Water Consumption Essays - Meat, Cleaning, Dishwasher,

List of actions you can take to reduce your water consumption: Home: 1. Take 7-minute showers 2. 2 laundry loads each week 3. 2 dishwasher loads per week 4. Transportation and Energy: 5. Turn off lights while not in a room 6. Unplug electronics while not in use Diet: 1. Eat 2 servings of beef per week 2. Eat 1 serving or less of pork each week 3. 1 cup of milk per day Stuff: 1. Purchase less clothing each year 2. Buy half the home supplies purchased each year 3. Re-use paper (use the back of paper)

Women in Ancient Greek Marriages

Women in Ancient Greek Marriages The Greeks thought that Cecrops- one of the early kings of Athens who wasnt entirely human- was responsible for civilizing mankind and establishing monogamous marriage. Men were still free to establish relationships with courtesans and prostitutes, but with the institution of matrimony, lines of heredity could be traced, and marriage established who was in charge of the woman. Marriage Partners Since citizenship was passed through to ones offspring, there were limits on whom a citizen might marry. With the enactment of Pericles citizenship laws, resident aliens- or metics- were suddenly taboo. As in the Oedipus story, mothers were taboo, as were full sisters, but uncles might marry nieces and brothers could mary their half-sisters primarily in order to keep property in the family. Types of Marriage There were two basic types of marriage that provided legitimate offspring. In one, the male legal guardian (kurios) who had charge of the woman arranged her marriage partner. This type of marriage is called enguesis betrothal. If a woman was an heiress without a kurios, she was called an epikleros and might be (re-)married by the marriage form known as epidikasia. Marital Obligations of the Greek Heiress It was unusual for a woman to own property, so the marriage of an epikleros was to the next closest available male in the family, who thereby gained control of the property. If the woman were not an heiress, the archon would find a close male relative to marry her and become her kurios. Women married in this way produced sons who were legal heirs to their fathers property. The dowry was an important provision for the woman since she would not inherit her husbands property. It was established at the enguesis. The dowry would have to provide for the woman in case of either death or divorce, but it would be managed by her kurios. The Month for Marriage One of the months of the Athenian calendar was called Gamelion for the Greek word for wedding. It was in this winter month that most Athenian weddings took place. The ceremony was a complicated ceremony involving sacrifice and other rituals, including registration of the wife in the phratry of the husband. Greek Women's Living Quarters The wife lived in the gynaikonitis womens quarters where she overlooked the management of the home, tended to the educational needs of the young children, and of any daughters until marriage, cared for the sick, and made clothing.

Build and sustain an innovative work environment Assignment - 2

Build and sustain an innovative work environment - Assignment Example It offers a wide selection of cutting-edge technology tablet pc’s, smartphones and related services such as application configuration, networking, software updates and training on the best use of the devices. Located in Serres Macedonia, the business strives to meet the global challenge posed by stiff competition and attain its goal of serving over 20 million clients annually through effective marketing by 2016. Smart Spot is well acquainted with the sheer fact that it operates in a market characterized by hasty change and an incessant quest for effective and efficient services and perceives innovation as the only way of meeting the customers demand and maintain its market share. In its innovation process, the organization embraces the broadmindedness and creates a space where trust can happen and risks taken in the innovation process. In generation of ideas, the owner, George Papadopoulos and the shareholders ensure that all parties are comprehensively involved thus helping the business to develop best services and products that meet customer needs, tastes and preferences (Innovation and Business Industry Skills Council, 2010). Through daily interaction with George Papadopoulos, it was evident that customers experienced delays when they made orders. The stakeholder ostensibly blamed it on the inefficient operation of the attendants and kept on complaining about a practice that was costly both in terms of time and money. After the realization of this major setback, we resulted to introduce vending machines in some sections of the stall. Apparently, the lead time was maintained but the waiting time was reduced by 50% and 87% of clients expressed satisfaction with the new service delivery method. My intention to reduce the wait time by 60% was already surpassed and now just needed to make thorough and methodical consultation with George Papadopoulos and systems engineers within the research and

Advaced Business Structures Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Advaced Business Structures - Essay Example Most cities and many countries require businesses - even tiny home-based sole proprietorships to register with them and pay at least a minimum tax. And if you do business under a name different from your own, such as a custom coding, you usually must register that name - known as a "fictitious business name" with your country.1. Cheap Setup Cost - There are no legal complications in setting up a sole proprietorship. There are no minimum or maximum limits for capital thus even qualifying small business units with less capital as a Sole Proprietorship. The business is flexible in its operations as it can engage in any other operations without any restrictions as it may be in the case of Limited Companies.2. Reduced Operating Costs - Sole proprietorships are easy to setup and to maintain. Much of the running of the business is done by the owner, saving on labour costs as there is no requirement to hire professional help.3. Avoidance of Corporation Tax - At the time of paying income tax, a sole proprietor simply reports all business income or losses on his or her individual income tax return. The business itself is not taxed. Sole proprietor is not required to pay Corporation Tax because it is not a separate legal entity from its owner, so the business will not be taxed separately.... For instance, if you're engaged in a low-risk enterprise such as freelance editing, landscaping or running a small band that plays weddings and social evens, your risks of facing massive debt or a huge lawsuit is pretty small. 5. Subject to Governmental Regulations - As stated above, there is no regulation on minimum or maximum capital, the sole proprietorship is not required to file its accounts with the registrar of companies, there is no need to produce memorandum or article of association. There is also no compulsary audit as it is the case with Limited Companies. Disadvantages of Sole Proprietorship 1. Failure to raise funds - Many financial institutions consider sole proprietorship as risky ventures and are not willing to extend finance to these entities. Sole proprietor may not be able to raise capital on his own unlike in partnership where they are able to share the financial burden of raising funds. 2. The Proprietor has unlimited liability - The liability of the sole proprietorship is bound to the proprietor since this type of business is one with its owner. Therefore the liability of the business is ultimately the liability of the proprietor. Since there is no law binding the owner regarding limited liability, this can prove to be fateful if the owner takes a huge loan and cannot repay. 3. Lack of Business Skills - The proprietor does not avail the services of any professional, hence conducting the day-to-day business on his own. In many businesses, the lack of the proprietor's experience would be detrimental to the health of the business unlike a Public Limited Company, where professionals are hired to conduct the day-to-day business. Partnerships

A job application letter, a resume,a cover letter Assignment

A job application letter, a resume,a cover letter - Assignment Example nal potentials; housing facility is not available, the duty hours are 40 hours of work per week, and possible overtime may be required depending upon need basis and there is no drug test required for the job; however the government would have a background check. Occasional travel may be required for training purposes. According to the job description the candidate has to perform several duties; these duties include to asses patient care need and to adjust the staff appointments accordingly, to assess the opportunities of improvement, serves on committee and to review and revise nursing policies, must participate in problem solving, develop plans for the care of patients, formulate nursing intervention based on their identification of the diagnosis, consult with healthcare professional on patients to coordinate the diagnosis, must be able to promote harmonious environment, initiates treatments and mediations based on appropriate utilization of standing orders, must be able to operate specialized equipments, maintains professional knowledge through continuing education and must be able to perform other related duties assigned. I believe learning and expanding my learning to the world around. I believe in helping humans and ensuring that I do something creative with my life so that I can be able to serve mankind and the environment around. Life is about giving and I want to get so that I can give. I am writing to you with respect to your job announcement titled â€Å"Clinical Nurse† at PHS Indian Health Hospital in Pipe Ridge, South Dakota, USA. I have been working as a Nurse with USA Memorial Hospital for the past 8 years and over the 8 years I have been awarded 3 times as the best nurse award. I believe in providing the best of services, I am very caring towards human nature and the only reason I opted for a nursing degree and occupation is I want to serve the mankind; I want to give them a source of comfort and a piece of mind. In order to achieve my goal I have

Effect of Social Media on Political Participation

Effect of Social Media on Political Participation Has social media led to substantial changes in citizens’ repertoires of political participation? In the past few decades, an upsurge in the use of social networking sites (SNS) has been witnessed (Bode et al., 2014). Ever since the emergence of social media, the deliberation of how and to what extent they altered the way people engaged in politics has been ardently discussed. To understand this question, one should first examine it in two directions, the definition of social media and political participation, before moving on to the discussion of whether or not there are changes over time. Undoubtedly, any authority would be ill-advised to underestimate the power of the internet. If using the internet and sending text messages can modify the foreground of a nation and overturn ingrained authoritarianisms; if they have the ability to change the fortune of an unknown man into an overnight star; if they have magic for fixing the ‘illness’ of the society by pressuring governments, is it possible for anyone to resist using these types of media to achieve their goals? It is an undeniable fact that the current society is a world where all kinds of social media are almost inevitable. Since the launch of social media over 10 years ago, one can fairly address that there have been some enormous changes in people’s everyday lives. According to Jeroen Van Laer and Peter Van Aelst, â€Å"A notable feature of recent public engagements with the internet is its use by a wide range of activists and groups engaging in social and political protest† (Aelst et al., 2010). Tufekci and Wilson (2012) provided an example of this statement. They noted that, â€Å"Since the ‘‘Arab Spring’’ burst forth in uprisings in Tunisia and in Egypt in early 2011, scholars have sought to understand how the Internet and social media contribute to political change in authoritarian regimes† (Tufekci et al, 2012). The two mentioned assertions of each scholar have shed some light on the influence of the internet. This essay will deal with the following aspects of the question of whether or not social media reforms the means of civic participation in politics, a) what is political participation; b) what is the role of social media in the sense of taking part in the policy-making procedure. Finally, the essay will be concluded by the outcome of the discussion in question. To begin with, the definition that was given by Boyle and other scholars in ‘Expressive responses to news stories about extremist groups: A framing experiment’, they proposed that the term ‘‘expressive action’’ included talking to friends and family about politics, sending letters to the editor, contacting public officials and attending rallies (Boyle et al., 2006). However, as Rojas, H. and Puigà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ Abril, E mentioned in their journal (2009), â€Å"Verba et al. (1995) narrowly define political participation as ‘an activity that has the intent or effect of influencing government action–either directly by affecting the making or implementation of public policy or indirectly by influencing the selection of people who make those policies’ (Rojas et al., 2009). Either way, one thing is clear, political participation is a set of activities to affect who decides or decision itself in any possible way. In ‘Mobilizers mobilized: Information, expression, mobilization and participation in the digital age’, a number of hypotheses were suggested by Rojas, H., and Puig-Abril. These hypotheses embodied a model explaining the cycle of the interactions between Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) as Figure 1 they proposed below. As the result of their study, assumptions of informational uses of ICT resulting expending expressive behaviours in the online sphere are sturdily supported. Furthermore, the relative significance of blogs as a source of information that accelerates such expressive behaviours is also suggested in this study. Nevertheless, one interesting result was noted that there is no support for a direct relationship between online expressive behaviours and offline participatory behaviours. This implies that online political activists may not be as enthusiastic as they are online when it comes to taking part in the policy-making procedure offline (Rojas et al., 2009). Political participation on social media is referred to as ‘political SNS use’ by Bode (2014). The definition of ‘political SNS use’ is using SNS for political intentions, for example, displaying a political preference on one’s profile page or becoming a ‘fan’ of a politician (Bode et al, 2014). However, another argument suggested that while one is studying ‘political SNS use’, the disadvantages that it presented should not be overlooked. One example of this is addressed in one of Clair Cain Miller’s articles of The New York Times. Miller stated that due to the convenience that the internet provides, it is useful for promoting events, such as the Arab Spring to the Ice Bucket Challenge. However, people might be reluctant to express themselves because of the urge for obtaining recognition (Miller, 2014). With the exact reason, people tend to interpret the various signals in social media, as liked or hated. As these signa ls become clearer, the reluctance of people to express their views online increases; hence, the differentiation between the different positions will turn into a more serious situation and those who share the same or similar points of view will be even more unified (Miller, 2014). Citing from Bode’s journal, â€Å"although social networking sites were not originally conceived of as political tools, politicians have quickly adapted to use them as such (Bode et al, 2014). The internet has given civil society new tools to support their claims. In the recent years catchphrases, such as, ‘‘Twitter Revolution’’ or ‘‘Facebook Revolution’’ have been high-lighted (Tufekci et al, 2012). However, one should keep in mind that social media alone did not cause the revolutions and demonstrations (Joseph, 2012). In the case study of the Arab Spring, it was the urgent need of four things; namely, justice(Adala), freedom (Hurriya), dignity (Karama), and respect (Ihtiram) which pushed the citizens participating in those protests, and social media merely played the role of supporting the combustion by providing the platform for exchanging and spreading the information. Due to the falling costs and expanding capabilities of mobile phones, the traditional communications have been enriched with capacities of taking pictures and videos. Within the past decade, communities in which it had long been difficult to access information were converted into massive social experiments fuelled by an explosion in channels of information (Aelst et al., 2010). The evolution of new communication technologies brought new forms of political communications. In Jeroen Van Laer and Peter Van Aelst’s journal, they categorised 4 new forms of political communication; namely, a) Internet-supported action with low thresholds. In this category, donation of money, consumer behaviours, and legal protests and demonstrations are involved. It is believed that donating money is the most primary way to engage in a social movement that involves almost no risks or commitments (Aelst et al., 2010). b) Internet-supported action with high threshold, which means transnational demonstrations, transnational meetings, and Sit-in / occupations and more radical forms of protest. One case study of this section is the Harvard Progressive Student Labour Movement at Harvard College. The incident was for demanding higher living wages for the institution’s security guards, janitors and dining-room workers. This movement was initiated with the occupation of several university administrative offices in 2001. Eventually, the ‘real-life ’sit-in at Harvard College was accompanied with a ‘virtual sit-in’ in order to increase media attention and to broaden the pressure on administration officials (Constanza-Chock 2003;Biddix Park 2008). c) Internet-based action with low threshold. This includes actions that are solely performed online: online petitions, email bombs and virtual sit-ins. Any Face book user can generate a group to protest or support a specific cause and invite other members to ‘sign’ this cause by taking part in this group. d) Internet-based action with high threshold. This involves Protest websites, Alternative media sites, Culture jamming, and Hacktivism. The definition of culture jamming was coined by Stolle and other researchers, â€Å"changes the meaning of corporate advertising through artistic techniques that alter corporate logos visually and by giving marketing slogans new meaning (Stolle et al., 2005). These ‘attacks’ are all blurring the line between what is legal and what is not. These tactics are then labelled as ‘electronic civil disobedience’, ‘hacktivism’ or as ‘cyber terrorism’, and depends on the point of view (Denning 2001; Vegh 2003). Using and managing social media as a participatory tool is not the same thing. The real challenge is how to utilize social media to properly take part in the decision-making process. It is indeed that the world needs diverse voices and with the help of social media, everyone is granted the power to ‘have a say.’ Social media did not merely become a tool in hands for those who actively want to have a say, they also bind the communities which were not asked to take actions previously. However, one should bear in mind that ‘saying what’ is the most crucial part of participating in politics. The results from Bode’s study are compelling,†-political SNS use is not a dead-end, but instead provides an impetus for greater political participation (Bode et al, 2014). Perhaps it is worth acknowledging here that social media have indeed changed the citizens’ repertoires of political participation. The evidence is compelling, although there are some op posed arguments. The development of ‘political SNS use’ is promising and is a study worthy for future research. Bibliography Biddix, J. P. Park, H. W. (2008) ‘Online networks of student protest: the case of the living wage campaign’, New Media Society, vol. 10, no. 6, pp. 871–891. Bode, L., Vraga, E. K., Borah, P., Shah, D. V. (2014). A New Space for Political Behavior: Political Social Networking and its Democratic Consequences.Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 19(3), 414-429. doi: 10.1111/jcc4.12048 Boyle, M. P., Schmierbach, M., Armstrong, C. L., Cho, J., McCluskey, M. R., McLeod, D. M., et al. (2006). Expressive responses to news stories about extremist groups: A framing experiment. Journal of Communication, 56, 271–288. Constanza-Chock, S. (2003) ‘Mapping the repertoire of electronic contention’, in Representing Resistance: Media, Civil Disobedience and the Global Justice Movement, eds A. Opel Pompper D. Praeger, London, pp. 173–191. Denning, D. E. (2001) ‘Activism, hacktivism, and cyberterrorism: the internet as a tool for influencing foreign policy’, in Networks and Netwars: The Future of Terror, Crime, and Militancy, eds J. Arquilla D. Ronfeldt, RAND Corporation, Santa Monica, CA, pp. 239–288. Joseph, S. 2012. ‘Social Media, Political Change and Human Right’, Boston College International Comparative Law Review. Laer, J. V. Aelst, P. V., (2009) INTERNET AND SOCIAL MOVEMENTACTION REPERTOIRES.Information, Communication Society,13(8). Available at: http://www.academia.edu/262038/Internet_and_Social_Movement_Action_Repertoires_Opportunities_and_Limitations> [Accessed: February 19, 2015]. Miller, C. C., 2014. How Social Media Silences Debate.The New York Times, [Online]. 0, 0. Available at: http://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/27/upshot/how-social-media-silences-debate.html?abt=0002abg=1 Rojas, H., Puigà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ Abril, E. (2009).Mobilizers mobilized: Information, expression, mobilization and participation in the digital age.Journal of Computerà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ Mediated Communication, 14(4), 902-927. doi: 10.1111/j.1083-6101.2009.01475.x Stolle, D., Hooghe, M. Micheletti, M. (2005) ‘Politics in the supermarket: political consumerism as a form of political participation’, International PoliticalScience Review, vol. 26, no. 3, pp. 245–269. Tufekci, Z. Wilson, C., 2012. Social Media and the Decision to Participate in Political Protest: Observations From Tahrir Square. Journal of Communication. Available at: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1460-2466.2012.01629.x/pdf> [Accessed: February 19, 2015]. Vegh, S. (2003) ‘Classifying forms of online activism: the case of cyberprotests against the World Bank’, in Cyberactivism. Online Activism in Theory and Practice, eds M. McCaughey M. D. Ayers, Routledge, New York, London, pp. 71–95. Verba, S., Schlozman, K. L., Brady, H. E. (1995). Voice and equality: Civic volunteerism in American politics. Cambridge: Harvard University Press

The Christain Theme of Tolstoys The Death of Ivan Ilyich Essay

The Christain Theme of  Tolstoy's The Death of Ivan Ilyich   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Tolstoy's The Death of Ivan Ilyich attacks the pursuit of material possessions.   The Ilyich family bases itself upon the unsure foundation of wealth.   As Ivan ascends the rungs of the corporate ladder, he acquires new possessions and articles.   After joining the Civil Service, Ivan buys "new fashionable belongings" at the "very best shops" to keep up appearances (100).   For his wedding to Fiorodovna, Ivan buys "new furniture, new crockery, new linen[s]" to be proper or comme il faut.   He tries in vain to keep up "appearances as ordained by public opinion" (116).   None of these niceties are needed: Ivan buys them purely for the pleasure of owning them and in attempt to fit in with those of his class.   He succeeds instead... ...erings" that Ivan's illness put her through.   In the end, Ivan has nothing to solace him during his slow expiration.   What Tolstoy points out in The Death of Ivan Ilyich is a purely Christain theme:   do not place your foundation upon material things, but upon those things which transcend all time. Work Cited Tolstoy, Leo. The Death of Ivan Ilyich. Bantam Classic ed. New York: Bantam, 1991.

Animal Farm Essay

Animal Farm by George Orwell is an allegory written in 1943. It was also made into a TV film version in 1999 directed by John Stephenson, produced by Greg Smith and Robert Halmi and distributed by Hallmark Films. Animal Farm is a deceitfully simple story about a group of farm animals who are tired of living in a dystopia caused by humans. They rebel and create their own way of life, only to find themselves back in a dystopia caused by animals. The film follows the plot line of the novel closely but changes some major details. While the film and the novel Animal Farm are basically one in the same and have similar plot lines, the film had less detail, while the novel was thoroughly detailed. The differences between the film and the novel were points of view, exposition and major plots. Orwell tells the story of Animal Farm through a third person, omniscient point of view. The narrator is never involved in the action of the story, but knows everything. This point of view allows readers to see into the minds of the characters and understand their motivations. The film is told by a narrator, a character in the novel, Jessie. It explains the film in a way that she sees everything occurring. It also stops most of the dialogue between the animals and they don’t really talk like they do in the novel. Another difference between the novel and film is the exposition, which gives background information on the plot. In the novel, some of the events that occur in Animal Farm’s exposition play important roles later on in the novel. In the novels exposition, Orwell describes many of the animals that are important to the novel. In the films exposition, very little time is spent on developing the characters of the important animals. Also, the song Beasts of England is not sung in the exposition, unlike the novel, this song plays a very pivotal role later on in the novel. In the film, they don’t know the characters very well and the animals don’t really sing it, they hum it. This takes away from the mood of the song. The movie is merely an adaptation of the novel into film, so almost all the events that take place in the novel will take place in the film. Another difference between the novel and film is the major plot differences. The novel and film follow the same plot line but there are some major differences. In the novel, Old Major died about 3 days after his speech from natural causes. While in the film, Mr. Jones shoots Old Major minutes after his speech, while they’re reciting the Beasts of England song. In the novel, all of the animals could speak while in the film it was arrated by Jessie which cut the dialogue of most of the animals. The end of the film and novel differ greatly. In the novel, the animals are sadly dominated by Napolean. But in the film they somehow overthrow his power and finally bond together for another attempt at a utopia. The film covered major ideas but missed some details, characters, and small stuff that made the novel so interesting. It’s quite apparent that there are many significant differences between Animal Farm the novel and the film. There are a number of differences between the use of point of view, the exposition, and the major plots. Animal Farm is a simple story about a group of farm animals who overthrew their human dictators and their animal counterpart who dictated them also. The novel was very detailed and had many characters which made it very interesting. While the film had less details, and characters which made it a little dull, and boring. These are my comparisons of the film and novel called Animal Farm.

Summarise discussions on the main challenges and consequent changes in policy and ideology over 60 years of the NHS. The WritePass Journal

Summarise discussions on the main challenges and consequent changes in policy and ideology over 60 years of the NHS. Introduction Summarise discussions on the main challenges and consequent changes in policy and ideology over 60 years of the NHS. IntroductionScenario 4: Health Trainers.Scenario 5: Sure Start. ReferencesRelated Introduction In the 1940s new legislation aimed to remove Beveridge’s five ‘giant evils’ of Want, Disease, Idleness, Ignorance and Squalor (NICE 2010). This was due to a shift in political ideology from the individualistic to the collective because the Labour government at this time believed in ‘democratic socialism’ partly as a result of societal change due to the Second World War. Another key example of this shift was the NHS which was established by Aneurin Bevan in 1948. The NHS had three key principles of the service being free at the point of delivery, being comprehensive in covering all individuals in Britain and that access would be based on need (NHS 2009). In 1951 Labour pioneered the dental and eye service charge and prescription charges were only just avoided. However the Conservatives increased dental and eye charges and also introduced the prescription charge in 1952 which had two increases in 1956 and in 1961 which was the biggest policy change in the financing of the NHS (Webster, 1998:39). This shifted the political ideology away from collectivism because prescription charges meant that health care was no longer free for all. Thatcherism was another shift away from collectivism as the government needed to meet the challenge of saving money due to a global recession and the NHS’s budget was a major use of resources. According to Taylor-Gooby (1988:2), In the early and mid-1980s existing social divisions deepened: provision aimed specifically at poor minorities was tightly constrained, whereas services used by the mass of the population were little affected by spending cut-backs. This was linked to the new policy where managers of NHS Trusts were given limited budgets and had to ensure that they remained within them which meant that some services had to be cut in order to ensure that they could balance the books at the end of the financial year (Walsh et al., 2000). This was a clear of example of health and social care managers needing to interpret government legislation and policies in order to ensure that they could meet targets needed to gain funding for the next financial year. This was carried out through the use of internal markets which were created by Thatcher’s government in order to streamline the NHS’s use of services and ensure that prices were competitive. The next challenge to the NHS was New Labour’s election in 1997. According to Driver and Martell (1998) this led to a post-Thatcherite shift in political and social ideology where collectivism and the Welfare State began to be rebuilt. Their approach was to offer a diverse range of services, because of the wide diversity in individuals living in modern Britain. Who now had a longer life expectancy and to promote freedom of choice, with an emphasis placed on meeting the needs of their service users which was similar to the original NHS mandate (Driver and Martell, 1998). For example, in 2002, Primary Care Trusts (PCTs) were created to improve administration and delivery of healthcare services at the local level (NHS Choices, 2008). According to NHS Choices (2008), PCTs control over eighty percent of the budget and contract out services but that because they are local they can best understand the needs of their community. PCTs moved away from Thatcherite management which had led to too many priorities being set, challenging the NHS’s ability to provide a healthcare service (West, 1997). PCTS were created with a â€Å"single management structure†, which meant that budgets and equipment was shared to provide an integrated service without wasting money, for the reason being that management was no longer spread among multiple people (Clouston, 2005:9). Social policy and political ideology is once again challenging the NHS from 2010, as another global recession has led to the need to cut public services. This also shows a shift back towards the individualistic ideology of Thatcher. The White Paper Liberating the NHS (2011:3) aims to â€Å"putting patients at the heart of the NHS, focusing on improving outcomes† and â€Å"empowering local organisations and professionals†. This will be done by giving managerial power to GPs and those who are in direct contact with patients on a local level, which is similar to Blair’s plans although there will be a Central Commissioning Board in charge of ensuring financial targets are met. However, health inequalities revealed in the Black Report (1980), the Acheson Report (1998) and the Marmot Report (2010) show that the NHS is still being challenged by Beveridge’s giants today. Scenario 4: Health Trainers. Choosing Health (2004) was put in place to help tackle health inequalities and to improve health by providing a new service that could help individuals to achieve a healthier lifestyle. The latest Department of Health (DoH) White Paper, Our Health, Our Care, Our Say (2006) mentioned the health trainers in the latest NHS ‘Life Checks’ and that the service’s ethos was to provide ‘support from next door’ (DoH, 2006:236). This new service brought in individuals who had experience in health inequalities and were from the local community (DoH, 2006).   However Marmot (2009) states that inequalities exist because of â€Å"social inequalities in society, not simply because of inequalities in healthcare†, and that the solutions to those inequalities should reflect their causes and covers the â€Å"social, economic, cultural and political† (DoH, 2009:2).    A General Practitioner (GP) can encourage individuals that would seem unlikely to take part in any other health support schemes, to engage in this service as health trainers support individuals in Healthy Eating and Physical Activity, Diet Weight Loss, Drugs Alcohol, Sexual Health, Smoking Cessation, Smoking during pregnancy, Mental Health, Depression and Anxiety, Cancer Screening and Health Checks (DoH, 2004). Health trainers aim to inspire individuals in the community to change their lives which in return would help the individuals to have higher self-esteem, help them to become fitter and fulfil the primary objective- to lower costs for the NHS by reducing their burden on services due to an unhealthy lifestyle. The Yorkshire and the Humber Primary Care Trust (YHPCT) (2009) suggested that clients that used this service, 99% changed their lifestyle and improved their health by effectively helping them to control their existing conditions. This was mainly because they felt that the health trainers were local individuals, and could communicate with the community on their level, by empowering clients to think of solutions and helping them to maintain their choices (YHPCT, 2009). However in some cases individuals would be signposted to other organisations to help them with their lifestyle choices like Slimming World, where they would receive free vouchers every week, explaining how to access services where they would get extra help. This is just one of many ideas, which would also help with the equal allocation of health care equity. However the NHS geographical plan for health equity resource allocation is being denied with a wide range of variables in socio-demographic and socio-economic health care utilisation known as the postcode lottery (DoH, 2005b). Policies need to evolve each year for the health trainers otherwise this could have an impact on the programmes. Health trainers should also be put into place in all health centres at a national level, which would support all individuals with inequality in their communities. According to the DoH (2011), their vision is for the financial strain on the NHS to be significantly reduced by the distribution of health promotion funds. In 2005 there were twelve sites for health trainers with each allocated  £200,000 to empower clients to transform their health and the DoH suggested there will be funding nationally until 2011 (NHS 2009). This is a significant shift in direction of public health policy from treating ill-health towards prevention by reducing inequalities as focused on by The Black Report (1980), the Acheson Report (1998), the Darzi Review (2008) and the Marmot Report (2010). Prime Minister Tony Blair stated that individuals who want to improve their lifestyle have to make the decision themselves and that the government â€Å"cannot and should not pretend it can make the population healthy† but instead offer them the support necessary for them to do so (DoH, 2004:207). The health trainers program was a key tool for this strategy, although it took five years to put into practice and is still not present in all areas. As a result, Tony Blair said small changes can make a big difference to people’s lives this service is not yet available as â€Å"support from next door† to all individuals (DoH, 2004). Scenario 5: Sure Start. The Government has introduced detailed policies to tackle social determinants of health inequalities; which included the ten-year health inequalities targets and community-based initiatives including Health Action Zones, Sure Start and Healthy Towns. Health Action Zones (HAZs) were the New Labour government’s first important policy, using a multi-agency group to try to diminish health inequalities. Acheson stressed how important the quality of life is in a child’s early years. (Acheson et al 1998). The New Labour government suggested that they want to radically reduce child poverty by 2010 and eliminate it by 2020. However these targets were missed in 2004-5, furthermore they are not on target for 2010-2011(Parliamentary Business, 2009). The New Labour Government poured three billion pounds into Sure Start when it was introduced in 1998, to try to provide help to disadvantaged families in the fundamental early years of a childs life (Wilce, 2008). This would be done by trying to attain enhanced results for families and the community by increasing childcare, improving a childs health and emotional growth and also supporting the child’s parents and encouraging them to strive towards employment (ET, 2007). However this vision for helping deprived families was an optimistic one as the government said that out of the 14 outcomes measured that related to health and chil d development, Sure Start only impacted on five; there was no positive impact taking place within language development, accidents, father’s involvement, maternal Body Mass Index, maternal smoking or childrens immunisations (Parliament UK, 2009). In 2007 Education Today (ET) reported that Hull University conducted research about Sure Start which suggested that even though Sure Start was aimed at underprivileged areas, underprivileged and marginalised people were not gaining any benefits. The report also argued that Sure Start were generally taken up by middle-class families, and was not creating contact with minority groups such as travellers, vagrant workers and families of Bangladeshi origin and Sure Start was criticised for not employing any translators or staff from ethnic and minority communities (Bagley and Ackerley, 2006). There was also some apprehension over the deliverance and performance of a Third Way multi-agency programme (ET, 2007). It has been suggested that Sure Start has moved away from its first focal point on disadvantaged children and become a universal choice. Burkard (2010) argues that the government should fund disadvantaged children instead of the Sure Start centres, and that any nursery involvement that has money thrown into it, is more than unlikely to improve the life chances of children from deprived areas. The centres could be beneficial in other areas for mothers and children because children could have early gains in acquiring knowledge and social development, but they seem to almost immediately fade when children enter into full- time education (Burkard, 2010). New Labour tried to implement strategies to prevent health inequalities through the early years of a childs life with Sure Start, and national assessments have shown that Sure Start has been successful in some parts of eradicating health inequalities but only achieving five out of the fourteen assessments (Education Today, 2007). There needs to be a considerable amount of improvement when it comes to reaching minority groups and getting better health results for parents and their children. Furthermore, there are some fears that broadening this policy through children’s centres nationally would divert their main goal of helping reduce inequalities for the underprivileged families that need the support most. References Acheson, D., Barker, D., Chambers, J., Graham, H., and Marmot, M. (1998). Independent Inquiry into Inequalities in Health: Report. London: The Stationery Office. Acheson, D. (2008). Independent Inquiry into Inequalities in Health. London: The Stationery Office. Bagley, C. and Ackerley, C.L. (2006). I am much more than just a mum. Social capital, empowerment and Sure Start. Journal of Education Policy. Vol. 21. Issue 6: 717-734. Black, D. (1980). Inequalities in Health: Report of a Research Group. London: DHSS. Burkard, T. (2010). Analysis: Can only literacy guarantee a Sure Start. [Online] Available at nurseryworld.co.uk/news/1012960/Analysis-literacy-guarantee-Sure-Start/[Accessed 13/04/2011]. Clouston, T.J. (2005). The Context of Health and Social Care. In T.J. Clouston and L. West (Eds). Working in Health and Social Care: an introduction for allied health professionals. London: Churchill Livingstone. Department of Health (2005a). Briefing Paper 1 Health Trainers, Department of Health. Department of Health. (2005b). Written Ministerial Statement on Health Trainers, House of Commons. Department of Health. (2006). Our health, our care, our say: a new direction for community services. London: Department of Health. Department of Health. (2011). Liberating the NHS: Legislative framework and next steps – Executive Summary. Available at dh.gov.uk/prod_consum_dh/groups/dh_digitalassets/documents/digitalasset/dh_123853.pdf. [Accessed 24/03/2011]. Driver, S. and Martell, L. (1998). New Labour- Politics After Thatcher. Cambridge: Polity Press. Education Today. (2007). Lifeline or waste of money? [Online] Available at educationtoday.co.uk/news/fullstory.php/aid/461/Sure_Start:_lifeline_or_waste_of_money_.html   [Accessed 15/04/2011]. Marmot, M., Allen, J., Goldblatt, P., Boyce, T., McNeish, D., Grady, M. and Geddes, I. (2010). Fair Society, Healthy Lives. London: The Stationery Office. NHS Choices. (2008). History of the NHS. nhs.uk/Tools/Documents/HistoryNHS.html. [Accessed 21/02/2011]. NHS Choices. (2009). NHS core principles. Available at nhs.uk/NHSEngland/thenhs/about/Pages/nhscoreprinciples.aspx. [Accessed 28/02/2011]. NHS. NICE (2009). National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence.   Available atnice.org.uk/newsroom/niceannualconference/niceannualconference2009/niceconf2008day1.jsp [Accessed 24/02/2011]. Parliamentary Business (2009). Health Inequalities Health Committee. Available at parliament.the-stationery-office.co.uk/pa/cm200809/cmselect/cmhealth/286/28608.htm#n130 [Accessed 18/03/2011]. Taylor-Gooby, P. (1988). The future of the British welfare state: public attitudes, citizenship and social policy under the Conservative governments of the 1980s. European Sociological Review. Vol. 4 (1): 1-19. The Yorkshire and Humber Teaching Public Health Network (2010). Health Trainers Executive Summary. Available at: yhtphn.co.uk/assets/files/Health%20Trainers/1%20Final%20HT%20story%20300910.pdf. [Accessed 04/04/2011]. Walsh, M., Stephens, P. and Moore, S. (2000). Social Policy Welfare. Cheltenham: Stanley Thornes. Webster, C. (1998). The National Health Service: A Political History. Oxford: Oxford University Press. West, P. A. (1997). Understanding the National Health Service Reforms: The Creation of Incentives?. Buckingham: Open University Press. Wilce, H. (2008). A bit of a mess: why the Governments plans to end child poverty were botched. [Online] Available at hilarywilce.com/feature_articles_view.php?cid=180   [Accessed 12/04/11].

Take Time to Wrap Up the School Year in 3 Steps

Take Time to Wrap Up the School Year in 3 Steps By the time any school year winds down to a close, the last thing any teacher wants to think about is the next school year. Unfortunately, the end of the school year is also when a teacher has the most information about how to make the transition into September much smoother. So, how to make the best use of this information? Teachers should try to spend time -a few hours on each of the following categories- at the end of this year because time invested now  could yield positive results in the next school year. #1. Spend Time Cleaning Up and Cleaning Out Before a teacher leaves for the school year, he or she could take a picture of the room (maybe from several angles) and post these pictures on the bulletin board for the custodial staff to see. This will make sure the room is organized and ready for students in the next school year.   Teachers should box supplies and clearly labels them so materials can be located quickly.( NOTE: Painters tape is more easily removed than other kinds of masking tape if furniture is marked.) In cleaning out, teachers and staff should follow the following guidelines: Remove the materials that were not used this year.Go through files and purge what is outdated. Remove  items that are irrelevant Remove saved items that â€Å"might†¦Ã¢â‚¬  be used. Do not keep those unused items inherited from teachers who came before...and do not feel guilty. #2. Spend Time Reflecting on Goals: If the teacher evaluation program (EX: Danielson or Marzano) has a self-reflection requirement, then much of this effort is already done. A teachers self-reflection can help him or her to focus on what areas might need attention in the next school year. If there is no self-reflection, teachers can still review the following questions in order to draft a goal or set of goals for the coming school year: How can I improve on writing this same or a similar goal for next year?What new ways could I use to measure this same goal or a new goal?Can I use different groups to make growth more visible?What could be the next step after meeting this goal?What single factor was most helpful with my goal this past year?What single factor caused problems with meeting my goal this past year?How can I improve my use of time in meeting a future goal? #3. Spend Time on Preparing Special Events Teachers can do a little pre-planning during the summer to alleviate the stress of planning special events (field trips or guest visits-in person or virtually) for students during the school year. Contacting locations or guest speakers in advance of the school year will help provide the school office personnel the time to plan for logistical support (transportation, permission slips, substitutes, video chats) well in advance, especially when the school calendar is being created. Special events are what students remember about the school year, and a little planning in advance can make the effort for all stakeholders worthwhile. In spending a few hours at the end of the school year on each of the three suggestions above, teachers can leverage their experiences of this past school year in order to make positive steps towards making the next school year experience even better.

Opening business Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Opening business - Essay Example For example, Microsoft claims its MSN Hotmail (free of cost email service) as a global product. A global product or service can indeed be marketed as it is claimed by every major producer of global products. For example, Google markets its search engine in various countries with respect to the local social and cultural issues. Another example of car manufacturing and producing giant Toyota, who market their global products (such as Toyota Corolla) which are meant to be for the use in various regions of the world by different types of end-users with different specifications and different levels of customizations. However, this also is a very controversial claim. A true global product is the one which is produced with a same version for multiple regions of the world. For example, Michael Jackson's earth song is a global product, since it is meant to be for individuals belonging to different regions, ethnicities, social and cultural backgrounds. It is not like that a different earth song is made for people in India and there is a different version of earth song for people in Euro pe. Customer Relations Management (CRM) is the implementation of process of moving towards long-term, cost-effective, mutually beneficial trust with selected customers while maintaining interactive relationship2.

What impact does nurses have on obtaining their own accu check versus Research Paper

What impact does nurses have on obtaining their own accu check versus nursing assistants on the timely delivery of insulin therapy to patients - Research Paper Example Nurses should be in the fore front in enhancing diabetes control mechanisms. Bearing in mind that some patients may be too old to use the advanced technology in trying to curb the disease, nurses come in handy in ensuring the patients are taken care of (Farmer et al., 2007). Nurses may be involved in teaching patients how to handle the monitoring devices. To avoid patients having further complications from the disease due to lack of proper insulin therapy, nurses and nurses assistants should make sure they oversee the insulin therapy process. They should ensure patients are assisted wherever possible and that they (patients) get their dosage in time. Patients benefit from nurses who undertake their own accu check as the results are received in less time. The accu check gets results in the least time possible and nurses have the privilege of administering relevant dosage to patients as they require. This has led the nurses to get accurate information of a patient’s diabetic state, from where nurses can give the right medication to the patient. This trend of nursing obtaining their own accu check has made patients feel more confident about the treatment they get as they know the results are highly reliable. Some stakeholders involved in this sector are: patients, nurses, the medical agencies. Diabetes has been of a major concern thus, necessitating the unveiling of new methods to deal with the challenges it brings. Patients are directly affected by the disease and any invention towards their treatment affects them directly. Accu checks are meant to assist the patients undertake their glucose tests in real time. The results for accu check are efficient thus promoting efficient medication towards controlling the effects of diabetes. When nurses undertake their own accu check, efficiency can be easily achieved as a patient may be confident of getting the right treatment. Patients