mountains and all the wildlife/plants in them B) To provide a place for recreation, relaxation and enjoyment open to everyone. You would think it would be easy to provide a pretty, safe place for people to visit/live/work. You must think again! National Parks are at the centre of much controversy and arguments-as you are about to find out yet still manage to have many, many advantages. One of the advantages of a National Park are that they are a great place for people to come and relax. Anyone can enjoy a visit to a National Park-families, individuals, the elderly and so on. Some parks (although not the Lake District) are also used by the army as part of their training process. Obviously, there are farmers on the land too who depend on it to make a living. The Lake District is a place where you can do a number of activities- * Walking * Outdoor Pursuits (e.g. Canoeing, climbing etc) * Going on a leisurely boat ride on the lakes (especially Windermere) * Having a nice picnic or day out in some of the specially developed areas or on the mountains themselves. * Camping * Water skiing * Angling * Bird watching /general nature looking * Power boating * And generally relaxing and having a great time! Here is a map of the Lake District itself. Note all of the high land (brown bits) and lakes (blue bits) DISADVANTAGES As with every national Park there are some disadvantages. These are usually roughly the same in any National Park and there is not positive way of getting rid of all the problem without banning people to go to the National Parks which kind of defeats the object. Traffic Congestion is a major problem. The small, narrow steep, winding country roads just can't cope with the volume of traffic which is passing to get to the park. As most of the visitors to the National Park travel by car it is indeed a serious problem. In the Lake District the main problems are at Great Langdale, Borrowdale and Kentmere. There is also another big problem-car parking facilities. These are restricted causing some people to leave their cars parked at the side of the road causing further traffic problems affecting the local people who just want to get on with their day to day business. As there are more vehicles about this leads to more air pollution, which makes the area less pleasant to visit. As said before there are few solutions to this problem. You could build big two-lane roads to replace the small ones but this would cause a number of problems A) it would be very expensive B) it is probable that there will not be room to expand the roads C) It would spoil the scenic beauty and quaintness of the place and the villagers won't be happy. These are just some of the many hundreds of possible problems so this option is not really an options(it you get me). The NPA (National Park Association) along with the Cumbria County council and Countryside Commission came up with a plan in 1995 to try to reduce traffic congestion. It involved restricting access along the very popular routes, closing some roads all together and encouraging the use of public transport. Walking and cycling rather than cars once inside the national Park. For this to be successful the public transport facilities would have to be greatly improved. All of this would mean, perhaps, fewer visitors thus bringing less money into the area. The locals who make a living out of this trade would lose out. Footpath erosion is a major problem in the Lake District like the Brecon Beacons in South Wales and indeed many other National Parks. The amount of walkers using the paths cause them to gradually erode becoming unsafe and unpleasant. As the designed paths are no longer suitable to walk on people are resorting to wandering off the paths and uncovering tree roots, trampling on plants and things like that. This problem can be sorted by completely banning the use of offending footpaths and replacing them with others. There are many disadvantages to this including lack of money, people wanting to ‘wander' as the please and directing people to use the new footpaths. A problem that is related to this is soil compaction. This is when the footpaths are damaged either by being compacted or in other ways so that greenery cannot grow and cannot soak up excess moisture etc. Along with damaging the National Park footpaths, tourists often go onto farmer's land, leaving gates open, creating noise, letting their dogs foul the area and unintentionally distressing farm animals. All of the above things are usually done without intent but never the less it is still aggravating and expensive for the farmer. The local people who often enjoy the trade of the tourists also may feel very annoyed by them. I myself have a personal comment to add here. Fifteen to twenty years ago my Mum and Dad use to visit Lake Windermere and the Lake district every summer to do walking. My Mum said it was very beautiful, unspoiled land which was very quiet, quaint and friendly. When we visited last summer my Mum said she could hardly recognise the place. Apart from the ever-beautiful mountains and lakes it was tourist haven with every other shop being either a tearoom or a gift shop. It was jam-packed, noisy and very different ( well, according to my Mum it was!) The Brecon Beacons seemed very unspoiled and quiet compared to Lake Windermere. Yes, the facilities such as shops, car parks, hotels, leisure facilities and toilets were much better and I am sure the locals earned a small fortune by it in the Summer Months but I am afraid to say it resembled more like Disneyland in Paris that a beautiful National Park in the North of England. But this is only my view (although I am certain some of the locals feel the same way). If it wasn't for all the interest in National Parks the Lake district would be barely visited and a kind of waste of space. Another disadvantage everywhere where tourists go, whether it be a National Park or not is that all work is seasonal. While the shops and services thrive in the warm summer month's trade begins to reduce to the local people when the weather turns cold. This means that some shops can't survive and have to shut. In the summer some services can be so full the local people can't use them but in the winter the services are not needed and shut down. Crime and Vandalism, noise pollution, litter, poaching and other things like that are a major problem in all National Parks and the Lake District is no exeption. Car crime is very high in Car parks and there are some very inconsiderate people about. The Park Ranger is partly in charge of this area but he can't be everywhere at once and this DOES take place-maybe even putting people off visiting the park altogether. Having Second Home owners in the area can put many noses out of joint. Second Home owners are like tourists, they only come when the weather is fine leaving services/shops to suffer when they are having a nice time back at home. They can ‘revamp' their second homes to make them not in keeping with the area. They can also bring their own town influences into the countryside and raise house prices. In other words-Second homeowners are big problems in the Lake District. As with any area-people can take things too far. On Lake Windermere the planners have decided to set a 16-km/h speed limit on the lake. This is because the noisy speedboats and water skiers are spoiling the quietness of the lake and spoiling the enjoyment of others. They also make more air pollution. Other lakes on the park such as Ullswater, Coniston Water and Derwent Water(see map on page2) have had this ban imposed and it seems to be working well. But this is bound to ruffle a few feathers and arguments are taking place about whether the ban should take place or not. Some arguments are that tourists already have miles and miles of quiet land to enjoy, why not let this little bit of water be noisy? They also brought up the point that some lines of trade will suffer when people go elsewhere to use their water ski's/power boats. Now, I have gone on for ages about how awful National Parks are. You must be thinking ‘ Why one earth do we have National Parks if they cause all of this trouble?' As you are now going to find out, National Parks have many advantages too. ADVANTAGES One of the main advantages of a National Park, any national Park, is the money that tourists bring with them. In 1995 the UK had an amazing 23.5 million foreign visitors who spent and astounding à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½12 billion! That is an awful lot of money! Tourist also employs 1.5 million people in places such as hotels, cafes, pubs, travel agencies etc. Okay, so lots of these visitors didn't visit National Parks and didn't spend money in them but tourism in National Parks is big business. In Windermere and Keswick-big places for tourists to visit in the Lake District (see page two map)- half of the workforce are employed in the tourist industry! That is an awful lot if you can compare that to the 6% nationally. In 1995 tourists spent a great à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ 446 million in Cumbria alone-most of it being spent in the Lake District. Some ways tourists spend money are: * Accommodation- hotels, campsites, holiday cottages etc * Food and Drink-restaurants, cafes, pubs, food shops etc * Leisure- this is HUGE business from outdoor pursuits to boat trips to museums and so on * And so much more little things such as gifts and general shopping The services in the Lake District National Parks have increased due to the extra visitors. This is good news for the locals. If the area hadn't been changed to a National Park it would just be plain, rural land with very few services. Public transport had improved dramatically with more connections leading out of the Lake District so that tourists can easily get there but also letting the locals get out and about easier. The amount of shops are the same as services, there are more than there would have been had it not been for the National Park. As the national Parks welcome everyone people have a lovely, beautiful place to visit. If the land weren't a national park it would be at risk to developments being built on the site which would spoil the scenic beauty. If people visit the Lake District and see how beautiful it all is they may be extra careful and be inspired to take better care of the environment. They may also realise that they need to protect the land for generations to come. Litter and Pollution may also be reduced as they realise that there is no need to spoil the natural world. The Park Ranger and the people who care for the Lake District do a great job of protecting the environment in the Lake District. It is a nice, usually safe place for animals, birds and plants/flowers. People from the large town and cities have an opportunity to see the beautiful British wildlife that they wouldn't find in the towns and cities. The park Rangers in the Lake District also encourage tree planting. We all know that we depend on trees to give us oxygen so that we can breath so this is a great thing especially as so many trees are now being cut down to provide space for houses. Park Rangers and workers in the National Parks all over Britain does a number of great things including * Refuse permission for unsuitable buildings/developments that would spoil the park * Arrange talks and guided walks to educate the people about the park * Monitor and clean up pollution * Encourage suitable developments and so much more. * Some National Parks are home to some rare plants/flowers and the Lake District is no exeption. Now I have looked at all the information I now have to see whether or not the advantages outweigh the disadvantages. If you see what I have written you will discover I have written more about the disadvantages than the advantages. But this is not necessarily a bad thing. In my view I think anything that preserves the natural beauty of our world if a good thing. With all the overcrowding, noise and pollution of this world we need a place where we can just go to relax without too much noise, big buildings or offices. Yes, there are disadvantages but I think that people can put up with a bit of inconvenience if it means that we make this world a nicer place to be-don't you?

Reflective practitioner Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Reflective practitioner - Essay Example In this case, I cannot take the risk of not working hard with thinking that a miracle will happen, and I will pass. This is the exact thing that gets to happens in the world of sports. For a team to prosper, its members must take many risks that always make them get injured. We cannot fear taking risks because on one side lies getting injure. We should learn to look at the bright side that success lays. In reference to outdoor kinetic experience, different people get to have different experiences on different adventures. For example, one may vie fishing as a leisure activity; just for fun, while another person on the same boat will take fishing as a toll for measuring progress in that the other time he or she got two, this time the person wants to get three or four. This is what applies to people in the contemporary society. For example, I may consider education valuable because it will help me get a career while another person in the same class as me considers it necessary because i t will help him or her get more knowledge and not for career entry. According to John Rawls, every living thing should have the capacity to define a life plan. Different people get to hold different perspective in life. ... I tend to think that in the present age, despite having a life plan, a person is not sure he or she will be able to follow it as intended. This is because life brings along many bottlenecks that one gets to redefine the position of the life plan they once drafted. Handling different types of data Data is the most valuable asset that an organization may have. It is due to this fact that information systems are made, so as to ensure efficient analysis of the data, its storage and security. As a professional individual, it is crucial that one knows how to handle and present data, portraying the intended information analysis. Below we get to analyze a data from a survey on availability of university school courses and other dependent factors. Figure 1: Data University’s Business School Course Availability Survey Category Strongly Disagree Disagree Neutral Agree Strongly Agree Will you be satisfied if more sections are offered 0 2 9 9 13 Will you be more successful 4 3 12 7 7 Do yo u prefer to take business cources in the UCD 1 3 16 5 8 Sum 5 8 37 21 28 Average 1.666666667 2.666667 12.3333 7 9.333333333 Median 1 3 12 7 7 standard deviation 2.081665999 0.57735 3.51188 2 3.214550254 Figure 2: pictorial representation Pictorial representation of data is important due to a myriad of factors. The first reason is for easy analysis (AGRESTI, 2002,78). We can all conform that it is easier to deal that that is represented on a bar graph, rather than using the one on the spreadsheet. The second reason is for presentational purposes; when is representing data say to board of directors, it will be hard for them to conceptualize the progress of a company using raw data on a spreadsheet than on a bar graph. However, it is pertinent to

Time is money Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Time is money - Essay Example The writer loves food so he learnt to cook. However, his musician friend rather chooses to pay for his lunch so as to be able to spend more time doing what he loves to do, which is music. According to writer, people spend their scarce time and money on doing things that endow them with higher utility or provide them with a relatively higher remuneration. Nobody has enough time and money to invest them on learning everything. That is why people choose to pay others for the products and services they avail from them, by spending the money they earn doing things they love to do or that provide them with a higher remuneration. Division of labor is the direct outcome of the scarcity of time and resources. The given article teaches much about the opportunity cost. Thereby, as per the article, if a person chooses to do the work he loves, she is not left with enough time to spend it on learning a variety of other things. Hence, to be able to do the things a person loves, one has to forgo doing many other things, which is the opportunity cost of choosing to do one specific thing. Hence, while procuring services, people act as the typical economic man and resort to rational thinking. They clearly assort the objectives they intend to achieve in life and allocate their time and money in a way that harmonizes with and furthers the objectives they intend to achieve in life. For example a musician may choose to learn to play guitar instead of learning to cook or repair cars, because she loves music and it is her profession. To make the best use of their time and money, people resort to trade offs and chose the best possible alternatives that suit their liking and pocket, while choosing a profe ssion or acquiring skills. With the money they earn for this work, they prefer to pay people who specialize in other vocations or skills, which they don’t know and don’t have the time to or aptitude learn. This article also teaches much about the scarcity or limited nature

Egoism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Egoism - Essay Example Ethical egoism relate to selfishness since it focuses on people who are self-centered. These people think of themselves before they take any action of assisting others. They focus on the result if it favors their cause of action or not. It is also true to say that those people who are willing to help must think of themselves in whichever way. Such people are always cautious; it is always their wish not to harm other people. These kinds of people are very honest since they always thrive to avoid lying. They really value a good reputation and that is why they will always ensure that they maintain it. On the other hand, these people seek to gain trust from other people as much as they need to trust other people. They also ensure that they keep promises once they commit themselves, for this reason they continue keeping the mutual relationship that existed with their friends. There is human being who does not love and appreciate him or herself. This theory provides that people need to love and appreciate themselves before they can get to assist other people. This love for oneself helps to boost the self-confidence and esteem. It portrays how people always love to be on the winning side. On the other hand, Altruism describes people who are willing to go an extra mile to help other people. Although it is widely believed that human beings have the self-interest recent studies has contradicted this fact by arguing that human beings tend to cooperate before they compete. It is through this cooperation and the helping nature of human beings that has made it possible for the people to survive. Indeed, altruism is a fundamental aspect of social instincts. Apparently, although human beings are not entirely altruistic, they have a tendency of feeling compassion to the needy. It is always a challenge to find the better side of human beings (Christians, 2009). The reasons that suggest why we should practice altruism evidently provide the reason why altruism is as result of

Public Policy and Education Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Public Policy and Education - Essay Example In the United States, education has been the responsibility of state governments, and local politics have a great deal to do with determining public policy. Even so, the federal government has recently intervened, and the state government bodies in some cases resent this intervention. The No Child Left Behind (NCLB) legislature of 2001 initiated by President George W. Bush has created controversy in every area of educational public policy. Special interest groups and organizations are focusing on areas such as special education, literacy, teacher certification, religion, scientific research, and lack of funds, which means that those most influential in the field of education are presently acting as political lobbyists. With the growing intervention of the federal government in education, politics rises to the forefront, even more than it has in past years. In an effort to show how various factions of education influence public policy, this paper will cover the areas noted above, noting specific controversies. Two areas in which state education policies are quite different are in New York State and in California. Because of this, different methods of applying federal policies have been necessary. In New York State, the Education Department is under the control of the University of the State of New York (USNY). USNY is the most complete interconnected system of educational services in the United States. It is not the same as the State University of New York (SUNY), which is the State's system of public colleges and universities. The Board of Regents heads USNY and sets overall educational policy for the State. The Board appoints a Commissioner of Education who heads the State Education Department and also serves as the president of USNY (Mills, 2007). This system revolves around education as a separate entity, and this allows for more political freedom to make decisions. In California, the State Board of Education (SBE) is the governing and policy making body of the California Department of Education. Unlike the New York State system in which the Board of Regents appoints a Commissioner of Education, the Governor appoints the members of the SBE (California, 2007). In this process, politics determine changes in public policy. No Child Left Behind According to Christopher T. Cross (2004), the "evolution of the federal role in education is a study in American politics" (Chapter 1, p. 1). Special interest groups in the last part of the twentieth century have covered a broad range of interests-bilingual education, women's studies, African American studies, and prayer in the classroom, to name a few. At present, recognition of these issues has been incorporated into the NCLB law, which has been in effect since 2002. Cross believes that federal policy in education will have an increasing impact in the coming decades and calls for policymakers and practitioners to gain a better understanding of the history of U.S. education and the future role of a federal Department of Education. He covers 50 years of federal education policy in his book and discusses the most recent effort in this field-the No Child Left Behind law of 2001, which he considers the catalyst for change brought about in this country by "consistent

A long Way Traveled Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

A long Way Traveled - Research Paper Example As the saying goes ‘you won’t know where you are going until you know where you are coming from’. However, when we understand history- in this case; Native American History it would mean that we understand and accept each other. Native Americans in general are known to be earthy people who are one with mother earth and they believe that every living thing on earth should be respected. Their history depicts, a vibrant culture and history and is also responsible for the early development of the Americas. The Navajo Nation Reviewed literature declares the Navajo tribe one of the largest reservation in America with an area covering an estimated 27 000 square miles. The area covers portions of Arizona and New Mexico, and a small part of southeastern Utah. Presently the capital of the Navajo nation is found at Window Rock in Arizona. The Navajos populous is said to be over 200 000 people, landing them the title of the largest Native American tribe in the United States. Furthermore, they are noted to be bilingual as they speak both their challenging and native Navajo language and also English. This noble Indian tribe lived in the South Western part of the United States. This definitive set of people refers to themselves as ‘Dineh’ which means â€Å"the people†. ... gnition as warriors from the Spanish and other surrounding Indian tribes because the Navajos raided the Spanish settlers often to get their horses for hunting and fighting. The Navajos grew corn, beans and squash in fields that the Spanish term as ‘Nabaju’, which when translated means â€Å"great planted fields†. According to the said source; by the year 1750, the Navajos were living in valleys and mountains around the canyon de chelly in north eastern Arizona.1 They adopted a new life style being sheep herders and gave up hunting. Today Navajo tribes can be found in scattered locations in Arizona and New Mexico in houses called Hogans which are very easy to assemble. Before, their Hogans were made with supporting poles that were covered with mush and brush. Then they transformed to more stable Hogans made from logs chinked in mud in a circular shape.2 Culture of the Navajo Nation The culture of the Navajo people is quite exciting. They hold fascinating beliefs an d engage in colorful ceremonies. They believe that the spiritual and the physical world blend together as one. The ‘Yei’ (holy ones) as they are known live in the four sacred mountains in each of the four directions that marks the boundaries of the Navajo land. The navajopeople.org website argues that the Navajos are highly ceremonial second to some of the Pueblo groups. Almost every act of their life; example, building a Hogan, planting crops and so on is ceremonial in nature, each being carried out with songs and prayers. The said source also declared that â€Å"the Navajo dead are buried by others than immediate relatives in unmarked graves. No ceremonies are held, for the dead are considered evil and are feared. The hogan in which death occurs is forever abandoned, often burned. Sometimes a hogan is

Describe this pic Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Describe this pic - Essay Example The bottom part of the picture is broader than the top part and this gives the picture the ideal shape. The artist might have done this to give it a strong base for supportive purpose. From the information provided, the picture is the courtesy of Casey Campbell and some of the materials used are ink, watercolour, and charcoal. In essence, the abstract painting has colours and designs that do not resemble the physical objects. With this, the painting becomes harder to comprehend than representational painting. The desires and skills of the artist reveal the environment and time in, which he created the art. The striking styles reveal a lot of creativity. On a personal perceptive, the goal of the artist was to show how the colour, style, and form of the subject changed from time to time. This explains why the picture broadens its colour from one circle to the other. The artists took a lot of time making series of paintings from the same subject but different times of the day. This gives viewers a quick sense of understanding what is going into the artist’s mind (Elger and Uta 22). Typically, everyone seems to see the image in a similar manner. The artist established the need to use directional subjects and words that guide viewers through the description and analysis. The focal point of the picture is the circular figure, with different shapes. As previously mentioned, all circles have a strong base decorated in bold colours. The circles consist of space, line, shape, and light and dark colours arranged in similar designs. They consist of proportion, order, pattern, rhythm, and balance. The artist employed these elements to evoke the feeling of hope and direction to the viewers. From the picture, it is evident that many people recognize the artist’s accuracy and creativity to create the image. The primary purpose of the painting was to portray a captivating image. The picture does not fully evoke feelings or emotions.

Mills Paper (Sociology) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Mills Paper (Sociology) - Essay Example Depending on family and relationship history forms of violence differ by cause, etiology, manifestation, and impact. Although an act of violence, a â€Å"hit,† directed at a current or former intimate partner may appropriately be labeled â€Å"intimate partner violence,† as Sue Osthoff explained, â€Å"a hit is not a hit. Context matters. A lot. A whole lot† (2002:1540). Not all â€Å"hits† are created equal. In recent years, and increasingly, practitioners, researchers, and advocates, are considering distinctions among types of violence and specifically re-asserting and clarifying violence as a particular dynamic. From the perspective of Mill’s personal trouble, violence is characterized by a systemic pattern of behavior (rather than isolated acts of violence) that establishes dominance over another person typically through intimidation, coercion, isolation, and terror-inducing violence and threats of violence (Dutton & Goodman, 2005:748). Power an d control are central as motives for and impact of violence. The language of â€Å"coercive control† or â€Å"coercion† has also been used to describe the phenomenon of violence (Dutton & Goodman, 2005:748). Kelly and Johnson (2008) described coercive controlling violence (a concept previously labeled patriarchal terrorism and then intimate terrorism ) as â€Å"emotionally abusive intimidation, coercion, and control coupled with physical violence against partners† (Kelly & Johnson, 2008:478). Violence as â€Å"a personal trouble† is most often chracterized with battering, a term that has been used in some cases as a synonym for any violence against an intimate partner, regardless of context. Battering may, and typically does, include distinct acts of violence, however not all acts of violence are a component of battering (Osthoff, 2002:1535). Non-battering violence might include

Examine and evaluate the extent to which women in the twenty-first Essay

Examine and evaluate the extent to which women in the twenty-first century can be considered to be a reserve army of labour - Essay Example By the beginning of the 21st century, the prevalence of married women in the labor force had marginalized the traditional Marxist construct. Modern theories have illustrated that the modern notion of gender and its impact on the labor market has changed to reflect contemporary reality (Beechey, 1988). In her 1978 paper, â€Å"Women as a Reserve Army of Labour,† Irene Bruegel accords with certain precepts of a gender-based reserve labor army, such as the rigidity of the sexual division of labor. Bruegel concurs with the idea that â€Å"the segregation of women into women’s work is of such ideological importance that it cannot be breached, even where it would yield capital cheaper labour† (Bruegel, 3). Women have also been more vulnerable to the swings of economic Name 2 fortune, yet in Britain during the 1970s the number of women entering the work place increased by nearly 150,000 jobs, while the number of employed men fell by more than 300,000 (Bruegel, 5). This, Bruegel argues, was symptomatic of a long-term trend during which women infiltrated the labor market. This has helped insulate women against cyclical downturns in the economy, traditionally a stumbling block to female employment, in which â€Å"women’s work† tended to be the less stable, more volatile types of employment work addressed by Barron and Norris’ dual labor market division theory (Barron and Norris, 1976). While improvements in technology have lessened the significance of traditional gender differences, employed women remain vulnerable to job loss, particularly to unemployed men seeking to return to work. Bruegel insists that new strategies are needed to defend the integrity of women at work if true equality and the unemployment problem are to be improved (Bruegel, 9). Ann Oakley points to powerfully entrenched cultural factors to explain the relegation of women to the role of reserve labor. For Oakley, the tradition of women performing â€Å"womenà ¢â‚¬â„¢s work,† work that is perceived as more sensitive and connected to the â€Å"feminine mystique,† arises from persistent socio-cultural mores. â€Å"Male-dominated culture has designated as female all labours of emotional connectedness†¦The principal mode of developing this sensitivity in women is the gender-differentiated nuclear family. Women mother. Daughters are transformed into mothers. An autonomous sense of self†¦does not need to develop† (Oakley, 201). Despite the increase in female employment in the 1970s, Oakley maintains that the woman-as-individual versus woman- as-mother-and-wife dichotomy is as strong as ever, and precludes Name 3 the possibility of true labor equality. Oakley’s feminist view incorporates the lack of gender equity in the home, which also hampers the ability of many women to realize their potential in the labor market. For Oakley, this is another oppressive outgrowth of traditionally culture-based gender inequi ty. â€Å"Men create more housework than they do and, in many households, children do as much housework as men†¦Even in supposed paradises of gender equality, such as Sweden, 87 percent of couples do not share housework† (Oakley, 56). For some theorists, the patriarchal orientation of society has, over time, extended from the home into the political realm and the workplace. Sylvia Walby theorizes that when women won political citizenship

Saving Sourdi Essay Example for Free

Saving Sourdi Essay Part I In â€Å"Saving Sourdi† by May-Lee Chai, the author creates Sourdi and Nea’s characters using description, narration, dialog, and commentary. Description â€Å"Sourdi looked like a statue that had been rescued from the sea. She was smooth where I had angles and soft where I was bone. Sourdi’s face was round, her nose low and wide, her eyes crescent-shaped like the quarter moon, her hair sleek as seaweed. Her skin was a burnished cinnamon color.† (Chai 131) This description portrays Sourdi as an innocent and gentle young lady. Narration â€Å"Sourdi emerged from the kitchen, dressed in a bright pink sweatsuit emblazoned with the head of Minnie Mouse, pink slippers over her feet, the baby on her hip. She had a bruise across her cheekbone and the purple remains of a black eye. Sourdi didn’t say anything for a few seconds as she stared at me, blinking, her mouth falling open. â€Å"Where’s Ma?† (Chai 139) This narration shows that after her arranged marriage, Sourdi is not the girl she used to be because she now has to live with a man whom she doesn’t really love and care for a baby at a young age. Dialog â€Å"Nea, what’s wrong with you?† â€Å"What’s wrong with me? Don’t you get it? I was trying to help you!† Sourdi sighed as the baby spat a spoonful of the glop onto the table. â€Å"I’m a married woman. I’m not just some girl anymore. I have my own family. You understand that?† â€Å"You were crying.† I squinted at my sister. â€Å"I heard you.† â€Å"I’m gonna have another baby, you know. That’s a big step. That’s a big thing.† She said this as though it explained everything. â€Å"You sound like an old lady. You’re only twenty, for Chrissake. You don’t have to live like this. Ma is wrong. You can be anything, Sourdi.† (Chai 140) This narration shows that Sourdi respects her mother’s wishes, even though she doesn’t necessarily agree with them. Commentary â€Å"I ran into the kitchen. I had this idea to get the cook and the cleaver, but the first thing that caught my eye was this little paring knife on the counter next to a bowl of oranges. I grabbed the knife and ran back out to Sourdi.† (Chai 129) This commentary shows that Nea is very protective of her sister and will do anything to help her. Part II â€Å"Saving Sourdi† is told from Nea’s point of view. If Sourdi or the mother was telling the story, it would be told completely different. If the story had been written from Sourdi’s point of view, we would know her feelings about the arranged marriage.We would also know her view of the relationship with her sister. If the story had been written from the mother’s point of view, we would know her reasons for wanting Sourdi to marry Mr. Chhay. We would also know more about her relationship with her daughters. Part III In â€Å"Saving Sourdi†, Nea’s culture affects the story because her family is Asian, and they are trying to adjust to life in America. This is important to take into consideration to understand why certain events are happening in the story. The fantasy of the American Dream is relevant to the story to show why they moved to America. The story states, â€Å"When we moved to South Dakota, I thought we’d find the real America, the one where we were supposed to be†¦Ã¢â‚¬ 

The stages of a business plan development

The stages of a business plan development This document is inclined to clearly stipulate and evaluate what I have contributed to the aim in taking place a realistically thought out business plan and what my intent and my involvement toward my fellow group members was. I am going to describe my own role in helping the team to achieve its goal in creation of the successful business plan. Also I will provide evidence of my contribution to the cohesiveness of the team and how I facilitated the completion of the team goals. My team includes Miss Stacey Coetzee, and Mr. Thokozani Nkambule. We three are good friends and we believe that running a business takes a lot of hard work and strong commitment. With that in mind, this is the individual reflective report of how the business plan for Coffi Bean came about, and how I have contributed toward it. Team Work A team is a group of people who work together on the same task. According to Dawson and Andriopoulos (2009), team formation and social dynamics go though five stages, called forming, storming, norming, performing, and adjourning. Forming This is the initial stage of putting the team together where individuals learn about each other and the team requirements as well as the challenges, expectations, and the overall structure of the team (Dawson Andriopoulos 2009 p:141).   This is also the information gathering and exploratory stage.   Anyone who has ever been put into a team or has been asked to form one will most definitely familiar with this phase and should be able to relate to it. Storming This is probably the noisier phase during which the members of the team all have their own ideas and directions that they want to go in (Dawson Andriopoulos 2009 p:141).   Oftentimes team members debate, critique, and confront each other to decide on the best course of action.   Im sure my group members can attest to the fact that we have definitely gone through our storming phase (or a few of them!).   This phase can be a bit uncomfortable and/or unpleasant but its still quite necessary for the growth and development of the team. Norming This is the phase where the team really starts to function and work together as a team.   Individuals start to understand each others work habits and ethic and everything seems much more natural.   Responsibility and roles are much more clearly defined, expectations are set, and collaboration is in full swing (Dawson Andriopoulos 2009 p:141).   Performing Not all teams reach this phase but those that do are the high-performing teams which have grown to become both knowledgeable and efficient at what they do.   Supervision goes down as individuals are now capable of making appropriate decisions.   This is essentially where the team really starts shining and delivering superior results (Dawson Andriopoulos 2009 p:141). Adjourning This phase refers to the team breaking up after the task has been completed (Dawson Andriopoulos 2009 p:141).   Most groups in all different types of settings will go through most of the stages over the course of a team forming process. When the lecturer first asked us to divide ourselves into groups in which we would have to develop a business plan, our group remained in the forming stage for quite a while.   It took us many days and many meetings to figure out what we were doing and make up a team.   We were four persons in the group but one of the members eliminated themselves for apparent reasons. In order to perform, I had to get persons which were somewhat more knowledgeable in certain aspects of business then I am, and unfortunately but gratefully everyone already had chosen people so the people that were left just decided to combine. Each member had or rather felt that they could specialize better in a field which they were more equipped in, and by this each member was automatically assigned to a specific part in the business plan. I was initially responsible for operations plan and the industry overview as I felt more fitted in this aspect of business, and as I always consider what people need and how t hings should be done. Stacey was assigned to concentrate on the marketing aspect, whilst Thokozani was granted doing the financial section and the position acquisition, because of his excellent capability in accounting field. We each typed out our own sections, as we felt we should all be present for explanation on the others disclosure and for approval reasons. Although the forming stage did take a while, we were able to cover most of the norming stage at the same time because we started knowing each other quite well.   Once we finally formed our team, the rest of the stages went much easier.   We were able to finish up the norming and began performing rather quickly.   Our group performed quite well together and spent very little time, if any, in the storming stage. We are currently finishing up the adjourning stage right now until the completion of our individual reflective reports. Process of the Initiation Firstly I came up with the idea of a coffee shop as my mother is always argumentative about how she likes her coffee and what she enjoys most about it. This was my sole inspiration, aside from the idea of a sports bar which I thought was a bit far-fetched as it required a lot of attention and reliable people. Each group member came up with an idea and we evaluated each, but our main focus was to concentrate on service, evidently we had to choose from an internet cafà ©, the sports bar, a mountain bike shop and the coffee shop, one member had suggested a casino and a clothing shop, we had brainstormed all these ideas and the next time we met we all gave our opinions on which would be more realistic and we decided on the coffee shop, we agreed upon the name Coffi-Bean which we felt is just a little bean about to erupt, solely because of its potential to grow extensively and because we had agreed on a slightly newly urbanized area Southdowns. Industry and Competitive Analysis I was responsible for the operations plan of the team and the analysis of Porters five forces. I was involved in decision making, providing ideas and opinions, running the sessions and the analyzing of Porters five forces. I motivated team members and myself to reach goals, and did planning before moving on to next parts of the business plan. Even though, this business plan was very hard and required a lot of work and was very time-consuming, our team worked very well together which made it easier. Incorrect decisions can waste investment funding and delay time to market, or worse, create corporate chaos that affects the very foundation of the firms financial stability (Drummond, Ensor Ashford 2008, p: 140). Thats why Stacey uncovered a market gap in the newly established location where the supply was smaller than demand. Relating to our business, gap analysis can be defined as an approach to identifying the unmet needs of consumers, in which respondents are asked to envisage the ideal coffee shop and then to rate various coffee shops on key attributes; if no existing coffee shop measures up to the ideal, a gap exists which could be filled by a coffee shop (Drummond, Ensor Ashford 2008, p: 146). Through detailed research of local and national market demand curves, we identified market gap opportunities that aligned with our strategic and tactical business growth objectives. The gap in the market was identified after Stacey brought to our attention that the coffee and restaura nt industry was booming at that present time, and that there was a demand for small cozy places that were not forming a part of the large generic chains. She also convinced us that the coffee business in general does not show signs of slowing down. And because of the new innovations such as flavorings and additives, the business would be viable and it should continue for some time. Looking back at our business plan, I still believe that we have chosen the right industry to be in because; at present, time is right for opening a coffee house. I did some research and found out that Coffee houses were having a great deal of success, which was and still is evidenced by the full houses every day of the week. And because Southdowns is a new area in Centurion it had no such places yet. A competitive analysis is a critical part of any business plans marketing plan. With this evaluation, we can establish what makes a product or service unique, and therefore what characteristic your business plays up in order to attract the target market (Hitt, Ireland, Hoskisson 2009, p:58). Competitive analysis can be defined as identifying the competitors and evaluating their strategies to determine their strengths and weaknesses relative to those of your own coffee shop (Hitt, Ireland, Hoskisson 2009, p:58). Looking back at the business plan, I have pin-pointed accurate key competitors. The biggest competition there was, was MuggBean located all the way in Centurion Mall. And a customer from our area had to drive 10 to 20 minutes, in order to reach that coffee house. The majorities of these establishments were and are located on the central side of town. And only a few were beginning to open in the newly established area. Presentation Experience A professional and well-written business plan is the foundation towards the growth and success of a business. However a good and high quality business plan presentation is an essential for companies seeking for funds. A business plan presentation is usually a type of lecture, given by an individual or group, on a specific work-related topic (Scarborough, Douglas Zimmerer 2009, p:217). The ideas presented should include industry research and plan outcomes, such as a new advertisement for a product designed to increase profits (Scarborough, Douglas Zimmerer 2009, p:217). The success of a business plan often depends not only on its contents, but also the quality of the presentation itself (Scarborough, Douglas Zimmerer 2009, p:217). Presenting the business plan was a frightening task. While I have no problem speaking in front of large group of people on just about any topic, opening our business plan and individual thoughts for criticism was very nerve wracking. I felt like the panel was looking at me like a deer caught in headlights. Straight after the presentation I felt uneasy and uncomfortable that maybe the panel hated the presentation and that they would say, oh, dont get him to speak again- he was boring! But after I have received the groups feedback, I realized where our problems were. I as well as my team members were reading too much from the slides and at the same time failed to include many of the important aspects of the business plan into our presentation. That said, I have learned that for all my future presentations I will be more clear about my objective, I will understand my audience, I will focus on the content and not the add-ons, I will get the audience to relate to the content and to always try and convey my point without reading from the slides. Alternative Scenario Looking back, I think our predictions for return on our investment and for future growth were just about right. We did take into account the losses that might occur despite this we kept in mind what we had learned that risk taking is all about business and thats what makes a success. Our chosen business was designed so that it could evolve with changing time, we focused on flexibility and constancy as our mere attraction was to seek loyalty in our market. We had researched coffee houses and concluded that they are viable; as people are becoming more demanding in our time on relaxation and a comfortable atmosphere, by identifying this we perceived that it is an ideal business opportunity. Although competition might be tight, we concentrated more on the fact that their arent any coffee houses in that specific shopping centre which also attracted us to that location and because Stacey is so keen on entertaining there arent any entertainment shops which we felt was a competitive edge the coffee house would have and although there is no cover charge for all entertainment events, Thokozani felt this was a good way to obtain funds on adding these extras. We might have disregarded our advertising costs a little, as we initially didnt want to spend a lot on our first opening as we were uncertain of the outcome, but most certainly the potential of the coffee shop is considerably a good opportunity. Even though I think that our business plan was just about right in order to achieve our growth objectives, there are still few points or alternative additions that I would have preferred to be included in it. No two business plans are alike, a business plan for one coffee shop say a casual, fast-food establishment will be much different than that for another coffee shop such as a formal sit-down place. Therefore it is the unique aspects of a restaurant that help to give it a competitive advantage. First, the business plan should have had the section that carefully explained food and beverage production. Where will food be prepared? What safety procedures would be implemented to protect employees and customers from the dangers of food poisoning? In preparing certain menu items (dishes), how will consistency be maintained (i.e. computerized recipe file, use of requisition forms, etc.)? Secondly, when Thokozani prepared the sales projections for our business plan, he should have take n into consideration the estimated number of meals and/or drinks that would be served daily/weekly/monthly, as well the average daily seat turnover and the average check. Usefulness of the Business Plan The business plans usefulness is not limited to helping the entrepreneurs raise funds to support the opening of the business (Madura 2009, p:208). The business plan will be used as a guide for making business decisions throughout the life of the business. It provides a sense of direction for businesses future development (Madura 2009, p:208). The success or failure of any firm is partially dependent on its business plan. A complete business plan normally includes an assessment of the business environment, a management plan, a marketing plan and a financial plan (Madura 2009, p:208). The restaurant business is a very challenging business field to enter. When starting a new business, we as owners will have a lot of decisions to make. Creating a high-quality business plan will allow an owner to have a guide to reference as challenges arise (Fullen 2005, p:184). A restaurant without a written and well-thought-out business plan runs an extremely high risk of failure in its first year of operation (Fullen 2005, p:184). In my opinion the part of the business plan which we didnt really look into were our actions to take when and if the unforeseen competition has to enter the market, unexpected expenses has arise or if our financing opportunities has to change based on the current economic situation. If by some chance these hardships do not occur, it is easier to adjust a restaurant business plan for that than it is for dealing with situations we did not anticipate and plan for. Conclusion Overall, I really enjoyed going through all the stages of the business plan development, because I was able to apply what I learned in class to a real-world situation.   Many classes teach you a bunch of stuff but never give you the opportunity to see it for yourself.   For instance, Ive learned so much about formulation of marketing, management and financial strategies, but have never had to go through that in real life.   Other classes teach you things, but you never use it until years later, at which time you have forgotten some, if not all of it.   I was able to take what I learned each week in class and use it to help me with the business plan.   I think this quick application of the principles allows for greater development as a leader will be able to use what I have learned now and years in the future.   I can also use our group formulation and development as an example when Im in future groups and build upon the successes and learn from the failures.   This busi ness plan made a big impact on me and the rest of my group. Sources Consulted Dawson, P Andriopoulos, C 2009, Managing Change, Creativity and Innovation, Sage Publications, London, UK Drummond, G Ensor, J Ashford, R 2008, Strategic Marketing: Planning and Control, Butterworth-Heinemann Publications, Oxford Fullen, S 2005, Opening a restaurant or other food business starter kit, Atlantic Publishing, Florida Hitt, M Ireland, D Hoskisson, R 2009, Strategic management: competitiveness and globalization: concepts cases, Cengage Leraning Publications, Ohio Madura, J 2007, Introduction to Business, Cengage Learning Publications, Ohio Scarborough, N Wilson, D Zimmerer, T 2009, Effective Small Business Management, Prentice Hall, London

Development Of Iago In Othello English Literature Essay

Development Of Iago In Othello English Literature Essay Iago is one of the most interesting and deeply developed characters in the tragedy Othello by William Shakespeare. Using carefully thought-out actions and words, Iago manipulates others to do things in a way that helps him and gets him to reach his aspirations. He is the driving force in this play, pushing Othello and every other character towards the tragic ending. Its first apparent that Iago is just your normal run of the mill villain but he is far more than that. Shakespeare has decided to make Iago amoral which adds a new depth to character and makes his actions even more villainous then they already were. Iago is a very smart character and this only aids him in his villainous ploy. Iago now starts revealing his plot to take down Othello. Being the intelligent character he is, Iago plays on Roderigos feelings for Desdemona and steals money from him. Thus do I ever make my fool my purse. For I mine own gained knowledge should profane if I would time expend with such a snipe but for my sport and profit. I hate the Moor, and it is thought abroad that twixt my sheets hes done my office. I know not if t be true, but I, for mere suspicion in that kind, will do as if for surety. He holds me wellà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Iago sees it as wasted time and knowledge if he didnt play on Roderigo and get money from him or even use him against Othello. Iago simply sees Roderigo as just being desposable and easy to toy with; just a stepping stone down his path of greed. In this quote he also explains explains one of the major reasons why he wants the ultimate fall of Othello and how he will manipulate Othello into believing that Cassio has had an affair with Desdemona. Along with being intelligent Iago is also a quick thinker and is able to tackle just about any situation that you may throw at him. We first see this when Roderigo is livid once he finds out Iagos scheme but Iago is able to make it seem a better and calm Roderigo down. He took Roderigos anger and twisted it into a way to better along his plan. If Roderigo is blinded by anger then it wont be hard for Iago to make him believe anything. Iagos long term goal is to make Othello look bad and what better way to do that then to make him think his wife is cheating on him? He takes her by the palm. Ay, well said, whisper! With as little a web as this will I ensnare as great a fly as Cassio. Ay, smile upon her, do, I will gyve thee in thine own courtship. You say true, tis so, indeed. If such tricks as these strip you out of your lieutenantryà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ By simply twisting around normal friendly actions he can make anything seem worse and that is just what he does with Cassio and Desdemonas relationship. Cassio and Desdemona are nothing more then simple friends but when Iago sees them interacting in a little more then a friendly way he thinks of a plan to make Othello believe that Desdemona is having an affair with Cassio. None of this would be possible if Iago didnt talk in such natural and vindictive speech. Iago talks in a lot of prose instead verse and that makes him a little easier to understand and get his point across. He also interacts as if he is genuinely trying to help Othello but in all reality he is only helping himself and praying that everyone else will fail. These interactions with other characters have led him to be known as Honest Iago even though he has already planted the seed of tragedy in Othellos mind. Iago is a master of abusing peoples trust to gain more power and further the completion of his goals, and he does this with Othello. He keeps the characters trusting him and believing that he is there for them and helping them until it all comes back on him. Iago is able to keep Cassios trust for as long as he needs it just by doing little favors like this; guaranteeing time with Desdemona. Ill send her to you presently, and Ill devise a mean to draw the Moor out of the way, that your converse and business may be more free. In order to keep their trust he must keep doing things throughout the play for them but keep his ending goal. What appears as a friendly gesture turns into a way to bring Cassio, Desdemona, and Othello down from their high graces. Iago sets up the situation then turns around and uses Cassios good looks, and flirtatious manner with women to play on what he already installed in Othellos mind about Desdemonas fidelity. In the end of the play he completely betrays Cassio and tells Roderigo to kill him. Neither of them are useful anymore to Iago so he sees no reason to keep them around any longer. I have rubbed this young quat almost to the sense, and he grows angry. Now, whether he kill Cassio or Cassio him, or each do kill the other, every way makes my gain. Live Roderigo, he calls me to a restitution large of gold and jewels that I bobbed from him as gifts to Desdemona. It must not be. If Cassio do remain he hath a daily beauty in his life that makes me uglyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Roderigo was nothing more then a vehicle in Iagos plot and now that he is done with Roderigo there is no need to keep him around and Cassio is the likely man to kill him. Iago has already made Cassio look bad in Othellos eyes and thats all he wanted to do but to Iago he doesnt care whether Roderigo kills Cassio or Cassio kills Roderigo because either way it is good for him. In the end of it Iago has to do it himself all while keeping up his perfect image. While Iago and Bianca are helping Cassio, Iago sends off Emilia to tell Othello but in turn Emilia reveals to Othello all about how evil and vindictive Iago is. Iago kills Emilia because she is nothing more than a nuisance and is the only person that can stop him from getting what he wants, but in the end it was Iago who really stopped himself. Iagos selfishness, scheming, lying and petty revenge are what lead to the death of everything Iago once knew; even himself.

Edvard Munch :: essays research papers fc

Robertson 1 It is a cold and damp day as I head to the news station. The wind outside has gusto and with each passing step I keep thinking to myself that any second I could scream because the wind is so fierce. The rain is pouring down and my umbrella seems to be malfunctioning due to a lack of strength in my wrist to hold it up. I am late, and afraid of what the boss will say. Today is a day that everyone in the studio has been talking about, today is the day that I meet the Norwegian artist we know as Edvard Munch. I step inside the building and am approached by my boss refusing to know, "Why did you insist to be late today, out of all days, do you know how many art critiques are watching?" I feel ashamed, but it is only a second before my moral is lifted and I am met by a man of great size. A man that is most known for his work on "The Scream" and here standing before me is Edvard Much. I approach Mr. Munch and shake his hand, it is a bit clammy and very cold and hard. I guess it will take technology longer than we think to get this reincarnation thing down right. He smiles, although I am not so sure that I wanted him to, I have never seen someone whose teeth were as awfully stained as his, but then again, death will do that to you. Kelly: Hello sir, I am glad to meet you, so glad that you could grace us with you presence. Please have a seat, they will be doing a countdown any minute before we go on, your not nervous are you? Edvard: Grace? Your scientists were the ones that thought it would appease society to see someone reincarnated, I was having a joyous time up in Heaven with all the oils, and the canvases, and the lights and darks. Nervous, not at all. I don't get nervous anymore, not ever since the time that I put out my first piece of artwork. Robertson 2 Camera man: And three, two, one. Alright, your on. Kelly: Good morning art critiques all across America. I am Kelly Robertson doing a special report today with Edvard Munch. Yes, that is right, we are the first to try reincarnation for the first time at the station and successfully manage to succeed.

Environmental Management Essay -- Environment, Forest Officials, Poli

The role of the State is still crucial to twenty-first century environmental policy making. The State through its various different organizations is involved in implementing policies related to the direct and active manipulation of the environment (Wilson, 1997). The State devises a set of rules governing the access and withdrawals of the resource stock (Grafton, 2000). For example, forest officials, such as the Forestry Commission in the United Kingdom directly manages and exploits state owned forests. The State’s indirect environmental management policy role is often considered the most important. The distinctive feature of the State is that it has control through coercion in a given territory. Through the perspective of environmental management policies, this is important as the State is lawfully in a -position to force non-State environmental managers in the pursuit of its own policy and environmental outlook (Wilson, 1997). State policies designed to regulate logging on p rivate and publicly owned land are enforced through legal acts and contravention of these regulations could lead to prosecution. These official policies require non-State environmental managers to alter their practices in line with rules set by the state (Wilson, 1997; UK Forestry Standard, 2011). Therefore, State environmental management policies are designed to control the environmental management practices of other groups associated with taking from and adding to the environment. The uniqueness of the State’s policy making role is that it holds great responsibility for the promotion of the common good for all within the national territory and has the authority to fulfil this. Consequently the State plays an enormous role in environmental policy making. Alt... ...nge. The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity are both environmental regimes established under the auspices of the United Nations. Agreements such as these provide a criterion for positive environmental action whereas their related protocols outline specific ways to address particular features of the overall environmental problem. Under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, the Kyoto Protocol assigns emission reduction targets to States, aiming to reduce global warming. The internationalism of environmental management is predominantly constructed upon the commitment, negotiations and agreements between individual States. This new structure of environmental management reflects the growth of a global civil society and has mobilised States at the international level. Environmental Management Essay -- Environment, Forest Officials, Poli The role of the State is still crucial to twenty-first century environmental policy making. The State through its various different organizations is involved in implementing policies related to the direct and active manipulation of the environment (Wilson, 1997). The State devises a set of rules governing the access and withdrawals of the resource stock (Grafton, 2000). For example, forest officials, such as the Forestry Commission in the United Kingdom directly manages and exploits state owned forests. The State’s indirect environmental management policy role is often considered the most important. The distinctive feature of the State is that it has control through coercion in a given territory. Through the perspective of environmental management policies, this is important as the State is lawfully in a -position to force non-State environmental managers in the pursuit of its own policy and environmental outlook (Wilson, 1997). State policies designed to regulate logging on p rivate and publicly owned land are enforced through legal acts and contravention of these regulations could lead to prosecution. These official policies require non-State environmental managers to alter their practices in line with rules set by the state (Wilson, 1997; UK Forestry Standard, 2011). Therefore, State environmental management policies are designed to control the environmental management practices of other groups associated with taking from and adding to the environment. The uniqueness of the State’s policy making role is that it holds great responsibility for the promotion of the common good for all within the national territory and has the authority to fulfil this. Consequently the State plays an enormous role in environmental policy making. Alt... ...nge. The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity are both environmental regimes established under the auspices of the United Nations. Agreements such as these provide a criterion for positive environmental action whereas their related protocols outline specific ways to address particular features of the overall environmental problem. Under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, the Kyoto Protocol assigns emission reduction targets to States, aiming to reduce global warming. The internationalism of environmental management is predominantly constructed upon the commitment, negotiations and agreements between individual States. This new structure of environmental management reflects the growth of a global civil society and has mobilised States at the international level.

Art and Humanities Essay

The Music I associate with from my early childhood would be so many different songs from like the alphabet songs. When I grew up we were not allowed watching TV so much in the 70’s. But we watched some cartoons like the Surf’s on Saturday mornings; I still remember the song Fa-la-la-la. I grew up listing to reggae and oldies but goodies music on my parents little radio in the living room. When I hear these songs I have a smile on my face. It always reminded me when my children was listening to some of the same kind of music either on Television or radio or when they watched cartoons like Old MacDonald or Bitsy Spider with the same good old folk rhymes. As I got older I remember listening to bands like the S. O. S. , Dazz band. My mom always made me play her cassette deck with her oldies or reggae music while she cleaned the house top to bottom. She always danced around while she was cleaning and it made cleaning looked like so much fun. And to this day if I help my wife with house chores I listen to the same kind of music then my mother was listening to. My daughter is the exact same way; she plays music all the times. The Music I associate with my adolescence is R&B disco music from the 1980’s and 90’s. I loved mostly all of them and I would listen to any songs â€Å"I want to be your man† by Rogers or Keith Sweat â€Å"Make it last forever†, â€Å"Between the sheets† by The Isley Brothers, I could just go on and on. I went through many phases where I start listening to Madonna or country music and different artists like them, but I believe it had something do to with being a young boy growing up. Up to this day I could listen to all the same artists, bands or songs and think about the carefree days I had and being a high school boy being crazy with all my friends. But there was a time in my life where I was real crazy and just listening to rap music and started using the bad words and believe me that was not for long because my mother got rid of all my rap music quickly. And now if my children would listen to some rap music I tell them please not in my home. When it comes to comfort in music I always find myself going back and listen to oldies or reggae that was always  playing when my mother was cleaning the house. It was an everyday thing for my mom because it seemed that our home was never clean enough for her because we were six children coming in from football fields dirty or the backyard. But anytime I came into the house the same oldies or reggae music was playing, it was either Bob Marley† Buffalo Soldiers† or the oldies song† Let’s stay together† by Al Green When I have a bad day or just want to relax I find myself sitting down and turn on music and listen to the 70’s or 80’s songs, because that is what gets my head clear and then I can focus again. Happiness is a mood I would associate with songs or music that has a good rhythm and has a positive message. The song that makes me happy is â€Å"Buffalo Soldiers† by Bob Marley just like my mother, she would play that song over and over again. I would say that every genre and style of music has it songs that are happy, sad, comforting, depressing, fun and any other mood or feeling one could have. This is not because of how the song really sounds or the way it’s played, it’s the meaning from the lyrics. But the listener interprets the song in a way that only you can relate to. That is why music is so important to me because it can be a musical time line of our memories. I will always remember the music I grew up with and all the god times I had as a child and this is what I took into my Adulthood. In my life, music has been a constant, ever changing magical and amazing adventure. Music has always been a part of an everyday life for so many years and so many more years to come, because no matter if we understand the music that the one likes or not it does not matter to us. All we need to know is what we like and what impact music has on us. Music may make a person happy or sad because of the memories they re-live. No matter what it might be you must know that music is needed and wanted. References: Altschuler, R. J. (2009). The Art of Being Human: The Humanities as a Technique for Living. Retrieved from: www. youtube. com/watch? v=S5FCdx7Dn0o Retrieved from: www. youtube. com/watch? v=RCcg7ctrC4w.

Applying Resource Based View to Strategic Human Resource Essay

What is Resource Based View in Strategic Management? Almost all business management courses have a module that includes study of  strategic management. Our homework helps experts have expertise in the field of strategic management. There are different perspectives and approaches to field of strategic management. This blog post would discuss in detail what resource based view of strategic management is. This perspective stresses and based on the perspective that resources of the company whether tangible or intangible like brand name, assets, cash, customer loyalty, research and development capabilities are an important and main aspect while forming or pursuing a unique strategic position for a company. This concept of strategic management rather than being driven by the environment is internally resource driven and in this perspective of strategic management the organization is viewed as a collection of capabilities and competences. Organizations leverage new actives from its existing core competencies. According to Barney (1991) analysis of the impact of a firm’s environment on its competitive position is based on two assumptions. First, firms within an industry or a strategic group are identical in terms of strategic relevant sources they control and the strategies they pursue and second, these models assume that should resources heterogeneity develop in an industry or group will be very short lived because the resources that firms use to implement their strategies are highly mobile i. e. they can be bought or sold in factor markets (Barney, 1991). Resource based view assumes that companies within an industry or group may be heterogeneous with respect to the strategic resources they control and these are not perfectly mobile, thus heterogeneity can be long lasting (Barney, 1991). Simply, it is suggested that firm resources may be heterogeneous and immobile. According to Daft (1983), â€Å"firm resources include all assets, capabilities, organisational processes, firm attributes, information, knowledge, etc. controlled by a firm that enable the firm to conceive of and implement strategies that improve its efficiency and effectiveness†. According to Barney (1991), firm resources that hold the potential for sustained competitive advantage must have four attributes which are valuable, rare, In-imitable, and non-substitutable. So in resource based view of the firm, strategy of the firm is basically dependent on firms’ resources. This view again as the market based view is focus on some important aspects but at the same time ignores some other basic aspects of strategy formulation for a company. So resource based view of the firm is also not a balanced view. We hope that this blog post is useful for the students and practitioners of the field ofstrategic management. Please email us toinfo@assignmenthelpexperts. com  if you need any  strategic management  helpregarding the module of strategic management. The Resource Based View (RBV), argued by some to be at the foundation of modern HRM,[13]  focusses on the internal resources of the organisation and how they contribute to competitive advantage. The uniqueness of these resources is preferred to homogeneity and HRM has a central role in developing human resources that are valuable, rare, difficult to copy or substitute and that are effectively organized. Overall, the theory of HRM argues that the goal of human resource management is to help an organization to meet strategic goals by attracting, and maintaining employees and also to manage them effectively. The key word here perhaps is â€Å"fit†, i. e. a HRM approach seeks to ensure a fit between the management of an organization’s employees, and the overall strategic direction of the company (Miller, 1989). The resource-based view to strategic human resource management (SHRM) focuses on the costly to copy attributes of the firm as the fundamental drivers of performance and competitive advantage (Cooner 1991). Linking to the understanding of the resource based view of the firm; Barney (1991) described competitive advantage as â€Å"when a firm is implementing a value creating strategy not simultaneously being implemented by any current or potential competitors†. The task is to maintain this competitive advantage in such a way that competitors’ efforts to replicate that advantage are frustrated and eventually cease. The resource-based view focuses on the promotion of sustained competitive advantage through the development of the human capital rather than merely aligning human resources to current strategic goals (Torrington et al 2002). This essay will show various ways on how the resource-based view of SHRM in organisations can contribute to enhanced organisational performance. Human resources can provide competitive advantage for the business, as long as they are unique and can not be copied or substituted for by competing organisations, competitive success not coming from simply making choices in the present, but from building up distinctive capabilities over significant periods of time (Boxall 1996).

Evolution of Medicare Essay

Abstract The article briefly describes about the Medicare and its benefits. The article also explains the loopholes in the Medicare policy and why it lacks certain vital aspects. Finally in the concluding remarks I have explained the gray areas where the Medicare needs some rectification and improvement to help serve its purpose. Evolution of Medicare According to the US Department of Health and Human Services, Medicare is stated as a health insurance program for people aged 65 years and above or people with disabilities but under 65 years of age and/or people suffering from end-stage renal disease such as permanent kidney failure. Diane Rowland stated that Medicaid originated based on companion legislation enacted in 1965 providing â€Å"federal matching grants to states to finance care.† According to Tricia Neuman, Medicare covers about 41 million people with 35 million elderly and 6 million disabled below 65 years of age. Medicare can be classified into following parts: Part A – Inpatient hospital care and limited skilled nursing care Part B – Physician services and other outpatient hospital services Part C – HMO’s and other private care (Combination of Part A and Part B) Part D – Outpatient prescription drug coverage.   The US Department of Health and Human Services stated that an individual is eligible for Medicare if S/he or spouse has been employed for a minimum of â€Å"10 years in a Medicare covered government employment† and is 65 years or above and a permanent resident cum citizen of the US. An individual below 65 years of age but suffering from a disability or end-stage renal disease would also qualify to avail of Medicare services. According to the National Medicare Commission some of the important points to be noted are as follows: Without reform Part A of trust fund is bound to become bankrupt in the year 2008. Medicare beneficiaries are already paying 30% of their health care costs from their pockets for items such as premiums, services and products not covered under Medicare. The Annual Medicare expenditure is expected to rise in the range of $2.2 trillion to $3 trillion by 2030. Consequently the Medicare spending would occupy a â€Å"larger part of the federal budget† and funding for other important programs like national defense, justice, health and safety and environmental protection will potentially get affected. According to Holly Sklar, besides being costly the US ranks 29th in World Health Organization healthy life expectancy rankings and sad to note that US is behind 36 other countries in child mortality of age less than five years. According to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) the United States topped with a 15% spending of its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) on health in 2003 in comparison to an average of 8.6% spending in 30 other OECD countries. Despite the fact that US tops among the OECD countries in spending from its GDP, some of the startling facts are that it has lesser number of physicians, nurses and hospital beds per person and fewer MRI and CT scanners than an average OECD nation. â€Å"Lack of health insurance is killing many more Americans than terrorism.† After a brief discussion about Medicare, it is clear that reforms need to take place on an immediate basis to avoid bankruptcy of Part A of trust fund and the steps seem to be moving in a right direction with regard to charging higher premiums to those with higher incomes, thus bringing in equality in treatments. A flaw rectified recently was in respect of outpatient drug benefit, but there needs to be some more improvement so as to provide long term care and also provide hearing aids, eyeglasses and dental care. References Medicare Eligibility Tool. The US Department of Health and Human Services. Page retrieved from: http://www.medicare.gov/MedicareEligibility/home.asp?dest=NAV%7CHome%7CGeneralEnrollment&version=default&browser=IE%7C7%7CWinXP&language=English Diane Rowland. Medicaid: The Basics (2005). Kaiser Commission on Medicaid. Powerpoint presentation available on: http://www.kaiseredu.org/tutorials/medicaidbasics/medicaid.html Tricia Neuman. Medicare 101 (2005). The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. Powerpoint presentation available on: http://www.kaiseredu.org/tutorials/Medicare%20101/Medicare101.html National Medicare Commission. The Facts About Medicare. National Bipartisan Commission on the Future of Medicare. Page retrieved from: http://medicare.commission.gov/medicare/factpage4.html Holly Sklar. Time for Health Care for All on Medicare’s 40th Anniversary (2005). Politics of Health. page retrieved from: http://politicsofhealth.org/main/time_for_health_care_for_all_on_medicare_s_40th_anniversary