What empathy means to me

Although there are many definitions for the term empathy, one of which states that it â€Å"refers to the reactions of one individual to the observed experiences of another (Davis,113)†, a very fitting definition, however empathy is so much more than Just a label for a reaction toa situation. Personally I don't think empathy is measureable by scientific assessment, rather empathy should be viewed as a means of moral virtue. A large part of empathy is respect; disagreeing with someone's choice or thought, while being able to view a situation from their point of view without udgment is truly key.This being said, that doesn't mean you have to agree or change your thoughts, but the ability to take in both opinions and react approperately is empathy. Both of my parents taught me â€Å"have you thought about their side of the situation? † This use to frustrate me until I discovered that taking a step back from my perspective and looking at it from a different approach usually made me change my attitude about the situation. No, it didn't always fix the situation, but it encouraged me to change my attitude from negative to understanding.Matthew 7:12 states â€Å"So hatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets. † Empathy is like a mirror, a reflection, but a reflection of emotions that you feel in your life being applied to the lives of those around you. This expression though commonly thought of as a sympathy or a form of comfort, isn't always the case. Looking at life through the eyes of others is how empathy is expressed. This realization of others feelings can create a bond between you and them. Reflecting on your experiences and applying the emotions from your life to situations of others is part of this mirroring.Empathy was defined by www. newyorker. com in the article The Baby in the Well by Paul Bloom as â€Å"an instinctive mirroring of others†. He also brings up the case of â⠂¬Å"The Empathy Altruism Hypothesis† a study done by psychologist C. Daniel Baston. This theory states that taking into consideration others points of view produces a form of self-satisfaction. This self-satisfaction is selflessness; that in itself self-motivates that person to express more empathy. I agree that there is self-satisfaction in helping others that drives you to want to help again, without any form of repayment.Empathy isn't Just thinking about doing something, but taking action. Empathy as an action seems to fall into a grey area where compassion, kindness, and comprehension all mesh together in a common meaning. According to www. thesaurus. com, these terms are synonymous; in this way, empathy is some much more in-depth than Just a term. Theodore Roosevelt once said â€Å"No one cares how much you know, until they know how much you care†. Part of being human is having expression, and emotion. Without it, what would separate us from a robot? Gary Small and Gigi Vorgan wrote the articleIs the internet killing empathy? (found on www. cnn. com) and bring up the statement â€Å"have our brains become so desensitized by 2417, all-you-can eat diet of lurid flickering images that we've lost all perspective on appropriateness and compassion†¦? † I agree that it has. Empathy is something to be learned over time through personal experience. This cannot be achieved without interaction with others face to face. If someone never experiences a situation how are they to know think that much of our perception of empathy comes from our learning though personal interaction.The only way that empathy can be taught is by experience. Whether that be reading someone else's reaction to something, or taking the â€Å"monkey see, monkey do† approach. Regardless, empathy to me is my connection, reaction, and personal views of a situation being expressed toward others at all times and having respect for both of our views. I appreciate that I was taught from an early age to view others opinions, no matter what the case may be, and interpret situations in that manner. Listening, understanding, and interacting with others is the appropriate action in all things in life.

Comparative Education Essay

France has a highly organized educational system, which is divided into primary, secondary and tertiary (college) education. Primary and secondary education is usually imparted at public schools although a strong network of private schools also exists. All educational programs in France are regulated by the Ministry of National Education. Schooling in France is mandatory as of age 6, the first year of primary school while secondary education consists of college for the first four years after primary school and the lycee for the next three years. The baccalaureat is the end-of-lycee diploma that students must attain and is comparable to British A-Levels and American SATs. Students have a choice of sitting for the baccalaureat general which is divided into 3 streams of study, the baccalaureat technologique or baccalaureat professionnel. Higher education is funded by the state and fees are very low. Students from low-income families can also apply for scholarships. Academic councils called academies are responsible for supervising all aspects of University education in a given region. ANALYSING TECHNOLOGY EDUCATION THROUGH THE CURRICULAR EVOLUTION AND THE INVESTIGATION THEMES France Twenty years ago, many of them started with this new concept: introducing technology education (TE) in our curriculum. From this point, we developed many project implementing this new subject area and we built progressively meaningful to this area. The aim of this paper is to present this evolution from the French viewpoint with some interest to compare with foreign experiences. We present this evolution through two perspectives: the curricular evolution and the place ofinvestigation. Briefly, we can observe through the French national curriculum a phase of Epistemological delimitation, followed by a phase of activities definitions, arriving, recently, to a phase of activities defined as applied sciences without poor link to the initial epistemological definition. Over these factual dimensions, we can analyze this evolution as the weakness of the knowledge meaningful expressed in the national curriculum, weakness that reinforce the weakness of the TE in front of other subjects as math, literature, foreign language†¦ Many works tried to analyse this particular approach but their audience never really get out the little sphere of TE investigators. A birthday is more the occasion to open perspective and project some ideas and the experience taught us that the position of TE is more a question of social positioning through the knowledge than a question of purposed activities’ interest. 1. CURRICULUM EVOLUTION IN FRANCE The aim of this paper is to present you some aspects about Technology Education in the French school. French schooling has two levels. Primary school starts at the age of three and lasts until the age of eleven, in three cycles: the initial learning cycle (children three to five years old), the basic learning cycle (five to eight years), and the fundamental learning cycle (eight to eleven). Secondary school is divided into two main cycles: middle school (ages eleven to fifteen) and high school (fifteen to eighteen for general education or fifteen to nineteen for vocational training). Technology education was implemented at each of these two levels in the early eighties. 1. 1 THE FIRST CURRICULUM 1. 1. 1 Some elements about the general background The main idea of French schooling is the progressive elaboration of the different school subjects. Understanding the world of children goes hand in hand with organizing that world in different knowledge areas, from the general view to the particular description given by the different subjects. Technology education, like that of science, history, or geography, appears as a school subject specific to the middle school level (Ginestie, 2001a). The second idea of French schooling is the concept of project pedagogy. The introduction of this pedagogy in the Eighties was a departure from a traditional idea that the academic and dogmatic transmission of knowledge is the sole approach to teaching. Under the pressure of a massive rise in number pupils in middle and high schools, project pedagogy was presented as a possible solution to meeting the needs of the diversity of pupils, addressing their individual needs, and developing pupil autonomy (Ginestie, 2002). It was in this context, in 1985, that technology education was introduced in France as a part of science and technology education in elementary schools, as a new subject for all pupils in middle schools and as an optional subject in high schools. We can note four stages of organization of technology education between 1985 and today. 1. 1. 2 1985-1991: the implementation of the first curriculum Technology education was conceived of as a new subject and took the place of MTE (manual and technical education) in terms of hours, classrooms, and teachers. The curriculum emphasized the industrial environment, leaving little room for home economics and craftsmanship (COPRET, 1984). It had two different elements that made these references plain. On the one hand, the general part of the course described the overall goals, context, and aims of technology education in France. The aims were in terms of pupils’ attitudes towards technology (as related in many papers, e. g. de Vries, 1994; Jones, 1997; Compton & Jones, 1998; Gardner & Hill, 1999; Dugger, 2000) and in terms of the social and professional world of industrial production (this idea can also be found in many papers all over the world, e. g. Kantola et al. , 1999). It offered a broad perspective to prepare pupils for professional training. At that time, the middle school became the intermediate cycle where pupils had to make their own personal plan for school, and technology education was responsible for indicating possible career choices. On the other hand, general goals were broken down into concepts and skills. This second element of the curriculum described the organization of concepts based on four domains of reference: mechanical construction, electrical construction, and economics management and computer science. Clearly, the chosen references oriented technology education in Jacques Ginestie Analyzing Technology Education the world of industry towards electro-mechanical production, to the exclusion of other possibilities (Ginestie, 2001b). The main problem in introducing the TE curriculum has been to link the general aims to the specific fields (Sanders, 1999; Ginestie, 2004). These difficulties appeared with in-service teacher training programs. Earlier, the French Ministry of Education strongly affirmed the principle that TE was not a compendium of a little mechanics, a little electronics, and a business management with different aspects of computer science as a binder. To link these subjects together, teachers have had to connect general aims and specific concepts into an overall pedagogical project (Ginestie, 2005). Many in-service teacher training programs develop this orientation rather than aiming simply for the acquisition of specific knowledge. The implementation of technology education has not been reduced to the simple substitution of cooking or handicraft lessons by lessons in mechanics, but the true construction of a â€Å"new world† (Ginestie, 2003). Many original curriculum experiments were conducted at the same time to develop new teaching approaches (differential pedagogy, autonomous work, cooperative work, personal projects, etc. ) and to integrate the new references to industry, the market economy, and new labor organizations by taking into account the needs, design, production, marketing, use, and rationale of industrial methods. The major plan was to combine the pedagogical project with a theoretical industrial project method (IPM). We can note comparable initiatives in the UK at the same time (e. g. Hennessy & Murphy 1999). 1. 2 THE CURRICULUM EVOLUTIONS 1. 2. 1 1992-1999: Introduction of the Industrial Project Method (IPM) At the beginning of the Nineties, IPM appeared to be a good solution for implementing TE in the middle schools. Certainly, IPM has taken an overwhelming place in TE leaving no other alternatives for organizing technology education courses. This position was made official with different additions and modifications to the initial curriculum. The main decision to use IPM was published in 1992 by the French Ministry of Education. This method allows for the simultaneous definition of content and method for organizing the teaching learning process in TE. Everything was done so that each TE teacher plans and organizes a new project each year for each group of pupils. 1. 2. 2 1999-2004: The second curriculum Three problems arose that reduced the role of the project in TE. First, projects were mainly single production projects without any real progression from one year to the next. Secondly, the teachers’ profile evolved considerably during this period, with a large increase in new graduates from the advanced technological universities. Thirdly, the union of industrial science and technique, with teachers exerting pressure to open the curriculum to new technologies and new patterns of labor organization. The implementation of the new curriculum took four years, from 1996 until 1999. These changes tried to organize the relationship between the respective roles of the project and the concepts. For the first three years of middle school, pupils have to make different modules of the whole project, but they do not have to make all of it. The teacher’s task is to focus the attention of the pupils on specific points. During the last year, the pupils have to do a complete project (Ginestie, 2001c). The IPM is always a very strong frame of reference for TE in middle school (Ginestie, 2002). 1. 2. 3 2005: And so long, another change. There is actually a new phase of curriculum change. The Ministry of Education wants to promote the pupils individual choices about their future and by consequences the study they have to do. We can observe a real reduction of the TE as general and Jacques Ginestie Analyzing Technology Education Page 3 cultural subject. The general aspects are more and more developed as applications of sciences; the general method is not the process of design and technology but more and more the process of observation and experimentation (as we can find it in sciences education). The main knowledge properly identified as technological knowledge is banished and the first draft of this new curriculum promote the links with the scientific knowledge. The IPM is still a reference but it is more an object to study more than a method to use with pupils. 2. CONDITIONS OF STUDY IN TECHNOLOGY EDUCATION As we can see briefly, the TE curriculum is unstable as we can note through these major changes since the first writing. These changes are not linked with the technological evolution but mainly due to the lack of understanding about the place of TE in the general systems and to the misunderstanding about the aims of this subject and the knowledge taught. This lack of knowledge’s definition is patent when we observe the structure of the curriculum. This question of knowledge is not so easy to solve. Entry through analysing the conditions of study about TE’s knowledge supposes, in terms of questions for research, a strong agreement with two points: o There is some thing to study in technology education; o There would be multiple study conditions, perhaps different. These two points don’t make evidence. A majority of opinion is that TE is simply a kind of mix between handicraft activities and elements to highlight vocational training choices (Ginestie, 2000; Chatoney, 2003; Brandt-Pomares, 2003). In this posture, all the knowledge comes from sciences and TE is only a question of activities or applications. Evidently, this kind of entry weakens the position of TE as school subject and the recent French evolutions must be understood like this. It is the radical opposite we choose to work in our laboratory. First orientation we choose is to understand the significance of the anthropological approach. 2. 1 THE ANTHROPOLOGICAL APPROACH The anthropological approach allows registering knowledge in a theory of the activity and in a social field identified. The articulation between task and activity is incomplete if we do not speak about the manner to make. The manner to make relieves of the technique employed by the person to realise the task, that it is appointed by the situation or by him. The articulation between the task and the technique defines a know-how that expresses the manner to realise a determined task type (Ginestie, 1995). To get off this private organization either to account for the activity, or to clarify the manner to make, supposes the utilisation of language mediation. To tell the manner to make necessitate proceeding to an extraction of the individual praxis to elaborate a praxeological organisation, significant of the manner to realise the type of tasks and the context in which these tasks are registered. In fact, it concerns to give the senses in the typical articulation between tasks and techniques by elaborating a field of meaning in connection with a technology, perhaps with a theory. It is this elaboration of meanings on the practice that defines, in the anthropological perspective, knowledge. This approach allows rendering account organisations of knowledge as relationships between praxis, taken in the senses of the activity oriented to finality, and a field of significations that allows referring practice to a technology and/or to a theory (Ginestie, 2001c). The epistemological entry is interested in the nature of knowledge (well obviously in the evoked anthropological perspective above) and to the demarcation of a field of reference (Ginestie, 1997). Some articulations allow thinking these fields, objects to know that are fastened there and the manner of which they are or been able being, taken into account in the framework of a technology education: i. The world of technical objects, their mode of existence and social organizations by and in order that these objects exist so as to register the technological education in the human and social activity field; ii. The articulations between functioning, function, structure, form in the senses of a lighting of interdependences and the different manners to describe an object; iii. The articulation design, production, utilisation notably for marks given on process put at stake in each of terms, but equally, of a more global manner, either in a specific approach on an object, or from an evolutionist viewpoint, in a perspective of an history of technical activities; iv. The articulation object, activity, language in an ergonomic inscription (from the thing to the object, the object to the tool, the tool to the instrument) as revealers of the bonds between gestures and techniques, techniques and technologies. The report to techniques is thought in this framework as a demarcation; the report to languages notices the elaboration of symbols (in a relationship meaning, meant) but equally tools to think the world of technical objects and to act in this world. Well obviously, this qualification of fields is a bit coarse, it needs to be specified, notably if we want to be able to read existent curricular organisations, perhaps to propose evolution of these organizations. The curricular approach is one way to understand the knowledge’s organizations for teaching purposes. The problem is not the transposition of praxis but the transposition of praxeological organizations. It is not difficult to ask to pupils making something, but it is difficult allowing them to construct the meaningful on what they make. Certainly, the important instability of our curriculum is based on this difficulty to elaborate this meaningful. Furthermore, the curricular entry is envisaged here as one of the stages of the didactic transposition process: that the placement in text of teaching objects in an prescriptive aimed that has to organize the teaching activity, to the breadth of the production of these teaching objects in the framework of the class to elaborate some objects of study for pupils, objects of study that are going to determine activities of pupils. This placement in text defines the matter to teach and induces the manner to teach it. 2. 2 SCHOOL INSTITUTIONALIZATION We can thus notice the specification and identification work that operates in this process of scholastic institutionalisation. School institution is characterized as the placement of interactions, surely tensions, between three poles: the pupil, the professor and the knowledge. As soon as we wish to describe these interactions, we are confronted with a problem of methodology, methodology that derives of course the framework in which place our study. Thus, analysing the conditions of the study is going to concern us in what the school institution puts to the study and the manner that’s this study functions. This crossing of analysis rests on the articulation between task and activity: o The task is significant to the knowledge put at stake in the elaborated situation by the teacher in the framework that is fixed (curricular organizations, conditions of exercises, particular constraints, etc. ); o The activity is significant to the work undertaken by the pupil to progress in the task that is appointed it by the teacher and representative of the knowledge’s learning process. Jacques Ginestie Analyzing Technology Education Page 5 It concerns to define a framework of analysis that allows looking the functioning of a teaching situation (Ginestie, 1992). The initial framework, elaborated by these analyses method, does not prejudge of: o Knowledge put at stake, their presence or not and their school form; o Organizations elaborated by the teacher so as to organize conditions of the study of these knowledge; o Activities developed by the pupil that are induced by the organization put in game for this study. These two cross analyses, task and activity, characterize the interactions between three complementary existing logics but that can also appear as rival: the logic of subject, the logic of teaching and the logic of learning. The first one follows from knowledge organisation and requires an epistemological study; the second one takes in account the professional activity of the teacher considering his organisation, his style, his manner to do, the professional gestures he develops; the last one can be highlight by the learning theories, specifically the viewpoint of socio-constructivism theories. Many works have shown the incidence of these logics on the school situations and how they are inscribed in different references and different temporality. In fact, stressing these three logics in a school institution can be looked of different manners. But, for ourselves, we are really interested by what it happens in a class; specifically, we try to analyze the effects produced by this placement in tension (Ginestie, 1996). On the one hand, this approach allows the identification of the organisational and structural elements that act and interact in the process of teaching-learning. In this perspective, the task appears as the preferential expression of the teaching’s logic. It express simultaneously what is at stake, the context in which it is situated, what it is waited and what it is necessary that the pupil makes to achieve the task. In this senses, the task is a concentrated expression of a totality of values, models, elements of theories, knowledge that base the subject’s references and that identify the teacher in a teaching population. The analysis of the task is therefore significant how curriculum is implemented, in the particular intimacy of a specific class. It is equally significant activities that it induced at pupils. It is also characteristic of the epistemological, curricular, didactical or pedagogical presupposition (Ginestie, Brandt-Pomares, 1998). On the other hand, the passage to the real supposes to put in stake an analysis of the activity of the pupil. His perusal of the task, the manner he has to organize its activity and to orient its actions, what it takes in consideration and what it does not see even, allow characterising his learning process. In this perspective, we can notice difficulties that he meets, the manner whose he processes them, adopted strategies and the planning of his different actions (Ginestie, Andreucci, 1999). Reading activity through the description of the task allows proceeding pupil’s activity with some precise characteristic elements of the task. We can value difficulties met by the pupil and identify which are relevant to the context (the formulation of the task, the organization of conditions of the study, the use of models, materials, etc.) and which notices obstacles to the learning (Amigues, Ginestie, 1991). 3. SCHOOL ORGANISATION AND PUPIL’S WORK Organizations implemented at school, in the classroom and by the teacher have a direct influence on the work of the pupil and on the result of this work. Concerning the technology education (but it is not specific for these subject), it is important to specify and to define what is waited from the pupil, recourses he disposes to get there, the manner whose he gets there. Therefore, we have to understand the evaluation the Jacques Ginestie Analyzing Technology Education Page 6 nature of the goal, the manner to get there but also the breach of the goal; everything that allows to bring in front understanding about the process of knowledge’s transmission-appropriation. From this point, we are not in a curricular approach that has for object to define contents of teaching and to determine goals to reach; we discuss goals fixed by the institution, their institutional pertinence, their coherence in a scholastic organization datum. Of course, the temptation is great to believe that we could have act on prescription as to reduce these gaps. The evolution of curriculum shows that this kind of actions is limited because it enters in social negotiations that the research can illuminate to defect to inspire them, even to affect them. 3. 1 TASK ANALYSE Our entry by the situations is an analytic viewpoint to render real situations of classify or in a prospective perspective to think possible evolution. For that, the crossed analysis task-activity presents a good framework. The task’s analyze gives some understanding about the placement in text (or the placement in word) of the object of study. This placement in text constitutes one of the last stages of the didactical transposition, stage in the course of which the teacher anticipates and executes the production of the object of study that it makes return in its class. Many indicators allow characterising some ingredients of the organisation that it counts to put in place: o The nature of knowledge that he exhibits,  o The display of the result expected at the end of the sequence, o The spatial and temporal organization type that he puts in act, o The strategies that he gives to orchestrate the activity of pupils, o The different levels of evaluation on which he counts to lean (evaluation his activity, the progress of his sequence, the activity of pupils, the breach of results), o The devices of mediation and remediation that he envisages, o etc. Others indicators allow to notice explicit or implicit models that he uses for the organization of this production: o model of the logic of pupil learning organized around acquisition of competence noticed to the breadth of significant observable behaviours versus a constructivist approach based on the elaboration of knowledge; o Model of the activity of pupils according to a logic of smooth away difficulties versus a logic of confrontation to obstacles; o Model of the teaching organisation according to a logic of guidance of the action of the pupil versus a logic of problem-solving; o Model of the organization of knowledge references that one can caricature in a binary alternative: in technology education, there is nothing to know versus there is only knowledge. The construction of these models supposes the elaboration of a strong theoretical reference by which we can predict the appearance of the objects of study and how they become into school organisations. Of course, we front three different viability risks: one is an instant risk about what’s happen with the course that is going to unfold here, at this hour, in this  classroom, with this teacher and these pupils; second is a progression risk about what happen in the duration of the class, the articulation of the different sessions and their succession; third is durability risk about the permanency of a teaching at such level, in such class, in such context, according to evolution, development, interaction with the other subjects as a kind of general educational ecology. Jacques Ginestie Analyzing Technology Education Page 7 . 3. 2 ACTIVITY ANALYSE The analyse of the activity, as for it, tries to understand the logic of pupils in their evolution to achieve the task that is confided them and the manner of which they adapt conditions organised by the teacher. Retained indicators refer directly to theories of the apprenticeship, notably through: o The strategy they adopt, o The manner to organize their actions, o The manner to notice and to anticipate difficulties and to overcome them or to avoid them,  o The manner to notice or not constraints imposed by the situation and to take into account them or no, o etc. Analysing the activity of pupils is a powerful tool that allows to notice, to qualify and to valorise gaps between what the teacher waits them, what they obtain really and the manner that they use to reach this result. It concerns, on the one hand, to give indicators of efficiency of a device concerning learning and, on the other hand, indicators on the manner to conceive plan. To adopt a criterion of efficiency of plan put in place by teachers is not easy. That supposes to place the question of the acquisition of knowledge by pupils to the heart of the educational act, what is not without consequences in TE. This challenge is important if we want to reinforce the position and the role of the TE as a general education subject. Through our French experience, but also through some related experiences in different countries, we have change of period. The first time of innovation and implementation is definitively done. Many countries know a decrease period with disaffection for TE: decrease of budget, reduction of school time devoted to the subject. At the same time, more and more teams develop investigation in TE. May be, we have to diffuse the results of these investigations and to develop the support that we can provide to the teacher but also to the curriculum designers, this is our challenge to bring our contribution to TE. ICT and Education in Indonesia Harina Yuhetty I. Introduction  In the beginning globalization is fully believed to be able to lead to greater economic development in the sense of greater market scale, which in turn will increase the gross national product. So people believed that poor countries or third world countries will develop faster, thus the economic gap between the rich developed countries and the third world countries will diminished. However, facts show the contrary. It is true that the gross national product of countries will increase, but the gap between the income of the rich and poor countries is also getting wider. The main reason for this gap is the extra-ordinary growth of information as a result of the development of communications and information technologies in northern developed countries which have full control of these technologies. This information boom enables multinational companies to compete with changes in market demands, new products and new technologies, which in turn can boost the economy of a country, increase its efficiency and win global dominance. On the other hand, in third world countries which are also known as southern hemisphere countries, they have difficulties to seek, to receive, to process and to produce information. The lack of appropriate information at the right time will result in low productivity, low quality research works, and waste of time to pursue information and even to do research which actually had been done by others or in other countries. Indonesia as a third world country has a great concern over this deficiency and believe that the digital divide should be reduced so that there will be an economic recovery. The Indonesian government is determined to utilize the information technology effectively to support efforts to increase the national competitiveness. This aspiration is reflected in the Indonesian Presidential Decree Number 50 year 2000 about the establishment of the Coordination Team of Telemathics of Indonesia. This team consists of all the ministers in the cabinet including the Minister of Education. Its tasks are among others to define the government policy in the area of telemathics; to decide the phases and priorities of development in the area of telemathics and its uses in Indonesia; to monitor and control the implementation of telemathics in Indonesia; and to report the development of telemathics in Indonesia to the President. The government realizes that the success of the development and utilization of telemathics depends mostly on the infrastructure which can provide easy access, and also ensure availability of information and subjects. To meet these three provisions, a competent human resources is a necessity. That is why the preparation of qualified human resources is given priority, because it requires hard work and takes time. Meanwhile, we also know that scarcity of and low quality human resources in the area of Information and Communications Technologies can delay mastery of communication and information technology. As such, the government through the Minister of Efficiency of State Apparatus as Head of the Coordination Team of Telemathics of Indonesia in his letter number 133/M. PAN/5/2001 had drawn up a Five-Year Action Plan for the Development and Implementation of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) in Indonesia. This plan among others includes a plan for the implementation of the use of telemathics in the area of education starting from 2001 until 2005, which includes: * Develop collaboration between ICT industry and ICT educational institutions through training and R & D collaboration, and found a network for skill and capacity development * Develop and implement Curricula of ICT. * Use ICTs as an essential part of the curricula and learning tools in schools/universities and training centers * Establish distance education programs including participation in Global Development Learning and other networks * Facilitate the use of internet for more efficient teaching and learning From this action plan we can see that the emphasis of human resources quality improvement is especially geared on the provision and expansion of education of human resources in ICT area. Besides that, utilization of ICT for education and learning purposes, as an effort to fill digital divide, which in turn is hoped to be able to improve the national competitiveness to revive the economy is another emphase. II. ICT in Indonesia As mentioned above, the success of utilization of ICT is among others depends on the infrastructure which includes the telecommunication network, the availability of internet facilities and the use of internet. In general the development of ICT in Indonesia nowadays is less encouraging compared to the developed countries, or even compared to neighboring countries such as Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and others. To give a general picture of the ICT condition in Indonesia let us consider the data quoted from the Center for Research and Application of Information and Electronic Technologies of the Office for the Research and Application of Technologies, 2001 as follows. A. Public Telephone Lines for 203,456,005 populace 1. The number of Telephone kiosks 228,862 2. The number of Telephone booths 345,307 3. Telephone patrons 6,304,798 B. Internet 1. Internet Service Providers 40 2. General Access Speed rate of ISPs 15 KBPS 3. Patrons of ISPs 511,000 with 1,980,000 users ( < 1% of Indonesian population).

‘Investigating Wakefield’ – GCSE Geography Coursework

The overall topic of this investigation is land use within settlements. Urban land areas in towns and cities have got very complicated land use patterns and the industrial city of Wakefield is no exception. It has grown and developed over hundreds of years and now has a thriving population of around sixty thousand. Wakefield is a city situated in the North-East of England. It has good access to the M1 and A1 which is why it is such a popular destination for many factories and businesses. Wakefield is nine miles from the major city of Leeds which is also in Wakefield's county of West Yorkshire. The hypothesis which was investigated was ‘Are there obvious land use zones along a transect from the edge of Wakefield to the Central Business District (CBD)?' and to do this a transect of land which was 1.5km long was investigated. The transect started at Newton Bar and finished at the end of Wood Street, therefore coming in to the city centre in a southerly direction. Method A transect of land use from the city centre to the Northern outskirts of Wakefield was recorded. The transect was 1.5km long, stretched from Newton Bar roundabout to the end of Wood Street and the land use immediately next to the road was recorded by hand in a notebook. The age of the buildings was estimated and if any dates were visible they were recorded too. In Wood Street, some of the buildings had more than one use and both these uses were observed and recorded. After the data had all been collected, a land-use transect was drawn. Eight different colours were used to represent the different land use categories and this helped to decipher patterns in the land use. The land use categories which were used were residential, public buildings and services, healthcare, offices, entertainment, retail, education and religion because then the buildings were easier to categorise and then record. A simplified model was also produced to show the main land use zones more clearly. Description of the Area Studied The area of Wakefield which was used to carry out the hypothesis on was a transect of 1.5km and stretched from Newton Bar Roundabout to the end of Wood Street in the CBD. Newton Bar is about one mile from the CBD and the transect studied enters the city in a southerly direction. The area at the beginning of the transect has terraced housing and is slightly run down but industrial because it has a council construction site and a development department in close proximity, and a new housing estate is now being built. The quality of buildings improves as one goes further along the transect towards the CBD, the houses on St. John's North, Wentworth Street and Wentworth Terrace are particularly smart and elegant. As one walks down Bond Street and Wood Street, one sees buildings such as the County Hall, Crown Court, Police Station, Wakefield Museum and Town Hall which are superb examples of magnificent architecture. When one reaches Cross Street, the more commercial part of Wakefield begins with lots of small shops and businesses such as cafes, hairdressers and estate agents. There are also bars and other forms of entertainment such as internet cafes as well as ‘quality' stationers, book shops and music shops. This area of Wakefield is quite clean and well maintained although some of the buildings were probably built in the 1960s and are therefore less attractive. The pictures below show some of the different land use in places along the transect. Results The results were recorded by hand in a notebook as the transect's land use was observed and then a land use transect from Newton Bar to Wood Street was drawn as I have described in my method above. A simplified model was also drawn later to show the main land use zones more clearly. This model shows that there are five main zones along the transect, each being different in size and length. The zones are, coming out in order from the CBD, retail, public buildings/services and offices, education and healthcare, residential and public buildings/services. These zones reflect the types of land use there are in Wakefield. Discussion – Interpretation and Analysis of Results Zone 1 Zone one on my simplified model of land use is retail. This zone is in the middle of the CBD, starts at Cross Street and ends at the end of Wood Street. The land use there is mostly for shops and small public services or businesses. There are cafes, hairdressers, estate agents and lots of other small shops. These types of businesses are in the CBD because it is a typical type of zone to find in the middle of the city and because of accessibility. The businesses within this zone need to be in the CBD because their customers need to be able to get to them easily and if they are in the CBD there are lots of easy ways for them to do this – for example public transport and nearby car parking. It is good for these land uses to be in the CBD because it is the most accessible place to be situated for customers and they receive a lot of deals with passers-by who happen to go into their shop/business/public service or else inform other people about it. However, as the land prices are usually high in the CBD, only successful businesses are able to afford it. In Wood Street most of the buildings are old terraced houses which could also be a reason as to why these businesses are situated there, because lots of the buildings in Wood Street had flats or offices on the second story of their building and so would want buildings with more than one story. This type of zone would also be found in other cities, as it is a typical zone of a CBD. Zone 2 Zone two of the model consists of public buildings/services and offices. This zone begins at Bell Street and ends at Chancery Lane and included in this zone there are buildings such as the County Hall, the Crown court, the Town Hall, Wakefield Museum and the Police Station and offices. These buildings are where they are because they couldn't be in the CBD as they would not have been able to afford the land prices but they still needed to be near it so that they are accessible for visitors and workers. They are also on the major road to Leeds so they have good transport links. Another reason for these buildings being there could be so that the council could keep all its buildings together and so that everyone would be able to find the council buildings easily, without having to travel all over Wakefield to find the one they wanted. The buildings which are in this zone are all old, the County Hall was built in 1898 and many of the buildings have pillars outside the building which implies that they were built quite a long time ago. However, if the people who work in these places have to pay for the upkeep of the buildings, then this could be why they are not situated in the middle of the CBD – they do not have enough money to purchase land in the city centre. This type of zone could be found elsewhere in Wakefield because only one transect was investigated, which means there would be other transects possible to investigate on the other side of the CBD which implies that there could be other places in Wakefield with similar land use patterns. Zone 3 Zone three from the model is education and healthcare and in this zone there is Wakefield College, Wakefield Girls' High School, Clayton Hospital and an 1871 dentist. This zone also includes Wakefield Art Galley and the Christian Science Building. This zone stretches form Bell Street to North Road and is in the place it is because it, again, needs to be accessible, this time for students and workers, and because the land uses in it will not have been able to afford the high land prices of the CBD. Even if this zone could have been situated in the CBD, it would not have been because hospitals and schools need space to expand their premises and if they were in the CBD there would be no space to do this. Also, hospitals and schools need to have lots of space for car parking for workers and/or students and there would be no space for this in the CBD. The hospital and school also need good transport links in order for its workers/students to get there each morning which is another reason for why they are in this zone, it is on a major road which leads to the large city of Leeds. This zone could be found in other major cities such as Leeds, but not elsewhere in Wakefield. Zone 4 Zone four begins at the Leeds Road and stretches till North Road. In zone four the land use is mainly residential, but there are also places of religion and education such as St. John's Church, built in 1791, and St. John's Primary School, built in 1964. The housing in zone four is very varied, because there are areas of terraced houses from the 1920s-30s such as Snow Hill View, the 1960s-70s as in the houses between Andrew Street and St. John's Avenue and Georgian terraced housing in St. John's Square which is a protected heritage site. These buildings are where they are because they could not be in the CBD as it is far too expensive but they still needed to be easily accessible from the city centre. St. John's Square will have been built for wealthy people to live near the Church as the Church would have been the centre of the community in those times. St. John's C of E School, which was originally on Kilby Street (named after the Reverend Thomas Kilby), was rebuilt nearby as it is a Church school. The houses from the 1960s-70s were built on waste land which would have been cheap at the time but still had good transport links with the city centre, Church and local schools. This zone could not be found elsewhere in Wakefield but a similar area might be found in other cities. Zone 5 Zone five is between the Leeds Road and Newton Bar and it consists of mainly public buildings/services, although there are some terraced houses and quite a lot of open space. Included in this zone are ‘The Green', a council construction site, the Development Department, and the Vine Tree public house. These buildings are where they are because they could definitely not have been in the CBD, as they require a lot of land and room for expansion which would not be available in the city centre. However, even if there was suitable land available for these land uses in the CBD, it would have been too expensive for the businesses to afford and so they would have been forced to build further away from the centre anyway. As many of the workers in these buildings would come to work by car, these buildings also require space for car parks and good transport links, both of which they have. This zone would probably not be found anywhere else in Wakefield but it is very likely that other cities have parallel zones. Conclusion I found that, in Wakefield, there are five main land use zones and that as one goes further away from the city, the amount of housing increases. There is also more open space further away from the CBD which is not surprising as most businesses want to be in the city centre so their customers can have easy access and so that they get trade with people who happen to pass by. I also found that there seemed to be a greater concentration of shops and offices in the CBD but that there were also quite a lot of public buildings/services as well. There were no residential areas in the CBD which suggests that people prefer to live outside the city centre and go in each morning for work. I think that Wakefield's land use zones are quite similar to the Sector Model of land use so this suggests that Wakefield is a typical city. Evaluation I did this investigation to find out if there are obvious land zones along a transect from the edge of Wakefield to the CBD and I found that there were. Overall I think that the investigation went well but that it could have been better if I had not had to go out to study the transect on two different days. If I was to do this investigation again, I would investigate the transect once, in one session, and then I would go out at another time to record the landuse again. This would make my results more accurate because if I did the investigation twice, I would be able to match up the landuse on each set of my results and make sure I had not missed anything out the first time.

Discussion Questons Week 3 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

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RN Staffing Time and Outcomes of LongStay Nursing Home Residents Must Essay

RN Staffing Time and Outcomes of LongStay Nursing Home Residents Must be a Nursing Research Critique - Essay Example Moreover, this research highlights the inadequacy of the Omnibus Reconciliation Act of 1987 whereby only 8 hours of RN care is covered, necessitating more political lobbying to expand the sphere Medicaid. Although this article provided impressive background information of the authors, not much of their previous works and field of interest were cited to back the general aim for the convergence of each into the overall principle of this research article. It would have been useful to know what other studies they have conducted in order to establish, if there are any, a pattern that explains why this particular research was engaged and therefore realize the connection of each of the authors aim. We are however left to assume that in consideration with their expertise, they are of the same conjecture as regards the necessity improve quality of care. The title in itself is already clear, in which there is no need to elaborate what the research wants to establish. The presentation on the other hand is a comprehensive discussion of how the authors derived the very core and tenor of this research, and they further elaborated the objective, methods of data collection, interpretation as well as the simple analysis of the data collected. Each method of data collection is defined in such a way that comprehension is established in the analysis and relevance. The conclusion was congruently presented with the intentions set to be derived at in the title. Problem/Purpose/Hypothesis The issues presented in this article define the adverse effects brought about by the lack of capable care provider in the aged facility, regardless of the presence of other staffs (i.e., LPN and CNA). The issue stresses that there is a considerable difference in the quality of care provided by the Registered Nurse (RN) as compared to those rendered by the License Practical Nurse (LPN) or Certified Nurse Assistant (CNA), in which their study endorses the advantage of the presence of RNs in the nursing home. The article further presented the incidence and prevalence of pressure ulcers, UTI, malnutrition and regression in the performance of ADLs, consequential to the less amount of actual care provided to the geriatric patients. The problem identified by the authors were concrete and actual even in the medical field, with a hypothesis that can strongly argue relevance on its own, being that pressure ulcers in itself can be anticipated and prevented by proper nursing care. Although the purpose of their presentation was non interventional in nature, they author nevertheless extended their discussion on the etiology and prognosis of the health risks presented, being highly manageable and preventable. Review of Literature Extensive and informative resources were utilized to back the claims and contentions in this research, which only goes to prove the relevance and prevalence of the issues mentioned. A vast collection of other researches were referred to by the authors as well as complete and authentic statistical data from verified and reliable sources. It must be noted however that the legitimacy of this research is strongly supported and funded by both Abbot

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Jackson Township, NJ Landfill Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Jackson Township, NJ Landfill - Research Paper Example When people participate in the proper disposal of such garbage, the community is better able to maintain the sanitation and safety of various waterways and the surrounding land of New Jersey. In October 20, 2011, the same collection routine was announced by Jackson, NJ (2011). The latest garbage classified as health hazard was very recently brought to the attention of the people by Phil Stilton (2012). Those materials involved the â€Å"rigid plastics† that can be recycled after they are sold for $90 per ton. Practically any item made of plastics, whether they are furniture or containers, broken or old flower pots, except for specified plastics like grocery bags, vinyl, plastic pipes, stretch film, milk cartons, water hose, medical garbage, and other similar containers – have to be properly disposed and can be recycled. The landfill operated by Jackson Township was the object of a complaint filed and which reached the Supreme Court way back in 1987. In the case of Ayers versus Township of Jackson, the complainant sued for damages because his water well got contaminated with toxic pollutants. The Supreme Court ruled Jackson Township guilty and was ordered to pay the complainants an aggregate amount of â€Å"$15,854,392.78, to be divided among the plaintiffs in varied amounts† according to Stein, J. (1987, p.1). ... $8,204,500 was the expert’s estimate of the medical surveillance cost following exposure to the possibility of cancer and whatever other diseases can be realized as a result of toxic chemicals found in the drinking water. What chemicals did investigative reports find in the water wells and traced to the Jackson Township Landfills? The Supreme Court was informed by experts that the landfill polluted the water wells with â€Å"acetone; benzene; chlorobenzene; chloroform; dichlorofluoromethane; ethylbenzene; methylene chloride; methyl isobutyl ketone; 1,1,2,2-tetrachloroethane; tetrahydrofuran; 1,1,1-trichloroethane; and trichloroethylene....† (Stein, J. 1987, p.1). Over 150 residents testified in court to complain against the chemical contamination of their drinking water. They all showed their emotional stress resulting from not having potable water for years. More specifically, because complainants needed potable water in the absence of their natural source, they were r ationed their water supply in â€Å"40 gallon barrel containing a plastic liner filled with water† (p.2) which weighed 100 pounds. Residents actually experienced arthritis trying to fetch water for their needs out of the heavy container, everyday and multiple times a day just to be able to wash, cook, take a bath, and have drinking water. It was pronounced to be a primitive quality of life. People suffered anxieties, depression, fear, and stress as a result of living such a pattern daily. 88 of them showed signs of psychological disorders or problems. Furthermore, homeowners were so frustrated about the negative effect of having a landfill nearby because it devalued their properties. Potential buyers pointed to the landfill

Huntly power station Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Huntly power station - Essay Example The government despite of knowing about all environmental disturbances is forced to tolerate as it does not have any alternative source of energy production. 6 Resource Management Act 6 Overview of Resource Consents 6 Aquatic Resource Consent owned by Huntly Power Plant 7 Environmental Effects of Aquatic Resource Consent 7 References 8 Glossary 9 Abstract The paper is written in order to discuss environmental costs and ramifications of operationalization of Huntly Power Plant. The featured power plant is working to provide electricity to majority of people living in the country of New Zealand and therefore, government’s hands are tied when it comes to regulation of the Power Plant. Additionally, all of the source consents owned by the plant are designed to delay the inevitable of global environmental destruction. The Huntly Power Plant: An Analysis of Environmental and Societal Costs Introduction The power generation business is one of the most important work-lines in the worl d. These facilities are primarily responsible for generating and supplying electric power to industrial and residential areas. But, these power plants are running on oil and therefore, their operational costs are increasing significantly on an annual basis. The environmental and societal costs associated with the operations of these power plants are also known to creep up with a close of each and every fiscal year (Hamilton & Manne 1978). However, the power plants do not work towards restoration of green environment and nor do they participate towards benefitting the society at large. They only focus on generation of power and maximization monetary returns. These facilities follow an avoidance strategy towards managerial ethics and therefore, hold on to the point that their purpose is to do the business and ethics and societal benefit is none of their concern (Logue, 1996). Additionally, governments feel reluctant towards imposition of increased taxation on private power plants beca use in this way, they risk escalating already increasing power prices. The major stakeholder in the business of power generation is the local government and due to this reason, the governmental offices have to make tradeoff between low energy prices and growing environmental concerns (Holtz, 2008). The economic mindset of the government forces it to choose lower energy prices over environmental concerns every time. The problem of global warming and increasing international temperatures has received a great level of attention lately and supporters of green living are of the view that alternative energy projects can save the planet. But, the industrialists think otherwise because switching the whole world economy from oil to alternative energy sources is a big deal and it requires major investments (Whitmarsh & O’Neill, 2010). The alternative energy sources such as wind and solar energy are predicted to produce less amount of energy than the traditional methods. The world econo mic system is not ready to use alternative energy sources because nobody trusts them right now. But, in a few years major oil producers’ output levels are going to decrease notably and this futuristic possibility may lead to more price related difficulties for electricity consumers. The oil producing companies are consuming more oil than their production levels and therefore, the level of oil available for domestic

Finance and Growth Strategies Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Finance and Growth Strategies - Assignment Example The internal rate of return is the cost of capital that will equate the present value of future cash flows to zero. In other words, it is the required rate of return which will yield a zero NPV. Thus, equation 1 can be modified such that NPV is replaced by 0. NPV calculations can be done manually but the process is tedious as it requires calculating the NPV by using different values of cost of capital. Another is the use of software like Microsoft Excel to generate a more accurate figure. The decision about whether the project should be accepted or not will be based on the results of the financial and strategic analyses using techniques like NPV and IRR. In using NPV as a tool, the general rule is to accept projects or investments which generates a positive NPV while rejecting those which yields negative NPV. The result of the NPV has a direct implication on the value of IRR relative to the required rate of return. Accordingly, a project is pursued if the IRR is equal to or higher than the required rate of return. In contrast, a project with a lower IRR than the cost of capital is turned down. It should be noted that a positive NPV is indicative of an IRR which is higher than the required rate of return. Â  Accordingly, a project is pursued if the IRR is equal to or higher than the required rate of return. In contrast, a project with a lower IRR than the cost of capital is turned down. It should be noted that a positive NPV is indicative of an IRR which is higher than the required rate of return. The project considered by Fujisawa, which is the expansion of its product line should be accepted based on the quantitative analyses using NPV and IRR techniques. The investment yields a relatively high NPV of 9,235,200. The IRR of 33.996% is very high compared to the required rate of return of 9%. Thus, Fujisawa will reap higher benefits than its capital outlay in the proposed project. However, it should also be noted that quantitative analyses are often not enough in ascertaining whether an investment should be pursued or not. Though expansion of the product is quantitatively profitable, qualitative factors like consumer demand and others should also be taken into account. Â  

Toxic Recycling Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Toxic Recycling - Essay Example As new electronic products are introduced into the market older products are discarded by consumers resulting in increased electronic waste each year. With this increase in waste each year the recycling industry is expected to grow and the article highlights this growth by stating that in 2004 the recycling firms made over 10 million and employed over 1,000 inmates. Recycling, however, should be undertaken under proper conditions to avoid the release of heavy metals as dust into the environment, the article highlights that the recycling process undertaken by UNICOR using inmates as labour is undertaken under unhealthy conditions, inmates do not use equipment that is in line with OSHA standards, also they eat lunch in areas contaminated with heavy metals. The recycling firms, therefore, do not take into consideration the health of inmates and prison officers. With the recycling industry growing fast laws and regulations should be put in place in order to protect the environment and individuals who work in these recycling firms, the environmental agencies and occupational safety and health administration should inspect the recycling firms regularly to ensure that they follow set standards and those that violate these standards should pay heavy fines. The article from warfare to welfare by William Hartung and Jennifer Washburn discusses Lockheed Martin a company that is the largest weapon manufacturer, according to the article the company strategy by 2000 is to privatize social welfare by forming divisions in the company that will undertake welfare programs in the US, these programs include the distribution of food stamps and cash assistance. It is evident that in the year 2000 the company’s stock prices were declining and the company was in a financial crisis given that it had requested the Pentagon to offer an $855 million loan to pay for mergers.

Slavery in Africa Essay Example for Free

Slavery in Africa Essay For almost the entire recorded history in most communities, slavery is a prominent feature. However, slave trade in Africa left a remarkable legacy due to the large numbers of slaves that were involved and also the sufferings that the slaves were subjected to. This makes the slavery that took place in Africa to be of great significance and thus it cannot be ignored. Slavery was outstanding in Africa than in any other part of the world, many years before the transatlantic slavery. The Lagos maritime town was the first to be used by the Portuguese as a slave market where they could be able to sell the African slaves after they were imported (Evans, Para 3). Slavery in Africa The issue of whether slavery existed in the communities of the sub Saharan Africa before the Europeans arrived in these regions is an issue that is hotly contested between the Eurocentric and Afrocentric academics. But the controversy does not eliminate the fact that slave trade was a prominent feature in Africa. It is very evident from many historical sources that the Africans were subjected to various forms of slavery. The chattel slavery was practiced by the Europeans via the famous Trans Atlantic slave trade and the Muslims who were conducting the Trans Saharan slave trade. Years after slave trade was abolished in Africa, the vice continued as the colonial powers governing Africa continued to subject Africans to forced labor (Evans, Para 5). Slavery in Africa was practiced by both the Europeans and Muslims. The Muslims were involved in slave trade across the Saharan region. They based this practice on the Qur’ran which prescribes that slavery should be approached on humanitarian grounds. According to the Qur’ran, free men should not be made slaves and those practicing other religions should be protected. Nevertheless, the increase of the empire of the Islam in Africa led to the harsh interpretation of the Qur’ran law. This made the people who were proclaiming other religions to be considered as ideal candidates of slavery by the Muslims. Such slaves were either sold by the Muslims to other people who wanted slaves or the Muslims themselves could take them as their own slaves (Miers, pp 130). When the Portuguese arrived for the first time at the African coast of the Atlantic in 1430s, they were only interested in gold and not slaves. However, by the end of the sixteenth century, the Portuguese had already traded more than eighty one thousand African slaves to the neighboring Atlantic islands, Europe and to the Muslim merchants (Evans, Para 7). For two centuries, i. e. between the years 1440-1640, the Portuguese had the monopoly of exporting slaves to Europe from Africa. It is remarkable that Portugal was the last European nation to abolish slave trade, although France continued to oppress the former slaves through forced labor. It is approximated that during the entire period of slave trade in Africa, which lasted for about four and a half centuries, the slave trade of the trans Atlantic, in which the Portuguese were the main players, managed to export more than four and a half million Africans as slaves to other countries. However, during the 18th century, when more than six million Africans became slaves in foreign countries, Britain was the most notorious nation practicing the vice, but this fact is usually forgotten by the people who cite the prime role played by Britain in bringing to an end the slave trade not only in Africa but in the entire world (Lovejoy, pp 129). The main aim of slavery in Africa was to provide cheap labor to the countries which were developing at that time and which were in dire need of cheap labor. The Muslims and countries such as Portugal were the main participants in the trade since they were able to export the slaves from Africa and thus sell them to other countries and creating wealth from the trade. The Africans who were captured as slaves were first taken to the local slave markets where they were sold and later transported via the Atlantic Ocean to other countries where they remained for the rest of their lives as slaves (Miers, pp 220). Conclusion Slave trade in Africa was very prominent than in any other part of the world. This is because millions of Africans were enslaved by the more powerful nations such as Britain and Portugal. The Africans who became slaves in foreign countries were subjected to a lot of suffering by their masters. They were denied most of their rights and were forced to work for their masters without any pay. Work cited: Evans, Alistair Boddy; Slavery of Africans and Slavery in Africa (2009): Retrieved on 3rd July 2009 from, http://africanhistory. about. com/od/slavery/a/Slavery101. htm. Lovejoy, Paul E. ; Transformations in slavery: a history of slavery in Africa (2000): Cambridge University Press, ISBN 0521784301. Miers, Suzanne; Slavery in Africa: historical and anthropological perspectives (1979): Univ. of Wisconsin Press, ISBN 0299073343.

IKEA - Case Study Essay Example for Free

IKEA Case Study Essay Synopsis of the situation IKEA (Ingvar Kamprad Elmtaryd Agunnaryd) is a privately held, international home products company that designs and sells ready-to-assemble furniture, appliances and home accessories. The company is now the worlds largest furniture retailer. IKEA was founded in 1943 by 17-year-old Ingvar Kamprad in Sweden, named as an acronym comprising the initials of the founders name (Ingvar Kamprad), the farm where he grew up (Elmtaryd), and his home parish. Kamprad started the company at his home as a mail order company. He sold goods which he purchased from low priced sources and then advertized in a newsletter to local shopkeepers. In 1948 he added in his catalogue furniture. Furniture was a success so he gave up the small items and focused only on furniture. In 1951 he opened the first display store in nearby Almhult where the customers could preview and inspect products and then order from the catalogue. This was also an immediate success as people travelled even from Stockholm to visit the store. This led IKEA to stop accepting mail orders. Now, the IKEA strategy is to publish a yearly catalogue, distribute it to the clients and encourage them to visit the store name (Barlett, Ghoshal, Beamish, 2008). The sales take off in the late 50s led IKEA to look abroad for new sources of supply as the local industry could not respond to the demand. In 1961, IKEA outsourced production to furniture factories in Poland. Poland became IKEAs largest source and lowered significantly the production costs. This allowed IKEA to reduce its prices even more. The success in Poland led IKEA to adopt a general principle that it should mot own its means of production but should look for suppliers with whom it should develop close long term relationships. Building on the first stores success, the first store in Stockholm opened in 1965. Even before that, in 1963, IKEA operated a store in Oslo. Other  countries followed and today IKEA operates 313 stores in 38 countries, most of them in Europe, North America, Asia and Australia (IKEA, 2010). Some of IKEAs competitive advantages are that the brand is associated with simple, low cost,  stylish products. The concept was furnishing products and house-wares that had wide appeal to a variety of markets and segments, both consumer and the business market exclusively. Both markets were looking for well styled, high quality furniture that reasonably priced and readily available. Also, IKEA developed a model for the business, where it was able to keep costs low. From the customer point of view, they were able to buy low cost furniture, even though they had to assemble and collect the flat-packed furniture from stores. IKEA to was able to reduce costs, as this costly part of the value chain was carried out by the customer. Adding to that, IKEA promoted the Swedish lifestyle. Many people associate Sweden with a fresh, healthy way of life. This Swedish lifestyle is reflected in the IKEA product range. The freshness of the open air is reflected in the colors and materials used and the sense of space they create: blond woods, natural textiles and untreated surfaces. Also IKEA stores promote Swedish food and products. IKEAs low-priced restaurant and grocery shop have made IKEA Swedens leading food exporter. However, global expansion was not without problems for IKEA. During the 1980s environmental problems arose with some of IKEAs products and during the 1990s IKEA was accused that its suppliers were using child labor. In the 1980s the formaldehyde regulations passed in Denmark caused problems to IKEA. After the discovery that some of its products emitted more formaldehyde than the legislation allowed the company was fined. The company responded and established stringent requirements regarding formaldehyde emissions. Even though, the problem did not vanish as in 1992 a German investigation team found that an IKEA bookcase had higher emissions that the ones allowed by the German law. Since then, IKEA has improved its procedures to evaluate the environmental impact of its products. Currently, IKEA uses a tool called the ‘e-Wheel’ to evaluate the environmental impact of its products. The e-Wheel  helps IKEA to analyze the four stages within the life of a product. This also helps suppliers improve their understanding of the environmental impact of the products they are supplying (The Times 100). Next, the issue with child labor arose in 1994 when a Swedish television documentary showed children in Pakistan working at weaving looms. IKEA was one of the several Swedish companies that were mentioned as importers of carpets from Pakistan. IKEA was unaware of the problem and tried to respond by sending a legal team to Geneva  for input and advice from the International Labor. Association(ILO). IKEA discovered that child labor was not illegal in these countries so the only way to handle the problem was by adding a clause for child labor in their contracts and outsource the monitoring of this clause to a third party company. But it seems that this measure was not effective enough, as in 2007, Anders Dahlvig, the multi-nationals Chief Executive Officer, admitted that some of the companys products were still produced using child labor (Wadsworth, 2007). Key Issues and Players The key players in this case are the IKEA company and its suppliers. In order to keep its competitive advantage IKEA outsources its product manufacturing to third party suppliers throughout the world. But, this practice is often the source of many issues. Many times the legislation in these countries does not match the standards and the ethical values of the western developed countries which are the main customer base of the company. This fact can cause issues like weak environmental policies or child labor that hurt the public image of the company. This has direct effect on the companys sales. Problem The main problem that IKEA faces nowadays is the uncontrolled child labor in countries which supply the company with carpets. Child labor in countries like India and Pakistan is a common phenomenon. The company lacks effective ways to control its suppliers in these countries. At the same time, child  labor is socially acceptable in these places as poverty pushes people to find ways to survive. So the company cannot rely on the local authorities for help. Also, any attempts on behalf of IKEA to control this issue didnt seem to succeed. Alternative Solutions A possible solution for controlling the child labor for IKEA is to cancel any contracts with suppliers in countries that do not adopt the convention 138 of ILO, that deals with the child labor issues. This way IKEA will be able to get assistance for child labor issues from local authorities since it will be prohibited by local laws. Another solution would be to come to more strict agreements with the suppliers and launch intensive controls for the effectuation of the agreement. Selected Solution The selected solution is IKEA to enhance its agreements with the suppliers and intensify its controls against child labor. The company should appoint inspectors in these countries that would inspect the suppliers and report the situation on frequent basis Results and Rationale of the Solution The cancelation of the contracts does not seem a rational choice at the moment because it will have a big cost for the company. The company will need to find new suppliers in other countries with higher labor cost and doubtable product quality. This is a move with higher risk and cost that the selected solution. Positive and Negative Results The positive results of the selected solution are that the child labor issues will decrease and the companys profile will be protected. The negative results are that the companys cost will increase as inspection staff will be hired to perform the inspections and some contracts will need to be canceled due to failure to adhere to the conditions of the contract by the suppliers References Barlett, C., Ghoshal, S., Beamish, P. (2008). Transnational Management. Singapore: McGraw-Hill. Building a sustainable supply chain. (n.d.). Retrieved November 27, 2010, from The Times 100: http://www.thetimes100.co.uk/case-studybuilding-a-sustainable-supply-chain110-279-3.php IKEA. (n.d.). Retrieved November 28, 2010, from IKEA: http://www.ikea.com/ms/sv_SE/about_ikea/facts_and_figures/ikea_group_stores/index.html Wadsworth, M. (2007, May 22). IKEA exposed over child Labour and green issues. Retrieved November 27, 2010, from The Latest: http://www.the-latest.com/ikea-slammed-over-child-labour-andgreen-issues

Ways Of Raising Finance For A Business Finance Essay

Ways Of Raising Finance For A Business Finance Essay There are a number of ways of raising finance for a business. The type of finance chosen depends on the nature of the business. Large organisations are able to use a wider variety of finance sources than are smaller ones. Savings are an obvious way of putting money into a business. A small business can also borrow from families and friends. In contrast, companies raise finance by issuing shares. Large companies often have thousands of different shareholders. Sources of finance  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Uses of finance Shareholders  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Finance to set up and expand a business Bank  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Loans to finance capital projects.   Overdrafts to manage cashflow Creditors  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Short term credit until goods have been sold To gain extra finance, a business can take out a loan from a bank or other or other financial institution. A loan is a sum of money lent for a given period of time. Repayment is made with interest. The lender of money needs to know all the business opportunities and risks involved and will therefore want to see a detailed business plan. The lender may also want some form of security should the business run into financial difficulty, and may therefore prefer to provide a secured loan. Another way of raising short-term finance is through an overdraft facility with a bank. The borrower is given permission to take out more from their account than they have put in. The bank fixes a maximum limit for the overdraft. Interest is charged on the overdraft daily. A further way of raising funds that has become popular is through venture capital. Merchant banks and investment specialists may be willing to provide finance for a promising and fast-growing smaller business. This usually involves a package that is a mix of share and loan capital. Businesses may also qualify for grants. Government (or EU) assistance and funding is sometimes made available to businesses that meet certain conditions. For example, grants and loans may be available to firms setting up in rural areas or where there is high unemployment. Once a business is up and running there are various ways of financing its expenditures. Expensive items of equipment can be leased. Rather than buying the equipment the business hires it from a leasing company. This saves having to lay out sums of money and the business does not have to worry about having to carry out major repairs itself. Motor vehicles, machines and office equipment are often leased. Hire Purchase is an alternative way of purchasing items of equipment. With a leased item you use and pay for the item but never own it. With hire-purchase you put down a deposit on an item and then pay off the rest in instalments. When the last instalment has been paid you become the owner of the item. Another common way in which firms can finance their business in the short term is through trade credit. In business it is common practice to purchase items and pay for them later. The supplier will normally send the purchaser a statement at the end of each month saying how much is owed. The buyer is then given a period of time in which to pay. Advantages and disadvantages of equity finance Equity finance can sometimes be more appropriate than other sources of finance, eg bank loans, but it can place different demands on you and your business. The main advantages of equity finance are: The funding is committed to your business and your intended projects. Investors only realise their investment if the business is doing well, eg through stock market flotation or a sale to new investors. The right business angels and venture capitalists can bring valuable skills, contacts and experience to your business. They can also assist with strategy and key decision making. In common with you, investors have a vested interest in the business success, ie its growth, profitability and increase in value. Investors are often prepared to provide follow-up funding as the business grows. The principal disadvantages of equity finance are: Raising equity finance is demanding, costly and time consuming. Your business may suffer as you devote time to the deal. Potential investors will seek background information on you and your business they will closely scrutinise past results and forecasts and will probe the management team. However, many businesses find this discipline useful regardless of whether or not they actually receive any funding. Depending on the investor, you will lose a certain amount of your power to make management decisions. You will have to invest management time to provide regular information for the investor to monitor. At first you will have a smaller share in the business both as a percentage and in absolute monetary terms. However, your reduced share may become worth a lot more in absolute monetary terms if the investment leads to your business becoming more successful. There can be legal and regulatory issues to comply with when raising finance, eg when promoting investments.   http://www.businesslink.gov.uk/bdotg/action/detail?itemId=1073789573type=RESOURCES TASK (2) a,b c A financial plan consists of sets of financial statements that forecast the resource implications of making business decisions. For example, a company that is deciding to expand e.g. by buying and fitting out a new factory will create a financial plan which considers the resources required and the financial performance that will justify their use. You can see from this statement that the financial plan will need to take into account sources of finance, costs of finance, costs of developing the project, as well as the revenues and likely profits to justify the expansion programme. Planning models may consist of thousands of calculations. Typically these plans will be constructed with the aid of forecasting models and spreadsheets that can calculate and recalculate figures such as profit, cash flows and balance sheets simply by changing the assumptions. For example, the business may want to do one set of calculations for low, medium, and high demand figures for its products. Long and short term plans Financial plans are typically made out for a given time period, e.g. one, three or five years. The length of the time considered depends on the importance of projecting into the future and the reliability of estimates the further we consider the future. Long-term plans are created for major strategic decisions made by a business such as: take over and merger activity expansion of capacity development of new products overseas expansion. In addition financial planning will be carried out for shorter time spans. For example, annual budgets will be created which can be analysed by month and by cost centre. Short term financial plans then provide targets for junior and middle management, and a measure against which actual performance can be monitored and controlled. In addition it is normal practice for a business to prepare a three- or five-year plan in less detail, which is updated annually. A budget is a short term financial plan. It is sometimes referred to as a plan expressed in money but it is more accurately described as a plan involving numbers. A cost centre is defined by CIMA as a production or service location, function, activity or item of equipment whose costs may be attributed to cost units. http://www.thetimes100.co.uk/theory/theoryfinancial-planning300.php The profit and loss account (P  Ã‚  L), called the income statement in the US, shows the profit or loss a company has made over a period of time. The ratios investors look at most often, such as the PE and yield, are calculated using numbers from the P  Ã‚  L Sales Also called revenues. Not always synonymous with turnover. Revenue recognition is not always simple. Cost of sales The direct costs of things sold Gross profit Sales minus cost of sales Other operating expenses Depreciation, admin, marketing etc. Operating profit Gross profit less other expenses Interest costs Interest payable less receivable Pre-tax profit Operating profit less interest Tax Profit after tax Pre tax profit less tax Dividends Retained profit Profit after tax less dividends Earnings per share The most detailed profit and loss account is given in the annual report, but UK listed companies are required to make annual and half year results announcements as well. The full year results announcement is shorter and covers the same period as the annual report, but it is released earlier. Many companies make quarterly announcements, as companies in the US and many other countries are required to. Unsurprisingly, UK listed companies that also have a secondary or dual listing in a country that requires quarterly announcements. As can be seen, the P  Ã‚  L contains several profit numbers. Each of these gives us different, and useful, information. In addition, the P  Ã‚  L (perhaps together with other information) usually gives us enough information to calculate several other profit numbers such as EBITDA and EBITA Many companies will show exceptionals separately. If there were any discontinued business, or plans to dispose of a business within a short period, these are also shown separately. These can give investors a better idea of the underlying business (the justification for doing it). For example, if the company has decided to sell a particular operation and the price has been agreed, shareholders do not really need to worry too much about that operations performance. A group balance sheet will need to be consolidated, which requires extra lines such as those for share or profit in associates and joint ventures, and the deduction of minority interests. As well as the valuation ratios, the P  Ã‚  L provides the numbers for measures of the performance and efficiency of the business, such as margins, ROCE, and some measures of financial stability such as interest cover. The P  Ã‚  L is backward looking and investors will need to consider correcting some items such as amortisation that are not useful for modelling future cash flows. From an investors point of view the P  Ã‚  L is essential, but can be misleading and should not be looked at in isolation. Related pages: Accrual principle | Accruals | Consolidated accounts | Deferred income | Depreciation | Impairment | Minority interests | Post balance sheet events | Prepayments | Pro-forma | Purchase method | Revenue recognition | Cashflow statement | Statement of total recognised gains and losses The balance sheet is one of the most important statements in a companys accounts. It shows what assets and liabilities a company has, and how the business is funded (by shareholders and by debt: the financial structure of the company). Book values are usually historical cost or fair value. The balance sheet provides information that is useful when assessing the financial stability of a company. A number of financial ratios use numbers from the balance sheet including gearing, the current assets ratio and the quick assets ratio. However, ratios based on profits and cash flow are at least as important for assessing financial stability: the most important of these are interest cover and cash interest cover. If any assets or (more commonly) liabilities that belong to the company in their economic effect do not appear on the balance sheet because accounting standards do not require it, they are referred to as off-balance sheet. Image 1 of 50

Heroic Code in the Iliad and the Odyssey :: essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In Webster’s Dictionary, a hero is defined as a person noted for courageous acts or nobility of purpose, especially if this individual has risked or sacrificed his life. In the Iliad and the Odyssey, the code which administers the conduct of the Homeric heroes is a straightforward idea. The aim of every hero is to achieve honor. Throughout the Iliad and the Odyssey, different characters take on the role of a hero. Honor is essential to the Homeric heroes, so much that life would be meaningless without it. Thus, honor is more important than life itself.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Throughout the Iliad, heroic characters make decisions based on a specific set of principles, which are referred to as the â€Å"code of honor.† The heroic code that Homer presents to readers is easy to recognize because the heroic code is the cause for many of the events that take place, but many of the characters have different perceptions of how highly the code should be regarded. Hector, the greatest of the Trojan warriors, begins the poem as a model for a hero. His dedication and firm belief in the code of honor is described many times throughout the course of the Iliad. As a reward for heroic traits in battle, prizes were sometimes awarded to victors of war. In Book 1 Achilles receives Chryseis as a prize and a symbol of honor. Heroism had its rewards and its setbacks which ultimately was the backbone of the Illiad in the case of Achilles prize. Hector, arguably the greatest Trojan warrior or even the bravest of the Homeric heroes is very fierce and f ights for what he believes is his destiny. In book VI Hector expresses his bravery when Andromache pleads with Hector not to fight when Hector says, â€Å"But I would die of shame to face the men of Troy and the Trojan woman trailing their long robes if I would shrink from battle now, a coward. Nor does the sprit urge me on that way. I’ve learned it all too well. To stand up bravely, always to fight in the front ranks of Trojan soldiers, winning my father great glory, glory for myself† (VI, 387). Achilles, the greatest of the Greek warriors, is portrayed as a hero in some ways but, on the other hand, performs some controversial acts in the Iliad. Throughout the entire Trojan war, Achilles spent most of his time pouting in his tent after Agamemnon kidnapped his prized maiden, Chryseis.

Early Modern English Exemplified in Shakespeares Hamlet, Act V Scene 1

Early Modern English Exemplified in Shakespeare's Hamlet, Act V Scene 1 The period of Early Modern English occurred from approximately Fifteen Hundred to some time between Sixteen Fifty and Sixteen Seventy. While this period was characterized mostly by the translation of texts from other languages into English, the language saw its first prominent writer in William Shakespeare contribute works of literary significance to the world. Hamlet Prince of Denmark, in its abbreviated, performed version, was originally included in the quarto of 1603. The current version of the text is based on the 1604-05 version of the text, which is believed to be printed from Shakespeare's own draft (Farnham). Lines 241-280 of Act V scene 1 in Hamlet are an example of Early Modern English as written (and possibly spoken) in the early Seventeenth century; it illustrates aspects of the language such as vocabulary, spelling, syntax and grammar relative to this time period. The dialogue in Hamlet would be recognizable to readers from the Seventeenth century to the present: although Shakespeare's style may differ from the spoken and written dialects of these time periods, his vocabulary is not totally alien. The online version of the Oxford English Dictionary indicates many of the words in this passage had the same or similar meanings when Shakespeare wrote as they do presently. Some examples include madness, "mental disease or insanity"; dangerous, "Fraught with danger or risk; causing or occasioning danger; perilous, hazardous, risky, unsafe"; and whine, "To utter a low somewhat shrill protracted sound or cry, usually expressive of pain or distress." The concept of madness, the adjective dangerous, and the infinitive 'to whine' originate prior to t... ...-279). In the Sixteenth and Seventeenth centuries, while common people were becoming increasingly literate, it was mostly an intellectual demographic that wrote; one certainly would not consider Shakespeare a common user of Early Modern English. However, although Shakespeare did write Hamlet, he intended it to be performed: theatre-goers might have been impressed hearing a more refined and thought-out usage of Early Modern English than what they spoke, but players would have difficulty speaking a language with which they were unfamiliar, just as an audience would have difficulty understanding the performed lines. Therefore, while his writing may be more structured than the general speech of the time, Shakespeare's text can be considered a likely portrayal of the language of his time. Works Cited Hamlet. Edited by Willard Farnham. New York: Penguin Books, 1957.

Early American Settlements :: essays research papers

How Much is Too Much? In order for any society to be successful there must be some kind of law and order. Without some established rules and regulations little would get done and there would be chaos and confusion. But in turn there is another side to the spectrum. At what point are the rules too much? There comes a point in which enforcements are overbearing and hinder the people under them. This often seems to be the case in early American times. Though these early laws benefited the foundation of church and state into a more united community, the often caused many hardships to the citizens under them. In studying laws in early American settlements it seems logical to look at Jamestown first. Jamestown had its problems from the beginning. One of the main ones was the colonists lack of desire to work. The work schedule of the day was considered easy even by modern day standards. Colonists were only required to work 6 hours a day, while the rest was reserved for personal leisure time. This from a colony that was practically starving to death. This is one of the few examples in which the laws in early colonial America were actually not harsh enough. But this was all about to change. By 1611 things were not good in Jamestown. Many more people had died than had survived the harsh east coast winters. People were still frolicking in the streets instead of working hard to ensure their survival. Then Sir Thomas Dale arrives in May of 1611. He was sent to bring discipline among the disorganized colonist, and discipline he brought. He published a set of rules now known as "Dales Laws." Many of these rules called for harsh punishments for what today would be thought of as relatively minor wrong doings. But where these rules too harsh? They did after all end up saving the colony. But at what price? Is it worth killing a man over petty theft of a hoe or axe if it leads to the eventual survival of his society? These are all hard questions with no definite anwsers. But one thing is for sure, had it not been for Dale and his strict enforcements the colony of Jamestown would have certainly perished. Two other early colonies that deserve mention were the Pilgrim colony at Plymouth and the Puritan settlement in Massachusetts Bay. The colonists which resided here were unlike the early settlers of Jamestown in that order was always a primary concern of theirs.

Ebay & Paypal

With more than 94 million active users globally, eBay is the world's largest online marketplace, where practically anyone can buy and sell practically anything. Founded in 1995, eBay connects a diverse and passionate community of individual buyers and sellers, as well as small businesses. Their collective impact on e-commerce is staggering: In 2010, the total worth of goods sold on eBay was $62 billion — more than $2,000 every second. For the latest stories about eBay, including recent financial performance, With more than 94 million active registered accounts worldwide, PayPal has made it possible for individuals and businesses to pay and get paid online across different locations, currencies and languages. Responding to the eBay community, which had quickly adopted PayPal as its preferred payment method, eBay Inc. acquired the company in 2002. Since then, PayPal's customer base has grown, both on eBay and across e-commerce. Having built a single global payments engine that has some of the best risk and fraud detection capabilities in the payments industry, PayPal continues to be one of the leading ways to pay online. Today, PayPal is available in 190 markets, 24 currencies, and is accepted by millions of online merchants around the world. With more than 94 million active users globally, eBay is the world's largest online marketplace, where practically anyone can buy and sell practically anything. Founded in 1995, eBay connects a diverse and passionate community of individual buyers and sellers, as well as small businesses. Their collective impact on e-commerce is staggering: In 2010, the total worth of goods sold on eBay was $62 billion — more than $2,000 every second. For the latest stories about eBay, including recent financial performance,