Best Buy Company Paper Research Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Best Buy Company - Research Paper Example Market study helps the company understand business opportunities or failures. Best Buy is a multinational company that carries consumer electronic devices, appliances, mobile phones, and services. It has been successfully operating in all the states and territories of the United States since 1986 but has only started international operations in 2002. Today, it operates in Europe, Mexico, Canada and China under different brands. The company has achieved growth thru mergers and acquisitions, particularly in its international segments. Cost of goods sold is reportedly high in these areas since it entails a lot of maintenance costs. For the past 2 years sales and income have been declining in the international segments while US sales are flat. Business opportunities are seen in the global atmosphere, while opportunities for domestic remain in technology and services. Competitions are taking advantage of their presence in the internet and continue to earn higher income and profits. Amazon and eBay for instance re online retailers that earns high income from internet sales. The declining income of BBC is an eye opener to look if its present business strategies need to be reviewed and changed. Market Report on Best Buy Company I. ... Particularly, its goal is emphasized in its strategies: to increase market share, to attain international growth, increase efficiency and to connect to the world. 1.2 Products Best Buy’s stores sell the following items: Consumer electronics, home office, entertainment software, appliances, and services. Consumer electronics consist of video and audio products, TVs, and MP3 players. Home office products include personal computers, cell phones, cable and internet service plan. Entertainment software includes products such as video games, CDS, video games, and computer software. Technology, service and repair. Other segments that offers food and beverages. Source: United States SEC Best Buy Form 10-K Annual Report 1.3 Geographic location Company operates locally in all the states and territories of the United States, while its international scope consists of China, all of European territories, Mexico, and Canada. 1.4 Strategies Strategies that helped company grow are by acquisiti ons and expansion. The company was incorporated in 1966 with the name Sound of Music Inc. but changed name to Best Buy in 1983. From this beginning it has grown and expanded thru mergers and acquisitions that made an impact of its presence in electronics, entertainment and technological services in the United States. Organic growth began in 2009 when it took advantage of the bankruptcy of Circuit City to serve the market share of the electronics consumers of the industry which was left open by the bankrupt company (University of Oregon Investment Group , Jan 8, 2011 pdf). The international segment started in 2002 through acquisition of established brands in Canada. Its presence in China

Trade Unions in Bangladesh Essay Example for Free

Trade Unions in Bangladesh Essay Trade unions in bangladesh and its impact Presentation Transcript †¢ 1. TRADE UNIONS IN BANGLADESH AND ITS IMPACTSubmitted By:Md. Omar Faruq Chowdhury -045 12601 Submission Date: 28th November 2012 1 †¢ 2. Contentsa. Definitionb. Causes of organizing trade unionsc. Objectivesd. History of Trade Unionse. Limitationsf. Positive impactsg. Negative impacts:h. Present Scenarioi. Suggestionsj. Conclusion 2 †¢ 3. Definition-Trade Union is an organization of workers who have banded together to achieve commongoals such as protecting the integrity of its trade, achieving higher pay, increasing thenumber of employees an employer hires, and better working conditions. -An organized association of workers in a trade, group of trades, or profession, formed toprotect and further their rights and interests.-A group of employees in a particular sector, whose aim is to negotiate with employees overpay, job security, working hours, etc. using the collective power of the members.-The most common purpose of these associations or unions is maintaining or improvingthe conditions of their employment. 3 †¢ 4. Causes of organizing trade unions†¢ Provision of benefits to members: professional training, legal advice and representation for members is still an important benefit of trade union membership.†¢ Industrial action: Trade unions may enforce strikes or resistance to lockouts in furtherance of particular goals.†¢ Political activity: Trade unions may promote legislation favourable to the interests of their members or workers as a whole. To this end they may pursue campaigns, undertake lobbying, or financially support individual candidates or parties.†¢ Conditions of employment and any grievances – are settled through trade unions.†¢ Bargaining rights: Trade unions bargain and ensure the status, rights, wages and demands of workers of the modern world of industry.†¢ Contribution in economical growth: Trade unions are growing rapidly in an economy because of the expansion of business and economical growth. 4 †¢ 5. ObjectivesTrade unions are the only way to manage, compliant, and control the labor force. Lots of objectives arethere to organize trade unions.1. To defend or improve the wages and working conditions of workers and to bring about a change inthe economic order.2. To strengthen their (labor) bargaining power collectively to establish and achieve all their rights.3. To dully protect all other interest of the workers .And from the management’s point of view theobjectives as written:a. To reduce the number  of negotiation.b. To specify work rules, disagreements and grievances to give the better solution to workers claim.c. To establish the efficient communication between the employers and management to enforce the predictable standards.d. To enhance the overall organizational effectiveness workers can also be sometimes inspired to form and organize trade union. In fact, objectives of a trade union are not defined; rather these are changing according to the need of t he economy and overall industry. When these objectives are not settled then the rivals are started. 5 †¢ 6. History of Trade Unions-The British rulers introduced Trade Union Act, 1926. The main purpose of the Act was to provideregistration for trade unions and in certain respects. But the Act did not contain any provisionregarding strikes.-In 1929, the Trade Disputes Act put restrictions on strikes in public utility services and laidprovision for the establishment of tribunals to adjudicate upon the labor disputes.-In 1947, the Industrial Disputes Act placed the conciliation and adjudication machinery for thesettlement of industrial disputes on a permanent footing. 6 †¢ 7. History of Trade UnionsThe Pakistan Period (1947-71)-The East Pakistan Trade Unions Act, 1965 was enacted repealing the Trade Unions Act, 1926.-The Labor Disputes Act, 1965 was enacted.-Industrial Relations Ordinance, 1969 was enacted integrating the above two Acts.Bangladesh Period (1971-onwards)-Government of Bangladesh declared a labor policy in 1972. The right to strike and collectivebargaining in the nationalized industries was prohibited for six months by Presidential order no. 55 inMay 1972.-In 1973, the right to strike and lockout, as granted by IRO, 1969 was withdrawn.-In 1974 Act completely suspended the democratic rights of workers by prohibiting trade unionactivities such as strikes, lock-outs, collective bargaining.-The military regime of 1975 imposed restrictions on the rights of collective bargaining.-The Industrial Relations (Amendment) Ordinance, 1977 liberalized the Rights of Freedom ofAssociation-The Labor Policy of 1980 restored the right to freedom of association to a considerable extent-In 1982 the military regime banned trade union activities, strikes, and right of freedom of association. 7 †¢ 8. History of Trade Unions-Full trade union activities were restored by the democratic government in 1991.-In 2006, an updated, consolidated and unified version of labor laws was enacted.-During the Emergency in 2007 -2008 that lasted for 23 months, trade unions and  collective bargainingwere prohibited and the determination of collective bargaining agent could not be made. -However, full trade union activities were restored by the democratic government in 2009. 8 †¢ 9. LimitationsIn Bangladesh Trade Unions have a lot of unavoidable problems:1. Lack of consciousness: Trade union are not actually completely aware about employees legal rights and duties.2. Lack of Unity: In Bangladesh trade unions are separated for political influence.3. Lack of knowledge: The workers of Bangladesh don’t have enough knowledge about theirrights and duties.4. Political influence: In Bangladesh, trade unions work a part of political parties not as a freeright saving association.5. Division of trade union: Bangladesh is a country where every organization has more tradeunions in name only. The overall productivity got down. 9 †¢ 10. Positive impacts†¢ Trade union plays a major role in creating ideal working conditions.†¢ Trade union always helps management to create better policies for workers. †¢ Trade unions negotiate for the standard wage and benefits with the management.†¢ Trade union helps the management to increases the productivity as well as the profit.†¢ Political influence’s existence makes the trade union not to interfere in management decisions.†¢ Trade union is hugely helping the management to produce more and implementing management tactics. 10 †¢ 11. Negative impacts†¢ Trade Unions are creating a surplus of manpower but not of productivity.†¢ Trade union of Bangladesh bargains more than they understand because of the limitations of their knowledge. If don’t consult then they strike.†¢ Trade Unions have equal power of management then clashes are started.†¢ In companies labors are awarded for good work and threatened for bad work. But if it’s punished then trade union interfere and don’t let to happen the punishment. So it increases crime of the labors.†¢ Trade union leaders always tr y to save their interest first then the labor.†¢ For the power of politics trade union always dishonor the management. 11 †¢ 12. Present ScenarioCategories Total number of Number of unions Number of members unions/federations includedNational federation 32 1264 1,263,66Industrial federation 108 721 640,221Garments federation 15 80 50,14Basic union 5,242 2,069,61 12 †¢ 13. Suggestions†¢ Strengthening bilateral collective bargaining for solving problems quickly and effectively.†¢ Multiplicity of trade union creates the rivals in a union. So it must be reduced.†¢ Political involvement must be reduced.†¢ Organization  must support financially as trade unions support the worker.†¢ Training programs under trade union should be helpful to develop the skills of the workers.†¢ Trade union’s function should be increased and widened throughout the organization.†¢ Union leader must be given importance and encourage the members. †¢ If trust between workers and management increases, productivity increases.†¢ Management must help and guide trade unions to settle industrial clashes and crisis.†¢ Trade unions always should demand reasonable thing to the management. 13 †¢ 14. Conclusion-The industrial relation system is pre-dominantly confrontational in nature rather than cooperative inBangladesh.-Although in recent times the rate of unionization has increased in the RMG sector, trade union affiliationis low in Bangladesh compared to many other developing countries .-The promotion of independent trade unions and collective bargaining can contribute to political andsocial stability and consequently create more favorable climate for foreign investment.-Trade unions have an important role to play in settling disputes between workers and management overwages by way of collective bargaining.-All the developing countries trade unions were influenced politically, but they used politics to create abetter solution.-Bangladesh should also start practicing like Japanese trade union which has a single union for singleenterprise. There is no conflict, no unfair means and no strikes in productivity and the growth of theoverall economy.

Attitude and Intention toward Mobile Advertising

Attitude and Intention toward Mobile Advertising 3. Research Framework 3.1 introductions In the research the factors will be considers as that entertainment credibility; irritation and informativeness are the significant factors affecting respondents attitudes toward mobile advertising. They use attitude as a dependent variable and consider the antecedents of advertising value as factors of attitude in their framework. (Chakraborty, Lala, Warren, 2003)Compared to other advertisings, personalization is very important in the Internet advertising. Personalization can ensure that visitors to location based service segment are to see the most appropriate and appealing Internet advertising and have positive benefits ranging from improved attitude toward the Website to purchase consider that personalization factors will come into play in the mobile environment. This factor may help further distinguish the mobile environment from traditional and Internet media. Specifically, I propose that personalization will affect respondents attitudes toward mobile advertising in addition t o those proposed by Tsang et al. Figure 1 depicts the framework of consumers perceptions on mobile advertising. These five factors are expected to affect mobile advertising attitude, and attitude will affect intention on using location based services in customer point of view. The attention refers to the plan of acting on the information presented in mobile advertising, such as going into a certain store to buy something after receiving a mobile advertisement from the store. Location-based services (LBS) are services that utilize knowledge about where a mobile device user is located. For example, the user of a mobile smart phone could be publicized ads exact to the region the user is travelling in. Location-based services exploit any of numerous technologies for knowing where a network user is geographically positioned. associated Business Intelligence estimates that the LBS industry will account for more than 80 billion in revenue by 2020 in Europe. Most telecommunications carriers plan to pursue either network- or handset-based location fixing technologies in their networks. The technology to pinpoint a mobile phones location is obtainable today and is of significant commercial value to businesses that want to aim their customers via mobile phones. Advertising that changes based on a users location (LBA Location Based Advertising) has been one of the much-talked-about capabilities of the wireless Internet, the idea being that an advertiser could reach a customer when he was most likely to buy. Opt-in possibilities could permit device users who are strolling in a shopping mall or urban area, for example, to signal their readiness for local offers. Location-based services (LBS) are services that exploit knowledge about where a mobile device user is located. For example, the user of a mobile smart phone could be shown ads precise to the region the user is travelling in. Location-based services take advantage of any of several technologies for knowing where a network user is geographically located. Allied Business Intelligence estimates that the LBS industry will account for more than 40 billion in revenue by 2006 in Europe. Most telecommunications carriers plan to pursue either network- or handset-based location fixing technologies in their networks. The technology to pinpoint a mobile phones location is available today and is of significant commercial value to businesses that want to target their customers via mobile phones. Adver tising that changes based on a users location (LBA Location Based Advertising) has been one of the much-talked-about capabilities of the wireless Internet, the idea being that an advertiser could reach a customer when he was most likely to buy. The advertising will be directed toward phone and PDA (personal digital assistant) users or passengers in public transport. Wireless advertising makes the most sense when delivered contextually through media on a geo-targeted basis. Opt-in possibilities could permit device users who are strolling in a shopping mall or urban area, for example, to signal their readiness for local offers.(Kà ¶lmel Alexakis, 2002) 3.2 Factors Contributing to Attitude and Intention toward Mobile Advertising Mobile advertising has become one of the most accepted applications in mobile marketing, principally in the form of text advertising through SMS (Short Messaging Service). This research investigates and compares the attitude toward mobile advertising and advertising- in-general. The results, conducted on 571 Sri Lankan mobile phone users, indicate that (1) consumers hold positive attitudes toward mobile advertising and advertising-in-general, (2) perceived irritation, informativeness, and trust affect consumers attitudes, (3) mobile advertising and advertising-in-general dont irritate consumers and they perceive them informative. However consumers dont trust mobile advertising and advertising-in-general. (4) Consumers are more positive about advertising-in-general than mobile advertising.(Buckley, 2004). in advertising and information systems suggests that advertising in mutually conventional media and the Internet is either effortlessly ignored by the audience or is perceived with d iminutive value. However, these studies assumed that the audience was passive and failed to consider the motives of the users. In light of this, the present study measures consumers attitudes toward advertisements for different purposes/functions (Location building and directional) and different media (traditional and Internet-based). Literature suggests the following factors that contribute to consumers perceptions of ads: entertainment, irritation, informativeness, credibility, and demographic. We believe that interactivity is also a factor that contributes to consumers perceptions. By understanding consumers attitude towards advertising, designers and marketers can better strategize their advertising designs. A better understanding of interactivity can also help to improve the effectiveness of interactive media such as the Internet. A methodology for studying the factors that contribute to consumers perceptions of ads is proposed and implications for Internet-based advertising an d e-commerce is discussed.(Wang, Zhang, Choi, Eredita, 2002). mobile marketing and the permission and user attitude for acceptance of mobile services by consumers accessed mainly by mobile phones. The aim of this study is to analyze the factors affecting consumer attitudes toward permission-based mobile marketing (PBMM).(Cengiz, Tetik, Yuan, 2010) The LBA push approach amounts to the advertiser working with the carriers and delivery networks to send (push) ads to the user, determined by the devices location. Hypothetically, it could be targeted even more finely if other information is available about users (context, demographics, psychographics, etc.) Within the push approach, there are two further possibilities with which we have become unfamiliar in recent years as they pertain to e-mail advertising: opt-out and opt-in. Opt-out suggests that advertisers would send ads to whomever they wanted to until users asked that they not be sent ads anymore. In contrast, the opt-in approach involves users authorizing that messages be sent to them, a type of permission marketing(Godin 1999). As an example, the push approach was used when moviegoers walked near a kiosk at some theaters and received text messages letting them know they could download free content related to recent movie releases (Parry 2005). In this case, opt-in would mea n recipients would have previously indicated their interest in receiving messages from the theaters whereas opt-out means they would not have done so. The other approach to LBA is called pull and it occurs when consumers request some information or use some service on a one-time basis and in the process are exposed to commercial messages (MMA 2005a). In essence, they are seeking information (pulling) rather than the information seeking them (pushing). For example, a salesman visiting San Francisco could use his device to access a portal where one of the choices is Local Restaurants. After selecting that, the next alternative he may choose to pick is Chinese. Five restaurants are shown, all indicated to be within a half-mile of his location. He selects one of them and a map is provided as well as an offer of a free appetizer, good for the next hour. Because the user chooses the time and place to access the information in the pull approach, it is by definition opt-in. 3.3 Independent variables 3.3.1 Entertainment Entertainment is also a crucial factor for mobile advertising. It is essential that the message is concise and funny, and thus immediately captures consumers attention. As most people have a natural playfulness, providing games and prizes via text messaging (SMS) yields high participationà £Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Entertainment as defined by Ducoffe10 is the ability to ful ­fill an audiences needs for escapism, diversion, aesthetic enjoyment, or emotional enjoyment. Recent research has shown that entertainment has a noteworthy positive relationship with attitude and is deemed to be the most significant factor determining CATSA11-12,5,13-16. It has also been argued that SMS messages providing games and prizes yield high participation levels; thus is more suc ­cessful in attracting and keeping customers. Moreover, entertainment services can increase customers loyalty and provide extra value for the customer15. As peoples feeling of enjoyment associated with advertisements is very important in gaining their atten ­tion; it is essential that such messages are brief and funny. These attributes can contribute significantly in making consumers more unfamiliar with the advertised product as well as getting them involved in a more profound manner15. 3.3.2 Credibility Credibility of advertising is an important predictor of attitude toward the advertising. Advertising credibility is consumers perception of the truthfulness and believability of advertising in general (Barclay et al., 1995) Credibility of an advertisement is influenced by different factors, especially by the companys credibility corporate credibility is defined as the extent to which consumers believe that a firm can design and deliver products and services that satisfy customer needs and wants and has been found to have direct positive effects on attitude toward the ad, the Location , and purchase intent. On the other hand, due to declining advertising Credibility, marketers continually search for innovative ways to communicate their messages. Credibility is considered the base of the consumers trust. The relation between the consumer and the Location is highly influenced by trust and it is a common finding that consumers in general do not trust advertising due to issues of false ma rketing efforts36. As risk is well associ ­ated to trust; hence it should be kept to its minimum, not only by gaining consumers trust but through sustaining it by means of hard work. Credibility is believed to be achieved in numerous ways; for instance listing key features and communicating to the consumer in a trustworthiness manner; since con ­sumers will reject receiving ads to their mobile phones, if they cannot trust the advertiser37. Hence, creating a well-established basis of trust for mobile marketing has to be a key objective for all advertising companies. In order to do so ads providers can make advantage of referrals, suggestions and positive associations to gain trust among consumers38. Moreover, credibility can be perceived posi ­tively if a spokesperson or organization is employed to sponsor an advertisement, but only if done correctly. A recent study38 has confirmed that the use of celebrities as spokespersons or endorsers can additionally enhance the level of credibility. Thus, making use of referrals or celeb ­rity endorsements it is pretty common by advertisers. The level of credibility could substantially depend upon the ad source, which means that if the source is well known for its experience and proficiency in the subject advertised for; it is most likely to be perceived as trust ­worthy. Expertise comes from knowledge acquired in the subject, whereas trustworthiness refers to the honesty of the source39. Ohaninan40 has further confirmed that the consumers willingness to accept an ad message can be influenced by the source credibility and hence many advertisers use positive characteristics of the source, such as an 3.3.3 informativeness Information delivered to customers through mobile devices requests to demonstrate qualitative features like accuracy, timeliness, and usefulness for the consumer. Apart from this, users need quick access to the information they are looking for in their current content of use. There is even the possibility that the information may be delivered automatically to the consumersà £Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Informativness has been defined numerously; A definition provided by Waldt et al.5 and Ducoffe10 states that informativness is the ability of advertising to inform consumers of product alternatives so that purchases yielding the greatest possible satisfaction can be made, while Oh and Xu17 has defined it as the ability to success ­fully give related information. Both definitions focus on the ability of informing the consumers of the products relevant qualities. Literature shows that there exists a sig ­nificant positive relationship between informativeness of the mobile advertising and CATSA12, 15-16. One key objective of advertising is creating awareness and illustrating the uniqueness of the advertised product or service provided18. Higher information quality percep ­tion is typically yielded if accuracy, meaningfulness and timeliness of the information provided are ensured; since Informativeness is reliant on the match between content provided by the mobile service and the subscribers infor ­mation requirements16. In the contemporary technological world, informa ­tiveness (content) and entertainment (form) are characteristically entwined with each and hence could be included into a single construct19,10. This correlation is believed to create a positive CATSA, based on consumers requirements and expectation to how these should be met. 3.3.4 Irritation When advertising employs techniques that annoy, offend, insult or are overly manipulative, consumers are likely to perceive it as unwanted and irritating influence(Ducoffe, 1996). Mobile advertising can provide an array of information that confuses and distracts the recipient as well as overwhelms the consumer with information. Consumers may feel confused about them and react negatively. . The tactics advertisers use when competing for consumers attention can be annoying to the audiences. Irritation as defined by Ducoffe10 is the tactics used by marketers in advertisement that are annoying or against the consumer attitude or may insult consumer dignity and is perceived negatively by customers or irritates con ­sumers. Hence irritation is a phenomenon pretty much similar to reactance, where the consumer is more likely to reject advertisements perceived as intrusive. This ideol ­ogy has been supported by Tsang et al.16 and Ducoffe10, as both has stated that annoying, insulting or o verly manip ­ulative tactics used by advertisers are one of the primary sources of irritation. Perceived irritation has been illustrated to be dependent on numerous factors including number of messages, the frequency of ads, the messages contend and their timing12,20-21. Moreover, overlapping, confus ­ing information provided by SMS advertisements has also been proven to cause consumer annoyance and generate negative impact towards mobile advertise ­ment22. Additionally, privacy defined as the right ofan individual to control the information held about them by third parties23. It is an essential factor affect ­ing mobile advertisement acceptance. The personal nature of the mobile can lead to the opposition of SMS advertising since its potentially perceived as threatening their privacy. Burner and Kumar24 has confirmed that personalization can create a situation where a company gathers too much private information (such as the users whereabouts, without getting his/her consent) and uses this knowledge to provide geographic specific advertise ­ment, thereby generating a feeling of intrusion for the consumers. Based on the previously discussed, irritation has shown to yield considerable negative impacts toward SMS advertising, in contrast with both informativness and entertainment which generate positive impact25. Recent research has indicated various ways to reduce irritation caused by SMS advertisement. One of the most straightforward ways to tackle the irritation issue is permission-based SMS advertising26-27. In the context of SMS advertising a beforehand notification is sent to the consumer-prior to sending advertisements- to ask for permission to send SMS ads and to convince con ­sumers to opt-in; in which case a simple registration ensures sending relevant messages to the interested audi ­ence. In other words, consumers require a certain degree of control to achieve favorable acceptance towards such advertisements. This can refer to control over when, where, what and how much advertising to receive through mobile, which in turn generate acceptance towards SMS advertising28. Furthermore, language employed in SMS advertisement should be understood by the target group, since its a major determinant of the CATSA29. Mobile advertising should as well be concise and straight to the point t o yield acceptation30-31; since reading from mobile devices may take more time due to space limitations. Finally, SMS advertising should also disclose how to stop receiving further messages. 3.3.5 Personalization Mobile advertising has gained significant attention because of the unique attributes, such as personalization (28), that offer new opportunities to advertisers to place effective and efficient promotions on mobile environments. In order to achieve the competitive advantages consistently, real time personalization will most likely be required through the use of personalization technology. Mobile commerce holds a great potential for personalization, because of the nature of mobile devices they provide personal information of (T. Lee Jun, 2007). Personalized advertising improve the experience for companies and consumers By allowing mobile advertising providers to collect data about demographics and location of the consumers, personalization improves the quality of mobile commerce and turns it into important medium (Dickinger, Haghirian, Murphy, Scharl, 2004)The impact of the message can be increased by personalizing the message. Success of the target marketing is based on well-structured and maintained databases (ibid). 3.4.1 Mediator Perceived value (PV) behavioral intention relationship examines the direct effect of Perceived value to intention to use the technology The idea is that people form intentions toward using regardless of whether they have positive or negative feelings toward the behavior. Perceived value is defined by Davis, 1989 as The degree to which a person believes that using a particular system would enhance his or her job performance. (Fred D Davis, 1989) There is a positive correlation between Perceived value of mobile commerce and consumer satisfaction in mobile commerce environment (Lee et al., 2007,). The study conducted by(Soroa-Koury Yang, 2010) also found that Perceived value is one of the key variable for prediction consumer attitude toward mobile advertising. Consumer may intend to check the usefulness of the app and its advertistments inorder to make their mind set use LBS services. What causes people to accept or reject informa-tion technology? Among the many variables that may influence system use, pre vious research sug-gests two determinants that are especially im-portant. First, people tend to use or not use an application to the extent they believe it will help them perform their job better. We refer to this first variable as perceived usefulness. Second, even if potential users believe that a given ap-plication is useful, they may, at the same time, believe that the systems is too hard to use and that the performance benefits of usage are out-weighed by the effort of using the application. That is, in addition to usefulness, usage is theo-rized to be influenced by perceived ease of use. Perceived value is defined here as the degree to which a person believes that using a particular system would enhance his or her job performance.T his follows from the defini-tion of the word useful: capable of being used advantageously.W ithina n organizationalc on-text, people are generally reinforced for good performance by raises, promotions, bonuses, and other rewards (Pfeffer, 1984). A s ystem high in perceived use-fulness, in turn, is one for which a user believes in the existence of a positive use-performance relationship 3.4.2 Moderator Location unfamiliarity People often consume products in a variety of different situations. For example, one might eat breakfast at Home, at a hotel, or at an airport. In making consumption decisions in these different situations, consumers must first recall from memory a set of products that may fulfill their needs and then make their final choice from this set.(S. Ratneshwar, Cornelia Pechmann, 1996).Location ununfamiliar defined as the knowledge about some locations. Location based advertising can be highly promoted when the consumer doesnt have an idea about the location. If the consumer has more information or consumer has many other options to use at a given location, it would be wasted decision to use LBS softwares to get services. Most of the customers willing to use LBS when the situation is unfamiliar. Such as updating market in China, consumers are more likely to use LBS, because of the lack of knowledge of the location. Location ununfamiliar can be defined as when the consumer doesnt have idea about the location and its products and services. As its a important moderator from customer point of view, i t will be use as a moderator in the research frameworkà £Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å¡ (Campbell Keller, 2003) conducted in which ad contentand repetition were carefully controlled and only the ununfamiliar of the Location sponsor was varied. These provideconsistent evidence that ads for ununfamiliar Locations wear outfaster, showing decreased effectiveness at lower levels ofrepetition relative to ads for unfamiliar Locations. The results alsoprovide insight to the consumer psychology underlying theeffect of Location ununfamiliar on ad wearout.Across both studies, processing of the ads was seen todiffer with repetition depending on the ununfamiliar of the Locations. Ads for ununfamiliar Locations were processed more extensivelywith repetition than were ads for unfamiliar Locations.Just as a marketers focus is often on building market knowledgefor new Locations and on maintaining presence for familiarLocations, consumer focus may be on learning aboutununfamiliar Locations but also on updating exi sting knowledgefor unfamiliar Locations. Increases in processing because of repetitionand Location unununfamiliar lead to more negative andfewer positive thoughts. Additionally, the studies provideevidence to suggest that at higher levels of ad repetition,consumers may use more extensive processing to considerthe inappropriateness of advertising tactics for unfamiliarLocations. Tactic inappropriateness was seen to mediate theeffects of ad repetition and Location ununfamiliar on messageeffectiveness. Finally, the results demonstrated that attitudetoward the ad had a greater influence on attitude toward theLocation for ununfamiliar Locations compared with familiar Locations 3.4.3 Customer innovativeness By innovativeness we mean the predisposition of a consumer to adopt a product earlier han most others. Various studies have shown that across product categories, innovators tend to be: opinion leaders, risk takers, more likely to obtain information from mass media than through word of mouth, open to new ideas and change, relatively young etc. Marketers want to identify the segment of the market that is most likely to adopt a new product when it is the first introduced. This article describes we ask some key questions about the nature of innovativeness and try to make a correlation between characteristics of the innovators and innovativeness.(Dobre, Dragomir, Preda, 2009) 3.5 Consumer attitudes towards LBS / Purchase behavior /rejection behavior Attitude toward advertising is defined as a learned predisposition to respond in a consistently favorable or unfavorable manner toward advertising in general. Consumer attitudes toward advertising tend to affect their attitudes toward specific advertisements (Pyun James, 2011)Many researchers around the world have developed many models that point out determinants of attitudes toward advertising.. Factors underlying consumers attitudes differ among various forms of advertising and a variety of other factors. which is most appropriate and applicable to the context of the study, three perceptual antecedents (Informativeness, Entertainment and Irritation) influence how consumers assess the value of web advertising. Additionally, the findings of this research also noted that consumers assessments of value have a significant impact on their overall attitudes. Therefore, Informativeness, Entertainment and Irritation are factors that should be considered when examining attitudes toward mobi le advertising. and tested to show that it strengthened this model. This research will focus on four hypothesized factors: Informativeness, Entertainment, Irritation and ,Credibility..Personalization according to Lee , The primary aim of this study is to investigate the factors influencing audience attitudes towards such location-based advertising. The results indicate that entertainment, personalization and privacy concerns all have direct impacts on consumer attitudes, with situational context moderating the impacts of these factors on such consumer attitudes. conclude by offering some practical suggestions for mobile operators and advertising agencies.(Y. C. Lee, 2010).buying behavior of the customers can be depending on the attitude towards location based services. If the attitude is positive , consumer may have a positive Purchase behavior , if the attitude is negative it can be rather differ. Meanwhile both purchase behavior and reject behavior will be depend on the attitude w hich create by the consumers mind. LBA opportunities. The majority (87%) of the consumerinterviewees in this study expressed ununfamiliar with SMS andmobile application forms of LBAs. They oftenreceived LBAs and promotions from well-known food and beverage vendors. Arecent survey in Singapore found perceived utility of advertisingas a strong predictor of mobile phone users affectiveattitude towards LBAs(Bruner Kumar, 2007)). In this study,more thanhalf (53%) of the interviewees perceived benefits of LBAs asconvenience (searching for deals) and time and money saving(purchasing products). Some interviewees viewed LBAs ashooks to encourage them to do shopping or attend eventsnearby. Three-fifths agreed with LBAs short-term effects toattract foot traffic by giving incentives (e.g., vouchers anddiscounts) but felt dubious about LBAs capabilities to giveadvertisers long-term benefits, particularly customer loyalty.Based on consumer interviews, a pull approach of LBAs wasmore acceptable than a push approach, indicating thatapplication-based LBAs are favored more compared with SMSads. Two-fifths of the interviewees thought application-basedLBAs gave them more control over receiving LBAs. Respondent 4 (personal communication, 19 March 2013) pointed out theimportance of allowing consumers to have choices: I justwantto be given the option to decide when I want or dont want it. 3.6 Technology Acceptance Model The Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) explains how a new technology and the various aspects of it are received and used by the user. Though many models have been proposed previously in the field of Information Systems to describe the relationship, it is this model which has been widely acclaimed and used. The TAM was initially proposed by (Fred D Davis, 1989)It comprises two beliefs, the perceived utilities and the perceived ease of application, which determine attitudes to adopt new technologies. The attitude toward adoption will decide about the adopters positive or negative behavior in the future concerning new technology. A model developed to study the acceptance of the technology by an individual taking into account, basically, both the perceived ease of use and the usefulness of the technology. One of the most frequently employed models for research into new information technology acceptance. the TAM suggests that when users are presented with a new technology, a number of factors determine their decision about how and when they will use it. This is a theoretical framework designed by Davis (1989) that proposes a relationship between users acceptance of a new IS and the users perceptions of the ease of use and usefulness of the IS. A causal model hypothesizing that actual inform ation technology system use is affected by behavioral intentions that themselves are affected by attitudes toward use. Beliefs about the system, perceived usefulness, and perceived ease of use in TAM directly affect attitudes toward use In the TAM model, people who perceive technology as useful and easy to use will accept it more readily than those who do not, with usefulness more important than ease of use. A theory of innovation developed by Davis (1986) in which the main elements are perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, attitude toward using technology, and behavioral intention. Theoretical framework developed by Davis in 1989 which identify perceived usefulness, ease of use, and cultural orientation of the decision maker as key drivers of technology an information systems theory that models user acceptance. The model includes two main factors influencing individual IS use: Perceived value (will the system enhance my job performance?) and perceived ease-of-use (how difficult will it be to use the system?). TAM has been extended to include social influence and normative beliefs of others (TAM2). a model of individual acceptance of IT, stating that an individuals adoption of IT is dependent on the perceived ease of use and Perceived value of the technology TAM is a model of user acceptance of information systems technology based on the theory of reasoned action. Two variables Perceived value and perceived ease of use lead to attitude toward use, behavioral intention to use and use of the system. Is one of the most widely used theories in IS literature. Two bel iefs (Perceived value and perceived ease of use) predict attitudes, which in turn influence intended use of a technology. This intention then consequently impacts behavior of actual system usage. Perceived value is the degree to which a user thinks a technology would enhance performance or productivity in the workplace. Perceived ease of use is the degree of lack of effort required by the user in adopting a given technology. Perceived ease of

Galileo :: essays research papers

Galileo Galilei was one of the greatest astronomer and mathematician of the seventeenth century. His support of support of Copernican cosmology against the Church’s strong opposition and his development of a telescope and his unorthodox opinions as philosopher of science were the central concerns of his career. He struggled brutally for freedom from the higher authority because of unable to resist his appetite for scientific investigation. However, Galileo’s science and career did not get him any where farther in his life; he was forced to withdraw his theories before the inquisition, and was sentenced to indefinite imprisonment by the pope and eventually became blind. Life of Galileo is visualized clearly in Bertolt Brecht’s the most fascinating novel Galileo. Galileo is one of Brecht’s truly brilliant characters, immensely alive complex human.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Throughout his life Galileo dedicated himself to science and research and discovered many amazing things; one of them was a telescope. The observation of the sky, which Galileo carried out with his telescope led to the discovery of the satellites of Jupiter and to Galileo’s increased adherence the Copernican system. He studied Saturn and observed the phases of Venus and the sunspots. In between his studies and discoveries Galileo began to encounter serious opposition of the motion of the earth. He discovered that it was earth that roll around the sun. “By that time, with any luck, they will be learning that the earth rolls round the sun, and that their mother, the captains, the scholars, the princes, and the Pope are rolling with it'; (Galileo, pg49). Galileo’s theory about motion of earth was judged as erroneous by Cardinal Bellarmino because it went against the doctrine of the Church. He believed that the god was the one who created this world the best way he could and that is the way it should remain. The god is the only one who has all the wisdom, knowledge, and power and he knows his work better than anybody does else does. “Does it not appear more probable even to you that the Creator knows more about his work that the Created?'; (Galileo, pg79). Furthermore, the Cardinal also believed that once the thing is written in the Holy bible and approved by many scholars it can not be changed; because by changing anything or questioning anything about god’s creation would be like questioning the god. And this would completely destroy many people’ faith in god.

Macbeth: Act 5 Summary Essay

Scene I A doctor and gentlewoman are at the castle watching Lady MacBeth because she has been sleeping walking. When Lady MacBeth enters the scene she washes her hands saying there is blood on them and refers to the murders: Duncan, Banquo, and Lady MacDuff. Once she leaves the doctor looks stunned at such behavior. Scene II A group of Scottish lords gather together to discuss the military situation. It is decided that the Scottish army will meet the English army led by Malcolm by Birnam Wood to join forces together. It is also reported that MacBeth has fortified Dunsinane Castle. Scene III MacBeth tells his attendants they have nothing to fear of the army approaching them because no one of woman born can harm him. MacBeth also refers to the second apparition and says he will reign until Birnam Wood is moved to Dunsinane. Next, MacBeth orders Seyton to retrieve his armor so he can do what he does best, fight on the battlefield. The doctor reports to MacBeth about Lady MacBeth’s condition. MacBeth demands that the doctor rid her of the disease and cure her. Scene IV While marching toward Dunsinane, Malcolm orders his soldiers to break a branch off of a tree in Birnam Wood hope to, â€Å"Thereby shall we shadow / The numbers of our host,† and make MacBeth’s spies, â€Å"Err in report of us,† (5.4.5-7). Scene V Seyton comes to tell MacBeth that the queen has died. Shocked by the abrupt end of his wife, MacBeth makes a compelling spiel. The messenger enters telling MacBeth that the forest of Birnam Wood is moving towards them, Dunsinane. MacBeth is overcame by disbelief and horror that the apparition’s prophecy may come true which said that he couldn’t die until Birnam Wood moved towards Dunsinane. Scene VI Malcolm orders his soldiers to throw down the branches and reveal to MacBeth’s castle who they really are. Scene VII MacBeth kills the Young Siward and makes fun of the soldiers who are born from a woman because their swords can not kill him. Malcolm makes a comment about MacBeth’s soldiers saying, â€Å"We have met with foes / That strike beside us,† because they aren’t even trying to fight (5.7.31-2). Scene VIII The castle is surrounded by Malcolm and Siward’s men. MacDuff finally finds MacBeth and the fight begins. While fighting, MacBeth tells MacDuff he is wasting his time because he cannot be killed by a woman born human. MacDuff shocks MacBeth by letting him know he was not woman born but cut out of his mother’s womb. MacBeth still does not give up and they continue fighting. As trumpets sound victory of the Scottish and English forces, MacDuff enters carrying MacBeth’s head and declared Malcolm King of Scotland.

Travel Nursing and Filling High-Need Roles

Travel Nursing and Filling High-Need Roles Jeff Long, as marketing manager for Medical Solutions, spends quite a bit of time talking about travel nursing, or nurses traveling to different parts of the country to fill temporary needs, and tells nurses what they need to know on Travel Nursing Blogs. He chatted with us about filling a specific, temporary niche. What is travel nursing, for those unfamiliar with the concept?Travel nursing is a specific area of the healthcare staffing industry that focuses on providing nurses on a temporary basis to hospitals in need of additional nurse staff. The standard length of a travel nurse contract is 13 weeks, but it can vary, and many jobs will also offer extensions. Nurses go through a travel nurse staffing firm, which helps place them in a temporary assignment at a facility and brokers the terms of employment, including quality screening, housing, benefits and much more.Why is it so difficult for hospitals in the US to fill these nursing positions with local candidates? Is the shortage of nurses that bad?Reasons creating the need for additional nurse staff vary widely. Very often, traveler positions are not ones that a hospital intends to fill with a permanent, local candidate, but through temporary staff they are able to more finely tune staffing levels to align with their unique and fluctuating patient care needs.For example, need can be caused due to a temporary influx of senior citizens to an area like Arizona or Florida in the winter months. With their arrival comes additional population with much greater healthcare needs, which puts a temporary higher demand on healthcare workers. If the hospital were to address this need with permanent positions, it could end up overstaffed in the summer months. Other causes can include EMR conversions, or other such things that might temporarily pull perm staff off the floor. The bottom line is that when need surges for any reason, staffing must follow suit – and travel nursing helps hospitals adapt while continuing to provide excellent patient care and protect their perm staff from nurse burnout.The nursing shortage is a very real problem – one that travel nursing helps address! Many factors created the nursing shortage, including an aging Baby Boomer population. Aging Boomers will continue to require more medical care, and to compound things further, a huge number of mature Boomer nurses are at or nearing retirement age, eliminating members of the healthcare workforce. Additionally, as more Americans are insured and seeking care, more RNs are required to satisfy the increase in patient care.How do you find nurses willing to relocate for a role?There are a lot of amazing benefits to travel nursing that definitely make it worthwhile for nurses. First, and probably the top reason for most nurses, is the ability to travel and experience new places while getting paid. The option of travel nursing is pretty unique to the healthcare industry, as not many other professions can travel at will for work. Travelers can â€Å"try on† different cities to better adjudicate potential future re-location, or they may just be in it for the sheer adventure. It also allows them to craft their lifestyle exactly as they want it – an assignment in Colorado can be timed perfectly with ski season, for example, or a job in California or Hawaii can let a nurse escape a cold Midwestern winter.Travel nursing is also amazing for a nurse’s resume and overall professional development. Having travel nursing assignments under his or her belt shows future prospective employers that a nurse is proficient and adaptable. Encountering a variety of hospital systems, challenges, personalities and patient demographics always results in a stronger, better versed nurse.Another attractive factor to travel nurses is being able to go where their skills are most needed. Nurses are an altruistic lot; they do what they do because they truly care for people in need. Through travel nursing, th ey are able to ensure that they’re using their training and skills at facilities where it will make the most positive impact to patient care quality.Where do you see healthcare staffing heading in the future?Healthcare staffing is definitely a growing industry, with sustainable potential for increased future growth. The nursing shortage continues to mount, and some projections predict it will peak around the 2020s. With healthcare reform and progressively greater healthcare needs, healthcare staffing growth may even be poised to outpace current industry projections.What are some things hospitals should consider when hiring and working with nurses from outside their particular city or state?Hospital administrators should first educate themselves on the many benefits travel nurses can bring to their facility. Travel nurses prevent nurse burnout and save facilities money in the long run on turnover and other associated costs. And, most importantly, travelers help sustain excelle nt patient care, which is priceless to patients and their families. In turn, this protects a facility’s good reputation for quality care within the community.Facilities that work to create a welcoming environment for travelers will also get a good reputation as being traveler-friendly. This will help keep both perm and temporary employees engaged and happy on the job – leading to better patient outcomes, while also attracting the best nurse talent.What should hospitals consider when working with a healthcare staffing agency to meet their staffing needs?Hospitals should make sure they work with travel nurse staffing companies that emphasize quality screening and deliver only the best temporary nurses. There are many agencies out there that will sacrifice quality to seal a deal, but at the end of the day it is the hospital’s reputation on the line. The number one thing a hospital should look for in a healthcare staffing agency is a commitment to offering quality p roviders.

Education Cannot Compensate for Society

Education Cannot Compensate for Society Free Online Research Papers ‘Those who govern are prisoners of a reassuring young entourage of young, white, middle-class technocrats who often know almost nothing about the everyday lives of their fellow citizens and have no occasion to be reminded of their ignorance’. (Bourdieu 1993:627). I will be addressing this contention in terms of the white working class and arguing that, in contrast to Tony Blair’s opinion that ‘we are all middle class now’ and this has been achieved through ‘education, education, education’, the white working class population is far from dormant, and, thanks to New Labour, it is their children that are now the lowest achievers academically. The concept of class is highly ambiguous and often fluid in today’s society. Although touched upon, there is little room for detailed discussion on class stratification in this paper. However, the persistence of class structures in the UK have led to a wealth of literature on the subject (see Goldthorpe 1987; Crompton 1998, Roberts 2001). For purpose of this paper, I will be defining class as a social fact: ‘consisting of millions of people constituted by divisions of labour and knowledge with corresponding class cultures that people in the same class positions use as basis for their actions’ (P. Brown 1997). It should be noted that, before further discussion, the educational life chances of individuals, are interwoven with gender and ethnicity as well as social class (K. Roberts 2001) however, for the purpose of the set word count, the focus of this paper will be on the influence of social class on the educational life chances of individuals. Education is presented as a means of reducing inequalities in society through upwards social mobility. Yet despite the Government’s commitment to ‘opportunity for all’ and continuing investment in compulsory education over the last fifty years, ‘social class is a crucial factor in determining whether a child does well or badly at school’. (Dean 1998:3). For many working class children today, education has not compensated for their position in society. The employment opportunities available to this demographic are still largely defined by their parent’s socio-economic position – more so than they were during the last Labour Government. ‘The social class of a person’s parents actually has a greater impact on their educational attainment now than previously†¦ Thus it is not the most able who have benefited from the expansion of the UK education system but rather the most privileged’. (Galindo-Rueda Vignoles 2003). This paper will seek to explore some of the factors that contribute to these findings, and look at how, despite the evolution of the Education system and the benefits it can offer, this demographic are still ‘underachieving’. It is worth noting that the term ‘underachievement’ itself has been hotly critiqued (Gilborn Mirza 2000, Halsey et al 1980). It will be suggested that widening participation in Higher Education, (sold to us as a means of professionalising the proletariat working class and as a commodity essential for realising future aspiration), has actually been more of a success for middle class children than those from working class backgrounds. Attempts to understand and reverse this pattern will also be looked at. It is argued here that schooling in England still contains remnants of its elitist past. Historically used by the ruling middle classes to ensure hegemony (Gramsci) over the proletariat, the focus of schooling the masses has been on maintaining social control rather than education (Green 1990). This paper supports evidence that the educational system in the UK still serves to favour middle class ideologies as the dominant cultural capital (Bourdieu 1984, Halsey et al 1997), positioning working class attitudes as undesirable and inferior: ‘If the lower classes must now be educated †¦ they must be educated that they may appreciate and defer to a higher civilisation when they meet it’ (Lowe, R. cited in Tomlinson, L. 1986). The main body of theory that underpins this argument is that of Pierre Bourdieu. The cultural determinist view of Bourdieu views the system as it is as hopeless; merely a means of producing and reproducing society and unequal distributions of power by imposing an undiversified and immutable school curriculum upon a multicultural society. Bourdieu’s concept has been criticised for being over deterministic as it suggests the individual simply reflects the conditions they are born into, and deprived of any power to shape their own future (Jenkins 1992:79). In his defence however, Bourdieu (1990:116) argues that this criticism ignores the influence of circumstance which is central to his idea of habitus. One of the main circumstances is the competition between the classes (which he sees as an influence on social behaviour – itself a process). Like Bourdieu, the interest here is in how society evaluates cultural capital through visible systems of reward and punishment. Thatcher’s focus on business and enterprise in the 1970’s saw the structure of the Education system change into a more business focused model, encouraging schools and Universities to become more like private businesses and enter into competition with each other, and turning parents and students into consumers. Here we can mark the beginning of the commodification of Education. This era also highlighted a contradiction between policies aimed at social equality and those aimed at economic growth, ‘placing the needs of the industry and the economy (rather than the child, see Plowden Report 1967) at the heart of the education process’ (Weiner, G1998:190). Building on this, The Educational Reform Act of 1988 saw the introduction of the National Curriculum, aimed at solving the problems of compensatory education by encouraging tolerance and respect for religious and cultural diversity; economic enterprise; parliamentary democracy and the rule of law; and education for sustainable development, social inclusion and formal notions of citizenship (Qualifications Curriculum Authority 1999: 290). However, it’s very academic structure has had the opposite effect. Learning has been reduced to the completion of predetermined and measurable activities. This authoritarian style of schooling that we still follow today is limited by an unprecedented testing format. Teachers and pupils are under immense pressure to pass these tests, whilst having their methods of teaching limited by Government intervention. This system encourages students to fail, for ‘teaching to the test’ does nothing to encourage independent thinking or promot e different types of intelligence (Bruner). A wealth of research in the 1990’s focused on the reproduction of class inequalities in educational achievement. For example, Demack et al (1998) noted that between 1988 and 1993, although more pupils were achieving higher grades at GCSE level, there was an increased inequality in achievement amongst the manual and non manual demographics. P. Brown’s research (1997) highlighted the efforts and strategies middle class parents, especially mothers, to manipulate the system. Educated in good schools and Universities and fiercely aware of the benefits of access to knowledge, these parents are determined that their children will have the same access to a privileged education that they did. If they couldn’t afford to send their children to private schools these ‘privileged parents had the required cultural capital and educational knowledge for them to emerge as winners in local school markets’ (Tomlinson, S 2001:137). Anxious that state education might fail them, they use these skills to avoid disadvantaged and poorer schools (see Reay 1998 also). It is not that working class parent’s do not care about their children’s education as much, rather that in their homes ‘formal learning and caring tend not to be synonymous and often the expectation is that formal learning is what happens at school’ (Evans 2007:9). Through her phenomenology approach, Evans work highlighted these different attitudes between working ands middle class mums, suggesting that, ‘The relationship between social classes in England hinges on a segregation that is emotionally structured through mutual disdain †¦not just occupationally defined (2007:28)†¦ ‘At school and in life, middle class people behave as if they are doing working class people a favour. Thus, the school †¦ represents †¦ posh people’s values’ (2007:32) Many theories have attempted to explain the ‘underachievement’ of working class children. From dubious inheritance assumptions that middle class children are innately/genetically superior (Swift 1977) to the learned belief that that educational institutions, as currently organized, favour middle class ideology and are therefore inadequate in providing for working class children. This is the focus of our discussion. Mackinnon (1978) is one such scholar that demonstrates such a correlation between class and educational attainment. It should be noted here that the ways in which social class affect educational life chances are complex and dependent on many other factors, both at school and at home. One other sociological attempt to explain such variation in educational life chances is the acknowledgement of the influence of social class culture; the differences between the attitudes, values, language and skills favoured at home and at school. Basil Bernstein’s study ‘Education Cannot Compensate for Society’ was one such study. Published in 1972, it addressed the notion of class speech codes and controls that had the potential to limit the education of the working class. He discovered that working class children had a more limited and ‘context dependent’ (dominated) vocabulary than their middle class peer’s (dominating) vocabulary. ‘This put the working class child at a significant disadvantage in the school where the dominating code is used and expected by the teacher’ (Meighan Harber 2007:396). Bernstein’s draws on the effects of labelling theory, in that it often results in a self fulfilling prophecy. According to Bernstein’s theory, children with elaborate codes of language, i.e. the middle classes, are more suited to the requisitions of formal education than those with restricted codes. ‘To be working class is something unfortunate and undesirable from which any pupil with sense will seek to escape. The pupil absorbs this message – which is transmitted daily through teacher’s exhortions to work hard in school for the benefit it will bring – yet the vast majority of pupils from the working class do not escape their working class fate.’ (Hargreaves 1978). The influential message that being working class is something undesirable is consistent. This labelling does not provide the pupil a basis for a fair and objective accumulation of knowledge, as not every sector of society has instilled in them the ideals of the white, male, middle class. The existing and hierarchical assumption of what education should be only reflects the views of the ruling class. ‘Since the mid 1970’s, education has moved from being a key pillar of the welfare state to being a prop for a global market economy’. (Tomlinson 2001:166). With 30 years of full employment after the Second World War, education did allow limited social mobility, for girls and those from the working class and ethnic minorities. However, after the oil crisis of the 1970’s, the gap between the rich and poor started to widen and the country entered a period of economic and moral decline, with unemployment figures at unprecedented proportions. For many working class students, the appeal of earning money was greater than the opportunity for ‘lifelong learning’. However the occupational structure was changing. Increasing divisions of labour combined with the collapse of apprenticeships and heavy industry, left many of them unskilled and unemployable in the new global market place. This was illustrated by a report by the OECD ‘The Department of Em ployment Statistics 1990 showed that the gap between the highest and lowest paid employees was the lowest since records began in 1886. ‘(Meighan Harber 2007:391). Part of this rise in income inequality has reflected itself in a sharp increase in child poverty with the numbers of childless workless households in poverty reaching record levels in 2002-03 (J Hills and K Stewart 2004). ‘As income gaps have widened, any positive link between education and income will disproportionately benefit children from richer families and disadvantage children from poorer families †¦ even as recently as ‘1997 to 1999, a strong income related gap remained, with 85% of the highest quintile children staying on (in post sixteen education) compared with 61% of the lowest quintile children.’ (Machin, S 2003: 6) In response to these statistics, the Government produced an ‘Evidence Paper’ aimed finding new opportunities for the twenty five percent of sixteen to eighteen year olds (DCSF 2006) who are not in education, employment or training. For this demographic, education has not compensated for their position in society, they leave school without being equipped with the skills or qualifications necessary to compete in the global market. This drastically reduces the lifelong options available to them and, in turn their aspirations for the future, reinforcing future inequalities in society. In response to this, ‘Government †¦ has a basket of measures aimed at improving education and training, including the contentious issue of making it compulsory to stay at school until 18. The aim is to reduce inequalities and raise standards for all, introduce more routes to success and focus more on skills to produce a better-educated, trained and prepared workforce for the future.’ (O’Bryne, P. cited in Eyre, E. 2008). In the absence of modern apprenticeships, such schemes aspire to: 1) Reduce the proportion of 16–18 year olds who are NEET by 2 percentage points by 2010, and in doing so; 2) Put in place the learning and support arrangements that will be necessary to enable all 16 and 17 year olds to participate in learning when the participation age is raised to 17 in 2013 and 18 in 2015. (Subject to legislation) (DCSF 2008: Toolkit) Although it is positive that progress is being made, some critics view the program as a catching up exercise and warn that the problem should be tackled at a much earlier age that 16, so to avoid individuals falling into the NEET bracket altogether. Raising the school leaving age can also be seen as another measure of social control over social justice. It is widely acknowledged that everyone must have qualifications in order to land a ‘decent’ job but, as one teenager states â€Å"you have to work harder and harder to get worse and worse jobs† (Ainley Allen 2007). Widening participation has led to social mobility for those dedicated individuals that persevered with ‘lifelong learning’, (especially through the welfare state education and the expansion of higher education), but is New Labour’s ‘Education, Education, Education’ mantra all a con? There is no guarantee of a decent job upon leaving University; a recent study found that twenty two percent of all graduates were employed in non-graduate jobs (Dolton and Silles 2001). In fact a certain amount of propaganda could be attributed to the Government’s ‘Aim higher’ initiative. Set up with the goal of getting fifty per cent of the population under thirty into higher education by 2010, the program ‘aims t o widen participation in higher education by raising the aspirations and developing the abilities of young people from under-represented groups’. It has been argued that the fifty percent target is ‘a social and economic necessity’, a statement which supports this discussion. It is interesting to note that the need to do more was first acknowledged back in 1963 in the Robbins Report, yet it took forty years for the problem to be fully addressed. Despite the initiative to widen participation to focus on those from lower socio-economic backgrounds, a Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) report found that between 1997 and 2000 ‘most of the new places in higher education have gone to those from already advantaged areas: ’Young people living in the most advantaged twenty percent of areas are five to six times more likely to enter higher education than those living in the least advantaged twenty percent of areas’(MacLeod 2005). It has been suggested that during the expansion of Higher Education from the 1970 – 1990’s, which coincided with large socio-economic divides in society, parental income was a common deciding factor in whether an individual continued on to University (Blanden Machin 2003). This, combined with the introduction of university fees in 1998 and the abolishment of student maintenance grants have not helped address these inequalities. Conclusion Education has compensated for many people since the Education Act of 1944, with educational attainment increasing across all social classes in England over the past half century. The expansion of professional jobs and the contraction of manual jobs, combined with educational expansion and comprehensive reform, have enabled a large number of working class children to enter professional and managerial occupations. This has not however reduced class differences in educational attainment at Higher Education level. Despite Government access schemes, the middle classes continue to obtain higher educational credentials, (even if they have to go to University to do so where before they could rely on high attainment at school). These educational institutions and their admission, selection and certification processes play a significant role in either reducing or maintaining social inequalities. To date they have been maintaining them, but it is with these institutions that the power lies to r educe such inequalities. Although some cynicism has been raised in regards to the Government ‘aimhigher’ initiative, it does offer institutions of Higher Education incentives to widen their participation and selection methods to incorporate those from under represented groups, include those from working class backgrounds. ‘Scholarships – such as higher education maintenance allowances – are vital. So are financial incentives for universities to widen participation.’ (Barr 2002). It is initiatives like this that, although not ideal, are an unfortunate necessity in today’s global market place of education. ‘Virtually all policy makers and many sociologists continue to act as if modest interventions in education and training will bring about significant redistribution of life chances’ (Roberts 2001). This paper has sought to expose these failures and suggest that we have now entered a state of post-modernity, and that, like Small argues in 2005, ‘we need a new set of ideas to deal with social life and with education’. There is no definite answer as to how to go about this but the current reforms that offer more choice and diversity to those from lower socio economic backgrounds are a step in the right direction. However more radical reforms are needed. For example, the role of the state in the regulation of education should be questioned altogether (GE West 1994) to ensure it’s position is justified in that it really does cater for all to a high and consistent level. Working class parents should also be provided the skills to help than navigate, (and to a lesser extent manipulate!) the social institutions of schools to their advantage, as their middle class peers have done so for years. By instilling these values in them, they are more likely to pass them onto their children. Flexible and adaptable ways of learning should take precedence in our fluid and multicultural society. The introduction of new technologies and changing economies and cultures, mean that an immutable education system for all is futile and outdated. (Handy 1989). The move away from the authoritarian approach to schooling towards a more flexi-schooling should be encouraged (Meighan 1988)This notion, combined with that of a catalogue curriculum, was introduced by John Holt and Roland Meighan in 1984 to tackle the belief that ‘rigid systems produce rigid people, flexible systems produce flexible people’ cited in (Meighan Harber 2007: 471). In this envisioned future of Education, parents would play a more active role, different learning styles could be incorporated and the individual strengths of the pupil would be encouraged – regardless of their socio economic background. ‘the Henry Ford theory of ‘choice’: you can have your car in any colour as long as it’s black. It is pseudo-choice. Flexi schooling, in contrast, allows real educational choice.’ (Meighan Harber 2007: 454). Bibliography Aimhigher.ac.uk Allen, M. Ainley, P. (2007). Education make you fick, innit? Tufnell: London Barr, Nicholas (2002) A way to Make Universities Universal, Financial Times, November 21 2002. Blanden, J and S. Machin (2003) ‘Educational Inequality and the Expansion of UK Higher Education’, Centre for Economic Performance. Bourdieu, P. (1984). Distinction. Routledge Kegan Paul: London Bourdieu, P. (1990). Photography. Stanford University Press: Stanford. Commission on Social Justice (1994). Social Justice: Strategies for National Renewal. London: Vintage DCSF (2006). ‘Participation in Education, Training and Employment by 16 – 18 year olds in England 2004 2005’. dcsf.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000658/SFR21_2006text_web.pdf DCSF (2008). NEET Strategy. dcsf.gov.uk/14-19/documents/neet_strategy_0803.pdf DCSF (2008). NEET Toolkit http://publications.dcsf.gov.uk/eOrderingDownload/7508-DCSF-Neet%20Toolkit.pdf Dean, C. (1998). ‘5000 pupils prove social class matters’ in TES, 25th September Dolton, P. and Silles, M. (2001), ‘Over- Education in the Graduate Labour Market: Some Evidence from Alumni Data’. Centre for the Economics of Education. Evan, G. (2007). Educational Failure and Working Class Children in Britain. Palgrave: Macmillan Eyre, E. (2008). ‘Supporting the NEET generation: young people who have slipped through the education, employment and training net’. Training Journal, April, 2008 Galindo-Rueda, F. Vignoles, A. (2003) Class Ridden or Meritocratic? An Economic Analysis of Recent Changes in Britain. Centre for the Economics of Education Gilborn, D. and Mirza, H. (2000) Educational Inequality: Mapping Race, Class and Gender. London: OfSTED Halsey et al (1980). Origins and Destinations. Oxford: Clarendon Press Handy, C. (1989). The Age of Unreason. Arrow Books: London. Hargreaves, A. (1978). The significance of classroom coping strategies. Hills, J. and Stewart, K. (2004), A More Equal Society? New Labour, Poverty, Inequality and Exclusion. Cambridge University Press Jenkins, R. (1992). Pierre Bordieu. Routledge: London. Mackinnon, D. (1978) Social Class and educational attainment’ in Swift, D. (ed), Selection and opportunity. Open University Press: Milton Keynes MacLeod, D. ‘Survey Says University Access Depends on Postcode’, in The Guardian, 19 January 2005 Meighan, R. (1988). Flexisxchooling. Education Now Books: Ticknall Meighan, R. Harber, C. (2007). A Sociology of Educating (5th Ed). Contiunum: London. Mitzen, P (2004). The Changing State of Youth. PalgraveMacmillan: Basingstoke. Plowden Report (1967) dg.dial.pipex.com/documents/plowden.shtml Qualifications Curriculum Authority (1999) The National Curriculum for England. London: QCA/DfES nc.uk.net/download/NC.rtf Reay, D. (1998). Class Work: Mothers Involvement in the Childrens Primary Schooling. UCL: London Reay, D. David, M. and Ball, S. (2005) Degrees of Choice, social class, race and gender in higher education Roberts, K. (2001). Class in Middle Britain. Palgrave: Macmillan. Small, (2005). Marx Education. Ashgate. Swift, D. (ed). (1977). Selection and Opportunity. Open University Press:Milton Keynes. Tomlinson, J. (1986). Public Education, Public Good. Oxford Review of Education, Volume 12:3 1986 , p 211 222 Tomlinson, S. (2001). Education in a post-welfare society. Open university Press: Philadelphia Walden, G. (1996). We Should Know Better: Solving the Education Crisis. Fourth Estate: London Weiner, G. (1998) New Era or old times: class, gender and education. International Journal of Inclusive Educatiob Vol 2 No 3:189-207 Wolf, A. (2002). Does Education Matter? Myths about education and economic growth. Penguin: London Research Papers on Education Cannot Compensate for SocietyStandardized TestingInfluences of Socio-Economic Status of Married MalesPETSTEL analysis of IndiaHip-Hop is ArtMarketing of Lifeboy Soap A Unilever ProductAnalysis Of A Cosmetics AdvertisementResearch Process Part OneRelationship between Media Coverage and Social andCapital Punishment19 Century Society: A Deeply Divided Era

Importance of Sports Essay Essay Example

Importance of Sports Essay Essay Example Importance of Sports Essay Essay Importance of Sports Essay Essay Sports such as football or baseball involve tonss of physical activities. Sports and exercisings help in beef uping and chanting the musculuss and castanetss in the organic structure. In short. the importance of athleticss for childs is that it keeps them in an first-class form. When kids or grownups plays squad athleticss. be it cricket or hockey. they learn to work in groups. They learn that if the squad wins. they win and if the squad loses. they lose. This manner they learn how to work in groups. Therefore. the importance of athleticss for childs is that they understand what is team spirit and therefore. when they grow and really get down working. it will assist them vastly in constructing relationships with their colleagues. and besides to work in harmoniousness with others. Sports makes people mentally strong. Success and failure are both parts of athleticss every bit good as life. A sportsman knows that there will be times when he will win lucifers. there will besides be times when he will lose them. A sportsperson knows how to manage licking and therefore. dainties success and failure every bit. This is an of import life lesson excessively. which athleticss can learn a individual. Besides this. another importance of athleticss for kids or for grownups is that it teaches them how to manage competition. and be unafraid when confronting the antagonists. Children and striplings ooze with physical energy. When they are involved in athleticss. their physical energies are used up in a constructive manner. Teenage is such an waxy age. if striplings are given free clip they might acquire involved in incorrect activities or may fall in bad company or may besides expose anti-social behaviour. Therefore. the importance of athleticss in society is that it keeps striplings from going anti-social elements. who might otherwise upset the delicate cloth of society. Here’s trusting that now you know what is the importance of athleticss. Besides being of import for childs. taking up a athleticss calling in big life. has its ain benefits. A sportsperson frequently travels to other states to play lucifers and in the procedure. learns a great trade about the civilizations of these states. Even the witnesss or Television viewing audiences are exhaustively entertained while watching professional athleticss. doing it an first-class recreational activity.

Response to Nelson Mandelas Freedom Speech Essay

Response to Nelson Mandelas Freedom Speech - Essay Example The speech has been written from a South African perspective and it has some cultural connotations about the aspect of togetherness which is treated as a very important aspect towards achievement of freedom. Contextually, the speech tries to portray the idea that united people are likely to emerge victors in the fight against oppression. For instance, young people are referred to as ‘young lions’ in the speech. In this case, the imagery is meant to emphasize the essence of unity given that the lions thrive on this unity in the jungle. This speech is written in the context of promoting peace and freedom among South Africans. This is reflected by the following statement: â€Å"I have fought against white domination and I have fought against black domination.† Ladies and gentlemen, friends, comrades and fellow South Africans here present, I greet you all and I wish peace for all. Thank you for giving me this opportunity to speak to you about Nelson Mandela’s Free From Jail Speech. I am AntjieKrog, many of you know me as a reporter and poet in both English and Afrikaans. To those who know me, you may recall how Nelson Mandela is a dear friend to me and how he has influenced my life in different ways. Therefore, I would like to pay tribute to this legendary hero through presenting a speech dedicated to Mr. Nelson Mandela. Friends, colleagues and fellow South Africans, may I draw your attention to the words of Nelson Mandela which he said during his trial in 1964: â€Å"I have fought against white domination and I have fought against black domination. I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons live together in harmony and with equal opportunity. It is an ideal that I hope to live for and to achieve. But if needs be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die†. For years, Mandela was banned from participating in social and political gatherings and was kept under strict police surveillance just because he had the courage

School uniform Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

School uniform - Essay Example Some students and organizations, which promote freethinking and freedom of expression, have strongly contest in requiring school uniforms. This paper asserts that public school students in the US should be compelled to wear school uniforms by pointing out the various advantages would bring in terms of financial implication, convenience, safety in school, students' sense of identity and belonging as well as their discipline and learning. It is clearly seen that school uniforms would help parents save money on their children's clothing expenses. The set of tailor-made uniforms would be used by students on school days so parents would not have to be burdened with always buying clothes for their kids. With this, students would not find a reason to impel their parents to buy clothes for school since they already have school uniforms. Aside from this, wearing of school uniforms would also facilitate the convenience of students in selecting day-to-day clothes. Normally, these students encounter difficulties in choosing what to wear in school. At times, this problem may cause them to be late for class as they can hardly decide on what to actually wear or how to mix-and-match their clothes to look good. With school uniforms, they can save time in going about the said dilemma every morning. Instantly, they have something to wear everyday without the worries if their peers or classmates would notice if they wear the same clothes at frequent intervals. Some argue that requiring school uniforms may be burdensome for low-income families since even school uniforms are acquired at a cost. But then this argument can be countered by the fact that school uniforms are still relatively more affordable that most clothes bought in malls, particularly the branded ones. Moreover, students whose parents could not afford trendy clothing or designer wear would be saved from embarrassment, especially at the adolescent stage where looking good is an important factor for social acceptance. Safety of Students With the advent of gang-related clothing such as loose-fitting clothing style, public school officials have related these trends with the aggravation of school violence. This is because baggy clothing style characterized by oversized shirts and pants may be one of the ways by which students or gang members bring in weapons and drugs to school concealed in their clothes. Moreover, gang members, who may dress in the same way as regular students, easily gain access in public schools by mixing with the school crowd. These increase the incidence of violence in public schools and make both parents and students be troubled about safety. To address the rising incidence of school violence, public school officials have considered implementing the policy on school uniforms so that public school students would become more easily identified and screened. School security officials may disallow entry of those who are not in school uniform. As such non-students and outsiders would be able to access the school premises and adversely influence students by distributing deadly weapons or illegal drugs. Such would also help prevent school violence. This does not mean though that this would be the only security measure undertaken by school officials. In

The image analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The image analysis - Essay Example This paper will analyse all the aspects of this advert in relation to the target audience, the physical construction of the advert, and the significance of this analysis to the American society. Description The advert entails the image of a beautiful woman with bright coloured clothes holding a red fruit. It also entails the image of Dasani branded water, and an equally bright coloured restaurant recipe with a portrait of a man. Also in the advert, we have image of the new Macdonald’s premium salad as served in different settings that include the Asian, Caesar, Bacon ranch, and Southwest settings. More so, there are readable texts defining the new MacDonald’s premium salad. We also have an inscription asserting that somebody loves the MacDonald’s premium salad. The advert is generally fascinating with the beautiful images and the bright coloration forming the ultimate attraction. More so, the image of the beautiful woman in the advert derives a sweet feeling and making the advert eye-catching and irresistible. Indeed, the advert generates a relaxing mood and creates a fulfilling atmosphere. Actually, by just seeing it you feel enticed, your appetite aroused, and the desire to enjoy the Macdonald’s premium salad as advertised in the advert is keeps glowing. In addition, the advert has visible yet interesting lighting, as it is comfortable to the eye and calls for attention. The advert is seemingly at an angle of 90 degrees thus facing the audience for maximum clarity. Moreover, there is cropping in the advert and focus directs to the objective of the advert, which is to inform on the new MacDonald’s product. Bright colours apply in the advert and the dark background of the advert serves a significant role of generating clarity, creating comfort to the eye, and balancing the effect of the bright colours and lighting. Furthermore, the language used in the advert is simple, clear, and understandable to the target audience and seek s to entice the audience to aim at enjoying a piece of the new product. It communicates a happy feeling, generates a festive mood, and defines the sweetness of the new product. Analysis The target audience for this advert is the fast-food lovers, MacDonald’s customers, and people living in Southwest America, Bacon ranch, and Asians. Mostly the middle class, middle aged and working class is also target of this advert. Generally, although women form the largest customer base for salads, this advert targets people of all genders. The general significance of all features in the advert is to promote this product to its target audience. However, specifically the significance of the bright clothing, shiny accessories, bright coloured hair, lovely facial expressions, the relaxed posing positioning, and a comfortable gestures is to create an appealing effect to the audience. This draws the attention of the audience, encourages them to focus, and entices them to identify with the produ ct. Indeed, the elements in the advert fascinates, creates a special interest, and tempts the audience to buy as they attract them, describes the sweetness of the product, and assures them they will love it. In addition, the images and words appeal to these individuals’ desires by generating a festive mood, encouraging them to eat the product

The war on Polio Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The war on Polio - Essay Example President Roosevelt thereby established the Warm Springs Foundation; a polio hydrotherapy center. The organization grew rapidly since it received much support and funding from several sectors. At the time of Roosevelt’s death in 1945, the foundation had already been transformed into the National Foundation which had become a strong organization dealing with voluntary health issues and funding polio research in the United States. In 1948, a significant discovery was made in the United States in relation to the fight against polio. The discovery was made by John Enders with a team of scientists from Harvard University. It was discovered that the virus which caused polio could be cultivated in the non-nervous tissues of the body. This important breakthrough led to the subsequent manufacture of the Polio vaccine. Jonas Salk took a keen interest in this realization and created the formalin-inactive virus that became known as the Salk’s vaccine. Before its release into the ma rket, the vaccine underwent very intensive trials and authorizations in a bid to ensure that it could safely and effectively immunize people against the polio virus. Even though other vaccines became accepted for use against the Polio virus, the Salk vaccine was largely adopted in the United States in the fight against the disease. For instance, Albert Sabin came up with an Oral Poliovirus Vaccine (OPV) in 1948 which was extensively used across the world throughout the next two decades. The OPV eventually ousted Salk’s IPV as the choice vaccine in the United States. This was basically out of the fact that OPV was administered orally and not through injection. Secondly, OPV used a powerful mechanism called â€Å"herd immunity† which could effectively provide immunity to unvaccinated people living near those already vaccinated. Even though the challenge of polio was much addressed in the United States, there was still the danger of the virus since frequent epidemics were a common occurrence in many parts of North Africa and Europe in the post-World War II days. In the mid-1950s the two vaccines effectively helped in combating the menace hitherto realized as a result of the polio virus (Orr 78). IPV and OPV have eradicated most cases of polio from several regions across the world. It must be admitted that the fight against polio is one of the most successful battles ever launched in the history of medicine and healthcare. In the developed world like the United States, it can effectively be stated that polio is no longer a great challenge compared to some of the emerging healthcare issues. However in certain parts of the world, polio is still a major challenge given the remoteness of these areas which limits their accessibility to the polio vaccines. In any case, the few cases of polio normally reported in the United States are basically imported from the developing world where the disease could still be a challenge. The war against polio might not h ave been a really smooth affair throughout the long timeframe. Many challenges always characterized the undertaking from the onset of the research on the vaccines. These challenges range from the post-polio syndrome to the financial aspects in dealing with the challenge in the developing world. Nevertheless, amid all these limitations, it can be well argued that the research

Cross Cultural Communications-Managers Role Essay - 1

Cross Cultural Communications-Managers Role - Essay Example Managing techniques looks good on paper but difficult to implement in work station. A work station consists of employees from different cultures, people from different regions and with different languages. The organization is a conglomerate of different individuals and it is necessary to coordinate with these individuals to fulfill the organization mission. Cross cultural awareness help organizations and their employees to become internationally focused and fluent with the ability to understand the needs of their local markets, clients and employees. Cross cultural awareness will help to develop an in-depth understanding of the underlying attitudes, values and behaviors’ of different cultures and provide us the chance to tune up the employee attitude according to their nature. Cross cultural awareness will make the employees feel comfort with their peers and increases the intimacy between the employees. The cross cultural misunderstandings can be avoided by educating the emplo yees about the culture aspects of the other employees working in the same work environment The understanding of the cross cultural skills will allow the organization to develop strategies to cope up the employees from varied cultural background.

In what way modernization change the political identity in modern Essay

In what way modernization change the political identity in modern Japan - Essay Example Historians have also stated that Japan was a country inn which political oppression and dictatorship reigned as citizens had no voice on political matters. In fact, those who dared to make any challenge had to bear the government’s wrath2. Nevertheless, this changed tremendously as Japan is today known to be the top upholders of democratic freedoms. The objective of this paper is to discuss how modernization has changed the political identity in the modern Japan. The pace at which Japan has modernized itself has really taken many countries by surprise. It is reported that, like many other Asian countries, Japan retained its feudal system of government up to mid 19th century, after making itself one of the greatest economical power in Asia and beyond, up to the end of 20th century. Nevertheless, as the country struggled to modernize the society, two historical conversions took place, which made Japan what is today according to Furuya. Meiji Restoration of 1868 was the first conversion to take place in Japan it is noted that since then, Japan abandoned its traditional way of doing things while promoting modernization and industrialization3. The second was the triumph of the World War II, which is also historical, as far as modernization of Japanese society is concerned. It is reported that after 1945, the GHQ reforms removed the old social systems as well as the national identity, an act rooted in the Meiji Restoration. As such, a post-war Japan was needed for the establishment of a democratic society, and to rebuild its national identity, so as to see Japan become a more democratic country4. The Meiji restoration is said to have contributed a lot with regard to how it help mitigate the political threats that Japan faced from other foreign countries. It is reported that the Meiji leaders were aware of China’s fate and, therefore, appreciated that maintaining the status quo would lead to defeat and humiliation.5 These leaders were aware

The war on Polio Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The war on Polio - Essay Example President Roosevelt thereby established the Warm Springs Foundation; a polio hydrotherapy center. The organization grew rapidly since it received much support and funding from several sectors. At the time of Roosevelt’s death in 1945, the foundation had already been transformed into the National Foundation which had become a strong organization dealing with voluntary health issues and funding polio research in the United States. In 1948, a significant discovery was made in the United States in relation to the fight against polio. The discovery was made by John Enders with a team of scientists from Harvard University. It was discovered that the virus which caused polio could be cultivated in the non-nervous tissues of the body. This important breakthrough led to the subsequent manufacture of the Polio vaccine. Jonas Salk took a keen interest in this realization and created the formalin-inactive virus that became known as the Salk’s vaccine. Before its release into the ma rket, the vaccine underwent very intensive trials and authorizations in a bid to ensure that it could safely and effectively immunize people against the polio virus. Even though other vaccines became accepted for use against the Polio virus, the Salk vaccine was largely adopted in the United States in the fight against the disease. For instance, Albert Sabin came up with an Oral Poliovirus Vaccine (OPV) in 1948 which was extensively used across the world throughout the next two decades. The OPV eventually ousted Salk’s IPV as the choice vaccine in the United States. This was basically out of the fact that OPV was administered orally and not through injection. Secondly, OPV used a powerful mechanism called â€Å"herd immunity† which could effectively provide immunity to unvaccinated people living near those already vaccinated. Even though the challenge of polio was much addressed in the United States, there was still the danger of the virus since frequent epidemics were a common occurrence in many parts of North Africa and Europe in the post-World War II days. In the mid-1950s the two vaccines effectively helped in combating the menace hitherto realized as a result of the polio virus (Orr 78). IPV and OPV have eradicated most cases of polio from several regions across the world. It must be admitted that the fight against polio is one of the most successful battles ever launched in the history of medicine and healthcare. In the developed world like the United States, it can effectively be stated that polio is no longer a great challenge compared to some of the emerging healthcare issues. However in certain parts of the world, polio is still a major challenge given the remoteness of these areas which limits their accessibility to the polio vaccines. In any case, the few cases of polio normally reported in the United States are basically imported from the developing world where the disease could still be a challenge. The war against polio might not h ave been a really smooth affair throughout the long timeframe. Many challenges always characterized the undertaking from the onset of the research on the vaccines. These challenges range from the post-polio syndrome to the financial aspects in dealing with the challenge in the developing world. Nevertheless, amid all these limitations, it can be well argued that the research