Business Ethics and Issues of Employment Case Study

Business Ethics and Issues of Employment - Case Study Example Ethical relativism designates the universal values that apply to everyone in every business across the world. Sometimes, that extent can be reduced to cultural relativism that seeks to cover the accepted values in a narrower scope, say, a company or a country in regards to the existing culture or traditions. Proponents of Ethical (cultural) relativism assert it demonstrates empirical evidence. Conversely, arguments against ethical relativism claim that it is difficult to find values and norms that govern all businesses universally. Truth-telling refers to honest communication and poses the question as to whether anyone can defend their reason when not telling the truth in business. Advocates of truth-telling argue that all societies depend on reciprocal bonds of truthfulness to enforce their sustained relationships. Those against the being honest claim that it is common practice, and everyone should be aware of the game. They give examples such as the inflating claims used by advertising companies or contracts that have concealed fine print provided by employers and suppliers. For 35 years, Ken worked for United Airlines as a pilot. Typically, he expected to receive his six-figure pension income from the company’s retirement trust. At his retirement, United Airlines had been experiencing a tumultuous financial period. However, the airlines maintained that that was not the case despite doubts about their financial position to cater to the company’s demands such as Ken’s approaching retirement plan. True to the growing fears, United funded Ken’s trust at about 50 percent of the expected amount. The reason provided for this was that the airlines troubled financially, had been allowed by federal rules to skip making cash contributions. The rules allowed United to seek a bankruptcy declaration, and this meant that they could only cater for about half of what Ken’s was to receive. There are various ethical issues, in this case, chief among them being United’s lack of integrity. The company should have in advance disclosed to Ken about their state of bankruptcy and the financial troubles they were undergoing.  

Value & Risk Management Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4500 words

Value & Risk Management - Assignment Example Value drivers can be defined as elements within a project which improve the product quality, and also minimise costs. These drivers become essential during project management as they provide assistance to auditors on possible value adding elements. The utilisation of value drivers remains fundamental to successful completion of many development projects, within the construction industry. These elements remain fundamental towards ensuring projects remain within their allocated budgetary requirements, and produce satisfactory outcomes. Several value drivers can be identified for the project as defined below Ensure effective project management and delivery Achievement of required financial targets Minimising operation and maintenance costs, and environmental impact for the building Complying with various third party requirements Effective project management Effective project management process involves proper utilisation of available resources as a method of minimising wastage at differ ent project development stages. Effective management remains the most fundamental element for ensuring efficacy in development projects. This involves the proper utilisation of available resources in meeting the requirements of the project as defined in the planning stages. This value driver remains focused at ensuring projects achieves excellence through compliance with required project outcomes. Ensuring presence and application of this value driver remains fundamental to successful project completion. The incorporation of effective management begins with the appointment of a project team. In ensuring effectiveness, the management team should be selected from individuals possessing the essential skills and expertise in the construction industry. The utilisation of independent client advisors could be applied where the team lacks experts in a specified profession, While selecting individuals with essential expertise and skills, a consideration for cost should also be factored to en sure functionality of the team. The team must become fully engaged into the project from the beginning stages. Efficacy in the management skills of the team should be displayed through coordination, integration and communication among the team members, consequently ensuring the team functions as a single unit. Other than communication among team members, external communication with stakeholders remains a fundamental component for ensuring success in development projects. Management teams should involve users, contractors and all members involved in the supply chain delivery continuously, to get their expertise and opinions on the project. The management team should develop an execution plan, which should act as a guideline during the project lifetime. The effectiveness of the team remains the main reason behind utilising a project management team, fully engaged in the operations of the project. The effectiveness should be measured according to the desired industry standards, develop ed by regulatory organisations. Compliance to these regulatory requirements remains a key performance indicator

Disabilities: Barriers to Participation

Disabilities: Barriers to Participation Exclusion Inclusion Disabilities Overcoming barriers to participation From Exclusion to Inclusion In the United Kingdom, discussed by Shah (2005), segregated or special schools were the most common form of provision for pupils with disabilities, despite the fact that the cost of special education per child is too high for most countries. Governments are now recognizing the need to develop a more affordable system which will provide quality education for all children, additionally, legislation is clearly moving towards an increasing emphasis on inclusion. In Scotland the Education (Additional Support for Learning) (Scotland) Act 2004, and the Special Educational Needs and Disability Act 2001 (Department for Education and Employment, 2001), which amends the Disability Discrimination Act (1995), deliver a stronger right to a mainstream education for disabled children unless this is conflicting with the parents wishes or the provision of efficient education for other children. One of the main aims proposed in the recent White Paper, Removing Barriers to Achievement (DfES, 2004) is to reduce the number of special schools and encourage more mainstream schools to adopt fully inclusive practices. In addition, by reducing the number of residential schools and reallocating resources to local provisions and service, disabled children and young people can be educated closer to their homes and families. But it is argued that, even with the worldwide trend towards inclusion and the increasing participation of disabled children in mainstream schools, special education still has an important role and, for some students, is still the best option. However, others need to be put in situations in which they have opportunities to succeed and develop self-esteem and confidence. (Shah, S, 2005) There has been much debate over recent years concerning the provision of segregated special education for pupils with disabilities. There are both arguments in favour of inclusion and against. Advantages of segregated education Cited by Shah (2005), Barnes (1991) and Middleton (1999), argue that special education is promoted to parents of disabled children as a safe option to the hustle and bustle of mainstream schools, which may otherwise be too stressful. Some researchers claim that separate schools offer the best opportunities for disabled students, for instance, Jenkinson (1979) argues that with smaller classes and higher teacher pupil ratios, special schools allow concentrated one-to-one attention and tuition which can be delivered at a level appropriate to each child’s needs. They are perceived as more supportive, both physically and socially, and less threatening to students with disabilities, encouraging their feeling of security and enhancing their self-esteem by avoiding continual comparison of their achievements with other students. According to Pearse (1996), segregated institutions are an essential element of the social and psychological independence of disabled children. Moreover, being supported in an environment free from the involvement of mainstream barriers allows the children to explore and develop a sense of self. Cook, Swain and French (2001) propose that disabled students are likely to build positive social relationships more easily in segregated institutions where they not only share common goals and interests, but values, goals and ways of viewing the world. In mainstream school, where a disabled child requires support, Watson et al. (1999) suggest that successful social integration with peers may be hindered. They found that for some disabled people, the physical location of the helper could work against their acceptance among other children in the class. Allan (1996) suggests that the child’s interaction can be brought to the attention of the staff, as disabled children are more carefully monitored than their non-disabled peers: All children are the object of analysis within schools, but for pupils with special educational needs, the observation reaches further. They are observed, not only at work in the classroom, but also at break times. The way in which they intermingle with mainstream peers or integrate socially is often viewed as equally important, if not more so, than their attainment in mainstream curriculum goals. (Shah, S, 2005) Criticisms of segregated education Shah also discusses arguments against segregated education; Alderson and Goodey, (1998) argue that reports which suggest that students have a higher self-esteem or do better at special schools are worthless if self-esteem depends on being in an artificial, sheltered world. Barnes (1991) argues that being in a protective, segregated environment holds back disabled individuals from society. Dr John Mary and the British Council of Organizations of Disabled People (1986) believe that special education is one of the key routes for distributing non-disabled views of the world and making sure that disabled school leavers are socially isolated. The outcome of this isolation is that disabled people accept social discrimination and lack the skills needed in adult life. This argument is supported by Jenkinson (1997) and Fuchs and Fuchs (1998) who feel that the deficiency of suitable behavioural role models, and the removal from the general way of life of childhood and adolescence contribute to isolation in the community. Barnes, (1991) also argues that by producing socially and educationally disabled individuals, the special education system maintains discrimination practices in all other areas of social life, particularly employment. Dunn (1968), also had the same views, in that, a segregated placement is responsible for people with disabilities being negatively labelled and excluded from society. He goes on to say that labels have damaging effects on both teacher expectations and the student’s own self-concept. Another major criticism of segregated education is that an isolated curriculum that focuses on specific educational needs stops students from learning a wide range of subjects offered in mainstream schools. Jenkinson (1997) argues that the small number of staff in special schools, along with their considerably limited, curricula expertise, restricts the range and content of the curriculum. She feels the lack of training and experience of most special school teachers in the secondary curriculum to be a growing obstacle as students with disabilities move into adolescence. An article entitled Special School Shame (Disability Now, January 1997) reported on a study, conducted by the Alliance for Inclusive Education, which evidenced that special schools are less likely than mainstream schools to enter their students for public examinations. According to the sample statistics, only 6 of the 85 special schools in the study (7 per cent) proceeded to compete in national exams. The reasoning was based on the assumption that children in special schools were unable to learn as well as their peers in regular education. Shah has also discussed inclusive education and cites a number of authors for example, Barnes (1991) has argued that inclusion plays a crucial role in the fight towards the abolition of discrimination and of disabled people being accepted as citizens of the social majority, he suggests that being educated in mainstream schools is positively related to the successful transition of people with disabilities into employment and wider society, although, being placed in mainstream school does not necessarily mean experiencing total inclusion. Inclusive education is more than just placing a disabled person in a mainstream school and providing extra support. Inclusion requires major changes within society to allow everyone to take part, interact and make choices. Young disabled people are less likely than their non-disabled counterparts to pursue academic subjects of their choice due to restrictions imposed by the physical environment. Burgess, (2003) believes that even now, mainstream schools are not fully accessible, as those responsible for developing inclusion still often think of accessibility as ramps and rails. Burgess also points out that discriminatory attitudes among teachers in mainstream schools have also been confirmed by UK education inspectors. A survey by the Department of Education and Science (DES), published in 1989, noted that the attitudes of some staff were patronising, while others were reluctant to work with disabled pupils. T hese attitudes were likely to be reproduced in the attitudes and behaviour of non-disabled students towards their disabled peers. The result of such attitudinal prejudice among peers may be critical. Haring, (1991) argues that peer acceptance is a primary outcome of schooling, with important outcomes for the quality of life of students with disabilities. (Shah, S, 2005) As Shah discusses arguments in favour of, and against segregation, it becomes clear that there are a number of authors that support both viewpoints, for example, Jenkinson (1979) argues that with smaller classes and higher teacher pupil ratios, special schools allow concentrated one-to-one attention and tuition which can be delivered at a level appropriate to each child’s needs, yet, at the same time, she also says that the small number of staff in special schools, along with their considerably limited, curricula expertise, restricts the range and content of the curriculum and feels the lack of training and experience of most special school teachers in the secondary curriculum to be a growing obstacle as students with disabilities move into adolescence. Barnes (1991) stresses that one of the principal functions of segregated education is to protect disabled children from the rough and tumble of the normal environment, at the same time, arguing, that being in a protective, segregated environment holds back disabled individuals from society. These contradictory views lead to the belief that the authors feel that special schools do have their place in society, but not to the detriment of those attending, as in the past. People are different and diverse, and what is suitable for one may not be suitable for another, in that, total inclusion in a mainstream school may be damaging for some pupils but more beneficial for others. Perhaps this is where mainstream schools which have a special unit can be beneficial. This can be construed as partial inclusion. Pupils attending the special units can have access to the mainstream curriculum, and social interaction with their more able peers, at the same time, those who simply could not cope with mainstream institutions have the benefit of the caring special unit, where they can still have access to a similar curriculum as that offered in mainstream, and feel protected and less vulnerable. Partial integration is often seen as combining the best of both worlds in special education: the student has access to special curriculum and small classes in the special school, while also having the opportunity to socialize and participate with non-disabled peers in extra-curricular activities that are not available in the special school. (Jenkinson, 1996, p 107-108) The school in which I work is one of 14 secondary schools within the Local Authority which have a special unit. Local Authority and school level Within the local authority in which I work, there are 4 special schools and, 14 secondary schools and 28 primary schools which have a unit for pupils with additional support needs. A primary or secondary school is identified as having an integrated special unit/class if the sole or main purpose of any class or other unit forming part of the school is to provide education specially suited to the additional support needs of children or young persons selected for attendance at the class or unit by reason of those needs. The School The school is a large rural secondary comprehensive school with a long tradition of excellence, and positive relationships with the local community. The school is sited in a wooded setting, once the grounds of a Castle. In 1979 the school catered for only 500 pupils; today more than 1,200 pupils attend the school and are supported by over 100 teaching staff. The school aims to ensure that all pupils, regardless of circumstance, be given every opportunity to succeed and attempt to achieve their full potential. The school Inclusion Policy states it is the intention to include as many children as possible into some aspects of a mainstream school day. The school can cater for all students in the catchment area except those who require daily hospital residential care. For a small number of pupils inclusion could mean that they are in the same school as mainstream children, have their break times and their lunch times with mainstream classes, and attend mainstream subjects taught by a mainstream teacher as part of their S.E.N. class. They would also be able to attend activities arranged for their year group such as induction days, assemblies and trips. For other pupils it will mean that they are included into mainstream classes for part of their week. Some pupils will be mostly taught in mainstream, with one or two subjects in the Additional Support department, and vice versa. The decision of how much inclusion or when inclusion is suitable will be made at each student’s annual review; or on their entry into the Special Education Department. This means that parents and professionals will decide together what is most appropriate for each child. Whatever decisions are made can be altered as and when appropriate. Each pupil’s needs will be assessed every year to ensure that past decisions are still appropriate. All students in the S.E.N. Department will have an IEP and annual review meetings will be held to discuss progress. The support for learning team in the school consists of: Additional Support Needs (ASN) Department, Learning Support Department (LS), Sensory Impairment Department (For Visual and Hearing Impairment), Promoting Education Pupil Support (PEPS), and Auxiliary Support. Additional Support Department: Support of pupils who are not full time mainstream because of mild to severe and complex learning difficulties and / or who for significant emotional, psychological or other reasons are unable to attend large mainstream classes. Learning Support Department: Support of pupils in our associated primary schools and secondary mainstream pupils with Specific Learning Difficulties and other Learning Difficulties. Supplementary Studies in S1 and S2 provides support with Literacy and Numeracy and Support Studies in S3 and 4 provide support with Standard Grade mainstream subjects. SFL Room 3: Support of mainstream pupils on the Autistic Spectrum who cannot access mainstream classes full time because of social and communication difficulties. Also used for Alternatives to Exclusion work. Promoting Education Pupil Support Department: Support of mainstream pupils with significant social, emotional and / or behavioural difficulties. This support is mostly in class but also appropriate 1:1 and group support provided within the PEPS department classroom Pupils may be supported across all subject areas and this can be in a variety of ways: Working with a Support Teacher as well as a Subject Teacher in class e.g. a Special Education, Learning Support, PEPS or Hearing Impairment Teacher working alongside the Subject Teacher to deliver the class lesson. More intensive support in small groups or on an individual basis with any of the SFL professionals. Following a short/ medium or longer term modified timetable to help explore strategies to assist pupils in developing study and learning skills. Working totally out with the mainstream class structure in specialised classes for support. Support by an auxiliary in a subject class. In addition to the above, the SFL team liaises with a wide range of outside agencies including: the social work department, the community education team, the educational psychology services, the police, the medical services, family support for workers. House and Guidance System Until this year, 1008, each pupil in the school belongs to one of seven House Groups, which are the responsibility of seven Principal Teachers of Guidance. Their role is to know well and support each pupil in their House, providing a focus for the pupil, parents/carers, and staff and outside school contacts. At all times they work towards promoting positive behaviour and positive relationships: working with pupils to set learning targets; reviewing and discussing overall progress and being a regular point-of-contact throughout their school career. Although the school Inclusion Policy states it is the intention to include as many children as possible, the pupils attending the AS department where placed in a separate Guidance house from the rest of the school. The registration group I was assigned to when I joined the school, consisted of a mixture of 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th years. There is an assembly held every week for each year group. The day and time for the assemblies is announced on a daily bulletin, and the days change each term. The assembly day and time for the 5th and 6th year has never included those pupils from the AS department. As part of my research I interviewed the Head Teacher about inclusion and he said that when he first started at the school, which was not long ago, he was horrified to find that there was a separate House for the pupils with additional needs. As from August 2008 there will be a new House System put into place, instead of 7 houses there will be 5. To promote the further integration and inclusion of pupils with additional support needs, all pupils will be assigned to a mainstream Registration Group, and House. The Head Teacher feels that Inclusion does not just mean integration; it means participation in all aspects. Promoting education The school has a whole school positive behaviour policy which provides the framework for classroom practice. There are school sanctions in place and these are: Official verbal warning. Move to another seat. Letter to parents. Send to Time Out Room Referral to Principal Teacher. Referral to Senior Staff. A key element of the behaviour policy is that the school does not accept any form of physical, verbal or emotional abuse, e.g. name calling, threatening behaviour or swearing. The school does recognize positively, that the vast majority of pupils, are a real credit to themselves, to the school and to their parents, and believes this should be recognized. Well Done slips are one method available to the staff at to communicate good news about an individual’ achievement. Pupils react positively to receiving these and value the recognition they bring. Pupils within my classroom The group of pupils I teach are in their 1st year at the school. Their additional needs include; social, emotional, behavioural, and difficulties in learning, understanding, listening, and following instructions. When incidents do occur in the classroom, the type of behaviour generally falls into one of three categories: Muttered or low-key threats, swearing or name-calling, chair/table tipping, refusal to co-operate with a group or another child or an adult, books or pencils swept off a table. Aggressive, verbal abuse with shouting directed towards another pupil or adult; objects such as a pencil or rubber thrown at someone or something. Physical aggression directed towards another child. When I first started at the school there were 9 pupils in my class. There are now 14. The additional 5 pupils have been reported as having difficulties in some subjects, and have therefore been removed from some mainstream lessons such as Science and Modern Languages, and placed in the AS Department. This seems to be more like exclusion rather than inclusion!

Volunteers Should Not Be Rewarded Essay -- volunteering, benefits, rew

Nowadays you can volunteer in different type of places. There are a lot of various organizations that need volunteers. What you can do to help these organizations are help clean parks, go to a foreign country to help from a natural disaster, etc. These are just some of the things you can do at these institutions. When volunteering the question is asked if people who volunteer should receive benefits or a reward for offering their service. I believe they shouldn't because if you’re receiving a benefit it becomes like a part-time job it takes the point of volunteering out of the equation. It also defies the purpose of doing it on your own free will with the purpose of doing good and helping others. First of all the definition of volunteering is offering yourself for a service or you performing willingly and ‘‘without pay’’. If people were to get benefits out of it, it wouldn't be volunteering anymore. The reason people volunteer is for either personal reasons, the need to help others, or to make a change in their community as to make their community a better place. People volunteer for other reasons too it can be because they are forced upon by their parents or a school requirement, or they want to try something new because they have a lot of free time in their hands. Head of PhD George L. says there are risks when volunteers are rewarded or paid. He states "The precise distinctions vary , but the point of difference is that employees get paid for their work — volunteers do not. Pay a volunteer for his or her work and you've transformed the former volunteer into an employee — or at least you've created a plausible basis for that person (or perhaps someone else) to claim he or she is an employee of your nonprofit." another problem ... ...on since it can cause them a lot of troubles plus it can also affect how the volunteer performs if not rewarded properly. Rewards are ok as long as they are properly distributed and it won't cost the institution extra money since they are working for a cause not to lose anything. volunteering is the act of helping others and giving yourself up for a service without pay and I believe in that because it wouldn't be volunteering anymore if you include pay in the same sentence. Works Cited L, George. "Library." Paying Volunteers Risk Management. Risk Management Center , n.d. Web. 23 Oct. 2013. Hartman, Rachel. "Rewarding volunteers." Rewarding Volunteers. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Oct. 2013. Johnson, Adrian. "Michigan Ann Arbor Bay City Detroit Flint Grand Rapids Jackson Kalamazoo Lansing Muskegon Saginaw All Michigan." The Kalamazoo Gazette. N.p., 7 Feb. 2009.

Movie: On Golden Pond

On Golden Pond Cassandra Mclean Central Carolina Community College I would have to admit that this was my first time ever hearing of this movie until this assignment but once I saw it I absolutely fell in love with all the characters and the different dynamics of family. It begins with Norman and Ethel Thayer moving back to their lake house in Maine for the summer. Norman and Ethel have been married a long time and will be celebrating Norman’s eightieth birthday and welcoming back their daughter Chelsea and she brings along her boyfriend Billy Ray and his teenage son Billy Ray Jr.Chelsea asked her parents can Billy jr stay with them while her and Billy go to Europe. When Billy and Chelsea return form Europe she discovers that her dad and Billy have the relationship that she always wanted and decided to confront him and deal with her emotions. Norman Thayer will be eighty years old his next birthday he is suffering from some health problems and have dementia where he is beginni ng to forget things like a photograph that he took years earlier and the road that he been on for years and now can’t remember how to get there.Norman is in between late adulthood and very old age Erikson’s nine stages of psychosocial development says that in late adulthood stage you take stock of your past and in old age you face new sense of self over failing bodies and need of care. Norman is always talking about getting older and dying he has declining cognitive functioning and that makes him irritable and confused.

Mobile Money Transfer

CHAPTER TWO LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 Mobile money transfer Mobile money transfer, also referred to as mobile money, mobile  payment, and mobile wallet generally refer to payment services operated under  financial regulations and performed from or via a  mobile device. Instead of paying with cash, cheque, or credit cards, a consumer can use a mobile phone to pay for a wide range of services and digital or hard goods. Although the concept of using non-coin-based currency systems has a long history,  it is only recently that the technology to support such systems has become widely available.Similarly, Julia s. cheney defined mobile financial services from her paper examination of mobile banking and mobile payments as follows â€Å"Mobile financial services is a term applied to a range of financial activities conducted using mobile devices, such as cellular phones or personal digital assistants. These activities fall into two broad categories: mobile banking and mobile payments. Mobile banking allows bank customers to check balances, monitor transactions, obtain other account information, transfer funds, locate branches or ATMs, and, sometimes, pay bills. In the United States, depository institutions' mobile banking platforms rely on one or a combination of the following three strategies: SMS text messaging, browser-based programs, or downloadable mobile-banking applications. The term mobile payments refers to payment transactions initiated or confirmed using a person's mobile cellular phone or personal digital assistant. These may be such things as making a purchase at the point of sale, sending money to a person or a business, or purchasing a product or service remotely. Mobile payments generally fall into two categories. Those made at the point of sale are called â€Å"proximity payments† and are typically initiated using NFC technology. Mobile â€Å"remote payments,† on the other hand, are not transmitted by NFC but rather require payments to be initiated and settled through the mobile cellular phone network in combination with an associated payment network. These payments may involve person-to-person, person-to-business, or business-to-business payments and rely on SMS text messaging, wireless Internet technology, or a downloaded application in order to execute the payment.Mobile payment is being adopted all over the world in different ways (wirelessintelligence.com) (erricson.com 2011). In 2008, the combined market for all types of mobile payments was projected to reach more than $600B globally by 2013 (juniper research 2013),  which would be double the figure as of February, 2011 (bonsoni.com 2011). The mobile payment market for goods and services, excluding contactless  near field communication  or NFC transactions and money transfers, is expected to exceed $300B globally by 2013 (juniper research 2013). In  developing countries  mobile payment solutions have been deployed as a means of extending financial services to the community known as the â€Å"unbanked† or â€Å"under banked,† which is estimated to be as much as 50% of the world's adult population, according to Financial Access' 2009 Report â€Å"Half the World is Unbanked† (financialAccess.org 2009). These payment networks are often used for  micropayments.  The use of mobile payments in developing countries has attracted public and private funding by organizations such as the  Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation,  United States Agency for International Development  and  Mercy Corps.Mobile financial services cover a â€Å"broad range of financial activities that Consumers engage in or access using their mobile phones† (Boyd and Jacob, 2007:6). They can be classified into three separate categories: mobile banking (m?banking), Mobile money transfer (m?money transfer), and mobile payments (m?payments) (GSMA, 2008a). M?banking is subsumed under the larger category of electronic banking.Electronic banking (e?banking) refers to â€Å"the provision of retail and small value banking products and services through electronic channels. These include deposit taking, lending, account management, the provision of financial advice, electronic bill payment and the provision of other electronic payment products and services such as electronic money† (Basel 1998:3). As a form of e?banking, m?banking is defined as:†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦financial services delivered via mobile networks and performed on a mobile phone. These services may or may not be defined as banking services by the regulator, depending on the legislation of the country in question, as well as on which services are offered.† (Bà ¥ngens and Sà ¶derberg 2008: 7).Porteous (2006) further explains that mobile banking can either be additive or transformational. For the former type, m?banking is considered an additional channel for existing clients to access banking services; in the transformational category, however, it targets clients who do not have bank accounts, aiming to include them into the formal banking system. (Bà ¥ngens and Sà ¶derberg 2008). Money, on the other hand, is a form of electronic money. Electronic money refers to â€Å"stored value or prepaid payment mechanisms for executing payments via point of sale terminals, direct transfers between two devices, or over the computer networks, such as the Internet. Stored value products include hardware or card based mechanisms (electronic purses or wallets), and software or network based cash (also called digital cash)† (Basel, 1998:3?4). M? money then refers to â€Å"services that connect consumers financially through mobile phones. Mobile money allows for any mobile phone subscriber – whether banked or unbanked – to deposit value into their mobile account, send value via a simple handset to another mobile subscriber, and allow the recipient to turn that value back into cash easily and cheaply† (GSMA, 2009:7). In this way, m?money can be used for both transfers and payments. In fact, m?money is generally used in m?payments and m?money transfers rather than for m?banking. As such, m?money does not earn interest compared to bank deposits. This ensures that all e?cash (of which m?money is one) dispensed and circulating corresponds to actual funds in the system. This helps the central banks track movements in money supply1 (Mapa, 2009). With this, m?money cannot be used for savings and cannot be lent by m?money service providers (Sec 5.C and D of Circular 649) (BSP 2009). However, whether these funds should not earn interest has been questioned by some, especially when the funds that are pooled to back?up the issued e?money can be deposited in a prudentially regulated institution or invested in â€Å"lower?risk† securities (Tarazi, 2009).Thus far, the use of m?money has primarily been transactional, such as payment of bills (including payment conversion of m?money to electronic loads), transfer of funds. In microfinance, for instance, the system has largely been utilized to transfer and pay loans.Mobile banking models:Lyman et.al. (2006) makes two distinctions of branchless banking: bank led Non?bank commercial actors. This was further expanded by Goswami & Raghavendran (2009) by breaking down mobile banking variants into 5 models based on how they partner up with telecommunication providers: (1) carriers going solo, (2) banks going solo, (3) exclusive bank and telecom partnership, (4) bank telecom open partnership, and (5) open federation model. These variations indicate that there is much innovation occurring with respect to delivering m?banking/m?money services. Although innovation is important, at some point, standardization would be needed to support interoperability that would enhance services among customers (GSMA, 2008a). In fact, of the five models mentioned, the open federation model is considered by Goswami & Raghavendran (2009) as the most flexible and dynamic since it allows for a partnership between all banks and telecom companies while sharing a common platform for m? banking. The platform then expands the coverage of mobile banking and gives the unbanked a freedom to choose with whom to maintain an account. The other implication of the variety of existing models is that it creates different regulatory arrangements depending on the nature of partnerships between telecommunication carriers and financial institutions. In the case of SMART Money in the Philippines, for instance, the banking regulations have complied with by its banking partner, whereas the telecommunications aspect is addressed by the telecommunications provider. A regulatory distinction however occurs once there is e?money issuance by a telecommunication company or non?bank entity through the telecommunications operator (Lyman, et al. 2006), as was the case with Globe Telecom's G?Cash. In both cases, they had to work with financial regulators on banking regulations it was not previously concerned with. Mobile phone payments is a popular and most preferable way of sending and receiving money in Africa since the vast majority of the continents' population are ruler dwellers or uneducated (Ayo, Ukpere, Oni, Ometo, & Akinsiko, 2012; Mangudla, 2012). The concept of mobile money transfer dates back to the history of telecommunication and banking industries. There are collaborations between the two industries for the facilitation of MMT service (Ayo et.al, 2012). M-PESA was the first MMT service in Africa, which was introduced by Safaricom of Kenya (A Vodafone partner) in 2007. M-PESA (M refers to mobile, and PESA refers money in Swahili language) can be accessed from the different outlets such as the headquarter, main branches of the company, or an authorized business outlet. Safaricom registered over 20, 000 consumers for M-PESA within the first month of introducing the service (Hughes & Lonie, 2007), and the number reached more than 15 million users of MMT in Kenya after five years of launching (Michaels, 2011). He contends that there are several factors behind the wide adoption and acceptance of this service by the users including rapid migration to cities for work, a significant unbanked number of the populace, the credibility of the service provider, and finally their commitment towards families in home villages. Therefore, as asserted by Hughes & Lonie, (2007), the M-PESA is primarily designed for the unbanked populace in Kenya. The MMT also was later introduced in several African countries such as Nigeria, South Africa, Tanzania, Ghana, Somalia among others. The success of these services in South Africa and Ghana were less than the Kenya's M-PESA success (Tobbin, 2010). MMT IN SOMALIA:MMT service in Somalia was first introduced by GOLIS , HORMUD and TELESOM telecommunication companies working with puntland, south central Somalia and Somaliland respectively. SAHAL and ZAAD money transfer was the first product; however, EVC, the hormud version of MMT, was banned by al-Shabab Group. The hormud company later introduced a more advanced service named EVC Plus. Other telecommunication service providers later offered similar products with different brands. For example, Nation link offer E-MAAL and somtel offers E-DAHAB services respectively. The lack of effective government in Somalia affected the necessities of the life and the telecommunication industry filled the governmental gap by introducing revolutionary technologies (Osman, 2012). The industry provides several services such landline, mobile phones, internet and mobile banking. The mobile banking or what we can refer to mobile money transfer is very popular in the most sophisticated and active people in Africa with regard to mobile phone payment (Osman, 2012).Many diverse factors contribute to the adoption and acceptance of these MMT services in Somalia. One major reason is that the banking systems in the country are very limited. In addition, there is much risk for caring cash since the country is still politically unstable and recovering from more than two decades of chaos and civil war (Mohamed, 2013). There are huge remittances sent by the Somali Diaspora back home to their families, friends, relatives, or business associates. There is also huge migration to the major cities because of economic crisis, famine, droughts, and job seeking. All these factors can contribute to the acceptance and usage of MMT service by the Somalis as they were behind its usage in other countries especially in Africa. There are limited empirical studies on the state of art of MMT adoption in the country. Sayid, Echchabi, and Abd. Aziz (2012) examined the mobile money acceptance in Somalia by drawing on the TAM model. Sayid et.al's (2012) study suggested that perceived usefulness and security positively affected the attitude towards mobile banking, whereas social influence and perceived usefulness significantly and positively influenced the intention to accept mobile money. Furthermore, their study suggested that perceived ease of use had positive effect on perceived usefulness of mobile money. Sayid et.al's (2012) sample size was very small (N=100) which is difficult to draw a statistical conclusion from it. In addition, this study looked at the MMT in a broader scope. However, their study provided useful insights about the factors influencing the acceptance and adoption of MMT in the country.The current study will examine the trends, challenge and future of mobile money transfer and banking in puntland. The study will focus sahal service as particular as there is no such in depth analysis in this service before. This service has 597,000 sahal service active subscribers which do mobile money services across puntland, similarly it has 86,000 active mobile payment subscribers which use sahal payment as their first choice paybills.The study will focus on these customers, the regulation and the mobile network operators to study the trends, challenges and future of this service.

The UNIVAC Computer History and Development

The UNIVAC Computer History and Development The Universal Automatic Computer or UNIVAC was a computer milestone achieved by Dr. Presper Eckert and Dr. John Mauchly, the team that invented the ENIAC computer. John Presper Eckert and John Mauchly, after leaving the academic environment of The Moore School of Engineering to start their own computer business, found their first client was the United States Census Bureau. The Bureau needed a new computer to deal with the exploding U.S. population (the beginning of the famous baby boom). In April 1946, a $300,000 deposit was given to Eckert and Mauchly for the research into a new computer called the UNIVAC. UNIVAC Computer The research for the project proceeded badly, and it was not until 1948 that the actual design and contract was finalized. The Census Bureaus ceiling for the project was $400,000. J Presper Eckert and John Mauchly were prepared to absorb any overrun in costs in hopes of recouping from future service contracts, but the economics of the situation brought the inventors to the edge of bankruptcy. In 1950, Eckert and Mauchly were bailed out of financial trouble by Remington Rand Inc. (manufacturers of electric razors), and the Eckert-Mauchly Computer Corporation became the Univac Division of Remington Rand. Remington Rands lawyers unsuccessfully tried to re-negotiate the government contract for additional money. Under threat of legal action, however, Remington Rand had no choice but to complete the UNIVAC at the original price. On March 31, 1951, the Census Bureau accepted delivery of the first UNIVAC computer. The final cost of constructing the first UNIVAC was close to $1 million. Forty-six UNIVAC computers were built for both government and business uses. Remington Rand became the first American manufacturers of a commercial computer system. Their first non-government contract was for General Electrics Appliance Park facility in Louisville, Kentucky, who used the UNIVAC computer for a payroll application. UNIVAC Specs The UNIVAC had an add time of 120 microseconds, multiply time of 1,800 microseconds and a divide time of 3,600 microseconds.Input consisted of magnetic tape with a speed of 12,800 characters per second with a read-in speed of 100 inches per second, records at 20 characters per inch, records at 50 characters per inch, card to tape converter 240 cards per minute, 80 column punched card input 120 characters per inch, and punched paper tape to magnetic tape converter 200 characters a second.Output media/speed was magnetic tape/12,800 characters per second, uniprinter/10-11 characters per second, high-speed printer/600 lines per minute, tape to card converter/120 cards per minute, Rad Lab buffer storage/Hg 3,500 microsecond, or 60 words per minute. Competition with IBM John Presper Eckert and John Mauchlys UNIVAC was a direct competitor with IBMs computing equipment  for the business market. The speed with which UNIVACs magnetic tape could input data was faster than IBMs punch card technology, but it was not until the presidential election of 1952 that the public accepted the UNIVACs abilities. In a publicity stunt, the UNIVAC computer was used to predict the results of the presidential race between Dwight D. Eisenhower and Adlai Stevenson. The computer had correctly predicted that Eisenhower would win, but the news media decided to blackout the computers prediction and declared that the UNIVAC had been stumped. When the truth was revealed, it was considered amazing that a computer could do what political forecasters could not, and the UNIVAC quickly became a household name. The original UNIVAC now sits in the Smithsonian Institution.

CLC Bioterrorism Essays

CLC Bioterrorism Essays CLC Bioterrorism Essay CLC Bioterrorism Essay CLC Bioterrorism Name: Course: Instructor: Institution: Date: CLC Bioterrorism Part 1: You will assess the value of quarantine and isolation in controlling disease due to biological terrorism. Use a specific example to support your position. Bioterrorism is defined as the intentional discharge of biological agents with the sole intention of causing harm such as disease or death on a target population. In the event of a bioterrorism threat materializing, state authorities as well as the health authority are responsible for directing and ensuring that affected and infected individuals to get relevant and adequate treatment. Quarantine is also necessary in instances of communicable diseases, which have been brought into the country with the aim of making the population ill (National Association of County and City Health Officials, 2006). Quarantine is described as the process of compulsory isolation of individuals in part of the population with the aim of curbing the spread of dangerous diseases or epidemics. This is actualized by physical separation of individuals who latter receive treatment and further tests for the presupposed conditions. During the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) epidemic, authorities around the world ensured the presence of quarantines in their respective countries with the aim of curbing the spread of the deadly disease. People were subjected to strict quarantine measures with the aim of ensuring that they were in no position to be exposed to those who had not yet contracted the disease (Riley, 2003). Despite the criticism over the restrictive approaches used, this proved to be an advantage as it prevented the spread of a deadly disease that could have infected and eventually killed many people. In addition, isolation is also paramount if individuals exhibit signs of communicable disease, which is deadly to any population, they are quarantined as treated to ensure that the disease does not recur and eventually infect other individuals. Isolation is enforced by state and federal offices with an aim curbing spread of the disease and gaining adequate information about the disease and its traits. Information about biological agents could only be attained through adequate and constant studies of the disease under restrictive conditions such as isolation. Such enables the state and federal laws to develop countermeasures of suppressing the biological agents and the spread of the same. In addition, information about the disease or biological agents is also vital for the organization as i t helps in the development of medicine for neutralizing and reducing the effects of the disease. Part 2: You will list some major factors that emergency managers and public health planners must consider when including quarantine and isolation in public health emergency response plans. The spread of any biological agents is a cause of worry for the population. Hence, governments’ agencies are usually tasked with ensuring that individuals are safe from harm or threats from such agents. Quarantine and isolation is executed with the various considerations in mind. Among such considerations are the legal issues at hand in terms of the individual rights due to involuntary holding of an individual who is considered as a health risk to the country. In addition, health agencies medical practitioners and emergency health agencies should also put into consideration the need for declaration of the spread of the biological agents as an emergency to the state. Such requires adequate legal framework to follow the required processes to ensure that the announcement of an emergency is done so with surety that the biological agent infections amount to such (American Medical Association Southern Illinois University at Carbondale, 2008). Furthermore, the means of ensuring adequate restriction should be of adequate consideration to the various legal and individual needs of the populace. Furthermore, restrictions should be in agreement with the infected individual through signatures for the eventual development of binging agreements with the infected of potentially infected individuals. The initial process to quarantine and isolation is usually defined in legal statues of health and emergency agencies. Such ensures that these agencies have a definition of what amounts to use of quarantine and isolation for the suppression of the biological agents. Moreover, considerations such as individual privacy in the event of hospital or institutional quarantine should also be considered to ensure that individuals are able to conduct their private affairs without any fear or invasion of privacy. References American Medical Association Southern Illinois University at Carbondale. (2008). Code of medical ethics of the American Medical Association: Current opinions with annotations. Chicago: AMA Press. National Association of County and City Health Officials. (January 2006). â€Å"Issues to Consider: Isolation and Quarantine.† Control of Communicable Diseases Manual, 18th Edition. Riley, S., Fraser, C., Donnelly, C. A., Ghani, A. C., Abu-Raddad, L. J., Hedley, A. J., Leung, G. M., . Anderson, R. M. (January 01, 2003). â€Å"Transmission dynamics of the etiological agent of SARS in Hong Kong: impact of public health interventions.† Science, 300, (5627).

Writing Jobs How to Make Money Writing Online in 2019

Writing Jobs How to Make Money Writing Online in 2019 Writing Jobs: How to Make Money Writing Online in 2019 The options are out there.Take it from someone who figured out how to make a living writing after only a few monthsyou can do it the same way I did (which Ill explain in this post).Do you want to work from home?Do you want to work for yourself?Do you want to make a living doing something meaningful and fulfilling?The answer is obvious and the only question isHow?Whether you want to be your own boss, spend your day doing something you love and are good at, or even if you’re just looking for a new career opportunity, learning how to make money writing and which writing jobs are even available to you is worth it.How to Make Money WritingSo you’ve already determined you want to write. You love it, it’s fulfilling, and you don’t despise it nearly as much as you do that 9-5 you’ve got now (or are still avoiding like the plague).Firstly, that’s fantastic (we love writing here at Self-Publishing School, if you haven’t noticed)!Secondly, now th e work begins because writing jobs won’t just start falling from the sky and landing in your lap.And that’s why you’ll have to learn how to make money writing, since there are far more opportunities than you think exist out there†¦In this post, we’re going to cover:The highest paying writing jobsHow to find writing jobs onlineOnline and remote writing jobs(howtofindthem!)Jobs for creative writersBlog writing jobsBy the end of this blog post, you’ll know exactly how to make money writing like our very own Student Coach here at Self-Publishing School, Lise Cartwright.She makes a full-time income of over $4,000 per month just from her self-published books- and you can do the same. What are the highest paying writing jobs?Not all writing jobs are created equal. After all, there are many different forms of writing, all coming with their own price tags.These are the highest paying writing jobs and our advice for breaking into them.#1 Author $$$$$On e of the best jobs with one of the highest earning potential is becoming an author.This could be nonfiction or fiction, it doesnt matter.I understand that this one may come as a surprise. After all, the reputation of starving artist and the stigma against authors has to have been created for a reason.But in todays age, with technology and the possibility of self-publishing, making a large income as an author is not only realisticits easily attainable with the right system.Being a self-published author is far more lucrative than traditional publishing nowadays solely because its directly up to you how much you make.The more you work and market and push for more book sales, the better youll do. And therefore, this has the highest earning potential.NOTE: If youre ready to become an author within the next 90 days to start earning what youre worth, check out our VIP Self-Publishing Program, where we teach you exactly that! Learn more about it here#2 Screenwriter $$$$$If youre someone wh o would rather write movies or TV shows than books or novels, this could be the path for you.Screenwriters- especially if you work hard and make it to the big leagues- have extremely high earning potential.A screenwriter writes TV shows and movies. Contrary to what many believe, there are typically several writers who work on one show and movie, but its not necessarily easy to become a Hollywood screenwriter.That means if you work hard, play your cards right, and focus on committing to this path, you can potentially make a lot of money writing.If you work hard, play your cards right, and focus on committing, a job in writing is just around the corner.Click To Tweet#3 Content writer $$$$If youre looking for a great career as a writer, content writing is where its at.Now, I may be biased (since this one is actually my job), but its a lucrative field to get into- especially nowadays.Every company has a website. And as Russ Henneberry from DigitalMarket says, everybusinessshouldhaveabl og.And that means every business needs a writer for those blogs.However, keep in mind that content writing is more than just writing. Theres a lot of information about SEO you need to learn if you want to be effective at your job.That being said, its a growing field and you can even find remote jobs.#4 Technical writer $$$Not many people realize theres a lot of opportunity in this department.What is a technical writer? This is a person who knows how to take complex topics and condense them into easy-to-understand jargon for the layman.This includes writing in the fitness field, medical, psychological, law, and many more.If you have a set of specialized knowledge, seek writing jobs for companies looking to break it down so anyone can understand it.How to Find Writing Jobs OnlineThe best method for finding writing jobs is to hit up the internet.You’re bound to have better luck searching online than any other way. And with so many different job sites and apps out there, it†™s worth diving into a few to see what jobs are available.Here are a few of the best websites to find high paying writing jobs:BloggingPro’s Job BoardJournalismJobs.comProBlogger’s Job BoardFreelanceWriting.com JobsLinkedIn’s Job BoardThese are also reliable places to find freelance writing work, however, you will often be paid less for these jobs and they’re typically short jobs:UpworkFiverrFreelancerWhen it comes to searching for writing jobs online, you have to keep in mind that some people will be more reliable than others.Our first list covers places you can find writing jobs that are typically much better pay and longevity than the websites in our second list.However, don’t dismiss Upwork, Fiverr, and Freelancer completely. I personally got my start on them!Online and Remote Writing JobsWhat sounds better than working from the comfort of your own home, and even from bed, with nothing more than a laptop in front of you?Almost nothing.As some one who works remotely and as a writer, it’s extremely convenient and enjoyable to do what I love.If you’re wondering where to get started, here’s a list of remote writing jobs you could potentially have:Content ManagerContent EditorContent WriterCopywriterTechnical WriterSpeech/Script WriterTranscriptionistAcademic WriterColumnistGrant WriterProposal WriterTranslatorSocial Media ManagerFilm CriticFood CriticProofreaderEditorTravel WriterGhost WriterThis list could go on, but this is great starting point for you to pinpoint what interests you. From there, you can learn how to find these types of jobs.The first step to landing a job in writing is to figure out your niche- what you want to write about.Click To TweetHow to Find Online and Remote Writing Jobs:If you’ve decided what you want to write about, it’s your job to do research so you can find the best job that fits what you’re looking to do.There are two methods for finding writing jobs online:Outreach you personally find websites and platforms you want to work for and reach out via email cold pitching your writing services.Respond to job postings this is the more traditional method in which you visit job boards (like the ones listed above) and respond to job postings with your resume.Outreach for Writing Jobs:This method often takes the most finesse in order to get right. After my stint with Upwork and Fiverr ended, personally used outreach to land some of my most consistent and highest paying clients.Here’s how you can do outreach to land writing jobs:Determine your niche and the type of content you want to write. This can be beauty, fashion, education, parenting, movies, television, fitness, lifestyle, and any category you’re interested in. We recommend choosing one you both enjoy and know a lot about (less research means you can do more and therefore get paid more).Visit websites you know have content in this niche. For example: if you want to w rite about food and travel, Thrillist.com might be your best bet. Choosing a niche like wellness might land you on sites like TheGreatist.com. If you’re not sure which sites cover your niche, just do a quick google search for, â€Å"[your niche] websites†.Scroll down to the very bottom of the site’s homepage and look for â€Å"write for us† link. Not all websites will have this but many that are primarily content usually have a means for you to write for them, as seen in the example below from IntrovertDear.com. Click on the write for us or equivalent page. Read over their guidelines to see if this is a good fit for you. If you want to know about compensation and they dont list any, simply location a contact email or fill out a contact form and ask!Cold pitch your idea. Technically, since they are accepting writers, its not considered a cold pitch, but you do still have to sell them on your ideas. Focus on what theycangain from working with you and less o n you. This becomes easier with experience and proven results.Responding to Job Postings for Writing Jobs:This one is just like any other job you apply for online.After searching for writing jobs via the job boards listed above, simply send in your resume and CV if applicable.A few tips to optimize your resume for writing jobs:Be unique and creative with its appearanceFocus on the results your writing has obtainedList technical writing skills in addition to just writingMake sure to mention your knowledge and experience with SEO (which youll need for almost any online writing job)Be humorous and let your style come outHeres an example of my personal resume that landed methis writing job.As you can see, I tailored it to this companys branding and made sure to focus on getting my own personality on the page (address/company info is hidden).The trick is to find jobs that youre a good fit for and where your style and voice will fit in the best.Jobs for Creative WritersThere are more jobs for creative writers than you think.Many of us automatically think author when we think of creative writing. And while an author is one of the best options, its not the only one.NOTE: If you do want to write creatively as an author, make sure to check out our VIP Fiction Self-Publishing Program so you can get started in the next 90 days! Learn more about it hereHere are some of the many jobs available to creative writers:AuthorShort story writerCreative writing teacherStory bloggerPlaywrightChildrens book authorNovelistGhostwriterEditorJournalistSocial Media ManagerCreative writing doesnt limit your options as a writer. All writing needs some creativity thrown in there and these jobs allow you to do that.Creative writing doesnt limit your options as a writerif anything, it broadens them.Click To TweetBlog Writing JobsWith the invention and high utilization of the internet, every single website needs writers.There are two options when it comes to blog writing jobs:Create your own bl ogWrite for another blogHow to Find Blog Writing Jobs:Blog writing jobs are everywhere. Whether a website advertises that theyre hiring or not, you can often wiggle your way into writing for them.In the section above about performing outreach for online writing jobs, we highlight the system of cold pitching, which involves visiting websites and looking for a write for us page at the bottom.If you cant find this page, you can use tools like Hunter.io in order to locate email address in which you can pitch to.Here are a few tips for finding blog writing jobs in your area of expertise:Determine your writing nicheGoogle [your niche] websites in order to find sites with your contentYou can also try Googling [your niche] write for us to locate their specific writing pageRead their content to determine if your voice/style is a good matchLook at their blog posts and determine if theres an area of weakness you can strengthenDoing these things will ultimately help you find the best writing jo b for you.Are you ready to get started?If you want to make a living writing, the best thing you can do is work toward a career where youre writingforyourself.After all, theyre your words and your mind, dont you want to have the freedom to utilize them in any way you want?If so, check out this training and you can make money from writing within the next 90 days.

The Role of the Mother Tongue in Second Language Learning Essay

The Role of the Mother Tongue in Second Language Learning - Essay Example The impact of the first language on the second language can bring problems especially in intercultural communication where the speakers use a lingua franca such as English or another language, hence causing misunderstandings and problems in communication. This research argues that contemporary linguistic theory demonstrates that primary language interference necessitates that second language instructor increasingly explore bilingual instructional strategies for teaching second language acquisition. The second language is any language that a person learns in addition to his/her first language. The term can also be used to refer to learning a third, fourth and subsequent languages. Second language acquisition is, therefore, the process by which people or learners study that language. The majority of linguists agree that errors made by second language learners originate from the speech of their first language. This occurs as a result of the influence of language transfer from the first language. The errors are mostly lexical or phonological. Still, the traditional approach to second language instruction has rigidly kept first and second languages rigidly separate. While instruction methods may be appropriate to keep a separate area for each language, linguistic theory demonstrates that bilingual instruction strategies are necessary. Rather than language learning existing in a vacuum, the learners’ mother tongue influences the way the second language vocabulary is learned and recalled for use. Learners at their disposal compensate their lack of knowledge by constructing difficult lexical items that are characterized by errors emanating from their first language. How the mother tongue helps or hinders learning is dependent on language distance, that is, the learners’ knowledge of the second language. Of course, there are also external aspects to language acquisition. Breen (135) and Prabhu (158) note that language is a social phenomenon. Most people seek to learn a language  to dialogue with the target language speakers and participate in their institutions.

Kudler Fine Foods Paper and Presentaion Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Kudler Fine Foods Paper and Presentaion - Essay Example And choosing the proper one for the business is depending on the strength, weakness, opportunity and threat, of the choice that possesses in the available and the unavailable resources. The paper has worked on to address the issues regarding the choice of expansion being a private company and a projection of SWOT of the proposed expansion plans. The overall concept of any expansion plan is to raise fund that is needed to expand the company internally or externally. This is so, because the fund is the life line of any venture at the runway. The very first option that the company has projected is the floating of Initial Public Offer to raise fund from the public. This option of Initial Public Offering (IPO), also known as "public offering", is the concept of issuing common stock or shares to the public for the first time. This concept is pretty handy for smaller, younger companies seeking capital to expand. In an IPO, the Kudler may obtain the assistance of an underwriting firm, which helps it determine what type of security to issue; that is common or preferred, best offering price and time to bring it to market. Weakness: The cost of complying with regulatory requirements can be very high. Some of the additional costs include the generation of financial reporting documents, audit fees, investor relation departments and accounting oversight committees are unwanted by the public (INVESTOPEDIA, 2008). Threat: The actions of Kudler’s management will become increasingly scrutinised as investors constantly look for rising bottom line. This may lead Kudler to perform questionable practices in order to boost earnings. After this brief insight of the IPO based expansion; the second expansion plan is the Acquisition. It is also known as a takeover or is the buying of one company by another (Spaeder, 2004). Here, the companies cooperate in negotiations of purchasing of a smaller firm by a larger one. There is another form of acquisition, known as

Confinement Assignment Personal Statement Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Confinement Assignment - Personal Statement Example Since the deadline was fast approaching, I thought I should be brave enough to plunge into this adventure. And finally on 2nd of April, I combated my reluctance and fear. Since my family members were sick and tired of hearing my plans to start this project, they were relieved that finally I am doing it. My ten hours of confinement seemed a huge relief for them especially after they had to face the wrath of my desperation in the last couple of days. I began this project at 10 in the morning after my breakfast. I strongly felt the urge to have a quick shower, but stopped myself thinking that it would not be a good beginning to cheat in the first step itself. I switched off my cell and left it out of my room and strictly instructed others to not disturb me until half past two, when I will be out for lunch. I took lots of books and magazines to read. To be precise there were 12 of them. The number of magazines was more than books because I hardly get any time to read them. In fact, the only positive outcome that I could think of before this project began was that I would get plenty of magazines to read leisurely. Keeping this leisure in mind I had even bought latest editions of a couple of new magazines. The lure of reading them was the single most reason that was pushing me towards this project. Since I was not supposed to take a shower I changed into a very light and comfortable piece of clothe and applied a generous amount of deo spray to keep me as fresh as possible. I also spoke to my friends and informed them about my adventurous project so that they do not call me during the project time frame. I told them that I would inform them about my unique experience once the project is over. I feared that I would start feeling hungry before half past two. Hence I ate more than what I normally eat for breakfast. Needless to say I was feeling very heavy and sleepy when I entered my (confinement) room. How did I feel before the project I had initial inhibitions about this project. I felt that only a very strong person would be able to abide by all the instructions that have been given. We have taken different types of media for granted. The thought of spending time without these modern day habits was worrying me. On a lighter note, I have a habit of drinking lots of water so just going thrice to the bathroom within 10 hours was not looking a convincing idea at all. How did I feel after the project To be honest I was relieved that the project was over. I was also happy that I did a good amount of quality reading. I was longing for this kind of reading since a very long time. I think I have never concentrated on reading as much as I was able to concentrate during this project. I learnt a lesson of discipline. I learnt that if one controls oneself and tries to abide by a routine then a lot could be achieved in lesser time. I have a habit of switching on the TV or talking on the cell phone whenever I get bored. I have become so accustomed to these gadgets that the feeling of boredom strikes too frequently. Now, I think I would be able to get rid of this overindulgence of mine pretty fast. Without this experience I would not have realized how much precious time I am wasting. After this project I feel that I have become a wiser person. I have also

Cultural bias in the assessment of english language learner students Essay

Cultural bias in the assessment of english language learner students - Essay Example English language countries have many rich cultural traditions and features that must be reflected in the assessment of English language learner students and other parts of the learning process. It is also pay attention to the students of different cultures who study English as the second foreign language and their possibilities to understand English through its culture expressed in the language and to compare their native cultures with the English one. It helps to make the learning interesting that improves the results of English language learner students' assessment. 2. It is better to consider the role of culture in English teaching and learning on the examples of some concrete countries cultures of which differ from that of English. The examples of Russia and Japan show considerable features in English language learning and teaching. "Native speaking English language teachers are very much needed in Russia and in most cases they are met with traditional Russian hospitality, get a decent pay according to Russian standards and receive good evaluations and references" (Millrood). Cultural features of Russia influence the teaching process and assessment. English lesson in Russia has some features. "A lesson usually has three-stages, including homework check up, presentation of the new material and reinforcement of the new material" (Millrood). ... "In pairs and small groups learners need a very detailed description of what they are supposed to do, otherwise tending to work individually and/or waiting to be asked by the teacher and to give the prepared answer" (Millrood). In pair and group activities in Russia learners must follow the teacher's instructions, and their assessment directly depends on task performance accuracy according to it. "Whole-language approach is not universally supported. A good lesson is considered to be competence-building. In every lesson, the teacher is expected to organise balanced activities in learning lexis and grammar, as well as in speaking, listening and reading" (Millrood). The learners' assessment is tightly connected with their skills of taking part in these balanced activities. In Russia "a lesson is usually result-oriented and it is the result, which is considered primary, not the activity, which may be very motivating and activating the learners" (Millrood). So, good assessment and a posi tive result are the main orients of the English language lesson in Russia. "At the end of the lesson, each learner usually gets a mark on a five-point scale with a detailed comment from the teacher" (Millrood). This kind of assessment of a five-point scale form doesn't reflect the whole depth of learner's knowledge and cannot be considered as the objective assessment of learning results. In Russian schools "a lesson is usually declared as communicative though in reality, teachers and learners spend a lot of time dealing with grammar structures, bilingual exercises and text understanding" (Millrood). Because of that the learners' assessment is often

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

Reformers - Essay Example ed as this groups perception of government leadership as corrupt and without a reasonable desire to build a system of justice that best served the American people. Those reformers who took active stands against corrupt leadership were largely from the middle class, though there were others of higher economic influence who also believed that 19th Century America deserved a better system of leadership at the capital. Most noticeable in the reformer movement was the acknowledgement that women should be considered as sentient, godly people and should thus be given the right to vote and extended certain freedoms. This movement was later referred to as the womens suffrage movement (LaPlante, 1999). The suffrage movement involved standing up for the rights of women and extending many of the same opportunities that the men of that age experienced. Along with the womens issues, the abolition of slavery was also a hotly debated topic at this time, especially with pressures from the southern states being imposed to expand and maintain slave presence in this region of the country. Citing religious doctrines, many of the social reformers who were wholly against slavery began to speak out about its atrocities from the eyes of the Christian god (LaPlante). Combining both of these strong reformer belief systems was Sojourner Truth, who had been born into slavery during the first half of the 19th Century, and through perseverance, became one of the foremost women leaders both in relation to womens suffrage and the abolition of slavery. During her long voyage toward improving the rights of women and slaves, Truth managed to bring about social awareness of the issues facing women of that time, while also raising money to help black soldiers who were fighting in the Civil War (Daintycrew.com, 2001). Sojourner Truth maintained some rather obtuse religious beliefs as well, befriending a religious sect similar to that of the Quakers, where communication with living spirits was a

Case study-essay Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Case study- - Essay Example This leads to the production of the products to the markets while they target a special group. For example, the company is aware that the sick or the people who have health ailments take organic tea makes them come up the organic and maintain the company produce more tea making the group depend on them an remain as costumers. The company also supplied the products to hotels, to learning institution and the shops that market tea. The marketing director explains that the company is much better in the sense that the regulars stick with their products each time they would buy. The Numi tea organization treats the customers with a better option therefore; they had to develop a new market that would target another group of customers. The marketing manager of the group explains that the company’s major customer are the youth since the company mostly sold the products at the learning institutions and the prices were cheaper that all the students could afford. The management of the com pany is trying to come up with ways that they would come up with the best skill that will convince the people from different age groups such as the old. The tea product from Numi explains why the people keep asking at the coffee shops and the restaurants. This happens after a person tastes the tea in the sense that they go ahead and asks where they can obtain the tea or how to come up with tea. The advertisement of the company is all over Facebook and Twitter making the product grows fast across United States of America. Numi’s relationship with its customers The relationship with the producers in Numi is dismal in that they need to come up with a better way of relating the two parties. To Numi the consumers are better than the producers are because the concern on the producers is. Marketing relate well with the consumers since they have to convince the consumers on how to purchase the products frequently and have to buy their tea but not from another company. The company goe s miles ahead to advertise through various available means such as the internet and through the restaurants and coffee shops or the cafes. The producers’ collies with the company and the achievement of the company will eventually lead to the achievement of the producers. Technology and its relations with customers The company has adapted the current technology since they look up for better ways that will attract more customers to adept to their product. Currently Numi uses the tea products and the necessary skill that will lead to development of the tea company. For example, Numi takes advantage of the numerous populations that access the internet. This stimulates the management of the company in the sense that the company advertises its product online and the information get across numerous people. The company has taken advantage of the social media on the internet such as Twitter and Facebook. The company uses these social sites for the advertisements since numerous people across the world access them frequently. However, the management needs to come up with better ideas such as the creating of free posters and post them online or back their services by introducing other services such as the free deliveries. This service will encourage even customers from far countries or states to access the products. Suggestion on methods of data collection Several data collection methods For easy running

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

Reformers - Essay Example ed as this groups perception of government leadership as corrupt and without a reasonable desire to build a system of justice that best served the American people. Those reformers who took active stands against corrupt leadership were largely from the middle class, though there were others of higher economic influence who also believed that 19th Century America deserved a better system of leadership at the capital. Most noticeable in the reformer movement was the acknowledgement that women should be considered as sentient, godly people and should thus be given the right to vote and extended certain freedoms. This movement was later referred to as the womens suffrage movement (LaPlante, 1999). The suffrage movement involved standing up for the rights of women and extending many of the same opportunities that the men of that age experienced. Along with the womens issues, the abolition of slavery was also a hotly debated topic at this time, especially with pressures from the southern states being imposed to expand and maintain slave presence in this region of the country. Citing religious doctrines, many of the social reformers who were wholly against slavery began to speak out about its atrocities from the eyes of the Christian god (LaPlante). Combining both of these strong reformer belief systems was Sojourner Truth, who had been born into slavery during the first half of the 19th Century, and through perseverance, became one of the foremost women leaders both in relation to womens suffrage and the abolition of slavery. During her long voyage toward improving the rights of women and slaves, Truth managed to bring about social awareness of the issues facing women of that time, while also raising money to help black soldiers who were fighting in the Civil War (Daintycrew.com, 2001). Sojourner Truth maintained some rather obtuse religious beliefs as well, befriending a religious sect similar to that of the Quakers, where communication with living spirits was a

Healthy life Essay Example for Free

Healthy life Essay Many of the views associated with a healthy lifestyle, but it is not appropriate that we take for granted about this healthy lifestyle . 1 . Caring for Daily Nutrition ( menJaga keseimbangan makanan) Among healthy lifestyle is keeping our daily diet . Therefore, we should adopt a balanced diet . Balanced diet allows our bodies healthy and not overweight. Poor diet causes our body to get a variety of diseases such as hypertension , heart disease and diabetes. Exercise or Play ( bersenam atau beriadah) In addition, we also must diligently work or play. By doing physical activity , the heart will be healthy and strong. Toxic waste in the body will come out through our sweat during exercise . Exercise we are doing will allow the blood to flow properly and strengthen the muscles of the body . 3 . Environmental Cleanliness and Environment Home Practice a healthy lifestyle is keeping the house clean next and the environment. Places that allow mosquitoes to breed must be eliminated. All refuse shall be dubuang to Famous Spots: Yoy reserved . Do not throw garbage into the river or dibaar outdoors because it can cause environmental pollution . 4 . Health Inspection (pemeriksaan kesihatan) In addition, we need to make health checks. Health checks can be made public or private hospital . By knowing our health , we can already taken measures to ensure our health continues to be in good keaaan . Checks can be made two one-year time . 5 . Avoid Doing Affect Health We must also avoid actions that could affect health. Among the things that can affect health is cigarette smoking , alcohol and drugs. The habit of smoking cigarettes can ause a lung disease and heart disease. While drug addiction can lead to social and community causes disease , an obstacle to the progress and development of the country , so let us increase our awareness and understanding of the dangers of drugs , and trying to control and prevent the occurrence of these adverse events . In conclusion , there are some practices that we need to do to enable us to live a healthy life . Practice a healthy lifestyle should be nurtured since we were little where parents and family members to play their role in a healthy lifestyle . So prevention is better than cure. healthy life.

Jean Piaget: The Four Stages Of Cognitive Theory

Jean Piaget: The Four Stages Of Cognitive Theory Cognitive theory of Jean Piaget includes four stages of development that children move through during which the explanatory behaviors of infants transform into the abstract, logical intelligence of adulthood. There are three important specific characteristics of Piagets theory of which the first one is being a general theory, that is, cognitions all aspects undergo a similar course of change. Another characteristic is that children move through the stages in an invariant sequence. Piaget believed that there is a same order that children follow. Third, the stages are universal. Stages in cognitive theory assume the theory to include all children everywhere (Berk, 2003). Biological concepts are used in a limited way in Piagets theory. However, he stated the importance of genetic and environmental factors on the way that children move through the stages (Crain, 2005). He emphasized that the speed of children while passing those stages is affected by differences in genetic and environmen tal factors. Jean Piaget used the term scheme while explaining human beings organized way of making sense of experience (Mark, 1969). Traill (2008) explains that the term scheme used by Piaget is different from peoples everyday usage of scheme. The term can be any pattern for exploring and learning from the environment and it has three different intellectual structures. Piaget calls first intellectual structures to emerge as behavioral schemes, ones that appear after 2 years as symbolic schemes, and structures that appear after 7 years as operational schemes (Piaget, 1972, as cited in Traill 2008). For instance, dropping scheme of an 8 month old baby and a 25 months of will not be the same, as sooner it will become more deliberate and creative. Toddlers, different from infants, begin to think before acting and Piaget identifies that transition from sensorimotor to cognitive approach to the world which depends on mental representations. (Piaget, 1926, as cited in Berk 2003) Images and concepts are the two powerful mental representations. Especially, the shift from sensorimotor to cognitive approach is accounted for two processes; adaptation, consisting assimilation and accommodation, and organization. Interpretation of new structures into already existing schemes is called as assimilation and modification of existing schemes into adaptation of new experiences is called as accommodation. Cognitive adaptation aims to adjust to the environment and is a result of the equilibrium between assimilation and accommodation (Block, 1982). While trying to grasp an object, a baby is experiencing the assimilation process, while removing an obstacle and grasping an object, a baby now accommodates the scheme (Crain, 2005). During the organization process more complex intellectual structures are combined with existing schemes by children. For instance, after the baby experienced and covered dropping movement, then he/she will relate it with throwing movement as well as understanding the concepts of near and far (Berk, 2003). The Sensorimotor Stage (Birth to 2 Years) Jean Piaget observed his children during their developmental period and constructs the stages based on his observations. His books mostly involve many examples from his dialogues and interactions with his children. The sensorimotor stage consists of six substages. (Santrock, 2004) That stage starts with the use of reflexes from birth to 1 month. Newborn reflexes take important place in sensorimotor stage. According to Piaget inborn reflexes are consisted from first schemes. He states that as children use inborn reflexes and experience assimilation, they desire to put them to active use (Crain, 2005). After one month, children begin to repeat their chance behaviors and primary circular reactions period (one to four months) starts. A baby experiences the thumb sucking by bringing her hand to her mouth by a chance, when the hand falls she wants to get it back and experiences many failures until she gets it back (Crain, 2005). At that example the child organizes the hand movement and sucking which is a kind of circular reaction. Piaget also states that children at that period indicate the first efforts at imitation (Berk, 2003). The next substage is secondary circular reactions and is observed between fourth and eighth months. Infants start to experience motor achievements that encourage them to play attention to their environment. Infants begin to get enjoyment from the response of the environment to their attempts and they repeat their movements that get reaction from their surrounding (Santrock, 2004). Coordination of secondary schemes substage takes place during eight to twelve months. At this stage infants begin to coordinate tow or more actions to achieve simple objectives. In addition with an intentional purpose, babies try to imitate behaviors after watching a person. One may be able to observe a baby at this stage trying to stir with a spoon. In addition, a baby may begin to cry when she sees her mother wearing her coat in order to stop her mother leaving (Berk, 2003). In substage 5, tertiary circular reactions (twelve to eighteen months), children are interested with different outcomes. Piaget had observed one of his children hitting on a table at different rates in order to listen different sounds that he creates (Crain, 2005). It should be noted that all experiences are results of childrens intrinsic curiosity about the environment around them that Piaget emphasizes within his cognitive development theory. The last substage of the sensorimotor period is named as beginnings of thought or internalization of schemes lasting from eighteen to twenty months. During that substage children have the capacity to remember the behaviors that are not present (deferred imitation). Their efforts on imitation also indicate progress and they experiment with actions inside their heads. Besides, children can be observed to engage in make-believe play during that period (Santrock, 2004). Object Permanence: Piaget and many researchers concluded that infants appreciate concepts of permanence objects. Up to four months, children do not make any attempt to an object leaving in front of their eyes. During secondary circular reactions stage children are more able to explore their surrounding and they have a better sense of permanence of objects. At stage four children have the ability to find the hidden objects. If an adult takes a toy behind a box, the baby will look at the behind of the box and find the toy. During the stages five and six children are able to follow displacements and follow invisible shifts (Crain, 2005). Beginnings of Categorization: Before the capability of mental representation children are not able to categorize objects. During the first year of their life, children experience perceptual categorization. For example they can categorize the legs of an animal. Conceptual categorization begins with the end of first year; they are now able to categorize similar characteristics and behaviors. Active categorization period starts with the beginning of the second year. It is stated that sorting objects into two classes can be observed in eighteen months babies. In the second year babies can group two different kinds of objects without grasping them (Berk, 2003). When the observed milestones of research and the description of substages of Piaget are compared from birth to two years, both similarities and differences are seen. There are points that seem to occur earlier than Piaget accepted such as categorization, deferred imitation, and analogical problem solving. Those differences are explained differently from many researchers. Some of the surveys indicate that some children born with different intellectual capacities and some of them with a set off limits which causes those differences. The latter argue the theory of Piaget in terms of biological considerations. The Preoperational Stage (2 to 7 Years) Preoperational stage is lasting from two to seven ages in which the child is more capable while dealing with the environment. Although the reasoning of child is still unsystematic and illogical, that is the period that children begin to use symbols and rapidly develop representation. One of the important symbols that indicate increase during that period is language (Santrock, 2004). Piaget believed that experience of internal images occurs before labeling words and he did not take language as an important tool in cognitive development of children. Berk (2003) argues that Piaget had misadjusted the role of language in early intellectual development. She proposes that conceptual abilities of children are highly affected from the dialogues of children with adults. Moreover, there are many psychologists that believe as children develop their language ability, they begin to think more logically. Children experience transductive reasoning during that stage which means shifting from one particular to another. Children place two unrelated situations into the same case as if they have a relationship. One of Piagets children had concluded that she hadnt had her nap yet so it wasnt afternoon (Piaget, 1924). Piaget (1924) explains that statement as an example of transductive reasoning, because the child did not catch the understanding that afternoons include many different events and having nap is only one of them. An important milestone of the increase in mental representation is make-believe play during preoperational stage. The differences in make-believe play between sensorimotor and preoperational stage can be clearly observed. By the middle of preoperational stage make-believe play of children indicate real life conditions. In addition, by preoperational stage children begin to engage in sociodramatic play, they coordinate variety of roles and story lines during their play. One of the criticized points of cognitive theory of Piaget is based on the belief of Piaget that play reflects childrens cognitive and social skills, however there are many recent studies indicating the contribution of play on those skills. Especially during sociodramatic play, children interact with their peers longer and they are more cooperative. Many psychologists believed the role of strengthening of make believe play on a wide range of mental abilities and logical reasoning (Berk, 2003). Egocentrism: Piaget stated that children look at their surrounding from their own viewpoint and they ignore perspectives of others. Three-mountains study is one of the famous observations of Piaget explaining egocentric behavior of children at preoperational stage. He had used a model of three mountains and taken a child for a walk around the model in order to give opportunity for the child to look at the model from different view. Piaget had placed the child from one point of the model and placed a toy to another place. The child had been asked what he/she saw while looking at the model and what the toy would be seen while looking at it. All the children could correctly explain what they were seeing, however children at preoperational stage gave the same answer with their own view (Crain, 2005). Studies emphasize on the relation between egocentrism and social communication. Children at preoperational stage, according to Piaget, fail to recognize the needs of their peers during verbal interaction (Rubin, 1973). As they look only from their own view, they are able to understand view of the person interacting with them. They think that they can be seen from everywhere, everybody see and hear them. An adult may observe a child at this period telling that nobody could see him/her while closing his/her eyes with hands. Animism: Piaget (1951) proposes that the child recognizes no limits between himself and the external world and it is expected that the child would see many nonliving and non acting things as living and conscious and he explains this phenomenon as animism. In his book The Childs Conception of World, 1951, he identifies the reason for him to use the term animisim. He accepts that animism was term used for primitive human beings and responds the criticisms by telling that he had used that term as a generic term and emphasizing on the different types of animism in psychological origins (Piaget, 1951). Children at preoperational stage have a belief that objects are alive because they move and grow. For example, a child may tell that there are not any cars on the road, because they are sleeping. Piaget described animism inside four stages. Initially children accepted useful things as living. At this first stage broken or damaged objects were not alive for them. At the second stage, moving objects, whether are moved by an external factor or by themselves, were considered as alive. In stage three, to be categorized as living, things should move by themselves. Lastly, at the fourth stage, adults know that plants and animals are living things only (Moriarty, 2005). Irreversibility: Going through a series of steps and after changing direction is difficult for children at preoperational stage. Another well known experiment of Piaget indicates that problem in a way that there are children shown 16 boxes, 6 of which are yellow and 10 of which are red. When children are asked whether red boxes are more or boxes, children at this stage responds as red boxes and fails to be aware of that both yellow and red boxes are boxes. In his book The Childs Conception of World, 1951, Piaget gives examples about irreversibility. There are dialogues indicating their inability such as, asking a child about her sister, the child responds that she has a sister named A, then Piaget asks the child whether A has a sister or not, the child responds that A has not a sister. (Piaget, 1951) Inability to Conserve: Piaget propounds preoperational childs lack of conservation by applying experiments of liquids and number. He shows two same size glasses to the children and fulls the glasses with water. He asks children which of the water was more. All the children respond that they were equal in amount. Then he puts the water in one of the glasses into a different size glass (wider or taller) and repeats his question. Children at preoperational stage tell that they are now different. They have not the capability to perceive that certain physical features of objects remain same, even their physical appearance changes (Santrock, 2004) Based on experiments of Piaget, at the beginning of seven children begin to give the correct answer to the conservation tests. Before that age children indicates at conservation but not totally achieve it. They give answers like one is more because it is taller and then change their answers the other one is more because it is wider. Besides, irreversibility of the child can be concluded based on the conservation of liquid experiment. The child cannot understand the end result as a reverse of the original one. Jean Piaget also had thought about the failures of children from the linguistic point. Terms such as taller, more, wider takes time to be understood. He suggests ways to overcome that problem and tells adults to apply experiments by using different sentences and establishing questions by using different words within a particular case (Berk, 2003). Piaget experimented conservation of children also with using number. A row of egg cups and a bunch of eggs are given to children and they are asked to take enough eggs to fill the cups. At the first half of preoperational stage children ignored the number of eggs in the cups and they made an equal length with the rows. Children at the second half of preoperational stage made one-to-one correspondence. However, those children failed in the second question. Piaget then brought together the eggs and asked which of them was more and they could not respond that they are still same. Most of them thought that the longer was more in number. Piaget explains that phenomenon as been influenced by their sudden perceptions than by logic (Crain, 2005). Categorization: In coordinating and extending knowledge in cognitive development theory of Piaget, categorization takes an important place. Researchers state that children begin to make similar categorizations and form some categories with the age of two such as animals, plants, and vehicles (Scholnick, Nelson, Gelman, Miller, 2008). Things or objects in all of those categories have differences in perceptual characteristics, so a conflict emerges with the main idea of Piaget that childrens reasoning is governed by the way they see and objects appear. By the age of three children become able to make distinctions between basic and general categories such as furniture versus tables. However, children at preoperational stage are not able to organize objects into classes and subclasses based on their basic similarities and differences (Meadows, 1986). It is argued that Piaget was partly right and partly wrong with his conclusions of preoperational stage. Researchers give simplified tasks for children and preschoolers indicate the beginnings of logical operations, however there are important differences between their reasoning and children at school age. Difficulties were observed in conservation tests, three mountains tests and appearance-reality tests. As opposed to perceptual approaches to solve problems, children rely on increasing effective mental. In order to give an example, research indicate that children who have not the capability to use counting while comparing two groups of objects, do not also conserve number. They begin to find effective solution ways for proms with more objects when they become capable of counting. Piaget states that, as many other psychologists accept, children move through variety of stages of understating, although they do not totally handle conservation up to school years. The Concrete Operational Stage (7 to 11 years) The beginning of concrete operational stage is furnished by logical reasoning. That period is accepted as a major turning point in cognitive development. The time that a child begins to mentally resemble an adult starts with attaining concrete operational stage. A school-aged childs cognitive performance is more evident in terms of concrete operations. For example an eight year of childs response to conservation of liquid test is that the amount has not changed and they are still same. This explanation of the child also indicates the reversibility of the reasoning that the child has now the capability to understand that the reverse is the same with the original. Their ability to achieve conservation tasks indicate their logical thinking (Richardson, 2003). Between ages seven and ten, children take attention on relations between a general and two specific categories within the same case. Their awareness of classification is getting developed. In middle childhood period many children are interested in collections such as coins, rocks, and stamps which show their level of classification. Children in the concrete operational stage are fairly good at the use of inductive reasoning which involves going from a specific experience to a general principle, whereas children at this age have difficulty with using deductive reasoning. Deductive reasoning involves using a general principle to determine the outcome of a specific event. Seriation: Seriation refers to the capability to arrange objects along a quantitative dimension. Ordering sticks from different lengths is one of Piagets tests. Children at five and six years could create series but they made many errors. However, children at concrete operation stage, by starting the shortest and putting the next, indicate a perfect arrangement with an orderly plan. Children between ages seven to eleven have an ability called transitive inference which refers to mentally arrangement of items. Piaget had showed children three stick with different colors. Children had observed that first stick is longer than second stick and second stick is longer than third stick and they had made the inference that first stick is longer than third stick. Children at concrete operation stage mentally integrate three relations at once. On the other hand, preoperational stage children can achieve analogical reasoning by encouragement of an adult (Meadows, 1989). Spatial Reasoning: The ability of understanding space is more developed in concrete operational children. School age children begin to give directions as they gain more advanced space understanding. Children at five or six years indicate difference while representing an object on a persons, in front of them, left or right. Starting from seven age children achieve mental rotations, that is, they can recognize their own frame and of a person in a different direction (Santrock, 2004). While drawing large scale areas their performance indicate important changes representing their development of cognitive skills. In the middle period of concrete operational stage children achieve to place notes showing the location of objects in their classroom. Their capability to use a rotated map is improving and also their map drawing become more accurate. Research indicate that concrete operational thinking has a limitation that while children are reasoning in a logical manner, they are always dealing with concrete knowledge. With abstract information, they cannot catch the achievement (Crain, 2005). When they are given ideas that do not appear in the real world they are not able to indicate the same responds with concrete ones. That can be easily observed from transitional inference that when children are shown the sticks they give the correct responds whether which one is smaller or taller than the others. However, when the questions turned to a more concrete version such as As hair is longer than B, B2 hair is longer than C. Who has the longest hair?, up to eleven years children cannot give the right answer (Richardson, 2003). Jean Piaget believed the importance of rich and appropriate environment for the speed of concrete operational cognitive skills of children. Many research done in small towns or villages represent the lack of rich environment and its consequences on children. Even the easiest conservation tasks are not easily achieved until the age of eleven. On the contrary, many children living in big cities, especially Western nations, have many opportunities in terms of environment and from very young periods of childhood they meet with rich and varied materials. Hence, they easily understand the conservation tasks. The same comparison had done between children receiving a professional early childhood education and the ones that spend their early period at home or street. The conclusions indicate better results of the children continuing a preschool program (Berk, 2003). A survey had been made between Brazilian street vendors and Brazilian economically advantaged children on informal version and Piagetian version of class inclusion test of Piaget. In the informal one, the researcher asks children for the price of two chewing gums which are different. In the Piagetian one, four units of one type (mint) chewing gum and two units of the other (strawberry) one is set aside and the researcher asks In which one do you get more money, whether you sell me the chewing gum with mint or all the chewing gum? The success of two groups children indicates difference that on the informal version of the conservation task street vendors performed better and on the other version economically advantaged children performed well (Ceci Roazzi 1994, as cited in Berk 2003). The Formal Operational Stage (11 Years and Older) The child in sensorimotor period can do things and play with objects, the child in sensorimotor period and concrete operational period can think and make reasoning about those objects. Thinking about propositions and relations different from objects and events is another period. Now human beings are bale to make coordinations of coordinations, in other words, they can combine two different groupings of concrete operations within reversibility by reciprocity (Richardson, 2003). In formal operational stage adolescents do not require concrete things as objects of thought. Adolescents at this stage are capable of deductive reasoning. In order to overcome a problem, they start more generally and think evaluate all possible factors and then proceed to more specific predictions. Piaget used pendulum problem in that stage in which he had showed many strings with different lengths, objects differing in weight, and in order to hang the strings a bar to children. He asked the factors that will affect the speed with which a pendulum swings. Children in concrete operational level made an unsystematic experimentation. The influences of each variable could not be distinguished by them. Adolescents of formal operational stage separate the factors that have the possibility to affect the speed into four groups; strings length, objects weight, the level of force when pushing the object, and how high the object is raised before it is released. At the end they come up to a right conclusion that the length of the string affects the speed (Berk, 2003). They work systematically in terms of all possibilities as a scientist. Cognitive development theory of Piaget is mostly depending on mathematical and scientific reasoning; however he has some speculations on social life of formal operational stage adolescents. Piaget thinks that children between seven and ten live in here and now, whereas at the formal operational stage they start to think about long-term periods. They handle abstract ideas such as justice and love and they start to construct theories for better living world (Inhelder Piaget, 1955, as cited in Crain 2005). Piaget identifies egocentrism again and believes that a new kind of egocentrism is carried by utopian during that period. Piaget takes into account and repeat the forms of egocentrism from beginning to later periods: At the beginning, sensorimotor period, infants have no idea bout the environment around them and they are egocentric, still the objects that they cannot see have no existence on their own. At the next level, preoperational thought, children enter a representative world in terms of language and symbols. They indicate difficulty more than their own view. After a time they become aware of other perspectives and they start to think about concrete objects. Finally, adolescents, formal operational period, meet with a world full of problems and possibilities. Adolescents feel unlimited power in themselves for their thoughts and egocentrism reappears and they are now not able to distinguish self and others abstract views.(Crain, 2005). Teenagers feel that they are at the centre of their environment and they assume that everyone is looking at them. They spend many hours in front of a mirror feeling anxiety for the peoples criticism about them. This is called as imaginary audience. Then with having a thought that everyone is observing them, they start to feel themselves special and unique and this is named as personal fable. Propositional Thought: Adolescents do not need to refer real-life conditions and they are capable of evaluating the logic of propositions. Previously, they were evaluating statements when they were concrete in the real world. Piaget did not give an important role for language in childhood period, but he thought that it was more significant during adolescence. So, verbal reasoning about abstract situations and events is one of the important concepts in formal operational thought. Adolescents thoughts and opinions about abstract conditions and their capacity while expressing those views are demonstration of their propositional thought. Theory and research of Piaget have greatly changed the view at infant action and thought and provided a new way of looking at children (Fischer Heneke, 1996). Evaluation of Piagets Theory Jean Piaget has contributed to the field of child development than many other theorists, as many things he expressed were the first for his time. He was the first to tell that children were different from adults and they are curious and active learners (Berk, 2003). Piaget is the founder of discipline of cognitive development. He was interested in reasoning of children and that ensured the idea of that field would be developmental and should be different from the study of adult thinking. Piagets considerations through the idea about active roles of children on their development can be seen as obvious recently, but it was innovative for his time (Shaffer Kipp, 2001). Piaget tried to explain the process development and from that part he was one of the firsts who not only described the theory. Piagets explanations had a major impact about social and emotional developmental theories. By asking many questions about intellectual development of children and creating thousands of resource for that field, he had important contributions for the educators and researchers (Shaffer Kipp, 2001). Many studies criticize Piaget for underestimating mental capabilities of children due to his concern with defining the underlying cognitive structure which considered performance of children on a conservation task. Piaget is criticized as assuming that child making mistake in one problem will lack the underlying concepts he was testing. Validity of this assumption is refuted by stating that performance of a child may be influenced by many other factors instead of lack in cognitive skills (Scholnick et all, 2008). Researchers have challenged stage theory of Piaget by asking if intellectual development is at all stagelike. It is proposed that transitions in mental gradually occur and the consistency of a performance of a child in a test would be very little. For instance, problems of concrete operations and problems of formal operations may be achieved in different orders by many children with different abilities. Many theorists believe that cognitive functions are so complex that would be evaluated within a stage manner. For instance, a nine years old child may do well on verbal reasoning tests if he likes to deal with word puzzles and play verbal games, however he may not do well in mathematical reasoning (Shaffer Kipp, 2001). Besides, Piaget ignores cultural differences while claiming that his stages move on the same sequence in all cultures. Children from different cultures are educated differently and a s environment has a direct interaction with cognitive development, cultural differences should be taken into account to get a valid conclusion. Implications for Education Piaget did influence much from Montessori and Rousseau and emphasized on the importance of active learning of children. He believed that learning is a process of active discovery and should be related with the level of the child. The role of educator at giving the child appropriate and rich environment based on childs interests and modes of learning takes significant place in terms of encouraging innate curiosity of children. An environment with rich, variety, and interesting materials will encourage children to discover and become active learners (Crain, 2005). According to Piaget educators should not teach children in a direct way, children should be allowed to construct their own knowledge through experience. Children should be given the opportunities to make mistakes and learn through those mistakes, and look for solution ways. Piaget helps educators to be aware of that, meaningful interactions of children with environment and real activities will enable children to learn. All of those factors are the roots of constructivism which is a Apoptosis: Techniques for Measuring and Observing Apoptosis: Techniques for Measuring and Observing INTRODUCTION   The number of cells within an organism is tightly regulated- not simply by controlling the rate of cell division, but also by controlling the rate of cell death. If cells are no longer needed, they commit suicide by activating an intracellular death program. (Liao, 2008) Apoptosis, is defined by distinct morphological and biochemical changes mediated by a family of cysteine aspartic acid-specific proteases (caspases), which are expressed as inactive precursors or zymogens (pro-caspases) and are proteolytically processed to an active state following an apoptotic stimulus. (Liao, 2008) The aim of this paper is to discuss the techniques for measuring and observing apoptosis, whilst commenting on any limitations reported to date. DISCUSSION The intracellular machinery responsible for apoptosis Kerr, Wylie and Currie (1972) observed controlled cell death that was distinct from uncontrolled necrotic death. They noticed a characteristic, identical sequence of events in many different types of cells and published their observations in 1972 and used the term apoptosis. (Alberts, 2007; Cancer, 1972) In apoptosis, cell shrinkage and membrane ruffling (blebbing) occur, and the cell disintegrates into small membrane-bound apoptopic bodies. Inside the cell chromatin condensation and nuclear fragmentation occur, which are accompanied by breakdown of the DNA into regular size fragments. On the surface of the cell lipids are rearranged in the bilayer of the plasma membrane with the lipid phosphatidylserine becoming exposed to the outside. (Hancock, 2005) Measuring and observing apoptosis Apoptosis is essentially a morphological state arrived at by a whole variety of different biochemical pathways. Some routes may result in the expression or loss of an antigen but there is no assurance that the same biochemical alterations occur in every cell. The identification of protein markers permits ready detection by conventional immunohistochemistry, which facilitates rapid and confident assessment of apoptosis. (Harrison, 1996) The in situ end labelling and in situ nick translation techniques rely on the presence of DNA strand breaks characteristic of the nuclear implosion and fragmentation seen in apoptosis. Thus, labelling with biotinylated nucleotides and subsequent immunodetection can be used to identity sensitively cells with strand breakage. (Harrison, 1996) Activation of the caspase-3 pathway is a hallmark of apoptosis and can be used in cellular assays to quantify activators and inhibitors of the death cascade by molecular identification. The response is both time and concentration dependent suggesting that multiple pathways play a role in triggering the caspase-3 activation. (Bio Medicine, 2008) TUNEL assay is a technique used for observing activation of the caspase-3 pathway by biochemical verification. The enzyme TdT is able to add nucleotides to the ends of DNA fragments; most commonly, biotin-labelled nucleotides (usually dUTP) are added. The biotinylated DNA can be detected by using streptavidin, which binds to biotin, coupled to enzymes that convert a colourless substrate into a coloured insoluble product. Cells stained in this way can be detected by light microscopy. (Janeway, 2001) The cells with unsuccessful DNA repair may undergo apoptosis; in some cases, false positive labelling may result. TUNEL staining has been reported to give false positive staining in the kidneys of nude and BALB/c mice. In situ localization of activated or cleaved caspase-3 is starting to replace TUNEL as the molecular verification of the apoptotic process. (Hughes, 2007) Extrinsic and Intrinsic signal activation The extrinsic pathway is initiated by ligation of transmembrane death receptors (DR) with their respective to activate membrane-proximal caspases, which in turn cleave and activate effector caspases. A killer lymphocyte carrying the Fas ligand binds and activates Fas proteins on the surface of the target cell. Adaptor proteins bind to the intracellular region of aggregated Fas proteins, causing the aggregation of procaspase-8 molecules. These then cleave one another to initiate the caspase cascade. This pathway can be regulated by c-FLIP, which inhibits upstream initiator caspases, and inhibitor of apoptosis proteins (IAPs), which affect both initiator and effector caspases. (Alberts, 2007; Liao, 2008) The intrinsic pathway requires disruption of the mitochondrial membrane and the release of mitochondrial proteins, such as cytochrome c. Cytochrome c, which binds to and causes the aggregation of the adaptor protein Apaf-1. Apaf-1 binds and aggregates procaspase-9 molecules, which leads to the cleavage of these molecules and the triggering of a caspase cascade. (Alberts, 2007, Liao, 2008) The primary regulatory step for mitochondrial-mediated caspase activation might be at the level of cytochrome c release. The known regulators of cytochrome c release are Bcl-2 family proteins. Members of this family are divided into two main groups, the anti-apoptotic proteins with Bcl-2 and Bcl-Xl as archetypes and the pro-apoptotic proteins such as Bax. The ratio between these different proteins determines the sensitivity of the cell to apoptosis; antiapoptotic proteins inhibit apoptosis by counteracting Bax and Bak, and BH3-only proteins either trigger apoptosis through direct interaction with Bax or sensitize cells to death by inactivating Bcl-2 or Bcl-Xl. (Cartron, 2003; Liao, 2008) RT-PCR primer sets that are specific for genes involved in inducing and regulating the apoptotic response. These primers are specific for genes encoding proteins from the Fas and Fas ligand, Bcl-2 and ICE protein families. The RT-PCR primer sets for studying the apoptotic response are designed to meet several criteria. The primers sets, based on known genomic sequences, amplify a region that spans at least one intron. To distinguish the amplification products from genomic sequences, which are longer than the cDNA products, the primer sets amplify PCR products that are 400 bp to 650 bp in length. The primers are synthesized as 18- to 27-mer oligonucleotides. Each set of primers amplifies only a specific target. (Biomedicine, 2008) Direct measurement using fluorescence resonance energy transfer has shown the interaction between Bax and Bcl-2. (Cartron, 2003) Light microscopy and electron microscopy, including staining, are frequently used to observe the morphological changes of the cells undergoing apoptosis. There are many staining protocols used for identification of apoptotic cells, and the choice varies subject to the laboratory and the tissue being studied. (Wang, 2008) The advantages of Near-Field Scanning Optical Microscope (NSOM) are observing in normal environment, observing in nanometre scale resolution, and observing in non-contact mode. (Wang, 2008) CONCLUSION Using morphology, biochemical or molecular methods to identify, localize and quantify apoptosis gives strength to many research studies. The measurement of the level of apoptosis within tissue sections represents only a à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"snapshotà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ of one time point during a developmental, physiological or pathological process. Given the rapid nature of apoptosis and its cryptic nature in tissue sections, these measurements may often be underestimates of the actual extent of apoptosis. The ability to measure the levels of apoptosis within living organisms, including humans, non-invasively at repeated intervals over time would facilitate the analysis of apoptosis in many organs as well as tumours. (Hughes, 2007) These investigative techniques have broadened the understanding of disease development and will undoubtedly present real opportunities for novel therapeutic intervention. For example, the gene-driven nature of apoptosis and its modulation by various controlling molecules have provided a basis to develop therapies for selectively protecting or deleting cell populations. (Hughes, 2007)