Research Proposal for Juvenile Justice Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Research Proposal for Juvenile Justice - Essay Example Obviously, though, juvenile justice is more than just benevolent guidance f youths during adolescent development or family crisis. It is also a system for monitoring and controlling juveniles and their families who may be engaged presently in activities deemed dangerous or deviant. To make matters even more confusing, these two sets f system demands (despite their seemingly opposed natures) often become intertwined and sometimes nearly indistinguishable in practice, with clearly coercive tasks disguised in treatment metaphors. "Intensive treatment units" are often secure, locked institutions; "aftercare counseling" often means regular reporting to a probation officer. In practice, the multiple goals f juvenile justice become blurred and combined into singular activities. As a result, we are often left with the uncomfortable dilemma f not knowing whether we are doing something to a youth in order to do something for that youth (Allen, 1964) or whether we are doing something to a youth for justifiable retribution and deterrence. It is rarely a clear determination in juvenile justice. This blurred picture is the context in which prevention programming, research, and treatment must operate. It cannot be escaped; it pervades each step f applied research and professional practice in this area. Even a brief exposure to this seemingly sympathetic site will convince the prevention-minded researcher or practitioner attempting to improve service delivery in this system that even more or less "standard" ethical issues take on a distinctive quality when imbedded in the context f juvenile justice. Problem Definition The ethical issue f problem definition is a subtle but central one in juvenile justice research and practice. Because delinquency is a legal ascription rather than a behaviorally based description and local practices vary widely, a broad range f youths are classified as delinquents. This locally determined selection bias f any sample population makes it unwise to treat juvenile delinquents as a unitary class when constructing theories about adolescent antisocial activity (Reppucci & Clingempeel, 1978). Moreover, a consideration f case characteristics beyond the mere presence f delinquency is needed to accurately assess the impact f any intervention. The expected prevalence or progression f antisocial activities in the youths sampled must be considered in such assessments (Blumstein, Cohen, Roth, & Visher, 1986). Furthermore, researchers and practitioners working with a legally defined population f delinquents must be aware that they are accepting the values implicit in designating some youths as delinquent and others as merely undergoing normal adjustment problems. These professionals may even be furthering these values by focusing intervention efforts on the youths most troubling to authorities. Such involvement can lend professional certification to a system that could benefit from a critical appraisal f its values and practices (Rappaport, Lamiell, & Seidman, 1980). On an individual treatment level, dealing with a socially rather than personally defined problem

Feminist organizations Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Feminist organizations - Essay Example Accordingly, the following brief analysis will make an inventory of each of these aspects as a function of further delineating and defining the National Organization for Women. Firstly, the website which was analyzed denoted that fact that the ultimate goal of the group was to take immediate action for the equality of women. Although this is specifically tied to the manner in which women’s issues and women’s rights are exhibited within the United States, the group also seeks to effect change in various regions around the globe on behalf of women and their needs/rights. The mission statement itself further seeks to hone the areas of focus that NOW seeks to integrate with. Accordingly, the mission statement is as follows, â€Å"the purpose of NOW is to take action to bring women into full participation in the mainstream of American society now, exercising all privileges and responsibilities thereof in truly equal partnership with men† (NOW 1). Similarly, with regards to the political orientation of the group, the website itself promotes the understanding that the group is specifically interested in engaging in actions that promote women’s rights, feminism, anti-racism, ending homophobia, promoting LGBT rights, and promoting reproductive rights. As might be easily inferred, the group generally promotes a more liberal interpretation of the political paradigm; siding more often than not with liberal and progressive elements within the United States and typically aligning with the Democratic party. However, with that being said, it must also be understood that NOW does not promote any one single political party; rather, their interests are supra-political and the group only sides with more progressive and liberal ideologies due to the fact that these most specifically represent the goals and ends that the group is trying to effect. With such a constraining level of missions and values, the group is invariably at

Exams are Not Good Forms of Assessment

Exams are Not Good Forms of Assessment Assessments can be classified into few categories which are discussion, self- report, observation, portfolio assessment, practical work, demonstration, class activities and oral presentation. In the similar way, assessment can also be defined as a learning process that provides information on students learning and guides student to make great changes in their studies (Business Dictionary). In general, examination is non-destructive inspection, detailed investigation, or analysis of objects, products, or materials to decide their conformation to specifications with no special laboratory apparatus or technique. It includes sensual experiment such as auditory, visual, tactual, olfactory and gustatory or simple manipulation and measurement. Besides, it is also a testing of qualification of students in their examinations. (Business dictionary).There are two types of examinations that can be found which are standardized exams (commercial) and locally developed exams. 1.2 Current Statistical Information At present many schools, colleges, and universities assess their students by means of final examinations. These can be very stressful and majority of students usually do worse in normal exams compared to in other forms of assessment. However, it may be a good early practice for students for their future if success depends on the ability to deal with pressure and perform well on big occasions (Newman 2000). Based on the experiment that conducted by Qureshi, Alam, Khan and Sheraz (2002) in Women Medical College, Abbottabad, Pakistan, the statistics shows that a rise in systolic blood pressure by an average of fifteen mm Hg was observed in eighty eight percent of the students as compared to pre-examination readings. The parameters of blood cell determined before examination and during examination were compared .Those results are recorded and presented in Figure 1 and Figure 2. As a result, it has been proven that examination stress can affect the blood cell parameters and bring such huge impact to students health. First of all, the main reason examination should not be replaced with other forms of assessment is because of the equality of opportunity it has. The best application of it is the content of knowledge and it is fair enough to all the students who have to sit for the same exam using the same method in one particular country. For an instance, examination allows for a standardized administration to a large numbers of students and thus it is more convenient to measure and compare students standard. Of course, it cannot be denied that it is very useful for accessing individual students as well. 2.2 Test on students performance. Besides that, examination can test on students performance by reflecting the way how students express themselves in their own words based on what they have been taught in class. Throughout the whole process of examination, student will be able to adopt and implement in a faster speed and improve their knowledge and performance during assessment (Assessment Handbook 2006). For this purpose, students can spend more time to do revision on other weaker subjects. 2.3 Brings knowledge to students. In addition, students will gain more knowledge. This is because examination is used to determine students ability to draw on a wide range of knowledge. It is to make sure that students can fully apply their knowledge in their daily life but not misuse their knowledge. The knowledge on science, geography and mathematics will be helpful for them to do better in everything in their life. Examinations should be replaced with other forms of assessment. 3.1 Assessment gives better explanations to students, The very first advantage all learners can have by doing assessment is that assessment gives better explanations to students. So that learners will be able to understand clearly and quickly on what they have learned after doing all the assessments. This ensures that students can absorb the syllabus completely but not partially and understand what they are learning about. As everyone knows, students who have good understanding will surely do better than those that do not understand every single thing. 3.2 Assessment helps learners to improve their performance. Moreover, learners are given timely feedback about the quality of their works and try to improve it without repeating any mistakes (Young 2005). Learners are also given some useful advices and recommendations by teachers about how to make things better. Every learner always needs good suggestions and feedbacks from others so that it will lead them to the road of success. This statement can be shown that assessment helps learners to improve their performance. 3.3 Assessment tests children in a proper and better way. Additionally, assessment tests children in a proper and better way as it could determine childrens ability to express oneself during oral presentation. For an example, children will be more confident in talking, presenting and voicing out their views, opinions and ideas. Apart from that, a good assessment could test children on their analysis skills and creativity. Through that particular way, children will be having the opportunity to learn to improve on their thinking skills and have more mature thinking than previous as efficient assessment are more focusing on higher level thinking skills (Crehan 1991). Students will probably give out more creative and special ideas. In the similar way, students will also get to sharpen their research and planning skill after doing many researches for assessment. 3.4 Examination does not work on students. Other than that, the reason why examination does not work on students is because of examinations usually test on students memory but not their real understandings (Newman 2000). In the other words, this statement also means that student who has good memory can do excel in all the tests. On the other hand, student with bad memory might get low grades. There are also some lazy students who always do last minute revision tend to memorise everything on their notes without even trying to understand the principles. Therefore, students often assume that they understand and eventually they will never remember things that they have learned before. Also, examinations tests students ability to keep cool more than their intelligence. (Newman 2000). A case in point, during the examination, if a student is too nervous, the student normally will forget about everything. Hence, student frequently needs to keep himself /herself cool so that student can perform well in exam and avoid themselves from d oing mistakes in the test. 3.5 Examination brings negative effects to students. Furthermore, examination brings more negative effects than giving more positive effects to students. Firstly, over-testing will also cause children to have stress. In most of the schools, students will be sitting for more than four examinations in a year and that can be so stressful to students. Stress is invisible and difficult to be seen. That is why many people do not realise the power of stress. Consequently, there are many commit suicide cases that can be seen in newspaper in our country recently such as a large number of students who get unsatisfied results in the exam. Some of the students cannot handle the pressure and accept the fact will eventually choose to end their life by committing suicide. Besides, dreadful examinations can cause personal problems such as peer pressure and low confidence to students. According to some legal reports, students will lose their self confidence in their studies and prone to exhaustion and illness when they cannot bear with the large tensio n. Conclusion Based on the evidences that I have pointed out, I strongly agree that examination should be replaced with other forms of assessment. The main reason is because I always believe that other forms of assessments are more beneficial to students compared to written examinations. As I have mentioned above, the disadvantages of examination are slightly more than its advantages and it has greater impact on students. Thus, there are several serious actions that are needed to be carried out in order to solve this problem. To overcome this particular problem, the very first thing government, ministry of education, or other relevant bodies should do is to start practicing both study methods which are examination and assessment on students. Those relevant bodies will have to examine students performance from time to time. So, comparisons and differences can be easily made and seen after some period of time. Then, the effects of other forms of assessment on students can be proven to everyone. Of c ourse, the importance of other forms of assessment should not be ignored too. In fact, education department should try to emphasis more on the advantages assessments and also introduce this new education system to every school. For example, students grades are all depended by their performance in the form of presentation, oral assessment, practical work and many more to count. So that it will be an early practice for students before they step into their later working life or social life. It can be said that all of us are afraid of examinations. In the meantime, examinations should be replaced with other forms of assessment in all the schools as it may be a huge burden for students. Huge burden will not only cause students to lost interest and but also lost concentration in studying. Last but not least, I personally think that the process of doing assessment is much more interesting than sitting for examination. At least, assessment is less stressful compared to examinations and thus it may be an attraction to students. Through assessment, we can learn many things that can never be found in the text books. As the saying goes, practice makes perfect. Students will have improvement in their studies if they are hard working to do more practices and never ever try to give up whenever they fall. On the contrary, if students do not even bother to put effort in their studies, no one can actually help them. In short, efforts are to be made to lead our education to reach a higher level.

Sioux City Crash :: Essays Papers

Sioux City Crash INTRODUCTION Aircraft accidents can be a tragic thing. Some people may argue that all are avoidable. But when considering this statement, one must always remember there is an element that is in all accidents. Humans. Either through design, being flown by, or maintained by, humans are in all aspects of flying. As long as humans are in 100% control of an airplane there will be accidents. However, a good side to an accident is it is thoroughly researched by the NTSB. (National transportation and safety board). From a majority of those accidents, something can benefit aviation in general. Aviation can be benefited through design, training, or in this situation, re-evaluating current limitations to a safer level. The focus of my project is going to be on a particular accident that took place on July 19, 1989 when a McDonnell Douglas DC-10-10 aircraft crashed in Sioux City, Iowa. This particular type of aircraft, at the time of the accident, had been in production for about 18 years. The United Airlines jet was bound for Chicago when the tail-mounted engine broke apart and severed the aircrafts main hydraulic lines. Without hydraulics the aircraft wouldn’t be able to maneuver. It would also have trouble slowing down for landing. This meant trouble for United Airlines flight 232 with 285 passengers and 11 crew- members on board. Statement of the Problem: A potential problem of complete hydraulic failure if the tail-mounted engine breaks apart. Hypothesis Statement: My theory is this all could have been avoided. The actions taken after the accident could have been incorporated in the initial design of the aircraft. RESULTS On July 19,1989 a United Airlines DC-10-10 passenger plane took off Stapleton International in Denver Colorado. The plane was scheduled to make a quick stop in Chicago, Illinois and then continue on to Philadelphia, PA. After an uneventful hour of flight a loud thump was heard, followed by a shaking of the aircraft. The flight crew observed the tail-mounted engine had failed. (SEE FIGURE 3) While performing an engine shutdown procedure, the crew noticed that they didn’t have any hydraulic pressure. They also noticed that the fluid level was at zero. The co-pilot tried to maneuver the airplane with no success.

Human Nature View Essay

Within the western view of human nature, it emphasizes that humans are made in the image of God. It is mostly composed within Judeo-Christian tradition. This view looks at human nature to be loving, rational, and relational to God. The way the western view decides good or evil depends on actions and choices. Good expresses life, charity, happiness, and love. Evil would consist of discrimination, humiliation, destructiveness, and so on. Society would be fair and just to a point and limitation. The view expresses that we are all brothers and sisters under the image of God. That all of our actions and observed and judged. Depending on our actions, results into a metaphysical afterlife to heaven or hell. The western view is free and open-minded to all, and very safe to society. There would be no power group. In the hands of the less fortunate, it is taught that we should help them and think of them as the same position disregarding wealth. However, the eastern view of human nature differs. The eastern view is mostly related with the Hindu and Sufi traditions. Their state of thinking expresses that humans are caught in an illusion of difference. They believe in reincarnation and karma. Similar to the western view, they also believe in a system of good or bad choices. Although, there is a difference in beliefs. Unlike the western view, the eastern some may consider it to me more harmonious and free without believing in absurdities, while still being able to participate. There is no power group either. Everything is sought out for is for peace, harmony, and justice. On the basis of having disabilities or being less fortunate still considers to be assisted but viewed the same in regards to social status. This view, also believes in a rebirth while the western view does not. Practices of sacrifice for a better outcome in the future is also practiced in this view.

Purpose of higher education Essay

The purpose of higher education has been a topic of debate for many years. There was a long period when the majority agreed that higher education is the key to success, there is nothing to argue about that. However, nowadays, regarding having higher education as an investment, many people, especially students, think that what they lose is much bigger than what they gain from higher education. In other words, they believe that what higher education brings them does not deserve what they pay for it. In my opinion, what we benefit from higher education cannot be measured by money. For me, the highest purpose of higher education is to create prepared minds, which are priceless. At the same time, the unfortunate results that students get from higher education, I believe, are due to the dishonest ways they use to deal with the exams and unpleasant situation when having higher education. Stop cheating and understand thoroughly the purpose of higher education, we will definitely recognize the benefit we gain from it. Cheating, as mentioned above, is the act of using dishonest methods to get rewards or to deal with obstacles. Regarding the scene of higher education, cheating includes â€Å"cribbing homework, plagiarizing essays from the Internet, or texting test answers to a friend’s cell phone† (Studies Shed Light on How Cheating Impedes Learning, Sarah). Students just do anything they can to get an â€Å"A† and graduate with their degree on time. However, it is just the delusion of success. The highest purpose of higher education is not to have as many graduated students as possible. Teachers can just take the pen and give as many As to students as they want, then their jobs are done. Students do not even need to attend the exams. Nevertheless, that universities hold exams is not to set scores for students. Exams are meant to check whether students’ knowledge and skills are enough for the next level, for their life or not. Cheating may help students to get rewards for the short-run but will surely bring them nothing in the long-run. Put those cheating acts aside and take a closer look again at the purpose of higher education, we can see that  there are skills and knowledge that we can learn from nowhere but higher education. Without those basic tools, we will step into life dazzling with new things and great challenges. If by any chance we miss any of those skill and knowledge, it is necessary to come back and learn again, until we get what we need. Unfortunately, many students are not aware of the importance of doing so. According to Lucas’s blog, â€Å"students feel they are getting ahead when they cheat† and â€Å"students who cheat deceive themselves into believing they deserve better grades†. They do not know that they actually â€Å"are falling into a feedback loop in which they fall further and further behind†. Besides, it is necessary to emphasize that the prepared minds that higher education creates are not used only for getting a stable career, but also for dealing with problems in our jobs, family and life. Coming to these micro areas, cheating is no more just a simple act that can be fixed or even ignored. The consequences from plagiarism (one type of cheating) are much more severe, when we can even be imprisoned. I totally agree with Lucas when he says in his blog that â€Å"students who cheat in high school are more likely to be dishonest as adult in the workplace†. We should adjust our behavior appropriately to prevent forming bad habits as well as to achieve the right purpose of higher education. Last but not least, it is the most important question that how we can achieve the purpose of higher education? How can we have prepared minds from higher education? The answer is simple but the action is not: discourage cheating; stand on our own foot and make all the effort that we have. Teacher needs to help students understand the â€Å"importance of academic integrity and learning, not just grades, can make them less likely to cheat†. The three methods that Lucas mentioned are the least that teachers should do: â€Å"carefully reduce opportunities to cheat†; â€Å"establishing class or school honor codes† and â€Å"discuss the importance of academic integrity prior to each assignment†. In conclusion, it is true that everyone has the incentives to find easy ways to get rewards or to deal with unpleasant situations. However, cheating to succeed only brings us delusion of success. It is extremely dangerous when we apply dishonest ways to pass the higher e ducation time. The purpose of higher education is surely compromised by cheating acts and if we are not aware of that, we may gain a lot at the beginning but in the end, we will get nothing.

Famous Steven Wright One-Liners

Famous Steven Wright One-Liners Steven Wright is an American comedian who is famous for his deadpan expression while performing on stage. His one-liners seem intelligently designed, focusing on absurdities that we take for granted. In 1985, Steven Wright featured in an HBO special titled, Steven Wright Special, which had a huge fan following. Apart from comedy, Steven Wright has also created short films. He won an Academy Award for Best Short Live-Action film in 1989. Steven Wright does not use coarse language to create jokes. His one-liners make you marvel at his sharp wit. He shakes every belief system and pulls you out of your comfort zone. Steven Wrights one-liners create a riot of laughter. If you are good at dialogue delivery, use these one-liners to sharpen your speech. Use them as ice-breakers in a meeting or as a punch-line in your presentation. I wrote a song, but I cant read music so I dont know what it is. Every once in a while Ill be listening to the radio and I say, I think I might have written that.I brought a mirror to Lovers Lane. I told everybody Im Narcissus.I busted a mirror and got seven years bad luck, but my lawyer thinks he can get me five.For a while, I didnt have a car... I had a helicopter... no place to park it, so I just tied it to a lamp post and left it running...[slow glance upward]For my birthday I got a humidifier and a de-humidifier. I put them in the same room and let them fight it out.George is a radio announcer, and when he walks under a bridge, you cant hear him talk.Hermits have no peer pressure.I didnt get a toy train like the other kids. I got a toy subway instead. You couldnt see anything, but every now and then youd hear this rumbling noise go by.I drive way too fast to worry about cholesterol.I put my air conditioner in backward. It got cold outside. The weatherman on TV was confused. It w as supposed to be hot today. I rented a lottery ticket. I won a million dollars. But I had to give it back.I replaced the headlights in my car with strobe lights, so it looks like Im the only one moving.I saw a bank that said 24 Hour Banking, but I dont have that much time.I saw a close friend of mine the other day... He said, Stephen, why havent you called me? I said, I cant call everyone I want. My new phone has no five on it. He said, How long have you had it? I said, I dont know... my calendar has no sevens on it.I saw a sign: Rest Area 25 Miles. Thats pretty big. Some people must be really tired.I saw a small bottle of cologne and asked if it was for sale. She said, Its free with purchase. I asked her if anyone bought anything today.I saw a subliminal advertising executive, but only for a second.I spilled spot remover on my dog. Now hes gone.I stayed in a really old hotel last night. They sent me a wake-up letter.I still have my Christmas tree. I looked at it today. Sure enough, I couldnt see any forests. I think Gods going to come down and pull civilization over for speeding.I think its wrong that only one company makes the game Monopoly.I took a course in speed reading. Then I got Readers Digest on microfilm. By the time I got the machine set up, I was done.I took a course in speed waiting. Now I can wait an hour in only ten minutes.I took lessons in bicycle riding. But I could only afford half of them. Now I can ride a unicycle.I used to work in a fire hydrant factory. You couldnt park anywhere near the place.I was a peripheral visionary. I could see the future, but only way off to the side.I was born by Caesarian section... but not so youd notice. Its just that when I leave a house, I go out through the window.I was going 70 miles an hour and got stopped by a cop who said, Do you know the speed limit is 55 miles per hour? Yes, officer, but I wasnt going to be out that long...I was in a job interview and I opened a book and started reading. Then I said to the guy, Let me ask you a question. If you are in a spaceship that is traveling at the speed of light, and you turn on the headlights, does anything happen? He said, I dont know. I said, I dont want your job. I was in the first submarine. Instead of a periscope, they had a kaleidoscope. Were surrounded.I was in the grocery store. I saw a sign that said pet supplies. So I did. Then I went outside and saw a sign that said compact cars.I was reading the dictionary. I thought it was a poem about everything.I was sad because I had no shoes until I met a man who had no feet. So I said, Got any shoes youre not using?I went over to the neighbors and asked to borrow a cup of salt. What are you making? A salt lick.I went to a fancy French restaurant called Deja Vu. The headwaiter said, Dont I know you?I went to a garage sale. How much for the garage? Its not for sale.I went to a general store. They wouldnt let me buy anything specifically.I went to a haunted house, looked under the kitchen table, and found spirit gum.

Should You Really Get a Job as a Teen Why and Why Not

Should You Really Get a Job as a Teen Why and Why Not SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Getting your first job is really exciting - you have real-world responsibilities, and real-word money that you earned yourself, probably for the first time. In your teen years especially, the independence that comes with a part-time job is especially appealing. You get out of the house, meet new people, forge professional connections, and make your own savings and spending decisions. But you probably have a lot of other things on your plate as well: school, extracurricular activities, family, friends, even college applications. How do you know whether getting a job is a good idea? In this post, I’ll talk about the things you should consider before submitting those job applications. Hopefully you come away from this post with a better idea of whether getting a job is right for you. Why Do You Want to Get a Job as a Teenager? First, it’s important to consider your motivations for getting a job. Some motivations will lead to more productive and more valuable work experiences than others. Do you want to learn to develop good financial habits? Do you want to gain valuable real-world professional skills? Do you want to keep busy and try something new, especially during summer vacation? If you answered yes to one or more of these questions, you’re on the right track. You’re likely intrinsically motivated to participate in real-world work experience, which leads to valuable experiences in domains both professional and personal. Do you feel youshould get a job just to put on your resume? It’s true that having a job looks good on your resume for college applications. But if you’re not intrinsically motivated to seek out work experiences, chances are you won’t learn or gain much from a part-time job. You’re better off focusing on your main responsibilities: your academic performance and your extracurriculars. If you are still interested in seeking out non-academic activities, think about looking into volunteer opportunities where you can develop your own unique interests and passions. What Are You Looking For in a Teen Job? I've put together a list of different professional skillsets that you can hone and develop in different employment settings. This isn't an exhaustive list, but these skillsets are generalizable across different fields and levels of experience. Even for entry-level positions, you'll want to consider which of these skills you could pick up as an employee: Responsibility - Most jobs require some degree of responsibility from employees. More advanced expectations of responsibility would require you to learn quickly, take initiative on projects, and even teach or train others. People Skills Development - If you deal with a customer or client in any capacity, you'll be learning to work on your people skills. If you work in a service position, like as a sales associate or waiter, you'll be presented with challenging people skills issues on a daily basis. Some individuals really thrive on these one-on-one interactions, while others don't. What do you think you prefer? Teamwork Collaboration - You'll develop collaborative skills if you're expected to work with coworkers to tackle projects or problems. Do you work better alone, or you enjoy working in groups? If you're a more solitary person, try challenging yourself by looking at jobs that require you to work collaboratively. Leadership Skills - You can find jobs high in leadership skills development where there's "room for growth" once you've proven yourself. In a restaurant, for example, almost everyone started off as a busser - you have to prove yourself to work your way up to host or waiter. Professional Development - If you hope to gain a lot of professional connections, or experience in a very particular field, you'll want a job that can provide the most in this domain. It might be difficult to find a paying position as an entry-level teen, but the payoff can be worth it in the long run. Great jobs - even entry-level ones - will hit several of the above points. Before you think about submitting job applications, brainstorm which job qualities are most important to you. They’ll really speak to the types of jobs that you’ll gain the most from. A lot of adults are still on the hunt for their dream jobs; you can get a head start! How Much Time Should You Commit to a Part-Time Job? There’s no one right answer here - it really depends on your other commitments. First, you need to consider teen working restrictions in your state. Many states set maximum working hours/time restrictions for teens, especially during the academic year or on school nights. You can Googlesearch â€Å"[your state] teenage labor laws.† If you’re already 18, none of these restrictions should apply to you. Second, you need to consider where this job will be on your list of priorities. Your own well-being should always be your #1 priority; if your schedule is over-burdened with countless activities and sports and a job, you’llbe doing yourself a disservice. Spreading yourself too thin means that quality of performance will suffer somewhere, whether it’s your schoolwork or your athletic team or your family life. Focus on quality, not quantity - at at the risk of sounding a bit preachy, make sure you're getting enough sleep! If you’re interested in getting a job because you want to develop professional connections, or because you’ve found a position that aligns with future career interests, you might want to invest more time in it. Jobs like this serve you well in the long term for many reasons: You develop basic employment skills, important for any resume You can check out a career path early on to see if it’s something you’re interested in pursuing further You may find yourself a trusted mentor or advisor in a field that you find interesting You may pick up more specialized or unique skills that make you a stronger job applicant in the future, or even a more interesting college applicant Picking up a unique skillset will make you a stand-out applicant in the future. Only you know what your schedule can handle, but think carefully about what you’re willing to commit to before you even start looking at jobs. It’s much easier to under-commit and take on more hours than it is to over-commit and then have to cut back. When I was in high school, I had a lot of academic and extracurricular responsibilities: I took several AP classes, participated in after-school sports, played an instrument in orchestra, and joined several clubs. On top of all this, I thought it would be a great idea for me to commit about 10 hours a week at a part-time job. I was able to juggle all these responsibilities, but barely - and I was exhaustedall the time.I realize now that I didn't have to prove anything by taking on another commitment, and I should have either limited my hours to the weekends or not worked at all while school was in session. During the summers, though, I worked part-time andloved it - I would have gone crazy if I didn't have something to do, and I got to experience a more independent lifestyle the summer before I left for college. Only you know what's right for you, but I hope you can learn from my experiences! Some Examples of Rewarding Jobs If you think that taking on a part-time job is the right thing to do, you'll want to start thinking about what you actually want to do! Here are some examples of fulfilling part-time jobs for teens to get you started. Tutoring - Gain experience as a mentor in a subject area you're skilled in, and learn to work with clients one-on-one. Offers opportunities to develop strong professional relationships. Animal Shelter Work - Working with animals is a lot of fun, and a lot of responsibility - these creatures are completely dependent on you for their care. This is an especially great option if you're considering veterinary work. Administrative Assistant - Small businesses and law firms often need help with administrative tasks.It might not be especially glamorous, but you get to learn the ins and outs of a particular business, all while developing your professional network. Babysitting - It’s a big deal when parents entrust you to care for their kids; it can also be a lot of chaos and fun. If you are interested in working with infants or kids in any capacity in the future, it can be a huge plus to have babysitting experience. Babysitting is also a great side job through college, so the more work experience you have, the easier it’ll be for you to find work in the future. Research - Labs at local universities often need help (sometimes paid, sometimes volunteer) implementing research, or with administrative tasks. If you find an opportunity like this in a field that you’re interested in, I would strongly encourage you to check it out! It’s a great opportunity to meet incredible grad students and professors, work on very cool projects, and put something especially impressive on your resume. What's Next? Interested in getting a job, but not sure whether your academic performance is strong enough? Learn more about what your GPA means, the average high school GPA, and how your grades affect college admissions. Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points or your ACT score by 4 points?We've written a guide for each test about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now:

Briefing note performance management

Two purposes of performance management and their relationship to business objectives: Performance management drives employee behaviour to align with business goals and objectives. This alignment happens because job responsibilities and expectations are clear, resulting in increased individual and group productivity; and also better information is available to use for promotion decisions. Having a Performance management system in place will serve the following purposes; †¢Employee decision-making Appraisal information is used as a basis for pay increases, promotions, transfers etc. †¢Employee development Appraisal information is used to guide training, job experiences, mentoring and other developmental activities. Three components of performance management systems: There are several components of a successful performance management system. An effective performance management system is not a one-size-fits-all approach but will generally include the following components: Plan: Setting clear objectives and goals and establish performance standards. Monitor: Identifying key performance indicators and conducting accurate and regular performance appraisals/ reviews and rewarding performance effectively. Review: Regular and honest feedback through performance planning conversations and career development initiatives. The Relationship between motivation and performance management On a basic level people are motivated towards desired outcome such as congratulations from the manager for a job well done or to avoid an undesired outcome such as an argument with the boss about targets not been hit. ?There are extrinsic and intrinsic factors to how we as individuals channel our motivational energy. ?Getting people to ‘opt in’ as oppose to ‘opt out’ is an important part of communication in business. The ideas of Abraham Maslow have had considerable influence on management thinking since the late 1940’s. Maslow has a positive view of human nature; a belief in the individual’s potential for personal growth – what he called self-actualisation which is displayed in his pyramid of Hierarchy of Needs. Maslow suggested that needs only motivate people when they are unsatisfied. When applied to his hierarchy lower-order needs (basic physical needs, comfort, safety and security) have to be satisfied before higher order needs (self-esteem and personal growth) assert themselves. To apply these theories into the workplace you should make sure your workforce is getting its basic physical and safety needs (reasonable working conditions, job security etc. ) Applying Maslow’s model will mean employees are more likely to work towards company goals only when there is harmony with their own personal goals. MaslowHerzberg Fred Herzberg’s two factor theory is based on looking at the main factors which result in either satisfying or dissatisfying experiences at work. The assumption is that if the individual is satisfied in their work, this will mean good performance, or, at the very least a willingness to stay on the job. Factors leading to dissatisfaction were found to do with conditions of work – company policy and administration, technical supervision, salary, interpersonal relations and physical working conditions. Herzberg called these the hygiene or maintenance factors. These are necessary minimum for a healthy workplace – they make people come into work and stay there but, they don’t necessarily encourage people to be productive. It is the other factors, the ‘satisfiers’ or ‘motivators’ such as achievement, recognition, the work itself, responsibility, advancement, that encourage people to work harder. The link between motivation and performance seems to be an obvious one. If individuals are highly motivated, they will perform better. In turn better performance may well lead to a sense of achievement and result in greater motivation. Thus relationship between motivation and performance can be a mutually reinforcing one. Factors to be considered when managing different levels of performance: Many managers mistakenly spend most of their effort on trying to improve their low performing employees, believing that their high performers are low maintenance. The low maintenance belief is prolonged because high performing  employees are self-motivated individuals that need very little daily work direction. However the fact is that high performing employees do need a lot of attention to sustain their high level of performance. They need praise, recognition and collaboration. High performing employees are very skilled at working independently and will become frustrated if their manager give s them too much direction. These employees will seek guidance form their managers when they need assistance, they take ownership and pride, seek challenges and are bored quickly with mundane tasks; they need to feel valued by their manager and the company. As a manager you must make them feel like a business partner, not just an employee. Get them involved in goal setting, seek their advice from their area of expertise, give them exposure to higher management and other executives – all these things will show you value and trust them – in turn they will give you their loyalty. Plateaued Performers have the mind set of either not preparing or wanting to progress any further, they have petered out or are ready and willing to progress but are stuck in their current role due to other factors surrounding them. They are likely to be less enthusiastic, in a sales role they are likely to rely on existing relationships to drive sales, and they will appear to be ‘going through the motions’ with a sense of disengagement. Plateaued performers are experienced, valued employees who once, often recently performed at a higher level. However due to some unseen issue or closely held mind set, they are no longer reaching their potential. The likely outcome, if the problem goes untreated is that a once solid performer will find themselves plateaued stagnated in bit performance and professional development. Managing poor performance, whether related to capability or attendance, raises a number of different issues for employers and their HR professionals. Failure to perform or attend may be related to the following factors, which may or may not be connected and which may not be readily apparent such as lack of application or misconduct on behalf of the employee; lack of the required skills; and/or illness or disability. If poor performance is due to lack of application (unconnected to an underlying medical condition) or following the falsification of qualifications and  experience for the position that the employee holds or simply by a plain refusal to obey lawful orders, then it is appropriate to deal with the matter under normal disciplinary procedures for misconduct. However, the disciplinary procedure may not be appropriate when dealing with employees who are failing through no fault of their own. Where the failure to perform is due to a lack of the required skills, following say a reorganisation or where an employee has been prematurely promoted, then the employee should be assisted, wherever practicable, with further training or coaching and given a reasonable period to reach the required standard. Some employers therefore prefer to operate a gentler capability procedure referring to cautions rather than warnings and greater flexibility with regard to timescales The main purposes of reward within a performance management system are to retain, motivate key employees and to reduce turnover. It’s a known fact that people are the most important asset in the organisation. The Forum for People Performance Management and Measurement also believes that staff rewards have a valid purpose in this process. The groups Leadership and the Performance of People in Organisations: Enriching Employees and Connecting People study pointed out that many companies are using their performance management processes to encourage employees to work towards personal goals such as training and skills development. Claiming that such an approach can result in improved financial performance as well as being beneficial to the individual, the research said: Reward systems need to be adapted to reflect a leadership approach that ultimately satisfies peoples basic needs for achievement, a feeling of control over ones life and a sense of belonging.   Identify at least 3 components of a total reward scheme: The total reward system is a multitude of tools that the employer has in its hand and may be used to attract, motivate and retain employees. From the employee point of view the total rewards represent everything that he/she perceives to be of value resulting from the employment relationship. The reward conce pt covers both financial and non-financial pay. The components of a total reward system are: Compensation – is a critical component of the reward system that includes: basic pay system (annual or monthly salary rate) and variable or incentive pay systems (sales commissions, appraisal/performance-related pay, skills-base pay, etc. ) Benefits – are used to supplement the cash compensation that the employees receive and are designed to protect the employees and the family from financial risks. These can be life insurance, medical insurance, dental, retirement plan, savings scheme, uniform, gym membership, company car, breaks, company holidays, extra annual days, personal days, etc. Work life in this category is included the followings: workplace flexibility, paid and unpaid time off, health and well-being, caring for dependents, financial support, community involvement, and management involvement/culture change intervention. Performance and recognition Performance is a key component of the organisational objectives and involves the alignment of organisational, team and individual effort towards the achievement of business goals and organisational success. The recognition acknowledges and gives special attention to employee’s action, efforts, behaviour or performance. Recognition programs acknowledge the employee contribution immediately after the task has been completed. This type of recognition award can be financial or non-financial (e. g. , verbal recognition, certificates, trophies, tickets, dinners, etc. ) Development and career opportunity – includes learning opportunities (e. g. on the job learning, tuition, seminars and conferences attendance, corporate universities, self-development tools and techniques, new technology training, etc. );coaching/mentoring(e. g.  , leadership training, formal and informal mentoring programs, association memberships, exposure to resident experts, etc. ) and advancement opportunities (e. g. , internal job openings, promotions, overseas assignments, internships, succession planning, career pathways, etc. ) 2 sources of data required by individual involved in performance and reward management processes: Gathering performance information from a variety of sources increases objectivity and ensures all f actors impacting performance are considered. This information should include objective data like sales reports, call records or deadline reports. Other valuable information includes: feedback from others, results of personal observation, documentation of on-going dialogue, records of any external or environmental factors impacting performance many reviews also include an employee self-evaluation. Other documents that help define performance objectives include: past performance appraisals, current departmental and organisational objectives and documented standards related to career goals. In order to gather feedback from other employees, organisations will often use a 360 ° feedback process. Along with the completion of a self-assessment, selected peers, assistants, and managers are asked to contribute feedback around pre-identified areas. The feedback is based upon specifically identified skills or competencies and the final results are compared against the employees self-assessment this type of feedback increases self-awareness and in some cases is used to support the performance evaluation process

Journal Article Annotation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Journal Article Annotation - Essay Example The research undertaken by Thro (2007) have clearly emphasises the perception of the faculty in the American universities on academic freedom that is drawn to two different poles. Some of the members categorically says that the academic freedom is purely a constitutional myth while others opinion that it certainly is a practical reality. The author has tried to evaluate this from the functional point of academics rather than from the education and learning component in it. The findings of the research says that any institution that tried to infringe the operational freedom the faculty would soon find the lose the service of this faculty due to the lack of flexibility given to the teacher. Never in the article author tried to relate the myth and reality of freedom with the educational process . Unless these issues are assessed in the context of the entire educational process involving both teaching and learning the results and recommendations would tend to be highly skewed and prejudi ced. Thus the research on education and freedom need to explore more fundamental issues in the process involving the teacher and the taught rather than analysing the academic freedom from the faculty perspective alone. The technological development have created a huge impact on the education and the freedom prevailing on the learning process in the university campuses. The presence of online resources and excellent networks across the departments and centres have resulted in redefining the teacher -student relationship which have influenced the extend of freedom in the educational process. Availability of online resources like e-books, videos and audio files have taken the learning process beyond the walls of class rooms and eliminates highly differentiated class room experience. These initiatives have been found to be very effective in the curriculum planning of the humanities courses too. The research study reported have established the

Negotiation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Negotiation - Essay Example Frank Hu, the partner was located in CA at the time. He is a 40-year-old IT engineer with a great background of people resources in the area. His role was to act as a bridge between the CA clients and us, located in TX. In the deal, Frank’s primary job was to organize Seminars. This covered arrangement of location, advertising and general contacts. With this limited responsibility, Frank was happy with 20% share on each closed house deal based on 3% commission of sales price, plus 50% share cost on all business expenses for Advertising and Seminars. My team leader – Lady M, chose me to play her primary role, and gave me the charge of the investing department and the authority to deal with Frank. I was quick learner, and was able to lead the negotiations with confidence in a matter of two months. My primary duties were Seminar hosting, Real Estate tour trips, sales and buying, house leasing, and also rental management between investors and tenants. It was a 24/7 job and I was able to learn a lot and survived though unlimited multi-tasking. My own share percentage with Lady M was 1/3 of sales price in each closed transaction plus 50% of any bonuses from new home builders on top of deals. It sounded great in compare with my work. Monthly volume at the time was a minimum of 6 seminars in CA, with average of 10 or more closures. Besides we got 10 -15 rental houses on the market, and the cumulative number of housing management started from 50 from when I joined the business. It was exhausting work but the compensation was worth the effort. Indeed I thought my life could not be more perfect and tougher, until the unexpected happened. One day in winter, Frank and his wife secretly flied into Dallas for a private meeting with me. On the dinner table at my home, Frank started off with remarks that Lady M, who had not been neither involved nor devoted to any efforts all this time, skimmed off

How IT improves managerial role Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

How IT improves managerial role - Essay Example The new model of management suggests ways of flattening the organization structure, streamlining its processes, and speeding up its feedback systems in order to help produce these continuously improving results. This essay will examine how IT improves the managers’ performance. To meet the demanding expectations of a good model, an agency requires a great deal of complex data that is timely, complete information about both processes and outcomes. The model also requires that the organization have the ability to act promptly on that information. These requirements can be met only by agencies that take advantage of recent developments in information technology. Today’s companies are much larger and complex. They most likely manufacture, service, and finance what they sell. They also operate in complex, fast-changing, competitive, global environments that can quickly turn competitive advantages into competitive disadvantages. If I am given managerial roles I will ensure that I integrate information technology in the accomplishment of organizational aims in an effective and efficient approach through planning, organizing, leading, and controlling organizational assets. The type of information am likely to deal with is on how to set annual budgets for the entity, analyzing financial information and statistics of the firm, managing staffing and recruitment levels, deal with customer complaints, and make risk assessment and health safety checks. In all these a manager can integrate IT to make his work easier for example in preparing the budget he can use applications which makes it possible to prepare budgets quickly. The manager can post performance information on intranets, making weekly and even daily information available for decision making at all levels. Coordinated service system requires coordinated information streams. Integrated information system not only increases client satisfaction but more imp ortantly increases the agency’s ability to

REPORT ON HIGHER EDUCATION IN QATAR (Part in green2) Research Paper

REPORT ON HIGHER EDUCATION IN QATAR (Part in green2) - Research Paper Example One major challenge that is hindering the progress of Higher Education Sector is less number of male students and increasing dropout rate of students at the secondary education level (ElGahnem, 2012). The declining number of male students in higher education is because of their responsibility of supporting their family and they easily get attracted to jobs that require fewer skills. Most of the students lack vision about their future studies and are reluctant to explore new areas of studies; recently, the demand of graduates in healthcare, research and technological fields has increased and each one offers attractive career opportunities for graduates who acquire education in these fields. In Qatar, there are less opportunities for students as institutions offering these programs are new ones and attracting students is a bit difficult for them (Khodr, 2011). Initiatives taken for promoting Higher Education and Role of Overseas Universities In order to help students in gaining access to top ranked universities, public and private organizations are taking huge measures. All concerned authorities are working together to tackle challenges being faced by Higher Education sector so that they can provide right guidance to the future workforce of the country (Sawahel, 2012). Qatar’s government has observed that students are unable to get qualified for admissions in leading universities because they lack the skills and intellectual capabilities as the education system of the country does not match the standards set by international bodies. Qatar National Vision 2030 has been launched in November 2008 with the aim of providing support to the education system of the country. In the report, all initiatives that have been taken and those that will be implemented are provided with complete details (UNDP, 2012). The foremost initiative taken is development of Supreme Education Council which is responsible for designing and implementation of policies for promotion educa tion at all levels especially higher education so that the workforce is compatible to meet demands of country’s economy. Secondly, social mediums are being used by Qatar Foundation and Ministry of Education to create awareness about various career opportunities existing for the students along with attracting students to get enrolled in such programs. Incentives are being offered to students so that they are encouraged to acquire higher education such as study abroad on scholarship and getting enrolled in part-time education program along with work (Khodr, 2011). In order to provide directions related to vocational and technical education to students who cannot meet university’s admission criteria, they are offered the opportunity of getting enrolled in Diploma courses being offered by Qatar Founda

The Role of Leader Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

The Role of Leader - Essay Example Leadership even motivates the people to improve their performance related to work and creates a positive change within an organisation. Leadership provides a new way of thinking as well as generate new ideas for effectiveness of the organizations in relation to the attainment of the organisational objectives. Leadership generally aims to bring out the best in people to make them work better and achieve a common goal (The ASPIRA Association, n.d.) In addition, leadership can also be referred as a function of creating a vision in order to obtain the desired objectives of the organisation successfully by guiding the workforce, communicating and even building trust among them and the leader so that they can work better (Oklahoma State University, 2006). The main aim of this paper is to understand different theories of leadership and their application in the organisation. Furthermore this paper will also describe the different role and style of leaders. Theories of Leadership The role of every leader is different from one another. Leaders are often observed to develop their own style of leadership and follow different leadership theories according to the requirement of the situation that they need to face in their organisations. In this regards, various theoretical frameworks or theories have been developed which explains some of the major leadership traits possessed by leaders. A few of the theories are Great man theory, Trait theory, Contingency theory, Transformational theory, Behavioural theory, and Transactional theory. According to great man theory, it is believed the people are born to lead. Leaders develop their own leadership qualities. This theory includes the members of high personality, industrial heads. On the other hand, trait theory is quite similar to the great man theory. The theory emphasizes on physical traits, tasks assigned to the leader, and social as well as personal ability of the leader among others in order to explain the leadership style. However, the contingency theory is more progressive. As per the contingency theory, leadership style should be consistent with the situation faced by the organisation to achieve the goals and objectives. In transformational theory the leaders are often observed to build a trust amid the organisational participants, motivate and engage with subordinates to increase the morality of the followers as well as the leader. The leaders also help the followers to develop their potentials and satisfy their needs with the aim to attain the desired organisational goal (Transformational Leadership, 2010). In the similar context, behavioural theory attempts to highlight the effectiveness of a leader. The behavioural theory mainly focuses on the perceptions, actions, and activities of an individual while performing any task, based on previous experience. This theory is a type of mental understanding which facilitates the actions of an entity. This theory also helps an individual or leader to take accurate decisions, which would be beneficial in accomplishing the assigned duties. It measures the confidence level and loyalty of the leader that how well they can lead and execute strategies into actions. In this theory it is believed that one has to learn effective leadership as human beings are not born with the required qualities of a good leader and thus need to develop the leadership qualit

How IT improves managerial role Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

How IT improves managerial role - Essay Example The new model of management suggests ways of flattening the organization structure, streamlining its processes, and speeding up its feedback systems in order to help produce these continuously improving results. This essay will examine how IT improves the managers’ performance. To meet the demanding expectations of a good model, an agency requires a great deal of complex data that is timely, complete information about both processes and outcomes. The model also requires that the organization have the ability to act promptly on that information. These requirements can be met only by agencies that take advantage of recent developments in information technology. Today’s companies are much larger and complex. They most likely manufacture, service, and finance what they sell. They also operate in complex, fast-changing, competitive, global environments that can quickly turn competitive advantages into competitive disadvantages. If I am given managerial roles I will ensure that I integrate information technology in the accomplishment of organizational aims in an effective and efficient approach through planning, organizing, leading, and controlling organizational assets. The type of information am likely to deal with is on how to set annual budgets for the entity, analyzing financial information and statistics of the firm, managing staffing and recruitment levels, deal with customer complaints, and make risk assessment and health safety checks. In all these a manager can integrate IT to make his work easier for example in preparing the budget he can use applications which makes it possible to prepare budgets quickly. The manager can post performance information on intranets, making weekly and even daily information available for decision making at all levels. Coordinated service system requires coordinated information streams. Integrated information system not only increases client satisfaction but more imp ortantly increases the agency’s ability to

The Role of Leader Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

The Role of Leader - Essay Example Leadership even motivates the people to improve their performance related to work and creates a positive change within an organisation. Leadership provides a new way of thinking as well as generate new ideas for effectiveness of the organizations in relation to the attainment of the organisational objectives. Leadership generally aims to bring out the best in people to make them work better and achieve a common goal (The ASPIRA Association, n.d.) In addition, leadership can also be referred as a function of creating a vision in order to obtain the desired objectives of the organisation successfully by guiding the workforce, communicating and even building trust among them and the leader so that they can work better (Oklahoma State University, 2006). The main aim of this paper is to understand different theories of leadership and their application in the organisation. Furthermore this paper will also describe the different role and style of leaders. Theories of Leadership The role of every leader is different from one another. Leaders are often observed to develop their own style of leadership and follow different leadership theories according to the requirement of the situation that they need to face in their organisations. In this regards, various theoretical frameworks or theories have been developed which explains some of the major leadership traits possessed by leaders. A few of the theories are Great man theory, Trait theory, Contingency theory, Transformational theory, Behavioural theory, and Transactional theory. According to great man theory, it is believed the people are born to lead. Leaders develop their own leadership qualities. This theory includes the members of high personality, industrial heads. On the other hand, trait theory is quite similar to the great man theory. The theory emphasizes on physical traits, tasks assigned to the leader, and social as well as personal ability of the leader among others in order to explain the leadership style. However, the contingency theory is more progressive. As per the contingency theory, leadership style should be consistent with the situation faced by the organisation to achieve the goals and objectives. In transformational theory the leaders are often observed to build a trust amid the organisational participants, motivate and engage with subordinates to increase the morality of the followers as well as the leader. The leaders also help the followers to develop their potentials and satisfy their needs with the aim to attain the desired organisational goal (Transformational Leadership, 2010). In the similar context, behavioural theory attempts to highlight the effectiveness of a leader. The behavioural theory mainly focuses on the perceptions, actions, and activities of an individual while performing any task, based on previous experience. This theory is a type of mental understanding which facilitates the actions of an entity. This theory also helps an individual or leader to take accurate decisions, which would be beneficial in accomplishing the assigned duties. It measures the confidence level and loyalty of the leader that how well they can lead and execute strategies into actions. In this theory it is believed that one has to learn effective leadership as human beings are not born with the required qualities of a good leader and thus need to develop the leadership qualit

Policy Is Now Made In A More Democratic Manner Essay Example for Free

Policy Is Now Made In A More Democratic Manner Essay What Extent Do You Agree With This Statement? The 1997 general election in Britain changed the way that policies were made in both of the leading political parties. The Labour Party is composed of three major institutions: The NEC (National Executive Committee) -the administrative authority of the party, the PLP (Parliamentary Labour Party) which consists of all elected Labour Party MP s and the Annual Party Conference. The Annual Party Conference is the supreme decision-making body within the Party. Ordinary members of the party are given the opportunity to publicly articulate their views and for cabinet members (or shadow cabinet members if the party is not in government) to deliver set-speeches directed towards the party or the public. The Conservative Party had a system where power rested entirely in the hands of parliamentarians with little or no organisation outside of parliament. It also consisted of three main institutions: The Parliamentary Conservative Party, the National Union Of Conservative and Unionist Associations and The Conservative Central Office. The ultimate decision making body in the Party is the leader himself. He or she may be advised however this advice does not have to be taken. Before 1997, any member of the Labour party could raise a topic to be debated. However after the 1997 election, in an attempt by Tony Blair to meet the demands of party unity and discipline, the Labour Party changed its structure to include the NPF (National Policy Forum). The job of the National Policy Forum was to set our the agenda to be discussed at the annual party conference.Members could no longer bring up issues during the conference. Instead, members could make an application to the forum for a debate on a particular topic although the ultimate decision would be made by the forum. Although members were still free to convey their views at the annual conference. The Conservatives adopted a similar system to the Labour Party. The Conservative Party also underwent structural changes after the 1997 election. In a bid to make the party more democratic, William Hague introduced the Fresh Future. This included the creation of two new bodies, the National Conservative Convention and the Conservative Policy Forum (although these act as advisory bodies only, the final decision rests with the leader). In conclusion, the Labour Party certainly makes policy in a less democratic way. From an open conference where members could freely bring up topics for debate to a forum where only a select few have the ultimate decision in deciding party policies. This reform has decreased the number of members who can participate in making policies and reduced the range of views that the policies represent. Although the Conservative Party has made an attempt to make its policy making more democratic by introducing the Fresh Future and the new Conservative Policy Forum, the leader still holds the ultimate decision when deciding on policy and although it increases the number of people who can attempt to advise the leader although the leader still has ultimate power when making decisions so it means nothing. It is therefore concluded that party policy is not now made in a more democratic manner.

Prejudice And Discrimination Against Indians Cultural Studies Essay

Prejudice And Discrimination Against Indians Cultural Studies Essay The population in Singapore is about 4.9 million people, 3.7 million people are Singaporeans and Permanent Residents while the rest are foreigners. The ethnic distribution of Singaporeans is as follows, 9.2% of Singapores population is Indians, 13.4% of Singapores population is Malays, 74.2 % of Singapores population are Chinese, while the remaining 3.2% of Singapores population are Eurasians. (http://www.singstat.gov.sg/pubn/reference/sif2010.pdf) From the above mentioned statistics Indians are one the minority groups in Singapore while the Singapore population is dominated by the Chinese race. The following paper will highlight the racism against Indians in Singapore from the majority race which is the Chinese population. This topic has been chosen because the author has experienced racism in many forms from the Chinese population in Singapore, thus the author is able to relate to this topic better and give better suggestions to solve the problem on hand. According to Nadra Kareem, one of the major causes of racism is because of the skin colour, where the minorities are rejected by the society and suffer verbal abuse because of their ethnic background. (http://racerelations.about.com/od/understandingrac1/a/internalizedracism.htm) The following are two quotes taken from interviews (conducted by me) to strengthened Nadra Kareems statement. Vinodini, 25 I was about 13 years old when this incident happened, I went to the swimming school with my female group of friends. I and my friends did not really know how to swim, we just went for the sake to try out something new. My group of friends were wearing our swimming costume and we were about to enter the pool when a Chinese man said to his wife Charcoal coming inside the pool lets go. At that point I felt so insulted. I did not know whether to scold him or just simply run away to escape the humiliation. From that day onwards I lost the interest in swimming and I have never worn a swimming costume. The following statement illustrates the point that colour is a cause of racism, naturally swimming costumes tends to show more of the body and the Chinese man had to comment on her colour as charcoal. The respondents body is shamed by being referred to as charcoal (in relation to its black colour) and on a worse note the Chinese man felt that by the respondent entering the pool it meant that the man and his wife should leave the pool and that they cannot be in the same pool together. On a whole this incident is extremely damaging to Indians confidence in their body. Thevandran, 16 During primary school there was an incident whereby a Chinese boy from my class would cover his nose and encourage other students to cover their noses because he thought I was smelly and dirty. When I confronted him he told me that it was his parents who told him that Indians dont bathe at all. That day I convinced myself that I did not want to socialize with the Chinese. In both instances it can be noted that there are actually racially-motivated racism by the Chinese against the Indians in Singapore based on their colour. The multiple disgraceful terms such charcoal and dirty is mainly to mock the Indian body as inferior to theirs. Ardis C. Martin, M.D. states that if ones culture continues to be devalued it results in low self-esteem. (http://ap.psychiatryonline.org/cgi/content/full/32/4/338) In both cases above, the respondents felt insulted by the remarks that they received. Vinodini did not ever want to swim again while Thevandran did not want to socialise with Chinese to ease his pain. Top of Form Bottom of Form Section III WHY THIS PREJUDICE AND DISCRIMINATION AFFECT SOCIETY AND IS IMPORTANT The racism of Chinese against Indians in Singapore should not be treated lightly and must be treated seriously. One only has to look back into Singapores history and remember of the two racial events that nearly tore apart Singapore The Maria-Hertogh Riots and 1964 Race Riots. On 11 of December 1950 the court decided to award custody of Maria Hertogh (who was raised by Muslims) her biological Catholic parents. Outraged Muslims protested the decision which eventually led to rioting when images showing Maria Hertogh kneeling before a statue of Mother Mary were published. Rioting in Singapore lasted 3days. Many properties were destroyed but more importantly 173 people were injured and 18 were killed. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maria_Hertogh_riots) The 1964 Race Riots was a series of riots that took place in Singapore in July and September between Chinese and Malay racial groups. The racial violence killed 36 people and a further 556 people were injured. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1964_race_riots_in_Singapore) The following two events illustrate how racial conflicts can destroy Singapore. To deal with this situation the government has continuously and actively promoted racial harmony as the key pillar of the nation through various policies and measures emphasizing tolerance, understanding and respect among the different races and religions in Singapore. (http://www.asiaone.com/News/AsiaOne+News/Singapore/Story/A1Story20100429-213067.html) Singaporeans are also constantly regularly reminded in official speeches of the racial in events in Singapores history and how it threatened to engulf the nation in turmoil. (http://www.straitstimes.com/STI/STIMEDIA/sp/nationaldayrally2009/090817_hard_work_on_harmony.html) The situation in Britain/United Kingdom will now be discussed, whereby Indians there are one of the minority race groups and they are discriminated violently and viciously by the majority groups. Even though the situation in Singapore regarding the racism against Indians by the Chinese may be seem as tame as compared to the situation in Britain/United Kingdom, lessons has to be learnt from those countries to prevent our nations future from becoming bleak as Britain and United Kingdom. Section IV WHERE CAN WE START TO FIX THE PROBLEM Racism of Indians by the Chinese in Singapore results in marginalisation between the two groups and thus creates divide within the multi-racial society within Singapore. (http://www.asiaone.com/News/AsiaOne+News/Singapore/Story/A1Story20100429-213067.html) There are many measures put in place by the government to tackle the issue of racism between the different racial groups. During Mr Lee Hsien Loong National Day Rally speech in 2009 he mentioned about Singapores efforts at fostering harmony among the different races and religions. (http://www.straitstimes.com/STI/STIMEDIA/sp/nationaldayrally2009/090817_hard_work_on_harmony.html). The reason for doing so is to create social interaction between different races and thus promote cultural diversity among them. Examples to promote national integration between the different races include through promotion of public housing, national service, educational policies, the mass media and grassroots organizations. One such measure I suggest to tackle the issue of racism against the Indians by the Chinese is to implement a system in primary schools whereby for one day a Indian student will have to live a Chinese students house. The next day the Chinese student will have to live in the Indian students house. This thus creates the social interaction required to foster harmony between the different racial groups. The reason for implementing this system during primary school is because young children are impressionable and through interaction at this age it will continue a trend to interact with other races as they grow up. Martin Luther King once said I look to a day when people will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character. I totally agree with him, through the implementation of my idea it will help Chinese in Singapore to judge Indians based on their character and nothing else, thus creating a harmonious and multi-racial Singapore for all to see. (http://changingminds.org/analysis/i_have_a_dream.htm) THE END

Misuse of Ritalin :: Drugs Argumentative Persuasive Topics

Misuse of Ritalin Kyle Carroll of Albany, New York was diagnosed with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) when he was in the first grade. His teacher told his parents, Michael and Jill, that Kyle was too hyper and couldn't concentrate for long periods of time. Without even going to see a professional about Kyle's problem, Kyle was put on Ritalin. Immediately, his parents started to notice side effects on Kyle and when they tried to take their child off of the medication, the teacher threatened to call social services and lodge a complaint about child abuse (Karlin). Many families across America are faced with the problem of ADHD. In fact, approximately 4-million school aged children suffer from ADHD (Rowland). Many cases are misdiagnosed and over one million children take Ritalin who don't need it (Karlin). In 1939, Dr. C. Bradley first prescribed Methylphenidate, or Ritalin, as a stimulant to treat children with ADHD (Mann). ADHD is a brain disorder characterized by a short attention span, jumpiness, and impulsive behavior. To be diagnosed, the victim of the disease usually has gone to see an average of eleven doctors (Rowland). Ritalin is a risky drug. Taking this drug means having to take a dosage every four hours. Like any other medication, large doses can lead to addiction. At the end of the day, when the medication starts to wear off, mood swings occur and the sufferer becomes irritable. Side effects, which include insomnia, loss of appetite, stunted height, and irritability are brutal to the victim (Mann). Ritalin, if taken improperly, can increase a person's heartbeat and blood pressure. This can cause cardiac arrhythmia (irregular heartbeat) and premature death. If ADHD doesn't get treated correctly, or within the first couple of years, there are some serious long term consequences (Ciampa). Ritalin is also hitting the streets of college campuses under the names of "Vitamin R" and "R-Ball". College students are using this drug to improve concentration, so they can study longer, boost their alertness during major tests, and to help stay up all night. Selling and buying this drug is illegal, but anyone can find it on almost all of the campuses. College kids aren't the only ones who find this a booster.

Managing Agressive Behavior Essay -- Health Care, Nursing

According to Penguin English dictionary (2002), research is aimed at making discoveries, establishing facts or enabling new conclusions. Nursing research is essential in health car e setting. It can defined as a systematic and rigorous collection of data and used not only to help nurses but to clients behaviour attitudes and other factors that influence the delivery of care (Parahoo, 1997) Polit and Hunger (1997), states that critique should reflect on the strength and weakness of research through objective and balanced consideration. It stands to reason that nurses need to understand the ethical implication of using different methodology theory in order to protect patients. Based on evidence, this can be done by understanding how research is done, the definition of data collection and how to interpret findings (Tschudin, 2002). However, one can argue that not all research findings are to be believed (Hunt, 1987). A good research should capture the problem and find ways to improve in the setting. The phenomenon of this assignment is to focus on patients who are undergoing treatment in a high secure forensic. This will highlight how violence toward healthcare workers is commonly encountered in mental health care setting in Australia. Therefore, two key areas that will be identified is firstly, factors leading to aggressive behaviour and secondly, strategies to reduce the risk of such behaviour. The selected article to critically examine is entitled ‘Aggressive behaviour in the high secure forensic setting: the perception of patients’. The work on this paper was taken from the Journal of Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing in Australia. With relevant research and literature, it will support the work of Parahoo (1997) and P... ...believes it is important to perceive feelings of other persons and the ability to communicate with them listening is a basic skill in communication. A practical suggestion is to address the social and organisational factors that underpin aggressive behaviour. The researcher did not identify the triggers of aggression but interestingly, looked at patient’s views on the cause and management of aggression. When aggressive episodes are managed in therapeutic ways, patients gain a sense of trust and control over their situations. They feel balanced, calm, and secure (Skovdahl et al., 2003b). As for nurses, when patient aggression is managed in a therapeutic manner, nurses have a sense of balance and well-being. They tend to find their work stimulating, challenging, and fun (Skovdahl et al., 2003b). . . .

Scope of Managerial Economics

Q1. Yes. Firms represent a combination of people, physical assets, and information (financial, technical, marketing, and so on). People directly involved include stockholders, managers, workers, suppliers, and customers. Businesses use scarce resources that would otherwise be available for other purposes, pay income and other taxes, provide employment opportunities, and are responsible for much of the material well-being of our society. Thus, all of society is indirectly involved in the firm’s operation. Firms exist because they are useful in the process of allocating resources –producing and distributing goods and services.As such, they are basically economic entities Q2. A. The most direct effect of a requirement to install new pollution control equipment would be an increase in the operating cost component of the valuation model. Secondary effects might be expected in the discount rate due to an increase in regulatory risk, and in the revenue function if consumers re act positively to the installation of the pollution control equipment in production facilities. B. All three major components of the valuation model–the revenue function, cost function, and the discount rate–are likely to be affected by an increase in advertising.Revenues and cost will both increase as output is expanded. The discount rate may be affected if the firm's profit outlook changes significantly because of increased demand (growth) or if borrowing is necessary to fund a rapid expansion of plant and equipment to meet increased demand. C. The primary effect of newer and more efficient production equipment is a reduction in the total cost component of the valuation model. Secondary effects on firm revenues could also be important if lower costs make price reductions possible and result in an increase in the quantity demanded of the firm's products.Likewise, the capitalization rate or discount factor can be affected by the firm’s changing prospects. D. The time pattern of revenues is affected by such a pricing decision to raise prices in the near term. This will alter production relationships and investment plans, and affect the valuation model through the cost component and capitalization factor. E. A general lowering of interest rates leads to a reduction in the cost of capital or discount rate in the valuation model. F. Higher rates of inflation, leading to an increase in the discount rate, cause the present value of a constant income stream to decline.Unless the firm is able to increase product prices in order to maintain profit margins, the value of the firm falls as inflation and the discount rate increases. Of course, the economic effects of inflation on the economic value of the firm are complex, involving both asset and liability valuations, so determining the overall effect of inflation on the economic value of individual firms is a difficult task Q3. The economic profit concept provides the most appropriate basis for evalu ating the operations of a business since it allows for a risk-adjusted normal rate of return on all capital devoted to the enterprise.Even when business profits are substantial, economic profits can sometimes be negative given the effects of risk, inflation, and other factors. Substantial business profits are no guarantee to the growth, or even maintenance, of  capital investment. In actual practice, investors adjust reported accounting data to account for additional factors that must be considered Q4. A. Interesting perspective on the characteristics of wonderful businesses has been given by legendary Wall Street investors T. Rowe Price and Warren E. Buffett.The late T. Rowe Price was founder of Baltimore-based T. Rowe Price and Associates, Inc. , one of the largest no-load mutual fund organizations in the United States, and the father of the â€Å"growth stock† theory of investing. According to Price, attractive growth stocks have low labor costs, superior research to dev elop products and new markets, a high rate of  return on stockholder's equity (ROE), elevated profit margins, rapid earnings per share (EPS) growth, lack cutthroat competition, and are comparatively immune from regulation.Omaha's Warren E. Buffett, the billionaire head of Berkshire Hathaway Inc. , also looks for companies that have strong franchises and enjoy pricing flexibility, high ROE, high cash flow, owner-oriented management, and predictable earnings that are not natural targets of regulation. Like Price, Buffett has profited enormously through his investments. To apply Price's and Buffett's investment criteria successfully, business managers and investors must be sensitive to fundamental economic and demographic trends.Perhaps the most obvious of these is the aging of the population. Health-care demands will continue to soar. In recognition of this fact, investors have bid up the shares of companies offering prescription drugs, health care, and health-care cost containment (e. g. , home health agencies). Perhaps less obvious is that an aging and increasingly wealthy population will save growing amounts for their children’s education and retirement. This bodes well for mutual fund operators, insurance companies, and other firms that offer distinctive financial services.As the overall population continues to enjoy growing income, spending on leisure activities is apt to grow; companies that offer distinctive goods and services in this area will do well. Helping well-heeled customers have fun has always been a good business. Productivity enhancement to combat economic stagnation is also likely to be a major thrust during the coming decade. In this area, it is perhaps easier to pick likely beneficiaries of emerging technologies than it is to chart the future course of technical advance.For example, catalog retailers, long-distance and cellular phone companies, and credit card providers are all major beneficiaries of the rapid pace of advance in com puter and information technology. Similarly, major broadcasters, cable TV companies, movie makers, and software providers are all prone to benefit from increasingly user-friendly technology for leisure-time activities. B. The American Express Company, Coca-Cola, Procter & Gamble, and Wells Fargo are well-known examples of major common stock holdings of Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway, Inc.Each of Berkshire's major holdings are large capital-intensive companies with long operating histories of above-average rates of return. Like any really good business, they display a wise use of assets as indicated by an average ROE that is well above typical norms. Enhancing the attractiveness of these companies is the fact that they also display above-average annual rates of growth in stockholders’ equity. Thus, they can all be described as beneficiaries of high-margin growth. As is often the case, attractive financial and operating statistics reflect essentially attractive economic ch aracteristics of each company.The American Express Company is a premier travel and financial services firm that is strategically positioned to benefit from aging baby boomers. The Coca-Cola Company, one of Berkshire's biggest and most successful holdings, typifies the concept of a wonderful business. Coca-Cola enjoys perhaps the world's strongest franchise owner-oriented management, and both predictable and growing returns. Also, the company is not subject to price or profit regulation. From the standpoint of being a wonderful business, Coca-Cola is clearly the â€Å"real thing. Newspapers, banks, and cable TV companies, such as The Washington Post Company and Wells Fargo &Company, translate immense economies of scale in production into dominating competitive advantages. They also fit Buffett's criteria for wonderful businesses. In the case of Gillette, above-normal returns stem from unique products that are designed and executed by extraordinarily capable management. The late T. R owe Price was prone to invest in high-tech companies that produced distinctive products.On the other hand, Buffett is fond of saying that he doesn’t â€Å"understand† high-tech and doesn’t want to be blown out of business by a few guys â€Å"working in a garage somewhere. † Of course, Buffett’s thinly-veiled reference to Hewlett-Packard and the Silicon Valley revolution that was started by â€Å"two guys in a simple garage† means that Buffett clearly does understand the problems of investing in hard-to-project high-tech companies. Thus, while Buffett avoids high-tech stocks, T. Rowe Price, if he were alive today, might find compelling the advantages of high-tech companies such as Microsoft, Intel, and Cisco Systems, among others. C.Above-normal returns from investing in wonderful businesses are only possible to the extent that such advantages are not fully recognized by other investors. In the case of T. Rowe Price, early investments in Avon Products, Xerox, and IBM generated fantastic returns because Price saw their awesome potential far in advance of other investors. On the other hand, Buffett has profited by taking major positions in wonderful companies that suffer from some significant, but curable, malady. In 1991, for example, Buffett made a large investment in American Express when the company suffered unexpected credit card and real estate loan losses.When the company absorbed these losses without any lasting damage to its intrinsic profit-making ability, its stock price soared and Buffett cleaned up. Companies that are conservatively financed enjoy a similar ability to profit when an unexpected business downturn causes financially distressed rivals to sell valuable assets at bargain-basement prices . Therefore, while above-average stock-market returns provide the clearest evidence of having picked good businesses for investment, short-term results can be disappointingly average or below-average if the virtues of these good businesses are clearly recognized in the marketplace.More frustrating still is the problem of finding and investing in good businesses at attractive prices and then having to wait while conventional wisdom comes around to recognizing them as such. The overall stock  market is extremely efficient at ferreting out bargains and adjusting prices so that subsequent investors earn only a risk-adjusted normal rate of return. For individual investors seeking above-average returns, finding good businesses is a necessary first step, but they must also be incorrectly priced (too cheap). Buffett succeeds because he is unusually adept at finding high-quality bargains.

Single Families: the Struggle to Survive

There are roughly around 6 billion people in the world or there were as of 2009 and for every 1000 people about 5 are divorced, over 13 million american women alone are widowed, and many people are just single. So me by choice others by circumstance but the truth of the matter is that over 20% of families worldwide are single parent run homes. How do these people live? Many in poverty and a grand majority of them live in the middle to low class ranks of society.Many of us believe the economy sucks, our lives suck, we think we've got it bad but we should see how some of these people live. How does one get by surviving in a paycheck by paycheck manner? How do you pay bills and eat? Many of these questions do have answers, lets start with a question: How do we deal with educating the children of single parents? 1. Education In the past, if someone had a child that was it, their main focus was raising and providing for that child regardless of the kind education that they had.Those paren ts didn’t have much of a choice but to join the workforce immediately to put food on the table and continuing an education was more of a luxury. Many in society viewed this issue to be more of a personal matter rather than a social concern. Views about this have changed with the rapid increase of single parent households growing to a staggering 13. 7 million in the United States. (Grall) One place where we can see evidence of people becoming more aware of the importance of single parents is in education.It is not a little known fact that a quality education can improve conditions for those who seek it and single parents are not an exception to that rule. That is one of the reasons why we have seen more local, state and national governments and organizations offer financial assistance to those single parents who wish to continue their education. In a joint study conducted by the University of Illinois and Washington University that examined the effects of postsecondary educati on on the economic well being of single parents, the results were not surprising.The study found through a series of analysis that â€Å"single parents with postsecondary education, especially those with 4-year college degrees, had significantly higher labor income and house values and were less likely to live in poverty than those with a high school degree or less than a high school degree. † (Zhan, and Pandey 661-673) Unfortunately, the study did find that only 31% of mothers and 41% of fathers had any type of college education. Even more astounding was that of those single parents with a college education only 8% of mothers and 17% of fathers had college degrees(Zhan, and Pandey 661-673).This study shows the magnitude that investing an education has on single parents to empower themselves, increase their financial earning power and to dedicate resources to promote educational opportunities for single parents. Of course because the single parent’s case is more unique than that of the common student, the need for financial assistance such as scholarships and grants are necessary. With the costs of college tuition continuing to soar, scholarships for single parents are extremely important.Scholarships are designed to pay for higher education such as college, graduate school or some type of professional school. Obtaining a scholarship is the best way to avoid some if not all of the tuition fees and unlike loans, (which will be discussed later) scholarships do not require the recipient to pay those funds back. Scholarships are not normally meant to provide any income beyond a student's higher education expenses. While there are thousands of scholarships offered, they are mainly split into two types, school sponsored scholarships that award funds based on academic performance or private scholarships.Private scholarships can be granted to support a student pursuing a certain field of study or can even be given because the student is a member of a cer tain race, gender or religion. In the case of single parents, there are special organizations such as Raise the Nation that awards scholarships to single mothers. What makes Raise the Nation so unique is that not only does it provide scholarship money to the parents to use for their education; it also provides funds for daycare for their children. Of course, certain criteria such as GPA and community involvement are necessary to receive support. Raise the Nation) Some communities have begun to offer scholarships to qualifying single parents as well. One state that has really stepped up is Arkansas. In 1990, Arkansas established the Arkansas Single Parent Scholarship Fund The success rate of Arkansas’ program is astounding; of the 1,150 beneficiaries in 2006 75% are continuing their education or used the scholarship money to complete their degree. Even better news is that looking back on the previous six years, the graduation rate of single mothers that benefited from the Arka nsas Single Parent Scholarship Fund was around 75%. ASPSF 2006 Annual Report). This type of model that Arkansas has laid down can especially be beneficial to single parents in other states. The idea of a community based scholarship fund designed to encourage single parents who yearn for a higher education is something that many people would welcome. Unfortunately, a scholarship program similar to that of Arkansas could not be found at the federal level. However, single parents can take advantage of federal grants, one grant being the Pell Grant.While the Pell Grant is not exclusive to single parents, the program is arranged to help out students with low incomes. Whether or not a student will receive the Pell Grants depends on the Expected Family Contribution , or EFC. The EFC is based on the information that is entered by the student in their Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA, form. (Federal Pell Grant Program 90) Generally speaking, the lower the EFC score the high er amount that the student will receive in financial aid and the Pell Grant.Some of the factors that help a single parent get more aid include, low income, fewer assets and also because many single parents claim Head of Household on their income taxes. Like scholarships, grants do not need to be paid back. With that being said it is the sole responsibility of the student to use these funds wisely. The 1992 Reauthorization of the Higher Education Act (HEA-92) was a great step forward for all students who sought financial aid. This act made it easier for students who were turned down before to obtain funds for their schooling.The HEA-92 has been heralded as a monumental moment in the history of federal financial aid because it really was focused on supporting postsecondary education. While many groups were willing and able to take advantage of this act, one group’s numbers declined, that group was single parents. In a study that was conducted by The US Department of Education, Single parents who received financial aid declined from 94% in 1990 to a grim 79% by 2000. One theory as to why the big plunge is being blamed on the fact that the EFC for single parents had increased from $800 to $1,300 even though it decreased for almost everyone else. Hartle 19-21) What this meant was that more single parents now had to join the workforce to not only provide for their families, but to pay for their education. With the HEA 92 in place, single parents who really wanted to continue their education had to seek other methods to get money which came in the form of Stafford Loans. Stafford Loans are available directly from the US Department of Education. There are two types of loans that are popular among students, subsidized and unsubsidized loans. The difference between the two has to do the interest that is being charged on the loan.The interest on the subsidized loan is paid by the federal government while the student is attending school. Also during the students en rollment, the do not have to make payments on the loan until the student graduates. Unsubsidized loans begin to accrue interest from the time that the loan is paid out to the school and the student is responsible for that interest. To obtain both of these loans, the student must be enrolled at least half time. (Stafford Loan) These types of loans can be beneficial to single parents who must work to make ends meet at home and want to go to school also.Even after the single parent has finished their studies and are on their way to a rewarding career, they can still qualify for loan forgiveness. Loan forgiveness programs are being offered from an employer and other organizations. For instance, if you are a teacher, you might agree to teach in an impoverished area in exchange for loan deferment. If you teach for the agreed period of time, your loan is then forgiven. With the availability of scholarships, loans and grants, single parents can improve their educational prospects for themse lves and their families.While our society is not necessarily exactly where we would all want it to be, one can be hopeful that future social policies that promote educational opportunities for single parents will increase. Education is important for single parents and their children. There are many educational programs for this reason. To assist single parents in their parenting, places like school districts, churches and non-profits provide classes to educate them on parenting skills such as meal preparation, food budgeting, emergencies, etc. These classes not only help educate, but they also help with emotional needs.The website ericdigests. org describes programs that aid parents in literacy, counseling, job placement and college education. There are also programs for the children of single parents. Some organizations have programs that involve education and scholarships where children can take month long courses that vary from the areas of arts to computers to sports. Some of th e most significant programs for single parents are college programs. It is often necessary for single parents to have college education in order to obtain jobs that will support their family.Endicott College has a program called Keys to Degrees which is for single men and women between the ages of 18 and 24 who have young children. This program enables them to take advantage of the opportunity to attain undergraduate degrees while being provided with campus housing and other support coinciding with their specific needs. Wilson College has a program called Women with Children that provides yearly housing to mothers with children any age over 20 months. This allows the women to pursue a fulltime education. Other colleges have similar Women with Children programs, but have different requirements.Misericordia University’s Women with Children program has less requirements and offers their programs to women of all ages with no restrictions on the age or amount of children the woman has. Saint Paul’s College has a Single Parent Support System program. Parents desiring to be a part of this program must have two or less children between the ages of 2 months and 9 years and must maintain a GPA of 2. 5. If they are able to fulfill the requirements they are provided with yearly housing allowing them to pursue a fulltime education and obtain a degree within three to four years.Most colleges have online programs that allow single parents to get their college education at home where they can still care for their children. These are just a few of the college programs available to single parents, there are a plethora of others. These programs have high value to single parents. Along the lines of education, it is a common belief that the grades of most children of single parents are not as high as those of children with two parents. This has been proven. Research has shown that children of single parents are likely to have lower IQs than those who have two parents .Research has also shown that single parent children are more likely to drop out of school, three times more likely. It is possible that one of the reasons for lower academic achievements in children of single parents is that the parents spend less time with their children, discipline in a less consistent manor and have less control over their children than two parents together. Single parents are often working more than two parents to support their children which results in less time spent with children and less involvement in their life.It has been proven that children with parents who are less involved in their life and education are more likely to have lower academic achievement. Income is another risk factor and because single parents don’t have the support of another person, it is possible for them to make less money. Research shows when single parent families receive child support, the children are more likely to have higher academic achievement than children of famili es that don’t receive child support. An interesting fact is that children in mother absent homes get lower science grades than those in father absent homes.Overall single parent children find it more difficult to connect with school. Since single parents have less time to spend with their children, care for their children while they work is necessary. Some day care programs are educational and run through the schools of the children. Programs like Kids Club are after school programs that can assist single parents. Some Kids Club programs are free while others charge five dollars per day. They are open every day and some schools keep the programs running through summer.Children can go right after school since the program is on campus and parents can pick their children up around six at night. Though these programs are not specifically for single parents, they are extremely useful for single parents. They allow the parent to complete their work day without having to worry about their child and the child can participate in activities, some of which are learning experiences. 2. US Government In 1996 Congress proposed a new policy titled â€Å"Temporary Assistance to Needy Families† in response to the failed AFDC program by implementing work requirements and time limits for recipients.Bill Clinton signed the new law hoping it would move more people off the welfare rolls and into the work force to alleviate both the burden of government spending on welfare and to bolster the economy. Many people opposed the new legislation out of fear that it would wreak havoc in our nation’s cities, and many innocent children would suffer and ultimately be exploited. Opponents were quoted saying â€Å"it would liken our streets to those of Brazil†¦Ã¢â‚¬  The effects of the TANF policy have been hard to determine. In a study conducted 10 years after the 1996 reform policy, shows a stark contrast to the years of the AFDC.Caseloads declined and a majority o f recipients have gone on and have been removed off the welfare rolls, though they still receive subsidy care such as housing, child care, food assistance and health insurance. Many are actively engaged in the workforce and what was predicted by welfare reform opponents never came to pass. Teen pregnancy, a huger predictor of welfare dependency has slowly begun to decline. Critics agree that though case load decline is impressive it is not an accurate indicator of welfare reform success.They feel success would be measured by the amount of people getting off welfare rolls, into the work place and no longer in need of government subsidy programs including housing, food, and medical assistance. But the reality is a majority of the recipients leaving the welfare rolls are still reliant on those programs to stay just above the poverty line. In the end we find it hard to determine whether or not the welfare program has helped people stay above the poverty level or has actually kept them f rom moving forward.Living in America can be a great blessing to almost anyone that is either naturally born American or migrates to the states for better life. In foreign countries, many people wish they lived the â€Å"American Dream† life that is so well spoken of. Although the media portrays it to be easily achievable, it is not. It can be obvious to some that living any type of â€Å"good life† can take a lot of hard work and commitment to achieve it. Unfortunately, many American families break on their journey to achieve the infamous dream. For whatever reason the family might break, it usually is left with some types of dilemmas.The most popular dilemma of them all is the financial problems it gets left with, especially for the single parent who is left in charge of the children. Now a days it’s not only the women who are left in charge of the children after a divorce, statistics show more and more fathers are left with the care of their broken family. And the majority is left stuck in a financial nightmare that leaves them with no choice but to seek some type of help, and typically the number one choice is government aid. Government programs tend to give families a bad reputation.It singles the family out into the helpless status, working class part of society. Although America insists that we are a classless society, it can be proven false. Society tends to consciously and subconsciously label every person, every family into some sort of class. Some of the American society has been known to believe that government help is the best thing America has; yet, a lot of people think vice versa. Bottom line is that thanks to all the different types of aid there is out there, it has definitely helped out all types of families struggling to make everyday ends meet.Just like all things, there will be people out there who do make a good living, yet some tend to lie their way into getting the aid they say they need. These types of programs were not created with any intention to make a family dependant on it. They were made to help. People who abuse the help is never right, but it shouldn’t affect the people who are seeking the help they need for the right reason in a negative way that society portrays it to be. There is a long list of government programs. On example is the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) or the TANF Bureau.According to â€Å"http://ezinearticles. com/? Government-Grants-For-Single-Parents&id=2673848†, it is a program that offers government grants for single parents so that their children can be properly taken care of in a home environment. Plus it assists single parents' in developing job skills and building strong family units. Another form of single parent government grant is the Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF). The CCDF is a nationwide assistance program that is administrated by state governments.Each state has their own unique eligibility requirement, so a singl e parent must apply through their local town or county social service department. Both of these are popular choices single families tend to seek for, and according to their personal experiences, it has helped them out immensely. At the end of the day, there are families who regrettably cannot support their family the way they wish they could. Some of them have extenuating circumstances that leaves them with no choice but to ask for the help. Again, no program is perfect anywhere one looks.It does not matter whether it is in a well-developed country or not. There will always be something or someone who will unwillingly turn something positive into a negative. 3. International The united states has its share of hardships but how are situations like this dealt with in different countries. we researched two countries other than the united states, one a third world country the other a more middle class civilized country. Italy has always been a coun try of my interest since it is my coun try of origin, so that is the one I chose to research.Italy is known for their romance not they're high rate of single parent families in fact italy has one of the lowest rates in Europe. In fact the amount of single parent households in italy has remained unchanged . the families counted might even be the ones counted the first time around. SInce 1971 there have been repot of 467,000 single parent households in italy. The european government has established a few programs to help single parents overcome the financial burden of raising a child. One of which is called REMO(reciprocal enforcement of maintenance orders).This is used only in situations where the partner lives outside whichever country one lives in. They too have child support and programs such as the ESA(employment and support agency) in case of a disability these people help you stay on track. They also have job grants an tax free money that they give to parents receiving benefits for one or ore children. Italy as well as other european countries are far more advanced than places such as Africa. They have the same benefits or almost the same help for single parents as we do here. Being a single parent is hard for anybody; however, living on virtually othing in a country with hardly any income can cause some seriously detrimental issues. South Africa has some of the highest rates of divorce, single parenthood, and poverty in the world. These horrendous hardships combined create a nationwide epidemic that contagiously affects generation after generation. Although there are single fathers as well as mothers in South Africa, the percentage of single mothers is significantly higher than fathers. There are a plethora of causes for single parenthood in South Africa. Some of which are larger factors than others.There is of course the universal causes that result in a single parent, which include: separation or divorce, death and pregnancy out of wedlock. However, some of the larger causes that are more p revalent in South Africa, and third world countries in general, involve the ever rising epidemic of AIDS/HIV that affects countless families throughout South Africa. AIDS/HIV is rapidly killing people aged, 19-45 in South Africa and is increasing everyday. There are approximately more than 10 million children in South Africa who have died from AIDS.According to Professor Clifford Odimgegwu, Professor of the University of Witwatersrand in Southern Africa, â€Å"the grandparents are currently taking care of the orphans from parents who have died of this disease†. This creates a massive burden on the elderly who are even more so unable to provide for a child. The ever-present family destroyer, â€Å"divorce† has been splitting families in South Africa at an alarming rate. â€Å"Increased numbers of divorced in South Africa have also created more single-parent families†(Agarwal) than ever seen before.Statistics show that â€Å"(2009) seven million children are grow ing up with single mothers outnumbering the 6. 2 million-about 34% of the country’s children-who live with both parents†¦which shows that divorce is responsible for most of the estimated 40% of South Africa’s 18 million children being raised by single mothers†(261, Bojuwoye). Due to ongoing never-ending civil and foreign wars throughout South Africa, fathers being called to war create a heavy amount of women left to take care of the children and even at times extended family.As well as taking the father and the income away from the family, war leads unfortunately to many cases of rape that results in pregnancy. With such high rates of fertility in South Africa and such a deficit in contraceptives, it is not surprising that this creates women who have unwanted children who they are unable to care for. According to family counselor and single parenting expert Abhishek Agarwal, â€Å"a 2000 report on the ‘State of South Africa’s Population’ showed that the need for contraception for adult women and teenagers in rural areas fat outstrips the availability of contraceptive education and supplies†.A third reason for the absence of the father is the high rates of unemployment and inability to find work in rural areas. In some cases, fathers have been forced to leave the family home to find work across the country’s borders. This leaves the mother to fend for herself and her dependants. This can lead to extreme poverty, which can force single parents to abandon their children. Many South African mothers’ reasoning for abandonment is the fact that foster parents receive more financial support than do single parents.To the parent, this may seem like the most logical choice, to gamble their child’s survival on the small chance they’re put into a well-financed foster family. Regrettably, there are almost no government-funded programs designed to assist single-parent families in South Africa. Th e closest form of financial aid towards single-families is the State Maintenance Grant, which is directed towards 4 categories of state: the elderly, persons with disabilities, social relief, and child and family care.Towards mothers, she will be eligible only â€Å"if she has applied for financial support from her partner or the father of her children through a magistrate’s court, and has been unable to get it; or if she was widowed, deserted or under certain other conditions†(â€Å"The Report of the Lund Committee on Child and Family Support†). The government is currently working on new bills that would call for less restricted protocols, higher amounts, and a wider distribution of help towards these women.There are however, other non-government programs worldwide that target single-parent families in South Africa. There is a program that is run by the non-government organization SOS Children. This organization supplies vocational training courses (including b eadwork and dressmaking) to single parents. They are taught trades where they can make and sell products. They also give some single parents grants to start businesses of their own. There is also the FAMSA, an organization in South Africa, which helps out in counseling of individuals regardless of financial status.Lastly, there is an organization that originated in Rwanda and became it’s first non-government organization supporting parents without partners. Tabara Africa’s main objectives are to 1) set up single parent networks, 2) increase child welfare by increasing accerss to health care, education and other basic rights which low-9ncome families often go without, 3) assist single parent emplyment by supporting vocational training and single-parent work cooperatives without compromising child welfare, and 4) lobbying to make this a government issue and influencing policies which affect the welfare of single-parent families.Hopefully these and many other organization s out there can come together to make a difference for the tragic conditions which single-parents live in South America (Woolley). 4. Emotions With that said its probably acceptable to say parenting is never easy. There is no â€Å"on the job training†, when you walk into parenthood. It’s with basic information shared by friends or family. Children don’t come with instructions. When being a single parent all the responsibilities fall on one set of shoulders. Parenting is hard and painful. Singles have to be strong play the role of the mom and dad.Dealing with money as a single parent can be very stressful. One income and one parent as head of a household and to pay for the cost of supporting a family is hard. Dealing with the ex- spouse, with added stress for the children, bills, and work can pull on your emotions. As a single parent you are also isolated. Emotional distress can also affect a single parent; this can easily be conquered by allowing yourself go th rough an emotional process aided by a professional. The emotional process is management of emotion from denial, anger, depression, bargaining, and until you reach acceptance.In our modern society a single mother’s value is often overlooked and worse taken for granted. Usually children are raised in two parent’s homes. Most single mothers live the treadmill existence. They work at least one full- time job and often part time job in order to satisfy the financial needs of the family. Single moms rarely get a full night of sleep much less time for relaxation or enjoying the social side of life. As singles mothers we can’t give in to feelings of guilt or shame. There are many advantages in being a single parent and there are support groups that help single parents.There are many emotional stages when being a single parent. You feel angry, depressed, betrayed, happy and anxious. In being a single parent you are the mother and the father. To be a successful parent you need to take care of yourself, be healthy, be confident, save money, and attend support groups, and balance work and parenting. Not only do single parents suffer emotionally but the children do as well. When parents split up children usually become aggressive or badly behaved. Their behavior was linked to living in a broken home.There are different situations as of being a single parent (divorce, adoption, artificial insemination, surrogate motherhood, death, child abuse, or abandonment). In being a single parent as for me there are lots of programs that can assist you. It is hard emotional in being a single parent from my experience but I attend support groups to help me emotionally and I recommend it to other singles as well. 5. Statistics Single parents can vary in terms of not only being a single mother, or a single father, but also varies within race and age. According to Custodial Mothers and Fathers and Their Child Support, there are about 13. million single parents in the U nited States today. These parents are responsible for raising 21. 8 million children and approximately 26% of children in the United States today, is under the age of 21. Throughout the years, many people believed that mothers are more likely to be a single parent. Around 84% of custodial parents are mothers, and 16% of custodial parents are fathers. Of the mothers who are custodial parents, 45% are currently divorced or separated, 34. 2% have never been married, 19% are married, including women who have been remarried, and 1. 7% were widowed.In the father‘s case, 57. 8% are divorced or separated, 20. 9% have never married, 20% are currently married, again including those who have been remarried, and fewer than 1% were widowed. Although it’s difficult to raise their children as a single parent, both single mothers and single fathers need to be employed in order to efficiently raise their kids. 79. 5% of custodial single mothers are employed, of that percentage, 49. 8% w ork full time year round, and 29. 7% work part-time or part-year. 90% of custodial single fathers are employed, 71. 7% work full time, year round and the remaining 18. % work part-time or part-year. Men's income tend to rise by an average of 31% after separation. Women and children's income on the other hand, falls by an average of 12% after separation. Just because an individual is a single parent, does not mean that they will be struggling and in poverty. About 27% of custodial single mothers and their children live in poverty whereas 12. 9% of custodial single fathers and their children live in poverty. Those that are struggling can refer to government help in order to â€Å"get by† with their troubles. Among single mothers, 22% receive Medicaid, 23. % receive food stamps, 12% receive some form of public housing or rent subsidy, and 5% receive Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, also known as TANF. Each ethnicity and race differs as well. Certain races have more singl e mothers than the other, and single fathers seem to be smaller in general. 50% of African American children live in single parent families, which tend to be with the mother, 25% of Hispanic children live with a single mother, 16% of non-Hispanic white children live with a single mother, 10% of Asian children live with a single mother, and 4-5% of children of all races live with a single father.Another factor would be age, 74% of single parents are women that are aged 30 years and older. The average age would be around 36 years of age. 24% of single mothers are under 30 years, 13% of single mothers are under 25 years, and 2% are under 20 years. 39. 1% of custodial single mothers are 40 years old or older. Among females, 54% of custodial mothers are raising one child from the absent parent and 46% have two or more children living with them. Children will be without a doubt affected by the separation of their parents.Whether they are born into a family of just one parent or if they se parate after the child is in the picture already. 1 in 3 is born to unmarried parents and 1 in 4 lives with only one parent. Unfortunately, 1 in 2 children will live in a single parent family at some point in childhood. Due to the fact that so many teenagers are getting pregnant and having kids at such a young age, 1 in 8 is born to a teenage mother. The majority of teenage pregnancy are unplanned and resort to the child being born into a â€Å"broken family† with just one parent being present. in 25 lives with neither parent, sorry to say that some kids don’t live with neither of their parents, but just because this happens, it does not mean that it is a bad thing. Adoption can always be a good thing, especially if the biological parents are not stable enough to take care of their child. The emotional, financial, and mental stability of children are in jeopardy in these non-nuclear family homes. since the great majority of homes are non-traditional we never help but w onder how the single parents do it. they manage to be mom and dad in one.A little insight is always good because you never know what’s set for you're future. Sometimes its good to walk a mile in someone else's shoes.