Managing Improvement Essay

AC 2.1: Assess an opportunity for innovation and improvement in own organisation As already discussed in Section 1, business productivity and change cannot occur without effecting people’s psychology to effect change. I initially felt that supervision would be fundamental to addressing and identify issues to allow reflection to plan a way forward to address issues, such as, performance management, productivity, effectiveness and understanding the views of the individuals to effect and improve individuals and team goals, and linking this to the business plan. This approach I felt would assist in establishing the individual’s goals to reaching and exceeding key performance indicators, such as completing assessments within timescales, as communication would be flowing in respect of planning and execution, as change can only be effectively implemented through proper planning and communication (Peter, 2006) â€Å"For supervision to be effective it needs to combine a performance management approach with a dynamic, empowering and enabling supervisory relationship. Supervision should improve the quality of practice, support the development of integrated working and ensuring continuing professional development† (pg 141, Tilmouth &Quallington, 2012). An example of this is ensuring workers understand why performance targets are in place. For example if a worker is told they have to have a assessment completed within a specific time but are given no reason for this then their motivation to complete the requested assessment does not occur. However, if you explain that delay in assessments create delays in services that are provided for children, and this could have a detrimental impact. This therefore gives reason and creditability to a worker which gives meaning and this can result in the work being completed as required and therefore  ensuring targets are met in respect of time management in line with the identified business plan, and guidance and audits in respect of Ofsted are met. Crawford 2013, would agreed with me as he believes that failure in executing change is not due to the strategy but in the way the change is delivered and executed in respect of staff psychology (2013, Building and Effective Change Management Organisation Second Edition) I realised by giving reason and understanding as to why such deadlines and expectations were in place and allowing staff members to reflect on this, putting ideas in place, such as how work load management could be addressed. This not only motivated staff but this effected a change in their views regarding their own practice, this conspired to have a positive ripple effect with regard to service delivery as a whole unit. This approach also assisted in addressing areas that Ofsted had risen especially with regard to listening and communicating with staff to effect positive change and also how we could improve the current work load management system. This saw an increase in productivity and we as a team were going over and above the expected targets in all areas in respect of services; service delivery and identifying services that would be efficient with regard to addressing concerns and putting appropriate interventions in place instead of reverting to crisis management like we had been criticised for previously. Nevertheless, issues continued to be identified with regard to achieving in all areas of the business plan for example issues around cost, consistent supervision and identifying training needs. This was due to implications in respect of policies and procedures, as there was no system in place that could â€Å"assess† workload management and also consider what was needed to monitor the success and efficiently in respect of meeting the services users needs, Ofsted and also issues such as cost, especially as overtime had significantly increased to ensure timely responses and reduce delay. This therefore was not addressing the issue with regard to productivity and effectiveness. I also sensed that delays in some respects were being created to enable staff to claim money with regard to overtime. Therefore, I was still identifying issues in respect of staff member’s psychology in respect of meeting targets as their views still appeared disjointed and addressing  this and progressing staff through change with regard to addressing work load management in respect of meeting all key performance indictor would initially be a difficult task to achieve especially in respect of meeting the business plan and Ofsted’s expectations in relation to areas such as cost, consistent supervision and guidance in respect of work load management and training need. Therefore this created an opportunity for me to develop a system to improve work load management and create systems to enable work load management to be audited to ensure it was meeting all the requirements with regard to the business plan and Ofsted. AC 2.2: Justify the improvement identified, in the context of organisation objectives As already discussed it became apparent that the workload management system needed to be developed and changed to enable staff to meet the required targets, especially as current policy and political agenda was highlighting this as a significant issue in respect of work load and work load management (Munro 2011). As this was known to be impacting on production, cost and linked to serious case reviews throughout the UK. I found within all political agenda, the local authority business plan and Ofsted, their reference to work load, considered and discussed the number of cases people had, but no consideration was given to the complexities of the cases and therefore impacting on the time and resources that would be required. I believed this was having a significant impact on moving forward and assessing issues such as productivity, staff member’s development/training and cost. Therefore, a system needed to be in place to evaluate and identify staff member’s workloads which could address and assist with the issues raised above. Furthermore within team meetings this issue was being raised by staff members. Therefore, I considered that a system was needed that looked at not only the number of cases people held but the level of complexity and this in my opinion could be a fair system than people being given a set number of cases. In order to address, assess and justify the improvements required I needed to look at a framework to assist me in how to effect the change to improve work  load management in respect of this. This was how the â€Å"point† system was born. I will discuss further within the next sections how this system was developed and the justification for the system. Within the current environment I work in today Solution Focused Approach is applied to all parts of the business, this includes problem solving, reviewing and acknowledging what is to be achieve, by analyse and identify – including what works well and what may have to be done differently to achieve and then of course making adjustments and taking a step forward to make the changes. Although this theory I felt would be useful in respect of assisting with the psychology of change and the transition through change with staff I felt I needed a theory which would assist me in pinpoint the issues and identifying quickly innovation and changes required in order to put actions in to place and put timescales around those actions. In order to monitor success and of course address areas for development Therefore, I believed that the SWOT analysis would enable me to understand the issues, review innovation and of course implement the change. This method would also assist in the justification of change or identify if change was necessary. Swot Analysis is a structured planning method used to evaluate strengths weakness opportunities and threats involved in undertaking a task or project. This enables the internal and external factor to be considered with regard to achieving an objective. Helpful Harmful Internal Origin Strengths Complexities of work would be identified and levels in respect of right members of staff completing the work would be identified. Clearer planning and time scales with regard to staff meeting targets as the  level of complexity had been identified. Identifying training needs Creating a clear guide for supervision with regard to performance management that promotes consistent supervisions as the format used would be in place throughout the local authority. Targets being incorporated into one document would be able to monitor key performance indictors Cost as this could reduce overtime as this could assist with staff not being overloaded. Weakness Staff not buying in. The points system being business and performance lead and not addressing the personal aspect in respect of the individual. This would result in limited buy in from staff and the transition of change being hindered and placing barriers with regard to change. Time in respect of managers having to review and implement the points system Assessment not being completed to an appropriate standard as focus being on time and work load. External Origin Opportunities Productivity and efficiently with regard to services users having their needs met. A more effective service Reduction in public spending Threats Cost regarding change of systems Not meeting Ofsted’s standards resulting in failure This Swot Analysis enabled me to consider and plan a framework in respect of how a pointing system could work. I developed a pointing system in respect of weekly expectations and identified points for a number of tasks that had to be undertaken throughout the week. I also consider other issues that would also need to be taken into account including staff member’s personal issues such as holidays and training as I knew they would also have to be considered and reflected within the points systems. I also realised that this tool would assist in the justification of paying overtime as if staff members were over pointed then overtime could be paid. The points I developed were reflected as the number of hours a week a member of staff works and the more complex the case the higher the points were increased. I also consider guidance that was provided from the government and Ofsted in respect of caseloads and the management of case loads to ensure the point system met all their requirements. The points plan was then put before senior management and was approved to be used under a pilot scheme to see if this had a positive change in respect of work load management, for example, productivity (consistent supervisions as a guide would be in place regarding performance management), identifying training needs and cost. AC 2.3: Use a range of techniques to generate innovative options to deliver the improvement identified Although I had used Swot Analysis in respect of planning and developing change as I knew a change needed to happen. I was still in a position in which I did not know how to go about delivering it. Where did I start? Whom did I involve? And how did you see it through? I therefore recognised that I needed a methodology to assist me in taking leadership in effecting and assess the change that I was trying to achieve.  I found there was numerous methods, tools and models, each with their own strengths and weaknesses. However, as previously discussed and identified by Hiatt and Creasey (2012), I needed a methodology that would not only engineer an approach to improving business performance but would also address the psychology to managing the human side of change. I considered Prosci Change Management Methodology Maturity Model as this focuses on the â€Å"the people side of change†. â€Å"The model reinforces the need for individuals to change and understand change by instilling: Awareness: This is recognizing the need for change. Desire: Who needs to participate in the change? Knowledge: Who has the knowledge to guide the change? Ability: Who will implement skill sets and change behaviours? Reinforcement: Who will lay the foundation for change initially and for the future?† (Hiatt & Creasy, 2012) However this focused too heavily on the individual and I needed a model that not only looked at the individual psychology to change but also engineered an approach to improving business performance, in which a leadership role could be filter though and assist in an opportunity to reflect to ensure the changes being made when beneficial for staff, meeting the business plan and also meeting the guidance set out by Ofsted. If this was incorrect then the consequences would be detrimental resulting in the local authority failing. Therefore a process was require in which the change could be constantly reviewed and adapted to ensure it was meeting all the needs initially identified. I found most methodologies that I reviewed derived from Kotter’s 8 steps to change. Kotter 1995 identified an 8-Step process for leading change. The key principle covered by each of these steps relates to establishing strong leadership, people’s response, ability and approach to change. Step 1: Establishing a Sense of Urgency Step 2: Creating the Guiding Coalition Step 3: Developing a Change Vision Step 4: Communicating the Vision for Buy-in Step 5: Empowering Broad-based Action Step 6: Generating Short-term Wins Step 7: Never Letting Up Step 8: Incorporating Changes into the Culture. Therefore this model would allow me to see where the business was at the present time and identify areas of improvement and the strengths already in place. It would assist in steering it in the right direction and put actions and goals in place to meet the short and long term objectives, not only identified in the business plan but also in respect of Ofsted, services user’s needs and staffs needs. AC 2.4: Evaluate options for generating the proposed improvement to determine feasibility and viability As previously discussed and highlighted in Section 1, a work load management scheme was in place and it had been deemed appropriate although it was raised that there was still areas that needed improvement which had been raised in the Ofsted inspection in 2013. This needed to be addressed and reviewed in order for improvements to be seen in respect of Stockton’s rating in relation to Ofsted. The areas as already discussed were in respect of supervision, timeliness of social workers responses and assessment in respect of service delivery and cost. And as discussed although there was a system in place which was deemed to be appropriate, it was evident from staff, senior management and Ofsted that this had to be developed to meet the needs of the service as it was still creating inconsistencies in the areas raised above. Therefore the system I reviewed and planned would, and was evaluated to create the outcomes we were trying to improve in the areas identified. It would be keeping in line with the business plan and the expectations of Ofsted but also with what staff members were requesting to develop a system that assisted them in the day to  day management of their workload. It appeared feasible to put this plan into place as it appeared achievable as it was in line with all the recommendations and there was already a foundation for this to be built upon with the current work load management system in place. Also the cost to the development and structure of this plan would be minimal and could hopefully see a reduction in government spending. However, I recognised there could be disruptions to the delivery and putting the plan in place with regard to the new workload system, in relation to how this was rolled out and managed with the organisation. Especially, if it was not conveyed appropriately as resistance would occur and internal and external factors already previously discussed would be impacted upon and not appropriately addressed. This would therefore create a barrier and could potentially prevent the change from occurring , therefore not addressing the issues raised by Ofsted and Ofsted potentially failing the local authority as the issues identified in the previous audit had not been addressed. Learning outcome/ Section 3: Be able to lead and manage change within a organisation, planning and implementing a project to meet, and if possible exceed, customer expectation AC 3.1: Create a change in management and improvement plan that is designed to meet and possible exceed customers and other stakeholders expectations Therefore to address the issues raised in section 2 of this assignment I used Kotter’s 8 step process, 1995, to assist me and lead the change in respect to putting the work load management â€Å"points† system in place to change how work load management was evaluated and reviewed. This is how I approached it: – In respect of Step 1: Establish a sense of urgency: As already identified for a change to happen it helps if all involved wants  the change to happen. It was already identified that this change was wanted by all, including Ofsted, senior management and ground staff. Therefore this created a sense of urgency and as already discussed these issues had been raised from supervisions, team meetings management meeting and Ofsted audit. This therefore sparked the motivation required, and although ideas had been formed people were also contributing and providing ideas to establish a way forward. As already discussed this was not about focusing and criticising individuals on what was not working but providing an honest and transparent dialogue about expectations and the impact it has on as whole in respect of Ofsted, services users and staff themselves. This created a positive vibe in respect of doing things differently in relation to work load management. Kotter 1995 suggests that for change to be successful over 75% of the work force involved has to buy into the change. This was why I worked hard within individual supervision, team meetings and management meetings to create and build a sense of urgency as I recognised appropriate preparation was required so everyone involved could move to the next step and be confident that they felt a change was required and that they would buy into this change. Step 2: Creating the Guiding Coalition I recognised that I had to stand strong as a leader and have clear conviction as to how the change would not only impact staff but would be beneficially in respect of meeting Ofsted targets and the business plan, for example, to using this as a tool to develop supervision so supervision became for consistent. I realised if I had key significant people support this vision that they could assist on the development of the change. For example the policy and procedure business manager found the ideas regarding the change regarding work load management would be beneficial and he believed it could be incorporated in to the current policies and procedures and recognised that this could have a positive effect in respect of meeting targets for Ofsted in a very innovative way. As a result of this a steering group was developed and incorporated in this group was myself, senior management, management and ground staff. Step 3: Developing a Change Vision As already discussed I provided my vision and plan which I had developed using SWOT Analysis. We used this tool as the bases to develop the idea I had initially formed. This enabled ideas to be tweaked slightly but it provided an overall vision which people could grasp and easily remember. This allowed people to see what was trying to be achieved and gave a sense of direction. From this a format, a tool regarding the points system and a points system was developed which was not only going to be used as a weekly guide for the Assessment Team but was going to be developed for all teams within the local authority but would be adapted for the needs of the individual teams. Once again bring consistency within the whole of the organisation. Step 4: Communicating the Vision for Buy-in I found that communication was key to any form of change and in the initial stages of the development, discussion were held constantly with everyone regarding how systems could be put in place to effect positive change with regard to workload management (in respect of delivery, reviewing and monitoring), and throughout the process I discussed progress and issues we were finding with everyone to prepare people for the change but also to make people part of the change. So many times i have found especially within local authorities â€Å"special meetings† are held to communicate a vision, however, in my view this does not assist with regard to preparing people and assisting people to go through that transition of change. I found talking about it at every chance assisted in people taking ownership of the change and being part of the decision making and also problem solving if issues did arise. It also helps for people to have a clear understanding and promotes a consistent structure. AC 3.2: implement the plan, monitoring progress against agreed targets Step 5: Empowering Broad-based Action When I reached this point I found the majority of the staff members were excited about the changes and were ready for it to commencement in respect of the overhaul in relation to work load management. However, I did find  there were a few people who were resisting with regard to the changes and were reluctant to see how the changes would be of benefit to them. They focused heavily on that their overtime would be reduced and they questioned how the points system would be monitor in relation to ensuring the point for the different levels of complexities were monitor and pointed correctly. I found there was justification in their concerns and realised quickly if these barriers were not addressed the feasibility and execution of the points system would fail, therefore, there had to be some consideration as to how this could be reviewed not only by management but by all including staff and Ofsted who would of course question why different levels of complexities had been pointed. I found the answer was already in place which had been highly commended by Ofsted and this was our Performance Indicator clinics. This system already reviewed on an individual/team basis the throughput of work. By adjusting this slightly we could still review the throughput of work but develop it to ensure the points and time given to different complexities of work married with the time given for work to be completed. This also would assist in the following step to see within a short period of time if the system was achieving goals which would boast motivation as people’s achievement would be highlighted immediately. The proposal of the slight changes in the performance clinic staff became empowered and became ready for the pilot scheme to commence. Staff members were feeling confident and were discussing the benefits to the system and this was already being structured into case and personal supervisions. This resulted in the pilot scheme starting. Step 6: Generating Short-term Wins As planned the system very quickly identified short term wins in respect of the distribution of work for example instead of people have 14 cases each, where one person may have 14 cases of high complexity and another may have a case load of 14 of low complexity people were feeling that cases were being evenly distributed and this was evidence by the points sheets being distributed to staff and senior management. Performance clinics were also identifying that the throughput of work was increasing as people cases were more manageable as they were being evenly distributed. It was also evidencing training needs for individuals to support them with the different  complexities of cases and in respect of cost we found that overtime reduced as people were managing to complete work in the required time. However, staff members were able to justify immediately if they required overtime, if they were over pointed and this had a positive motivating feel for all involved. As a result we developed as a team that instead of allowing assessments to go 45 days, assessment that could be completed at an early stage would be done so, and this was managed and reviewed within fortnightly case supervision, creating a consistent supervision guide. This developed a very positive attitude to work load management in which individuals were becoming accountable for monitoring and reviewing their own case load and giving them self time scales, which they were taking ownership of, with oversight from management. This had a significant change with regard to figures in respect of the turnover of assessment and when this was reviewed by the government statistics against other local authorities we were being commended for the assessment being completed in a timely manner and we did not have one assessment that went out of timescales which in this day and age is a huge achievement. To ensure assessment were still to a high level, assessment were still being quality assured by management and also being audit regularly by senior management and due to positive feedback this created a very motivated work force. Step 7: Never Letting Up Kotter 1995 argues that many change projects fail because victory is declared too early although we realised that this change was very positive and it was having a positive effects, we knew the long term goal would have to ensure that this system then assisted and filtered into all core business, for example rolling through the all the teams, ensuring a reduction in government spending and ensuring standards remained high in respect of Ofsted audit. We knew this was a bases that could be used and developed to meet the needs of all of the services but it needed to be continued to be built upon and opportunities would continue to be identified to improve the service. Therefore key to this was developing it and linking it to all core business which was initially discussed in section 2 by the business and policy and procedure management. Quick wins are therefore only the beginning of what is needed to be done to achieve long-term change, as each success provides an opportunity to build on what went right and identify what you can improve. Step 8: Incorporating Changes into the Culture. Therefore to ensure the changes stood we looked at rolling it out to all of the core business within the whole organisation. The feedback within the entire organisation from refuge collection to maintenance in respect of the points system was very positive as it was a system that was adaptable to meet every section of the local authority. In respect of senior management they had a system that clearly showed performance and identified areas of strength and weakness and what needed to be done to build on these areas, and in respect of staff they had a tool that assisted them on a day to day basis in respect of work load management. This assisted in the change becoming solid in the organisational culture and this has lead to positive support by everyone involved. This was reinforced further by the audit which I discussed in Section 1 in which Northumberland found the system that we developed was so exceptional that they believed that this would assist in the their organisation. This therefore is not only being seen in our organisation now but it is now being rolled out to other local authorities and positive feedback is being given and this continues to promote the support and the continuation of the change. Therefore when we are audited by Ofsted we hope the changes made will increase our rating as an effectively run local authority. Reference 2013, John Crawford. (Building and Effective Change Management Organisation Second Edition) [pdf] London: Crawford Consultant. Available at http://http://crawford consulting.org [Accessed 01/12/2014]. Hiatt, J.M.., & Creasey, T. J. (2012) Change Management the People Side of Change. Colorado, USA: Prosci Learning Center. Kotter, J.P. (1995): Leading Change, United States: Harvard Business School Press. Munro, E (2011) The Munro Review of Child Protection: A Child Centred System. London: The Stationary Office Limited 2006, Peters A.H. (Understanding and Managing Change) [pdf] Sydney, Australia: The Project Perfect White Paper Collection. Available at http://www.projectperfect.com.au [Accessed 7 November 2014]. Tilmouth, T., & Quallington, J. (2012) Level 5 Diploma in Leadership for Health and Social Care and Children and Young People’s Services. Oxon: Bookpoint Ltd.

Art Comparison Analysis

Holloway, Enejor Art Appreciation- James November 2012 Visual Analysis 13. 9 Peter Paul Rubens The abduction of the Daughters of Leucippus is a European painting, involving sexual erotica and cultural indication of masculinity and femininity. The painting’s imagery consists of blue skies, shimmering and a variety of textures to add to the rich surface and the sensual color harmonies. All figures are placed in a diamond shape, suggesting ongoing movement. On the left, dark tones act as a foil to the lighter areas in the center.Textures such as armor, satin, flesh, and hair, are all painted in a significant way. The painting specifies what was considered masculine and feminine in Flanders, 1617, and the type of roles women and men played, which is where the texture and elements of the painting become important because of the way the women is painted in the piece, she is displayed as voluptuous, soft and fleshy looking which was considered sexually attractive and a sign of health and wealth.The statement: The battle of the sexes is a necessity of nature, is a statement of symbolism associated with this painting The women were a lot more pale than the men of this time hinting that they probably stayed indoors and the men on the other hand who mainly participated in outdoor activity were darker skinned, also muscular. The painting illustrates, through the figure’s positioning, that women learned to be helpless, which is why in the painting they are sort of throwing their arms up in a surrendering manner, not really showing much resistance to them men who display expressions of determination and unemotional. 3. 10 Jacques-Louis David Oath of the Horatii is a painting, created in France 1784, that represents and expresses early history of ancient Rome in which three brothers vow to represent the Roman Army, Their duty and vow to the army characterizes qualities of courage and patriotism, which in early ancient Rome, and early history as whole, was a nece ssity of a man’s life. The architecture and classical elements form the neoclassicism which was a evival of Greek and Roman aesthetics and is associated with masculinity and revolution On the other hand their sister’s and wives are to the right of the painting are slumped down in sorrow of the expectance of death that comes with war. This painting expresses that heroic actions were a mark of masculinity, reinforced by the women’s passivity. The masculinity in this painting is shown by the moment of male bonding, in the face of danger as the three brothers come together, under the grace of their father’s set patriotic virtues for them, willing to for others.The brother’s look up at the swords as there are looking at their job, their obligation and honor as the women’s obligation and duty is concerning of the children. Both of these paintings reflect the reality of gender roles played in a specified time setting, the authors reveal the roles i n a natural subtle way that cultures of Europe and ancient Rome believe in, in which the figures in the paintings illustrate a story of masculinity and femininity by advertising their both gender’s behavior and way of being towards each other and customs of society.

Body Image Research Proposal

I have chosen to study this topic because body image is such a controversial issue in today’s society, especially with adolescent boys and girls. While reviewing select articles on this topic, I noticed that there was a drastic difference in body image between boys and girls. I began to wonder what the reason for this was and through further study of these articles, I realized it had a lot to do with media influences and the role that friends family play in developing body image and so my questions revolve around studying these roles and influences. Much of the media targeted towards girls focuses on portraying only women that fit societys unrealistic expectations of the perfect woman whereas media targeted at men has much more variance in the types of men they portray. According to much of the literature on this topic, this is seen as one of the largest contributing factors to negative body image in adolescent girls. PURPOSE OF THE STUDY RESEARCH QUESTIONS 1) How does the media and advertising contribute to adolescents body image? 2) How do body image issues differ among adolescent boys and girls? What role do family and friends play in developing adolescents’ body image? RESEARCH METHODOLOGY ROLE OF THE RESEARCHER PARTICIPANTS -individual interviews -observation in this situation would be too difficult as it develops over a length of time, not an instantaneous thing -interviews allow to create open ended questions that help the conversation flow to understand how body image has been influenced, types of friends, family involvement, interests, hobbies (are they into pop culture, do they admire celebs, do they spend lots of time watching tv/movies)

Media and Communication Theories Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Media and Communication Theories - Essay Example Development of the internet and personal computing during the 70s, invention of Hyper Text Transport Protocol (HTTP) during the late 80s further stimulated a trend towards new media (Friedman 2006). Widespread usage of the internet in the early 90s, and a wide range of other related technological breakthroughs led to the creation of new media (Friedman 2006). New Media offered features that were practically unimaginable and unheard of just a decade ago (Friedman 2006). The hallmark of new media is that it has the potential and the capacity to bridge the seemingly incompatible features of the earlier communications media. Many experts tend to convey that new media is inherently democratic in all its aspects, be it consumption or production. It has enabled the masses and the consumers to actively engage with media and has armed them with the power to alter and shape media. There is no denying the fact that new media has certain inbuilt traits and abilities, which make it inherently mor e open, free and accessible. Yet, to claim that new media is fool proof democratic and immune to manipulation and distortion would be asking for too much. New media, like the previous media is sensitive and vulnerable to ideas and ideologies, and autocracy and totalitarianism are as rampant and existent ideas in the 21st century as democracy and liberty. 2.0 Democracy in the Age of New MediaNew media became realistically became universally accessible, courtesy the spread of the internet aided communication in the 90s. Considering this, the expert and the popular opinion stood to be unanimous in the sense that it expected new media to usher in an era of affordable production and distribution of information (Turkle 1995). Thereby new media tends to be essentially egalitarian and democratic in its scope (Turkle 1995). During the early stages of new media, a majority of the people were of the view that new media will demolish the monopoly of the established media houses and the restraining designs of the autocratic rgimes (Longford & Patten 2007). This will enable the people and the civil society groups to act and operate as independent broadcasters and publishers. Everybody expected that new media would usher in an era of interactive and democratic mass communication. New media will enable the masses to

Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) - Essay Example ized by high rates of unemployment and the effect of market liberation which has borne the SMEs has helped reduce the levels of unemployment in developing countries and steered economic development. SMEs have been instrumental in job creation to developing countries in the process of structural adjustment. Primarily, SMEs are labor intensive and this helps in alleviating unemployment burdens on the shoulder of the civilians and absorbing new job entrants into jobs. The trend in the developed countries indicates that there is a weakened job creation by economic growth as the industrial structure of domestic economy matures (Wang and Redmond, 2007). This leaves the government policy makers of each government short of ideas about the urgency to search for policies of job generation. In this case, small and medium businesses have been seen as a perfect criterion in which new jobs are created. Researchers have found that, for example, small plants and firms have been the primary source of employment in the United States. Baldwin and Picot found that the net job creation in Canada by the small enterprises was more than those created by large enterprises. It is very clear that SMEs play an important role in job creation and have arguably created more job chances than the large enterprises and this makes them very important in any economy (Ayyagari and Demirguc- Kunt, 2005). SMEs dominate many sectors in a contemporary commerce such as retailing, service industry and construction. This involvement in these sectors avails a crucial link; both backward and forward, in the chain of supply especially in the larges-scale capital intensive industries such as automotive, mining, marine, defense and the likes. Further, their presence in the market provides an important balance to industries and many marketplaces that would otherwise have been firmly occupied by the few large-scale practitioners. This competitive structural balance is also vital in the provision of employment to

Reliability and Validity Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Reliability and Validity Paper - Essay Example † and then proceeds with â€Å"How it will be measured?† (Desarbo, William, & Babin, 2009) A measurement is defined as ‘good’ if it fulfills the criteria of validity and reliability. Reliability: Reliability measures the extent to which the test yields consistent results each time it is conducted and across various situations and includes the following (Neukrug, 2008). Test-retest: This involves conducting the same scale or test to similar respondents at two different points in time (Neukrug, 2008). For example, a researcher interested in measuring the number of times an average adult worker falls sick within a year discovers that 68% of the population falls sick at least thrice. If this test is conducted again, under similar conditions, and it is discovered again that 68% of the population falls sick at least thrice a year, it indicates that the test is reliable. Split-half: Under this the researcher checks one half of the results of a test against the othe r half to check for internal consistency (Neukrug, 2008). For example, a researcher who has measured good quality of human services at a hospital in terms of four items ambience, proper equipment, quick procedure and trained staff can split the results by grouping the results of ambience and proper equipment together and quick procedure and trained staff together respectively and then check the Chronbach’s alpha for these two groups. ... If the results obtained through the two tests show high correlation, then the tests are considered to be reliable. Validity: Validity refers to the extent to which the test measures what it is supposed to measure; that is, the extent to which the test meets its objectives (Neukrug, 2008). The following are the types of validity: Face or content validity: This results from the consensus amongst experts that a scale logically appears to be reliable (Neukrug, 2008). For instance, questions such as â€Å"how many children do you have?† asked by a researcher regarding the effectiveness of family planning programs are generally assumed to stand up to face validity. Criterion Validity: If the measure correlates with another measure of the same construct then it is assumed to have criterion validity (Desarbo, William, & Babin, 2009). If the new measure is tested at the same time as the old measure and is shown to be valid it is known as concurrent validity and if the new measure is te sted at a later time and is shown to be valid then it is predictive validity (Desarbo, William, & Babin, 2009). For example, in tests reveal that the effectiveness of the prototype provide correct estimate of the effectiveness of the final medicine 80% of the time, then the test has predictive validity. If, however, the same correlation is established between the final medicine (after it’s manufactured) and its prototype at the same time, then it will have concurrent validity. Construct Validity: This refers to the extent to which the measure confirms a network of hypothesis based on a theory to which the concepts are related (Monette, Sullivan, & DeJong, 2010). Convergent

The Co-Ordination of the Human Body by the Endocrine and Nervous Research Paper

The Co-Ordination of the Human Body by the Endocrine and Nervous System - Research Paper Example It is evidently clear from the discussion that the central nervous system (CNS) is the largest part of the nervous system and includes the brain and spinal cord. The spinal cavity holds and protects the spinal cord, while the head contains and protects the brain. The CNS is covered by the meninges, a three-layered protective coat. The brain is also protected by the skull, and the spinal cord is also protected by the vertebrae.  The bodies of the nerve cells lie in the CNS, either in the brain or the spinal cord, and the length of the cellular processes of these cells, known as axons, extend through the limbs and the flesh of the torso. The large majority of the axons which are commonly called nerves are considered to be PNS. The cell bodies of afferent PNS nerves lie in the dorsal root ganglia.  Autonomic nervous system (ANS) controls smooth and cardiac muscles and organs of the digestive, circulatory, excretion and endocrine systems (involuntary actions). ANS consists of two set s of neurons with opposing effects on most body organs. The Endocrine System in humans (overview): The endocrine system is the internal system of the body that deals with chemical communication by means of hormones, the ductless glands that secrete the hormones, and those target cells that respond to hormones. The endocrine system is instrumental in regulating metabolism, growth, development, and puberty, and tissue function and also plays a part in determining mood. The endocrine system functions in long term behavior and works in conjunction with the nervous system in regulating internal functions and maintaining homeostasis.  Hormones regulate bodily functions and are specific in their responses. They can only initiate responses in target cells, which are specifically equipped to respond. Each hormone is recognized by those target cells with receptors compatible with their structure. A hormone receptor is a protein within the target cell or built into the plasma membrane. Once a hormone is released, the first step is the specific binding of the chemical signal to a hormone receptor. The receptor molecule enables the target cell to respond to the hormones chemical signal. These responses vary according to the target cell and lipid solubility.  The control of hormones can be done by 3 methods:  1. Many hormones are controlled by some form of a negative feedback mechanism. In this type of system, a gland is sensitive to the concentration of a substance that it regulates. 2. Some endocrine glands secrete hormones in response to other hormones. 3. A third method is by direct nerve stimulation.  

Pharmacology Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Pharmacology - Assignment Example Potential issues in the system in which a mistake could be made includes staff not understanding the orders given. This could lead to patients being given the incorrect drugs, which could means disastrous effects to the health of the patient. This however can be prevented by an RN through double checking drugs that are of high alert through making independent calculations. Medications referred to as high-alert drugs are those that have a very high chance of causing disastrous effects on the patients when used in error. In addition, the RN could take their time off in between rechecking the calculations. This will give them time to relax and recheck the drugs when they are not fatigued to ensure they take the correct orders. There is a significant effect of food on drugs prescribed by health professionals to their patients. Food might have an effect on the extent and rate of absorption of the drugs particularly after oral administration (McLachlan & Ramzan, 2006). Being able to fully comprehend what kind of effect food has on different types of medicines helps health professionals be able to give patients the correct advice of whether to take the medicines with food or not. Generally, taking food together with medicine usually delays absorption of the drugs; nevertheless, the effect depends on the drug, the kind of food and its formulation. There are those drugs that come with strict guidelines of whether they should be taken with meals or not. Food especially that has high fat content usually slows down the emptying of the gastric, which might delay absorption of the drug. This means that if there is a delay of the drug going to the small intestine absorption into the systemic circulation becomes difficult. The effect food has is determined by the pharmacokinetic and physicochemical features of the drug (McLachlan & Ramzan, 2006). An example is the antiretroviral drug saquinavir, which is very poor in dissolving in water; therefore health professionals advice t heir patients to take it with food in order to allow enhancement of bile to dissolve it aiding absorption. Absorption of saquinavir works much better after having a heavy breakfast; taking it on an empty stomach could result to therapeutic failure. Food also has an effect of drug toxicity especially when they are mixed. For example, when it comes to blood pressure and MAO inhibitors drugs, taking them with chocolate or peanut butter could be disastrous (American heart organization, 2013). Other foods like grapefruit also interfere with certain prescription drugs and therefore should not be taken with drugs meant to lower blood pressure. This is because grapefruit juice can lead to an increase of the medicines in the body causing negative side effects. When it comes to timing of meals, there is also an effect especially when comes to foods containing dairy products. Dairy products contain calcium and minerals which when taken with some certain medicines reduce absorption into the blo od from the gut. Therefore, this can only be prevented by time spacing. Patients are advised to take dairy products an hour before or some two hours after taking the medication. Patient aged 42 years is suffering from high blood pressure and is put under blood pressure medication. The doctor has prescribed

Building Information Modeling (BIM) Research Paper

Building Information Modeling (BIM) - Research Paper Example Created models (BIMs), are usually files, which can be either networked or exchanged by professionals, with the aim of enhancing decision-making processes. These files are not necessarily in proprietary formats, nor do they contain proprietary data, but are visual representations of developed ideals and conceptions of a given place. Thus, utility is wide-ranging, from individuals and firm-entities, to government agencies; BIM softwares are vital in the planning, design, construction, and the eventual operation and maintenance of varying infrastructure. Essentially, it has and continues being utilized in diverse infrastructure such as roads, ports, bridges, communication utilities, waste disposal facilities to housing, warehouses and prison construction amongst others (American Institute of Architects, 2006). Historically, the BIM concept traces its roots to the 1970s with the first mentioning being in a 1992 paper by Tolman F. P and G. A. van Nederveen. The eventual popular use of the concept was only realized after the release of a white paper by Autodesk, entitled – Building Information Modeling. Afterwards, it was through Laiserin’s aid, which helped standardize and popularize the term; with regard to facilitating both the inter-operability and exchange of digitized data formats. As a digital representation of contemporary building processes, it was akin to: - the Integrated Project Models of Bentley Systems; Vectorworks/ Autodesk’s BIM, or Graphisoft’s Virtual Building concepts. Definitions do vary, with the National Building Information Model Standard Project Committee (NBIMSPC) providing the best description. Pertinently, BIM regards a representation, digitally formatted; of the functional and physical characteristics of a given utility space or place. As a concept, it pertains to the collective knowledge source of specific information/data about an existing facility. It further provides a reliable basis on which decisions are

Contemporary Organisational Design Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Contemporary Organisational Design - Essay Example 2007). Overall, previous studies on organizational design serve as an important first step in understanding how organizational designs are used to manage internal control systems in multiple markets. For example, Rodriguez (2006) focuses on organizational culture change from a longitudinal perspective. In the study, the researcher examines how an organization (Brazilian Telecommunication Company) changed from a condition of integration to one of fragmentation and differentiation. Chakrabarti & Varman (2004), in their study of "Contradiction of Democracy in a workers Cooperative" postulate that, organizational democracy has become a key issue in current change management set-ups such as in situations of restructuring, total quality management and enterprise resource planning. According to the researchers, democracy faces significant odds even in those companies that have been expressly initiated for democratic functioning. To the researchers, organizational democracy is an evolving reality. Walton, (2005) draw inspirations from Weber's writing on bureaucracy. The researcher in his study uses meta-analytical techniques to estimates the general relationships amongst key aspects of bureaucratic control removing the effects of statiscal artefacts. The current focus on organizational design is on change within the context of an... To the researchers, organizational democracy is an evolving reality. Walton, (2005) draw inspirations from Weber's writing on bureaucracy. The researcher in his study uses meta-analytical techniques to estimates the general relationships amongst key aspects of bureaucratic control removing the effects of statiscal artefacts. The current focus on organizational design is on change within the context of an organization, and change within accounting as a subject. This paper attempt a critical analysis on three peer review selected articles published within the last five years in Science direct within the context of organisational design and change. We believe, after our critical review of these articles, there will be ample opportunity for future research to examine how firms use other aspects of organizational design and internal controls such as standardization, internal reporting. The articles we are focusing on in this review are:- 1. Rodrigues, B.S., (2006). The Political Dynamics of Organizational Culture in an Institutionalized Environment. Organization Studies 2006; 27; 537 originally published online Jan 9, 2006; DOI: 10.1177/0170840605059454 2. Chakrabarti, M. & Varman, R., (2004). Contradictions of Democracy in a Workers' Cooperative Organization Studies 2004; 25; 183 DOI: 10.1177/0170840604036913 3. Walton, J.E., (2005). The Persistence of Bureaucracy: A Meta-analysis of Weber's Model of Bureaucratic Control. DOI: 10.1177/0170840605051481 My review will be based on the following structure. Firstly, I will review the various articles in their general parts and point out the strong and weak sides of each. There after, I will look on

Centralised organisation Essay Example for Free

Centralised organisation Essay â€Å"Outline the main ways in which a large centralised organisation might achieve a more flexible organised structure. Using examples, discuss the advantages and disadvantages of pursuing greater organisational flexibility† â€Å"The structures that organisations adopt are usually aligned to one of five generic organisational structures. These are the simple structure, the functional structure, the divisional structure, the holding company structure and the matrix structure. (Capon, C. (2009) the business environment. Chapter 4: Inside organisations. This essay will explain the various ways of how a large centralised organisation achieves a more flexible structure through de-centralisation. This essay will analyse the benefits and drawbacks of the matrix structure and the functional structure. A flexible structure allows staff to take part in decision making thus making them feel more valued and motivated, this favours the organisation because efficiency and communication is improved. Centralised structures are often referred to as bureaucracies and have a long chain of command and a narrow span of control. They are tall structures designed so that directors, owners and management can achieve maximum control. Decision making is isolated within the top part of the hierarchy with a very autocratic style of management (none/very little shared decision making with employees further down the hierarchy). Centralised structures allow benchmarks and certain procedures to monitor quality closely. A clear path can be seen by employees in terms of promotion which often aids in motivation, in turn improving the productivity of staff. However there are some downsides to a centralised or bureaucratic structure, such as the fact that it’s time-consuming for decisions to be made because the decision has to come from the top of the organisation (CEO’s/Directors) all the way to the bottom through many levels before the employees actually get told what they need to do; because of this it is difficult for companies with a tall structure to quickly react to changes in the market that they operate in. In tall organisations there is a tendency for ‘red tape’ or excessive regulation which also slows down many processes within a business. Another problem with tall organisations is that there is a divide between the top managers and regular employees, which means that the workers lower down in the hierarchy feel excluded and less valued. This In turn leads to workers becoming less motivated. Because of all these difficulties big organisations are constantly attempting to increase flexibility by changing their structure. Decentralisation provides higher subordinate satisfaction and a quicker response to problems and may give workers a sense of ownership and greater levels of motivation in their work† (Ray French, Charlotte Rayner, Gary Rees and Sally Rumbles – (2008) Organizational behaviour ). De-centralised structures are desirable because they allow flexibility within a business, it is essentially a democratic management style of running an organisation, and this means that there is more feedback and input from staff regarding decision making. With a shorter chain of command, due to the flat hierarchical structure, and increased motivation of staff production can increase. The functional structure is relatively restrictive of flexibility, it is fairly rigid and centralised. The managers of the departments are given the responsibility to manage day-to-day problems and take part in decision making only in the short term. Decision making and power in the long term rests very much within the board of directors, thus slowing down communication within the organisation. The functional structure is mainly used by small businesses; large organisations tend to move away from this structure in the search for more flexibility. The reason for this is because of product or service diversification and larger target markets. The functional structure tends to have poor career prospects, high pressure on senior managers , quality monitoring is very difficult and there are skills shortages in the sense that job roles are set so skills cannot be shared within the departments. The matrix structure integrates two structures together, often geographical and multi product structures. For example, a company may have a department for a product A in Europe and for Product A in Asia. One of the advantages of the Matrix structure is the convenience of experts simplifying the sharing of knowledge between the goods. Another advantage of the matrix structure is intra-team communication, this allows ease of communication between the different functional product groups within the same organisation, and similarly there is less pressure on managers, quality monitoring is easier and skills are interchanged within departments of the same function thus improving efficiency. In the early 90’s the majority of IBM and the business press were convinced decentralisation would aid the company in terms of â€Å"flexibility, speed and entrepreneurial motivation†. They believed splitting up IBM into smaller companies would speed up processes and promote and enhance efficiency, which can be true of decentralisation. Lou Gerstner was appointed CEO of IBM in 1993. He was convinced IBM should remain centralised and to â€Å"use its unique size and capabilities to help customers integrate the diverse components of their information technology (IT) systems†. In the end IBM was loosened up but not completely decentralised. This worked tremendously well with IBM’s stock price rising by almost a factor of ten. (Thomas W. Malone Harvard Business School Archives (29/3/2004): Making the decision to decentralise. )From this we can conclude that de-centralisation improves organisational flexibility by speeding up the process of decision making, improving efficiency and communication and increasing job satisfaction for employees. Pursuing greater organisational flexibility could be complex in the sense that the organisation may become less efficient due to the change in structure and managerial span of control. Nonetheless changing from a tall centralised structure to a flat decentralised structure favours the organisation because there are fewer levels of hierarchy and a shorter chain of command which enables better communication. â€Å"Decentralisation, in theory, provides greater potential for motivating employees and, because decisions are taken nearer the place of work, the organisation can react faster and smarter†. Ian Brookes (2009): Organisational behaviour – individuals, groups and organisation 4th edition). However not all flat structures are decentralised; take for example the functional structure, despite being flat it is a rigid and centralised structure. The Matrix structure would enable a large organisation to achieve greater organisational flexibility because one of its main strengths is allowing ease of communication.

There is nothing wrong with being ignorant as long as you are contented Essay Example for Free

There is nothing wrong with being ignorant as long as you are contented Essay b) â€Å"There is nothing wrong with being ignorant as long as you are contented† Dicuss. This discussion topic is one that is regulary debated by philosophers and people in general. Surely if we asked ourself the question – if we can live in peace and happiness why should it matter if we live in ignorance or not? Surely we would just be jepodising our happiness for the â€Å"real† truth? Then again some may argue that how can we know what happiness really is if we are actually living in ignorance, because that happiness were feeling wouldnt actually be real. Platos stand on this evident; he believes that by living in ignorance you are living far from the truth. As a philosopher Plato argues that you should always question the world that you live in, whether you are contented or not. His attitude was simple: how can you be content with something thats not possibly real? His famous teaching was the analogy of the cave. In this he taught others that there was once a cave, and in that cave lived a group of prisoners who had lived there all their lives. One day one of the prioners decided to break free and walk along the path of unknown, towards the sunlight. Plato continued this story of saying that the prisoner was finally â€Å"englightened† by the real truth, and then returned to tell his fellow prisoners of what he had learnt. This evidently shows us that Plato did in fact agree with breaking free of ignorance, as it is the whole meaning of the analogy of the cave. Plato also believed that we as humans are ignorant, in the sense that we believe the real world is the Empirical world, and that no other worlds exist. Which Plato thought was complete and utter nonsense, because there is the world of forms: the Metaphyical world. If humans didnt believe that the Metaphysical world was not the world where all perfect forms lie, then we are all in fact ignorant. Plato b melieved that we all need to open our minds to all the possibilties and not be blinded by our ignorance. We also know, due to Platos theories, that in the question where it says, â€Å"there is nothing wrong with being ignorant,† we know for a fact that Plato would disagree with this. Stating that there is nothing wrong with something, from the Empirical world, was absurd in his eyes, unless in was in the Metaphysical world where everything is in its perfect form. However, some philosophers such as Aritotle (student of Plato), believed that the Empirical world was all that there was so therefore there is no ignorance to live in because the Empirical world is the world that exists. So in a way we can say that Aristotle would agree with this statment because his attitude is that we dont live in ignorance we live in this world, and this world alone. However some may also say, Aristotle is still a philosopher, he still questions this world. So for example, if he did think that we were living in ignorance, would Aristotle say that we should be content with that or should we question what content was? If we looked at another philosopher, Hereclitus, we can see how some of her ideas and theories may actually link to an idea that would agree with this statement. Heraclitus once said â€Å"reality is unstable†, surely if reality is unstable then ignorance must be bliss? Heraclitus also said that â€Å"you can never step in the same river twice†, teaching people that reality is ever-changing and is constantly in the process of change, therefore things go out of existance. Then surely, if Heraclitus is right, who would want to live in a reality that is unstable? Wouldnt you just prefer to live in a more stable world even if it was in ignorance? At least then you knew where you stood with the world rather than exprecting the Empirical world to always change. Therefore, this shows us that there was a philosopher that disagreed with Platos words and that ignorance should be aceepted if you are content with a stable world. Although in the film â€Å"The Matrix†, aired in 1999, it has a situation in the film which would apply to this statement. In the film the Morpheus tells the main characters Neo and Cypher that they have a decision to make. Do they take the blue pill which allows them to remain in the city where they live and live in blissful ignorance, or do they take the red pill, which would lead them to escape the city and to go into the â€Å"real† world, where they would embrace the sometimes painful truth of reality? The characters choose the red pill. They risk their happy life to understand the real truth. However, we soon see that they start to regret their choice. They wish they had taken the blue pill, even if it was living in ignorance. So even though at first it shows the characters disagreeing with the statement and that all humans, when faced with the decision of knowing the truth, they accept. It turns out that ignorance won in the end. It shows that though humans do like to know the truth, the majority of us are content with our lives and would rather live day by day and see where it takes us, rather than constantly questioning what is content? What is living in ignorance? Another example that we can discuss this statement on is: animals in captivity. Animals that are born in captivity are more likely to live longer than animals living in the wild. There a vets at the ready incase one of the animals get hurt and there are no fearful preditors about. The animals are completely safe. However, some argue that an animals natural habitat is the wild and that is where they should be living. Not in a confined cage. Many say that animals get stressed and its completely un fair for them to be living under the influence of humans. But surely, if the animal was born into capivity, they wouldnt know any different? No animal would know that their natural climate was maybe in the south of Africa (essentially the wild.) Really were saying should they be living in ignorance, where they are safe to bring up their young and can live a long, good life? Or.. are we saying that reality is better? Where animals could get hunted down before they even grow to be an adult? How are the animals supposed to know whether theyre living in ignorance or reality if they dont know any different? Linking this back to the statement, for me i think in this certain situation living in ignorance would be better than living in the harsh realities of the unknown wilderness. To conclude with, I believe that those who wish to live ignorance as long as they are content with it should do so. I can completely understand where they are coming from if they live a happy life. Why would you want to change that when reality may be bleak? Even though Plato said that we are blinded by this Empirical world and that we should widen our knowledge to venture into the Metaphysical world, the â€Å"real world†, my belief is that Plato took his theories a bit too far and that maybe he was questioning a bit too much and should just accept that this world is the only and real world there is. When we hit our head, it hurts. How can this not be the real world? I believe that an ignorant world does not exist, but a ignorant state of mind does. But as long people are content with that then why should it matter? Were not living their lives so it has no influence on us.

The Internationalization Of Higher Education Education Essay

The Internationalization Of Higher Education Education Essay This study on the internationalization of higher education pursues this objective. Provide a brief overview of the nature and development of internationalization in the higher education system. This will shed light on relevant concepts and strategies from a global, European and domestic perspective and provide background information for an in-depth analysis of the objectives and organizational measures of studies for foreigners in United States and studies abroad for American students. Results of the Study The following overview will give the reader a brief summary of the results of the survey. Internationalization Strategies Internationalization of higher education is guided by the ideals of academic universality, the humanitarian objectives of social developmental aid work abroad, and the incentives of securing economic productivity at home. In the age of globalization, international mobility is increasingly used to boost USAs competitiveness as a place to study. The market orientation of internationalization and the social dimension of international student mobility are two conflicting aspects of higher education that require corrective policies to bring them into balance. United States continuous attractiveness as a place to study has to go hand in hand with reforms of the structure of higher education studies and measures to improve the general social conditions of students. The market orientation of studies for foreigners involves targeting specific groups of students. SUMMARY As the number of high school graduates in the United States levels off, the competition for international students is getting fiercer as universities attempt to meet their enrollment goals. U.S. universities however are not competing only with each other, but institutions from other countries as well. Rapidly increasing numbers of students in foreign countries have boosted international mobility, resulting in 2.7 million students who study abroad every year. The main countries of origin for foreign students are China, India and South Korea. Industrial countries are the destination of these mobile students. Data shows that the U.S. currently has the largest share of international students worldwide; In terms of absolute numbers, the USA is the worlds leading host country. Mobile foreign students represent 3.7% of the total student population in the USA. However this market share is decreasing due to increased competition from other countries and a perception that international students are not wanted in the U.S. after more stringent visa policies were instituted in response to the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001 making it much harder to obtain a student visa. Having more international students enrolled in U.S. universities benefits both the universities and the U.S. government, hence there must be a more coordinated effort between the two in order for the U.S. to recoup its lost market share and maintain its rank as the top destination country for international students. In this paper I will attempt to show that the current U.S. policy of attracting international students to this country cannot sustain the demand of U.S. universities, nor effectively compete with the policies and efforts of other countries; instead international education, including curricular integration, study abroad and student exchange must be central to a new, USA High Education System Strategic Planning for the 21st century. As a result of this national strategy, the students will need to work successfully and comfortably in multiple cultural contexts with people who hold values and viewpoints which vary significantly; Students will be the future leaders and educators in an environment which increasingly requires an international perspective; What exactly is the Internationalization of higher education? Internationalization has become an important issue in the development of higher education. Sven Groennings (1987) describes it as one of the most powerful substantive development in the history of American higher education (p/2). It is perceived as one of the laws of motion propelling institutions of higher learning (Kerr 1990, 5); as a major theme for the next decade (Davies 1997, 83); and as one of the most important trends of the last decade (Teichler 1999, 6), if not of the past half century (Altbach 2000c, 2) De Wit (2002) uses three terms to highlight the complexity of defining internationalisation, namely international dimension, international education and internationalisation of higher education, each referring to a specific phase of the development. He uses three interrelated arguments in which (i) he sees the international dimension of higher education, prior to the 20th century as more incidental, than organised; (ii) states that this international dimension as an organised activity, referred to in general by the term international education, is a product of the 20th century introduced first mainly in the United States for reasons of foreign policy and national security. (iii)The third argument is that around the end of the Cold War, this international dimension evolved into strategic processes, referred to as the internationalisation of higher education and became increasingly linked to globalisation and regionalisation of our societies and the impact of this on higher education. He further argues that with the development of globalisation, the international dimension will evolve into an integrated element of higher education and move away from its present position as an isolated set of activities, strategies and processes. This is manifested in a shift in emphasis from more traditional forms of international education to strategies that are more directly related to the core functions of the university, and in a shift in emphasis from political to economic rationales. The implications of these shifts are the increasing importance of quality assessment of internationalisation strategies, the emergence of English as the common language of higher education, the increasing relevance of international networks and strategic alliance, and the gradual acceptance of the internationalisation of higher education as an area of research. De Wit points out the need to relate the internationalisation of higher education in todays world to the general roots of the university, and to place the present developments in historical perspective. His work (2002) makes a useful contribution to the unfolding of this phenomenon in the European and American higher education systems. Another study (De Wit et al., 2005) examined the internationalisation of higher education in the Latin American context. Related issues and concepts It is interesting to take a look at the third Global Survey Report on Internationalization of Higher Education, which was recently released by (IAU 2009).   This comprehensive survey is the largest of its kind worldwide, and includes responses from 745 institutions in 115 countries. For purposes of analysis, the results were clustered in the following regions: Africa, Asia-Pacific, Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean, Middle East, and North America (the U.S. and Canada). Even though the survey is on its third edition, it still has limitations which fortunately are acknowledged and explained in the document. According to this survey, the top five reasons for internationalizing an institution are, in order of importance, to improve student preparedness; internationalize the curriculum; enhance the international profile of the institution; strengthen research and knowledge production; and diversify its faculty and staff. However, when the information is analyzed by regions, interesting variations are found. For instance, both North America and Latin America give much more importance to international preparedness of students than Europe. Interestingly, institutions in Africa consider as the more important internationalization rationale, to strengthen research and knowledge production. The Middle East gives the highest importance equally to improving student preparedness and also strengthening research. Results suggest also that institutions in North America are not bothered with the notion of increasing their international profile.   For them, this is placed at a distant fourth level of importance in comparison with, for instance, Europe where it is the second most important rationale. I wonder if this can be explained by some degree of insularity, or a somewhat egocentric perspective of the regions status in the world of higher education. Surprisingly, all regions gave an extremely low importance to internationalizing the campus with the idea of diversifying sources of income or in response to public policies. When asked about the most important benefits of internationalization, the top three reasons at the global level listed in order of relevance were: increasing international awareness of students; strengthening research and knowledge production; and fostering international cooperation and solidarity. The only significant difference in this otherwise very consistent pattern was offered in the IAU Survey by institutions in North America for which international cooperation and solidarity was not considered as beneficial as it was in the rest of the regions. This factor placed a worrying 5th in North America Another puzzling finding of the survey has to do with to which geographic region higher-education institutions are turning their eyes for their internationalization work. The aggregate results show that no major shifts have happened in the last five years. And the winner is à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Europe! (Asia-Pacific region was placed second.) The bronze medal goes to North America. Nevertheless, the analysis by region should be a matter of concern for policymakers in some parts of the world. For instance, in the Asia-Pacific region the first geographic priority for the internationalization policy in the majority of their institutions is Asia-Pacific, followed by Europe. For European institutions the first priority is placed on Europe itself and the second one on Asia-Pacific. For North America the first priority is Asia-Pacific, followed by Europe. Latin America and the Middle East consider Europe as the key regional priority. Sadly, the only region considering Africa as the principal pr iority is precisely Africa, but aside from that, none of the regions even consider Africa as a second or third priority. THE FIELD OF INTERNATIONAL EDUCATION International education has a somewhat unusual position in higher education. While recognized as an important sphere of activity, it tends to be handled by administrative offices at the top of departments of languages and literature and international affairs. The scholars involved in international education usually have their primary involvement in other teaching and research. This leads to four distinctive characteristics particular to the field of international education: 1. There is little consensus concerning the guiding theme of the field as well as its scope. Should the field stress internationalization, transnationalization, or globalization (Barrows, 2000; Committee for Transnational Competence, 2000; Hilary, 2000) 2. International education is not a prominent feature of the contemporary higher education experience. Using enrollment in foreign languages as an indicator, 16 percent of all U.S. college students were enrolled in foreign languages in the peak period of the 1960s; the proportion is currently down to 8 percent (Hayward, 2000, p. 6). 3. There is imbalance in regional coverage. The regions and languages covered at a particular institution are a function of idiosyncratic patterns of faculty recruitment. Nationally, there is reasonable coverage of Western Europe and Latin America and most European languages compared to limited coverage of Africa and the Middle East. For students enrolled in foreign languages, Spanish is the most popular followed by the other major languages of Western Europe; 6 percent enroll in Asian languages. Languages of the Middle East make up only 2 percent (1.3 being Hebrew and .5 percent Arabic). The languages of Africa constitute only 0.15 percent of enrollments. 4. Because international education is not a primary concern of most scholars in the field, research is somewhat sporadic, non-cumulative, and tends to be carried out by national organizations as part of advocacy projects (e.g. Lambert, 1989; Brecht and Rivers, 2000). The most recent example is the American Council of Educations (ACEs) Internationalization of Higher Education: A Status Report. (Hayward, 2000). Historical data Following the events of September 11, the total number of international students studying in the United States leveled off and even dropped slightly after 2002, though enrollment numbers have recently rebounded. (See fig. 1.) According to the Institute of International Education (IIE), the decline in the number of international students attending U.S. higher education institutions between 2003 and 2006 was the first drop in over 30 years. While the United States continues to be the leading destination for international students, the U.S. share of international students worldwide dropped-from 26 to 20 percent between 2000 and 2008.  [1]  (See fig. 2.) According to the Pew Global Attitudes Project, since 2002 the United States image has declined in both the Muslim world and among many of Americas oldest allies. In the wake of September 11, the United States also tightened its immigration policy and made it more difficult for foreign nationals, including international students, to a pply for a visa. As we previously reported, these changes, made to help protect our nations security interests, may have contributed to our declining share of international students and the perception that the United States was an unwelcoming place for international students. (GAO 2007) The U.S. government seeks to improve global attitudes toward America through diplomatic and development assistance efforts, which include funding higher education for international students in the United States. (GAO, 2008) Nine weeks after September 11, 2001, President George W. Bush said (Bush, 2001): We must also reaffirm our commitment to promote educational opportunities that enable American students to study abroad, and to encourage international students to take part in our educational system. By studying foreign cultures and languages and living abroad, we gain a better understanding of the many similarities that we share, and learn to respect our differences. The relationships that are formed between individuals from different countries, as part of international education programs and exchanges, can also foster goodwill that develops into vibrant, mutually beneficial partnerships among nations. Americas leadership and national security rest on our commitment to educate and prepare our youth for active engagement in the international community. On February 27, 2002, Secretary of State Colin Powell reaffirmed the State Departments support for foreign students: The Departments policy on student visas is based on the democratic values of an open society and the perception that foreign students make an important contribution to our nations intellectual and academic climate, as well as to our nations economy. We must continue to nurture these vital relationships even as we improve the security of our borders. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ American values, including democracy, economic freedom, and individual rights, draw students from many nations. As these students and scholars from other countries gain from our society and academic institutions, they also serve as resources for our campuses and communities, helping our citizens to develop the international understanding needed to strengthen our long-term national security and enhance our economic competitiveness. The professional partnerships and lifelong friendships that are created through international education are important for a secure, prosperous future, not only for our own country but also for th e world as a whole. The New York Times, in a September 24, 2002, editorial, suggested that our efforts to spread our influence and understanding of our culture should be stepped up, not abandoned. Cautioning that government policies must not impede legitimate exchange, the editorial said, Higher education is one of the best methods we have of spreading the word about who we are and of exposing our citizens to non-Americans. Bringing foreign students onto our campuses is among the best favors we can do ourselves. While the federal government provides funds for the education for international students to achieve public diplomacy and development objectives, the vast majority of students who come to the United States to study do not receive funding from the U.S. government. According to the Institute of International Educations Open Doors 2008 report, 623,805 students came to the United States to study during the 2007-2008 academic year and nearly 9 out of 10 international students reported their primary source of funding for education as coming from either personal and family sources or from their host college or university in the United States. Who are the main players in the international market for students? In order to have a genuine perspective on the reality of the competitors that the U.S higher education institutions face, it is useful to have a look at what the international outlook has in store. According to the Institute of International Education, the number of international students in U.S. higher education institutions has increased in most years since 1955. According to IIEs Open Doors 2002, the authoritative source of data on international student enrollment for academic year 2001-2002, This years 6.4 percent increase in international student enrollment in U.S. colleges and universities equals last years increase, which was the largest increase in the past 20 years. This continues a trend of substantial growth in foreign student enrollments that began in 1997, after a four-year period of minimal growth. It is quite evident that although the absolute numbers are increasing, U.S. market share is decreasing. According to IIE, the U.S. share of internationally mobile students-the proportion of all international students who select the United States for study-declined by almost ten percent from 1982 to 1995, the last year that IIE did the calculation (39.2 to 30.2 percent). In itself, that is not an alarming statistic. U.S. market share is still healthy, and the argument could be made that our nearly 40 percent market share was unsustainable. It is what lies behind that statistic that is alarming. Merely the existence of fiercer competition is not the only reason for the declination of U.S. market share. at least two other factor can be noted. First, it is reflects aggressive recruitment efforts by the competitors of the USA-the usual suspects, United Kingdom, Australia, Germany and more recently China and others-who have determined that they want to reap more of the foreign policy, economic, and educational benefits those international students bring. Combined with the distinctive absence of such a conclusion on the part of the United States, which apparently assumes that international students will always come because they always have such complacency risks the loss of this countrys leadership in international education, with the accompanying negative ramifications for our security, foreign policy, and economy. Second, the declination U.S. market share does not appear to reflect any decline in international demand for U.S. higher education. Demand is still strong. The problem is access. While competing nations seek to remove disincentives to study in their countries, U.S. policy ignores-and sometimes exacerbates-the disincentives to study here. The problem lies not in the internationally popular product, nor in the highly motivated customer, but rather in market imperfections that keep the two from finding each other. Those imperfections are all subject to the control or the influence of American public officials. If they continue to ignore these factors, the market share that the American high education currently enjoys, will continue to be eroded out to the competition. Ultimately, whats wrong with this picture is the absence of a strategy to sustain the number of foreign students coming to the USA. For a generation after World War II, the United States had a strategy of promoting international student exchange as a means of waging the Cold War and promoting international peace. But now more than ever, the U.S. government seems to lack overall strategic sense of why exchange is important-and, therefore, of what U.S. interests are at risk by not continuing to foster exchanges. In this strategic vacuum, At the most basic-and encouraging-level, the problem is not one of weakness. The United States has every resource it needs to be successful in attracting international students-and, indeed, has been successful at it. The United States has more higher education capacity than our major competitors combined, the high quality of U.S. higher education is universally recognized, and the United States is a magnet for many throughout the world. The problem is not how to make the United States and its higher education system more attractive, but how to make them more accessible. A strategic plan is needed to address them. The principal barriers to access are: (1) The absence of a proactive, coordinated effort to recruit international students; (2) Burdensome U.S. government regulations, which often effectively cancel out recruitment efforts. (3) The cost of U.S. higher education, (4) The complexity of American higher education system. All of important powers have historically used education for international students as a tool to advance diplomatic, development, economic, and other objectives, often simultaneously. In the survey of GOA 2009 titled HIGHER EDUCATION Approaches to Attract and Fund International Students in the United States and Abroad (GOA 2009), the approaches of several countries have been analyzed. For example, Australian officials said that international higher education helps Australia achieve economic goals. Education was Australias third largest export and contributed $15.5 billion in Australian dollars (about $13 billion in U.S. dollars) to its economy in 2008. International students also help Australia meet its foreign relations and diplomatic goals. According to Chinese officials, providing international educational opportunities to foreign students is part of their strategy for promoting cultural, scientific, and technological exchanges between the East and the West. China develops exchanges with other countries in the fields of education, science, and technology to strengthen friendship and understanding between the Chinese people and people around the world and to promote modernization in China. China reported that its collaboration with foreign universities and educational institutions helps to develop an exchange network that allows it to send the best students to study in the best universities under the supervision of the best advisers, mutually benefiting institutions and countries. Officials from Germanys national agency that supports international education, stated in the GOA report that international students help Germany advance several goals, including increasing the international appeal of German universities and promoting the academic, economic, and democratic development of developing countries. German officials said that their ability to advance several goals simultaneously is an important strength of international education. For example, international students studying in science and technology help advance German research and innovation goals while also advancing public diplomacy goals by returning to their home countries as unofficial ambassadors for Germany. Officials in the United Kingdom (UK) reported that international education contributes to building a high-skilled workforce, helps build relationships with people from around the world, enhances understanding about each others cultures, and opens doors to trade, investment, and political influence. The European Union (EU) also seeks to advance several international education goals, including promoting intercultural understanding through cooperation with non-European countries as well as ensuring that education and training are accessible to the global community. To promote their higher education systems internationally, countries like the United Kingdom, Germany, and Australia have developed broad marketing strategies with a focus on outreach to international students. These marketing strategies include developing a national brand through the use of logos and slogans to promote higher education systems among international communities, much as a corporation would promote a commercial brand, as shown in figure 3. The financial outlook. Internationalization of higher education is good business for the U.S. economy. While this is not in the most important reason for reaching out to such students, it is nevertheless one the basic driving force leading competitor countries to adopt proactive strategies for attracting them. NAFSA (Association of International Educators) estimates that international students and their dependents spent nearly $18.78 billion in the U.S. economy in the 2009-2010 academic year, which makes international education a significant U.S. service-sector export. (NAFSA 2003) This economic benefit is shared by schools, communities, states, and the U.S. economy as a whole. According to the Institute of International Education, more than 70 percent of undergraduate international students pay full tuition and receive no financial aid, thus allowing schools to offer more financial assistance to American students. The Statistical Analysis of The Economic Benefits of International Education to the United States for the 2007-20010 Academic Years estimates that foreign students and their dependents contributed approximately $15.54 billion to the U.S. economy during the 2007-2008 academic year; approximately $17.6 billion to the U.S. economy during the 2008-2009 academic year; And approximately $18.78 billion to the U.S. economy during the 2009-2010 academic year. Every higher education institution has more or less received ample financial benefits. For example at New Yorks Columbia University, international students accounted for 21 percent, or about 7,000, of the student body in the 2008-2009 school year. These students funneled almost $250 million to Columbia in tuition and living expenses, according to a report by its international student office. (Laya 2010). At South Florida University for example in-state U.S. citizens pursuing undergraduate studies pay $5,100 in tuition annually, out-of-state students; including those from foreign countries, pay about $15,900, more than three times as much. (Fischer 2010. Chronicle of Higher Education) For schools like South Florida, increasing the number of international students also means increased revenue. But this is not the only benefit that international students bring. United States has relied on undergraduate and graduate students from other countries as important sources of innovation and productivity in our increasingly knowledge-based economy. Such students who remain in the country after completing their studies have brought needed research and workforce skills and strengthened our labor force. For example, international students have earned about one-third or more of the degrees at both the masters and doctoral levels in engineering, math and computer science, and the physical sciences. Bill Gates, founder of Microsoft, says U.S. visa curbs on immigrants with special skills in science, math or technology must be overhauled.If we dont, American companies simply will not have the talent to innovate and compete, Gates said in testimony to the House Committee on Science and Technology on March 12, 2008. (Laya 2010). In addition, U.S.-educated students take home preferences for Am erican products, and business students in particular take home an education in U.S. business practices. By any measure, international education makes a significant contribution to the U.S. economy. Is there a correlation between the role nations to play in the international scene and the internationalization of their universities? Our ability to relate to and interact with those whose cultural backgrounds differ from our own will be among the determining factors for the future of our societies. For most people, regardless of whether they aim for international careers or life in their local communities, intercultural dialogue will become a fact of life rather than an option. Education will need to play a key role in developing the ability to conduct intercultural dialogue, which is an integral part of developing democratic culture. A panel of leading experts in national security, higher education, and foreign policy made a strong case for the need to place international education at the heart of Americas public diplomacy efforts, at a policy forum November 16, 2006. The speakers were Dr. Joseph S. Nye, Distinguished Service Professor at the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University; Ambassador Cresencio Arcos, Director of International Affairs at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security; Sanford J. Ungar, President of Goucher College; and the Honorable Jim Kolbe, United States Congressman (R-Ariz.). (NAFSA 2005) Joseph Nye stated that the presence of foreign students in American universities is a tremendous resource for American soft power.'   He told a story about the influence of educational exchanges on reform and dissident elements in the Soviet Union during the Cold War, and noted that while hard power is necessary, it is [also] essential to get our story out, and the best way to [do that] in terms of winning hearts and minds, the best emissaries are really people who have been [to] American universities and return home. Nye acknowledged improvement in the visa process but said we have quite a long way to go to ensure that we keep the doors open and remain an attractive destination for international students. Goucher College President Sanford J. Ungar focused his remarks on the importance of promoting study abroad among American college students. Goucher recently instituted a new policy that requires all of its students to study abroad before graduation. (à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦) Ungar stressed that the international education of todays students must be an urgent matter of public policy and an important component of public diplomacy. Representative Jim Kolbe (R-Ariz.), the final panelist, (à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦) spoke specifically about his efforts and those of Congressman Jim Oberstar (D-Minn.) to urge the establishment of an international education policy for the United States, most recently through their introduction of House Concurrent Resolution 100.   Tying together the comments of the other panelists, Kolbe said: We cant lead in a world that the American people dont understandà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦We cant have a successful foreign policy with out internationally educated and aware citizens who support that foreign policy and who understand, relate and interact with the people of all countries that we are engaged with. Andà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ a successful foreign policy depends on our being able to educate future leaders from around the world about our way of life, our system of government, our culture, our political sy

Jupiter Research Essay -- Papers

Jupiter Research Jupiter is the fifth and largest planet in our solar system. This gas giant has a thick atmosphere, 17 moons, and a dark, barely-visible ring. Its most prominent features are bands across its latitudes and a great red spot, (which is a storm). Jupiter is composed mostly of gas. This enormous planet radiates twice as much heat as it absorbs from the sun. It also has an extremely strong magnetic field. It is slightly flattened at its poles and it bulges out a bit at the equator. Size: Jupiter's diameter is 88700 miles (142800km). This is a little more than 11 times the diameter of the Earth. Jupiter is so large that all the other planets in the solar system could fit inside it (if it were hollow). Mass and Gravity: Jupiter's mass is about 1.69 x 10(27) kg. Although this is 318 times the mass of the Earth, the gravity on Jupiter is only 254% of the gravity on Earth. This is because Jupiter is such a large planet (and the gravitational force a planet exerts upon an object at the planet's surface is proportional to its mass and to the inverse of its radius squared). A 100-pound person would weigh 254 pounds on Jupiter. Length Of A Day And Year On Jupiter =================================== It takes Jupiter 9.8 Earth hours to revolve around its axis (this is a Jovian day). It takes Jupiter 11.86 Earth years to orbit the sun once (this is a Jovian year). Jupiter is made of gases and liquids, so as it rotates, its parts do not rotate at exactly the same velocity. It rotates very rapidly, and this spinning action gives Jupiter a large equatorial bulge; it looks like a slightly flattened s... ...ogen molecules move freely from molecule to molecule (like the electrons of a metal; that is what allows the electrical and heat conductivity. Core: At the centre of the planet is a molten rock, which is many times bigger and more massive than the entire Earth. It is 20,000*C, about three times hotter than the Earth's core. Internal Heat: Jupiter is a heat source; it radiates 1.6 times as much energy as it receives from the sun. Magnetic Field: Jupiter has a very strong magnetic field. The magnetic field is probably generated as the planet spins its deep metallic-hydrogen layer with electrical currents. Spacecraft Visits: Jupiter was first visited by NASA's Pioneer 10, which flew by Jupiter in 1973. Later fly-by visits included: Pioneer 11, Voyager 1, Voyager 2, Ulysses, and Galileo.