Innovation & Chnage in Nursing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Innovation & Chnage in Nursing - Essay Example Cultivating an understanding of the process of professional change can also prove essential towards the objective of increasing workplace diversity. (Friday & Friday, 2003) There are many phases to the process of change, considerable research on the process having been described by Lewin, (1951) who elucidated in a psychological context of the stages of change, of which the movement phase is the second one. Which follows unfreezing, and is then in turn is followed by a phase of a re-freezing. (Lewin, 1951) Complexities and pitfalls exist both in terms of operational behavior as well as personal beliefs. During the implementation of organizational change a critical phase in the process is what is described as the movement phase. The goal of this phase in a professional organization is to enable and encourage the employees to find ways to embrace a new vision that the organization will need to develop. Each nurse, or employee in general must look within themselves and find ways that th ey can make the new direction of the organization work for them, in their specific situation and job description. A series of short term limited steps may be required to facilitate the transition between older modes of operation. Short term goals should be set to encourage the replacement of outdated methods in favor of movement towards the higher objective of an effective organizational transition. Kotter and associates have also proposed an explanation of the step-wise change process, by which the three overarching objectives can be translated into smaller steps for a smoother transition. (Kotter, 1996), (MLDC, 2010) Adequate planning and goal-setting are essential to coordinate the changes occurring within the organization, and how all personnel will be required to implement their part of the changes. Short-term goals will include accommodation for likely sources of resistance, as well as tactics necessary to overcome those sources. Among these short-term goals to facilitate the movement phase, it is important to remove psychological barriers. (Kotter, 1996) Objects and artifacts that may symbolize the older operational process, or tools that are specifically applicable to prior goals and values should be removed without delay, unless such articles are essential in the hospital's new operational strategy. Anything that can function as a psychological 'anchor', reminding nurses and other employees of prior goals and outdated standards must be replaced. All employees should be reminded of the potential of the new recommendations and their promise for the future. This transition can be assisted by the implementation of 'short-term wins', to demonstrate ongoing progress towards the ultimate goal. Target dates for measurable changes are helpful. Short-term steps in the right direction must clearly communicated throughout the hospital, and higher staff should be made available to assist employees with the implementation, and modification of benchmarks, if necessa ry. The medical employees responsible for implementing the changes should certainly be included in planning meetings; if those operational changes would affect them, or make additional demands. These objectives must be readily achievable. They should clearly contribute to the new direction of the organization. The exact structuring of these benchmarks may be eased by looking at prior instances in which the organization needed

Children Obesity Essay Example for Free

Children Obesity Essay The problem of childhood obesity in the United States has grown considerably in recent years. Between 16 and 33 percent of children and adolescents are obese.From Environmental Health Perspectives website, the recent data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey estimate 17% of youths ages 2-19 years old to be overweight compare to just 5% a few decades ago(â€Å"Child obesity†). This data shows we should act urgently to rescue children because the percentage of child obesity is increasing rapidly.According to Answer. com website, using the BMI (Body Mass Index) calculation, overweight is between 25-30, obese is 30-40 and extremely obese is 40 and up. This calculation is a height and weight comparison (BMI = weight in pounds X 705 / height in inches squared). By usingbody fat analysis, for a woman’s obesity starts about 33% body fat, for a man, it is about 24%(â€Å"How do you know†).Weight and shape of children are affected by hereditary factors from their parents. However, most of unhealthy weight gain is due to poor diet. Children who have obesity have bad habits; for example, they prefer to eat fast food such as hamburgers with french fries and coke than healthy food such as vegetable and multi-grains. Fast food is very tempting to children and theirparents because of its cheap price, taste, and convenience. The reason children like hamburgers is high levels of salt and sugar content found in most fast food items. So far, unhealthy food leads children to become obese which causes various health problems. Overweight children, when compared to healthy weight children, are more likely to develop many health problems such as depression, diabetes, high cholesterol and high blood pressure, which are associated with heart disease in adults. Thepurpose of this paper is to reviewhow children obesity effects on physical and mental health. First, children obesity and overweight have been found to be at an increased risk of depression. Obese children get stress from change of their body shape, perspectives from other people’s awareness that leads to poor self-esteem or social phobia which are related to the cause of depression. [ì ¶Å"ì ²Ëœ][ë ¹â€žÃ« §Å'ìš °Ã¬Å¡ ¸Ã¬ ¦ ] ë ¹â€žÃ« §Å'ê ³ ¼Ã¬Å¡ °Ã¬Å¡ ¸Ã¬ ¦ , ë ¹â€žÃ« §Å'ê ³ ¼Ã¬Å¡ °Ã¬Å¡ ¸Ã¬ ¦ Ã¬ ËœÃª ´â‚¬Ãª ³â€ž ìž  Ã¬â€¹ ¤Ã¬Å  ¤Ã­  ¬Ã¬ ¸  Ã¬ ¢â€¦Ã­â€¢ ©Ã¬Æ' Ãª °â‚¬Ã¬Å  ¤Ã­  ¼|ìž‘ì„ ±Ã¬Å¾ spom4237236The following article, â€Å"Childhood Obesity and Depression: Connection Between These Growing Problems in Growing Children,† shows how depression is diagnosed in youths. Youthbecome depress if they gain weight more than they expected. Also, obesity and overweight are connected to sleep problem which is associated with increased risk of depression. In study of 400 adolescents with a primary diagnosis of major depressive disorder, change i n sleep was most common symptom remaining depression in youths. Relationship between sleep and obesity is intervened at least in part by insulin resistance. In a study of obese children, insulin was connected with shorter sleep duration according to thepolysomnography (Reeves M. G., Postolache T. T., Snitker S.).In addition, that child obesity cause depression is obesity makes children a target for bullying. According to Medscape Medical News, â€Å"Obese children are more likely to be bullied than their non-obese peers regardless of sex, race, socioeconomic status, social skills, or academic achievement† (Harrison).Because childhood and adolescent are a sensitive period, and they focus on other’s appearance, obese children can be targeted of bullying that makes them get hurt and depress. To prevent the depression, children need to eat health food and exercise. In addition to obesity causes depression, the second health problem is obesity causes diabetes. The dietary habits of obese children are eating a lot of sugar and salt which are excessive caloric intake. Being obese means you have more fatty tissue, having more fatty tissue causes the body to become insulin resistant and becoming insulin resistant causes the body to put on more weight. Becoming more insulin resistant and at a certain level of resistance, it becomes known as diabetes. Obese children also are twice as likely to have diabetes than children who are of normal weight, according to a new study from the University of Michigan Health System. The study, published in the February issue of Diabetes Care, is the most recent national study to estimate the prevalence of children with diabetes. It found that more than 229,000 children, approximately 3.2 cases for every 1,000 American children under the age of 18, currently have diabetes. And one-third of those children are obese(â€Å"Obese Children Twice†). Obesity causes the build-up of fats around cell walls. The liver loses the ability for the metabolism of glucose. Glucose is supplied with the help of the insulin hormone. In essence, obesity reduces the body’s ability to use insulin properly. A glucose build up is deposited in the urine.In addition, diabetes is explained from Washington University in St. Louis website. Diabetes mellitus is a group of disorders that have in common high blood sugar and the risk of damage to tissues and organs. There are two major types: Type1, juvenile diabetes and Type 2, adult-onset diabetes. In Type 1 diabetes, the cells of the pancreas that make insulin are destroyed. Often, the body’s immune system destroys these cells, sort of like friendly fire. Without insulin, blood sugar rises and complications occur. Lifelong insulin treatment is required. In Type 2 diabetes, organs and tissues are resistant to insulin; that is, more insulin is needed to have the same effect. When the insulin-making cells can no longer keep up with the extra insulin needed, blood sugar becomes high and diabetes occurs (â€Å"Obesity, Type 2 diabetes†). Overall, children should avoid eatingso muchunhealthy food that contain of high sugar, salt and fat that causes diabetesto continue into adulthood. In addition to obesity causes diabetes, the third health problem is obese puts children at risk for high cholesterol levels and high blood pressure that cause heart disease. Childrens diets have changed dramaticallybecause it is influenced by television commercials and the convenience of fast foods that have too much sugar and salt that leads high cholesterol level. In â€Å"Cholesterol in Childhood† by Vincent Iannelli, M.D., the author reported â€Å"The effects of cardiovascular disease is something that will especially be a problem once an overweight child grows up, when he will be at risk for a heart attack or stroke.†Also, the article exposes children who have heart disease with high cholesterol was 2.3 times as likely to have died early. These factsgive a warning to how obesity is related to serious health problem to children. The connection between high cholesterol and high blood pressure was explained on Livestrong.com website, â€Å"Cholesterol is a soft waxy material in the blood that mixes with lipids. It shapes membranes and some hormones but does not dissolve in the blood. Since it does not dissolve, lipoproteins carry it to and from cells. Blood pressure is the force that pushes blood through blood vessels, then to all body organs. When these two functions of the body are not working correctly, it can be devastating to overall health.†(â€Å"Connections Between†).According to Webmd.com website, when there is too much cholesterol in blood, it builds up in the walls of arteries, causing a process called atherosclerosis, a form of heart disease. The arteries become narrowed and blood flow to the heart muscle is slowed down or blocked. The blood carries oxygen to the heart, and if enough blood and oxygen cannot reach the heart, it may cause chest pain (â€Å"Heart disease†).Because ofhigh cholesterol, high blood pressure that are related to the heart disease, obese children need dietary changes and weight loss to help lower their cholesterol. In conclusion, children obesity is an increasingly prevalent health disorder and is of particularly concern because children who are obese are more likely to continue to become obese through adolescence and into adulthood with various health problems. Eating unhealthy food and lack of exercise lead to most of child obesity and overweight. Obesity can cause mental and physical problemsinchildren. According to â€Å"Child obesity ‘time bomb’ a threat to life expectancy†, Food Standards Agency chairman, John Krebs, told: â€Å"We already know that many children’s diets contain more fat, sugar and salt than is recommended. We know that the level of obesity in children is rising and, in the words of the chief medical officer, is a health time bomb that could explode.† (Carey). Also, children obesity can be targeted of bullying and give rise to diabetes, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and heart diseases. Also, child obesity has high probability to become an obese adult. Therefore, we need to accept the children obesity as a serious problem in current society in the United States and seek the solutionsto make children free from obesity and being overweight. Works Cited Brown, Joni.â€Å"Connections Between High Blood Pressure Cholesterol†. livestrong.com, 17 Dec. 2010 Web. 22 May 2012 Carey, Dorothy. Child Obesity Time Bomb A Threat To Life Expectancy. Nutridate 15.1 (2004): 8. Web. 22 May 2012. Harrison, Pam. â€Å"Obesity Makes Children a Target for Bullying.† Medscape Medical News. 4 May 2010. Web. 22May 2012. â€Å"Heart Disease and Lowering cholesterol†.Webmd.com,Web. 22 May 2012 Iannelli,Vincent. â€Å"Cholesterol in Childhood†.About.com, 13November 2011 Web. 22 May 2012 â€Å"Obese Children Twice as likely to have Diabetes†. University of Michigan, 2 Feb. 2006. Web. 22 May 2012 â€Å"Obesity, Type 2 Diabetes Growing rapidly among Children†. Washington University in St. Louis., 11 March 2005. Web. 22 May 2012 Reeves, Gloria M., Teodor T.Postolache., and Soren Snitker. â€Å"Childhood Obesity and Depression: Connection between these Growing Problems in Growing Children.† NIH Public Access. Aug. 2008. Web. 22 May 2012

Gay Marriage Should be Legalized Essay -- Legal Issues, Gay Marriage

There are numerous opinions and standing views on gay marriage. The argument regarding gay marriage should be legalized or not is extremely controversial. According to an article from the Human Rights Campaign, there is nothing wrong with allowing homosexuals to have the same rights as those who are heterosexual. Every individual person should be granted equal rights, regardless of sexuality. Gay marriage should be legalized in all states and countries, it has been held off for too long. Moreover, there are several reasons why homosexuals feel strongly about wanting to be legally married. One reason that is most commonly heard is, they want to legally show their love for each other by having a marriage license. Homosexuals want the right to marry like anybody else, and for the same reasons too. They are in love and want to spend their lives with this person. Even though it is possible to do this without being married; â€Å"they want to honor their relationship in the greatest way our society has to offer† (90). There be no reason two people cannot marry despite their sexuality. If a man and woman get to marry because they love each other, what is the difference between a man and a man or a woman and a woman wanting to marry because, they love each other? Also, another cause why homosexuals want the right to marry their spouse is because they are being cheated of rights. Although, two people love each other, if they cannot marry they are losing rights. Marria ge gives both spouses benefits, â€Å"same-sex couples in long-term, committed relationships pay higher taxes and are denied basic protection and rights granted to married heterosexual couples† (90). It is unfair to couples of the same-sex to lose rights based on sexuality. They are... ...an† (97). Some people have lived by this mind set of what a marriage is, but not every thing only has one outlook. A marriage is ultimately two people that are serious and love each other, gender takes no place when a person really takes time to think about what a marriage actually is. Regardless, there is always going to be two views on gay marriage; it is up to each individual to decide which view they agree with. Gay marriage should be legally recognized, what is so right about a heterosexual marriage compared to homosexuals? They both start with the letter â€Å"H†, the only difference is the genders. Nobody should have the right to determine what is considered â€Å"right†, marriage makes a couple officially together; it does not affect anybody but them. Labels should not define love, and by not allowing same gender couple the right to marry is unfair and wrong. Gay Marriage Should be Legalized Essay -- Legal Issues, Gay Marriage There are numerous opinions and standing views on gay marriage. The argument regarding gay marriage should be legalized or not is extremely controversial. According to an article from the Human Rights Campaign, there is nothing wrong with allowing homosexuals to have the same rights as those who are heterosexual. Every individual person should be granted equal rights, regardless of sexuality. Gay marriage should be legalized in all states and countries, it has been held off for too long. Moreover, there are several reasons why homosexuals feel strongly about wanting to be legally married. One reason that is most commonly heard is, they want to legally show their love for each other by having a marriage license. Homosexuals want the right to marry like anybody else, and for the same reasons too. They are in love and want to spend their lives with this person. Even though it is possible to do this without being married; â€Å"they want to honor their relationship in the greatest way our society has to offer† (90). There be no reason two people cannot marry despite their sexuality. If a man and woman get to marry because they love each other, what is the difference between a man and a man or a woman and a woman wanting to marry because, they love each other? Also, another cause why homosexuals want the right to marry their spouse is because they are being cheated of rights. Although, two people love each other, if they cannot marry they are losing rights. Marria ge gives both spouses benefits, â€Å"same-sex couples in long-term, committed relationships pay higher taxes and are denied basic protection and rights granted to married heterosexual couples† (90). It is unfair to couples of the same-sex to lose rights based on sexuality. They are... ...an† (97). Some people have lived by this mind set of what a marriage is, but not every thing only has one outlook. A marriage is ultimately two people that are serious and love each other, gender takes no place when a person really takes time to think about what a marriage actually is. Regardless, there is always going to be two views on gay marriage; it is up to each individual to decide which view they agree with. Gay marriage should be legally recognized, what is so right about a heterosexual marriage compared to homosexuals? They both start with the letter â€Å"H†, the only difference is the genders. Nobody should have the right to determine what is considered â€Å"right†, marriage makes a couple officially together; it does not affect anybody but them. Labels should not define love, and by not allowing same gender couple the right to marry is unfair and wrong.

Coperate Gorvernance Essay

Executive summary: Cadbury Report (1992) stated that â€Å"corporate governance is the process by which companies and directed and controlled† (cited in Tricker, 2009). In other words, it helps the corporate entities increase the value provided to the organisation’s various stakeholders. Therefore, appropriate corporate governance plays a very important role in development of organisations. This  review will define corporate governance and some of its concepts (through the paper). Following, the review will give a Memorandum or a general introduction about Nufarm, which is a publicly listed company and then consider the structure, process and effectiveness of its governance. Besides, the paper will mention about areas such as the composition and responsibilities of the Nufarm Board of Directors, and disclose policies, codes of conduct adopted by the company, which are relevant to the company’s governance scopes. Finally, from information and analyses, there are some recommendations for the Nufarm to achieve appropriate improvements. For example, the company’s governance should recognise and adhere to all relevant laws and regulations and meets high standards with respect to honesty and integrity. In addition, the company should have open and effective communications with its shareholders and the general investment community. Furthermore, the company should have effective methods to review drivers of governance, etc. Table of contents Contents I.Introduction3 II.What is corporate governance?3 III.General introduction about Nufarm, information of the company (Memorandum)3 IV.The Structure, process and effectiveness of the Nufarm’s governance4 The Scope of the company’s Corporate Governance influences the company’s codes:7 V.Recommendations8 VI.References10 I. Introduction Recently, the appearance of high-profile corporate failures, scandals and executive corruption arises the requirement for organisations to follow appropriate corporate governance structures, processes standards and practices. The aim of this paper is to investigate the structure, process and  effectiveness of the governance of Nufarm, a publicly listed company and give recommendations for it to achieve appropriate improvements. II. What is corporate governance? Cadbury report (1992) and OECD (1999) defined that ‘corporate governance is the process by which company are directed and controlled’.  Monks & Minow (2001) suggested that ‘corporate governance is the relationship among various participants in determining the direction and performance of corporations. The primary participants are the shareholders, the management and the board of directors’. OECD (2001) supposed that ‘corporate governance refers to the private and public institutions, including laws, regulations and accepted business practices, which together govern the relationship, in a market economy, between corporate managers and entrepreneurs, on the one hand, and those who invest resources in corporations, on the other III. General introduction about Nufarm, information of the company (Memorandum) Nufarm Limited is a publicly listed company, one of the world’s leading crop protection companies (Nufarm’s website, 2012). The company manufactures products to help farmers protect their crops against damage caused by weeds, pests and disease. Its manufacturing and marketing spread throughout Australia, New Zealand, Asia, The Americas and Europe and sells products in more than 100 countries around the world. According to the Nufarm’s website (2012), the company employs more than 2,600 people around the places having its manufacturing and marketing operations, all of whom make a vital contribution to the company’s reputation for quality products, innovation and first class marketing and technical support. Proudly based in Australia, Nufarm is listed on the Australian Stock Exchange (with symbol NUF). Its head office is located at Laverton in Melbourne, Australia. Table1: the information contained in the company details table (ASX website, 2012) IV. The Structure, process and effectiveness of the Nufarm’s governance The company’s board structure contains Chairman (Donald Gordon McGauchie), Managing Director/CEO (Doug Rathbone), and five Non Executive Directors who are Anne Bernadette Brennan, Gordon Richard Davis, Bruce Goodfellow, Gary Hounsell, Peter Margin (Nufarm’s website, 2012). According to the company’s website (2012), the Board is the governing body of the Company. The Board is responsible for the oversight of the Company. It is responsible to ensure that the business of the Company is carried out in the best interests of all shareholders and with proper regard to the interests of all other stakeholders. Specifically, the Board has responsibility to protect and enhance the value of the assets of the Company, set strategies and directions and monitor and review those strategic objectives, review and ratify internal controls, codes of conduct and legal compliance, review the Company’s accounts, approve and review the one year operating budget and five year strategic plan for the Company, appoint the Managing Director, evaluate performance and determine the remuneration of the Managing Director and senior executives, ensure the significant risks facing the Company have been identified and adequate control monitoring and reporting mechanisms are in place, approve transactions relating to acquisitions, divestments and capital expenditure above authority limits delegated to management, approve financial and dividend policy, appoint the Company Secretary, ratify the appointment of the Chief Financial Officer (Nufarm’s website, 2012). The managing Director is delegated to be responsible for the day-to-day leadership and management of the Company. To assist the Board to discharge its responsibilities and duties, the Board has delegated to the Managing Director specific authorities which are subject to appropriate reporting and monitoring procedures. For example: * Shareholder values / corporate strategy: the Managing Director formulates and brings to the Board for review and approval, an appropriate long term strategy for the Nufarm Group  and appropriate financial standards and policies. The strategy is reviewed by the Board at its annual strategic planning review and any changes in financial standards are reviewed by the Audit Committee. * Organisation Planning: the Managing Director formulates an appropriate human resources policy which is reviewed by the Board annually. * Capital Allocation: The Managing Director approves capital expenditure within limits set by the Board. All approvals made by the Managing Director are reported and reviewed at every Board Meeting. * Company Financial Performance: the Managing Director reports to the Board at each Board Meeting on the financial results of the Company. * Compliance: The Managing Director is responsible for ensuring compliance with all relevant legislation. In brief, the Board has delegated to the Managing Director all powers required to manage the business of the Company and the Managing Director reports on a monthly basis on all material matters affecting the Nufarm Group to the Board. Besides, The Board has three committees: the Audit Committee, the Nomination Committee and the Remuneration Committee. These Board Committees review and analyse policies and strategies within their specific terms of reference. The Board Committees examine proposals and, where appropriate, make recommendations to the Board. The Board Committees do not take direct action or make decisions on behalf of the Board unless specifically mandated by prior Board authority (Nufarm’s website). The Nomination Committee consists of three non-executive Directors and is comprised of a majority of independent Directors. The Committee’s purpose is to develop criteria for Board membership and identify specific individuals for nomination; and establish processes for the review of the performance of individual Directors and the Board as a whole. The duties of this committee is facilitating a Board performance assessment, develop criteria for Board membership, identify suitably skilled, qualified and experienced individuals for nomination and to establish processes for the review of the performance of Directors. According to Tricker (2012, p.283), ‘the essential and original role of the audit committee is to act as a bridge between the independent external auditors and the board, avoiding the possibility of powerful executive directors’ and over the years the role and responsibilities of the committee have expanded. Nufarm company’s Audit Committee’s primary function is to assist the Board in fulfilling its corporate governance responsibilities in regard to financial reporting, audit and risk management, including: oversight of the preparation of Nufarm Limited’s (the Group) financial reporting; compliance with legal and regulatory obligations; oversight of the effectiveness of the Group’s enterprise-wide risk management and internal control framework; and oversight of the relationship with the external and internal auditors. The specific duties and responsibilities of the company’s audit committee in meeting will be: report Committee actions to the Board with such recommendations as the Committee may deem appropriate (e.g. The Committee will report to the Board immediately if it becomes aware of any material misstatement in financial information provided by management to the Board or of any material breakdown in internal controls), continuously monitor a framework and processes for compliance with laws, regulations, standards, best practice guidelines and the Group’s code of conduct, maintain suitable interaction with the Health Safety & Environment Committee and the Nomination & Governance Committee, perform such other functions assigned by law, the Company’s Constitution, or the Board. The Remuneration Committee’s purpose is to recommend to the Board policies and practices which enable Nufarm to attract, develop, retain and motivate high caliber Directors and executives. The Committee will review and make recommendations on policies for remuneration, development, retention and termination of Directors and Key Management Personnel (KMP). The Committee’s duties are to review and make recommendations to the Board in relation to Nufarm’s Board and executive remuneration strategy, structure and practice with regard to: Nufarm strategic objectives; corporate governance principles; and competitive practice. The specific matters the Committee may consider include the review of: executive management and Directors’  remuneration, including the link between Company and individual performance; current industry best practice; the outcome of the annual vote on the adoption of the Remuneration Report; different methods for remunerating senior management and Directors including superannuation arrangements; 2/4 existing or proposed incentive schemes; retirement and termination benefits and payments for senior management; professional indemnity and liability insurance policies. The Committee is responsible for seeking and approving remuneration advisers that will provide independent remuneration advice, as appropriate, on Board, CEO and other KMP remuneration strategy, structure practice and disclosure. However, according to the company website (2012), the Committee does not have executive powers to commit the Board or management to its recommendations except where authorised by a resolution of the Board nor become involved in day to day management activities or decision making. The Scope of the company’s Corporate Governance influences the company’s codes: According to Tricker (2012), the structure, the membership and the process of the governing body are central to corporate governance. However, the relations with shareholders, contractual stakeholders, legal institutions, etc also influence the structure and operation of Nufarm’s corporate governance. Therefore, the company’s corporate governance refers to the private and public institutions, including laws, regulations and public institutions, which together govern the relationship between corporate managers and entrepreneurs, on the one hand, and those who invest resources in corporations on the other (Tricker, 2012). For example, the company’s code of conduct is governed by and contrasted in accordance with the laws in the State of Victoria, Australia. Besides, Nufarm has ensured to be compliance with the ASX Listing Rules, and ensured that Key Management Personnel and their associates are aware of the legal restrictions in dealing in Nufarm’s shares, options or other securities while such a person is in possession of unpublished price sensitive information concerning Nufarm. V. Recommendations There are some recommendations in order for Nufarm to make appropriate  improvements for its corporate governance are: Firstly, Nufarm should conduct its business in a manner which recognises and adheres to all relevant laws and regulations and meets high standards with respect to honesty and integrity. In order to meet this commitment, we require all Nufarm directors, employees, contractors and consultants to be familiar with and uphold the company’s code of conduct in all business dealings. Besides, according to Tricker (2012), the Board, which determines whether the company’s governance is good, is the major driving force in a company. However, there are other drivers of good governance in the company such as shareholders. Therefore, the company should have open and effective communications with its shareholders and the general investment community. For example, with shareholders, the company should adopt a shareholder communications policy in order to: * Ensure that shareholders and the financial markets are provided with full and timely information about its activities; * Comply with continuous disclosure obligations contained in applicable Listing Rules and the Corporations Act in Australia as well as industry guidelines such as the Australasian Investor Relations Associations’, Best Practice Guidelines for Communication between Listed Entities and the Investment Community; and Ensure equality of access to briefings, presentations and meetings for shareholders, analysts and media. * Encourage attendance and voting at shareholder meetings; The company’s Remuneration Committee should review induction and development arrangements for the Board to ensure Board members gain and maintain a suitable level of knowledge about Nufarm. Audit Committee should usually review and make recommendations to the Board on the Nufarm Diversity Policy ensuring the Policy is in line with applicable legislation and governance principles. Self-assess whether the Committees comply with its membership requirements at least once every year. Critically review the Remuneration Committee Charter at least once per year to ensure its relevance and compliance with overall governance legislative requirements and best practice. VI. References Monks, B., Nell, M. 2007, Corporate Governance, 4th edn, Chichester, UK:Wiley. Tricker, B. 2009, Corporate Governance: Principles, Policies, and Practices, Oxford University Press. Nufarm website 2012, , viewed 15 July, 2012. ASX website 2012, Nufarm Limited (NUF), , viewed 15 July, 2012.

Face Recognition Technology To Augment Security Measures At The Sporting Event Essay

Facial recognition technology refers to a computer driven application that automatically identifies an individual from his or her digital image by a comparison of particular facial features in a facial database and in the live image (â€Å"Face Recognition,† 2007). The technology creates a template of people’s facial configurations, such as the lengths of their noses and the angles of their jaws. It thereby functions like the other biometric technologies (e. g. iris scanning) that use biological features for the purposes of recognition. According to Visionics, a manufacturer of face recognition technology, this technology is capable of finding human faces â€Å"anywhere in the field of view and at any distance, and it can continuously track them and crop them out of the scene, matching the face against a watch list† (Kautzer). While iris scanning and other kinds of biometric technologies are known to be far more accurate than the face recognition technology, it is believed that the latter would be more widely accepted because it is least intrusive. The technology also does not require users to push, click, or insert anything into the system. Moreover, companies using the face recognition technology do not require the installation of anything except the new software application. The cameras in place as well as the pictures of their employees on file are enough for companies that use the technology. Hence, face recognition technology is cheaper for organizations than the iris scanning, for instance, which requires reading setups. According to Frances Zelazney of Visionics, yet another advantage of facial recognition technology as compared to the other biometric technologies is that â€Å"[unlike] other biometrics, facial recognition provides for inherent human backup because we naturally recognize one another†¦ If the system goes down, someone can pull out an ID with a picture as backup, something you can’t do with fingerprint devices (Rutherford, 2001). † Unsurprisingly, facial recognition technology is known as the fastest growing biometric technology in our day. Law enforcement agencies and the military have been using the technology successfully for many years without the public being aware of it. In the year 1988, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department (Lakewood Division) began using composite sketches of suspects, as well as video images, in order to conduct searches on a database of digital facial shots. The department also has a photo database of sex offenders, and plans to find suspects on this database. Then there is the Gang Reporting Evaluation Tracking system that can be searched with the use of photos of suspects in order for law enforcement to circumvent false identification cards as well as information that has been presented by gang members (Jarvis). There are numerous United States embassies around the world that are already using the face recognition technology to keep criminals from entering the country. The Israel-Palestine border control is similarly equipped with the technology to reduce crime across the border (Jarvis). IQ Biometrix, established in 2001, is a company providing help to thousands of law enforcement agencies around the world with the FACESTM, which is a groundbreaking software tool allowing for the â€Å"creation and recreation of billions of facial images, as well as their encoding, cataloging and transmitting. † The technology incorporates a facial composite tool that the FBI and the CIA also use. The United States Department of Defense, the U. S. Navy, and various local as well as state police agencies have similarly opted for this groundbreaking system of facial recognition (IQ Biometrix, 2004). Given the importance of putting a name to a face, whether it is to solve crimes, protect the public, or to ensure security in jails, face recognition technology is proving itself to be of tremendous value. Sheriff Everett Rice along with the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office in Florida employs the Viisage face recognition technology to â€Å"positively identify and verify individuals. † Some of these individuals have just been recently arrested, while others are about to released. The face recognition technology is also of use with people that visit the courthouse. So far, the application of the technology has been successful, and users of the technology believe that it would have a greater impact on crime control in the years to come (â€Å"Facial Recognition,† 2007). The United States Department of Defense, with its focus on perfecting the face recognition technology to spot criminals at the borders of the nation, had been funding scientists’ research on the technology for more than decade. Private companies were similarly convinced that the face recognition technology could help dramatically in combating crime within the borders of the United States. Because of their belief, the marketing of the technology became widespread during the mid-1990s (Rutherford). Then came 9/11 – the day that changed the security concerns of the entire world in the matter of only a few hours. There was increased interest in face recognition technology following the terrorist attacks on the American soil. Although the Americans had viewed the face recognition technology with skepticism before the attacks, they became confident that widespread use of the new technology in security as well as public safety would help protect them from similar attacks in future. Indeed, the face recognition technology could play an important role in the prevention of tragedies. All the same, law enforcement agencies have discovered that in the areas covered by the new technology, no terrorist has ever been identified. What is more, despite the redoubling of efforts to create dependable face recognition systems after 9/11, the technology suffers from problems. The facial recognition technology faces a difficulty, for example, in the recognition of the effects of aging. Digitally compared photos of individuals that had been taken eighteen months apart produced untrue rejections by the software application at least forty three percent of the time. Furthermore, it has been found that the technology is more successful when used by casinos to identify cheaters; in welfare offices; and by driver’s license bureaus, given the uniformity of lighting and the use of the same cameras in these places (Jarvis; O’Harrow, 2001). Seeing that the face recognition technology is not fool proof, albeit useful – and security experts have confirmed this – it is best to use it at the sporting event only to augment security measures. The new technology can help security personnel at the sporting event to spot terrorists, for instance. However, face recognition technology should not be considered a replacement for traditional security measures by any means. What is more, this technology is easy to use, and security personnel would not have a difficult time installing and working through the system. Hence, the use of face recognition technology at the sporting event is definitely recommended as a boost to the traditional security measures. References Face Recognition System. (2007). Wikipedia. Retrieved 25 August 2007, from http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Facial_recognition_system. Facial Recognition in Action. (2007). Penton Media. Retrieved 25 August 2007, from http://govtsecurity. com/current/. Jarvis, A. Are Privacy Rights of Citizens Being Eroded Wholesale? Forensic Evidence. Retrieved 25 August 2007, from http://forensic-evidence. com/site/ID/facialrecog. html. Kautzer, C. Face Recognition Technology. ZMAG. Retrieved 25 August 2007, from http://www. zmag. org/ZMag/articles/march02kautzer. htm. O’Harrow, R. (2001, August 1). Matching Faces With Mug Shots. Washington Post, p. A01. Rutherford, Emelie. (2001, July 17). Facial Recognition Tech Has People Pegged. CNN. Retrieved 25 August 2007, from http://www. cnn. com/2001/TECH/ptech/07/17/face. time. idg.

What is the American Dream Essay

What is the American Dream Essay What is the American Dream? Essay The American Dream What is the â€Å"American Dream?† Is it a big lawn, a white picket fence, and 2 kids? Or is it what our ancestors came here for? They came here for a chance at a better life. They came here for a freedom that could not be found anywhere else. They came here for life, love, and the pursuit of happiness. Some 200 years after our country was founded, we are still striving for the â€Å"American Dream.† The question is, are our ideals of the American Dream still attainable for everyone in America today, or did they fade with our ancestors themselves? The original American Dream was written into our Declaration of Independence by Thomas Jefferson. In this document he stated that all men had the right to â€Å"life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness†. This mentality led our ancestors, from countries all over the world, to America. They came searching for all these things and certainly found them. They worked hard for what they had, and were very determined. Coming from a place where they were persecuted, really made them appreciate the raw freedom they found when they came to America. This is a mindset that everyone should strive for. Is the American Dream attainable for everybody? Some argue that people have rough lives, and that it is so much harder for someone nowadays. However I think that is ridiculous. Everyone has the chance at their â€Å"American Dream† no matter how hard you life is. Take Chris Gardner for example. Chris Gardner was a young man from New York City. He sold bone marrow scanners for a living while his wife worked at a cleaners. They had a very hard life and eventually his wife left him. At this point his life got harder and harder and eventually him and his very young son became homeless. At this point most would give up or just say he has had a hard life and he cannot reach his American Dream, but Chris didn’t give up. He lived in shelters, worked hard selling his bone marrow scanners , and also worked as a stock broker. Chris Gardner made a new life for himself. He may have had a â€Å"hard life† but he never gave up. Now Chris Gardner is a huge stock broker, motivational speaker, and donates to many charities. This man proved that no matter how hard someone’s lot in life is, there is always still a chance for the American Dream. Working hard, in my opinion, is the

PsychoSocial Development Theory in Movie Essay

PsychoSocial Development Theory in Movie Essay Eriksons Psychosocial Development Theory Essay Eriksons Psychosocial Development Theory Essay The development of human beings does not only revolve around biological factors but also psychological and social factors (â€Å"Erikson’s Psychosocial Development Theory†, n.d.). The challenges that people face and the intervention measure that they may choose to employ, usually bear resemblance in terms of the people’s biological, psychological and social position (McLaren, 2002). That is to say that, for instance, a human, biological disorder could be the main cause of an individual’s disturbing, psychological condition. For example, a person whose forehead has a deformity may leave with discomfort and dire emotional pain, as a result of that. This situation may inhibit the individual to participate effectively in beneficial activities of within their immediate surroundings, ultimately interfering with their social well-being. Using Jim Sheridan’s movie, In America, this paper seeks to investigate how human beings; functioning hinges on biologica l, psychological and social factors as it is in the Bio-psychosocial-Social Development model, using the individual life experiences of the characters. It is noteworthy that a critical investigation of a personal issue will always yield multiple factors as causes and diverse implications of psychological, biological and social aspects. For instance, disability may be a cause for one’s poor living conditions since they are not in a position to fend for themselves adequately. Consequently, such individuals would lack social recognition in their society, diminishing their chances of self-esteem. Disability, which is a biological issue, leads to poverty-a social problem. Poverty, ultimately, deprives an individual of human dignity and self-esteem which are psychological conditions to any normal human being. Essentially, the PsychoSocial theory is an approach which posits that psychological, biological and social play a significant role in the normal functioning of humans in the context of illnesses (Halligan Aylward, 2006). Movie Overview In the year 1982, a family of Sarah and Johnny Sullivan, together with two daughters-Ariel and Christy, enter the United States of America through Canada. Still feeling the pain of losing their young son Frankie, the bereaved members find their dwelling in unbearable conditions, in the city of New York. They managed to obtain their only shelter, a dilapidated kitchen apartment that accommodates even transvestites, drug addicts and an ascetic Nigerian photographer/artist, Mateo Kuamey (Scott, 2006). The desperate situation affecting the family has waned Johnny’s faith, in spite of his position as a devoted catholic faithful. His relationship with the family has deteriorated while they struggle painfully to make ends meet. In spite of their distress, the pleasure of entering the United States and the unity of the family serves as their motivation to face each day with courage and determination. To hold their cherished moments, Christy uses her valued camcorder. Sarah works in a local ice-cream parlour while Johnny, after numerous auditions, lands the job as a cab driver, in their quest to make a living and support their daughters’ pursuit of education at the Catholic School. The rising temperatures in the area and the diminishing level of their financial ability raise the tension between her and Johnny.   The discovery of Sarah’s pregnancy complicates matters, adding to the already existing emotional strain of the family (Scott, 2006). As they struggle with the life, they get acquainted with Mateo Kuamey who ends up becoming their friend, despite his deteriorated, health condition. The Nigerian photographer/artist has the dreadful AIDS condition. In the end, the death of Mateo and the b irth of the baby marks Johnny’s end of his emotions over Frankie’s demise. The movie comes to an end at the baby shower at the Sullivan family’s apartment with the apartment’s tenants as Christy and Ariel look for Mateo in the sky. Facing Bio-Psycho-Social Challenges Social problems and psychological problems are prominent, throughout the movie, In America. Among the outstanding social challenges that individuals face include poverty, drug and substance abuse, unemployment and lack of adequate education. As a result of these issues, people have to deal with other challenges, which are direct or indirect outcomes of the former. They include a number of psychological tests, which include emotional strain, tension, anger, intolerance and despair. In addition, there are conditions of the body which may pose serious dangers on the body. Such problems may include normal illnesses, deformities on different body organs and abnormal body formation which appear at childbirth. All these problems are interrelated and require appropriate measures of intervention. In accordance with the Bio-Psycho-Social Model of health, with a basis on the social cognitive theory, the treatment of diseases needs to consider factors of psychological, biological and social factors (Sarno, 1998). Thus, in handling tragic incidents of disease, which may sometimes lead to death, people need to find the individual’s connection with other factors within their immediate environment so that not only one side of the coin receives all the attention while the one gets none. It is crucial to bear in mind the concept of body-mind dualism, which posits that, the two, body and mind, work as interconnected elements (Sarno, 1998). That is to say that the body functionality reflects what could be the state of the mind, and functionality of the mind also relies heavily on the state of the body. Although Mateo had the condition of AIDS, his accelerated death may be a result of multiple factors, as opposed to his supposed killer disease. Although he stayed under medication, the Nigerian man suffered from numerous challenges. When he falls off the stairs, Christy attempts to assist him by resuscitating the feeble man. The other residents who know his positive HIV status warn her away. That is a clear indication of stigma in the society for people living with such conditions. The fact that the man spends sleepless nights is an apparent sign of his psychological torture as a result of that stigma. He has money in the trust fund, but nobody knows about this until after his death, when the Sullivan family discovers that he had paid the medical bills for their newborn baby. Besides, Sarah struggles with her pregnancy but eventually gives birth to a child, prematurely. That is abnormal, an indication of her ailing body. From the story of her family, it is evident that the Sullivan family has gone through thick and thin for sustenance, in New York. In addition, they entered the new land with the trauma of losing their young son, Frankie. With this in mind, it becomes certain that the cause of her premature childbirth is multi-factorial. First, she physically strained to make a living from working at the local ice cream parlour. Secondly, she lived with tension between him and his husband, Johnny, because of the severing, relationship. She had the responsibility of ensuring a motherly upbringing of her two daughters, Christy and Ariel Sullivan. In addressing her unfortunate circumstance, the Bio-Psycho-Social Development approach would consider all those factors in a way of finding appropriate treatment options for her. Johnny appears to be a nasty character, from the beginning to the end of the film. His unmistakable problem is of a psychiatric nature. Although his unattractive, social status emanates from the sudden death of his young son at such a tender age, there are other significant factors which can help explain his frustration and anger. He is a father who needs to take good care of his family. He has to find a way of solving his problem of poverty in his family; he has to find a way of paying tuition fees to keep her two daughters in school. However, he lives in New York, poverty-stricken and spends a substantial period searching for jobs unsuccessfully. He never went to a doctor to rediscover himself, eventually. He did so after the death of Mateo and the birth of his child. The two daughters of Johnny and Sarah Sullivan also face challenges of psychological and social complications in their life, both at home and school. Their home languishes in poverty. This makes their living experience a living misery. Besides, their attendance in school is not a smooth ride because of difficulty for their parents to obtain school fees. Expectedly, their performance cannot be up to the mark because of their emotional discomfort resulting from their impoverished lives. Charity, being the oldest child, seems to have accepted the scircumstances as they are, and always tries to find useful activities to do in order to get rid of the disturbing emotions. She uses her camcorder to capture the events of their experiences for reminiscence. For the two daughters, poverty has had a considerable impact on their social welfare, diminishing their social status and confidence as they strive through school, thereby hampering their academic excellence. The outcome is utmost psycholo gical trauma. In the movie, In America, it there is veracity of the Bio-Psycho-Social development approach in human functioning. There is no single factor which characterizes the existence of a challenge on a human’s functional capability. It is true that biological, psychological and social factors influence human development. Hence they affect human function in a connected manner. A fundamental observation also reveals that a person’s challenge, whether psychological, biological or social, may have serious influence upon the lives of others. As a result of Mateo’s HIV status, there is a considerable concern by the whole community. His condition seems to have an impact on the people around him. For instance, there is a fear among many individuals who consider him a risk person to get in contact since he could   infect one with the HIV. This is evident at the time of his falling on the staircase. Christy takes the initiative of resuscitating the ailing man despite the uneasiness and worry among the people around, knowing that he is HIV-positive. On the side of Christy, the man’s condition is a cause for deep concern and empathy, compelling her to risk her own life to offer help. This is a vivid show of psychological challenge that may result from another human’s physical or biological disorder. On the other hand, when Sarah gives birth prematurely, the baby’s health condition becomes everyone’s concern. The father, Johnny gets down to serious business of finding ways of discharging his responsibilities as a father. Although the issue of bearing the child’s medical expenses causes the family a lot of emotional distress, the situation calms down when they discover that the late Mateo had generously catered for them before his death. That brings peace of mind in the family, resulting to Johnny’s change of emotion for a long time, becoming lively and a social man of the family. He put his past behind. He even managed to land a role in the Chorus Line in Broadways. Conclusion Challenges that affect the normal functioning of humans usually bear psychological, biological and social aspects, in their provenance and ultimate impact (McLaren, 2002). In America, the experiences of different characters, more so the members of the Sullivan family and Mateo Kuamey, reflect the inevitable interconnection among the psychological, social and biological factors in the functioning of a normal human being (Gatchel Oordt, 2003). This resembles the mind-body dualism concept which supposes that the state of the mind significantly affects the functioning of the body. Similarly, the state of the body at any given moment affects the thoughts and emotions of a human (Sarno, 1998). The Sullivan family’s experience brings out the true picture of Bio-Psycho-Social development among humans.

How blind hiring can improve workplace diversity

How blind hiring can improve workplace diversity There’s a growing trend across industries when it comes to hiring- and in the age of information, you may be surprised to learn that involves having access to less information instead of more, in an effort to enhance ethical hiring practices and improve workplace diversity. If your company isn’t utilizing blind hiring practices yet, it might not be long before it jumps on this progressive new hiring bandwagon. What is blind hiring?This bold new hiring practice is referred to as â€Å"blind hiring,† and according to a recent article by Analytics in HR (AIHR), â€Å"Blind hiring is any technique that anonymizes or ‘blinds’ personal information about a candidate from the recruiter or hiring manager that can lead to unconscious (or conscious) bias about the candidate. This bias tends to be unfair and discriminatory because much of the personal information that is presented is generally unrelated to his or her on-the-job performance.†How blind hiri ng can improve your company’s hiring practicesAs an HR professional, not having access to personal candidate information that tends to lead to bias allows for increased objectivity when evaluating potential hires. As a result, decisions will be based on a candidate’s skills, knowledge, and potential to succeed, and things like a candidate’s race, gender, age, and education level are ignored- and when ability is the primary driving factor for hiring, it results in a more qualified and talented workstaff. Increased hiring objectivity also leads to a more diverse workforce, which benefits both employers and employees.How are companies- and the HR world at large- warming up to the idea of blind hiring According to AIHR, â€Å"Blind hiring is gaining more acceptance as part of a larger movement to remove faulty human judgment element that interferes with hiring people that were truly the best candidates in first place. Research featured in the Harvard Business Revie w found that candidates who were hired based on an algorithm were  50% more likely to be successful  on the job than candidates picked based on recruiters’ human judgment.†How companies are implementing blind hiring practicesCurrently, the most common methods for doing so are occurring during the resume review process and through the use of anonymized pre-hire tests and assessments. AIHR reports that significant human bias exists during the resume review process: â€Å"Resumes with White-sounding names receive  30 percent more interviews  than identical resumes with African American names. Resumes with old-sounding names were rated as  less suitable for the job  compared to identical resumes with modern-sounding names.† Removing all superfluous personal candidate info from their applications, resumes, and online profiles is designed to eliminate this bias. Pre-hire tests and personality assessments- using anonymous candidate IDs- are also being used m ore frequently to assess a candidate’s abilities and potential fit when making hiring decisions. Both of these tools are reported to increase hiring objectivity and workplace diversity, which can be gauged and tracked through your HR department’s recruitment metrics.hbspt.cta.load(2785852, '9e52c197-5b5b-45e6-af34-d56403f973c5', {});Are your company’s hiring practices as objective as they could- and should- be? If not, then consider adopting blind hiring practices to make things more fair. Use the strategies and advice presented here to help improve the diversity in your workplace and make sure you’re hiring the most qualified candidates possible.

What are the Key Reasons Why Traditional Expatriation Appointments and Essay

What are the Key Reasons Why Traditional Expatriation Appointments and Repatriation Often Fail What can MNCs Do about this - Essay Example In this regard, it is observed that most of the MNCs in the current globalized world is encountered with the high rate of the expatriates and repatriates failure. Such failure witnessed by the MNCs has reduced their capacity to sustain their business smoothly and profitably in the overseas market. At the same time, the increasing failure rate related to traditional expatriation appointments and repatriation has drawn urgent demand for resolving these challenges faced by the MNCs (Harzing, 1995).   Collings & et. al. (2007) asserted that staffing issues in the international context are complex and challenging. Despite the challenges associated with the staffing issues, it has been argued that MNCs are using traditional expatriation appointments on a frequent basis. Accordingly, myriad reasons have been propagated behind the use of traditional expatriation appointments. In this regard, one of the potential reasons has been associated with the rapidly growing demand for competent and experienced global managers which is accompanied by the reduced supply of the same. The other reasons include the desire of the parent company to acquire centralized decision making and control over the operations of the subsidiary located in the overseas market. Thoo (2013) has defined expatriate failure as â€Å"as the expatriate’s premature return to his or her home country prior to the completion of his or her actual assignment duration†. Accordingly, Thoo (2013) has identified multiple reasons that contribute towards expatriate failure.

Annotation Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 2

Annotation - Assignment Example Nonetheless, the other authors support a balance between prohibition and legalization while Angela Hawken advocates full legalization. One possible bias of this book is when Caulkins implies that the responsible majority users of marijuana should sacrifice their fun in order to aid the irresponsible minority. Nevertheless, he does not prove that prohibition has protected the minority irresponsible users. The article is based on the gateway hypothesis. It researches the prevention or invention and genetic factors of using other prohibited drugs after using marijuana. The gateway hypothesis implies that a marijuana user will commence using more lethal/ hard drugs at some point in their life. According to the study, marijuana users are most likely to try heroin and get addicted to it. As such, marijuana use makes it possible for the user to advance to more lethal and dangerous drugs. The authors used adolescents as part of the study. The study is biased since correlation is not always cause. Marijuana typically precedes rather than follow the initiation into other illegal drug use. However, alcohol use and underage smoking precede the use of marijuana. Therefore, marijuana is not the first gateway to illegal drug use. Khatapoush, Shereen, and Denise Hallfors. "â€Å"Sending the wrong message†: did medical marijuana legalization in California change attitudes about and use of marijuana?." Journal of Drug Issues 34.4 (2004): 751-770. The article suggests that the recent policy changes in California have had a minimal impact on the attitudes and behaviour related to marijuana. The authors in their study to assess and analyse the effect of legalizing medicinal marijuana among the youth used telephone survey data. Consequently, they found out that some marijuana behaviour and attitudes did change after proposition 215 in 1996 was passed. Conversely, marijuana use did not increase. The major possible bias of the study is that sanctioning the use of

D3 H1N1 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

D3 H1N1 - Essay Example Isolating within the embroyonated eggs reduces the possibility of contaminating the virus strain. The now hybrid virus is tested to determine its effectiveness, safety and establish whether it stimulates appropriate antigen response in the body. The entire production process of influenza vaccine takes about six to nine weeks (Gerdil, 2003). New influenza vaccines are produced every year because the virus undergoes constant genetic mutation that changes the hemagglutinin and neuraminidase surface glycoprotein of the pathogen (Gerdil, 2003). The mutation undermines effectiveness of the influenza vaccines. When a healthy person is vaccinated with the influenza vaccine, the body immune system responds by producing relevant antigens to fight and destroy the influenza virus. Therefore, when influenza pandemic occurs, the immune system of the vaccinated persons is capable of fighting the infection easily. Though the vaccinated individuals could become infected, the symptoms and the effect s of influenza are less severe compared to individuals who are not vaccinated. This limits transmission of the highly virulent influenza virus to other persons who are exposed to the infected person. Influenza is an airborne disease that is mainly transmitted when a person inhales droplets that are released when an infected person coughs or/and sneezes (Carrat, et al, 2008). Vaccinating people helps in preventing the spread of diseases and reduces the severity of ailments in the community. Failure to vaccinate people against influenza and other diseases could cause outbreaks that affect economy, social interactions and the environment negatively. When people are infected with a particular disease, the productivity of the country is lowered because of lengthy bed rests, incapacitation and deaths, which reduce the number of people capable of working. Disease outbreaks undermine social activities such as sports, travelling

No Child Left Behind Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

No Child Left Behind - Essay Example Next is the improvement of flexibility and local control. It also provides an increased number of options for parents. Lastly it stresses on proven teaching techniques. The phrase, "No Child Left Behind" (NCLB) has become a slogan for the federal scheme to increase "accountability" in American education. But despite the fact that NCLB is a federal plan, it will be up to the individual countries to make the plans and procedures that accomplish NCLB requirements. NCLB does not provide the new mandate with adequate funds. Thus this has an effect on opinions of many schools and parents. Many states have implemented this policy by now, but this has an impact on the parents and schools as they had to face many difficulties while coping up with the policy. This article further describes the effect, changes and pros and cons of the policy in regard to its laws.(Edwards & Perry 2004) This act generally stresses on developing American schools to a standard in which all students are given equal opportunities. As in the act it states "close the achievement gap between high- and low-performing children, especially the achievement gaps between minority and non-minority students, and between disadvantaged children and their more advantaged peers." This clearly reflects that NCLB aims to offer reasonable and equivalent opportunities to the students so that they can attain education of high standards. One of the most important terms of NCLB is the obligation that the states should set values in the field of education and should perform yearly evaluation of schools to check the progress of the school and analyze if the schools have been successful in improving the student's educational achievements. NCLB gives funds for the training of teachers; it provides special support to students who face difficulties with reading and supports immigrants and homeless students. Overa ll NCLB holds the states, districts and the schools to take accountability of the student's achievements. States are entitled to report the progress of students who suffer from problems like reading and writing. They are also directed to report about the students who are from different ethnic groups and who belong to families of low income. On the contrary NCLB has passed laws which act as a barrier for admission in kindergarten. Thus this proves to be a setback for the youth in their future. This youth may suffer from problems like aging, race difference and other physical and mental differences. A child cannot get admission in a kindergarten or a primary school if he has not cleared certain eligibility criterion (Panzica 2008). The laws implemented in the United States of America are prohibiting the children from early entries into kindergarten and primary schools. This can immensely affect the future of the children as it may determine the age of the child when he finishes his high school. There is a certain age limit for any child who needs admission in the kindergarten. If one is not able to comply with the age limits then they possibly will not get an admission into the school. The Act has made the school authorities more accountable for the results of the students and this has therefore made the authorities more conscious when giving admission to a child of less capabilities. The age criterion is so strict that the schools have a certain date setup (usually in September or December) at which the child should be of the

Research Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Research - Essay Example Therefore the count of blue shirts sold against other colors would be annualized and average taken with the same equation for all other variables.. Median divides the sets of data in half and places half above the median and half below the median while mode pertains to the score that occurs more frequently in a set of data. In each case an entire set of data can be summarized with a single value. There are also three main formulas for the measure of variability and they are Range, Variance and Standard Deviation. Through these measures we can tell how much the data in each set varies. Range measures the distance between the highest and lowest values and gives us an idea of the width of our data set. This is popular although it does not show were the data is grouped in the set. The total amount of variability is taken into account with Variance. To assess the difference in data sets a point needs to be found to which each observation can be compared. As mean takes in every observation in its calculation it would be the best point of comparison. Standard Deviation calculates the square root of a variance. It gives a good measure of variance and shows the average distance each observation is from the

Comparison Paper Research Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Comparison - Research Paper Example This concise overview will further analyze the history of public health and look at the difference between the community health and public health. Public Health Resources Public health refers to the medical approach that covers the health issues of the entire community. Public health resources facilitate providing health services to the public through an integrated and coordinated approach. The public health resources range from the health infrastructure to the health personnel and the health information services. Public health has several core functions, which include the monitoring and assessment of the populations and communities health and identifying priorities and problems (Cromley & McLafferty, 2011). Further, public health contributes in the public policies formulation to address the national and local priorities and problems. Lastly, public health ensures that citizens access cost-effective and appropriate care, which includes services of health promotion, health care evalua tion, and disease prevention. The practice of public health in Clinton County occupied a central place to ensure public welfare of her residents. Public health in Clinton County has contributed immensely in disease diagnosis, disease prevention, health promotion and prolonging life through community efforts organized for environment sanitation (Cromley & McLafferty, 2011). ... Clinton County is situated in Pennsylvania State; most of the public health resources in these localities are similar. These resources provide residents with continuous evaluation of the community's healthcare needs, as well as epidemiology and surveillance. Further, both Clinton County and Pennsylvania State have public health resources that track the patterns of treatable and preventable diseases, referral services to patients who require such services. Other resources include immunization services, public health response and emergency planning, environmental protection and community awareness through outreach programs. The national public health resources are broad, and they do not concentrate on any single provision. Instead, the national public health resources are general, and they are disbursed to the respective counties and states to ensure that they reach the citizens (Cromley & McLafferty, 2011). Therefore, the national public health resources cover the entire nation, and t he resources facilitate the health activities at county and state levels to ensure that the public receive high quality health services. The history of public health services dates back to 1798 after an act was passed to cater for the health needs of merchant seamen who were injured. In 1870, the entire hospitals were controlled by the state from a central point; this happened to give room for efficient supervision. The hospitals that were controlled from a central place formed the Marine Hospital Service. The scope of this hospital service widened, and the hospital started to undertake other complex activities besides caring for the seamen. In 1902, the Marine Hospital Service was controlling the spread of diseases through quarantines.

Research Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Research - Essay Example Therefore the count of blue shirts sold against other colors would be annualized and average taken with the same equation for all other variables.. Median divides the sets of data in half and places half above the median and half below the median while mode pertains to the score that occurs more frequently in a set of data. In each case an entire set of data can be summarized with a single value. There are also three main formulas for the measure of variability and they are Range, Variance and Standard Deviation. Through these measures we can tell how much the data in each set varies. Range measures the distance between the highest and lowest values and gives us an idea of the width of our data set. This is popular although it does not show were the data is grouped in the set. The total amount of variability is taken into account with Variance. To assess the difference in data sets a point needs to be found to which each observation can be compared. As mean takes in every observation in its calculation it would be the best point of comparison. Standard Deviation calculates the square root of a variance. It gives a good measure of variance and shows the average distance each observation is from the

The live concert Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The live concert - Essay Example I love going to the symphony due to the fact that the music has more quality than any other type of live music I have ever attended. The magic Flute,† Mozart’s timeless comic opera is all about young love which features some of the composer’s most wonderful music. Some critics argue that some parts of the show are really silly, but the fact is Mozart wrote really fun comic music that’s filled with the infectious enthusiasm of two teenagers who are in love for the first time. The part I enjoyed most was when the magic flute was being played, because it was intense where the artist showed all his energy and passion in order to bring Pamina, a character in the comedy, to him in process charming even the wild animals to him. The Arizona symphony orchestra is a vital part of community resource that plays a role in uniting performers and audiences through their passion for music. It’s also acknowledged through presenting world premieres, seldom performed t reasures and classical gems. Founded in 1979, it holds an important place in the world of symphonic music. In the concert the band had a cast of more than 100 students, 40 to 50 actors/ singers, a dozen dancers and another 40 musicians in the pit. The band is under the leadership of Music Director, Dr. Thomas Cockrell, one of the most experienced conductors of his generation. The band performs at the Crowder hall, where people from all walks of life come to enjoy the symphony through art, comedy and live music presentation.

Etrade Baby Essay Example for Free

Etrade Baby Essay A Talking Infant, Financial Systems, Golf What do a talking baby, stock markets, and golf all have in common? Nothing, right? Wrong. E*Trade – a popular public online financial services group – uses all three of these entities to create a commercial that has had people talking for years. When the commercial is over, you are left in shock at what you just saw, a baby in a high-chair talking about the stock market. But will the ad’s weirdness produce sales of the company’s program for years to come as well? Or just make it a highly talked about YouTube video? To the contrary, E*Trade does a professional job in conveying its message of simplicity to â€Å"average Joes† who are looking to either become day traders, start a retirement fund, or even banking. E*Trade’s main audience is not a person with a net worth or five million dollars. E*Trade is looking to sell their product to â€Å"average joe† type clients. It can be assumed this because E*Trade uses the financial term â€Å"401k† in their commercial; this is the most popular tax investment form everyone has. The main character of the commercial is â€Å"The E*Trade Baby,† but there’s a catch, the baby speaks with a mature older man’s voice. This adds a sense of weirdness to the commercial right off the bat. One may question the validity of a company whose commercials star a talking baby, but this is a clever marketing approach because if people see a talking baby, something they don’t see every day, they will immediately become engaged in the commercial. E*Trade uses a baby as a symbol for inexperience, simplicity and an older man’s voice for knowledge. E*Trade wants to show the audience that if a baby can you use the program, so can the audience. They also want to show knowledge, that E*Trade is a reliable and trusted company, so they use the voice of an older man to portray legitimacy. E*Trade wants to declare that â€Å"Yes, this is a legit company and yes, we’re simple to use,† so a talking baby fits in perfectly to both categories. Just like the Old Spice commercials talked about in class, the E*Trade Baby ads have many spinoffs with numerous situations the baby is in. The commercial I am focusing on is set in a golf country club locker room. The ad starts off with the baby talking to a man named Frank. The baby says â€Å"Ah, this is weak, man. Frank’s trying to not pay me my winnings for the skins beat down I just issued him. † The baby has now caught the attention of the audience with this opening line because people are drawn into the weirdness of a talking baby in the commercial. Now when he starts to talk about finance and what the company actually does, viewers will be already engaged. Not only does the talking baby raise questions that attract us to this ad, but there are many other. For instance, why is a baby playing golf with old man? And why is there a computer in the locker room of a country golf club? All All these questions have no answers but it draws us into the commercial and makes us connected to it, hopefully throughout the commercial we will find answers to these questions, but in this case we do not. E*Trade’s goal is to get a lot of publicity and attention with their commercials while providing us with the smallest amount of information. This is because E*Trade wants people to inquire about the company and have them visit E*Trade’s website us. etrade. com. Once on the website, people will be impressed by the fancy website that proves it is a legitimate company, and lured into signing up for an account The baby says â€Å"His (Frank) 401k’s tankin. Ya gotta grab the reins man. Get E*Trade, do some analytics, do some research (into the stock market), and take charge so I don’t have to subsidize your lack of skills. † There’s actually a lot of information about the company and its message all in that little saying. The E*Trade baby uses a clever balance a financial terms and jokes to put the viewer in an informal setting while talking about a big decision a person must make. E*Trade is not an elite company for only the â€Å"one-percenters† to use. E*Trade’s goal is to get skilled and novice users with just a little amount of money to open an accountant. Using the term 401k is strategically brilliant because everyone who works for a company most likely has one. E*Trade could have used any tax form number, but chose the most popular one to relate to the most people and with the current economy, it’s probably on the minds of most people right now. When the baby says, â€Å"Do some analytics, do some research, and take charge,† he is describing the job of the novice investor. The baby is now describing that when using the E*Trade software, you are able to look at analytical charts and graphs, read news articles and research about potential stock purchases and basically to take charge of your life. E*Trade does not buy and sell stock for you; you have to do it yourself. You are in control of the future and E*Trade presents the question â€Å"What are you going to do to prepare yourself for it? † It’s hard to tell whom is the exact audience E*Trade is trying to promote itself to, but assumptions can be made. Since it is a golf setting in a country club, they are focusing on males anywhere from 20s to 60s (the general range of persons with a 401k). E*Trade did a good job picking a wide range of ages with this advertisement, which is what makes it such a good ad! Since the ad is set in a country club locker room, E*Trade is also advertising to a certain class of people I believe: well educated men who know a think about finance and who play golf. Golf is an expensive sport. I think if you have money to play golf you would be interested and would know the benefits of investing. But are they also advertising to a whole inclusive audience with a cute baby to grab the attentions of mothers and grandmothers? Only the directions and producers know that answer. You can have a good commercial, the best commercial ever known to man. But if you don’t have the right exposure no one will see it. E*Trade played this commercial before and after Superbowl XLII on February 1, 2009. Back to what was said before on the age of the audience, 20s to 60s. That basically sums up the audience of the Superbowl as well; perfect. E*Trade picked the most opportune time to run this commercial and not only reaches its projected audience, but all 90 some odd million people that tune in each year to watch the game, and the commercials. Another part of the commercial that is important to take into consideration is the point of view in which we view the commercial. Since the program E*Trade is used on a computer, the great minds behind this commercial put the camera where a usually webcam should be. This is to provide a visual of where the user of E*Trade’s product will be using the product. This is brilliant because now we see the baby sitting in a chair in front of the computer using a keyboard and a mouse, in the same spot where we would use the program was well. The E*Trade Baby Commercial is trying to sell to their audience a financial services program available to download on the computer. E*Trade does a good job in getting the attention of its viewer and making a hard subject of finance fun and entertaining. E*Trade describes everything that their company’s mission statement says that they are, â€Å"A financial services ompany that is simple to use. Designed with the user in mind. † There is no doubt in my mind that this commercial will go down as a classic and will have people talking about the â€Å"E*Trade baby† for years to come. To respond to the question previously stated in the beginning of this paper. Even though this commercial will be popular for years to come, will the ad produce sales of the company’s program for years to c ome as well? It turns out, no. When a person is looking to invest in money, they normally look for a company that is well-reputable and well-respected. Humor is no doubt, un-debatable, a marketing tool to grab the attention of a viewer, but humor in advertising is very hard to pull off because you simply never know what people will laugh out. Some think it funny, others think it’s not. In order for a commercial to use humor, the company should be trying to sell humor. Clearly E*Trade does not sell humor.. Instead of a talking baby to grab the audience’s attention and provide a laugh, E*Trade should create a well-informative commercial that captures the audience’s attention and show how one can benefit from using E*Trade.

Discussion on Women Education and Empowerment in India

Discussion on Women Education and Empowerment in India Women constitute almost half of the population in the world. But the prevailing masculine ideology made them suffer a lot as they were denied equal opportunities in different parts of the world. The rise of feminist ideas have, however, led to the tremendous improvement of womens condition through out the world in recent times. India being a developing nation and having huge tussles among its political, religious and administrative organs resulting into blocked development and the worst effect of that we can witness into women condition .They do not have proper chance to learn and grow and access to education has been one of the most pressing demands of womens rights . Women education in India has also been a major preoccupation of both the government and civil society as educated women can play a very important role in the development of the country. History of Women Education in India(4,6):Although in the Vedic period women had access to education in India but as the time grew they lost this right to avail education and academic exposure. However, in the British period there was revival of interest in womens education in India due to Britishers strong influence to the core Indian education system. During this period, various socio religious movements led by eminent persons like Raja Ram Mohan Roy, Iswar Chandra Vidyasagar emphasized on womens education in India. Mahatma Jyotiba Phule, Periyar and Baba Saheb Ambedkar were leaders of the lower castes in India who took various initiatives to make education available to the women of India. They also ensured about their participation in the social gatherings and events by introducing them into polity and administration at all levels. However womens education got a fillip after the country got independence in 1947 and the government has taken various measures to provide education to a ll Indian women. As a result womens literacy rate has grown over the three decades and the growth of female literacy has in fact been higher than that of male literacy rate. While in 1971 only 22% of Indian women were literate, by the end of 2001 54.16% female were literate. The growth of female literacy rate is 14.87% as compared to 11.72 % of that of male literacy rate and is on growing path. Government has taken a step forward by making education compulsory and free to girl child till the age of fourteen. They are getting reservations in public sector exams and private sectors like Banks, Transport Services, Hospitality and Tourism, Healthcare etc. (4. Freedom Struggle By- Bipin Chandra Pal) Table The Literacy Rate in India 1901-2011 Percentage  Ã‚   of  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Literates  Ã‚  Ã‚   to  Ã‚   total  Ã‚  Ã‚   population Year  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Persons  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Males  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Females 1901  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   5.3  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   9.8  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   0.7 1911  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   5.9  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   10.6  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   1.1 1921  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   7.2  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   12.2  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   1.8 1931  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   9.5  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   15.6  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   2.9 1941  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   16.1  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   24.9  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   7.3 1951  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   16.7  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  24.9  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   7.3 1961  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   24.0  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   34.4  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   13.0 1971  Ã‚  Ã‚        Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   29.5  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   39.5  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  18.7 1981  Ã‚           Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   36.2  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   46.9  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   24.8 1991  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   52.1  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   63.9  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   39.2 2001  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   65.38   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  76.0  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   54.0 2011(Recent data) 74.04 82.14 65.46 The above table shows that there is an improvement in women literacy in India during the years. But when we compare it with male literacy it becomes a concern area. (9. Censusindia.gov.in) Importance of Women Education in India(7):Women education in India plays a very important role in the overall development of the country. It not only helps in the development of half of the human resources, but in improving the quality of life at home and outside. Educated women not only tend to promote education of their girl children, but also can provide better guidance to all their children. Moreover educated women can also help in the reduction of infant mortality rate and growth of the nation. Education is a potent tool in the emancipation and empowerment of women. Its true that greatest single factor which can incredibly improve the status of women in any society is education. It is indispensable that education enables women not only to gain more knowledge about the world outside of her shell and home but helps her to get status, positive self esteem, and self confidence. It imparts necessary courage and inner strength to face challenges in life. Apparently it also facilitates them to procure a job and supplement the income of family and achieve social status. Education especially of women has a major impact on health and nutrition as an instrument of developing a sustainable strategy for population control. Moreover educated women can play an equally important role as men in nation building. Thus there is no denying fact that education empowers women. For example the different organs of the United Nations and experts on womens liberation argue for womens education as the basic step to attain equality with men. ( 7. Saraswathi Mishra, Status of Indian Women,Gyan Publishing House, New Delhi, 2002) Obstacles:As we have discussed earlier to improve women education and condition in India various initiatives and corrective measures have been done but still a lot is expected to be accomplished. THE ROOT CAUSES FOR LOW LITERACY AMONG WOMEN IN INDIA Women education is a multi-dimensional phenomenon. No single factor or cause can be held responsible for very low literacy rate of women in India. Subsequently it is associated with combination of many factors including social, cultural, economic, educational, demographic, political and administrative and so on. The following are the some of the important factors which could be attributed for the present poor state of affairs of womenfolk in education. The Lower Enrolment: The lower enrolment of girls in schools is one of the foundational factors which stand as stumbling block for women empowerment in India. Reliable sources indicate that more than 50 % of the Non-Starters (those who have never been to school) are girls.   According to the latest statistics, two out of every ten girls in the age group of 6-11 are still not enrolled in schools. (1) Higher drop-out rate among girls from schools: The incidence and prevalence of drop -outs among girls especially in rural, tribal and slums areas seem to be quite high. According to available sources, occurrence of drop-out and stagnation amongst girls is nearly twice that of boys all over India. (1) Girl Child as Second Mother:In many families girl children play the role of second mother by shouldering the responsibilities of household work such as looking after the sibling, fetching water, collecting firewood, bringing fodder for cattle, cleaning and cooking etc.   In rural India especially in poor families this traditional sex role makes girl child handicapped and conditioned by the attitude of mother and the family and discourages girl child to go school as it becomes secondary and unimportant. Hence girl child is getting deprived of her basic and fundamental right of education and freedom. (8) Bonded Labor System: This social evil is a quite discouraging phenomena which stand as barrier for girls education in rural areas for the underprivileged families of washer men and agricultural labor , scheduled caste and scheduled tribes. Caste System as a Barrier : Children belonging to low caste families are forced to learn skills and work ways and not encouraged to go to school due to various factors. Strict instruction /threat from high caste communities for their selfish motives of keeping them as domestic servants and child laborers in the farms or factory. We can witness this through the stories of various factories and farm houses in industrial cities of India. Media is also playing a crucial role here in promoting as well as resisting these mishaps. (8) Bane of Dowry:Dowry system and other social practices act as main causes of the neglect of the girl child and discrimination against girl child including the deprivation of right of education. In many families especially poor and down-trodden think that if their daughters are educated more, they have to accumulate more assets and properties to provide as dowry in large proportion at the time of marriage, so prefer rather to either stop their children with average education and so on but never higher education. This prevails more in underprivileged families and communities. (1) Child Labour Practice:A large segment of child population in India is engaged in child labour practices. According to UN sources   India is the most child labour populous nation in the globe with more than 50 million child labourers indulged in beedi works , carpet making , bricks,   mining , quarrying ,glass, bangles, match and fireworks, gem polishing ,handloom works. zari,   embroidery ,coir industry, domestic works, construction etc. In most of these industries girl children are preferred for high productivity and low cost. (8) Poor School Environment for girls: In general the school environment for girls in India is not really interesting and encouraging. The subjects taught in schools are also not related to the environment of girl children. The methods of teaching are mostly out dated, rigid and uninteresting. There are still hundreds of schools with poor basic amenities such as drinking water, latrine and toilet facilities, improper building, and inadequate number of teachers especially female teachers preferable for any parents for safety of their girl children from different types of exploitation and abuse. (7) Female age at marriage: There is high association of female literacy with female age at marriage.   By and large the female age at marriage of 18   ( recently 21 years ) as prescribed by various legislations not at all followed in India .It is very much ignored and neglected by the families of parents with low literacy and illiteracy background. This obnoxious practice discourages female children to continue their schooling and higher education as they enter into family life at the early age which is not advisable from the physical and mental health point of view and also of social development. (7) Inferiority, subservience and domesticity:The female child in Indian culture especially in rural, tribal and poor families is expected to develop the qualities of inferiority; subservience and domesticity which place sever limitations on her education and development. They are considered to be lesser important for getting knowledge of outside world and exposure to education and liberty. (6) Poverty as a Barrier: In many poverty stricken families, children especially girls are considered as economic  Ã‚   assets as they bring income for livelihood as well to save from economic crises due to death or incapacity of parents (sick/ handicapped/aged). Ineffective Law Enforcing Machinery:Indian constitution and various legislations pertaining to education to children assure free and compulsory education all children of this nation but unfortunately the enforcement machinery fail to discharge its duties and responsibilities to the satisfaction of the public interest and welfare of women. Due to this wrong implementation of right policies also women of our country is getting severely affected. (5) Demographic Factors:The high population growth rate, rapid urbanisation, migration etc also attribute immensely for the poor literacy level of women and girls in India. In these frequent transition girl Childs and women are getting neglected, uncared and unheard. (5) Poor Political Will and Conviction: Government officials, policy makers, politicians etc of our country have neither political will nor conviction for the empowerment of women in general. The only think about their personal benefits and money making ignoring the welfare of the community for whom and by whom they have reached to that position. It is a very sad and disappointing aspect of Indias democracy. (5) Gender discrimination:It still persists in India .Male are still dominating and commanding the social structure of the nation and lot more needs to be done to improve womens participation in this regard e.g. womens education. The gap in the male-female literacy rate is just a simple indicator. While the male literary rate is more than 75% according to the 2001 census, the female literacy rate is just 54.16%.Prevailing prejudices, low enrollment of girl child in the schools, engagements of girl children in domestic works and high drop out rate are major obstacles in the path of making all Indian women educated. (6) Poor Academia:Another reason for poor quality of women educationhere is the poor quality of teachers ingovernment schools .Government schools are unable toattract good quality teachers due toinadequate teaching facilities and low salaries. The government currently spends only 3% of its GDP on educationwhich is inadequate and insufficient. Toimprovethe quality of education, the government needs tospend more money from its coffers on education. (4) Steps to improve their Participation: A A significant development in recent years has been the mushrooming of community-based organizations and initiatives at the local level for women. Reports indicates that self-help programs, often in the form of savings and credit or micro credit schemes, have succeeded in changing the lives of poor women, enhancing incomes and generating positive externalities such as increased self-esteem. Micro credit is about much more than access to money. It is about women gaining control over the means to make a living. It is about women lifting themselves out of poverty and vulnerability. I is about women achieving economic and political empowerment within their homes, their villages, their countries. (5) In this whole paper we have discussed about women condition in India in terms of access to education, opportunity to learn and grow and problems in achieving the same and at last some of the measures to rectify the errors and making things happen. B-One more initiative taken by the government is the voucher system. Under the voucher system, parents are allowed tochoose a school for their children and they get full or partial reimbursement for the expenses from the government. But however, the voucher system has also a draw back because it will further aggravate the problem of poor quality of educationingovernment schools. Such a system will shift resources from government schools toprivate schools. This will worsen the situation of government schools which are already under-funded. Moreover, if the same amount given as vouchers can be used tobuild infrastructure inschools then the government can realize economies of scale. (6) C-The government of India has also felt the need to put in place an appropriate institutional mechanism to look after the Education Rights of Women and thus instituted the formulation of All India Womens Conference, National Womens Commission and State Womens Commission. At the same time government has approved special grants and allowances to NGOs working for the cause of women upliftment and social mobility. Self Help Groups have also been constituted at Panchayat level to provide a platform for the rural women to discuss issues such as family planning, child marriage, widow remarriage, Sati, domestic violence. Mother Teresas Women Universityhas greatly helped in the cause of women empowerment who received Noble Peace Prize for her genuine social work. (6) D -India is getting a great help from World Bankfor the betterment of women education and their empowerment in the country .It has approved funding for Andhra Pradesh Rural Poverty Reduction Programme (APRPRP) thus garnering international supportfor the upliftment of women. Womens reservation Bill in the Lok Sabha has gained momentum with Govt. of India promising the reservation of one-third seats in Parliament for the women. (8) E -One of the recommendations of National Policy on Education (1986) by the Government of India is to promote empowerment of women through the agency of education and it is considered to be a land mark in the approach to womens education of illiterate. The National Literacy Mission is another positive step towards eradication of illiteracy in the age group of 15-35 years. Women education has assumed special significance in the context of Indias planned development, as it is incorporated in every Five-year plans as the major programme for the development of women. Universalization of elementary education, enrolment and retention of girls in the schools, promotion of balwadies and crutches, raising number of schools and colleges of arts , science, and professional for girls , Politechniques, girls hostels, multipurpose institutions and adult education programmes are some of the steps being   taken by both central and state governments in India to boost-up womens education. (5) F    Since the prevailing situation of poor or less enrolment of girls in schools closes the doors for development and prosperity of future generation of women, concerted efforts must be initiated jointly by the government, parents and civil society to achieve universal enrolment for girls without any compromise. The enrolment can be made even mandatory for every girls by the government in the realm of compulsory education. (5) G -The Ministry of Education both at Centre and State level should work out strategic steps to stop firmly the ongoing high drop -outs among girls especially in rural, tribal and slums areas with the serious involvement of voluntary organisations in every locality to realize zero drop-out among girls. (7) H -The poverty stricken families can   be identified through proper research and necessary poverty alleviation   services be provided to strengthen the income   thereby to enable the families to send their children to schools and colleges without much financial difficulties I -Bonded Child labour and Child labour   practice must be abolished with strict administrative measures and the relieved children form bondage   should be integratedinto schools with suitable defence social mechanism. J Appropriate steps should be taken by the educational authorities with the participation of communities in order to bring the girl children to the main stream of education and development at every level including family and community. K -The female child in every Indian family irrespective of socio-economic status should be moulded to overcome the challenges of inferiority; subservience and domesticity which place sever limitations on her education and development. Every family irrespective its socio-cultural and economic background can take it a challenge to bring up their girl children as dignified human being with empowerment in physical , mental, economic and social dimensions of life. (7) L The Midday meal scheme and other educational supportive services like free text books,   Note books , Fee uniforms , Free Bicycles, Free bus , scholarships Free bus pass and so on   as done in the state of Tamil Nadu can be provided in all states and union territories to lift up the literacy level among girls. (6) M -As social evils like dowry, child marriage , caste system and other practices deprive rights of education for children belonging to poor and underprivileged families and communities, they should eliminated through well-designed packages of mass awareness programmes and social welfare measures with full support of   public, political parties, NGOs and government agencies. (7) N -The electronic and print media can play significant role in building a good and positive image about girls and women in general in the society by giving no focus for such advertisements and news fetching commercial gain at the cost of depicting women as an object. This would help in changing the society s attitudes towards girls and their roles to treat every girl or woman as human being with self respect and dignity. (7) O -Government, voluntary sector and philanthropic organisations and individuals should come forward to provide free education for poor girls and provide free   hostel facilities   for girls studying in schools and colleges in every state of India. This will certainly encourage children of poor families to pursue good and higher education without much impediments. (6) P -The schools of social work, departments of women studies, Women Universities and other educational institutions in hand with   NGOs   and social service organisations such as Rotary Clubs , Lions Clubs , women lib organisations associations can work together to improve the educational status of the womenfolk in this country on mutual respect and understanding. (7) Q -The parents of children belonging to poor, underprivileged families   must be specially educated with proper social formula to help them   to understand the significance of education   for their girl children as foundation for empowerment. (1) R -Government, NGOs and public should work hand in hand to implement the minimum age at marriage (21and above) Awareness should be created to institutionalise it as a traditional practice cut acrossing castes, religions, community etc. (5) S Government officials, policy makers, political parties and others should have adequate political will and conviction to empower women in India without double standard mind T -The law enforcing machinery should be made really effective with efficient monitoring vigilant system to implement the constitutional and legislative provisions and administrative measures to assure free and compulsory education for all children of this nation without any gender discrimination. (7) Its true that there is great deal of requirement to uplift women education in India at the grass root level because majority of the female population live in the rural areas .They do not avail the basic things in their life and to get education is still a distant dream for them. However Indian government is coming up with various scheme in their five year plan to make the situation healthy and encouraging for these women. In 1990s, grants from foreign donor agencies enabled the formation of new women-oriented NGOs(3). Self-help groups and NGOs such as Self Employed WomenHYPERLINK http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SEWAHYPERLINK http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SEWAs Association (SEWA) have played a major role in womens rights in India. Many women have emerged as leaders of local movements. For example, Medha Patkar of the Narmada Bachao Andolan. Companies like NIIT Ltd. (2) has come up with the project called Affirmative Action where they are taking girls from the down trodden areas and training them about English language, basic computer knowledge and after that helping them to get jobs in Retail, BPO ,Hospitality sectors. In this way the are educating them and by providing jobs women are getting empowered in taking decision, participating in family income and by helping their kids to make the future bright and opportunity oriented. (2 , 3) There is no doubt about the fact that development of women has always been the central focus of planning since Independence. Empowerment is a major step in this direction but it has to be seen in a relational context. A clear vision is needed to remove the obstacles to the path of womens emancipation both from the government and women themselves. Efforts should be directed towards all round development of each and every section of Indian women by giving them their due share. The status of women in India has been subject to many great changes over the past few millennia. From equal status with men in ancient times through the bad phases of the medieval period, to the promotion of equal rights by many reformers, the history of women in India has been on better track. In modern India, women have acquired high offices in India including that of the President, Prime minister, Speaker of the Lok Sabha, Leader of Opposition, etc. The current President of India is a woman. (5) A review of governments various programmes for women empowerment such as Swashakti, Swayamsidha, Streeshakti, Balika samrudhi yojana and another two thousand projects reveal that little has been done or achieved through these programmes. The discrepancy in the ideology and practice of the empowerment policy of women in India constitutes its continued social, economic and social backwardness. Women make up 52% of our countrys population. Hence there can be no progress unless their needs and interests are fully met. Empowerment would not hold any meaning unless they are made strong, alert and aware of their equal status in the society. Policies should be framed to bring them into the mainstream of society. It is important to educate the women. The need of the hour is to improve female literacy as education holds the key to development. (2 , 3) There is no doubt about the fact that development of women has always been the central focus of planning since Independence. Empowerment is a major step in this direction but it has to be seen in a relational context. A clear vision is needed to remove the obstacles to the path of womens emancipation both from the government and women themselves. Efforts should be directed towards all round development of each and every section of Indian women by giving them their due share. I believe with the likes of Pratibha Patil, Sonia Gandhi, Indra Nooyi, Chanda Kochar etc. bagging the top jobs, it would not be long when India would be boosting of its Gender Equality Index (GEI) and Gender Development Index (GDI).Lesser will be the social stigma of women exploitation which have haunted it for many years gone by. Summary: Empowerment can be defined as the totality of the following or similar capabilities: Having decision-making power of their own Having access to information and resources for taking proper decision Having a range of options from which you can make choices (not just yes/no, either/or.) Ability to exercise assertiveness collective decision making Having positive thinking on the ability to make change Ability to learn skills for improving ones personal or group power. Ability to change others perceptions by democratic means. Involving in the growth process and changes that is never ending and self-initiated Increasing ones positive self-image and overcoming stigma Conclusion: From these discussions we can say that the most common explanation of womens empowerment is the ability to exercise full control over ones actions. The last decades have witnessed some basic changes in the status and role of women in our society. There has been shift in policy approaches from the concept of welfare in the seventies to development in the eighties and now to growth in the nineties and now trumpet of empowerment. This process has been further accelerated with some sections of women becoming increasingly self-conscious of their discrimination in several areas of family and public life. They are also in a position to mobilize themselves on issues that can affect their overall position.