Ethical Issues In The ICU Essay

Medical practitioners are faced with the challenge of making decisions on whether to withhold or withdraw a patient’s life sustaining therapy in the intensive care unit. Intensive care units are departments which provide high quality and advanced forms of therapies to very ill patients in the intensive care unit at an increased cost. These patients’ expectations are high with regard to modern medicine, and as a result, have led to the rise of complex ethical issues in the ICU. Clinicians managing patients in the intensive care unit face many ethical problems during the patient’s routine care. This is seen in cases of withholding life sustaining therapy, withdrawing life sustaining therapy, informed consent and making decisions that affect the patients. Introduction Ethical related issues in the intensive care unit are a dilemma facing medical practitioners and nurses. This has affected the quality of care given to the patients in the ICU. Nurses responsible for caring for critically ill patients are faced with many ethical problems in the ICU due to the lack of enough full time critical care personnel and lack of enough funds to facilitate and run the intensive care units. A guideline on ethical issues in the intensive care unit demands that nurses offering critical care to patients apply the care with humanity by showing respect for the emotions and choices of the patients and their families. Nurses in this field are required to provide all necessary information to the patients and the family, counsel them and assist in interpreting the results so they can make well informed decisions. Nurses must consult with all physicians involved in the patients’ management. ethical problems facing nurses in he intensive care unit range from aggressive forms of treatment, following the wishes of the patients families to using extreme forms of reducing pain and assisted suicide and euthanasia.. Care of patients in the intensive care units involves aggressive forms of treatments with high risks associated with them and high-tech modern medicine which has higher risks than improving the patients’ prognosis. Critically ill patients and terminally ill patients who should be left to die in the comfort of their homes like in the earlier days are now made to undergo last minute aggressive treatments which may end up being no significant. In such cases when the treatment fails and the patient dies, the patients’ family blames the nurses and doctors for being insensitive to their wishes. Nurses are faced with the burden of not knowing where to draw the line between extending the natural process of dying by applying aggressive forms of medical care and when to apply life support systems. Ethics require that medical practitioners and nurses put the interests of their patients and their families’ first rather than applying futile medical technology to save the life of the patient or prolong their dying process against the family’s wishes. Nurses in the care of critically ill patients are required to set proper goals and interventions for terminal are of patients. End of life decisions should be made after consensus with all involved physicians. Critically ill patients in the intensive care unit get the most complex forms of treatment even in cases where their prognosis is poor. These patients also die under the most undesirable situations such as comatose conditions or under ventilatory support. Research studies have shown that critically ill patients are put through very aggressive forms of treatment which the clinicians would not want to undergo. The same studies have shown that the majority of patients in the intensive care unit are on a life-limiting care. Only very few patients in the intensive care unit receive full life support treatment and CPR. Most nurses and medical care givers are faced with the burden of choosing whether to resuscitate a patient or not when their prognosis is poor. Categories of ethical problems Cost reduction Critical care of patients in the intensive care unit is the most expensive form of treatment. Critical patients who die are said to accumulate more expenses than those who survive. This is because aggressive modern medicine for sustaining life is very expensive. Due to this the standard of care give in intensive care units has deteriorated as it focuses more on cost reduction rather than provision of quality health care. Medical care providers are often faced with the burden of how to establish when to provide full life support to patients and when to withdraw life sustaining support. These decisions are usually based on the patient’s age, type of illness or their prognosis. In effect the medical care providers are influenced to make biased decisions. Defining the standards of care to be given in the intensive care units is based on reducing the incurred costs. (Lo B. (2005). Quality of care Most health care institutions have developed strategies of limiting life support on critically ill patients. Families of critical patients may wish to write do not Resuscitate orders if their patient’s rate of survival is low. In case this is done, this category of patients receives less attention from medical personnel and less care from nurses. Strategies of limiting life support have been based on the patients’ age, prognosis and the family wishes. Patients who are categorized as old and with a poor prognosis tend to get less attention from the medical care providers and the care given to them is of less quality. Rather that receiving actual medical care these patients are given sedatives and narcotic analgesia. Terminally ill patients receive fewer medical interventions before death and are usually given narcotic analgesics to mitigate pain and sedatives to reduce their suffering. Ethical guidelines urge that all patients be given quality care irrespective of their condition but medical care providers often base their interventions on biased decisions. The concept of futility Medical care providers use the concept of futile therapy to withhold or withdraw life sustaining treatment. In the clinical practice very few things are of absolute certainty and so physicians must avoid making decisions based on the futility of the treatment. The outcome of CPR application cannot be based on whether the patients’ family signed the Do not Resuscitate order. Every other patient in the intensive care unit should be given quality care based on facts rather than assumptions. Decisions on withholding or withdrawing life support should be discussed with the patients or with their family members. This expresses respect for their rights and wishes and helps in avoiding conflicts which may lead to legal litigations. The medical personnel are faced with a dilemma in cases where the patient’s prognosis is poor and extending the natural process of dying through aggressive treatment would be futile. In such cases some family members could insist on sustaining the patients’ life. The medical personnel thus have no option in deciding what is best for the patient. Putting such a patient through aggressive treatment enables the family to understand the realities of the concept on withholding or withdrawing the life support. Autonomy This principle demands that no form of treatment should be administered to patients without their own approval or that of their family members, except in cases of emergency where immediate intervention is required. Patients and their families have the right to disapprove any form of treatment and their wishes should be respected. These wishes should be indicated on a written consent in form of advance directive. However, when writing the directive the patient may not have anticipated his present condition or he may decide to change his mind. Medical personnel are thus faced with burden of making the best decision for the patient by putting the patient’s interests first. In the intensive care unit, medical personnel deciding whether to apply CPR on a patient with a good prognosis or to follow his family wishes to withdraw life support. The reliability of family members to represent the best interests of the patients is questionable because some family members may want to withdraw the patient’s life support for their own selfish interests. As a result, doctors and nurses are required to make the best decision for the patient irrespective of the family’s wishes. (Pozgar G. D (2005). Euthanasia and assisted suicide Euthanasia is whereby a medical care provider administers a lethal dose to the patient while in assisted suicide the killing drug is self administered by the patient with the help of a physician. This practice is no widespread, although physicians all over the world are engaging in the practice. They justify their actions as a form of relieving their patients from pain and suffering. In some cases patients do not give consent for euthanasia but still physicians practice it. Most family members choose terminal sedation whereby patients are put in a comatose condition and then food and water is withdrawn. (Morton P. G (2005) Organ donation Patients in the intensive care unit requiring critical care may require an organ transplant to assist in sustaining their life. Patients and family members might have advance directives which disapprove the idea of organ transplants. Medical care givers have a difficult time determining whether a patient should receive an organ donation or not. Performing an organ transplant without the patients or family’s consent could lead to a legal litigation. (Melia K. M (2004). The principle of beneficence In this situation the medical care provider is faced with a moral dilemma in making the best decision fro the patient with regard to his interests rather than those of the family. The role of a physician to apply his best judgement for the patient’s interest is hindered by the patients’ family which rejects the concept of futility. Such family members impose unreasonable demands on the physician to extend the natural process of dying. This only prolongs the patient’s pain and suffering. Medical personnel should therefore be able to make the best decisions for the patients. Ethical issues in the nursing field hinder the ability of physicians to administer quality medical care to critical patients in the intensive care unit.  Physicians are urged to shoe humanity and compassion when applying intensive care to critical patients. Nurses and doctors should set goals and objectives when giving end of life care to patients with both good and poor prognosis. In regard to ethical issues in the intensive care unit, medical care givers should know that their duties are both directed towards the patients and the families. Before carrying out any medical treatment and procedure, nurses and doctors should obtain written consents form patients or their immediate family members to avoid ethical dilemmas which may lead to legal litigations.

Factors Affecting the Academic Achievement of Freshmen College Students Essay

Achievement of students in schools has been the concern of school authorities. Several solutions have been offered in order to improve the quality of instruction. Some of these prove to be effective for some time, but later new innovations are introduced thus sometimes affect the teaching-learning situations in the classrooms. Science subjects are important because this field have greatly benefited mankind in its efforts to improve the quality of life. In view of this, college education plays a vital role in molding the minds, interest, awareness and concern of an individual to prepare himself for the future. Recognizing that science makes life easier and meaningful, educational institutions, through the mandate of the government, focus its attention on the advance of science and technology in terms of classroom instruction at all levels. Science curriculum must be taught in terms of how it can develop scientifically literate society and how it can make an individual more responsive to the needs of the times. Based on observations, science instruction nowadays placed more emphasis on the mastery of the subject matter. When students did well in written examinations, teachers believe that the aim of the lesson has been achieved, but evaluation should not only be based on written tests but should also include oral and practical examinations to make sure that learning really has taken place. Since researchers are future science teachers, there is a desire to determine what are the factors that affect student’s achievement are. The researchers want to conduct a thorough investigation to come up with a possible solution to the problem regarding the science achievement of freshmen students. In view of this line of thinking, the present study is motivated to look into the factors affecting the achievement of freshmen college students in science which might affect the student achievement whether it would be for good or not. Background of the Study The researchers will conduct this study because according to an international science study by Garrison (2004) Filipino students performed poorly in understanding science concepts and principle. These findings were supported by other study conducted by (Askali, 1994) (Acuna and Dasilva, 1993) stating that college freshmen students are weak in science. All over the fast changing world, people learned to rely on science for their own survival and advancement. Man just willingly admits that without such â€Å"instrument† as propellers for progress, this effort to succeed and achieve would be limited and be made useless. The concept that the more knowledge a man has in science, the greater is his opportunity for change for advancement. It emphasizes that science is essential for national development progress. School curricula are supposed to develop the capabilities of students but according to statistics, approximately fewer than 10% high school graduates have the skills necessary to perform satisfactory in college level in science courses. Attempting to combat trend, nowadays, many science educators are turning to more ‘hands-on’ approach to their teaching. Instead of having their students memorize lengthy formulas they have them to do experiments; starting in the early grades this has been going on for years wherein teachers act as facilitators only. Many students believe that science subjects in the freshmen level are difficult. In fact some do not like the subject. This may be attributed to some factors that underlie student’s attitude toward the subject. The educational qualification of the teacher may also serve as a factor that hinders student’s attitude in their science subject. Students find it more interesting to play truancy than to attend classes especially if the method, strategies or approaches of teachers do not suit the mental ability of the students. Theoretical framework This study is primarily anchored on the cognitive theory by Jean Piaget, specifically †the formal operational period,† in this period the development of the learner’s mind follows concrete stages. Based on the formal operational method of Piaget, this rage of age is the beginning of logical and abstract thinking. According to him, youngsters demonstrate ability to reason realistically and consider possibilities. The learner’s thinking at this stage is propositional. They use statement that contains data. The major theme of Vygotsky’s theoretical framework is that social interaction plays a fundamental role in the development of cognition. Vygotsky (1978) states: â€Å"Every function in the child’s cultural development appears twice: first, on the social level, and later, on the individual level; first, between people (interpsychological) and then inside the child (intrapsychological). This applies equally to voluntary attention, to logical memory, and to the formation of concepts. All the higher functions originate as actual relationships between individuals. Benjamin Samuel Bloom’s Theory is founded on individual differences of the students. He justifies that some behavior or factors affect student’s learning process. In this study, the influence of students variables such as educational qualification of parents, availability of learning materials, attitudes towards science, peer motivation and learning styles are hypothesized that influence the academic performance of freshmen college students in science at Universidad de Manila.

Warren court Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Warren court - Essay Example Reapportionment refers to the powers of the political establishment i.e. the legislative branch of the government to the voting districts being redrawn according to the census every ten years. The court, after a protracted process of decision making arrived at a conclusion after about one year after it was argued. It is believed that the court was led by Justice Brennan into holding that the issue was justiciable i.e. it can be put up for judicial review. The study will focus on the judgments during Warren court. It will examine the balance of powers between the judicial and legislative branches of government, and broadly deal with the powers of the judiciary of review of political actions. The study will take into account the judgments of the Warren court in general and explore how the judgments shaped the change from the Supreme Court's political question doctrine, which is understood to mean that a federal Court may refuse to rule in a case where either of the grounds; that the Constitution has provided for another branch of the federal government to decide the subject matter, that there are inadequate standards for the court to apply or that the Court feels it is prudent not to interfere. The Warren Court decisively overrode these guidelines, and dealt with cases in which most decisions that have shaped the U. S.

Christianity and Democracy in America Term Paper

Christianity and Democracy in America - Term Paper Example In democratic countries, society is controlled in a lesser degree than the government. Consequently, democracy leads to the creation of opinions, sentiments, suggests ordinary practices of life, and modifies what it does not produce (Tocqueville 5). â€Å"The more I advanced in the study of American society, the more I perceived that the equality of conditions was the fundamental fact from which all others seemed to be derived, and the central point at which all my observations constantly terminated. I then turned my thoughts to our own hemisphere, and imagined that I discerned there also something analogous to the spectacle which the new world presented to me. I observed that the equality of conditions, though it has not yet reached, as in the United States, its extreme limits, is daily progressing towards them; and that the democracy which governs the American communities appears to be rapidly rising into power in Europe. From that moment I conceived the idea of the book which is now before the reader.† (Tocqueville 6). According to Tocqueville, American democracy is the best example that should be followed by other countries. He considers democracy to be the greatest and the most important issue of his time. However, America was seen by both democrats and aristocrats as a force that tries to divide Europe. Democrats argued that democratic principles should be exercised in the society while aristocrats tried to withstand the democratic spirit. Jacques Maritain Maritain, who was a Frenchman, majorly reflected on the church and the state. The state, according to Maritain, is political and is concerned with the common welfare of the people, the public order, and administration of public affairs. Further, he states that the state is a part of a society that protects and promotes the interests of the people. The state is not a person or a group of persons but rather an institution or institutions working together (Dougherty 13). Maritain further explains th e importance of a spirituality or Christianity in the state. From a religious point of view, the common good of the politics in the state is in direct ordination of something which transcends it. The state is controlled and is under the order of a supreme being. From a secular perspective, the church is an organization or a set of instructions concerned with the spiritual well being of an individual or of a believer. In political perspective, the good activities done by the citizens have an impact on the lives of the members of a community. Therefore, the church is necessary for the common good of the state and to the society. He further states that the church and the state cannot work in isolation or the ignorance of one another. In the body of a person, there is a part which is a member of the church and another part which is political. An absolute division of the church and the state cannot occur. The state and the church must cooperate (Maritain 15). Further, Maritain says that the state owes its political authority to the people. Citizens must be given a right to self government. The right of self governance is foreseen in the constitution, whether written or not written. The citizens are the group of persons who unite under just laws to achieve their common goal. However, the citizens are concerned not only with politics. Every individual has a spiritual soul; therefore, the people are above the state, the sate works for them not the citizens working for

European union law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

European union law - Essay Example In the current context it refers to the imbalance of power between national interests in decision-making within the Council of the European Union (Ministers) and across the EU institutions as a whole. Crucially European citizens have little say in what is done in their name once they vote for their MEPs. Mitchell (2005) clarifies this: Europe’s democratic deficit, whether it be perceived or real, is largely due to the EU’s institutional architecture, which promotes a type of circulatory decision-making process, but permits little input from the European public sphere. Compounding this situation is the informal nature of negotiations that often take place among and within the key policy-making bodies of the EU, leading to a less than transparent, and sometimes unpredictable, policy-making process. The institutions ultimately take their respective mandates from the Treaties which themselves are open to interpretation. It could be argued that the EU is not a well-defined cogent democratic entity – but a hybrid of functionalism, inter-governmentalism and mult-level governance (Steiner and Woods, 2003. p13). Indeed, quoting Dr Guiliano Amato, Aveblj (2005) points out that the EU’s stakeholders have yet to determine what the European Union ought to be – and therefore cannot begin to address the wider question of how to get there. Each member state is represented by a senior Minister with the President of the Council being appointed for a six-month term, thereby ensuring that in any fiscal year 2 different member states will have the opportunity to hold the Presidency. Although the representative Minister will have been elected to a seat by a majority in his/her national constituency and appointed to high office by members of his/her political party, critics argue that the manner in which Ministers are appointed means that there is no real European philosophy at work

Understanding of Lean and Just-in-Time Production. Zara's innovative Essay

Understanding of Lean and Just-in-Time Production. Zara's innovative business organization - Essay Example Understanding of Lean and Just-in-Time Production. Zara's innovative business organization The Just-In-Time production is the first way which ensures more efficient use of resources. Many firms incur extra and overhead costs who stock-up resources beforehand. Through this firms waste space and monetary resources. At Portakabin JIT production methodology is used which pulls the resources itself into the production process. Portakabin only holds resources for orders which are in process hence no extra cost is incurred for idle materials and resources. Also advance systems are being used which make calculate exact reorder points with little or no error hence keeping the production process on time. Another way that Portakabin utilizes in lean production is the reduction of waste. How Portakabin reduces waste is quite innovative and hadn’t been done in the construction industry before. Portakabin started modular production of components required for an order at separate sites which greatly reduced the size of on-site production facility and the no of laborers required th ere hence reducing the traffic and environmental pollution at on-site facility. It also used such designs which required standard size resources easily available hence no customization or trimming would be required. Re-use of materials along the production process which were up to the mark and passed testing. Portakabin also promotes recycling of the little waste produced during the construction process and also employees advice of waste contractor. Explain how just-in-time production would operate in delivering and assembling a new Lilliput Children’s Centre. (15 marks, 300 words) Just-in-time production technique eliminates the cost of storage of resources while at the same time no cash is tied up in the holding stock hence the cost of the nursery significantly reduced. At Portakabin advance replenishment systems have been employed which work efficiently with zero or little error margin which is quite less to pose a threat to the production process. This system identifies t he exact reorder points necessary to place order for the resources hence reducing the cost by no extra inventory while the production stays on schedule as the resources are replenished at the right time. Also Portakabin enjoys an ISO 14001 international standard assuring it is an environmental friendly organization and follows procedures which reduce pollution and works for the benefit of the organization. As it’s a Children’s center it has to have an environment that is healthy through usage of quality material. Portakabin follows quite rigid and though safety policies for children safety and does not compromise on it. In the case it has been highlighted these children’s centre provide work as a resource for the whole community. Using JIT this resource can be created in half the time as compared to other methods if employed also using modular building techniques make the rooms multipurpose which can be used as kitchens, creche facilities, and training rooms as well as nurseries. If other traditional methods which employed on-site construction and non-modular designs were used the construction process time would have exceeded by many folds and would have limited the center’s usage because of its specific design and texture of rooms. Evaluate the impacts on Portakabin of using lean production. (15 marks, 400 words) Usage of lean production at Portakabin

Strategic management accounting Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Strategic management accounting - Assignment Example Furthermore, to increase the range of profitability, to ensure the resources, which are available, are used in the most required and desired way for the purpose of attaining and maintaining the short term and long term goals of the organisation, budgets are mostly used with this intention as well. After this part, a more critical discussion will be done on the traditional concept of standard costing. The uses and purposes of standard costing would be highlighted and discussed in the most appropriate way. The main purpose of standard costing is to provide a planned unit cost of a product. On the other hand, the main uses of standard costing are to provide a standard to measure the performance measurement, stock valuation, control and the establishment of selling price of different products. Standard cost is self-assumed and planned cost given to a product for the purpose of comparing it with the actual cost and cost price of the product. This actual and planned comparison of the cost and price is greatly required and used by the management. There are different uses offered and given by this comparison. The original and true efficiency and effectiveness of the organisations can easily be compared with the given set of the standard cost. This comparison would clearly highlight whether the required level of organisational short term and long term goals and objectives are achieved or the management has failed to achieve the required level of organisational objectives in the most required way and most required manner. There are different types of budgets: Zero based budgeting and activity based budgeting. Zero based budgeting is totally a new approach towards the understanding of the concept of budgeting. Traditionally, budgeting is made by adding some additional percentage to the previous year budgeting and implementing it in this added budget in the current year. But, this is not done as far as zero based budgeting is concerned. Here, the activity of budgeting gets started from scratch. Additionally, the budget maker is required to give and produce a statement authenticating the true and valid reasons and causes to justify any additions or to justify any reductions in the zero based budgeting. Also, it is very much expected of the budget manager to prioritise the entire set of activities by also providing and giving a reasonable explanation for prioritising any set of activities. On the other hand, activity based budgeting provides an additional source that can be used for the purpose of doing the activity of budgeting. In this budgeting, first certain targets are determined and highlighted. After determining the certain targets, then activities are highlighted and determined for the purpose of attaining and meeting those targets with the help of these activities. Afterwards, only those available and required resources are used that help and ensure the attainment of these targets. The activity based budgeting facilitates the identification of such opportunities that help to reduce cost and eliminate those factors that are wasteful. Activity based budgeting highlights and helps management to constantly pursue the areas that have improvements. Budget is defined as ‘a quantitative statement for a defined period of time,

Investigate one local firm that employs electrical or computer Essay

Investigate one local firm that employs electrical or computer engineers - Essay Example Organization structure or the functional areas determines how the various departments and the employees interact in order to achieve organization goals (Feigenbaum, E. 2012).At Super micro Computer, Inc, the structure is mainly focused on achieving leadership in its products as clearly defined by its First-to-market, quality and customer satisfaction principles. The organization ensures that it achieves leadership and excellent customer tailored solutions through cross functional groups, supplier partnerships, and continuous improvement programs such as internationally recognized standards (ISO9001 & ISO14001). Under engineering department, Computer Systems Engineers are involved in among other things: Monitoring and running tests on the products, develop software and hardware solutions to meet customer needs, trouble shoot and solve computer systems related problems, create, record and review design processes, test processes and quality benchmarks. Engineers are also involved in: Inspecting, rating, upgrading and adjusting systems. They also perform tests on systems for use in new areas and maintenance of all necessary information records on activities. In the Server Production/Test Engineers sections some of their duties include: Run testing and repair specification needs of servers in the production design, ensure quality maintenance on all application frameworks (ECO) and that any repeat work is done to meet market benchmarks. In addition, Engineers follow laid down procedures in testing and overseeing work, maintain and facilitate secure and conducive work arrangements, meet all daily and monthly set orders and assemble all accessory parts such as sockets, DVD drives and wire/cable. Beside these duties, an engineer could be called to perform system maintenance and may act as a technical resource person for infrastructure form time to time. Super micro Computer, Inc has been in operation for about eighteen

CBS news program Essay Example for Free

CBS news program Essay The broadcast news source that I watched was the CBS Evening News with Katie Couric, which was a half hour evening broadcast. Couric sat behind a desk, facing the viewer the entire time. The top stories on this broadcast were the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, the Kansas City tornadoes, and the â€Å"Make or Break† mission in Afghanistan. Each story received about five minutes of airtime. Couric narrated statistics of how much oil has leaked and the length of coastline that has been affected in Louisiana and the Gulf of Mexico while live footage showed clean-up efforts taking place along the coast. The story was made relatable for the viewer by explaining that the amount of oil spilled is enough to cover all of New York City. It was lent credibility by an on-site reporter and correspondent that interviewed both local residents involved in the clean-up and with experts working to stop the oil leak. There was no attention paid to the source of the leak or to anyone being held responsible for the accident. The story about the tornadoes in Kansas City featured footage from a resident’s video camera of the funnel cloud approaching, along with local news footage of the damage to local homes and businesses. Couric, the on-site correspondent and a representative from the National Weather Service delivered their news in professional, almost formal tones. This gave the program the feel of being informed, but somewhat impersonal. The only statistics given were the death rate numbers, and the story ended by stating that more tornadoes were headed toward the area. Couric’s coverage of the â€Å"Make or Break† mission taking place in Afghanistan was the third top story. It discussed the efforts to reclaim the city of Khandahar from the Taliban and gave background information into previous operations in the war between the United States and the Taliban. In-depth explanations were given of where the US troops will go and what they will do. A correspondent reporting from the Pentagon made the story seem more credible, even as he explained President Obama’s reasoning behind the troop surge. The cable news source that I viewed was Fox News on the Fox News Network. It was hosted by Shepard Smith. This was also a half hour evening news broadcast. The top three stories on the show were the Kansas City tornadoes, the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, and the theft of a memorial cross for World War I veterans from a Mojave Desert monument. Air time for each top story was about five minutes, similar to Couric’s program. Shepard Smith delivered all of his dialogue standing and was positioned at various spots throughout the broadcast, as opposed to Couric who stayed seated. There were fast graphics, upbeat background music, and a news wire line across the bottom of the screen delivering more headlines during the top stories, all features not included in the CBS broadcast. The story about the Kansas City tornadoes lasted about five minutes. In included local news footage shot by a Kansas City news program, an in-studio commentator and weather expert that discussed the tornado system with Smith, and footage of local survivors describing what they had seen and heard and detailing the damage to their personal property. Statistics about deaths and injuries were given, and the segment ended with Smith saying that another storm system was on its way. When discussing the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, Smith delved deeper into the Capital Hill investigation of BP, Transocean, and Halliburton in the attempt to determine which company was responsible for the accident. There was also more attention given to the tanker explosion that caused the accident and there was mention of the crew that died in the explosion, information that was not included in the CBS news program. This made the Fox coverage of the oil spill seem more informed and more personable. It was made more personable by Smith’s opinion that someone should be held accountable. The story about the World War I monument being stolen seemed more of a human interest story, and it was interesting that this was made a top story on the program. In discussing the theft of the monument that had stood in the Mojave Desert since 1934, Smith talked with a veteran that was coordinating an effort to have the monument recovered along with a legal correspondent that explained the ongoing debate over whether the monument should be allowed to be erected in the spot in the first place. Overall, the basic layout of the programs was the same. Each top story was given about five minutes of air time and each featured on-site correspondents, experts, video footage, and interviews. The Fox News broadcast was made more engaging with more music, a host that moved around and stood while he spoke, offered jokes and offhanded opinions about the news stories, and in-studio correspondents to discuss them. The CBS broadcast was more serious and toned-down, with Couric being the only correspondent in the studio, tamer graphics, and no news wire. I feel that both proved ample credibility with their straightforward delivery of the facts. But I feel that the Fox News broadcast was more personable and relatable because instead of just showing footage of what’s happening right now like the CBS program did, Fox’s program gave more background information and opinions from more individuals to help the viewer understand the issues and the stories better. Similarities were evident for the basic purpose of news delivery, but the differences occurred because of a different attitude towards the viewer.

Hunting and rio hondo Essay Example for Free

Hunting and rio hondo Essay In â€Å"For Environmental Balance, Pick Up a Rifle,† Nicholas D Kristof, a two time wining Pulitzer Prize winner, states in his thesis that there is a rapid overpopulation of deer destroying the ecosystem either by ruining land or spreading harmful disease. Throughout the rest of his essay, Kristof begins to talk about diseases the ticks on the deer may carry, such as Lyme’s disease; the state of New York and New Jersey wanting to provide a contraceptives for the animal, how some states are hiring companies to shoot deer, and how hunting is the greenest and most reliable way to solve this problem (183-85). Due to the rapid overpopulation of the deer, many cities, including my small hometown of Rio Hondo, face property damage as well as health issues, therefore I believe hunting should be encouraged. Growing up on a ranch in Rio Hondo, seeing deer and other wild game were a natural everyday part of life for citizens and I. It was not until I read Kristof’s essay that I began to realize that my family and other citizens living in Rio Hondo faced issues such as these on a daily basis but had just grown accustomed to it, which made it seem far less than it really is. For example, deer in fact do cause some major property damage! When I was about 15 years old, my father decided to redo our complete property line fence. He ordered the company he hired to remove our original ranch post and barb wired fence and install a metal high fence. When completed, the fence stood 6 feet tall. Shortly after installing the fence, we began to notice that there were holes being made along the bottom of the fence line. My father was outraged. He began installing trail cameras, which record when an animal pass by it day and night, to see if he could identify the cause of our problem, after all, our new gate was pretty costly. The trail cameras ran for weeks, recording deer, javalinas, bobcats, wild boars, and occasionally the odd nalgai passing through the holes in the fence. This began to make my father wonder if it were the pigs that were making the holes in the fence, until one day the trail camera at the far end of my parents ranch captured something I found to be hilarious! The camera showed a deer, digging under the fence line, tugging on the wire with its teeth, as well as kicking the fence from time to time. My mother, siblings, and I all started laughing. The deer looked like our dog Aggie when he would try getting under the covers in bed! My father, of course was not too happy seeing the animal destroy his fence. He knew there was nothing he could do, until deer season opened up anyhow. Once deer season rolled along, my father put my various tripods around the ranch and waited aimlessly to see the deer that was costing him money! This account was neither the first nor the only time that my parents have experienced property damage due to deer or other wild animals but it sure was the most memorable! As for health issues concerning deer, my mother’s fear has always been of ticks. Kristof states that besides killing people directly, these animals also carry ticks which may cause Lyme disease (183). I cannot tell you how many times I have pulled these little pests off of me after helping my father around the ranch! But honestly, I have yet to notice deer infested with ticks. When skinning a kill, I personally have witnessed more wild hogs infested with fleas and ticks rather than deer. To me, deer are much cleaner than any other animal I have skinned but again, that is just my own personal experience. Yes, occasionally after handling a kill I will have a few ticks around my wrist and the pockets of my fingers but it has become sort of a normal thing for me to encounter and I have just become accustomed to removing them and washing my hands with soap and rubbing alcohol. Thankfully I have yet to come across a tick with Lyme disease but if I were to, I highly doubt it would be from a deer but from a filthy javalina. When trying to solve problems such as ones with animals many big businesses want to hire companies to come shoot deer, as stated in Kristof’s essay (184). This is true! I have been a part of several of these events. Some let the hunter keep their kill while others must retrieve the animal where they discard of it â€Å"properly. † I approve of the situation when the companies let the hunter keep the deer because hunters usually skin the deer as well as cook and eat the animal, so nothing is left to waste, while some companies who require the deer be returned just dispose of the corpse. As my dad always told my siblings and I, â€Å"If you are not going to make use of it and skin it yourself, don’t shoot it! † Lastly, I’d really like to say, many people do not approve of young women using contraceptives what makes politicians think citizens are going to agree to giving contraceptives to deer? (184). To me, reading about this made me a bit angry. We call the outdoors mother nature for a reason. We should let nature run its course and find others ways, such as hunting, to solve the problem, not prescribing wild animals contraceptives! I mean, an $8,000 budget for animal contraceptives, really? (184). That is ridiculous. Being all too familiar with hunting wild game, I have come across many who disagree with the sport. Sure, it makes me angry when people say that I am an â€Å"animal killer† or ask me how I can do that to a defenseless animal but growing up my grandfather and father helped me realize that just because there are those who do not want to take part in the sport, does not mean there are not others who feel different about it. Another thing they taught me is being sensitive to those who disagree with the sport. When we leave the ranch after a hunting trip, I was taught to change my bloody clothing and wash up before going anywhere so that we do not offend anyone who disapproves. I believe this is one of the many ways to encourage a positive attitude towards hunters and the sport, to respect others. In conclusion, I know there are many who think hunting may not be the answer, but if you are willing to give it a shot, I encourage you. Hunting is a wonderful and exciting sport that may be one step closer to decreasing the overpopulation of wild animals as well as being memorable and relaxing (184). But always remember, not everything you come face to face with is meant to be shot. Choose your pick and like my father says, â€Å"Let it ride! † Work Cited Kristof, Nicolas D. â€Å"For Environmental balance, Pick Up a Rifle. † Current Issues and Enduring Questions: A Guide to Critical Thinking and Argument, with Readings. 9th ed. Ed. Sylvan Barnet and Hugo Bedau. Boston: Bedford, 2011. 183-85. Print.

Background and Future of Quantity Surveying

Background and Future of Quantity Surveying This written report will critically discuss the role of the Quantity Surveying in the short form named QS within the contemporary built environment. Before discuss or considering about what is the changing role of Quantity Surveyor is in the future, the background of the Quantity Surveying is worthwhile to have a review. The traditional roles and evolved roles of Quantity Surveryor will be briefly discussed. Least, the responsibilities of Quantity Surveyor will be carried out too. Background to the Quantity Surveying Quantity Surveying (QS) profession has been experienced significant change over the past decade in terms of the scope and types of services provided both within and outside of the construction industry. All the changes have been occurs in response to changing clients or industry demands, IT (information technology) developments and increased level of competition of services. As the technology and Architecture buildings are constantly developed, Quantity Surveyor(s) played an important role in both public and private sector. Thus, how many people know about who is Quantity Surveyor? What is the Quantity Surveying profession is in nowadays? What are Quantity Surveyor do for? By according to QSBC (2009), stated that Quantity surveyors are the profession developed during the 19th century from the earlier Measurer, Quantity Surveyor is a specialist tradesman (often a guild member) who always prepared standardized schedules for a building project in which all of the construction materials, labour activities and the like were quantified, and against which competing builders could submit priced tenders. Because the tenders were each based on the same schedule of information, they would be easily compared to find the most suitable candidate. QSBC (2009). Furthermore, Seelay 1997 stated that a Quantity Surveyor is fully professional trained, qualified and experienced in dealing with the basic problems on behalf of the employer. Quantity Surveyor is essentially a cost expert or as a cost controller whose prime task is to ensure that the project is kept within the agreed budget which has been signed in contract document, and important is to make sure that the employer obtains value for money. (Seeley, 1997 pg.40.) Moreover, QSBC (2009) also discussed that, Quantity Surveyor is a professional who are usually working within the construction industry. The role of Quantity Surveyor is to manage and to control the costs of the particular construction projects and may be involving the use of range of management procedures and technical tools to achieve the goals. From difference sources, there is difference method to interpreted or discussed of roles of Quantity Surveyor. And then, the definition of the role of Quantity Surveyor should be known. By referring to RICS (Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, 1983a, pg.1) which stated that In the 1971s report, the role of Quantity Surveyor was defined as ensuring that the resources of the construction industry are utilized to be the best advantage of society by providing, inter alia, the financial management for projects and a cost consultancy service to the client and designer during the whole construction process. In addition, the distinctive competence of the Quantity Surveyor is a skill in measurement and valuation in the construction field in order that such work can be described and the cost and price for the particular project can be forecast defined, analyzed, planned, under controlled and accounted for. Quantity Surveyor A Quantity Surveyor is key professionals in the construction sector or industry. Quantity Surveyor(s) always act as a cost Engineer, cost Planner or cost Controller. A Quantity Surveyor is specializes in estimating the value of the construction project works. Quantity Surveyor(s) will use their skills to do the taking off quantity of the propose building, and determine the cost of building work ranging from small refurbishment works through to assessing the value of multi-million money construction project. Quantity Surveyor(s) normally works with Developers, Architects, Contractors, Building Proprietors and works with Government Bodies and Agencies. Addition, Quantity Surveyor(s) can be involved in cost planning, cost management, Contract Administration, project procurement, feasibility studies and the asset financial management. The purpose of Quantity Surveyor is to lower down or minimize project cost and maximize the value on a given proposed project. By either increasing value for money to a developer or end user client, or increasing profit margins for the main contractor or subcontractor, Quantity Surveyor whilst still achieving the required standards specified under the agreement, within contract program. Construction cost, construction management and construction communication are all key problems area for an employer or client who has commissioned and important building or engineering project. Thus, a professional trained, qualified and fully experienced Quantity Surveyor whose expert in dealing with these problems is needed. An experienced Quantity Surveyor(s) will accomplish their objectives in a variety of ways and largely guided by their experience; however more tangible factors also play a part such as a carefully selected procurement strategy, use of terms and conditions of contract and negotiation skills. Furthermore, the role of a quantity surveyor played is to manage the costs relating to building projects. This may include new builds, renovations or maintenance work. From early design costs to final figures, Quantity Surveyors seek to minimise the costs of the project and enhance value for money whilst ensuring that the project meets all legal and quality assurance requirements. Quantity Surveyors are involved at various stages of the construction process, typically prior to construction, during construction and following completion of the works. Prior to Construction Stage During Construction Stage Post Construction Stage Preparation of Feasibility Studies Provision of cost control services during construction Determination of the final project cost Estimating to define projects budgets/ amount Assessment of the contractors progress claims Preparation of tax depreciation reports for investors and property owner Analysis of the effect of design changes on the project budget Assessment of variation and delay claims Expert witness reports to assist in the settlement of building disputes. Cost planning to refine the budget as the design documents develop Procurement of subcontractors and labour to carry out the specialist trade works Preparation of Bills of Quantities to assist in the tender process Negotiation and settlement of accounts Monthly forecasting and cost reporting Monthly negotiation and agreement of payments for works carried out Table 1: Construction stages involved by Quantity Surveyor(s) Role of Quantity Surveying The Quantity Surveying profession in the United Kingdom has largely developed over the last century. It has grown to such an extent that it forms the second largest division in Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS). As building works increased in volume and complexity, the employers became not satisfied with the method adopted for settling all the cost of the construction works and recognized the advantages of employing an independent Quantity Surveyor who would prepare and produce out an accurate bills of quantities (BOQ) to be priced by tendering contractor(s). And also employers will seek for the Quantity Survey who would measure and value any variations that might occur during the construction works progress. The common role of quantity surveyor(s) is to manage or be able to the costs relating to the particular propose building projects. This may include new builds, renovations or maintenance work. From early design costs to final figures, quantity surveyors seek and to be ensure to minimise the costs of the project and enhance value for money whilst ensuring that the project meets all legal and quality assurance requirements. Quantity surveyor duties typically include: Conducting feasibility studies to estimate materials, time and labour costs Preparing, negotiating and analysing costs for tenders and contracts Coordination of work effort Advising on a range of legal and contractual issues Valuing completed work and arranging for payments Traditional Role of Quantity Surveying/Surveyor Based on HKIS stated thatAs a tradition, estimating, preparation of tender documents, tender analysis, contract documentation, valuation and variation, and all quantity surveying related works of infrastructure projects are always handled by civil engineers notwithstanding that majority of these works are actually handled by quantity surveyors under the supervision of civil engineers. In the building works, the traditional role of handling these works by architects had been changed to become the role of quantity surveyors, and the Government and Private Forms of Building Contract were changed to recognize such QS role. However, in the infrastructure works, such QS role is still with the civil engineers as stated in the Government Form of Civil Engineering Works (HKIS, 2008). Ashworth and Hogg (2007) stated that the traditional role of Quantity Surveyor is still practiced on small to medium sized projects. It can be described as a measure and value system. Quantity Surveyor should prepared using a single price method of estimating, produce bills of quantities for tendering, measure the progress payments base on the work and prepare final account on the basis of the tender documentation. The traditional role, which is still practiced by some, also can be described as measure and value system. Approximate estimates of the initial coasts of building are prepared by using a single price method of estimating and where this cost was acceptable to the client then the design was developed by Architect. Quantity surveyor will prepared and produced bills of quantities (BOQ) for tendering purposes. The work would be measured for weekly/monthly/half yearly for the progress payments and a final account will be then prepared on the basis of the tender documentation. On traditional roles, Quantity Surveyor will conducting single rate approximates estimating to the particular project. Furthermore, Quantity Surveyor also will take part into cost planning in the management team and giving advice in cost planning. In addition, Quantity Surveyor will also giving client advice on procurement, advise measurement and qualification on the project taken. The most significant roles or services which provided by Quantity Surveyor are do taking off, preparation of tender document and produce bills of quantities (BOQ). During construction period, Quantity Surveying should giving advice on cost controlling to ensure that the amount and agreed budget for the proposed construction project is still under control. This is important to not make client to facing any financial problems. By during the construction progress period, interim valuations and payment all prepare by Quantity Surveyor. Quantity Surveying will go to construction to do interim valuations to evaluate the work progress on site. After the evaluation, thus Quantity Surveying will prepare the interim progress payments for client. Interim payments thereafter will be claims by contractor. Besides, Quantity Surveyor also will be advise in client financial statements. Preparation of final account, agreement and the last settlement of contractual claims will be fully produced by quantity surveyors. Evolved role of Quantity Surveying/Surveyor Today, not only is the Quantity Surveyor generally regarded as indispensible on any major building contract, and often on civil and heavy engineering as well, but Quantity Surveyor also now being appointed as project manager, to take control of the proposed project from inception to completion and to coordinate the work of the design team and the main contractor and subcontractors. RICS (1983a) also pointed out that the Quantity Surveyors expertise had been further developed after 1971. For the construction project, Quantity Surveyor(s) are involved in the field of manpower planning, resources control and in assessing the effects of time. The filled of contracting, civil and industrial engineering construction, mechanical and electrical engineering services, and project management and control also relate to the Quantity Surveyor. That means the role of the Quantity Surveyor is extended in 1980s. The Quantity Surveyor involve complex resource procurement and management processes, besides deal with complex construction contracts; provides the basis for a disciplined and well managed approach to projects. In response to the potential demise of bills of quantities, Quantity Surveyor(s) began to exploring potential roles for their services. Procurement, a term no longer used until the 1980s, became an important area of activity, largely because of the increasing array of options that were available. As a Quantity Surveyor in evolved roles, QS should improve the quality of service and the matching of the known resources to suit for the requirement of clients. By referring to Seeley (1997) stated that the Quantity Surveyor not only regarded building contract and often as project manager on civil and heavy engineering contracts to control the project from inception to completion and coordinate with other parties to take over the works. Quantity Surveyor is an important member of the design team in both the public and private sectors to advising employers and architects on the probable costs of alternative designs. Thus, Quantity Surveyor will be more active and act more roles and character in evolved method. Future roles of Quantity Surveyor The industrys client has become increasingly concerned about the services provided. They have examined traditional contractual procedures, have found their lacking and have sought to create new services more appropriate to their needs. In general, they have been looking for results and improved value for money.

The Changes In The Narrators View Of Sonny Essays -- essays research p

The Changes in the Narrator's View of Sonny Can one know another's thoughts? Through dialogue, actions, and events, the thoughts and views of a man of whom we know not even a name are shown. The man is the narrator of "Sonny's Blues" and his thoughts we are shown are those directed towards his brother. Over the course of the story, there are three major stages or phases that the narrator goes through, in which his thoughts about his brother change. We see that those stages of thought vary greatly over the narrator's life, from confusion about his brother to understanding. Each phase brings different views of his own responsibility toward his brother, his brother's manhood, and his brother's sense of reality. Through out the story, three of the narrator's view are changed, the first of which is Sonny's manhood. During the first phase, early in the story, the narrator showed that he viewed Sonny as a child. "I was beginning to realize that I'd never seen him so upset before... [and decided this was] one of those things kids go through and that I shouldn't make it seem important."(49) This quote is an example of how the narrator viewed his brother. He not only thought Sonny acted as a kid, but was also too young to be planning a future or career. "He still wasn't a man yet, he was still a child, and they had to watch out for him in all kinds of ways."(51) The narrator decided that he would plan Sonny's future and when Sonny rebelled, the narrator saw it as yet another childish action. Another way in which the narrator's overall view changed was his view on whether Sonny's idea of reality was sound. Still in the first phase, the narrator often presents his view of reality and when Sonny rejects it, the narrator feels Sonny is being unreasonable. For instance, "'Well Sonny,' I said, gently, "you know people can't always do exactly what they want to do-' 'No I don't think that,' said Sonny, surprising me."(49) Actually, Sonny understood life much more clearly than the narrator, but the narrator did not realize that then. He thought that perhaps Sonny was just too young or too high on drugs to understand what life was about. Finally, the third view changed was the narrator's responsibility towards Sonny. Before the brothers' mother died, the narrator promised he would take it upon himself to take care of Sonny shou... ... finally started caring about Sonny instead of try to care for Sonny. He no longer saw him as just something to be taken care of, he finally began to see him as a brother. He became sensitive to what offended Sonny and took caution to avoid them. He was willing to be interested in what Sonny interested in. Finally, he was willing to sit and listen to Sonny instead of telling him how to run his life. All of these were drastic changes from when their mother had first died and improved the brothers' relationship. Through out the story it is as if the narrator is descending a stair well. Each stage that the narrator goes through is another flight of stairs and each flight of stairs he descends brings him closer to an understanding of Sonny. The narrator descended one flight and it changed his views one way, another flight and his views changed again. During the whole ordeal he can see Sonny, yet his views of Sonny are distorted or blurred. After each stage he believes his new view is the correct one, however it is not until he reaches the ground that he gets a true idea of what Sonny is like. It is then that he brings himself down to Sonny's level and begins seeing Sonny as an equal.

Race and Destiny Essay -- Comparative, Hansberry, Ellison

Race and Destiny In this paper, I will present the two stories then I’ll show how they compare and contrast. The first one is the drama by Hansberry and the second is the text of Ellison. Since its first paragraphs, the â€Å"A Raisin in the Sun† focuses on a fundamental issue – poverty and how it’s related to race. Hansberry is drawing the portrait of a stereotypical situation, in the mid-20th century, when racial discrimination was linked to lack of money and vice versa. The plays spins around a check of $10000 from the insurance company, granted for the death of Mama’s husband. The story goes with discussing the investment choices about that sum of money. The main male character, Walter Younger, Mama’s son, is presented as man who is eager to get rich fast, over-appreciates money, and has little ethical bias. The phrase â€Å"Check coming today?† (p.1294) written in the beginning of the act one, scene one, shows Walter’s impatience and the idea that he places a greater value on material stuff, rather than interpersonal relations. Living in the Chicago Southside, Walter’s family faces some harsh living conditions. Even as much as fifty cents becomes a luxury option for the couple. This is depicted when Travis, Walter’s son, says â€Å"This is the morning we supposed to bring the fifty cents to school†, while Ruth, Walter’s wife and Travis’ mother, responds abruptly with â€Å"Well, I ain’t got no fifty cents this morning† (p.1295). In this excerpt, the author is emphasizing on two details about the Youngers: first, the value of frugality and the situation that even little money cannot be spent for wants, such as education; second, the family’s financial condition is highly unstable, because Hansberry accents that in a certain morning the famil... ... I wanted to leave but I wanted also to speak and I was afraid they’d snatch me down(P. 306 ). He noticed something wrong when he gave a speech in front of the white people. I spoke automatically and with such favor that I did not realize that the men were still talking and laughing until my dry mouth, filling up with blood from the cut, almost strangled me(P. 305 ). Conversely, when he was given a prize from a white man, he forgot what he realized something wrong. I was so moved that I could hardly express my thanks. A rope of bloody saliva forming a shape like an undiscovered continent drooled upon the leather and I wiped it quickly away (P. 306). While Walter Younger tried to fight his destiny and was striving to get rich and be â€Å"his own boss†, Ellison’s protagonist adopted the society well and was satisfied of his situation without noticing any injustice.

Interview with a Record Store Owner Essay

On a less then pleasant day the weather was cold and rainy so before I left the safety of my car I turned my collar up to face the cold and made a bee line to the store so fast it would put Usain Bolt to shame. When I walked in the store I was greeted by the smell of coffee and sound of The Rolling Stones song Monkey Man playing over the store speakers with the owner of the store john singing along to the song and throwing his arms up like a monkey. As soon as you walk into the store your face to face with a giant rack of used DVDs ranging from Driving Miss Daisy to the Texas Chainsaw Massacre the store itself is not very big on the left side of the store is a shelf contain records from Abba to Rob Zombie on the right side is a shelf holding the cds. I was immediately welcomed by john who sitting down in behind his cash register with a sign on it that read â€Å"No Personal Check† behind him was a giant poster of Frank Zappa which seemed like one of his most prized positions j ohn had. John had on a tie dyed rolling stones shirt john had looked tried and he seemed to be discomfort later I found out he looked that way due to having MS. Before john and I stared talking I asked if we could take a walk around the store john told me that he is not able to â€Å"move very well because I have Multiple sclerosis† so he called for his employee Jack to walk with me and directed Jack to answer questions I have. Jack was tall and in his early 20s ,jack and I walked around the store looking at vinyl they had they had seemed to have every record you could ask for and if they didn’t have it they could order it for you . I asked jack to explain the process of how they value the used records that come in the shop jack pulled a random of the shelf and proceeded to go over the check list â€Å"first we look at the condition of the album sleeve any bends or damage to it second we look for the labeling â€Å"mono,† â€Å"monophonic,† â€Å"monaural,† â€Å"stereo† or â€Å"stereophonic† on the sleeve and record label, which identifies the recording process and helps us determine the va lue and finally we Evaluate the condition of the record by looking for any obvious damage to the vinyl. Jack holds the record up to the light on a slight tilt Look for scratches, record edge nicks or damage to the paper label† we have music here for everyone’s price range after that I thanked jack and retuned to talk to john. When I came back to talk to john he had offered me a cup of coffee I accepted and went on to ask john how long has the store been open john told me that â€Å"I am the fifth owner of Rainbow Records; it first started out in Park Ridge in the mid-1970s. Then the store was moved to Palatine in 1993 by the fourth owner, who offered me the opportunity to buy the store from him in 1997 I then eventually moved the store to here†. I asked john what was the first record he had ever purchased john though for a minute and said â€Å"Surfin Safari by The Beach Boys when I was 9-years-old† I ask john why do you think vinyl sales are going up while CD sales are falling â€Å"There is nothing like vinyl It has a totally different sound than CDs or that MP3 stuff. I’m sorry, but you don’t listen to music on a phone and really get to appreciate it.† I said to john it looks like your store buys all types of records and CDs is there any type of music you won’t buy? â€Å"Classical no one asks for it so I don’t want it besides this is a rock and roll store† John what do you think about kids that have never heard a record on vinyl? They are really missing out Vinyl has a great in-depth sound to it,† he says. â€Å"There is an art to what I call albums and what everybody called albums back in the day. From the cover, which is a piece of art in itself, to listening to, and appreciating the way songs are arranged from side to side, you don’t get that with any other music format.† Looking around the store and seeing I was the only person in there besides jack maybe because of the weather but maybe because the store isn’t doing so well I asked john what got him into the record business â€Å"If you think about how much money you’re going to make, that’s a mistake. You’re not going to get rich doing this. What you’re doing is sharing your love of music with other people,† after john told me that a smile came across both of are faces. Before I had left the shop I walked around the store and picked up three records I think john would approve of the first one I got was The Rolling Stones Let It Bleed, Second album I grabbed was Surfin Safari by The Beach Boys and the third one was Frank Zappa Over-Nite Sensation. When I went up to john for the last time he could not help but to laugh as he rang them up as he handed me the bright yellow bag he said â€Å"enjoy† when I had made it home the first thing I did was put on my new rolling stones record put the needle on Monkey Man and turned my record player up to eleven.

Enron Corporate Culture Essay

Bench was founded in the Philippines by Ben Chan in 1987 originally selling men’s t-shirt in small retail stores. The brand is registered under the trademark of Suyen Corporation. The brand also grew on providing ladies’ line, underwear, fragrances, house wares, snacks, and a wide array of other lifestyle products, Kyle Marco P. de Vera, Justin Andrew Lawrence L. Rigor and Jolo Marco R. Tayag are junior students from the Department of Marketing and Corporate Communications in San Beda College AY: 2012-2013. The researchers have equally contributed to the fulfillment of the research with the help and advice of Dr. Jennifer T. Ramos. with the distinction of being present in virtually every retail space in the Philippines, and with a worldwide network of stores and outlets, reaching as far as the United States, the Middle East, and China. It has also been a pioneer to the use of celebrity endorsers, television, and giant billboards to push for a fashion brand that offers premium quality products at affordable prices in the market. By multiple product line and brand extensions, Bench was able to go through demographic divisions such as age, gender, socioeconomic status having â€Å"Bench is forever† as the company’s article of faith. Emerging as a global brand, Bench has 610 stores worldwide, 67 internationally & 543 locally. (Adapted from Bench’s Website) Growing globally resulted to creating new product lines and extensions of the Brand; known for being an apparel brand, Bench as a product-oriented company have evolved into being a market oriented brand not only selling clothes but also extending to the market’s needs in terms of lifestyle such as food and personal care. One of Bench’s promising extensions is Bench Fix, aside from the Fix salon, hair wax is also one of the commonly sought product today in their offerings. Many companies or brand today have been adapting to the trends and needs of the society, by utilizing the brand that they have established in the market, they make their offerings relevant at the fast changing time. Product-line and brand extensions do not only create new markets but it is also one of the strategies in maximizing brand equity to survive in the competitive industry. The intention of the study is to know whether Bench is a strong Brand, by assessing its brand equity, brand positioning and competitiveness in the market and eventually make realizations for other pioneered and extending brand entities. The researchers got interested with this particular study because they want to discover whether a local brand of apparel like Bench, can be a strong brand and if it can be as appealing as those of the foreign brands that Filipinos patronize. Operational Framework Input Process Output Figure 1. 1 showed the three variables that have been assessed to know whether Bench is a strong brand, it can be measured through the independent variables, and these are the brand equity, the brand positioning and how Bench deals with the competition. The dependent variable is Bench being a strong brand because it has been the variable subject for result. The figure also displayed the process that the researchers have worked on. The research is a descriptive type of study. Survey was used to gather quantitative data which had been interpreted by its corresponding verbal interpretations. The person triangulation was intended to check and balance the consumers’ evaluation and be able to supplement qualitative data. Conceptual Framework This concept was adapted from , which suggested that a strong brand is manifested through the following indicators; Strong Brand Equity, Strong and Clear Brand Positioning, and Competitiveness. The main problem of the study is to know whether Bench is a strong brand. It specifically seeks to answer these following questions: 1. What is the assessment of the consumers to Bench’s brand equity? a. Brand Awareness b. Perceived Quality c. Brand Loyalty d. Brand Association 2. What is the consumers’ assessment on Bench’s brand positioning level? a. Attribute b. Benefits c. Beliefs and Values 3. How does Bench deal with the competition? a. The relative strengths and weaknesses of competition. b. The marketing strategies of their competition. Assumptions were used in this study. The researchers assumed that the product line and brand extensions of Bench are only categorized into accessories, apparel, personal care, footwear and food that the consumers have assessed in the questionnaire. They also assumed the determinants used in assessing the brand positioning. The researchers presumed that the close competitors of Bench are Folded & Hung, Mint, Penshoppe, and People are People. The researchers assumed that Bench is not a strong brand. The study will benefit local competitive company brands to push for a more valuable product and service to create stronger brands enabling them to prepare for product and brand extensions so that they can survive long in the competitive market, not only that they will focus on their current products and services but they can also focus on the other needs and interests of the market. This study will also be able to provide companies and researchers a basis for assessing whether a brand is strong or not. The study will also benefit Bench, because the study will be able to provide an insight with regards to the brand’s current standing and be able to help them identify their existing constraints that inhibit their full brand development. To the researchers, the study will serve as ground for development, as future marketers. This research will be a good foundation for their career. In this study they will be able to assess, select, and apply carefully theories and concepts that they have learned and to the future researchers, the study will be a good source of information if ever it will relate to their topic well. The researchers are expecting that this will be available to the public since the current researchers also had a hard time finding local studies, this will be a good reference for them. Hopefully, the future researchers will be able to improve on this study and also be aspired to help other local researchers as well. It will also benefit the consumers, with the study conducted they will be able to learn and explore more of a brand’s offerings in the market. With more choices, variation in the brand, it will likely improve their buying behavior as to how they manage their lifestyle of selection and consumption. The scope of this study was limited on the assessment of the indicators of a strong brand, which was adopted from Armstrong and Kotler, namely; brand equity, brand positioning, and how a brand deals with competition in the market. The researchers were only focused on Bench as subject. With regards to the quantitative data, there is an ideal number of one hundred (100) respondents composed of buyers and nonusers of the brand to avoid conditional sampling; For the qualitative data, one (1) of Bench’s brand manager and one (1) brand manager of Bench’s competitor has been interviewed, particularly Folded & Hung. Because the study is only good for duration of five (5) months, it has to meet with the researchers’ convenience. The researchers are bounded by time financial difficulty, respondents and lack of expertise. Review of Related Literature Building a Brand, a Strong One Brands play an important role in the purchasing decision of the product or service . Companies establish a brand primarily because they want to be considered a reference for customers when purchasing or availing products and services. Like what have said in their study, brands act as shorthand in the consumer’s minds so that they do not have to think much about their purchase decision. Being a reference provider, the brands are the interface between consumers and the company; on the other hand consumers are subject to commit to brands. Since brand is a cluster of functional and emotional values that promises a unique welcome experience (Chang & Liu, 2009) and are fundamentally about relationships, these should form the main source of any company’s connection to the customers so that a brand may be able to avoid negative perception and aim for positive feedbacks. Brand’s influence is not imposed by the company or the business; rather their relevance depends on the needs and wants of the people because â€Å"the power of the brand lies in the minds of consumers† . â€Å"Brand name alone does not make a brand† one has to be strong enough to develop a market-leading brand capacity that is essential for long-term competitiveness. What is a strong brand anyway? In identifying a strong brand, we have to take in consideration some key indicators of such; high brand equity, brand positioning and competitiveness. The Brand’s Labor: Brand Equity Aaker defines brand equity as a set of assets and liabilities inked to a brand’s name and symbol that adds to or subtracts from the value perceived by a product or service to a firm and or the firm’s customer however Keller defines brand equity as the differential effect of the brand knowledge on consumer response to the marketing of the brand . Aaker’s definition on brand equity is centered on the consumer’s negative or positive perception attached to the brand while Keller described it as the difference between the business’ projection of the brand on the consumer’s interpretation and perception of the brand. Taking it from a study’s perspective, have suggested that brand equity is the outcome that accrues to a product with its brand name compared with those that would accrue if the same product did not have a brand name, simply put it is the outcome of the overall marketing effort of the brand. Since there is already an evaluation of the product and service, brand equity plays a role in how information is learned and then retrieved and used in making choice . That is why brand equity has emerged as a key strategic asset that needs to be monitored and nurtured for maximum long-term performance . Not only that it serves as an important signal to reduce perceived risk but it is also why considers brand equity as the value of a brand to the firm. According to brands with higher equity have an established strength in the market for they are able to generate higher immediate returns from their marketing mix efforts and higher loyalty brands generate greater stockpiling from promotions. Also have mentioned that buyers respond to branding by purchasing the same products or brands or by showing preference toward a particular brand, bringing firms higher in the market share, higher profits or share value. To sum it all up, brands which have higher equity can get the customer’s preference and tendencies and result in higher level of sale . The concept of brand equity has remained a complex phenomenon for many researchers because of the many associated concepts applicable under it. To understand it fully, the researchers would have to identify its key components. Aaker approaches brand equity as a set of fundamental dimensions grouped into a complex system comprising mainly: brand awareness, brand perceived quality, brand loyalty and brand association. The Impression, Brand Awareness For a brand to sustain a presence in the marketplace, people must be aware of it. As such, at its most basic level, knowledge encompasses brand awareness and the extent to which customers recall and recognize the brand. . To define brand awareness, it is the consumer’s ability to identify the brand and can be measured with the help of brand recall and brand recognition. Brand recall is the ability of consumers to retrieve the brand from memory, when the product category, the needs fulfilled by the category, or some other type of probe, is given as a cue. Brand recognition reflects the ability of consumers to confirm prior exposure to the brand . It is also the extent to which a person able to recognize a particular brand given a set of brands according to . According to the role of brand awareness in building brand equity depends on the strength of the brand’s presence in the consumers’ mind and with that brand awareness had become a vital factor to influence the buying decisions and purchase intentions . It also enhances the prospects of being considered in the future purchase situations. . But awareness alone is not enough according to for the initial work was found that awareness alone was not adequate to build brand understanding. It will also need help of the other brand equity’s dimensions. Perceived Quality: The Judgment To sustain one’s presence in the market, awareness had been the founding principle to perform such but is the image just right to deliver positive quality perception that may even push more knowledgeable consumers to buy or purchase products. Perceived Quality is defined as the customer’s judgment of performance of a performance excellence of a product or service relative to the expectations of quality (Balaji, 2011). In other words perceived brand quality represents consumers’ view of how well a brand meets their requirement and expectations . According to , he stated that â€Å"perceived quality also represent consumers’ judgments regarding a brand’s overall superiority†. To add on Huang’s study, said that consumers’ apparel purchase decisions may be more likely to be influenced by their perceptions of apparel attributes such as price, quality, and style than by their concerns about the ethnical conditions under which apparel is or was produced. Perceived quality is a consumer’s subjective judgment about products or services . It is personal and irrational, quality may only equate to a certain features and benefits that are unique or different from others and these qualities may not be of standard or preference of one prospect, meaning a brand may only be able to be successful if they impress the right people or the target market per se. Brand Association: The Synapse Associations represent what the brand stands for and imply a promise to customers from the organization members. This means that brand association is something that provides meaning to a brand . In other words, brand association are ideas or descriptions consumers can relate with the product or service offered by the brand. Other definition of brand association stated by and is that it is anything linked in the memory of the consumers to the brand and the thoughts that come up to mind after brand or offering is recalled. Brand associations help consumers retrieve and process information and evoke a positive effect and cognitive considerations of the benefits . By convenience, brand association can actually make the product information more accessible that it can influence faster purchase decisions of consumers. Brand Loyalty: The Corner Stone Another dimension of brand equity is brand loyalty. To define brand loyalty on understanding, it is â€Å"a deeply commitment to rebuy or repatronize a preferred product or service consistently in the future, causing repetitive same brand or same brand set purchasing, despite situational influences and marketing efforts having the potential to cause switching behavior†. In relation to the study, mentioned that loyalty is understood to be a long term attachment to a firm and it is considered to be intimately linked to consumer based brand equity. Now how can brand loyalty be of use, brand loyalty is of strategic importance for companies to obtain a sustainable competitive advantage because it is considered as one of the most important factors affecting consumer choice according to and. In identifying loyalty, satisfaction strength is a vital determinant because it plays a crucial role in the translation of stated satisfaction into customer loyalty and research of indicates that though satisfaction is link to some aspects of loyalty, its impact may depend on facets of the prior relational experience. In addition, the authors anticipate that satisfaction strength will influence both loyalty and the translation of satisfaction into loyalty, also suggested that the willingness of individual consumers, employees, friends the investor personal sacrifices in order to strengthen the relationship may help. One of brand loyalty’s substance is, Brand self-connection wherein according to is the idea that attachment involves a bond with the brand included as part of the self; it suggests that a critical aspect of attachment involves the cognitive and emotional connection between the brand and the self. That’s why trust in a brand is important and is a key factor in the development of brand loyalty according to because it can result to customer retention. In metaphor, brand loyalty is the cornerstone of brand equity and brand itself. Brand Positioning According to marketers need to position their brands clearly to target costumer’s minds at the lowest level; they can position the brand on product attributes. However attributes are the least desirable level for brand positioning. A brand can be better positioned by associating its name with a desirable benefit. The strongest brands go beyond attribute or benefit positioning. They are positioned on a strong beliefs and values. They explained the concept of brand positioning in terms of its three levels. The brand must be aligned to its goals and prospect consumers in order to be positioned well in the market. Like what have mentioned in their study, consistency in value delivered helps brand providers understand the value targets and helps customers understand the brand positioning. In the study of , they stated that it is important for businesses to create attraction in their brand to be better positioned than their competitors. In return, when a brand has a relative advantage in consumers’ mind, its market share should increase or at least not decrease . The study of mentioned that positioning is a very left brained phenomenon, where brands are narrowly defined by either personality or benefits. When one defines brands so rigidly, the advertising gets predictable, and there’s no margin for creativity or expansion. Fluid nature and flexibility is one of the ways for brands to survive. Brand belief works by tracking a particular brand also by trying to see it in the context of other brands of the same category, the comparison creates a distinct positioning. Advantages to Competition

Ncfe Swis Assignment 1

SUPPORT WORK IN SCHOOLS Unit 01 Child and Young Person Development As part of my preparation to complete Unit 1 Child and Young Person Development, I have attended taught sessions, undertaken research using books and the internet, taken part in group exercises and discussions and considered case studies. I have also completed a worksheet and received useful feedback from my tutor. All this has given me a better understanding of the theories behind child and young person development and the stages of development.This information has been extremely useful, giving me the underpinning knowledge needed to carry out my role of supporting teaching in the classroom. It has also improved my self-confidence especially in the classroom. In this assignment, I will discuss the expected pattern of development from 0-19 years, including examples of how development can be promoted in children and young people and how different aspects of development are interrelated and can affect one another.I will look at factors which can influence the child or young person’s development and discuss the potential effects of different types of transitions on children and young people’s development and ways in which the individual can be supported at such times. I will also briefly examine the psychological theories put forward by some influential researchers and illustrate the development of the National Curriculum. I will discuss observations and assessments and their importance in education.I will consider the role of communication for those who are involved in supporting teaching and learning. I will also look at the importance of the ‘holistic’ approach when engaging with pupils and their rights to be treated fairly and as individuals. 1. 1 Describe the expected pattern of children and young people’s Development from birth to 19 years to include: a) Physical development b) Communication and intellectual development c) Social, emotional and behavioural de velopmentThere is an expected pattern or sequence of children and young people’s development from birth to 19 years. This pattern or sequence can help be used to measure a child’s development and aid in preparing materials in the classroom to suit the individual’s needs. However, every child is unique and will not develop at the same rate in all the areas of development at the same time. There are some important factors that need to be considered when providing learning opportunities; these are the age range of the individuals and the five aspects of child development.The age ranges are 0-3 months, 3-9 months, 9-18 months, and 18months – 2 years, 2-3 years, 3-5 years, 5-7 years, 7-12 years, 12-16 years and 16 –19 years. The five aspects of child development are Social, Physical, Intellectual, Emotional and Communication and Language Development. It is however important to note that child and young person development is holistic with each area being interconnected. Social development involves developing social skills as part of the socialisation process. This process determines how children relate socially and emotionally to others.It’s as part of social development that children will learn behaviour patterns, self-control, independence, awareness of themselves in relation to others and develop an understanding of the needs and rights of others and moral concepts. In social development children age 3-5 will play with each other but by the time they reach the age range of 7-12 years they now want to belong to a group. Both age ranges will use language effectively to communicate, with 7-12 year olds now able to communicate very effectively. They are also less concerned about adult approval and are more concerned about the approval of their peers.Whereas the 3-5 year age group are still concerned with seeking adult approval. The 3-5 year olds group are gradually able to share group possessions at playgroup or nursery and 7 -12 year olds are able to participate in games with rules and other cooperative activities. Social development is promoted by setting goal and boundaries to encourage socially acceptable behaviour appropriate to the children’s ages and development using praise and rewards as encouragement. It can also be promoted by using books, stories, puppets and play people to help children understand fairness, jealousy, conflict ituations or growing up. Children can also be encouraged to use their self-help skills allowing children the time to do things independently such as choosing play activities or helping to tidy up. Emotional development might be defined as the development of personality and temperament. It includes how a child thinks and feels about themselves, how they think others see them, how they relate and interact with others and to their environment and how they express their individual needs and desires. The 7-12 year old group have become less egocentric and understand t he feelings, needs and rights of others.By age 12-16 this has developed further with the individual being sensitive to their own feelings and to those of others with a growing understanding of the possible causes for why people feel and act as they do. The 7-12 year age group may be very competitive with rivalry leading to aggressive behaviour whilst the older age group will have more confidence in their skills and ideas and will be assertive rather than aggressive. Both will argue with others, with the 12-16 year age group having strong opinions which may lead to grudges.The younger age group, although finding it more difficult to forgive and forget than they did at a younger age, tend not to hold grudges. Emotional development can be promoted by using praise and encouragement to help pupils to focus on what they good at and maximise their individual potential. By giving pupils the opportunity to make decisions and choices, making them feel positive and important and preparing them for decision making at a later stage. Being consistent about rules and discipline so pupils know what is expected of them will further help to promote emotional development.Physical development is an important area of a child’s overall development, and many aspects take place automatically as they grow and mature. However, it is crucial that children and young people are given opportunities and support in this area of development. Physical development can be promoted by providing play opportunities. Children could be allowed to explore and experiment with their gross motor skills using play equipment or practising fine motor skills such as drawing or using play dough.In physical development a 2-3 year old will use a potty whilst a 5-7 year old will be ‘dry’ apart from the occasional accident. The 2-3 year old group will be able to undress themselves but will need help with dressing. The 5-7 year olds will now dress themselves. Fine motor skills will be developin g in 2-3 year age group, they will be capable of feeding themselves and turning pages in a book but by 5-7 years this is much improved with the child now having the fine motor skills in order to be able to use a pencil, to put together a jigsaw and write their name.This type of development can be promoted by allowing children to be as independent as possible and by using everyday routines to develop fine motor skills such as doing fastenings themselves, setting the table or using a knife and fork. Intellectual development involves the process of gaining, storing, recalling and using information. This development includes interrelate components of perception, thinking, language, problem solving, concepts, memory, concentration and creativity. Children will be constantly gathering new information and formulating new ideas about themselves and the world around them.In intellectual development for example the 2-3 year old age group is still egocentric but the 5-7 year old begins to see other people’s points of view. Both will enjoy imaginative play. The older age group will have developed a longer attention span listening to longer stories and recalling details. The younger group will concentrate on intricate tasks but for a short length of time. Intellectual development can be promoted by providing access to materials to increase children’s curiosity such as books, games, toys and play equipment.Participating in the children’s activities to extend their learning and development will also promote development in this area, by asking questions, providing answers and demonstrating how things go to together when necessary. Encouraging children to use their senses to experiment with different materials and explore their environment for example going on outings to the park, playing with sand and water will promote intellectual development. Communication and language development involves children learning home or community language, as well as modes of language- non-verbal communication, listening, speaking, thinking, reading and writing.Language is a key factor in all aspects of children’s development as it gives them access to all aspects of human experience such as communicating with others, relating to others, formulating ideas or expressing feelings. In communication and language development a 2-3 year old will have a vocabulary of between 900 and 1500 words; this will have increased to 4000-10000 words by time they reach 7-12 years old. A 3-5 year old can listen to and follow simple instructions but by time they reach 7-12 years of age they can listen to and follow complex sets of instructions and will appreciate complex jokes and word play.The 7-12 year old can give very detailed accounts of past events using varied expression and vocabulary, whilst the 3-5 year old is only capable of giving very simple accounts of past events. Communication and language development in children can be promoted by simply talking to children and showing them what you are talking about by using real objects, picture books or visual/audio aids, by sharing books, stories and rhymes with them and by using straightforward sentences with words appropriate to the children’s level of understanding and development.The National Curriculum is extremely important for those who are involved in education as it is followed my many schools in England, Wales and Northern Ireland (academies and private schools do not have to follow it). It was introduced into school in1988 in order to ensure that each pupil was given the same standard of education. The two principal aims of the National Curriculum are: 1. The school curriculum should aim to provide opportunities for all pupils to learn and achieve 2.The school curriculum should aim to promote pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development and prepare all pupils for the opportunities, responsibilities and experiences of life. Furthermore, the national Cu rriculum has four purposes: 1. To establish an entitlement 2. To establish standards 3. To promote continuity and coherence 4. To promote public understanding. The Key stages are KS1 ages 5-7, KS2 ages 7-11, KS3 ages 11-14 and KS4 ages 14-16. There are five subjects which are required to be delivered from ages 5-16 years (KS 1- 4); these are English, Mathematics, P. E. Science and I. C. T.The National Curriculum as evolved and has had several changes or alterations to various aspects of it. For example, The Education Act 2002 sets out the statutory, core and foundation subjects but the above aims and purposes have remained. However, a review of the National Curriculum in 2011 recommended changes which will come into effect in 2013. The review notice states that the National Curriculum will have the following aims 1. To embody rigour and high standards to create coherence in what is taught in schools 2. To ensure all children have the opportunity to acquire a core of essential knowle dge in the key subject disciplines 3. eyond that core, to allow teachers the freedom to use their professional expertise to help children to realise their potential. Other areas to be considered include what subjects should be compulsory and what children should be taught in the main subjects and at what age. Communication skills are important for those who undertake the supporting teaching and learning role as it is vital in building up strong, positive relationships with colleagues, pupils and parents. Communication is a two way process with a sender (talker) and a receiver (listener). An important aspect of communication is active listening.This can be achieved by giving your whole attention, listen, use eye contact, seek clarification if you do not understand something that has been said. Non-verbal communication can be a powerful indicator. For example, leaning forward slightly indicates interest whilst crossing your arms can be seen as a barrier or reluctance to listen. Smilin g or nodding your head if appropriate are all signs that you are listening. Body stance and gestures and facial expressions are a good indicator of how the communication is progressing, for example a person may look worried or bored.Another important part of communication is asking questions. There are four types of questions and asking the right question at the right time is important. Closed questions are those that can only be answered by the word yes or no. These can be useful for testing your or the other person’s understanding. Open questions are ones that cannot be answered by the word yes or no, for example ‘what do you think? ’ Reflective questions are ones that check understanding and allows someone to think about what they have just said. The fourth type of question is leading, this one that suggests what the answer might be.Lessons should include a combination of both open and closed questions and learners should be encouraged to develop their own que stioning skills with learners’ peer assessing each other using open and closed questions. 1. 2 Describe with examples how different aspects of development can affect one another Although development is often divided into different ‘categories’, it is important to remember that these are all interconnected and link with one another. Examples of how different aspects of development can affect one another include: a.A speech impediment, such as stuttering may lead to the individual being unable to communicate properly with other children. The child may get frustrated and refrain from any interaction with other children. They may have little or no self confidence. This can affect emotional and social development as well as communication development. They may be bullied or picked on because of it, which in turn can lead to isolation as they may feel unable to talk to other children for fear of being ridiculed. b. A child who has difficulty in sharing may have problems with social interaction and difficulties making friendships.Other children may avoid them and this can affect the emotional and social development of the child who is unwilling to share as they may feel lonely and neglected. c. A child that is overweight or obese may have difficulties in participating in physical activities such as PE. This will affect not only their physical development but will also impact on the child’s social and emotional development as they may feel self-conscious and embarrassed and could be teased or bullied by their peers. 2. 1 Describe with examples the kinds of influences that affect children and young people’s development including a) Background ) Health c) Environment Pupils’ development is influenced by a wide range of factors including, their background, health and the environment in which they are growing up. These will all have an impact on the different areas of development and it is therefore important to have awareness of th ese factors. a. Background – Parents are extremely important in children’s lives especially in the early years. Most parents do a very good job of nurturing and providing for their children, providing a good diet, caring for them and offering opportunities for play and socialisation.Offering support to their children by being involved, helping with homework and showing interest in what the child does. This care has a significant positive impact on children’s development especially in areas of social, intellectual and emotional development. Some parents are unable to provide such care and this can negatively affect children’s’ development. For example those with conditions such as depression, alcoholism or drug addiction may neglect their children and be unable to provide them with opportunities for play and socialisation.Older siblings may have to take on a caring role for younger members of the family. These circumstances may cause the child anxie ty, to become de-motivated and develop anti-social behaviour. b. Health- If pupils suffer from poor health or physical disability or impairment, this may restrict their development opportunities. For example, a child who has a medical condition or impairment may be less able to participate in some activities than other children. This may initially affect physical development, but may also restrict social activities for example on the playground.This may then impact on emotional development. c. Environment – poverty and deprivation can have a significant effect of a child’s development. Families on low incomes may have poor diets which can affect children’s growth, behaviour and development. They may live in poorer quality housing, and not have sufficient income to heat them properly; again this can have an adverse affect on development with damp, crowed housing leading to poor health and lack of opportunity to play freely. Those children from low income families may lack play and leisure opportunities, or example the family may not have transport or the financial resources to access such opportunities as playing an instrument or going swimming. Conversely, those children from more affluent backgrounds are less likely to live in poor housing, are more likely to have a better diet and have greater access to play and leisure opportunities, thus all aspects of their development is impacted positively by their environment. 2. 2 Describe with examples the importance of recognising and responding to concerns about children and young people’s development.It is important to recognise and respond to concerns regarding a child’s development because if the problem is not dealt with as promptly as possible, it may have long term effects on all aspects of development. The sooner a problem is recognised and identified appropriate support can be given to solve the problem or lessen its effects on the child. Problems with language development would cause concern as language is at the heart of intellectual development. A child with poor speech development may find it difficult to read and write as they may not understand the link between sounds and letter shapes.Without use of language, communication can be limited and the child may feel isolated and frustrated and consequently have behavioural issues. The child may be unwilling to speak to others and possibly find it hard to listen to instructions. The child would be affected socially as they may find it hard to make friends and interact with others. This could also affect the child’s self esteem; making them feel that their peers are more ‘advanced’ and they are stupid which might lead them to become de-motivated.If a child was finding it difficult to interact with their peers, perhaps playing alone, this would be affecting the child’s social development perhaps causing them to lack confidence and find it difficult to socialise in future. Int ellectual development could be affected as the child may not feel comfortable in working with their peers in class especially during group work and so not learn as effectively as possible. Consequently, accurate observations and assessments are essential to effective educational practice.They allow objective assessments relating to each pupils behaviour patterns, learning styles, level of development, existing skills, curriculum strengths and weaknesses, current learning needs and learning achievements. Information from these observations and assessments can form the basis for the ongoing planning of learning objectives and setting learning goals and objectives for each individual pupil. They can help identify if pupils need extra support or if they have Special Educational Needs. When observing children all relevant aspects of development should be considered, social; physical; intellectual; communication and emotional.Some important points to be considered when observing children are that confidentiality must be maintained at all times, the observer must be objective, reporting what they see or hear rather than subjective opinion. Equal opportunities should be considered for example a child with English as a second language may have difficulty expressing themselves in English but be competent in their own language. Focus should be on strengths rather than weaknesses, and a holistic approach should be taken looking at a particular area of development in relation to the child whole development.The child’s feelings, needs and abilities should be considered and the observation discussed if appropriate to the child’s age and response given to their views. Distractions should be minimised and observations should be done without intruding or causing unnecessary stress. Teaching and learning has been developed using research carried out by many psychologists who have studied human development and this work has influenced teaching and learning methods. Jean Piaget (1896-1980) theory of learning suggests that children constructed or built up thoughts according to their experiences of the world around them.He used the term ‘schema’ to refer to a child’s conclusions or thoughts. He saw learning as an ongoing process with children needing to adapt their original ideas if a new piece of information contradicted their conclusion. Piaget suggests that as children develop so does their thinking. He grouped children’s cognitive development into four stages. Sensori- motor (0-2 years) includes the development of object permanence, the beginning of the use of symbols e. g. language. Pre-operational (2-7 years) Child uses symbols in play and thought, this stage involves egocentrism, centration, animism and the inability to conserve.Concrete operational (7-11 years) there is the ability to conserve, beginning of solving mental problems using practical supports such as counters The final stage is Formal Operational (1 1-15 years) young people can now think about situations they have not experienced and are able to juggle with ideas in their minds. Piaget's work has lead to early years and schools settings providing more hands on relevant tasks for children and young people. With teachers starting by working out the needs of the children then planning activities accordingly.B F Skinner (1904-90) suggested that most humans and animals learn through exploring the environment, and then drawing conclusions based on the consequences of their behaviour, people are therefore active in the learning process. Skinner divided the consequences of actions into three groups. Positive reinforcers are likely to make people repeat behaviour when they get something they desire. This is according to Skinner the most effective way of encouraging new learning. Negative reinforcers are likely to make people repeat behaviour as well but the behaviour is repeated to stop something happening.A child going down a slide mig ht learn to use their hands to slow them down if they were feeling unhappy about speed. Immediate positive reinforcers were considered more effective by Skinner. He also found that it wasn’t always clear what the primary reinforce was until after the experiment. For example a child may behave badly in order to gain attention and they will repeat the behaviour even if they are in ‘trouble’ as gaining the attention is the positive reinforcer. This ‘operant conditioning’ is frequently used by those working with children for example giving praise, reward stickers or certificates are positive reinforcers.Urie Bronfenbrenner (1917-2005) posited the ecological systems theory which has the individual at the centre of the model which has five systems. The microsystem which includes activities and interactions in the child's immediate surroundings such as parents, school and friends. The mesosystem refers to the relationships between the entities involved in t he child’s microsytems parent’s relationships with teachers etc. The exosystem are the social institutions which affect children indirectly such as parents work setting, mass media and extended family networks. The macrosystem or the broader cultural values, law, governmental resources.The chronosytem refers to the changes which occur during a child’s life both personally and culturally (or the child’s transitions) In the ecological model each component interacts with other components, making a highly complex context the child grows up in. The child isn’t just a passive recipient of what goes on in his or her life. The child at the centre of the model and interacts directly with the people in the microsystems and the effects of the interaction go both ways. As people affect the child, so the child has an influence on them. 3. 1 Identify the transitions experienced by most children and young people.Transitions might simply be defined as any stage or experience in the life of a child or young person that can affect behaviour and/or development. They are generally linked to changes in a person’s appearance, activity status, roles and relationships as well as changes of setting. Common transitions which are foreseen that most children and young people will experience include progressing from one level of development to another for example puberty, entering adulthood; starting nursery or school; moving schools for example primary to secondary school; moving class, starting college or training; entering work or first sexual experiences. . 2 Identify transitions that only some children and young people may experience Some children and young people will experience personal transitions which are often unforeseen and happen to only some individuals. Personal transitions can include death or serious illness of a family member or friend; parental separation or divorce, moving house, going into hospital; living with disability, dea th of a pet, arrival of a new baby or step-siblings, changes in their main carer such as adoption, fostering, entering or leaving the care system and the process of asylum.Family circumstance may lead to personal transitions for a child or young person some of these include, poverty; environment; employment status; child abuse and neglect; substance abuse and mental health needs. 3. 3 Describe with examples how transitions may affect children and young people’s behaviour and development Change is not always disruptive and distressing. When facing change it is natural to experience feeling of uncertainty and confusion, however, there can often be positive effects.There may be for example increased levels of motivation, promoting development, educational progress, confidence, good health improved self-esteem and increased independence. Many children make successful transitions but for those who do not there can be problems for example decreased levels of motivation, development al delay, educational delay, depression, ill health and poor self esteem. This can have negative implications for the future, affecting health, ability to achieve and enjoyment of childhood.Change is more likely to cause emotional distress when it is completely unexpected and unanticipated for example bereavement. Signs of distress might include changes in the child or young person’s behaviour such as demonstrating uncharacteristic behaviour, becoming withdrawn or quiet, becoming angry, anxious, attention seeking or temporary regression in developmental and self – help skills or even bed wetting. They may demonstrate their concern through play or drawings or stories and some may want to talk.High levels of distress can be further exacerbated when children are not kept informed, feel out of control and cannot access emotional support. To alleviate some this anxiety and stress, preparation is an essential part of managing transitions and most settings will have establish ed procedures for preparing children for transfers and transitions using the ‘ten principles to support children’s transitions’ developed by the National Children’s Bureau for example a Transitions Policy stating the schools aims and procedures.The teaching assistant should keep an eye out for changes in behaviour, encourage pupils to use any school based support for example talking to an adult that they trust, work to ensure positive relationships, be sensitive to pupils’ needs, and ensure that there is opportunity to discuss what is happening and to ask questions. If advance notice has been given that a child or group of children may be going through a period of change, this will give the opportunity to plan how support can be given.For many children the move to nursery or primary school is a big step which can lead some children to experience anxiety and stress when they first attend the new setting. This anxiety and stress may be caused by separ ation from parent or carer, encountering unfamiliar children, length of time spent in the setting, differences in culture and language from the child’s previous experiences, unfamiliar routine and rules, worry about doing the wrong thing, taking part in unfamiliar activities e. . PE. The unfamiliar physical environment may seem scary. Children may have difficult in following adult direction and more structured activities or find it difficult to concentrate for longer periods than previously. Schools make these first days and weeks easier by arranging for children to have already met their new teacher, who may have visited them in their current setting or at home as well as welcoming them to their new setting.Introductory visit may have been arranged for children and their parents or carers so that they can become familiar with the setting and the adults who will support and care for them there. Children can also be helped to prepare for this change by talking and explaining w hat is going to happen, listening to their concerns and reassuring them. Using appropriate resources such as books on starting primary school or secondary school or watching videos or TV programmes which shows the change positively.Providing opportunities for imaginative play so children can express their feelings and fears can also help. A holistic approach is needed when engaging with pupils as outlined in the government intuitive Every Child Matters (2003). Its main aims are for every child, whatever their background or circumstances, to have the support they need to be healthy, stay safe, enjoy and achieve, make a positive contribution and achieve economic well-being. ECM also states that everyone in our society is responsible for securing these outcomes.Families, communities, Government, public services, voluntary organisations, business, the media and others all have a part to play in valuing, protecting and promoting the interest of and listening to children. This has led to each of these themes having a detailed framework attached whose outcomes require multi-agency partnerships working together to achieve. The agencies in partnership may include children's centres, early years, schools, children's social work services, primary and secondary health services play work, and Child and Adolescent Mental Health services.In the past it has been argued that children and families have received poorer services because of the failure of professionals to understand each other's roles or to work together effectively in a multi-disciplinary manner. ECM seeks to change this, stressing that it is important that all professionals working with children are aware of the contribution that could be made by their own and each other's service and to plan and deliver their work with children and young people accordingly.The Equality Act 2010 states that schools cannot unlawfully discriminate against anyone including pupils because of their sex, race, disability, religion or belief, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, pregnancy and maternity and marriage or civil partnership. From April 2011 the Act introduced a single Equality Duty (public sector only) which applies to schools, this requires schools to have due regard to the need to  eliminate unlawful discrimination, harassment, and victimisation; advance equality of opportunity; and foster good relations.Advancing equality of opportunity involves removing and minimising disadvantages, taking steps to meet people’s needs and encouraging participation in any activity in which participation by such people is disproportionately low. Fostering good relations involves tackling prejudice and promoting understanding. Schools along with many other policies will now have an Equality Policy. For example the school in which I volunteer has such a policy stating its mission statement and its aims and objectives with regards to equality.As already stated there is both a legal and moral responsibility to treat all pupils fairly and as individuals with individual needs. Consequently, it is important that all who work as part of the school team are aware of this policy and of their responsibilities with regards to equality. In conclusion, in this assignment I have endeavoured to illustrate the importance of understanding all the aspects of child development 0 to 19 years in order to support them as they move through their time in education.