Humanities Today Paper Essay

Introduction Humanities is the academic discipline that study human culture , incorporating methods that are critical, analytical and hypothetical that also have important historic components, acclaimed from the approaches from natural science. Humanities consist of philosophy, performing arts, modern and ancient languages, literature, religion and visual. Social sciences such as history, anthropology, area studies, communications studies, cultural studies, linguistics and law are also viewed as segments of humanities. In this meaning the key point for identifying humanities from other modes of individual query is the point that humanities depends on traditional and significant presentation rather than concept and reasoning. Humanities consult about the human’s presentation of his or her environment. The queries come from the common inhabitants or an individuals own concept of the reaction to traditional events and the way that it is indicated by way of art, technology, politics, literature music, structure, and religious beliefs. Other modes of individual query are centered off of confirmed information and scientific concepts. Music Music has changed drastically since the 90’s . Walkman’s and tape players were what were used to listen to music and today technology has change and enables you to listen and access music from the internet such as Pandora, ITunes and you tube, and cell phones such as smart phones and IPod’s. Music has an influence on politics and political movements. Songs such as the national Anthem, patriotic songs and political campaign jingles are all apart of music with in politics these songs are called topical songs (Goodman, 2013). A powerful connection between the art and politics, particularly between various types of art and power, occurs across traditional epochs and societies. As they reply to coexisting events and state politics, art takes on governmental as well as public measurements, becoming themselves a target of debate and even a power of governmental as well as social transformations. Art A great number of colleges offer classes such as computer science, engineering, electronic music and digital art. These classes enable an individual to create and design is through technology. In regards to components, architecture has to do with the preparing, developing and building form, room and atmosphere that indicate efficient, specialized, social, ecological, and visual concerns (Thagard, 2013). It requires the artistic adjustment and synchronization of material, engineering, light and darkness. Architecture involves the realistic aspects of recognizing components, such as arranging, cost effectiveness and development management as certification produced by designers, sketches, plans and specialized requirements, framework and actions of a building or any other kind of system that is to be or has been constructed. Philosophy Philosophy and politics are generally linked together. As both talk about the query of what is excellent and how individuals should remain. From olden days, and well beyond them, the origins of justified reason for governmental power were certainly linked with outlooks on individual instinct (Thagard 2008). In The Republic, Plato provided the discussion that the perfect community would be run by authorities of philosopher-kings, since those best at viewpoint are best able to recognize the excellent. John Dewey, Martin Heidegger, Herbert Marcuse, and Gunther Arendt are outstanding philosophers from the 20th century that seen technology as a pathway to the modern life. One of the attributes the people liked about our new president is that he would end wars. Today he is out in a position to where he is going to have to start a war or end one. According to Shapiro his philosophy is â€Å"Those regimes that break the rules must be held accountable,† he said in 2009, while accepting the Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo, Norway (Shapiro, 2013). Conclusion Implied in many of these justifications supporting the humanities are the components of arguments against community assistance of humanities. John Carroll claims that we reside in a changing world, a world in which â€Å"cultural capital† is being changed with â€Å"scientific literacy† and in which the loving idea of an early humanities student is outdated ( Thagard 2013).

Public Fiscal Administration Essay

Fiscal Institutions and Fiscal Performance shifts emphasis away from narrow economic factors to more broadly defined political and institutional factors that affect government policy and national debt. This collection brings together new theoretical models, empirical evidence, and a series of in-depth case studies to analyze the effect of political institutions, fiscal regulations, and policy decisions on accumulating deficits. It provides a fascinating overview of the political and economic issues involved and highlights the role of budgetary institutions in the formation of budget deficits. While our roundtable considered differences between two states as points of departure, we believe the principles identified in our exchanges apply to other state environments as well. In fact, a major objective of this paper is to encourage other states to consider these questions in light of their own policies and performance. These are the key questions our roundtable participants suggested that any state should ask as it seeks to improve the performance of its higher education institutions in advancing public priorities. 1. To what extent has a state defined the public purposes it expects higher education institutions to help accomplish? Are the purposes a state seeks to achieve through its colleges and universities clearly articulated? Do institutional leaders and policymakers share a common understanding of those purposes? A first step for any state that seeks to improve the performance of its higher education system is to pose and publicly debate a core set of questions concerning that system: What is the rationale that justifies a state’s spending for institutional appropriation, capital construction, or financial aid? Is that rationale clearly defined? Is it consciously examined, debated, and reaffirmed at regular intervals in the arenas of public policy? Or have the arguments that justify a state’s expenditures for higher education become vestiges of a distant past, subject to differing memories and interpretations? A state needs the political will to set the public agenda-to form ulate clear definitions of the public purposes it expects higher education institutions to help attain. As the needs of society itself evolve, the ends a state seeks to achieve through its colleges and universities can also change. For this reason, the question of higher education’s role in advancing the public weal needs to be  revisited periodically. At the same time, a state needs to assess how well the policies and programs currently in place actually achieve their intended goals. In the absence of such periodic reviews, states tend to increase their expectations of higher education institutions-to add new expectations-without considering how the new expectations relate to those in place from an earlier time. States must also work to maintain a balance between the evolution of their own public purposes on the one hand and the evolution of institutional goals on the other. A state that allows unspoken and implicit priorities to prevail over principles that are publicly debated and affirmed effectively accords more autonomy to institutions in pursuing their own directions. Ultimately, states that do not articulate their purposes may find themselves maintaining institutions for reasons that are increasingly vague and ambiguous. 2. How well do a state’s fiscal appropriation practices align with the mandates of its higher education policies? What combination of policy mandate and incentives is most effective in motivating institutions toward the achievement of public purposes? Providing a rationale and framework for supporting higher education institutions is half the task confronting state policymakers. Through a combination of statutory authority and resource allocation, a state must work to ensure that institutions fulfill the public purposes its policymakers have identified. The authority of educational policy derives from the constitutional power of a state’s elected representatives. While respecting the operational flexibility of higher education institutions, these officials help determine institutional priorities by establishing state policies. Beyond the mandate of policy, however, a state must be willing to appropriate the resources needed to achieve given purposes. A state’s budgetary appropriation to institutions is a most telling statement of public policy with regard to higher education; by the amount and the kind of funding it provides, a state sends an explicit or implicit signal about its priorities for higher education. For reasons beyond its control, a state may sometimes fail to provide sufficient funding for institutions to carry out its public purposes to the extent or at the level of quality it desires. While unforeseen shortfalls in the budget are inevitable in some years, a state that systematically underfunds its higher education system loses some ability to influence institutions in terms of quality or direction. Ultimately, a state and its higher education system need to define what constitutes a reasonable exchange of product for price. While some institutions prefer formula-driven or incremental increases in the funding they receive, public officials have occasionally sought to link a portion of an institution’s funding to the achievement of a particular objective, such as enrollment, retention, or degree completion. A state must exercise caution to ensure that the funding incentives it establishes in fact motivate the behaviors it desires in institutions. The international perspective of our roundtable provided a telling example of the need for policymakers to ensure that the fulfillment of a public purpose falls within the interests of institutions themselves. South Africa, until recently, used the technique of penalizing institutions whose students did not achieve acceptable levels of performance. Rather than spurring institutions to foster heightened achievement in their existing student bodies, this policy often caused higher education institutions to seek higher-achieving students in order to avoid incurring penalty, in effect heightening the barriers to access for many students. The country is now finalizing a new funding system with incentives to institutions that improve the performance of lower-achieving students. Fiscal strategy is not the only means by which a state can influence institutional behavior. If designed carefully, with an awareness of what motivates institutions, however, the alignment of funding with the achievement of public purposes can be an effective means of improving a state’s higher education performance. 3. To what extent do a state’s tuition and financial aid policies contribute to increased higher education participation and completion? The amount of tuition charged at public institutions, in addition to state programs of financial aid and assistance, are central elements of a state’s fiscal policy. It sometimes occurs that a state’s public officials have not formulated an explicit policy regarding tuition, and in such instances, the very lack of specificity constitutes a policy decision. A primary lesson from the AIHEPS research and from experience in many other settings is the importance of need-based programs of financial aid and assistance to foster higher education participation and completion among the most needy. Financial aid is the area in which a state’s higher education policy intersects most substantially with federal programs; the kinds of financial aid a state  makes available in conjunction with Pell Grants and other federal aid programs define the contours of affordability for students in that setting. Both New Jersey and New Mexico exemplify a strong commitment to access, and both take substantial steps to ensure that financial need does not become a barrier to enrolling and completing a degree program in a college or university. In addition to its need-based programs of financial aid, New Mexico’s commitment to access results in a remarkably low tuition at the state’s public institutions of higher education. The experience of many state policy environments makes clear, however, that low tuition in itself does not guarantee access for students. Particularly in sparsely populated settings, where higher education institutions may be a considerable distance from a student’s home, the decision to attend college entails a number of financial commitments that low tuition in itself cannot help a student to meet. Need-based financial aid is a critical element for any state that seeks to enhance the participation of students who have limited financial means. One of the most notable developments during the past several years is the growth in programs that award aid on the basis of academic merit without regard for financial need. Georgia’s merit-based program of financial aid, Helping Outsta nding Pupils Educationally (HOPE), has proven to be a model for similar programs in other states. In New Mexico, the merit-based Lottery Success Scholarship Program has become enormously popular with voters, policymakers, and institutions alike. As with many other aspects of public policy, merit-based programs of financial aid tend to provide greatest benefit to members of the middle class. No elected public official can fail to perceive the political benefit of programs that are popular with the largest block of voters in a state. Merit-based aid programs exemplify a different policy objective from that of providing financial assistance to the most needy. A state’s motivation in providing such aid is to encourage more of its highest-achieving students to remain in the state-first by enrolling in its higher education institutions, and then, ideally, by choosing to live and work in the state after graduation, thus enhancing a state’s educational capital. Merit-based programs have certainly succeeded in attracting more of the highest-achieving students to pursue their baccalaureate degrees in their home state; in doing so, they have relieved many high-achieving, mostly middle-class students and their parents of  substantial costs they might otherwise have incurred in attending institutions out of state. Students of this type tend to have considerable mobility after graduation, however, and it is less clear whether merit-based programs encourage more of them to remain in a state after completing their degrees. Much of the controversy centers on the question of whether a state’s investment in merit-based financial aid occurs at the expense of its commitment to need-based aid. Most of those states that have invested in merit-based programs of aid during the past several years did not have strong historical commitments to need-based aid. In those cases, the introduction of merit-based aid has done no harm to students with greater financial need; in fact, some needy students have benefited because they qualify for the merit-based programs. In states that have begun to blend merit-based with need-based commitments, however, it often appears that the appeal of merit aid has diminished the perception of importance attached to need-based programs. Beyond the obvious political popularity of merit-based aid, a state must ask whether such programs yield a long-term benefit of encouraging more of the best and brightest to remain in the state as workers and citizens. If the answer is no, the question then becomes whether the dollars expended in merit-based programs might be more effectively spent enhancing programs that enable more of those with greatest financial ne ed to attend college. 4. What role does the state interface agency-typically either a higher education governing or coordinating board-play to ensure that a state’s higher education institutions contribute effectively to the achievement of public purposes? To what extent is institutional mission a factor in determining the responsibilities of institutions in fulfilling public purposes? Nearly every state in the United States has one or more agencies that serve as intermediaries between a state’s lawmakers and its higher education institutions. The level of authority vested in a state interface agency varies: some states have a governing board with regulatory authority over public institutions, others a coordinating board that serves in primarily steering and oversight capacities. The notable exception to this rule is the four-year sector in Michigan, which has no formal interface agency. Michigan’s public universities rely on a council of presidents to achieve a unified approach in de aling with the state’s lawmakers. While presidents of four-year universities stand in accord on many issues, each  institution appeals individually to the Legislature and governor in the state’s budget process, and the amount of funding each institution receives is a direct function of its historical allocation, modestly adjusted by lobbying efforts. A state higher education interface agency can help reduce the inherent competition among public colleges and universities. In addition, an effective governing or coordinating board can play a vital role in making a state’s system of higher education more efficient, more successful, and more accountable in terms of educational performance. The interface agency itself must be accountable both to the public purposes a state has defined and to the needs of higher education institutions within the system it serves. An effective interface agency can encourage collaboration among institutions; it can work in behalf of all colleges and universities to influence s tate government; and it can gather and provide information that documents changes in performance. One of the key roles a governing or coordinating board plays is that of providing information that influences decision making both in state government and in individual institutions. The information disseminated by an interface agency can contribute substantially to the effectiveness of the state’s higher education system, helping to sustain the interest of institutional leaders and policymakers in performance. The periodic distribution of comparative data helps sharpen and renew public officials’ understanding of the purposes a state seeks to achieve through its higher education institutions, while also reminding institutional leaders of the criteria that measure an institution’s performance. Indeed, the international perspective of the AIHEPS project makes clear that the presence or absence of information in a given environment is itself a policy issue. One of the major differences between higher education environments in the United States and Mexico is the availability of information for evaluative or strategic purposes. In Mexico, the scarcity of information and the fact that most data are controlled by institutions often impede the work of improving the performance of higher education systems. While the gathering and distribution of information are important functions of an interface agency, these roles in themselves will not ensure improvement in the performance of a state’s higher education system. An interface agency cannot be effective if it is a political weakling; it needs some measure of authority to motivate the behavior of  institutions toward desired ends, whether in the form of incentives or simply the consistent support of sensible decisions by the governor and Legislature. Certainly, the amount of resources available to an interface agency is an important part of the equation; no statewide board can hope to be effective if it lacks sufficient funding and staff. Ideally, the effectiveness of an interface agency rests on its power to influence elected policymakers and to craft policies and incentives that make the achievement of a state’s policy goals fall within the self-interest of institutions themselves. The interface agency often plays a central role in devising appropriate measures of institutional accountability that help to ensure compliance with a state’s policy objectives for higher education. Even though expenditures for higher education now constitute a smaller share of state budgets, state support of higher education has grown in real dollars during the past two decades, and public officials naturally seek to ensure that the dollars invested yield discernible results. In some settings, a state’s drive for institutional accountability has led to confrontations over such matters as faculty productivity or the assessment of student learning. The interface agency plays a critical role in any successful effort to conjoin public officials’ press for accountability with higher education’s traditions of autonomy in the means of fulfilling its educational mission. An interface agency can help create accountability measures that provide a meaningful index of progress in meeting a state’s goals for higher education. It can also ensure that credible reports of performance reach legislators and the general public on a timely basis. A state governing or co ordinating board is by definition an agency that provides both support of and guidance to institutions as they pursue their individual strategic goals. Governing boards of individual colleges and universities can easily become captives of an institution’s own ambitions, advocating those particular interests even at the expense of achieving broader state policy objectives. While affording institutions some measure of protection from the fluctuations of state politics, the interface agency helps ensure that individual institutions evolve in directions that are consistent with state policy goals. One of the issues an interface agency can help address is the degree to which institutional mission should be a factor in the question of accountability to a state’s public purposes.  Successful degree completion, for example, is a goal that has meaning to every higher education institution. But should every institution be held equally accountable to a single graduation rate? Because institutions with different missions may serve different kinds of student populations, holding every institution equally accountable to a particular measure may prove neither efficient nor desirable. At the same time, institutional mission can easily come to reflect an institution’s aspiration to grow in directions that do not meet the greatest public need. Just as a state’s expectations of higher education change over time, mission often becomes a moving target, changing to accommodate the institution’s internally driven goals-such as implementing more selective undergraduate admissions, establishing graduate programs, or expanding sponsored research programs-even if those purposes are fulfilled elsewhere in a state’s higher education system. The interface agency plays a critical role in facilitating a sustained interaction between a state’s policymakers and its higher education institutions. In so doing, it helps ensure the continued strength and adaptability of policies to which all institutions are held accountable. No higher education institution that benefits from public funding should get an automatic â€Å"pass† on its obligation to help fulfill the public agenda, but a state should not expect every institution to achieve particular purposes in the same way. Finally, it is fitting that a state should seek to hold institutions accountable for the â€Å"what† but certainly not the â€Å"how† of achieving public purposes. 5. What steps has a state taken to build the infrastructure and encourage higher education institutions to collaborate-with one another, with K-12 schools, with business and industry-in order to foster the goal of improved preparation as well as economic development? State policymakers play a key role in creating an environment that fosters collaboration between higher education institutions and other agents in areas that effect economic and civic vitality. As major stakeholders, colleges and universities contribute to and depend on the educational and economic well-being of a state’s population. The development of more concerted partnerships between these institutions and K-12 schools is a key element in improving students’ preparation for higher education study-and ultimately in increasing the number of students who pursue postsecondary education. By the same token, higher education’s partnerships with business and industry can contribute  substantially to th e benefits that a higher education confers. States in attractive geographic locations with fair climates can reap an educational and economic advantage simply because they draw many of the best and brightest from other settings. States that do not enjoy this advantage, however, must develop strategies to encourage higher education institutions to work with schools and other agencies, helping to maximize both college participation and the economic benefits higher education provides to a state’s population. Colleges and universities have the capacity to improve both measures by working in conjunction with a state’s primary and secondary schools as their principal supplier of students, as well as with business leaders, who employ substantial numbers of their graduates. A state’s most promising strategy in fostering collaboration is to create a framework and statewide incentives that help coordinate local initiatives. In this, as in other dimensions of achieving a state’s public purposes, the levers of policy can help make collaboration with other stakeholders seem to be in the best interests of higher education institutions themselves. Part of a state’s challenge in promoting collaboration between higher education and K-12 institutions is to overcome substantial cultural barriers that exist between the two domains. Finally, the incentives a state creates for increased collaboration must be built on both sides, so that public schools and higher education institutions find their own interests served by working together. In general, it is community colleges as well as comprehensive universities with strong commitments to training teachers that are most highly attuned to the challenges of K-12 schools, and to the evolving set of skills that business and industry leaders seek in their workforce. It is also true that the more numerous the expectations a state places on its higher education institutions, the easier it becomes for institutions to escape responsibility for those goals they find less conducive to their own ambitions. States must create conditions that make it compelling for higher education institutions to work with K-12 schools in improving students’ preparation for college. Equally important is a state’s role in fostering institutional partnerships with business and industry to help maximize the benefits that higher education confers to a state’s residents. If institutions choose not to participate in the achievement of such purposes, states must devise means of encou raging compliance. A state that lacks the  means or the will to define and pursue its public priorities effectively accords its public institutions open license to pursue goals of their own choosing, with minimal regard to a state’s public purposes.

Interview Analysis for Humanities

Steven Paul â€Å"Steve† Jobs was an American entrepreneur and inventor, best known as the co-founder, chairman, and CEO of Apple Inc. Steve Jobs changed the world in technology as we all know and love. This interview is an information gathering type interview as the interviewer is gathering information on Steve Jobs and why he thinks his machine will change the future. I can also say that this interview is also a research interview as the interview provides helpful information to individuals and organizations that they can use to perform effectively based off of the time and era. This interview can still be used today. The interview provided regarding Steve Jobs is a research interview and information gathering interview because of the following purposes of the information gathering interview: 1. To gather information about a job or career area you are considering, so that you can make a sound decision as to whether or not you wish to pursue that career path; 2. To seek advice regarding how you can best prepare to enter or advance in this field/profession; 3. To ask your interviewee for assistance entering or advancing in the field/profession after you have determined that you actually wish to do so; and 4. To request referrals from the interviewee to others in the field/profession that might be valuable contacts for your career search Informational Interviews are a great source for gathering information about an occupation or an industry in which you are currently interested. It is ood to gather information about a job or career area you are considering so, that you can make a sound decision as to whether or not you wish to pursue that career path. For example, I am interested in technology/telecommunications. In choosing an interview to analyze, I wanted to find a role model that I have admired among the years. I chose Steve Jobs because I felt like he was the appropriate figure to obtain information on when it comes to technology. Here are some other key points of an informative interview: * Information interviewing is one of the most effective networking tools * An information interview will give you the awareness you need to choose or refine a career path, learn how to break in and find out if you have what it takes to succeed * It is a meeting that you arrange and lead, asking key questions to working professionals in your field * It gives you a chance to get the â€Å"inside scoop† by actually talking to people in that field * An Information Interview can help you decide which companies or work environments are the best fit for you * Although an information interview is not a job interview, it can help you cultivate your personal contacts and generate or learn of job leads In this interview, what do you think Steve Jobs purpose was? Do you think he was setting himself up for the success of his company? Do you think he knew he was going to become successful. I understand that the interviewees main goal was to find out how Steve Jobs machine was so different however, I felt as if I was there in the room with them understanding and gaining insight on what is to become of the future and technology. I wanted to ask some questions. In the interview chosen, Steve Jobs is conducting an interview regarding â€Å"the machine that change the world. † He is providing his explanation on how his machine is different from the others and how his machine through IBM will change the future. In the content of his message, he is providing detailed explanations as well as telling the who, what, when, and why, he thinks this will change the future. The interview is very informative because Mr. Jobs is fascinated about his project. In the content of his message, he delivers and answers all of the interviewers question with ease. He explains his creation in detail with detailed answers so, the interviewer can understand how well the machine will be efficient. The content of this message can help any business believe in what they are creating or providing. I think that this is what Steve Jobs was trying to accomplish. He wanted to ensure that his audience was in tune with what he believed in. Do you think that Steve jobs posture and tone helped with his presentation? Do you think the way he dressed also played a part of the influence of his audience? These are questions that I asked myself when analyzing the interview as this is a part of the questions needed to ask to ensure that an informative interview is being conducted. As this analysis comes to a close, I would like to go over some do’s and don’ts of informative interviews. Please pay close attention as, I learned this information from Steve Jobs (smile): Before your interview: * When requesting a meeting, explain how you got their names and what you’d like to discuss. * Send a resume. * Confirm the meeting time, and keep it to 30 minutes. During your interview: * Do NOT ask for a job. * Listen carefully, and don’t argue. * Ask for additional contact names, but do not push if the person declines to provide any. * Don’t overextend your welcome, unless the other person invites you to stay past your meeting time. After your interview: * Send a handwritten thank-you note. Keep the person posted on your progress, such as meetings with his or her contacts, where you apply, and where you are accepted. * As soon as you begin graduate business school, send an announcement to your network with your new address, the course o f study you are planning, and the type of internship you hope to obtain. In conclusion, you can gain a lot of knowledge from conducting an informative interview or information gathering interview. Steve Jobs presented a fine show as well as his interviewer because they really demonstrated how to conduct an informative interview. Hopefully, one day I will be in the spotlight to accomplish the same except, I will be in the same spot Steve Jobs was. References 1. http://www.careerbuilder.com/Article/CB-481-Getting-Ahead-How-Does-an-Informational-Interview-Work 2. http://shiftingcareers.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/01/29/mastering-the-informational-interview/ 3. http://jobsearch.about.com/cs/infointerviews/a/infointerview.htm 4. http://www.quintcareers.com/informational_interviewing.html

Connotation Impromptu Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Connotation Impromptu - Essay Example The Lexus target market ranges for people around the age of forty, with a strong household salary. The luxury market back in 1989 had Lexus brands sell around 25,000 cars in hope of achieving a target of 65,000 cars. With the main rivals of Lexus being brands such as Mercedes Benz, the target market of majority of its brands is well-off customers (Anurit, Newman, And Chansarkar, 2006, p. 15). The choice of target market made by Ford while manufacturing the escort brand revolves around the model of product life sequence. This choice has an impact on its advertising and pricing strategies through marketing mix (University of southern California, 2010). Since Ford Escort is a commodity model of this specific industry, its price and mode of promotion is defined by the targeted market, breaking down the promotion procedures into stages. These stages have been used by Ford to realize the standard income made the youthful market and be able to set prices for the escort model. The choice of target market affected the pricing and advertising strategies of the Lexus vehicle brands through product positioning. Unlike Ford, Lexus fixed its models right before customers who could find them affordable, instead of directly looking the customers. Lexus believed their brand would sell in terms of benefits that can be offered to customers through new ways. This way, Lexus could always be affiliated with luxury living, creating a standard means of living able to be felt and understood by its customers. The image of Ford has been tarnished after the economic downturn began in the European market. As a result, its market will only stand to widen should the company make changes in its financial structure. Ford Escort buyers mainly comprise of youthful individuals without a strong household salary. Therefore, changes in the economy will definitely affect their choice of purchasing the brand,

Collaborations in a Medical Team Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Collaborations in a Medical Team - Essay Example The patient is the principal figure in this procedure and there are various steps to be followed in the recovery of the patient which must be to the satisfaction of the patient’s needs (Gorske and Smith, 2009).This essay gives an account of the primary and the secondary care of patients with mental illness. It outlines the various roles of doctors, nurses, psychologists, social workers and the patient as members of the primary and secondary team and how various government trusts assist in the provision of health and social services for the treatment of a person with mental illness. This essay analyzes how collaborations in a medical team involving the treatment, and care of a person with mental illness is possible through relationship building and care planning. The paper outlines the practices and procedures of mental nursing in relation to service user partnerships. It analyzes the relationships that exist between mental patients, nurses and whether the mentioned relationshi p is a partnership. On most occasions the relationship between the medical teams involved and the patients is full of tension. Partnership is as a process where two or more individual, or bodies come together to jointly work for the benefit of one another.Heller et al, (1996), observe that the relationship between medical practioners and a patient is an example of a partnership (p.32). The aspect of user partnership means the provision of care services by the patient in collaboration with the medical staff, and the main aim is to achieve a common goal which is recovery of the patient. In a mental institution, user partnership takes an example of a collaboration of a nurse with a person with mental illness. It also involves the collaboration of the medical team in providing care services to the patient which can be primary or secondary care. Acheson (1999) observes that primary health care is the first contact of a mental patient with treatment of his/her condition since it brings ca re to the locality of the patient minimizing expenses involving hospital care (p.28). Primary care increases the recovery of the mental patient and reduces the chances of separating the patient from his family due to involuntary admission to mental hospitals. The care leads to better utilization of the available human resource facilities and reduction of stigma associated with terminal illness. Provision of primary health care in England is through public and private sector, and the following are the teams involved in the provision of such services. Doctors, health visitors, support staff, nurses/assistant practitioners, psychologists, counselors and social workers. The roles of these people are different but related. For instance the roles of the doctor is to diagnose the nature of the mental illness, however, he can’t perform this duty effectively without the assistance of a nurse. The role of the medical doctors is to perform diagnosis, while the duty of nurses and social workers is to make follow ups. From this analysis, doctors and nurses require each other’s services for effective care in the primary health care system. Psychologists and counselors play an important role in the care of a terminally ill person, and a counselor has a duty to build the confidence of the patient which is low due to stigma. These people cannot effectively utilize their services without the help of social workers and the support staff (Acheson, 1999). They assist a patient in understanding their mental condition and the help in offer. The patient is a member of the primary health team, and he has the responsibility of cooperating with the medical team for his/her recovery.

Critical Social Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Critical Social Analysis - Essay Example The basic assumption of the article underlined the fact that the privileges enjoyed by the whites deliberately override the basic rights and freedom of persons belonging to different color of skin, culture and religion. The repercussions of such discriminations are extensive and often abusive for underprivileged segment of society living in extreme poverty and sub human conditions in various parts of the world. The condition in South Africa is worth mentioning because of the abject poverty which has resulted in HIV/AIDS pandemic. As per the article, out of 3 million cases, 2.4 million HIV/AIDS cases were in Africa only! The writers are appalled that such human misery has, neither evoked empathy among the rich nations nor has it penetrated their hard faà §ade of self interest. One of the major ideas that the article propagates is that of health being one of the fundamental rights of all persons. Health is incorporated in the 1946 constitution of WHO2 and 1948 declaration of Human Rights. They clearly state the need for a minimum standard of living and access to medical facilities, food and housing for every human being, irrespective of race, religion, political belief and socio-economic conditions. The concept has been accepted in theory but practical implementation has yet to take off. The callous attitude towards the less fortunate can be gauged by Andrew Natsios, USAID Director when he said that Africans should not receive lifesaving AIDS treatment because ‘they don’t know what Western time is’(Salim). This is most blatant expression of racism at its worst not because of its offensive content but that it is uttered by a man of authority who is fully aware that he will get away with any blasà © attitude because he is white and he is American. America indeed, has turned out to be the biggest promoter of global apartheid. The inequalities and discriminatory practices are a legacy

What are the benefits and drawbacks to using medications in treating Research Proposal

What are the benefits and drawbacks to using medications in treating psychological disorders - Research Proposal Example t of very superior inroads into the ‘psyche’ of human beings with the aid of modern diagnostic techniques & equipment, and the understanding of the physiological functioning of the brain, attempts to influence any aberration in normal behavior by medical and other means have been made, both successfully and otherwise. Psychological disorders can have a biological origin where the imbalance of hormones and other biochemicals in the body can precipitate them. In other cases they could be purely the result of any emotional event or incidence which influences a person to react in an abnormal way. Such disorders are also dependant on and peculiar for different ages, sexes and cultures. Certain psychological disorders are secondary to purely infectious or immunological disorders such as diseases involving the brain [Examples: Brain tumors, Epilepsy, cerebral malaria, neurological disorders like Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinsonism and some liver diseases causing hepatic en cephalopathy (pathological changes in brain)]. Such disorders definitely require medical interventions. Other disorders which are purely emotional can be treated by a trained psycho therapist, with or without the aid of drugs. The benefits and drawbacks of treating psychological disorders with drugs has always been the subject of debate where proponents of both methods of therapy (pharmacotherapy & counseling) have supported their views in the long history of psychotherapy. Plain psychotherapy without drugs has been classified by the Mayo Clinic (www.mayoclinic.com) on the basis of either ‘ changing the current behavior patterns’ of a patient or by ‘ understanding past issue’ in the patients’ history. The website lists the different approaches in psychotherapy as â€Å"Art Therapy, Behavior Therapy, Cognitive therapy, Cognitive-Behavior Therapy, Dialectical behavior Therapy, Exposure Therapy, Interpersonal Therapy, Play Therapy, Psychoanalysis, Psychodynamic Psychotherapy and

Software engineering Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Software engineering - Assignment Example Manager will hold administrative rights and will only be generating administrative orders. The designed software will minimize the need of paper work at the company. A centralized database will be deployed which will remove many issues such as maintaining records twice or inconsistent data. Through database techniques such as transaction roll back, recovery and cascade delete/update, the system will always contain updated and valid data. RUP alongwith UML has been used to design the software. RUP is based on UML and it ensures the production of a high quality software which meets the need of the clients and the users within the alloted time and budget. Part 1 – Development Plan 1. ... Analysis and Design: Analyze and design the system to be a feasible solution -Economic feasibility: The system should be designed within the allotted budget and time -Operational feasibility: The transactions are secure and cannot be tampered. The transactions can be rolled back, in case of a return back of an order. -Technical feasibility: Software, hardware and network issues should be as less as possible. 3. Implementation: Follow Best Practices 4. Testing: Develop Test cases and test the system against the following features: -Functionality: Does it provide the correct functionality? -Reliability: Is the system free of defects and fault tolerant? -Performance: Is the system’s flow smooth enough to be run easily as a daily process? 5. Deployment: -Deploy the system -Provide user manual for the system -Release Documentation for further maintenance of the system -Develop training sessions Part 2 – Use Case Model Create a Ticket: Usecase Create a Ticket Actor Salesperso n Purpose Enter Details about a Product Overview Whenever a new product is taken to the store, a new ticket will be created for the product in which its details will be listed. These tickets will help the customers in instant shopping. Type Primary Cross Reference A new product with no ticket must exist in the stock Actor Action System Response 1. Click on create ticker Return a ticket interface 2. Fill details and enter Save Validate details and show confirmation message Check Price: Usecase Check Price Actor Salesperson Purpose Check the price of an item using the ticket Overview On the request of a customer, any item’s price can be checked through the system immediately using the tickets Type Primary Cross Reference Create a Ticket Actor Action System Response 1. Open Ticket Return the details

Service Marketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words - 1

Service Marketing - Essay Example From the report it is clear that a service is an activity or benefit that one party can offer to another which is essentially intangible and does not result in the ownership of anything. In the goods continuum the distinction between products and services is far from clear as one traverses from tangibility to intangibility. The lack of distinction is particularly prominent mid way through this continuum where tangibility and intangibility may gel indistinguishably. However the fact remains that the tangibility dimension of the offering is a critical distinction and can identify a service offering. For instance, in a hotel stay once the stay has been completed nothing tangible is left with customer for preservation except experience, hence hotel stay is a typical person processing service offering. This study stresses that services are not physical. They can neither be possessed nor seen or felt. The tangible indicators of service are few, if any, and they are not good enough indicators to reduce consumer uncertainty. This increases the work of service marketers who must diligently determine how to effectively communicate the service process and the final outcome the consumer will receive -most importantly the quality. The production of the services can't be separated from its consumption. For instance, the production and consumption of a medical examination happen together. One can not store services for future use.

Civil and Criminal Punishments Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Civil and Criminal Punishments - Assignment Example The paper will also explain the differences between civil penalties and criminal punishments, explaining whether punishments between a case tried at criminal level and civil level should correlate. A civil court is one that deals with cases related to disputes between organizations or individuals. Civil courts award victims with compensation. Civil courts deal with civil or common wrongs that are not criminal in nature such as disputes relating to credit card payments, allegations of breach of contract, compensations disagreements between tenants and landlords (Scaros, 2004). According to Currier & Eimermann (2009), lawsuits are usually filed in civil courts by organizations or individuals who believe they have been physically and financially hurt by another organization or individual. The types of remedies available in civil courts depend on several factors such as the type of claims made, the authority of the court, the defendant’s conduct and the harm that has been suffered or may be suffered. The remedies in civil courts usually depend on the strengths of one’s case and the opponent’s case, one’s resourcefulness and ability to present facts and the ability of the attorneys of both sides to represent their clients as required (Scaros, 2004). The types of remedies available in civil courts include: This is normally the usual and standard remedy for damages in civil courts. They are the payments awarded by a civil court, paid as compensation for injury or loss (Currier & Eimermann, 2009). Money damages usually consist of nominal damages, attorney’s fees, interest, punitive damages and compensatory damages. They are usually intended to settle the grief of the aggrieved party in civil cases (Powell, 1993). These are usually given so as to stop certain conducts of the accused. The civil court orders or prohibits against conditions or acts that have been requested. The orders given are called injunctions and they require one to either do

Ethics of Information Communication Technology Dissertation - 1

Ethics of Information Communication Technology - Dissertation Example For the gathering of information and knowledge, the instrument that is required by all human beings is ICT, and security in this regard should be guaranteed to them as their basic right. However, throughout the world, the rights of humans are violated one way or the other. Violation of these rights has created new problems in the human social system like cybercrime, digital divide, digital security and privacy concerns for all of them. Round the globe, all of this has affected the lives of the people directly or indirectly (Sembok, 2003). This shows that due to the rising facilities of the global world, the related crimes are also increasing in the numbers. This increasing rate of the cyber crime has put the privacy and security of the individuals at stake. With such backdrop, this paper will discuss the types of cyber crimes and the upcoming frauds that are done by them. The objective of this paper is to highlight the effects of this crime and under the light of this crime, see the effects it has created on the economy of the United Kingdom. The purpose of this paper is to discuss the effects of cyber crimes on the citizens, businesses, government, and the relevant interventions to deal with it. The range of cyber crimes is much diversified; so the paper will shed light on crimes such as child pornography, identity frauds to the individuals, tax and benefits fraud, NHS frauds, pension frauds, and local government and central government frauds faced by the government. The most affected sector is the business sector; so a major portion of the paper aims to cover this segment and discuss frauds like IP theft, industrial espionage, and online theft. Literature Review The literature review section initially discusses the general use of internet and the need of using this technology; it also talks about the crimes that result from this under the light of different kinds of literature. Then limiting to the topic, the paper aims at discussing the keyword: ‘Cyber Crime’. According to Nelson (2009) cybercrime is referred to as ‘the undertaken activities by the criminals for the financial gain’. He says that ‘such kinds of activities are used to take advantage of the vulnerabilities that are in use of the internet and other electronic systems. These systems illegitimately attack or access the information that is used by the businesses, citizens, and government.’ In this light, the paper will discuss the types of cybercrime and also talk about the ways these cyber crimes are taking place. A number of studies and researchers have been done in order to investigate the topic under discussion. However, this area needs to be researched more so that more valid and authentic conclusions can be drawn from the studies and the results could be applied to the society. The topic is chosen for my research, keeping in view its significance in the field and also, because of its importance in society. As it has been observed i n the societies that as people are getting more aware of the alarming nature of this issue and are interested in finding ways to help overcome this problem, more research work is needed in this area.  

Leadership and Management Essay Example for Free

Leadership and Management Essay The implementation of the care of the dying policy at the writer’s area of practice involved the process of change. This involved the use of both leadership and management theories which are essential to increased effectiveness as supported by Moiden (2002). The change was a political one due to the government initiatives to improve end of life care (Department of Health 2008). Antrobus (2003) states that political leaders aim to deliver improved health care outcomes for patients. The essay will critically analyze both leadership and management theories from the top of the organization to the bottom. These theories were used to implement this change to enhance quality care in this clinical area. The essay will also critically analyze and evaluate the nurses’ self management skills in fulfilling their role as clinical managers within interdisciplinary and the changing context of the healthcare. Similarly, the essay will discuss the implications upon quality assurance and resource allocation for service delivery within the health care sector. These will be related to current government strategies. The effects of government strategies in involving the user and carer or significant others in decision making process within current clinical and legal frameworks (Department of Health 2000b) will also be debated. Similar debate will also be on the nurses’ involvement in policy making (Antrobus 2003). Further discussion on government strategies will be discussed on the introduction of clinical governance and essence of care. Braine (2006) states that the purpose of implementing change is to improve effectiveness and quality. The whole process of change was based on the introduction of the care of the dying booklet which meant that all healthcare professional documented their notes in the same booklet. The change took place in a large hospital to implement a new policy which was politically driven by the government to improve quality of care. Like most hospital organizations, the hospital traditionally uses a bureaucratic management approach (Marquis and Huston 2006) reinforced with authoritarian leadership to facilitate efficiency and cost effective care. This is done through planning, coordination, control of services, putting appropriate structures and systems in place and monitoring progress towards performance activities (Finkelman 2006 and Faugier and Woolnough 2002). According to Marquis and Huston (2006) bureaucracy was introduced after Max Weber’s work to legalize and make rules and regulations for personnel to increase efficiency. The ward manager as a change agent had to design and plan the process of change. Designing change involved understanding the purpose of change and gathering data as supported by Glower (2002). Planning included identifying driving forces and ways to reduce restraining forces (Glower 2002). Unlike the top management who used bureaucratic management theory, the ward manager applied the human relations management theory (Marquis and Huston 2006) at ward level. This management theory is designed to motivate employees to achieve excellence. The human relations theory was introduced in attempt to correct what was believed to be the shortcoming of bureaucratic theory which failed to include the human aspects (Marquis and Huston 2006). Often referred to as motivational theory, Lezon (2002) agrees that this theory views the employee in a different way and helps to understand people better compared to the autocratic management theories of the past. It is based on theory Y of Douglas McGregor’s (1960) X and Y theories cited in (Lezon 2002). Theory Y assumes that people want to work, are responsible and self motivated, they want to succeed and they understand their position in the organization. Perhaps the appropriateness of this theory can be linked to the implementation of clinical governance which emphasizes that it is the responsibility of health care professionals to ensure effectiveness, high standards and quality (Braine 2006). This puts health care professionals in a responsible position and motivates them to provide high quality care. This explains why theory Y was used as opposed to theory X which according to Lezon (2002) assumes that people are lazy, unmotivated and require discipline. According to the human relations theory, there are some positive management actions that lead to employee motivation thus improving performance (Marquis and Huston 2000). Some of these actions used by the change agent were empowering and allowing employees to make independent decisions as they could handle, training and developing, increasing freedom, sharing big picture objectives, treating employees as if work is natural and other ways of motivating staff as supported by Marquis and Huston (2006 and Lezon 2002). The use of human relations theory in the implementation of this policy is well justified in contrast to other management theories. For example, theory X presumes that people must be coerced, controlled, directed and threatened with punishment (Lezon 2002). This theory adds that an average person has inherent dislike of work and prefers to avoid responsibility (Marquis and Huston 2006). In other words, theory X prefers autocratic style while theory Y prefers participative style. Managers using theory y seek to enhance the employee’s capacity to exercise high levels of imagination, ingenuity and creativity solving organizational problems. With the human relations theory, members feel special and involved rather than being controlled by threats and sanctions from the change agent (Dowding and Barr 2002). The team of health care professionals was aiming to achieve the same goal. This goal was to provide high quality care to patients approaching end of life. This involved a lot of organizational psychology and motivation to facilitate effective teamwork. Among the factors that facilitate effective teamwork, leadership is the most significant as stated by Clegg (2000). Toofany (2005) supports that leadership is on government’s modernization agenda for the National Health Service and is an influencing factor. Therefore, the change agent needed equally effective leadership style. To facilitate this, she applied the transformational leadership style. Markhan (1998) cited in Clegg (2000) defines transformational leadership style as a collaborative, consultative and consensus seeking. These are the same characteristics of the leadership style used by the change agent. Contrary to this leadership style is the transactional leadership style which is based on power of organizational position and authority to reward and punish performance (Moiden 2002). Based on Rosner (1990)’s research, Clegg (2000) states that gender affects leadership style and women prefer transformational style. Perhaps this explains why the change agent chose this style for this particular change. As in any form of change process, resistance, which falls under the unfreezing stage of Lewin’s (1951) cited in Murphy (2006) change theory is one of the common obstacles that needed to be dealt with (Curtis and White 2002). By inspiring a shared vision within the team (McGuire and Kennerly 2006) the change agent managed to increase driving forces and reduce resisting forces at the same time. Clegg (2000) values vision as a very important ingredient of transformational leadership, adding that it should be engaging and inspiring. Transformational leadership was first put forward by James Burns (1978) cited in Marquis and Huston (2006). According to him, a relationship of mutual stimulation and elevation converts followers into leaders, a fact shared by Murphy (2005). If a leader can stimulate followers, he or she can engage followers into a problem solving attitude (McGuire and Kennerly 2006). In addition, people engage together in a way that allows leaders and followers to raise each other to higher levels of motivation and morality (Marquis and Huston 2006). This approach emphasizes on the leader’s ability to motivate, coach and empower the followers rather than control their behaviors (McGuire and Kennerly 2006). Moiden (2002) states that this style is widely used in all types of organizations in dealing with change. Frequently, it is contrasted with transactional leadership which is a traditional way in which followers’ commitment is gained on the basis of exchange of reward, pay and security in return of reliable work (Mullins 2002). However McGuire and Kennerly (2006) state that if transactional leadership is predominantly used, followers are likely to place limits to organizational commitment and behave in a way only aimed at contract requirements. Despite the differences in various leadership styles, most researchers conclude that there is no one leadership style that is right for all circumstances (Reynolds and Rogers 2003). Fidler (1967) cited in Moiden (2002) agrees that a single leadership style is rarely practiced. Therefore situational theories were introduced in order to deal with various situations. Perhaps this is why the leader used the situational approach to leadership in order to meet the demands of different situations, an idea also shared by Marquis and Huston (2000). Reynolds and Rogers (2003) suggest that the effectiveness of day to day activities depends on balancing between the task at hand and human relations to meet everyone’s needs. Different competence levels, motivation levels and commitment levels of staff on this clinical area justify why a situational approach was used in conjunction with transformational leadership style. Reynolds and Rogers (2003) support that situations like this require the leader to adapt their style. However, they warn that it is important to know when to lead from the front, when to empower and when to let go. This situational approach enabled the leader to work on followers’ strength and weaknesses. Moreover, Reynolds and Rogers (2003) warn that it is not always easy to find leadership styles that suite the needs of every situation and not everything falls into place from the beginning. Marquis and Huston (2000) criticize that situational theory concentrate too much on situation and focus less on interpersonal factors. Support was given to followers according their needs. Supportive behavior, as supported by Reynolds and Rogers (2003) helps people to feel comfortable in their situations. This was facilitated by the use of a two way communication system which involved listening, praising, asking for help and problem solving. Consequently, as performance improved, the leader’s supportive behavior shifted to delegation. Delegation was mostly directed to staff with high competences, commitments and motivation. Reynolds and Rogers (2003) support that the style of leadership alters as performance improves from directing to coaching to supporting to delegation. Basing on research studies, Reynolds and Rogers (2003) warns that using different approaches to different staff can practically difficult in terms of developing the whole group as well as maintaining fairness. This further exposes the limitations of situational approach. Nevertheless, it is equally important to assess followers’ capabilities and developmental needs so this explains the relevance of situational approach to this clinical area. The delegation was directed to some members of the team while others still wanted to be directed. In addition, this was because of the leader’s trust in people, working to their strength and sharing the vision as supported by Kane-Urrabazo (2006). Delegation is defined as transferring responsibility of an activity to another individual and still remain accountable (Sullivan and Decker 2005). Davidson et al (1999) caution that critical thinking and sound decision making must be applied before delegating because it increases rather than decrease nurses’ responsibility. They clarify that to ensure safe outcome, delegation must be the right task, right circumstances, right person, right instructions and right supervision. Pearce (2006) shares the same thoughts and adds that you must be clear about what you delegate, inform other members, monitor performance, give feedback and evaluate the experience while remembering that you remain accountable. However, Kane-Urrabazo (2006) and Taylor (2007) argue that delegation is another way of empowering the subordinates. However, like every team going through the process of change, problems arose and were solved as they came. Apart from dealing with problems like resistance and lack of resources, there was an even bigger problem of interdisciplinary working for both the change agent and the subordinates. Although this policy was predominantly nurse orientated, it needed authorization by a doctor in order for a patient to be commenced on care of the dying pathway. Whether inside or outside health care, interdisciplinary working was introduced with the same concerns of improving quality (Hewison 2004). Interdisciplinary working has been emphasized by a number of government initiatives (Martin 2006b), more recently the NHS Plan (Department of Health 2000a). To ensure the demand for interdisciplinary working is met, there has been a lot of emphasis on professional education and training. Effective interdisciplinary working is meant to facilitate delivery of quality services and is fundamental to success of clinical governance (Braine 2006). However, Hewison (2004) argues that there is little evidence to support the effectiveness of interdisciplinary working. There is also insufficient evidence to support that collaboration improves quality of care given to patients (Hewison 2004). Nevertheless, if interdisciplinary working is to be achieved it is important to appreciate the potential barriers to this type of working. In this particular organization there were some barriers that impeded interdisciplinary working. These barriers needed problem solving skills from both the change agent and the nurses. In many cases there were some disagreements between nurses and doctors as to when to commence the care of the dying pathway for a patient. Although the policy was self explanatory in terms of when to commence it, doctors were often reluctant to authorize it. Hewison (2004) states that occupational status, occupational knowledge, fear and distrust of other occupational groups are some of the barriers to effective interdisciplinary working. Additionally, different backgrounds, training, remuneration, culture and language can contribute to professional barriers, mistrust, misunderstanding and disagreements (Hewison 2004). To solve this problem the change agent and senior members of the medical team held regular meetings to discuss problems like this. This way of problem solving is well recommended by Hewison (2004) who explains that if interdisciplinary working is to be successful, structures and procedures should be in place to support it. This is a way in which organization reflects emphasis on teams rather than individual professional groups. Hewison (2004) adds that if this is reinforced with communication between managers and other professional groups, it is likely to be successful. Perhaps in future interdisciplinary learning may be necessary to overcome some of the barriers to interdisciplinary working. Despite lack of evidence for its effectiveness, interdisciplinary learning has been identified as a government priority (Hewison 2004). Therefore study programmes for health care professionals are important to facilitate this approach to learning.

Reducing Plastic Bag Usage In Hong Kong Environmental Sciences Essay

Reducing Plastic Bag Usage In Hong Kong Environmental Sciences Essay The Hong Kong government and the Environmental Protection Department (EPD) have launched an environmental levy of plastic shopping bags in July 2009 which aims to reduce indiscriminate use of plastic bags. After one-year of implementation, it is conducted that limited contribution is achieved. Our organization understands the awareness of the indiscriminate use of plastic bags which burdens the landfills and raises the visible environmental problem in Hong Kong. In this paper, we are writing to suggest two proposed policies in terms of extension of the levy scheme: (1) extend the scale of the levy to all retail outlets; and (2) embrace all types of plastic bags into charge. All of these aim to reduce the use of plastic bags more effectively in Hong Kong. Furthermore, we will discuss the effectiveness and concerns of the proposed policies with related references and successful cases from other countries e.g. Ireland, which has already introduced its plastic bag levy in 2002. Lastly, t he paper ends with a recommendation on broadening the scope of the levy scheme by corresponding measures. In 7th July 2009, the Hong Kong government and the Environmental Protection Department (EPD) introduced the Environmental levy on plastic shopping bags (the scheme) in order to reduce indiscriminate use of plastic bags and arouse consumers awareness on the visible environmental problem in Hong Kong. The government proposed the scheme with a levy of 50 cents for a plastic shopping bag in a variety of retail outlets. After one-year of implementation, the government conducted that per-capita disposal figure of plastic shopping bags is over 1.8 per person in 2009 which is lowered than the figure conducted in 2005. The accomplishment is appreciated. (EPD, 2009) After a head start of one-year of implementation, it is potential for the scheme to be extended with a broader scope due to its incomprehensive outcomes and the presence of loopholes. Therefore, we are writing to suggest two proposed policies in terms of extension of the levy scheme which aims to reduce the use of plastic bags in a more effective way. Background information 3.1 Statement to the Problem The indiscriminate use of plastic bags is a major visible environmental problem in Hong Kong. From the Landfill Survey'(2005) which is conducted by EPD, it is estimated that more than 23 million of plastic bags are disposed in the landfill every day. In 2009, EPD took into account to this problem with the introduction of Environmental levy on plastic shopping bags. Nevertheless, according to the Hong Kong Retail Management Association (HKRMA)(2009), it is estimated that the scheme achieved a limited contribution with only 6% reduction of plastic bag usage after one-year of implementation. The estimation reflects that long-term implementation and extension of the scheme is needed to deal with the problem while the benefit of the extended scheme would probably go directly to environmental protection. 3.3 Our organizations interest with respect to the problem Our environmental organization understands the rising awareness of the indiscriminate use of plastic bags which lead to major visible environmental problem. Our objectives are tackling environmental issues and undertaking research for further advice to government policy in terms of environment protection. The survey conducted by GHK indicated that it takes 20 to 1000 years to decompose the plastic bags in the present landfills. In addition, the usage of plastic bags is increasing simultaneously. (GHK Hong Kong Ltd, 2007) With respect to the limited contributions achieved from the existing scheme, we have drawn up two policy options for the extension of the existing scheme which aim reduce the use of plastic bags and encourage consumers to change their behavior towards sustainable consumption. Policy options Current policy and situation There are only a total of 41 prescribed retailers registered under the levy scheme and about 3000 qualified retail outlets are subject to the current scheme. They are including supermarkets, convenience stores, and personal health and beauty stores. The number of registered retailers shows that the scope of the levy scheme is limited while 96% of retail outlets are still not subject to the scheme. In addition, it is conducted that 3 million of levy is collected in the first season after implementation of the plastic bag levy. However, a clear proposal is usually absent to tell how the revenue raised from the scheme is spent. According to EPD (May 2007), the definition of plastic shopping bags under the levy is that bags that are made wholly or predominantly of plastic with carrying handles, holes or strings. It turns out with the increasing use of alternative bags or wrapped packages, e.g. laminated plastic bags, non-woven bags and fruit bags. For example, supermarket chains were circumventing the levy and many retail outlets are starting to sell prepackaged products. Proposed policies Broaden the scope of the levy scheme (1)Extend the scale of the levy to all retail outlets (2)Embrace all types of plastic bags into charge Policy option (1) Extend the scale of the levy to all retail outlets 4.2.1a) Implementation The current policy apparently shows that the scope of the implement scheme is limited to achieve a more comprehensive goal. With respect to the limitation, the levy scheme should be implemented extensively in all kind of retail outlets in Hong Kong. The remaining 96% of retail outlets, including small-scale, individual neighborhood retail stores and local wet markets should be all covered in terms of the extension of the levy scheme. 4.2.1b) Effects and advantages The extension of the implement scale of retail outlets would further reduce indiscriminate use of plastic bags and arouse peoples attention to serious environmental problem. Ireland is a successful case among all countries implementations while all kinds of retail outlets are subject to the levy which a 15 Euro cent tax is paid for a plastic shopping bag. Nevertheless, Ireland achieved a dramatic reduction 94% of plastic bag usage is reduced with the effect of the levy scheme. (Frank, Simon Susana, 2007) 4.2.1c) Concerns and disadvantages Under the extension of implementation, we concern that some small retailers could not afford a computerized or new cashier system to handle the levy (most of the retailers in wet markets). Therefore, it is difficult for them to collect cash manually before submitting the levy to EPD. Apart from that, oppositions from different sectors would be raised, especially for those retailers which plastic bags are necessary used. For example, butchers in Ireland strongly opposed to the levy because of its hygiene reason. (Frank, Simon Susana, 2007) Therefore, the government should determine whether the exemption is needed for several kinds of retailers with corresponding measures. Policy option (2) Embrace all types of plastic bags into charge 4.2.2a) Implementation We suggested that all types of plastic bags should be embraced into charge. It means that all kinds of bags which are made of wholly or predominantly of plastic, including laminated plastic bags, non-woven bags and fruit bags are all imposed to the scheme even they contain carrying handles, holes or strings. In addition, the levy collected is suggested to go directly to an environmental fund for the expenditure of environmental disposal projects and educational purposes. 4.2.2b) Effects and advantages The scheme fills in the loopholes of the existing policy in terms of the revised definition of plastic bags. All kinds of plastic bags, including wrapped, packing product bags and fruit bags are all applied to the scheme. In Ireland, all kinds of plastic bags are embraced into charge with 15 Euro cents. It achieved with a dramatic reduction (94%) of plastic bag usage. From the successful case of Ireland, we anticipate that the embracement of all kinds of plastic bags into the scheme would effectively reduce the use of plastic bags by consumers and make a link between price value and good environmental behavior among the public. In addition, the levy which goes directly to an environmental fund avoids absence of reporting how the revenue is spent by the General Revenue and gives support to environmental disposal projects. For example, the revenues from the scheme in Ireland are ring fenced in an Environmental Fund which is controlled by the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and L ocal Government for administration cost and capitals of environmental program promotion. (Frank, Simon Susana, 2007) 4.2.2c) Concerns and disadvantages We concern that there would be a rise of alternative use of paper shopping bags under the implementation of the proposed policy. As all kinds of plastic bags are subject to the levy, paper bag is the shifting target for both retailers and consumers. We are worrying that a single paper bag produces 2.7 times as much solid waste as the equivalent plastic bag. (GHK Hong Kong Ltd, 2007) According to the Hong Kong Plastic Bags Manufacturers Association executive vice chairman Ricky Wong Wai-ki, the materials and energy used for producing nonwoven recycled shopping bags is more environmental-unfriendly. (GHK Hong Kong Ltd, 2007) Therefore, the government is responsible for further action on tackling the problem of alternative use of paper bags. Recommendation Indiscriminate use of plastic bag is one of the major visible environmental problems in Hong Kong. The introduction of the Environmental levy on plastic shopping bags is necessary to tackle this problem. However, the limited contribution achieved from the scheme urged for a proper modification and more effective extension. Our organization suggests to extending the scale of the levy scheme to all retail outlets while 96% of them are still not subject to the scheme. Therefore, the enlarged scale of the levy would be an effective way to further reduce indiscriminate use of plastic bags and arouse peoples attention to serious environmental problem. The feasibility of the proposed policy is high in long terms with comprehensive planning and certain corresponding measures (for example: promotions, educational activities and distribution of fabric reusable shopping bags) supported by the government. We are anticipating to accomplishing a good environmental behavior developed among the public with this strong publicity campaign. Implementation(s): Study and learn from foreign successful cases of implementing plastic bag levy (e.g. Ireland) Conduct a comprehensive review with evaluation after 1-year implementation of the levy scheme Consult public, retailers and industries opinions on the extension of the levy scheme Broaden the scope of the levy scheme in terms of scale of scheme and the types of plastic bags a) Extend the scale of the levy to all retail outlets b) Embrace all types of plastic bags into charge Organize educational talks to all primary and secondary schools to promote the reduction of indiscriminate use of plastic bags Giving out fabric reusable shopping bags to students and less privileged families every year in order to encourage consumers to change their behavior towards sustainable consumption Reinforce the existing environmental campaign with sufficient promotion Bring your own bag (BYOB) Conclusion Due to limited contributions achieved in the existing environmental levy on plastic shopping bags, an extension of the levy scheme is necessary to achieve a more comprehensive goal. Our organization suggests two policy options, including the extension of the scale to all retail outlets and embraces all kinds of plastic bags into charge. From the successful case learnt from Ireland, we ensure that the implementations of these similar policies are effective. Therefore, it is necessary for the Hong Kong government to extend the levy scheme in terms of scope in order to achieve a sustainable consumption of plastic bags.

Chinese Students Attitude Towards the Giant Panda: A Study

Chinese Students Attitude Towards the Giant Panda: A Study Introduction People have been attracted by specific species (Goedeke, 2004). Regarding these specific species, Kellert (1996) analyzes that humans tend to be attracted to the species which has a large body and is able to walk, run, or fly. The giant panda Ailuropoda melanoleuca is one of the most famous among those attractive species (Lorimer 2007). The giant panda is a member of the Ursidae family and occurs in only three provinces in China (Reid and Gong 1999). The species is classified as Endangered on the IUCN Red List with the estimated population of no more than 1600 individuals (IUCN 2009). In China, which is home to the giant panda, people express their willingness to pay (WTP) for the giant panda conservation, which is enough to conclude that this charismatic species is able to acquire their habitat (Kontoleon and Swanson 2003). In contrast to this economic point of view, Yang (2005) refers to the fact that little is known about Chinese peoples perception of the giant panda, although several studies have been made on the general attitudes towards wildlife. Therefore, she studies the attitude of the public in China towards the giant panda. She analyzes the relationship between the attitudes of Chinese people towards the giant panda and the image of the species in the media, and concludes that the general attitude in China is likely to be associated with the symbolic and domestic value rather than ecological-scientific value. This corresponds with general Chinese attitudes towards wildlife and the image of the giant panda constructed by the media (Yang 2005). However, s ince this conclusion is drawn based on the literature review, it may not reflect peoples actual attitudes. Thus, this attitude still needs to be studied. This research aims to explore Chinese students attitude towards the giant panda by semi- structured. This report consists of three sections. First, the research methods are presented including participant, the development of interview, questions, procedures, and an analysis. In the second section, the results from an analysis of the students attitude are described. The final section of this paper discusses the insights of main finding and several limitations of this interview survey for further research. Methodology Participant Ten Chinese students at the University of Kent were interviewed for this study. The interview sample was composed of two male and eight female students, and of two undergraduate and eight postgraduate students. The students majors were classified as follows: Conservation and Tourism, International Commercial Law, Human Resource Management, Accounting and Financial Management, European Culture and Language, International Business Management, and English Literature. The respondents were recruited through personal contact with one Taiwanese and three Chinese students. The interviewer informed about the purpose, topic, structure, and length of the interview in advance to confirm participation (Sarantakos 2005). After a student agrees those conditions, the time and place for the interview was arranged. The development of idea for interview questions and procedures In order to standardize interview guides, a pilot survey was conducted at an initial stage (Newing in press). This pilot survey on November 1st through the skype revealed that the interview was difficult to answer and analyze owing to specific questions, thus, a half of questions were changed to improve the interview. The actual interview survey, approximately 25 minutes for each interview, was conducted from November 3rd to 20th. The first interview was conducted with a student who has knowledge about the giant pandas to test modified questions and to develop the background of questions; hence, an unstructured interview was carried out at this time. In the second interview, the interviewee who was not familiar with the topic was chosen to confirm whether all questions in the interview were not difficult to answer for all interviewees. Since the student seemed uncomfortable to talk about an unfamiliar topic, the place was rearranged. In addition, in an effort to reduce uncomfortable constraints on the student, the interview was not recorded. Therefore, further interviews were recorded by note-taking to conduct in the same way as this second interview. Based on these first two interviews, the further questions and procedures of the interview were standardized. Questions This interview consists of six questions (see Appendix). The first question aimed to be a relatively easy question to talk about (Robson 2002; Newing in press). The second question was related to the first question, so that it was able to lead the interviewees to main topic of the interview. This question was one of main questions of this interview as well as the third, fourth, and fifth question. These questions were set to understand Chinese students attitudes towards the giant panda. The final question was not directly related to the subject and it was supposed to be a simple question as a cool-off question. However, it was found at the development stage of this interview that this sixth question invited the further discussion about the relationship between the giant panda and Chinese people. Therefore, the question was kept in each interview. Procedures This interview survey followed the procedure described by Robson (2002:277); Introduction, warm-up, main body of interview, cool-off, and closure. In the introduction stage, interviewers and the students were introduced each other, and talked about their own courses at University of Kent as warm-up. During the interview, it is weighted to elicit information to maximize the advantage of a semi-structured interview. Therefore, the depth of answer was varied between the questions and the answerers. It is also important to note that the interview was often stopped to clarify what the interviewee meant or answered. In some cases, it was confirmed at cool-off stage or after the interview by exchanging e-mail. Analysis During the data collection, the interviewer tried to record annotations, memos, coding (Newing in press). At an initial stage of an analysis, the coding procedure was conducted followed the instruction described by Newing (in press: 218). As top codes, several values from Kellerts nine values (1996) (see Table 1) were employed as predefined codes. For sub-codes, the detailed information related to the defined top codes was identified. At next stage, the procedure suggested by Sarantakos (2005) was taken to develop from open-coding to the concept. However, the coding procedure for this interview description was not sufficient for axial, selective coding since top codes used at open-coding stage and core category were similar with each other. Result All Chinese students showed their favourable attitudes towards the giant panda. It is likely that the species has a special meaning for Chinese students, and a good illustration of this is the answer that if the giant panda becomes extinct, it is going to be chaos, I mean panic feeling. As in Yangs study (2005), the symbolic value seemed to play the important role in determining the attitudes towards giant pandas. However, unlike Yangs study (2005), the other five values, utilitarian, ecologistic-scientific, humanistic, moralistic, and negativistic values, are also the important factors on individual attitudes. In contrast to above values, three of nine values, naturalistic, aesthetic, and domestic value, were difficult to detect during the interview. The reasons for this are (1) in order to obtain information for understanding of Chinese students naturalistic and aesthetic value, the follow up questions about students experiences and view of nature should have been asked during the interview. However, these questions would carry us far away from the purpose of this paper, (2) the domestic value of the giant panda was hardly discussed throughout the survey, although Yang (2005) suggests that this value is also one dominant value in Chinese people attitudes towards the giant panda. From these two reasons, the detailed findings about only utilitarian, ecologistic-scientific, symbolic, humanistic, moralistic, and negativistic values will be described in following subsection. Utilitarian value Students indicated two types of answers regarding this value; for ecotourism and for diplomatic relations. Concerning ecotourism, some students mentioned that they would like to have giant pandas in their towns to attract tourists. This concept can be seen in the answer the giant panda bring the money to our town. Moreover, a student illustrated the species as money when asked to choose one word for the giant panda. It was also mentioned that tourism for the giant panda is a benefit for the development of local villages by opening the road for the facilities, developing transportation service, and providing employment opportunities. The second type of answer was using the giant panda for diplomatic relations. Several words such as the tool for diplomatic/international exchange, gift for foreign countries, and the advertisement for China were used when interviewees explained the relationship between Chinese people and the giant panda. Ecologistic-scientific value All Chinese students showed their ecological knowledge about the giant panda, and their knowledge is supplied by environmental education, education in primary and middle school, media, and books. All respondents mentioned that the giant panda is endemic to China, thus, it is important to protect the species. One interviewee continued to say we treat them as a treasure. It was also mentioned that the species requires specific diet and habitat to survive. Not all but most of Chinese students imply the population of the giant panda in wild was not stable and mentioned captive breeding to conserve the species. Moreover, two students expressed their concern about over-attention to the giant panda status in China. For instance, one student insisted that the giant panda was just a bear with the knowledge about the classification of the species and the rate of extinction for other species in the world. Their knowledge comes from various sources from formal education to movies. However two st udents did not remember how they learned about the giant panda since it was common sense for them. Symbolic value It is noteworthy that all Chinese students in this research described that the giant panda represents China with remarkably similar words such as symbol of China, stand for China, pride of China and image of China. Three possible explanations for this answers were identified from interviewees answers; (1) the giant panda only occurs in China, (2) the species represents Chinese people, for instance, one student chose the word modest for the giant panda, and this student referred to that the national animal represents the own culture and personality. Other student answered identity to explain the relationship between Chinese people and the giant panda. (3) In the Chinese mythology, it is assumed that Chinese people are children of the giant panda, which is told by one interviewee. It seems reasonable to suppose that the giant panda has the high symbolic value as national animal on the grounds that all students defined the species as the symbol of China. Humanistic value Interviewee tended to see giant pandas from an anthropomorphic view. Chinese students showed the feeling of love and strong attachment for this species. All students described the panda as cute at least once in the interview. Students illustrated this species by the words lovely, warm-hearted, animal of love, friendly, funny, honest and modest. In addition, their strong attachments for the giant panda can be seen the phrases such as everyone cannot help falling love with Panda, all Chinese like panda, all people like panda, he brings a lot of happiness, I know them from my childhood, [so I will feel pity if they become extinct], and the panda has special meaning for us. Moralistic value Interviewees showed their concern about the giant panda. Of those who refused to have the species in their towns, all stated that they do not let the giant panda put in the difficult situation for survival because of unfavourable habitat. Furthermore, a specific question about the extinction of the giant panda was asked to explore students attitudes towards the moralistic value. To this question, all interviewees indicated their concerns about the dying out of the giant panda. Two students stated that the giant panda should not become extinct owing to its intrinsic value as one species, as can be seen in the answer they belong to the earth. Although these two students expressed their moralistic concern, the major reason for the other students might not be moralistic. The major reason why eight students opposed the extinction of the giant panda was the fact that the giant panda is an endemic species and the national animal. Negativistic value The ecological feature of the giant panda was the key to understand the negativistic value towards the species. Nine of ten Chinese students did not show their fear of the giant pandas. Some of them chose the word for or the image of the species such as friendship, friendly, warm, close to people, and community. When they were asked the reason for using those words, they explained that the giant panda eat only bamboo, never attack people, stay at mountains, and do not compete with people for food resource. Based on these characteristic of the giant panda, nine students seemed not to express their fear. On the other hand, one student mentioned that giant pandas attack people when they get furious. Discussion and conclusion This study set out to explore Chinese students attitudes towards the giant panda and its result showed that generally students have strong favourable attitudes. It was also shown that the major values contributing to their attitudes were utilitarian, naturalistic, ecologistic-scientific, symbolic, humanistic, and moralistic. The most significant value among ten Chinese students at University of Kent was the symbolic value of the giant panda, which correspond with the Yangs study (2005). There may be two reasons behind this answer; the anthropomorphic view towards the giant panda throughout history and the fact that the species is endemic to China. Regarding the anthropomorphic view, some students answer that the species represents Chinese personality. The other explanation is that the species is an ancestor of Chinese people in the mythology. These two explanations demonstrate that the anthropomorphic attitudes to the giant panda may lead to consider the species as the symbol of China. This anthropomorphism for the giant panda can be also seen in the humanistic value. In addition to an anthropomorphic view, the fact that the giant panda is endemic species in China can be the main factor of being the symbol of China. Students showed their understanding of the uniqueness of the giant panda such as habitat preference or specialist diet with their ecological knowledge, as described in the ecologistic-scientific value. Therefore, it could be assumed that the ecological f eatures of the giant panda can be also one of major factors for identifying the symbol of China. These two reasons provide more depth of the Chinese attitudes towards the giant panda than literature review conducted by Yang (2005). As she suggests, this study also found that the symbolic value plays the key role in determining the attitudes towards the giant panda, and that few students indicated the influence of the media. However, the behind of this attitudes, there are several factors, which related to the anthropomorphic view in their culture including the mythology, and the ecological knowledge from school education about giant pandas, according to this interview survey. Moreover, it should be also noted that students revealed contradiction statements towards the giant panda. While interviewees showed their emotional attachment for the species, they also mentioned the use of the species as an attraction of tourist and the tool for the diplomatic relation. In this research, it is difficult to discuss this inconsistent stance of the students because of the lack of information. More information on following points would help to establish a greater degree of accuracy on this matter; (1) the relevance of nine basic values towards the giant pandas to test whether the symbolic value is the most significant determinant, (2) the influential agencies, such as the media or school, to construct peoples attitudes towards this species, or (3) further investigation of the contradictory attitudes towards the giant panda. However, for further research, it should be considered following difficulties this research faced. Firstly, at the design stage, sampling method and questions should be changed. This research did not used random sampling, thus, it might cause sampling bias. Concerning questions, although the main six questions were designed to be neutral and to avoid using simple and direct questions (Newing in press), follow-up questions which was improvisational question could cause error, bias or leading the answer. Thus, it is essential to conduct more pilot intervi ews until the interviewer become able to create proper follow-up questions during the interview. Secondly, at the interview stage, interviewers skill was not ideal. Several errors might be included to some extent in this interview, such as recording error, instruction error, or leniency effect (Sarantakos 2005) which might cause students inconsistent statement. Finally, at the analysis stage, to understand more depth of Chinese students attitudes, an analysis of the detailed information and a coding of the data should be more sufficient at the interview stage (Newing in press; Pole and Lampard 2002). In this research, an analysis of the interview during data collection with annotations, memo, and coding was not sufficient for the in-depth analysis. In addition, the top codes used for the data sorting should be well-defined in the context of the answer. Even though the previous study used the same codes for an analysis of attitude survey, the coding followed previous survey might be subjective rather than objective. In conclusion, returning to the aim posed at the beginning of this paper, it is now possible to state that ten Chinese students at University of Kent generally have favourable attitudes towards the giant panda. Although the symbolic value as the symbol of China plays the key role in the students attitudes, it should be noted that the factors behind their answers are more various and complicated than the previous study described. Literature Cited Goedeke, T.L. 2004. In the eye of the beholder: Changing social perceptions of the Florida manatee. Society Animals 12: 99-116. IUCN (The International Union for Conservation and Nature and Natural Resources). 2009. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species Ailuropoda melanoleuca. 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