Unit 17

Unit 17: Working in the Social Care Sector Investigate Potential Careers in Social Care M1: Assess how a care worker can contribute to providing a positive experiencing for uses of social care services Case study Jean is a care worker in a residential care home. Her job is to provide care for the physical, social and emotional needs of the residents she works with, as well as liaising with a variety of people who are linked with the residents. Mary is 86 and recently widowed, at which time she moved into the care home where Jean works.Mary has a large family who visits regularly and play an active part in her care plan. She suffers from rheumatoid arthritis and is a little hard of hearing. She had an active life whilst her husband was still alive. She loves to read, watch the soaps on television and listen to music. She also loves to sew and knit but struggles because of her medical condition. Jean, Mary’s care worker, will need to work with doctors – a specialist with arthritis, physiotherapy and occupational therapist. All these things will help Mary positively because it will help her with her arthritis.Jean will also need to work with a grievance counsellor so that Mary can talk to someone about the death of her husband, Mary may feel even better that the person she’s talking to is a professional so she/he will maintain client confidentiality and will help her. Jean will need to get in touch with the care home community – people who teach dancing lessons, exercise and if possible entertainers because Mary had an active life when her husband was alive, Mary is in a care home but that doesn’t mean that she should be disengaged from society.Jean will need to know about Mary’s diet and will also need to work with the chef of the care home so that Mary can eat because if Jean just gives her anything to eat Mary may not eat it and will go to bed hungry. Jean will need to make sure that in a clinic or a GP Mary will have t he same nurse all the time and that in the care home most of the people that work with her are the same people. This will help Mary build relationships and trust with the people she works with and to feel comfortable to talk to someone and if she is being abused she may feel comfortable to tell another staff at the care home.Jean will also need to work with Mary’s family and friends so that when they want to visit Mary they will know what time to come, when visiting hours are and on which days they are longer. Mary is Jean’s patient so it is important that she knows what Mary enjoys doing in her spare time, communication is a very important skill because Jean is going to need to understand Mary, so that she can make her feel like she's in important in the care home. Jean will have to think about what Mary likes to eat – if she's a vegetarian, if she has any allergies, if she needs to eat halal or kosher food.Jean will need to know if Mary has any religious belie fs, if she's a Christian she may need a Bible in her room, if she’s Muslim she may need a prayer mat, it will be very important that jean learns about Mary’s religious beliefs and her culture so that Mary can feel comfortable and relaxed in the care home. Putting a TV in Mar room, putting a TV in everyone’s room, would stop arguments with the people in the care home and she would probably put on subtitles which some people may not like. Jean will also need to get a hearing aid for Mary; this will improve Mary’s hearing.Even though Mary is in a care home not everything is brought directly to her so some arrangements will need to be made. The practical arrangements that Jean will have to do for Mary will be to see a grievance counsellor possibly every week, do her shopping every week and to arrange for her transport whether she’s going to take public transport, because if so she will need a over 60’s free bus pass but if Mary isn’t goin g to take public transport then Jean will have to arrange for a bus maybe for her and some other people in the care home as well.Jean will also have to arrange Mary’s appointments at the GP or the clinic or with her physiotherapy. Jean will have to think about items Mary may need – laptop, telephone, TV. Mary could use her laptop (Skype) and a telephone to communicate with her family and friends, who could possibly live out of the country. Jean could provide a positive experience by teaching Mary, in her own spare time, how to use the latest gadgets (which could help her communicate with her family and friends better) and just by being there and interacting with Mary and being there for her and keeping her safe will make it a positive experience.Care workers that are patient, caring and empathetic will help make a positive experience for everyone because by having these 3 things this could help you have a better understanding of their lives and may feel more sympatheti c towards them and when people understand people better they are, most of the time, less likely to abuse them. If the patients are being abused in the care home, having someone that the patients can talk to and trust in the are home can help them confined in them and tell them that someone is abusing them and it can be stopped. Having a care worker that is meeting an individual needs can be very helpful to their patients because this will make them feel very important and it could boost their self esteem. It is very important to have good communication skills in a care home because this could help build relationships and trust however there may be some barriers but that shouldn’t stop a care worker from trying to communicate with their patients.

Lord of the Flies Literary Analysis Essay Essay

After analyzing the characters in William Golding’s novel, Lord of the Flies, one can recognize that many of the characters embody the theme of the novel. One of the prominent themes in Lord of the Flies is man’s inner savage; man’s inhumanity to others, and Golding manages explore and capture this theme in a way that is enjoyable to read. Three characters in the book who truly illustrate the theme of man’s inner savage; man’s inhumanity to others are Jack, Ralph, and Simon. The theme of the novel, man’s inner savage; man’s inhumanity to others is most apparent in Jack Merridew’s character. Our first true glimpse into Jack’s inner monster occurs after he kills his first pig: His mind was crowded with memories; memories of the knowledge that had come to them when they closed in on the struggling pig, knowledge that they had outwitted a living thing, imposed their will upon it, taken away its life like a long satisfying drink (Golding, 81). Jack’s excitement stems from having â€Å"outwitted† a living thing, and having â€Å"imposed† his will on it, which he later does with Simon, and Piggy. Jack really has no reason for killing showing that, â€Å"Perhaps the most disturbing motives for killing is just for the thrill of it.† (Ramsland, 3). Throughout the book, Jack is driven by his thirst for power, and is willing to go to any lengths to get what he wants, which includes killing anybody that steps in his way. He  slowly begins to lose his conscience, as shown by the fact that he feels no remorse, guilt, or regret after participating in the brutal murders of both Simon, and Piggy. The fact that Jack could turn from a proper, E nglish boy to a murderer who can kill and feel no remorse, shows that Jack does harbour a monster inside of him, is a savage, and he is very capable of being inhumane to others, thus, illustrating the theme of the novel. Read Also:  Analytical Essay Topics for College Another character who briefly illustrates the theme of the novel is Ralph. Ralph shouldered the responsibility of rescuing all the boys, proving him to be the leader that the boys on the island needed, but even then, Ralph senses himself falling into the same savagery as the other boys at times during the book. On the hunt that Ralph participates in, Ralph’s inner savage has one of its only opportunities to reveal itself, â€Å"Ralph too was fighting to get near, to get a handful of that brown, vulnerable flesh. The desire to squeeze and hurt was over-mastering† (Golding, 164). This hunt proved that even Ralph, the sensible, responsible, and intellectual leader who represented the struggle for order, civilization, and democracy on the island, has an inner savage, just waiting to get out. Near the end of the book, Ralph was close to falling victim to the other boy’s savagery as they were chasing him through the island, ready to kill him. He trips and falls at the feet of an officer, and begins to cry, â€Å"Ralph wept for the end of innocence, the darkness of man’s heart, and the fall through the air of a true, wise friend called Piggy† (Golding, 290). Ralph cries for all that he has lost, and at that moment, he realizes that he will never be the same since he has learned about the evil that lurks within all humans, illustrating the theme of man’s inner savage; man’s inhumanity to others. Man’s inner savage; man’s inhumanity to others is first recognized by the character, Simon, in the novel, Lord of the Flies. When the boys discuss the possibility of there being a beast on the island, Simon steps forward and says, â€Å"Maybe it’s only us.† (Golding, 126) implying that it was the boys themselves who were the â€Å"beast†, capable of hurting, of killing, and of committing other acts of evil. This theme is explored prior to the killing of Simon, the other boys chant, â€Å"Kill the beast! Cut his throat! Spill his blood! Do him in!† (Golding, 219) and when Simon is being murdered, Golding  describes it in brutal detail to emphasize the inhumanity shown by the other boys, and to show how savage they have become: The sticks fell and the mouth of the new circle crunched and screamed. The beast was on its knees in the center, its arms folded over its face. It was crying out against the abominable noise something about a body on the hill. The beast struggled forward, broke the ring and fell over the steep edge of the rock to the sand by the water. At once the crowd surged after it, poured down the rock, leapt on to the beast, screamed, struck, bit, tore. There were no words, and no movements but the tearing of teeth and claws (Golding, 219). On the island, Simon was the only character to represent hope, and innocence, but in the end, he was a direct result of the other boy’s savagery, and inhumanity. His death signified the end of innocence, and goodness on the island. In William Golding’s book, Lord of the Flies, the theme of man’s inner savage; man’s inhumanity to others is explored in many ways, one of them being through the characters Jack, Ralph, and Simon. Jack embodies this theme the most, since he is the first to turn savage, and impose his will on the other boys. Ralph comes close to becoming a savage at times throughout the book, and Simon is one of the only characters who manages to keep his innocence, but is a direct result of the savagery shown by the other boys on the island in the end. William Golding managed to explore and capture the theme of man’s inner savage; man’s inhumanity to others perfectly in his book, Lord of the Flies in a way that is enjoyable for all to read. Works Cited Golding, William. Lord of the flies. New York: Coward-McCann, 1962. Print. Ramsland, Katherine. â€Å"The Unthinkable — Children Who Kill and What Motivates Them† Retrieved December 2, 2012, from http://www.trutv.com/library/crime/serial_killers/weird/kids2/index_1.html

Promote person centred values Essay

Person-centred is about providing care and support that is centred or focused on the individual and their needs. We are all individual and just because two people might have the same medical condition, for example, Dementia, it doesn’t mean that they require the same care and support. You will need to develop a clear understanding about the individuals you are working with. This includes their needs, their culture, their means of communication, their likes and dislikes, their family and other professionals’ involvement so you can promote and provide person centred care and support. Individuality: Assumptions should never be made about an individual. They should never have to fit in with you or your employer. Individuals should be allowed and supported to make their own choices. Care and support needs should be tailored to suit each individual. This shows respect by preserving the individual’s dignity and individuality. Their personal beliefs should be respected. Independence: Allow the individuals you support to do things for themselves, however small. Being independent does not necessarily mean being completely alone, but being supported to do things for themselves. Take time to enable the individuals you support to be independent. Independence makes people feel in control of their lives and gives them a sense of self-worth. Privacy: You will need to understand each individual’s need for privacy and support this in the way you work. The availability of private space will be different in residential care home and home care environments. Irrespective of which environment, you should always ask permission before entering an individual’s room. Always knock on their door. Close doors when performing personal hygiene but first check the individual is happy with you doing so. Every individual should have time and spaces to do things in private if they should wish to, for example, meeting friends and family or making phone calls. Partnership: Working in partnership with other professionals, with colleagues, families and carers is an essential part of providing care and support. Person-centred care and  support is about a whole range of people working together to improve the lives of individuals. Partnership is all about the individual you are supporting and all of the partners involved will need good communication, sharing appropriate information, putting the individual’s best interests at the centre of everything that everyone does. Choice: Each individual you are supporting should be allowed and supported to make choices. They should be given thorough information in order to make informed choices themselves. Never take over because you can do things faster or because you think something should be done a particular way. Always involve the individual in decisions about their care and support. Sometimes individuals can be overwhelmed with choice, for example, individuals suffering from Dementia, may respond better if you give them two simple choices but this is much better than giving no choice at all. Must be able to communicate and listen well. Dignity: Dignity is what we feel when we are respected and it is what makes us feel important in society and in our lives. Whether individuals are eating, sleeping, washing, shopping or dying, care and support workers must help them to feel dignified. Be aware of the importance of preserving an individual’s dignity, ask them how they wish to be addressed; try not to rush them and take time to listen; use towels or clothing to cover them up when performing intimate care tasks. It is important not to stereotype or make guesses about individuals and their needs. Respect: Is showing an individual respect, you will support them in what they believe is important, whatever their age, culture, disability, gender, belief or sexual orientation. When working with other people or professionals, never ignore the individuals you are supporting. Always include them in the conversation, irrespective of the subject? Rights: Individuals you care for and support should continue to have the same rights as when they were living independently. Each individual you support has the right to say no, the right to have a relationship, the right to have a say about how they are supported. They have a right to choose what they eat and when, how they dress and when. They have the right to choose their friends and what they want to do with their time. You may have to make changes to take an individual’s rights into account. You may have to balance an individual’s  rights against your responsibilities and consider if either they or you are at risk? If you are concerned or unsure, check with your supervisor or manager. Choice and Control – Enabling people to make choices about the way they live and the care they receive. Communication – Speaking to people respectfully and listening to what they have to say; ensuri ng clear dialogue between workers and services. Eating and Nutritional Care – Providing a choice of nutritious, appetising meals, that meet the needs and choices of individuals, and support with eating where needed. Pain Management – Ensuring that people living with pain have the right help and medication to reduce suffering and improve their quality of life. Personal Hygiene – Enabling people to maintain their usual standards of personal hygiene. Practical Assistance – Enabling people to maintain their independence by providing ‘that little bit of help’. Privacy – Respecting people’s personal space, privacy in personal care and confidentiality of personal information. Social Inclusion – Supporting people to keep in contact with family and friends, and to participate in social activities. Working in a person centred way Person-centred approaches are about the individual being the centre of their care and support plan enabling them to have control over their lives. Person-centred approaches are about enabling individuals to live their own lives and not just providing a service. It is about focusing on the individual person’s needs and not the tasks that need completing. Person-centred planning is a way for individuals to plan for what they want now and in the future, together with the people in their lives who they like and trust. It is based on the following values: Everyone has a right to plan their own lives and be at the centre of any planning that is done for them. Be part of their community, live their lives as they want, and if they need support to do this for this support to be provided in a way in which they want it. The person is at the centre. Family members and friends are partners. Reflects what is important to the person and their capacities. Specifies the support the person needs to make a valued contribution to their community. Builds a shared commitment. Leads to continual listening and learning about what the person wants to get from their life. You should always reflect on and celebrate the diversity of the  people you are supporting. There are many reasons why individuals think and act the way they do and only by building up comprehensive knowledge about these important things can you help them to fulfil their wishes and needs. You can find out about an individual’s history, preferences, wishes and needs by looking at their Individual Needs Assessment. This will look at a variety of different things depending on the individual being assessed, for example, physical, emotional, social, spiritual, communication, support or care needs. The individual will need to be able to trust the person conducting the Individual Needs. Assessment and encouraged to use their strengths to feel confident that the process will lead to positive outcomes for them. Establish Consent when providing care or support A care or support plan sets out what care or support an individual needs. The Individual Needs Assessment will enable the required care and support to be determined. The care plan will contain lots of information, for example, medical history, family contacts, risk assessments. It is usually written by someone who has specifically been trained to do this. Your role is to make sure you read and work to the requirements of the care or support plan, to record any changes and to report significant changes. You will need to understand the boundaries of your responsibilities regarding the individuals you support. Just like your needs and desires change, so will those of the individuals you support. Changes could be from a whole range of aspects of the individual’s life. It is important to recognise that as needs change, how support is provided will also need to be reviewed regularly to see if any changes or adjustments are required. You have a responsibility to listen to individuals, to hear what they are saying, to write down any information about change in the care or support plan and contact your supervisor or manager if this is likely to have an impact on the level or type of care and support that is provided. Supporting an individual to plan for their future well-being may include the following, their: Sense of hope , Confidence , Self- esteem , Ability to communicate their needs , Ability to make contact with other people , Ability to show warmth and affection , Experience and showing of pleasure and enjoyment. Fulfilment is about  feeling satisfied, pleased, content, a sense of achievement and success. Supporting active participation Providing individuals with empowerment is important. Empowerment is about enabling the individuals you support to contribute and have an influence over the issues which affect the way they live. When individuals make choices, they have more control and feel valued. Providing individuals with empowerment to make informed choices enables individuals to maintain their rights of choice, equality and opportunity. Active Participation is a way of working that recognises an individual’s right to participate in the activities and relationships of everyday life as independently as possible; the individual is regarded as an active partner in their own care or support, rather than just a recipient. Being part of a community is particularly important to individuals who live on their own and do not work. It means they have relationships and make friendships with other people giving them a more fulfilling life. It doesn’t matter what kind of contribution they make or the type of activities they are involved in, just being part of something will give them a sense of belonging, a feeling of self-worth and independence. Your role as a care or support worker is to help individuals to make informed choices about things that happen every day and also in planning for the longer term. Each time you work with an individual you should be able to give them choices. Individuals’ choices will be different depending on the types of tasks you are doing together and their abilities. Good communication is essential so that you can give choices and individuals can make them. It doesn’t matter what environment you support an individual in, there should always be plenty of opportunity to provide choices. Here are some examples: When would they like to get up? What would they like to wear? What would they like to eat and drink? What brands would they like to use, for example, shampoo, toothpaste, moisturiser? What activities would they like to take part in? You can support individuals to make choices by giving them encouragement and giving praise when they have made a choice. This will give them the confidence to continue to make choices about other aspects of their lives. If an individual identifies a particular hobby or activity they wish to participate in, it might be worth checking if there are local groups or  facilities that would be prepared to support the individual to participate.   Supporting an individual’s rights to make choices In order to enable an individual to make an informed choice, both you and the individual first need to think about what all of the available options are. You then need to look at what are good and bad about each option. Health and safety are important factors and must be put first for you, the individual and anyone else involved. The Mental Capacity Act provides the legal framework for capacity and decision making about health and social care and financial decisions. It applies to everyone aged over 16. You will need to consider whether the person you are supporting has capacity to make informed decisions or whether you need a formal mental capacity review. It is important to note that a person is assumed to have capacity unless it is proved otherwise. There is a four-step way to test for capacity: A person must be able to: 1. Understand the information relevant to a decision 2. Retain the information 3. Use the information as part of the decision making process 4. Communicate their decision In supporting a person to make a decision, you have a duty to assist the person in all four of these steps. For example, using appropriate communication methods to help the person to understand and communicate. Capacity is assessed specific to each decision and each occasion. For example, a person may have capacity to make a decision in the morning about what to wear, but not later that day in deciding if they want to move home. If someone is assessed as lacking capacity, any decision taken on their behalf must be in their best interests and you must consider if there are less restrictive options. For example, if a decision can be delayed until a person is less distressed, this is the best course of action. However, if a person does have capacity this over-rides what you may consider as an unwise decision. Each individual should have a formal risk assessment as part of their care and support plan. The risk assessment should contain information about the individual and the type of care and support they need. It will  provide the most appropriate options for keeping the individual and anyone else involved as safe as possible. It will also tell you how to do some tasks where these tasks have been risk assessed and the best option has been established. For example: A particular way of moving and handling is recommended for Mr X because he has health issues that mean he or she can only be moved in a particular way. Mr X doesn’t like being moved this way and asks to be moved another way. You should always follow the risk assessment. You should report Mr X’s request to your supervisor / manager. You should always record any changes in Mr X’s wishes and in the way you perform tasks. Every effort should be made to support Mr X to be moved in the way he wants to be moved. He has the right to make this choice but an appropriately trained person will need to review the risk assessment first and work out if it is safe for all involved for Mr X to be moved in the way he wishes. You might not approve of or like the choice he has made. You might need more moving and handling training, perhaps for a specialist piece of equipment. However, the choice is not yours and you are not allowed to influence Mr X. In supporting Mr X to make his decision, you need to listen to him and put his wishes and best interests first. He is the customer and you are providing a service. This means the service must be provided in the way Mr X would like, as long as it is safe and approved through care and support plans and risk assessments. This is because the choices belong to Mr X, not to you. He needs to make his own decisions in order to feel he is in control of what happens to him. This leads to positive feelings around dignity, pride and satisfaction. When an individual has made a decision which you feel is risky, you need to make the individual aware of any consequences involved in the decision; however you should not try to influence the individual with your views and opinions. It is the individual’s freedom of choice to make decisions about their own future and support. Providing they have the right information (including the advantages and disadvantages) to make an informed choice and have the capacity to understand their choice; it is part of your duty of care to enable them to do so. If a relative or friend has made a decision about an  individual’s care, support or life that the individual is not happy or comfortable with, you may need to support the individual to question or challenge the decision. It is important that you obtain and understand the facts and reasons surrounding the decision so you can make sure the individual has a clear understanding. If the individual remains sure that he / she is not happy with the decision, once he / she has this information, you can work with the individual to support them to challenge the decision. Any changes that are made as a result of this challenge must be safe for you, the individual and anyone else involved. You should never make changes unless you are trained to do so or your supervisor or manager confirms you can make the change. You should always record any changes in individual’s wishes and in the way you perform tasks. Promoting spiritual and emotional well-being Spiritual well-being is an integral part of mental, emotional and physical health. It can be associated with a specific religion but does not have to be. It is about an individual’s own journey to discover things of importance in their lives and enabling them to find purpose and meaning in life. The effects and impact of spiritual well-being is determined by each individual and can make a huge impact in their lives. Through spiritual well-being, individuals can become empowered and realize that even though they have issues, stressors, and challenges, they are not defined by their circumstances. A few of the numerous benefits of spiritual well-being include: †¢Feeling content with your life’s situation †¢Making time to spend alone and find inner peace †¢Taking time to reflect and resolve life’s issues †¢Finding satisfaction in a job well done †¢Taking part in an active lifestyle rather than merely standing by and watching life as it passes †¢Maintaining balance and control of life †¢Building relationships †¢Feeling purpose and meaning in life †¢Accepting and growing from the challenges of life Emotional well-being is based on how individuals feel about themselves. Someone who is emotionally healthy: †¢Understands and adapts to change †¢Copes with stress †¢Has a positive outlook on life and themselves †¢Has the ability to love and care for others †¢Can act independently to meet his or her own needs Everyone, including people who are emotionally healthy, have problems. If something or someone threatens our happiness or wellbeing, we would feel uncomfortable emotions such as anger, sadness or fear. When we experience something that enhances our situation, we feel emotions such as joy, satisfaction or a sense of achievement. The way we’re brought up and our culture have a great influence on how we feel. They help us to form ideas and decide what we care about. Everyone deals with situations in life differently. Sometimes an individual’s self-esteem can become so low that everything seems a lot harder to cope with compared with when they are feeling confident. Being emotionally healthy doesn’t mean that you feel happy all the time. That is impossible. Good emotional health is about having lots of different emotions, and being able to accept them and talk about them. Signs that individuals are not coping well emotionally might include having a lack of self-confidence, having trouble with relationships or feeling unhappy a lot of the time. Because we are all so different and diverse, we have different and diverse views about every subject. You may not approve of or agree with the views of the individuals you support but your role is about working with them in ways that support their views. The best way to find out about an individual is to ask questions that are not threatening but show you have a genuine interest in the individual. By encouraging them to talk about themselves and listening to their views, you will learn a great deal about the individuals you work with. Through this learning, you will be able to meet their needs in ways that are sensitive and supportive of their views making individuals feel valu ed. †¢Appreciated, cared about and loved †¢Safe and secure †¢Extra supported when they feel sad, depressed or lonely †¢That they are not a burden but an important priority †¢Listened to and respected †¢Satisfied with relationships †¢Independent and in control of their lives †¢That they have a purpose and meaning to their lives You will need good communication skills and be able to listen but also to encourage individuals and show understanding and support for what is important to them in life. Each individual’s spirituality is greatly impacted by the community they are a part of and the relationships they take part in. Individuals may be able to find spiritual well-being programs in their local area. By promoting an individual’s spiritual and emotional wellbeing, you can help improve their self -esteem and make them feel valued and remain their own person. Focussing on what they can do rather than on what they can’t do, will encourage their independence and feeling of self -worth. It is also important to help individuals to deal with stress. Changes in situations and in their ability to do things can cause stress. However, by providing encouragement and positive support you can improve their inner self and quality of life.

Philosophy 100 (2) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Philosophy 100 (2) - Essay Example There is no way to gain knowledge without something actually being believed, in other words. However, obviously there is not any way to gain knowledge by merely believing something. A viable explanation has to be provided for these beliefs. As an example, if a person who is sick believes that they will get better, this will simply not do a single thing to help the person get better. The person might get better, or the person might not get better. Simply believing something obviously has no real effect in the tangible world. A person who is sick and taking antibiotics to get better has a justifiable reason to believe that they will get better. First, the person has taken antibiotics before, and they got better after taking the antibiotics. Second, the person feels exactly lie the last time that they were sick, and they are being prescribed the same exact dosage of antibiotic. Since the conditions are identical to the last time, the person has a justifiable reason to believe the use of the antibiotics will make them better. Plato’s theory of reality serves to inform and compliment his theory of knowledge. Plato believed in Truth; he believed that it existed somewhere in the universe regardless of whether or not we are able to ever achieve it. Plato held a dualistic view of reality. First, there is the visual, that which is experienced through a posteriori, which is merely just a reflection of Truth. Second, there are the eternal Forms, which is knowledge that is gained a priori. Consider an example of a tree. Somewhere in the universe there exists in some form the Form of Tree, and it is because that we have knowledge of this form that we are able to recognize a tree when we see one, despite the fact that no two trees look alike. When we see trees, they are merely reflections of the Form of Tree. This can be seen in Plato’s allegory of the cave. The prisoners in the cave are merely viewing shadows of objects and naming them.

Policy brief for globalization Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Policy brief for globalization - Research Paper Example changes triggered the increment of business transformation and IT investments.2 Irrespective of the fact that the entry of IT into the field of business operations was disruptive to workers and also businesses, it had a major influence on the two areas, and the impacts contributed to the growth of productivity, income, employment levels and a reduction in inflation levels. The institution of a more in-depth diffusion of IT in the economy of the US is likely to trigger another wave of production increment. Towards the realization of that, the producers based in the US should increase the production of hardware, as well as services and software, which will trigger a reduction in the prices of services and software.3 The outcome will be the reduction in the overall cost of accessing and employing IT systems for more businesses, which will trigger the incidence of a second productivity boom.4 Apart from increasing the production of the software, hardware and the services produced in the US, the services and the software that are imported at expensive rates can be produced locally, which will reduce the costs of the packages, taking into account that the production facilities will be closer to the customers; the products and services can also be produced with the specific specifications of businesses in American. The globalization of IT services and software will imply that some of the IT employment offered by the facilities will be transferred to overseas production centers. However, with the increasing uptake of IT services and software packages within the borders of the US, high-skill capacity for the development of IT services and software packages will be increased within the American IT sector, and the employment positions requiring the usage of these skills will become abundant throughout the American society. The conclusion of this policy brief is that the globalization of the production of IT hardware will offer the model required for the evolution of

Weekly Journal Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Weekly Journal - Assignment Example To become what it is currently, family therapy underwent a lot of evolutions and changes. Many psychologists presented and tested their theories and approaches in solving family problems. Communication and information exchange are the basic sustaining elements of families. Psychologists and therapists also rely on communication as basic way of interacting with patients to ensure effective treatment (Nichols, 2013). When attending to patients, psychologists have a wide choice of theories that include Systems, Attachment and Social Construction Theories among others. As a professional and experienced counselor, one has to establish an open communication platform with the client. A counselor should not continue with counseling work until patients are willing to talk and participate in the therapy session. In addition, a professional counselor has to begin therapy by engaging with the patient alone, and then integrate the process to include other family members. Furthermore, a professional counselor has to analyze and consider many theories and be flexible as to the application in the given situation (Nichols, 2013). One of insights generated by the readings is that family therapy is a new concept that developed during 1950s. Another insight is that communication is important and basic in family therapy. Without effective communication, a therapist may not understand proper techniques or approaches to employ in treating a given situation (Nichols, 2013). Through class discussion, one is able to realize that family therapy is a new concept that is still developing. A student undertaking psychological studies has unlimited chances to enjoin in research and expansion of the concept of family therapy. Class discussion on the development of family therapy provides a view that there are no specific strategies and techniques in treating a troubled

Example of an asset that is NOT recorded on a Balance Sheet Essay

Example of an asset that is NOT recorded on a Balance Sheet - Essay Example While scrutinizing a business and assessing its worth it is of almost importance to get a thorough and detailed understanding of the particulars recorded in the balance sheet and how are they measured . In the balance sheet, assets denotes the resources of a business that it has attained over a time and which have some economic value. Companies usually acquire assets through investing activities, operating activities or financing activities. Liquidity refers to the concept of how fast can an asset be converted into cash. Therefore, assets in a balance sheet are listed according to the order of liquidity. The category of assets section is divided in to two sub-categories namely, current assets and non-current assets. Currents Assets are those assets which are predicted to stay with the business for more than twelve months. Both current and non current assets belong to the tangible form of assets. This also, infers that the assets that are recorded in the balance sheet or any other fin ancial statement are actually tangible asset that are those assets which have some physical form and value where as the assets that can not be evaluated and seen physically are called intangible assets. Such assets as intangible assets can not be recorded in any financial statement, particularly not in the balance sheet. Goodwill of a company falls under the heading of an intangible asset and thus, it is not recorded in the books of the companies as it is defined in terms of the positive reputation of a firm that does not have a physical existence, but is of utmost importance for a business. Patents, copyrights, and trademarks are also other examples of intangible assets which are not recorded in the balance sheet. Good customer relations, a strong brand name, good employee relations, any patents or propriety

Death on a factory farm Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Death on a factory farm - Essay Example The thrashing of an unhealthy piglets against the wall as a means of euthanasia, throwing of the piglets by almost tossing them across the room into the crates, to the sight of impregnated sows held back in the pens reducing their ability to move to the brutal killing of a sick cow hung from a chain of a forklift until it choked to death are the naked truth of implementation of low-cost means of euthanasia in the farm and brutal treatment of animals used for the purpose of food in the farms. Message of the Film-Maker The gruesome practices against animals in the farm constitute the major part of the documentary followed by the trials and the documentary brings three agendas or issues pertinently. A thorough watch of the documentation would lead any audience to think on the Ohio factory’s cruel practices. It will definitely reinstate the thought of animal rights and its proper practice and practical implementation and will lead one to think about the US courts and the impotency of the animal welfare laws. Euthanasia, better known by the name of mercy killing encapsulates the idea of a painless death.

BAN SMOKING IN PUBLIC PLACES Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

BAN SMOKING IN PUBLIC PLACES - Essay Example We claim to be Ð ° nation having freedom and equality, Ã'•Ð ¾ therefÐ ¾re, the point of view of Ã'•mÐ ¾kerÃ'• is explicit that not Ð °llÐ ¾wing them to Ã'•mÐ ¾ke in public is taking Ð °wÐ °y their freedom. Nevertheless, my point is that Cigarette Smoking Ã'•hÐ ¾uld be banned in public places because of the health risks, it impÐ ¾Ã'•eÃ'• on people who are expÐ ¾Ã'•ed to Ã'•ecÐ ¾ndhÐ °nd Ã'•mÐ ¾ke. Imagine going to the reÃ'•tÐ °urÐ °ntÃ'• or bars and unable to enjoy Ð ° nice meal or have Ð ° gÐ ¾Ã ¾d time because the place is Ð ¾verwhelmed with cigarette Ã'•mÐ ¾ke. Not only the smell of the Ã'•mÐ ¾ke is bad, it clings to clothing, hair, skin, and irritates eyes causing them to water and itch. How pleÐ °Ã'•Ð °nt is that? To many nÐ ¾n-Ã'•mÐ ¾kerÃ'• that is not very pleÐ °Ã'•Ð °nt, especially when it is harmful to their health. This eÃ'•Ã'•Ð °y will argue why Smoking Ã'•hÐ ¾uld be banned from clÐ ¾Ã'•ed-in public places. There are over Ð ° billion cigarette Ã'•mÐ ¾kerÃ'• Ð °crÐ ¾Ã'•Ã'• the world. Ð  large percentage of these Ã'•mÐ ¾kerÃ'• comes from America. For many years, people have been trying to put Ð °n end to cigarettes and their usage. Cigarette Ã'•mÐ ¾king is one of the top three preventable cÐ °uÃ'•eÃ'• of death Ð °mÐ ¾ng Ð mericÐ °nÃ'•. Not only are the people who Ã'•mÐ ¾ke affected by its dangers, but Ð °lÃ'•Ð ¾ the people who chÐ ¾Ã ¾Ã'•e not to Ã'•mÐ ¾ke. The effectÃ'• of cigarettes are increÐ °Ã'•ingly taking their toll. Banning cigarettes in public is Ð ° gÐ ¾Ã ¾d way to help prevent the dangers of cigarette Ã'•mÐ ¾king tÐ ¾wÐ °rdÃ'• thÐ ¾Ã'•e who are Ð °gÐ °inÃ'•t it. Johnsson and his co-authors report in their study that cigarettes Ã'•hÐ ¾uld be prohibited in public places because they are hÐ °zÐ °rdÐ ¾uÃ'• to the environment, they have Ð ° great influence on young children to Ã'•tÐ °rt smoking, and they are harmful to other people’s health (Johnsson et al, 2006). TÐ ¾bÐ °ccÐ ¾ Ã'•mÐ ¾ke cÐ ¾ntÐ °inÃ'• more than 4,000 chemicals in it. Forty of these chemicals are carcinogenic and eight of them Ð ° clÐ °Ã'•Ã'• Ð  carcinogenic,

Dissemination of Data Essay Example for Free

Dissemination of Data Essay Freemantle and Watt (1994) suggest dissemination is the mechanisms and strategies by which specific groups become aware of, obtain, and make use of information. This definition introduces the notion of targeting specific groups with information that may be relevant, but also highlights the necessity of such groups being able to make use of the information once received. A goal of the researcher according to Pellecchia (1999) should be â€Å"to disseminate the findings, thereby adding new knowledge to the field†. Researchers have an array of presentational styles and formats to choose from that best fit their research purposes (Sandelowski, 1998) but the key point is to choose the most appropriate method for displaying particular research findings (Saldana, 2003). In paying attention for the above research, the most popular way to reach desired target audiences is to give a paper or show a poster in lobby influential individuals through conferences, seminars or meetings, write press articles for publications that are read by policy-makers, send a targeted mailings containing relevant findings and recommendations in the form of a newsletter, letter or leaflet and by using visual and multimedia formats such as DVD’s can enhance the impact of research findings however, the costs associated with multimedia production can be higher than other methods of dissemination. Freemantle N, Watt I (1994) Dissemination: implementing the findings of research Health Libraries Review; 11: 2, 133-137. Pellecchia LG (1999) Dissemination of research findings: Conference presentations and journal publications. Topics in Geriatric Rehabilitation; 14: 3, 67-79. Sandelowski, Margarete (1998). Writing a good read: Strategies for re-presenting qualitative data. Research in Nursing and Health, 21(4), 375-382 Saldana, Johnny (2003). Dramatizing data: A primer. Qualitative Inquiry, 9(2), 218-236. Research Design -1500 Methodology refers to the philosophical framework, the fundamental assumptions and characteristics of a human science perspective van Manen (1997). It is the theory behind the method, including the study of the method one should follow and why. To answer the research question, this study was guided by the philosophy of hermeneutic phenomenology that sought to address the experiences of women regarding reconstructive surgery. According to Rossman and Rallis (1998), phenomenology pursues to develop an understanding of lived experience. The first-hand report or description of one’s experience of the phenomenon is central to the understanding of the phenomenon. The focus of a phenomenological study according to Patton (1990) lies in the descriptions of what people experience and how it is that they experience. The goal of phenomenological research is to describe and identify precisely the essence of a person’s lived experience in relation to what is being studied and not to develop a model or describe a grand theory (Oiler, 1982). Phenomenology, as a research method, is a rigorous, systematic investigation of phenomena which approach is descriptive, retrospective, in-depth analysis of a conscious lived experience, which is everyday experiences that are real and true to the individual. Every time a participant’s view is expressed, the researcher may see the interpretation as an answer to the question that is being asked (van Manen, 1997). Thus, the conversation has a hermeneutic orientation â€Å"to sense-making and interpreting of the optic that drives the conversation†(van Manen, 1997, p.98). The adoption of hermeneutic phenomenology was based on several factors. Since the objective of the study was to determine how satisfied women are with the reconstructed breast after surgery. Hermeneutic principles facilitated the interpretation and meaning of these women’s experiences and took into account the influences of social factors. It acknowledges that understanding is influenced by both internal and external factors, and is guided by language which leads to the creation of new meanings or understanding through dialogue (Vis, 2005). Hermeneutic phenomenology involves the process of interpretation and the interaction between the researcher and the participants, requiring the researcher to be reflective, insightful, sensitive to language and open to new experiences (van Manen, 1997). It afforded the opportunity to explore and gain better appreciation of the researcher‟s cultural heritage, which enriched the depth of interpretation and understanding of the phenomenon. Sample The study was conducted at the Spire Cardiff Hospital, which caters specialist cancer care within Wales. Nurses and psychosocial professionals identified the potential participants who met the eligibility criteria and provided the researcher with their telephone numbers. The researcher approached identified participants during clinic visits or contacted them by telephone to introduce herself and provide a detailed explanation of the study. Ten participants will be recruited since there is a limited number of women that have undergone breast reconstruction within the specified year. A number of eight to ten sample size was appropriate for a phenomenological study (Morse, 2000; Starks Trinidad Brown, 2007) and achieved the goal of obtaining a varied, rich and deep understanding, or essence, of their lived experience (Creswell, 1998). The specific criteria for selecting the participants include women who received any type of breast reconstructive surgery due to breast cancer, who are older than 18 years of age, can speak and write English, and had no history of major mental illness, and those who have received breast reconstructive surgery from last year (2011) up to this year (2012). Purposive sampling will be used in this study. Verbal consent was obtained from those willing to participate in the study. Thereafter, an interview was scheduled at a mutually suitable time at the hospital or the participant’s home at which time written consent was obtained following review of the consent form. The consent form was written in English and describes the study and its objectives, outlines the potential risks and benefits to participants, as well as the safeguards to maintain confidentiality of data. The consent form also advises participants they may withdraw from the study at any time without compromising their clinical care. Data Collection Data collection consisted of patient demographic profiles and audio-taped face-to-face interviews which were subsequently transcribed. A semi-structured interview guide was constructed to facilitate data collection; the questions were partially derived from existing psychosocial literature on the concept of self-identity (Mathieson Stam, 1995) and modified for the purpose of this study. These questions were constructed to seek meaning and significance of a phenomenon (van Manen, 1997). The interviews were digitally audio-taped and transcribed. Each interview lasted about 1 – 1  ½ hour. In hermeneutic phenomenology, an interview serves as a vehicle to explore, gather and develop a conversation with the participants to gain an understanding of the meaning of the lived survivorship experience (van Manen, 1997). According to van Manen (1997), the art of the researcher in a hermeneutic interview is to keep open the question of the meaning of the phenomenon and as well to keep the researcher and the participant oriented to the idea of being questioned. As Gadamer (1975) states, â€Å"The art of questioning is that of being able to go on asking questions, i.e. the art of thinking† (as cited in van Manen, p.330). In keeping with the hermeneutic inquiry, the interview began with a broad question which asked each participant to describe what it was like around the time of breast cancer diagnosis. Thereafter, the researcher sat back and listened, allowing the participants to tell their story and the process to evolve. Following the hermeneutic circle of questioning, the researcher went back and forth, deconstructing and reconstructing meanings, while paying particular attention to not only what was said, but also and more importantly, to what was not said to uncover the true essence of the experience (McConnell-Henry et al., 2009a). Additionally, the researcher introduced ideas and concepts expressed from one interview to the next to validate common or varied themes. Attention was directed to whole or overall meanings, and at the same time, the whole or overall meanings were examined by its parts (van Manen, 1997). Field notes and memos were recorded immediately following each interview, with notations on the location of the interview, the participant’s home environment, as well as participant’s body language, facial expressions and emotional responses, such as tone of voice and affective changes observed during the interview. The researcher’s impressions and feelings during the interview and preliminary thoughts on emerging themes and theoretical assumptions were recorded in a reflexive journal. Nvivo 2.0 qualitative software was used for coding of the data. Descriptive statistics (mean, median, SD) were calculated for all demographic variables. Data analysis was conducted based an inductive iterative approach. In qualitative research, a transcript is necessary to achieve the research goal of capturing participants‟ reconstruction of their lived experience in their own words (Sandelowski, 1994) and to complement the level of analysis involved (Drisko, 1997). Sandelowski (1994) believes that a transcript becomes the researcher‟s raw data by preserving the interview event and which could be utilized for member checking and expert peer review. If the focus of an analysis is to provide an in-depth description of the knowledge, attitudes, values, beliefs or experiences of an individual, or a group of individuals, then a lengthier and more extensive text is required for the transcript. The interest of researchers goes beyond identifying patterns and salient themes; they also seek to demonstrate variations in the way a phenomenon is framed, articulated and experienced, as well as the relationships within and between particular elements of such a phenomenon (MacLean, Meyer, Estable, 2004). As the aim of this hermeneutic phenomenological research was to gain a deeper understanding of women’s feeling after breast reconstruction, every effort was made to capture not only spoken words but also the emotional content of the interviews. Transcripts were transcribed verbatim and included mispronunciations, grammatical errors, vernacular expressions, intonations, slang, and emotional sounds; these were denoted in the transcripts as [crying softly], [laughing softly] or [sounds like nervous laughter] (MacLean et al., 2004). Attention to the expression of idioms is particularly important in phenomenology as they are born out of lived experience (van Manen, 1997). To improve understanding of the content and affect of the interviews, transcripts included contextual information such as silences or pauses in conversation and background noises, as well as inaudible segments, which were documented in the transcripts as [cannot hear] or [inaudible] (MacLean et al., 2004; McLellan, MacQueen, Neidig, 2003). Interviews conducted in English were transcribed verbatim by an English-speaking transcriber, The researcher clarified and verified the English transcripts against each interview and made changes as required. For accuracy and quality control purposes, spot-checks were conducted on all transcripts and translated transcripts (McLellan et al., 2003). Preparation for data analysis begins by orienting oneself to the phenomenon (van Manen, 1997). To accomplish this, the researcher emerged herself in the data by listening to each tape purposefully and reflectively, paying attention to each participant‟s human existence. While listening, the researcher mentally re-lived the interview process; Multi-layered readings allowed a wholistic feeling of the „big picture‟ and ensured no aspects of the phenomenon were omitted. The researcher individually coded all the transcripts. During the readings, significant phrases, sentences and statements were highlighted and coded, with particular attention paid to recurrent images, repeated words, metaphors or analogies, and contradictions and transitions in the narratives (Ryan Bernard, 2003); emerging themes were categorized according to the four structures of the lifeworld. Interpretation and meanings were proposed for each statement employing words as close as possible to those voiced by the participants. Common themes were integrated into the four existential structures that describe the phenomenon , thereby generating a clear structured cognitive framework of the emergent themes; a distinction was made between incidental themes versus essential themes(van Manen, 1997). Constant comparison of the text was undertaken to identify negative cases and compare thematic patterns and commonalities that characterized the phenomenon being studied, and to explain individual variations within each interview as well as all interviews as a whole (Thorne, Kirkham, OFlynne-Magee, 2004). Phenomenological investigation entails the art of sensitivity to the subtle undertones of language; this requires the researcher to be a true listener to attune to the deep tonalities of language that normally fall out of the range of accustomed hearing (van Manen, 1997). Data Analysis 5.3.1 Thematic Analysis This study employed thematic analysis to describe and interpret the internal meaning structures of lived experience or lifeworld. In qualitative research, thematic analysis is the most common approach for data interrogation (Creswell, 1998). According to Luborsky (1993), the significant benefit of utilizing thematic analysis is its direct representation of an individual‟s point of view and descriptions of experiences, beliefs and perceptions. In phenomenology, themes, or existential themes, are viewed as the structures of experience and often described and interpreted within the structures of the four existentials of lifeworld lived space (spatiality), lived time (temporality), lived body (corporeality), and lived relation (relationality) as the means to ground human experience (van Manen, 1997). In other words, recognizing how and where the data was to be categorized thematically not only helped to integrate the themes into a structured meaning, but also provided a clear structured cognitive framework for the researcher and the reader to understand the textual data (Vis, 2005). Unlike quantitative research which seeks causal determination, prediction and statistical generalization of findings, the aim of a naturalist, constructive and interpretative inquiry is to solicit rich illumination, understanding and extrapolation from the data generated (Hoepfl, 1997; Polkinghorne, 1989). The issues of validity and reliability are just as important in qualitative studies as in quantitative research to establish truth-value; in qualitative investigations, however, validity and reliability are achieved through the concepts of credibility, transferability, dependability and confirmability (Guba Lincoln, 1985). For hermeneutical research, the multiple stages of interpretation that allow patterns to emerge, the discussion of how interpretations arise from the data, and the interpretive process itself are critical ways to ensure rigor (Koch, 1995).Rigor was further enhanced by having two English transcripts randomly selected and reviewed by the thesis supervisor (CW) and a committee member (DH). They each read the transcripts to verify coding accuracy, reviewed the extracted statements as well as the formulated meanings and themes, and provided additional interpretation of the coded data as necessary. In this study, trustworthiness was addressed through reflexivity, prolonged engagement, interdisciplinary triangulation, negative case analysis, peer debriefing/support and audit trail (Padgett, 1998). Prior to detailed discussion of the techniques employed to establish trustworthiness, I pause to acknowledge the current debate and tension regarding the appropriateness of applying quantitative terminology to establish rigor in qualitative research (Golafshani, 2003) . While prolonged engagement, triangulation and negative case analysis are acceptable techniques to establish rigor in qualitative research (Guba Lincoln, 1985), there is, however, an acknowledged need for qualitative researchers to define the meanings of these techniques within the paradigm (Babour, 1998). Therefore, interpretation of the techniques applied in this hermeneutic phenomenological research is explained. Ethical Considerations Ethics approval was sought and obtained from the Research Ethics Board to conduct the thesis research at Spire Cardiff Hospital. Administrative ethics approval was also sought and obtained from the Office of Research Ethics in Wales for thesis research. Participants who met the inclusion criteria were contacted by the researcher to introduce the study, provide written details of the investigation and obtain their consent to participate in the study. The consent form in English described the study and its objectives, the potential risks and benefits to participants, and the safeguards to maintain confidentiality of data. The consent form also advised participants that they could withdraw from the study at any time without compromising their clinical care. The risk to the participants in this study was limited to possible psychological or emotional discomfort when sharing their experiences; in such cases, the interview would be suspended and participants offered the option of continuing or terminating the interview, as well as a referral to the Spire Cardiff Hospital Psychosocial Oncology and Palliative Care Program for professional support. Benefits of the study are its contribution to both the development of culturally sensitive psychosocial/supportive care interventions and the knowledge-building process regarding the women’s experiences after breast reconstruction. To protect the confidentiality of participants, an identifying number was assigned to digitally recorded interviews. All patient identifying information was deleted before they were forwarded to a secured e-mail account for transcription. To ensure security, digital audio recordings were stored in the researcher’s locked office and transcribed data password protected. Participants were assured that their decision to participate, or not would in no way affect their follow up or future treatment and care at the hospital. Participants were referred to another breast site social worker for psychosocial care as appropriate. van Manen, M. (1997). Researching lived experience: Human science for an action sensitive pedagogy (2nd ed.). London, Ontario: The Althousen Press. Oiler, C. (1982). Phenomenological approach in nursing research. Nursing Research, 5, 49-63. Vis, J.-A. L. (2005). Exploring the lived experience following trauma: A hermeneutic phenomenology study. Unpublished Dissertation, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Morse, J. (2000). Determining sample size. Qualitative Health Research, 10(1), 3-5. Starks, H., Trinidad Brown, S. (2007). Choose your method: A comparison of phenomenology, discourse analysis, and grounded theory. Qualitative Health Research, 17(10), 1327-1380. Creswell, J. W. (1998). Qualitative inquiry and research design. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications. Mathieson, C., Stam, H. J. (1995). Renegotiating identity: Cancer narratives. Sociology of Health Illness, 17(3), 283-306. McConnell-Henry, T., Chapman, Y., Francis, K. (2009a). Husserl and Heidegger: Exploring the disparity. International Journal of Nursing Practice, 15, 7-15. Sandelowski, M. (1994). Notes on Transcription. Research in Nursing Health, 17, 311-314. MacLean, L., Meyer, M., Estable, A. (2004). Improving Accuracy of Transcriptsin Qualitative Research. Qualitative Health Research, 14(1), 113-123. Drisko, J. W. (1997). Strengthening qualitative studies and reports: Standards to promote academic integrity. Journal of Social Work Education, 33(1), 185-197. McLellan, E., MacQueen, K., Neidig, J. L. (2003). Beyond the Qualitative Interview: Data Preparation and Transcription. Field Methods, 15(1), 63-84. Ryan, G. W., Bernard, H. R. (2003). Techniques to identify themes. Field Methods, 15(1), 85-109. Thorne, S., Kirkham, S. R., OFlynne-Magee, K. (2004). The analytic challenge in interpretive description. Retrieved November 12, 2008, from Http://www.ualberta.ca/~iiqm/backissues/3_1/pdf/thorneetal/pdf Luborsky, M. R. (1993). The identification and analysis of themes and patterns. In J. Gubrium A. Sankar (Eds.), Qualitative Methods in Aging Research (pp. 189-210). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. Hoepfl, M. (1997). Choosing qualitative research: A primer fpr technology edcuation researchers. Retrieved April 2, 2008, from http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/ejournals/JTE/jte-v9n1/JTEv9n1.pdf#page=49 Polkinghorne, D. E. (1989). Phenomenological research methods. In R. S. Valle S. Halling (Eds.), Existential Phenomenological perspectives in psychology (pp. 41-60). NY: New York: Plenum Press. Guba, E., Lincoln, Y. S. (1985). Naturalisitc Inquiry. Newbury Park, CA: Sage Publications, Inc. Koch, T. (1995). Interpretative approaches in nursing research: The influence of Husserl and Heidegger. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 21, 827-836. Golafshani, N. (2003). Understanding reliability and validity in qualitative research. The Qualitative Report, 8(4), 597-607. Padgett, D. (1998). Qualitative methods in social work research. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, Inc. Babour, R. S. (1998). Mixing qualitative methods: Quality assurance or qualitative quagmire? Qualitative Health Research, 8(3), 352-361. Levine, E. G., Eckhardt, J., Targ, E. (2005). Change in post-traumatic stress symptoms following psychosocial treatment for breast cancer. Psycho-Oncology, 14, 618-635. Smith, M. Y., Redd, W. H., Peyser, C., Vogl, D. (1999). Post-traumatic stress disorder in cancer: A review. Psycho-Oncology, 8, 521-537. Kornblith, A. B., Herndon, J. E., Weiss, R. B., Zhang, C., Zuckerman, E. L., Rosenberg, S., et al. (2003). Long-term adjustment of survivors of early-stage breast carcinoma, 20 years after adjuvant chemotherapy. Cancer, 98(4), 679-689.

Analysis of Kri Kri Milk Company

Analysis of Kri Kri Milk Company KRI KRI S.A. company was created in 1950 from George Tsinavo and is activated in the milk industry. The company initially dealt with ice cream that was first sold by hawkers using ice and salt for cooling and sold in every neighborhood in the city of Serres, Greece. In 1963 when the first electric freezers where introduced KRI KRI expanded and developed a market opportunity. Few years later, in 1968, the company developed further and transferred the companys facilities to new privately owned premises. The company established there its first automatic production line for milk and other products based on milk such as yogurt and ice cream. That was the first sign of the beginning of a new era of the companys lifecycle. In 1997, the company expanded by participating in a three year investment programme arising about six million Euros and modernized throughout the equipment and the factory facilities. The investing programme increase and improved the production and set the foundation stone for future development. Nowadays, KRI KRI has a well expanded network all over Greece and aims to strengthen its activities and development prospects in Greece as well as Balkan. KRI KRIs factory located 5km from the center of Serres and occupies about 50 square meters plot. The premises are composed by two different factories, one for ice cream and one for producing dairy products such as milk, which encloses modern mechanical equipment with new ecological technology. The company has been certified according to ISO 9001:200 for its producing processes on all product range. Furthermore, the company has established and applied the HACCP system according to Hellenic Organization for Standardisation under the supervision of the Minister of Development in Greece for all of the products in order to thoroughly safeguard consumers health and safety. For this purpose KRI KRI has established a quality control laboratory equipped with technological tool and staffed with scientific personnel properly trained. The Industry The milk industry consisted in its major component by large industrial companies which have the largest market share. These companies have developed a distinguished brand names and trade marks, new technological equipment and facilities. The industry does not offer many entrance opportunities to new companies and has high barriers to entry. The Demand The demand of the milk products is basic in peoples diet and irreplaceable. The milk products is one of the principal source of food and the demand does not affected much from price variations so the demand can be characterised by low volatility in price. Furthermore, the income in consumers wallet does not affect the quantity that is needed to cover the consumers basket and is unrelated with the desired quantity, so the demand can be characterised by low volatility in quantity. In addition, the substitutes product of milk has low substitutability to affect the milk industry. The milk industry had established an oligopoly and the milk prices are determined by large companies with low intervention by the Greek government. In the last decade, the only threat that the milk industry has encounter was the unexpected deceases that affect the animals and the raw material, which shocked the consumers confidence for milk products and have as a result the decrease in the consuming. The Supply The main distribution channel of the milk products are the supermarkets and the mini markets. Large companies have established a well synchronised and efficiency distribution channels throughout Greece while the few small companies in the industry have a locally limited target group to provide their products. Both categories of companies even if their activities are locally limited or national ensured that such a susceptible product as milk delivered in very good conditions and on time. Financial Indicators of the Market Financial indicators of the companies in milk industry should be taken into consideration in order to analyse and comprehend the financial position of the industry. On the 15 largest companies of the milk industry the average gross margin of the last 5 years was 26,12%, the net profit margin was 2,99% and the EBITDA index was 12,16%. The return on equity index was 6,26% and the return on capital employed was 2,50%. The general liquidity index was 1,71 while the cash flows ratio was 0,35. The average operation capital of the 15 largest companies the last 5 years was 4.543.754 euros. Competitive analysis: Porters five-forces model Porters five forces In order for a new company to enter, remain and expand a market it would be useful to analyse the industry and especially concentrate on the five basic points that are proposed by the Porter and show the attractiveness of the industry under consideration. Entrance of new competitors According to industry analysis, the milk industry seems to offer more opportunities to the already existed companies while it is quite difficult for a new company to enter the industry. The industry analysis indicates that there are high barriers to the market. Specifically, this sector does not offer many entrance opportunities to new companies due to the fact that it requires great investing amount to technology while the existent products are trade in from large well-developed companies that are high competitive. Moreover, the susceptible products of milk demands high coordination treatment throughout the life-cycle of production from the raw material to the final distribution. Additionally, the existing distribution channels that have been established from the companies are the results of investment through a long time period. So, a new company that intent to enter the milk market has to face the already well-established names in order to achieve high market share. Substitute products Another factor that should be analysed is the degree of products substitutability. The milk products are essentials in peoples diet and irreplaceable. In this industry there are few substitutes such as the soya milk, powdered milk, juices or other beverages but the substitutability is very low to affect the milk industry. Bargaining Power of Suppliers The bargaining power of suppliers of raw materials is complex but it is considered as low. The majority of milk companies sign contracts between farmers in order to absorb their milk while the companies control the production process through established production requirements in farming lifecycle such as the raw material required to feeding procedure, the existence conditions of living and the reproduction of the animals. So, the bargaining power of suppliers is limited in the milk industry and the large companies that purchase large quantities of raw material has a competitive advantage in terms of trading commodity prices and offset suppliers.. The bargaining power of the suppliers is unconcernedly and does not affect the milk industry, so can be characterised as low. Bargaining power of Customers The main customers of the milk industry are the super markets and the mini retail markets which both have high bargaining power. Both markets have a strong bargaining power especially the super markets through the large turnout that the premises offer, the mass final consumer that covers their needs has as a result to made large volume of sales through them. Mini markets have quite big supplier power due to the fact that are larger in number, almost in every neighborhood, they serve the final consumers in a more extensive market hours and the milk products are their primary trading consumer attraction. Furthermore, in order to attract more final customers through super markets and mini markets, companies have to be competitive and attractive. So, the main objective is to advertise their products in order to gain customers acceptance. This can be confirmed from the large amounts of investment in advertising and promotion campaigns that the majority of the milk companies spend. The competition The last but not least factor according to Porter that affects the entrance in the milk industry is the competition. The Greek milk market is highly controlled by few large milk production companies. This has as a result the creation of an oligopoly among the companies while they try to retain or expand their share in the market by enhancing their brands through advertising, various discounts offers and by exploiting the benefits from exclusive distribution in mini retail markets. The created oligopoly is the main characteristic of milk industry and this point out that the competition is considered as low. SWOT Analysis KRI-KRI S.A. S STRENGTHS Very strong financial position Strong contracts with suppliers and associates Technological industrial and manufacturing facilities Organized distribution network channels Products with Popular Trademarks and strong preference of Greeks for domestic products Tight quality control, awards and certifications, brand name, recognizable firm (ISO, HACCP certifications) W WEAKNESSES No use of options to outweigh the potential risk of interest rates Insufficient money spent for marketing and advertisement. O- OPPORTUNITIES Balkan countries growth Living standards growth The gradual acceptance of biologic products by consumers. T- THREATS Unexpected deceases that affect the animals and have as a result the decrease in the consuming Greek crisis Competition from imports SO STRATEGY Expansion of the distribution network to Romania, where there are greater growth opportunities (S4+O1). WO STRATEGY Increase advertisement to attract more customers in refined products through the growth of living standards (W2+O2, 3). ST STRATEGY Restructure of the company to become total quality producer through tight control and cooperation with certificated farms (S6 + T1). WT STRATEGY Advertisement to commend on the origin and quality of its products instead of the imported ones (W2+T3).Combined Strategies Proposed scenarios Four scenarios were established from the above swot analysis matrix and the situation of the milk industry has been considered. SCENARIO 1 SCENARIO 2 SCENARIO 3 SCENARIO 4 CURRENT GROWTH ADVERTISEMENT EXPANSION FINANCIAL CRISIS SALES GROWTH RATE 1,33% 3,00% 7,00% -2,00% FIXED ASSETS (AT COST) GROWTH RATE 13,79% 4,50% 7,00% -2,00% TOTAL DEPRECIATION/FIXED ASSETS AT COST 5,79% 5,79% 5,79% 5,79% COST OF GOODS SOLD/SALES 54,27% 55,00% 40,00% 63,00% ADMINISTRATIVE SELLIG EXPENSES/SALES 28,82% 30,00% 15,00% 18,00% Table 1: Proposed scenarios First scenario. Basic Case: Current growth rates In this scenario would be examined how the companys equity value would be affected if will continued its activities with same sales growth as the average of past 5 years, the fixed assets growth rate, cost of goods sold/sales and administrative and selling expenses. Second scenario. Increase of advertisement Advertisement and promotion campaign in milk industry plays a significant role that determines the sales ratio growth. In this scenario we suppose that the company emphasises to increase its advertisement expenses that would lead to increase the sales growth up to 3%. We assume that the administrating and selling expenses rise up to 32% while the cost of goods sold per sales remain in 55%. Also, we decrease the fixed assets at cost growth rate at 4,50% in order to balance the past years expansion of fixed assets growth rate. Third scenario. Expansion to Balkan Balkan countries have been demonstrated high gross domestic product rate such as Bulgaria with 6,2% in contrast with Greece that the International Monetary Fund forecasted that would slightly increase from negative ratio to 0,80% gross domestic product. Considering the development in the past and forthcoming years in Balkan the third scenario supposes that the company expands in Balkan markets. Moreover, KRI KRI S.A. has already made the first expansion step in Balkan and has already begun to organise distribution network among Balkan region. Finally, KRI KRI S.A. has access to Balkan because its facilities located no more than 100 kilometres from Balkan borders such as with Bulgaria, Serbia and Yugoslavia. This scenario is realistic and feasible considering that the short distance from Balkan countries satisfied the demanded requirements in order to ensure the initial quality of the products. So we suppose that the sales growth rate would be increase up to 7% and similarly the fixed assets at cost growth rate would be up to 7%. Due to the mass production and the optimum production capacity we suppose that the cost of goods per sales and the administrating/selling expenses per sales would be decreased down to 40% and 20% respectively. Fourth scenario. Financial Crisis In the last scenario we consider the current financial crisis in Greece that already had occurred. The milk industry does not affected so much from the income of the consumers but in the current condition we supposed that the sales growth rate would be decreased down to -2%. The fixed assets growth would be decreased as well as the financial crisis would affect negatively the investing expansion to new fixed assets or even worse may forced a necessary liquidation of fixed assets. So, we suppose that the fixed assets at cost growth would be down to -2%. Finally, the decreasing in sales growth and the low volume of production would have as a result an increasing to cost of goods sold and administrative/selling expenses per sales ration up to 62% and 40% respectively.

Strategic Planning In The Hospitality Industry Tourism Essay

Strategic Planning In The Hospitality Industry Tourism Essay The rapid development in the hospitality industry which has lead to importance of strategic planning required in order the firms can have a steady rise in the industry. The life standards of people have been improved due to globalisation which in deed contribute to the development of the hospitality industry. The diversification was a most important priority of the firms in order to utilise the high profiled customer base which they possessed .It is easy to target the customers who are in your door step and this lead to various formulation of strategic plans to target them. Key words: hospitality, strategic planning Strategic planning is an organization frame work of defining its strategy, or direction, and making decisions on allocating its resources to pursue this strategy, including its capital and people. Various business analysis techniques can be used in strategic planning, including SWOT analysis (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats ) and PEST analysis (Political, Economic, Social, and Technological analysis) or STEER analysis (Socio-cultural, Technological, Economic, Ecological, and Regulatory factors) and EPISTEL (Environment, Political, Informatics, Social, Technological, Economic and Legal). Strategic planning is the official consideration of an organizations future course. All strategic planning deals with at least one of three key questions: What do we do? For whom do we do it? How do we excel? The  hospitality industry  consists of broad category of fields within the service industry that includes  lodging,  restaurants,  event planning,  theme parks,  transportation,  cruise line, and additional fields within the tourism industry. The hospitality industry is a several billion dollar industry that mostly depends on the availability of leisure time and disposable income. A hospitality unit such as a restaurant, hotel, or even an amusement park consists of multiple groups such as facility maintenance, direct operations (servers,  housekeepers, porters, kitchen workers,  bartenders, etc.), management, marketing, and human resources. The hospitality industry includes a wide range of organizations offering food service and accommodation. The hospitality industry is divided into sectors according to the skill-sets required for the work involved. Sectors include accommodation, food and beverage, meeting and events, gaming, entertainment and recreation, tourism services, and visitor information. (wikepedia n.d.) Strategic planning for the hospitality industry (1) The increasing popularity of strategic planning in recent times is attributed to accelerating changes in industries and economies and increasing global competition. (2) The rapid development of strategic-planning that executives find useful. Firms that engage in strategic planning tend to have higher performance. (3) A recent study of hotels in the United Kingdom found that business performance was positively associated with the thoroughness, sophistication, participation, and formality of strategic-planning processes. (4) Strategic analysis the systematic investigation of a firm and its environment is the foundation of the strategic management process. STRATEGIC PLANNING IN JACK IN THE BOX Jack in the Box recently announced plans to open 100 to 150 restaurants combined with convenience stores over the next five years. The stores will feature full-size restaurants and also sell gasoline and other typical convenience store items such as bread and milk. How did Jack in the Box arrive at this decision? According to the companys CEO, Bob Nugent, an analysis of the convenience-store market indicated that there was plenty of opportunity, primarily because no individual company dominates. The largest player in the convenience-store industry which dominated the market, 7-Eleven, Inc., controls slightly over 4 percent of the market. Compare this to fast foods, where McDonalds controls 43 percent of the market and Jack in the Box a mere 4.6 percent. Nugent also justifies his decision on the basis of research which indicates that a convenience-store customer is twice as likely to eat fast food as a non-convenience-store customer. (5) Strategic analysis can provide excellent information on which to base long-range decisions such as this one. Knowledge is one of the most important competitive weapons a firm can possess. (6) As the Jack in the Box example illustrates, detailed knowledge about a firm and its environment can be used to generate new ideas for business  and to evaluate the feasibility of ideas before they are actually implemented. Strategic analysis also allows a firms managers to become more aware of the companys strengths and weaknesses and to understand the reasons behind successes and failures. Knowledge about the competitive environment can help to anticipate and plan for changes and predict how competitors or other stakeholders such as customers or suppliers will respond to new strategies or other organizational activities. Strategic analysis can open up channels of communication between high-level managers and subordinates, allowing them to share ideas and perspectives. The participative process will help subordinates to accept changes more readily after decisions are made. (Harrison April, 2003) STRATEGIC PLANS AT FelCor LODGING TRUST For FelCor Lodging Trust, one of the largest hotel real estate investment trusts (REITs) in the United States, a strategic planning exercise led the company to rethink its strategy. Calling itself the New FelCor, the firm has made dramatic steps toward repositioning itself. The firm business strategy is to dispose of nonstrategic hotels, including all of its Holiday Inn Hotels located in secondary and tertiary markets. After the sale, it will have lower exposure to markets with low barriers to entry. Other elements of the new business strategy are (1) To acquire hotels in high barrier to entry markets (2) To improve the competitive positioning of core hotels through aggressive asset management and the judicious application of capital in the industry (3) To pay down debt through a combination of operational cash flow and the sale of nonstrategic hotels. The company will become a lower leveraged company with a stronger and fully renovated portfolio of hotels. STRATEGIC THINKING AT STARWOOD When Starwood thought of expanding their business to a field which is relevant and easy to attract customers .They in hotel industry and had a close association with the luxury segment customers so they thought Expansion through Diversification strategy in order use their same luxury customer base to sell their newly introduced Heavenly Bed . Westin Hotels Resorts, with 169 hotels and resorts in more than 31 countries and territories, is owned by Starwood Hotels Resorts Worldwide, Inc The Heavenly Bed, first launched by the Westin brand of Starwood Hotels Resorts, has transformed the bed, a basic feature of any hotel room, into a luxurious object of desire, enhancing the revenues of the chain and leaving many hotel operators to follow suit with copycat linens and custom bedding of their own. The strategic process at Starwood began with consumer analysis and product testing. First, Westin conducted a study involving 600 business executives who travel frequently. The results showed that 84 percent said a luxurious bed would make a hotel room more attractive to them to enjoy the comfort. What is more, 63 percent said a good night sleep is the most important service a hotel can provide. Half of those surveyed said they sleep worse in hotels than at home. After testing 50 beds from 35 lodging chains, Westin developed its prototype all white Heavenly Bed with a custom designed pillow top mattress, goose down comforters, five pillows, and three crisp sheets ranging in thread count from 180 to 250. Once the product was designed and tested, the firm introduced the bed with a carefully planned marketing strategy are USA Today ran a story on the front page of its business section. The same day, 20 pristine white Heavenly Beds lined Wall Street up to the New York Stock Exchange in New York City. Inside the Stock Exchange, Barry Sternlicht, the then Chairman and CEO of Starwood Hotels Resorts rang the opening bell and threw out hats proclaiming, Work like the devil Sleep like an angel. Meanwhile, at New York Grand Central Station, 20 more beds graced one of the rotundas there, and commuters disembarking the trains were invited to try them out. Similar events were staged the same day at 38 locations across the United States, tailored to each city. Savannahs event featured a bed floating on a barge down the river with a landing skydiver. Seattle s event took place atop the Space Needle. To reinforce the message, a concurrent advertising campaign asked, Whos the best in bed? AN EMERGING RETAIL STRATEGY FOR THE HEAVENLY BED In the early stages of introducing the heavenly bed .In the first week of launching the Westin Heavenly Bed, 32 guests were interested to buy the bed. A light bulb went on. Westin executives put order cards with a toll free number in every room. They started placing catalogs by bedsides and desks and set up a web site. By June of 2004, Westin had sold 20,000 pillows $ 75 for the king sized version and 3,500 bed/bedding combos, at $ 2,965 each, enough to spread the idea throughout Starwood, with the Sheraton, St. Regis, and W lines all turning into retailers. The unanticipated success of the Heavenly Bed has spawned a new business companies that help hotels run their retail arms. Boxport, a spin off of San Francisco based hotel procurer Higgins Purchasing Group, operates web sites and catalogs for several chains that now sell bedding. In order to determine where it is going, the organization needs to know exactly where it stands, then determine where it wants to go and how it will get there. The resulting document is called the strategic plan. It is also true that strategic planning may be a tool for effectively plotting the direction of a company; however, strategic planning itself cannot foretell exactly how the market will evolve and what issues will surface in the coming days in order to plan your organizational strategy. Therefore, strategic innovation and tinkering with the strategic plan have to be a cornerstone strategy for an organization to survive the turbulent business climate.

An Analysis of Spivak’s Translation of Mahasweta Devi’s Essay

Mahasweta Devi is a very well known figure in modern contemporary Bengali Literature and also a Ramon Magsaysay Award winner for her tremendous works in the field of literature mainly on tribals and marginalized people. Gayatri Spivak played a great role in making Mahasweta Devi known to the literature world through her translations and her work of subaltern studies on Devi’s texts. Spivak has translated many texts of Mahasweta Devi from Bengali into English. Translation has its own problems and issues and has been discussed at large and these issues and problems are matter of concern for every translator. The present paper is concerned with the problems which emerged after reading the select translated text â€Å"Draupadi† and what English/Western readers are deprived of while reading the translated text. Mahasweta Devi (1926- ) is a prolific Bengali writer and a very active social activist. Her works for the upliftment of the tribal people is extra ordinary. Along with the tribal people, she has also dedicated her struggles for all the subalterns, who are the victims of the system and class. Her works like Bashai Tudu, Chhota Munda and His Arrow, Rudali, Mother of 1084, â€Å"Douloti†, â€Å"Draupadi†, â€Å"Breast-giver†, etc. gives a realistic picture of the society where protagonists are oppressed and suppressed by the different tools of the system. Major portions of her writings are journalistic in nature and are directed against the mainstream. According to her mainstream people are the mute spectators and are very much part of the exploitations inflicted upon the subalterns. Though all her stories are written in Bengali, most of the works of Devi has been now translated into English and other languages for wider readership. While talkin... ...rding to Bertrand Russel, â€Å"no one can understand the word ‘cheese’ unless he has a nonlinguistic acquaintance with cheese.† (2000:113). To conclude we can say that whatever measures a translator may take but there will be always loss of information. The best a translator can do is to minimize the loss. Bengal with its rich culture, traditions and religious values it becomes all the more tough for the translators to avoid the dilution of those values. Works Cited 1. Devi, Mahasweta. Spivak, Gayatri C, trans. Breast Stories. Calcutta: Seagull Books.2010. 2. Spivak, Gayatri C. In Other Worlds: Essays in Cultural Politics. New York: Methuen.1987. 3. Venuti, Lawrence, Ed. The Translation Studies Reader. London: Routledge.2000. 4. Sen, Nivedita and Nikhil Yadav, ed. Mahasweta Devi: An Anthology of Recent Criticism. New Delhi: Pencraft International.2008.

Isaiah Chapter 10 Essay -- Religion, God

The pericope of that I choose for this reflection paper is Isaiah 11:1-9. The preceding literature unit of this pericope focuses on the topic how God uses Assyria for His redemptive purpose. In Isaiah 10:5, Isaiah explains the role of Assyria in God’s plan. Assyria is the rod of God’s anger. He uses it to punish Israel and Judah because they are two godless nations but full of idols (Isaiah 10:6,11). After God’s angers are poured out on two countries, the heart of Assyria becomes boastful. God turns His anger on His rod and punishes Assyria. In Isaiah 10:12-19, Assyria is depicted as a mighty forest and the judgment of God is portrayed as an axe will swing and chop down this mighty forest. Assyria will be destroyed and reduced to a very small number that a child can count (Isaiah 10:19). After the section about the destruction of Assyria, the text turns to the proclamation of the return of the remnant of Israel. The focal point of the text zooms out in the last v erse of Isaiah chapter 10 to bring forth the final scene in which the remnant of Israel will return to their land while in the background Assyria is destroyed. The once mighty forest is no more. After God abandons Assyria as His rod at the end of Isaiah chapter 10, in the beginning of Isaiah chapter 11, God will raise up a shoot from the stump of Jesse (Isaiah 11:1). This shoot from the stump of Jesse is personified as He and this Person is endowed with the Spirit of the Lord in Isaiah 11:2. He will provide justice for all. His reign will be characterized with righteousness and faithfulness (Isaiah 11:3-5). This reign of righteousness and faithfulness leads to many profound impacts and drastic changes to the whole creation. The hostilities between predators and preys, b... ...ath had shown all its power at the death of Jesus Christ on the cross. The resurrection of Jesus Christ presented the power of the Holy Spirit who would transform and brought forth a new life out of the dead body, dead spirit, and dead mind of human. This theme, God will bring forth new life out of the death, will have its final in the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. For all who are faithful unto their death, they will be risen up again with the new heavenly, imperishable body (1 Corinthians 15:35-49). Death is not an absolute ending of human life anymore. In the opposite, death is a requisite for entering a new life with Jesus Christ when he comes back to this earth the second time. At the Second Coming of Jesus Christ, all who are faithful until death will be risen up. They will live forever in the glory of God and worship Him for eternity (Revelation 7:9-17).

The Environmental Non Governmental Organizations Education Essay

Environmental non-governmental organisations ( ENGOs ) are going one of the noticeable histrions today in biological preservation. A study was conducted on the university pupils of Central Mindanao University ( CMU ) , Philippines and National Chung Hsing University ( NCHU ) , Taiwan to measure their perceptual experience towards ENGOs and if their sentiments are influenced by demographic variables. The survey besides explores the pupils ‘ involvement and respect about biological preservation as a major issue locally or globally. A sum of 273 university pupils were surveyed from different classs in both states. The consequences showed that most pupils from both states were non familiar with ENGOs and indicated a impersonal mentality towards their trust to these organisations. CMU pupils perceived the local people as the most responsible stakeholder while on the other manus NCHU pupils signified the authorities as the most dependable establishment. The nationality and academic major of the pupils were found to hold a strong association in the pupils ‘ perceptual experience of the most responsible stakeholder. The pupils from both states besides believed that the environmental issues are the most serious jobs in the universe, followed by societal and preservation issues. Furthermore, CMU and NCHU pupils were more concerned about societal jobs than preservation issues in their several hometowns, although they have contrasting positions about the major societal jobs they are confronting. NCHU pupils, nevertheless, expressed more involvement in environmental issues than CMU pupils, both in local and planetary graduated table. The nationality of the pupils showed a positive relationship with their perceptual experience towards the major of import issues in the universe and in their communities. ENGOS should exercise more attempts in affecting the college pupils of Taiwan and Philippines in their run plans to better the pupils ‘ engagement and perceptual experience towards these organisations. KEYWORDS: environmental nongovernmental organisations, pupils ‘ perceptual experience, Philippines, Taiwan, biological preservation Introduction With all the services and chances that biodiversity provide the human public, it is of import to keep and conserve the Earth ‘s biological resources. Biological preservation must be reinforced to prolong the profusion and variableness of different life-forms and their home grounds ( Spellerberg and Hardes, 1992 ) . One of the stakeholders involved in this enterprise are the Environmental Non-governmental Organizations ( ENGOs ) , which are mostly concerned in delivering biological resources from fast extinctions and debasements ( Gunter, 2004 ) . These organisations employ different schemes in their projects. They act the function of experts ( Charnovitz, 1996 ; Esty, 1998 ) , raise consciousness runs ( Bauer, 2006 ) , anteroom policymakers ( Binder and Neumayer, 2005 ) and authorise local communities ( Raustiala, 1997 ) . ENGOs in the Philippines proliferated during the Martial Law Period of President Marcos in the 1970s until the early 1980s ( Teehankee, 1993 ) . Serious environmental debasements during and after the absolutism have prompted the Filipino authorities to go through a figure of environmental Torahs and policies ( Magallona and Malayang, 2000 ) . The democratisation of the state officially acknowledged the importance of NGOs in the Filipino society ( Soledad, 2006 ) . The activities of Filipino ENGOs are engaged chiefly in natural resource direction, community organizing, pollution control, biodiversity development, land debasement and dirt preservation ( Magallona and Malayang, 2000 ) . They besides build partnerships with other NGOs, academia, media, grassroots organisations, anteroom politicians, empower autochthonal people and behavior scientific research and circulate studies to the populace ( Lucas, n.d. ; Magno, 1993 ; Bryant, 2001 ) . It is estimated that there are about 3,000 NGOs that focus on the environment and rank to these groups largely come from the young person, scientists, professionals, retired persons, altruists, politicians and business communities ( Lucas, n.d ) . They obtain support from many-sided givers, authorities bureaus, rank fees, local and foreign contributions, income-generating activities, local and transnational companies, local and international NGOs ( ADB, 2007 ) . The issue on NGOs ‘ deficiency of resources and managerial capablenesss frequently limit their influence on the Filipino society in relation with their ends and involvements ( Teehankee, 1993 ; ADB, 2007 ) . Like the Philippines, Chinese ENGOs came to turn after the Kuomintang ( KMT ) Martial Law epoch ended in the late eightiess ( Hsiao, 1999 ) . The rapid industrialisation of Taiwan and the authorities ‘s thrust for economic growing has been pointed out to do major environmental crisis in Taiwan ( Edmonds, 1996 ; Tong, 2005 ; Yang, 2008 ) . In response to the dismaying environmental crisis, the Chinese authorities has passed several Torahs, policies and ordinances ( Edmonds, 1996 ; Lin, 2001, Yang, 2008 ) . ENGOs in Taiwan by and large drew rank from bookmans and professionals ( Tong, 2005 ) and addressed issues chiefly on pollution control, resistance to atomic power workss, and biological preservation ( Hsiao, 1999 ) . Furthermore, they are besides active in forming grassroots presentations and public hearings, educating the populace on environmental issues, oversing authorities policies, publicising environmental issues, and let go ofing imperativeness studies ( Tong, 2005 ; M cBeath and Leng, 2006 ) . There are merely about 300 ENGOs that operate in Taiwan and some of which operate as government-organized NGOs ( McBeath and Leng, 2006 ) . Taiwan ENGOs acquire funding support largely from rank fees, contributions, and authorities grants ( Edmonds, 1996 ; Lin, 2001 ) . Due to its political position, international loaning establishments like the Asian Development Bank and World Bank are non aggressive subscribers in the local environmental protection runs, which make foreign fund supports difficult to obtain ( McBeath and Leng, 2006 ) . The common encountered restraints by Chinese ENGOs are the troubles in enrolling members, acquiring fiscal support, deficiency of information channels from international ENGOS and deficiency of equal managerial capacity ( Hsiao, 1999 ; Yang, 2008 ) . In malice of the support to Filipino and Taiwanese ENGOs, there are still restricting factors that affect their range in accomplishing the groups ‘ ends and involvements. The contentions that involved ENGOs and the NGO sector in general ( Gibelman and Gelman, 2004 ; Jepson, 2005 ) have a serious impact on their image to the populace and every bit good as impacting their legitimacy, credibleness and ability in acquiring fiscal support. The present survey selected the college pupils as respondents because they are assumed to be the future stewards and leaders of the society ( Sia Su, 2007 ) . Although there is really limited information available that explores the perceptual experience of people towards NGOs ( Vasquez, 2010 ) , old surveies have assessed the perceptual experience of local people and pupils towards these organisations ( Ivy et al. , 1998 ; Wong, 2003 ; Hyseni, 2008 ) . The aim of this survey is to exemplify the perceptual experience of the college pupils towards the functions of ENGOs in biological preservation, utilizing two representative universities, Central Mindanao University ( CMU ) and National Chung Hsing University ( NCHU ) of the Philippines and Taiwan, and to measure if their point of views are influenced by demographic factors such as nationality, gender, academic major, and age. This research besides intends to turn to a figure of inquiries: ( a ) How do college pupils of CMU and NCHU regard biological preservation as an issue, in their ain place state or worldwide? ; ( B ) How do these college pupils rank ENGOs compared to other stakeholders involved in biological preservation? ; ( degree Celsius ) How much do these college pupils trust ENGOs? ; and ( vitamin D ) How willing are these college pupils to take part in biological preservation attempts by ENGOs? Method The research survey involved 137 and 136 college pupils of Central Mindanao University ( CMU ) , Philippines and National Chung Hsing University ( NCHU ) , Taiwan severally. This was conducted last February to March 2010. In both states, merely two universities were approached due to clip restraints and to be able to ease a manageable survey. The study involved pupils from different classs in CMU and NCHU. CMU respondents were pupils taking Agriculture, Biology, Veterinary Medicine, Engineering and Nursing classs. Respondents from NCHU were pupils taking Forestry, Commerce, Engineering, Political Science, Foreign Language and Mathematics. The questionnaire was pre-tested with a few pupils in NCHU, and alterations were made consequently to better the lucidity of the inquiries. The questionnaires given to CMU respondents were in English while the Mandarin version was given to the NCHU respondents. The different socio-demographic information of the respondents such as age, gender, academic major, degree of survey, and nationality were ab initio asked. The succeeding inquiries were posed to obtain the respondents ‘ ( 1 ) general perceptual experience and consciousness towards biological preservation, ( 2 ) perceptual experience and consciousness towards ENGOS and ( 3 ) willingness to take part in biological preservation attempts of NGOS. The study was carried out both inside and outside the schoolroom, and about, it took 10 proceedingss per respondent to make full out the questionnaire. Data analysis was performed utilizing Statistical Analysis System ( SAS ) . Chi-square trials were used to find whether socio-demographic variables influenced the pupils ‘ sentiments about the ENGOs. The age groups and academic big leagues were divided into two classs. Respondents below 18 were added to the 18-20 age class and those above 25 were included in the 21-25 age groups. The academic big leagues were farther categorized into biology-related and non-biology-related. Biology-related classs in this respect pertains to train such as agribusiness, forestry, veterinary medical specialty, and biological science while non-biology related classs includes technology, nursing, commercialism, foreign linguistic communication, political scientific discipline and mathematics. The degree of trust held by CMU and NCHU pupils with regard to the different statements refering ENGOs were highlighted in Table 7. Most of the respondents from the two universities rated â€Å" impersonal † ( bespeaking neither agreed nor disagreed to the statement ) when surveyed about their assurance on ENGOs ‘ â€Å" cognition and competency † and â€Å" answerability in the efficient usage of money † in work outing environmental jobs. Furthermore, when asked if ENGOs are influenced by political parties in their several local countries, most pupils from CMU and NCHU said â€Å" Yes † ( 49.26 % and 53.38 % , severally ) . Both CMU and NCHU expressed high concern over societal issues in their several hometowns, while environmental and preservation issues were less recognized. The two groups of respondents had different perceptual experiences on the local societal jobs. Most of the CMU respondents were peculiarly concerned about poorness, corruptness and unemployment. The prevalence of poorness in the Philippines ( CIA World Factbook, 2010 ) could be a conducive factor to the CMU pupils ‘ concern for poorness. The issue on political corruptness has besides been a battle in the Philippines ( Thompson, 2001 ) . Furthermore, the state ‘s unemployment rate is high. Its population, estimated at 92.23 million, is projected to make 111 million by 2015 ( National Statistics Office, 2009 ) . NCHU pupils were largely concerned about unemployment, and seemed to be less troubled by the issues of corruptness and poorness. Their concern for unemployment is attributed to the recent economic recession wherein legion occupations were lost in Taiwan ( Chan, 2009 ) . Taiwan ‘s economic position is about comparable to a developed state ( Lin, 2009 ) which could assist explicate why merely a little proportion of NCHU pupils considered poorness as a job. Whereas the deficiency of concern over corruptness may bespeak that the job is non serious in Taiwan but it does non needfully intend that the job does non wholly exist ( Transparency International, 2009 ) . NCHU respondents besides expressed more concern in both environmental and preservation issues than CMU respondents. This could be attributed to the environmental debasement attach toing Taiwan ‘s rapid industrialisation in the past old ages ( Agoramoorthy, 2009 ) . The Philippines has besides faced ecological crisis ( Posa et al. , 2008 ) but the CMU pupils may care less about environmental issues because of other societal-generated jobs. The difference in CMU and NCHU perceptual experiences towards environmental issues could besides be attributed to the school ‘s geographical location. CMU is located in a rural scene while NCHU belong in an urban country. As Hsiao et Al. ( 2002 ) contends, the rural people have a different relationship to nature than the metropolis people. Although NCHU pupils seemed to be comparatively concerned about biological preservation, most of them were non cognizant to international environmental understanding compared to CMU pupils. This could be attributed to Taiwan ‘s international political position, non being recognized as a â€Å" state † by UN criterions ( MacBeath and Leng 2006 ; Lin, 2009 ) and therefore Taiwan was isolated from take parting in international environmental dialogues. On the other manus, the Philippines have signed to some international environmental pacts ( Magallona and Malayang, 2000 ) which could explicate why CMU pupils were largely cognizant about international environmental acme. Percepts and Awareness of Students towards ENGOs Most CMU and NCHU respondents were non peculiarly cognizant of ENGOs in their several hometowns. Although there are a figure of national ENGOs operating in the Philippines, peculiarly in the Metropolitan Manila and the chief island Luzon ( Magallona and Malayang, 2000 ) , CMU pupils might non still be cognizant of them sing the archipelagic nature of the state. Unlike in Luzon, there are merely a few established ENGOs that operate in Mindanao ( PSDN, 2010 ) , the island where CMU is situated. The less figure of ENGOs which are actively working in Taiwan ( MacBeath and Leng, 2006 ) could be the ground besides for less consciousness by NCHU pupils. The CMU pupils perceived the local people as the most responsible stakeholder in biological preservation. Although there were several preservation plans initiated by the Filipino authorities ( Magalona and Malayang, 2000 ) , the respondents ‘ low assurance on their authorities may hold stemmed from the prevailing issues of corruptness ( Thompson, 2001 ) and therefore, their perceptual experience shifted towards tilting on the local people as accountable and more reliable on holding the ideal place in pull offing their biological resources ( Posa et al. , 2008 ) . On the other manus, the NCHU pupils believed more in the attempts of their authorities in biological preservation. This could be mostly attributed to the launching of huge educational runs by the Taiwan authorities in advancing preservation consciousness to the populace ( Wong, 2001 ) . The authorities establishment in Taiwan has the fiscal and human resources besides to transport out monolithic preservation plans. The fiscal restraints by both Taiwan and Philippine ENGOs could besides be a important factor with regard to the extent of their preservation actions. In Taiwan, most contributions normally go to local spiritual organisations ( Lin et al. , 2005 ) . On the other manus, the poorness state of affairs in the Philippines is a major restraint in donating to these organisations ( Jiao, 2008 ) . The less acknowledgment by CMU and NCHU pupils of ENGOs as a stakeholder in biological preservation farther implies that ENGOs should demo more effectivity and value in their attempts, particularly in affecting college pupils. The nationality and academic major of the pupils were found to be important variables in act uponing their perceptual experience of the most responsible stakeholders in biological preservation. Students with classs related to biological science are more open to preservation issues and therefore, more likely to exhibit high degrees of cognition refering the environment. This is besides in conformity with the consequences of Tikka et Al. ( 2000 ) . Most pupils from both universities could non peculiarly agree nor disagree to the cognition, competency and answerability of ENGOs in turn toing preservation issues. But the two groups of respondents agreed that these organisations are capable by political use. CMU pupils ‘ perceptual experience might be affected by the reported dirts on some development and environmental NGOs before ( Bryant, 2002 ; Songco, 2007 ) . On the other manus, NCHU pupils ‘ positions towards ENGOs might be influenced by some pro-development persons who think these organisations aggressive signifiers of actions might interrupt the state ‘s foreign investors ( MacBeath and Leng, 2006 ) . Although ENGOs are one of the seeable and active subscribers to nature preservation, their representation should besides show unity, earnestness and trust, non merely to the college pupils but to the whole populace, with regard to its nature as a fund-dependent organisation. Students ‘ Conservation Behavior Both CMU and NCHU respondents had low respect in back uping ENGOs as a worthwhile personal activity in protecting the environment. However, if there will be ENGOs present in their local country, the CMU pupils are willing to take part actively by giving clip. While the NCHU pupils expressed willingness to back up but could non offer both clip and money. Most of the pupils expressed private preservation behaviour ( e.g. personal enterprises ) instead than public behaviours ( e.g. back uping activities of NGOs ) . This besides suggests that ENGOs need to better on how to present their purposes on preservation attempts affecting the pupils. ENGOs should develop ways on how pupils could easy derive entree of information on their environmental runs and plans and perchance, the degree of engagement would increase. The deficiency of involvement by CMU and NCHU pupils in fall ining conservation-themed pupil nines may be parallel to their indifference in ENGO ‘s preservation attempts. Decision The present survey demonstrates that CMU and NCHU college pupils were non unusually concerned about biological preservation issues, globally or locally. Social precedences in the pupils ‘ respective and immediate milieus by and large influenced their mentalities towards preservation issues. The pupils ‘ deficiency of involvement in preservation issues further implies that any biological saving thrusts and runs, whether initiated by ENGOs or any other stakeholder, may non be as effectual and greatly participated, sing that they have other pressing concerns in head. ENGOs ‘ deficiency of outreach plans and hapless selling thrust in the academia sector could be a important factor in the waning involvement and weak acknowledgment in the Black Marias of the immature public. College pupils, on the other manus, should be cognizant of their societal and environmental duties since they will be the stewards of biological resources in the hereafter. They have to recognize that ENGOs are their spouses in this enterprise and that they are besides a valuable component in the organisations ‘ sustainability in turn toing environmental protection. It would besides be interesting for the two universities to better their environmental instruction plans by presenting a more specific topic entirely turn toing environmental and preservation issues. This could excite and perchance alter the pupils ‘ concern and mentality towards the environment. Increasing the sample size from different universities and parts in both states would hold better represented the Philippines and Taiwan in comparing the pupils ‘ perceptual experiences on ENGOs. Stratified choice of respondents from different strata is besides recommended in future surveies to guarantee a representative subdivision of the different demographic variables.