How to raise self-esteem Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

How to raise self-esteem - Essay Example Theories have viewed self esteem as a basic human need or motivation (Maslow, 1987). This paper will discuss how people may raise their self esteem, with an emphasis on single, homeless mothers. Experiences in people’s lives are key factors of self esteem development. The negative or positive life experiences people have create attitudes toward the self which may be favorable, developing positive self worth feelings. They may also be unfavorable, developing negative self worth feelings. Single mothers go through emotional experiences like feelings of isolation and loneliness (Jordan, Spencer, & Zanna, 2003). The frustrations accompanied by being a single mother may lead to harmful levels of anxiety and stress, which can also affect the children. Dwelling on events that led to single motherhood and blaming oneself makes the process of gaining self esteem and moving on difficult. To assist single mothers improve their self esteem, and, therefore, reduce stress in their lives, they need encouragement to change how they view themselves. Practicing tolerance on themselves is a key point, which starts by accepting their strengths and weaknesses as part and parcel of them ( Jordan, Spencer, & Zanna, 2003). They should then employ the use of power of positive thinking while focusing on successful parts of their lives, which could be a devoted family or the influence they have once had in their community. Another step towards building high self esteem is learning to accept positive and constructive criticism (Branden, 2001). Criticism need not be seen as diminishing, rather as an eye opener to what individuals can improve in themselves. Single mothers should take the initiative to invite and accept criticism and use it to change and improve their overall image (Jordan, Spencer, & Zanna, 2003). Those with low esteem must learn to set challenges and goals for themselves and be optimistic about achieving them. Failure

Define empowerment, capacity building and participation

Define empowerment, capacity building and participation in the context of your research. Describe the dependent and independent variables in your research and justify the relationship between the dependent and independent variables. The understanding of the concept of empowerment varies among disciplines. It is a cross-disciplinary term, mainly used in fields of Education, Psychology, Community Development, Economics, among others. Based on this many meanings of the term, it has been seen as a construct easy to define by its absence but difficult to define in action, based on the fact that it takes different forms in different people and contexts (Rappoport, cited in Page Czuba, 1999). Therefore, how we define empowerment within our projects and programs will depend upon the specific people and context involved. In the context of community development, a general definition of empowerment was proffered by Page Czuba (1999) as follows: Empowerment is a multi-dimensional social process that helps people gain control over their own lives. It is a process that fosters power (that is, the capacity to implement) in people, for use in their own lives, their communities, and in their society, by acting on issues that they define as important. From the above definition, three basic components are necessary to any understanding of empowerment, namely multi-dimensional, social, and a process. By multi-dimensional, empowerment is frequently connected to the four development dimensions of equity, capacity building, participation and self-reliance. According to Adams (2002) these four dimensions are regarded as the common denominators in most definitions of empowerment and debates regarding the role of empowerment in the development process. It also occurs at various levels, such as individual, group, and community. And it is a social process because it occurs in relationship to others. Embedded in this definition of empowerment is that the individual and community are fundamentally connected. The importance of individual empowerment is such that it is a prerequisite for community and social change and empowerment (Speer Hughey, 1995), and a bridge to community connectedness and social change (Wilson, 1996). With specific reference to the current study which looks at Youth development as a strategy for Poverty reduction, empowerment in this case entails the acquisition of power and the ability to give it effect (Swanepoel, 1997). Theron (2005) buttresses this view by looking at empowerment in terms of dual perspectives, namely empowerment as a process of skills and abilities development; and secondly, empowerment as a process that equips people to decide on and take action regarding the issues of concern to them. In the same vein, Burkly (1993) states that empowerment is a process that releases power to the people which they can use to access resources in order to achieve desirable goals. Although empowerment as a concept can be examined in the context of both individual and collective aspects, the concept as used here is operative at the individual level, rather than collective or organizational. While individual empowerment relates to the way people think about themselves, as well as the knowledge, capacities, skills, and mastery they actually possess (Staples, 1990, p. 32), collective empowerment refers to processes by which individuals join together to break their solitude and silence, help one another, learn together, and develop skills for collective action (Boehm Staples, 2004). For the purpose of this study, empowerment is defined as a process whereby individuals develop the skills and capacity for gaining some reasonable control over their lives. From the foregoing, empowerment in the context of this study does not only imply capacity building, by which is meant the building up of peoples knowledge, skills, and ability to enable them take actions correctly, it (empowerment) is also an effect of this process of capacity building where the individual participants of the capacity building process overcome their poverty situation and attain self-determination. Self-determination is consistent with notions of personal control (Greenberg Strasser, 1991); and it refers to an individuals sense of control over his or her own work (Wagner, 1995). As a major component of individual empowerment, self-determination is most frequently reported in the literature (Sprague Hayes, 2000). Fetterman (1996, p.92) believes that self-determination, defined as the ability to chart ones own course in life, forms the theoretical foundations of the components of individual empowerment. Against this background, the individual participants, who have become self employed and are economically empowered, having acquired skills via capacity building, are enabled to be in control of their lives. Therefore, empowerment here is an outcome of the process of capacity building. Individual empowerment is a development that involves many changes whereby an individual is able to strengthen and exercise the ability to act to gain control over his or her life. Hence, the goal of individual empowerment is to achieve a state of emancipation strong enough to impact ones power in life. Capacity Building As with the concepts of globalization, development, and sustainability, the term capacity building is an ambiguous concept that means different things to different people, groups and organizations. Although many people use these terms, their definitions do not conform to the same, as each puts emphasis on a certain aspect of capacity development (James, 2001). However, definitions of capacity building emphasize that capacity building is a tool to build and improve the skills, resources and ability of people to implement, monitor and assess a project. The United Nations (UNDP, 1997) sees capacity building as a process by which individuals, groups and organizations, institutions and societies increase their abilities to perform core functions, solve problems and define and achieve objectives; to understand and deal with their development needs in a broad context and in a sustainable manner. Eade (1997) sees capacity building as an approach to development which encompasses all the fields that influence the development sphere. In this approach to development, capacity building identifies the weaknesses that people experience in achieving their basic rights, and finding proper means through which to increase their ability to overcome the causes of their exclusion and suffering. In the context of this study, capacity building comprises the skills acquisition that the youth undergo in the process of their empowerment. Capacity building here is an intervening variable, which by its nature surfaces between the time the independent variable (participation) starts operating to influence the dependent variable (empowerment). It helps to explain the relationship between the IV DV. Thus, by participating in the development programmes, youth are equipped with the capacity, skills, knowledge that will enable them become economically empowered, employable and self-employed, thereby reducing unemployment and poverty among them. Capacity building as used in the study is not concerned about implementing a project or enhancing a particular aspect of life; it is a comprehensive empowerment process which builds the capability of people with relevant skills needed to find meaning in their lives. Consequently, the concept of capacity building as used in the study is a process where people are developed in order to manage themselves. To this end, empowerment of the participants becomes the ultimate output of capacity building process. On this understanding of capacity building as a process, Eade and Williams (1995) elaborate the concept as: Men and women becoming empowered to bring about positive changes in their lives; about personal growth together with public action; about both the process and the outcome of challenging poverty, oppression and discrimination; and about the realization of human potential through social and economic justice. Above all, it is about the process of transforming lives, and transforming societies. In this process of capacity building, people acquire the skills, which in turn create an avenue for them as individuals and as members of the community to achieve their development objectives and improve the quality of their lives. Hence, capacity building is a response to community development needs. Participation Participation is one of the essential aspects of community development associated with empowerment. It is a people-oriented approach to development, where people play an important role by feeling a high degree of ownership; and are subjects rather than objects in the process of their development. According to De Beer and Swanepoel (1998), participation leads to empowerment and empowerment results in vulnerable people or oppressed groups achieving sufficient power or authority to be able to influence decisions that affect their lives and livelihoods, so that they can attain ownership of their lives. Participation in this study is the input variable or independent variable, where, through involvement in youth development programmes like auto mechanics, electrical work, and welding, the participants acquire the capacity (skills, knowledge and training) that enable them to become self-employed and employable. By participating in the programmes, youth have enhanced their capacity to alleviate poverty. They have also built partnership with others by widening their employment opportunities. As marginalized members of the society, being involved in their development programmes enabled them to voice their concerns, hopes, and grievances. Adams (2008) asserts that participants are able to contribute to their development by giving feedback on programmes that are aimed at them. With empowerment in mind, the youth are able to collaborate with the project providers, thereby paving way for a more active role, having greater choice, exercising more power, and contributing in decision-making and management (Adams, 2008, p.17). Their participation has also broadened their support network, resulting in opening up new opportunities through programme development and social action. By participating in their development process, youth not only gain skills and knowledge, but also gain self-confidence, pride, initiative, responsibility and cooperation which without such development components in people all efforts to alleviate poverty will be difficult. An important attribute of participation is community empowerment, which requires a people-centered approach that culminates in self-reliance. Chambers and Freire (1996, p. 77) envisage that participation and empowerment can enable the poor to express and analyze both their individual and shared multiple realities. According to the World Health Organization (2002), community members should participate in their development because they have a right to have a say about decisions that affect their lives; and will also lead to better decisions being made, which are more appropriate and more sustainable because they are owned by the people themselves. Dependent and Independent variables of the study The conceptual framework below illustrates the variables of the study Youth empowerment as a strategy for poverty reduction in Niger Delta, Nigeria. In a nutshell, participation is the independent variable, where youth, through their involvements in skills acquisition programmes in auto mechanics, electrical work and welding develop/acquire the capacity in skills, training, knowledge and competence that led to their empowerment (DV); hence, becoming economically empowered, self-empowered and having a reduction in poverty. Empowerment Economic Empowerment Self-employment Individual Empowerment Unemployment reduction Poverty reduction Participation Involvement in youth development programmes Capacity Building Skills Knowledge Awareness Competence * Sense of community Input Auto mechanics Electrical work Welding a. Independent variable: Participation Based on the definitions and framework given above, the concept of participation will be the independent variable (IV) of the study, which will be manipulated in order to determine its influence or effect on the dependent variable (DV). As an input variable which influences the dependent variable, participation of the youth in development programmes will constitute the IV of the study, to see their relationship with the dependent variable. In other words, the youth participation in such programmes as auto mechanics, electrical work and welding will be operated to see how they lead to empowerment, which is the DV. Participation as employed in the study therefore is the social element whose characteristics or variations shape and determine the dependent variable. In other words, it is through the participants involvement in the development programmes that they are eventually empowered. Thus, participation causes the outcome of involvement in development programme which is empowerment (the DV). Economic empowerment b. Dependent variable: Empowerment Self-employment Unemployment reduction The dependent variable (DV) is a variable of primary interest to the researcher, whose task is to understand and describe it (the DV). And it is through the analysis of the dependent variable that the researcher is likely to find answers or solutions to the issues under study which is done by measuring the dependent variable as well as the other variables that influence this variable. In this study, empowerment is the dependent variable (DV) because it is a response to the action of participation (the IV). The DV depends and responds to the action of the IV. Empowerment in this study is the variable that reflects the influence of the independent variable. As illustrated in the framework above, economic empowerment, self-reliance (self-employed), unemployment reduction and poverty reduction are the effects or outcome of participation of youth in development programmes. These outcomes are necessitated by the skills, knowledge, training and competence which the participants have acquired in the process of their capacity building via the development programmes. Capacity building therefore becomes the intervening variable that brings about the effect of the independent variable (participation) on the dependent variable (empowerment). Justification of the relationship of variables The independent and dependent variables are related based on the dependency relationship, where one variable, the dependent variable depends on the independent variable. It is a cause and effect relationship where the DV is an effect of the IV. In this study, empowerment resulted as an effect of participation. Participation (the IV) causes the change (effect) that resulted in the empowerment of the youth. To elaborate further, the relationship of participation (IV) and empowerment (DV) is such that the variation of the IV influences the DV. The dependent variable changes when the independent variable changes the dependent variable depends on the outcome of the independent variable. Further, capacity building relates to both the IV and the DV as an intervening variable by linking the independent and dependent variables. In this study, capacity building resulted as a function or operation of the IV (Participation) and helps to explain the influence of the IV on the DV. Capacity building here explains the relationship that exists between the action of the IV and the DV. As the diagram shows, the participants involvement in the skills development programmes equipped them with the enabling capacity (capacity building skills, knowledge, and training) that led or transformed them into empowered members of the community. 2. Based on the main concepts of your research, provide a theoretical framework that can best explain the research that you will be undertaking. What are the theory/ies that can be used to support your research? Discuss the rationale for choosing the theory/ies and the strengths and weaknesses of the theory/ies. With regard to the main concepts of the research, Keiffers theory of empowerment as a process was considered relevant and suitable for handling the study. The theory illustrates the elements and stages of empowerment as well as the phases that the individuals undergo in the process of acquiring skills, which translate into full realization of empowerment. The theory was considered appropriate for the study as it has been extensively used in several related study. Keiffers theory of empowerment as a process The theory applies to individuals in the process of empowerment; where the (empowerment) process passes through several phases in the participants. It shows the patterns and processes of the participants transition from a state powerlessness to empowerment. The theory is suitable to this research, which focuses on empowering the youth of the Niger Delta, who are ravaged by poverty and unemployment, coupled with what Keiffer (1984) referred to as a feeling of alienation from resources for social influence, an experience of disenfranchisement and economic vulnerability, and a sense of hopelessness in socio-political struggle. Understanding empowerment in the light of Keiffers theory starts by examining the concepts of power and powerlessness (Moscovitch Drover, 1981). Power is conceived as a multi-dimensional social process that helps people gain control over their lives (Page Czuba, 1999, p. 25). The Cornell Empowerment Group (1989, p.2) define power as the capacity of some persons and organizations to produce intended, foreseen and unforeseen effects on others. Underscoring the need to produce these expectations or effects on others, some sources of power were identified as a panacea. Moscovitch and Drover (1981), for instance believe that the class-dominated nature of our society indicates that a small proportion of the people have enormous economic and political power as opposed to the greater number of the people that have little or none. Therefore, power is required to influence the outcome of life events. On the other hand, powerlessness is seen as an objective phenomenon, where people with little or no political and economic power lack the means to gain greater control and resources in their lives (Albee, 1981). Keiffer sees powerlessness at the individual level as the expectation of the individual that his or her own actions will be ineffective in influencing the outcome of life events (Keiffer, 1984). Lerner (1986) distinguished between real and surplus powerlessness. While real powerlessness emanates from economic inequities and oppressive control exercised by systems and other people, surplus powerlessness derives from an internalized belief that change cannot occur a belief which results in apathy and an unwillingness of the person to struggle for more control and influence. Keiffers (1984) effort on individual empowerment is one of the prominent studies which examine individual empowerment as a process. He conceives empowerment as a developmental process which consists of four stages: entry, advancement, incorporation, and commitment. These stages are: era of entry (characteristics: powerlessness, sense of integrity, rootedlessness, sense of attachment, and support within a caring community of peers, experience of injustice); era of advancement (centrality of mentoring relationships, more critical understanding of social and political relations); era of incorporation (developed self concept, increased strategic ability, and matured critical comprehension, improved organizing and leadership skills, and constructed survival skills); and era of commitment (application of new abilities to the reality and structure of everyday life worlds, commitment to adapting recent empowerment to continuing proactive community mobilization and leadership) (Keiffer, 1984). From the above, the individual is prompted at the entry level by his or her experience of certain disturbing self or family situation, which Keiffer refers to as an act of provocation. The advancement stage possesses three important characteristics that are necessary to the progress of continuing the empowerment process, namely, a mentoring relationship; supportive peer relationships with a collective organization; and the development of a more critical understanding of social and political relations. While the focal point of the third stage is the development of a growing political consciousness, the era of commitment, which is the fourth stage is such that the acquired participatory competence is applied by participants to ever expanding areas of their lives. Consequently, Keiffer believes that empowerment at the individual level is the experience of gaining increasing control and influence in daily life and community participation (Keiffer, 1984). A major strength of this theory is that the author worked on the premise that the existence of powerlessness or alienation is a given at the very first step of individual empowerment; and this underscores the need for participation in view of acquiring skills. As with the area under study which requires a source of power to alleviate their poverty and unemployment, the author confirms that such a state of powerlessness becomes evident prompting a group of empowerment agents recognizing the alienated and oppressed. In this first stage of empowerment, both the alienated and the empowerment agents have come to true knowledge of the formers powerlessness, coupled with such social pathologies as disadvantages, oppression, alienation, and stratification. The process of participation, thus, was both empowering and advanced in the process of empowerment for the participants. As participants got involved in development programmes, they see it as a process towards the reduction of their povert y. It is in this way that participation advanced the process of individual empowerment (Keiffer, 1984). On capacity building, the theory underscores the fact that the transition towards individual empowerment was an exceptionally ongoing process towards skills acquisition. And that the skills which the participants acquired will function as catalysts for the empowerment process, making them become aware of their own capacities and developing new directions for themselves while in the process of emancipating from the experience of powerlessness. Here participants have to gain the skills and the potential to change their circumstance. As participants gain mastery over their lives and learn and utilize skills, which are the skills (capacity) for gaining some reasonable control over their lives, they become empowered. With the foregoing, individuals become empowered when they develop capabilities to overcome their social obstacles and attain self-determination. Self-determination, defined as the ability to chart ones own course in life (Fetterman, 1996) is repeatedly presented in the literature and considered as a sole and vital component of individual empowerment (Sprague Hayes, 2000). Boehm and Staples (2004) advocated mastery and self-determination as the components of individual empowerment. Mastery is understood as: full control over someone or something, and through in-depth understanding or greater skills, can be a variety of types, such as physical mastery, mastery of emotion and behavior, mastery of information and decision making, mastery of social system, efficient mastery of time, mastery as connected to autonomy and individual freedom, and planning mastery, thus enabling consumers to prevent negative situations and to actualize positive ones (Boehm Staples, 2004). As components of individual empowerment, self-determination is associated with the power that enables individuals to meet the challenges of different life situations; mastery on the hand is concerned with increased levels of the individuals ability to understand reality and the capacity to make decisions that impact the conditions and quality of life. Conversely, one of the limitations of Keiffers theory is the fact that it did not elaborate how the individuals impact their community with their acquired participatory competence. He limited individual empowerment as the experience of gaining increasing control and influence in daily life and community participation. It was earlier noted that sustaining involvement in participation deepens the competence and control of the participants leading to the advancement of the process of personal empowerment (Keiffer, 1984). Although empowerment can exist at the individual level, yet one would have expected that the theory incorporated how the participatory competence can impact the larger community bearing in mind that community development entails improving the community life in its wider sense. Another weakness of the theory emanates from a theme which the theorist identified as underlying the movement through all phases of the empowerment process: the view that conflicts and growth are inextricably intertwined (Keiffer, 1984). The suggested dynamics of praxis advocated by the theorist for resolving these conflicts may, after all, be time-consuming and ineffective in the empowering process. Praxis, for him: refers to the circular relationship of experience and reflection through which actions evoke new understandings, which then provokes new actionsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ The building up of skills only progresses through repetitive cycles of action and reflection. In other words, crucial for the building of empowerment is time and practice (Keiffer). There is a likelihood that conflict may degenerate and also prove irresolvable by the praxis within a given period of empowerment process; thereby hampering the skills developing process of participants which should have a time frame. 3. Compare and contrast 2 different research methods (qualitative and quantitative) that might be used in your study. For each approach, discuss: how the research question are formulated/arrived at (what kind of questions are posed) the approach to data collection; the approach to data analysis; how the findings might be triangulated; and how the findings might be presented and discussed. There are two broad approaches in the collection of information for research purposes, namely quantitative and qualitative methods. A basic understanding of both methods will be highlighted to show their differences. First quantitative data: It is an objective, formal, systematic process in which the enquiry is based on numerical data findings. It derives from the scientific method used in the physical sciences (Cormack, 1991). Quantitative method describes, tests, and examines cause and effect relationships (Burns Grove, 1987), using a deductive process of knowledge attainment (Duffy, 1985). In other words, it tests theories deductively from existing knowledge, through developing hypothesized relationships. On the other hand, qualitative research differs from quantitative approach as it develops theory inductively. Qualitative researchers are guided by certain ideas or perspectives regarding the subject to be investigated (Cormack, 1991). It is used as a vehicle for studying the empirical world from the perspective of the subject, not the researcher. Benoliel (1985) buttressed this aspect, describing qualitative research as modes of systematic enquiry concerned with understanding human beings and the nature of their transactions with themselves and with their understandings. The aim of qualitative research is to describe certain aspects of a phenomenon, with a view to explaining the subject of study. Unlike the quantitative method, qualitative research derives from the social sciences such as sociology, anthropology, psychology and philosophy, (Cormack, 1991). For sampling, both research approaches require a sample to be identified which is representative of a larger population of people or objects. Quantitative research employs random selection of the sample from the study population and the random assignment of the sample to the various study groups. Results obtained from random sampling have an advantage, which is an increased likelihood of the findings being generalizable. Its disadvantage stems from the fact that random selection is time-consuming, with the result that many studies use more easily obtained opportunistic sample (Duffy, 1985). This hampers the possibilities of generalization, especially if the sample is too small. Qualitative research uses non-random sampling, which is a selective sample, because of the in-depth nature of studies and the analysis of the data required. Hinton (1987) confirms that the strength of this approach is seen when the sample is well defined, for then it can be generalized to a population at large. A disadvantage of this approach can be suspicion that the researcher could have been influenced by a particular predisposition; hence having a tendency of affecting the generalizability of the study. a. how the research questions are formulated/arrived at (what kind of questions are posed) Based on the statement of the problem, the research questions were formulated with a focus on what the researcher expects to achieve in the study. They show close relationship to the statement of the problem and arise from issues raised in both literature and on the ground, not deviating from the objectives of the study. The questions were arrived at to establish a clear purpose for the research in relation to the chosen field. The issue of manageability was considered in formulating the questions. This relates to the researchers ability to tackle the scope and scale of the project. For instance, the ability to access people and documents from which to collect the data required to answer the questions fully; and whether the data can be accessed within the limited time and resources available to me. b. the approach to data collection This study will adopt both quantitative and qualitative methodologies to collect data, through questionnaire survey and in-depth interview. The study will be primarily quantitative, while the qualitative aspect will complement it in order to increase understanding of the study, and to generate richer and deeper research findings. Both approaches will be concurrently undertaken. The research design therefore relies on a mixed-method approach to investigate the topic under study. The primary method of data collection will be through questionnaires. A Likert scale questionnaire survey will be the major instrument for quantitative data collection; and the questions will be formulated based on the research objectives, as a means of exploring respondents views on the topic under study. Likert scale provides researchers a way of measuring the degree of agreement or disagreement of the respondents to a question. It is also very convenient for the respondents due to the non-ambiguous nature of the format of the questions. The research variable will be measured on a 5-point Likert scale, with a score of 1 representing strongly disagree, and a score of 5 representing strongly agree. A pre-test will be conducted with a convenience sample to ensure the clarity and validity of the questions. Respondents will also be asked to comment on any difficulties encountered in completing the ques

The art of loving :: essays research papers

The Art of Loving is a slim volume of only a little over a hundred pages yet it packs one hell of a punch. Written some fifty years ago, here is a more damning indictment of modern society than anything the existential crowd of Bertrand Russell, Albert Camus or Jean Paul Sartre could cook up. The Art of Loving is a very concise and pithy read, it is written in the terse lucid style of gospel, each word in each line serving a critical function. This is not a writer’s style nor is a critic’s but that of a scientist, impartial and wholly objective – some may think of it as cold. But it is also easy to see that it is written by a man who is completely at ease with his ideas, who has followed them to their natural conclusion – that Love is a dead flower; and only one in a million may ever resurrect it in his or her life. Something as audacious a title as The Art of Loving could only have been pulled off by a man of the calibre of Bertrand Russell, and as a social philosopher, reformer and rebel Erich Fromm is no less great a name. As a psychoanalyst, he diverged from the typical Freudian obsession with unconscious drives and insisted on the importance of economic and social factors for mental well-being. His works are noted for their emphasis on a â€Å"sane society†, one which is based on rational human needs and where individuality is not compromised in the name of economics or authority. Erich Fromm is one of the pivotal figures in the Humanist movement that reared its head for a short flicker after World War II. His highly influential works (including Man for Himself, Escape from Freedom, The Sane Society, etc.) paint the pathetic picture of dazed consumer and encourage a renaissance of new, enlightened values to salvage our humanity. And it’s more than just talk – in The Art of Loving, Fromm quotes effortlessly from Marx, Huxley, Rumi and several religious texts to hammer in his points. Is Love really an art? Undoubtedly, he answers, in as much as Life itself is an art – which has a very nice ring to it, but seems to be a wholly outdated formula – and which is where our problems begin. The world is a Market today, Fromm says, and our whole culture is based on the idea of a â€Å"mutually favourable exchange†.

Development of Islamic Banking and Finance in Singapore

In the context of economy, Singapore s a trade-oriented market economy that basically practices conventional banking system. However, the Islamic banking system has slowly entering the Singapore banking system since the year 2005. The Islamic banking system was not rapidly executed nor accepted because the conventional banking sector has developed well over the period of time. The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MASS) is the responsible entity in helping the progress of Islamic finance in the country. The table provided below is to show some of the comparison between conventional banking system and Islamic banking system Singapore.Additional buyer's stamp duty needs to be paid off by certain groups of people that want to obtain real estates. Additional buyer's stamp duty for certain Islamic transactions involving real estates is removed. Using the usual structures used for tax treatment in conventional banking system. Using Maharajah, Muhammad, and ‘Jar WA lasting structures o n the tax treatment for Islamic financing since 2006. Contribute 75% for annual growth rate of Singapore. Contribute for annual growth rate of Singapore since established and still growing at a fast rate.BACKGROUND Singapore is a highly developed trade-oriented market economy. Singapore economy has been ranked as the most open in the world, least corrupt, most pro- business, with low tax rates (14. 2% of Gross Domestic Product, GAP) and has the third highest GAP in the world; in terms of Purchasing Power Parity (POP), of $318. 9 billion in 2011. Singapore initiated its Islamic finance Journey at the start of the millennium with the watershed decision to give preferential tax treatment for Islamic finance.The Singapore government, in tabling its 2002 budget, announced fiscal incentives under he Financial Sector Incentive (IFS) scheme after realizing the great potential of Islamic finance, especially as a reliable alternative assets class. These fiscal incentives have prompt the estab lishment of several Islamic window operations in the republic, including Standard Charted Bank, HASH, COB, COMB and Mbabane. In 2005, the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MASS) refined its regulations to facilitate the growth of Islamic finance. It also removed the additional stamp duties for certain Islamic transactions involving real estate.To contribute to the development of Islamic nuance, MASS Joined the Islamic Financial Services Board (IFS) and has participated actively in its various working groups and task forces in areas like supervisory review, Islamic money markets, capital adequacy, liquidity management and solvency requirements for tactful operations. In 2006, clarifications were made on the tax treatment for Islamic financing using Maharajah and Sarah with Assistant structures. Singapore-based banks began to offer Maharajah investments and Maharajah financing.In 2007, retail Maharajah investors were accorded the same regulatory protection as conventional depositors. I n 2008, a concessionary tax rate was introduced for qualifying Shari-compliant lending, fund management, tactful and retrieval activities. MAIN PRODUCT Penthouse Singapore is having small domestic market and competition compare to other country, it can still position itself in a niche market in the region. In Islamic finance area, Singapore, through the integrated financial and economic development, can create new opportunities for Islamic finance and other financial products.Monetary Authority of Singapore (MASS) has recognized the characteristic of Singapore policy approach has been to align tax treatment of Islamic contracts with the treatment of conventional financing contracts. Singapore has refined its regulatory framework and tax structures over the years to strengthen its Islamic Finance. In the recent years, Singapore has their eyes on Islamic Finance. There are four profit sharing financial products offered by Islamic financial institution in Singapore which are muskrat, m aturated, maharajah and Sarah.Islamic financial institution in Singapore also offers insurance product namely Tactful. The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MASS) gave its approval to bank to engage in non-financial activities such as commodity trading to promote maharajah transactions. Maharajah is also commonly used in home financing and car financing. Islamic insurance or Tactful is the insurance products of Islamic finance. With more than S$50 million Tactful funds, the Islamic insurance or Tactful has been successful in Singapore. MASS has issued SKU program to provide Shari compliant regulatory assets.The Joint arrangers of the SKU program are the Standard Chartered Bank and The Islamic Bank of Asia (B Asia) and the legal counsel advising the transactions is Allen & Eggshell. The chairman of B Asia, Abdullah Has USAF has stated that this program is significant for being the first reverse inquiry Sarah based SKU from such a high quality issuer in the world and it reflects Singap ore growing competence in support functions for Islamic finance, such as providing the required legal services. Besides that, Singapore has been introduced to the Singapore Unit Trusts Ethical Growth Fund that complies with principle of Shari by Mbabane.Moreover, in May 2008, Singapore was the first-listing of a Shari-compliant exchanged traded fund FEET). MASS Joined the Islamic Financial Services Board (IFS) and participated in various working groups and task forces to contribute to the development of Islamic PROMOTING & MARKETING The global Islamic finance industry has grown to reach some US$I . 3 trillion in total asset size, Singapore has remained committed in introducing Islamic Finance to the island's monetary system when the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MASS) established its S$200 million SKU AAA-Sarah Trust Certificate Issuance Program.The program marked the highest credit quality in the first Islamic finance market of SKU. To view it in a larger context, it is an extre mely huge effort from Singapore Monetary Authority to foster the growth of the country Islamic Finance market. This SKU AAA-Sarah Trust Certificate Issuance Program is one part of a bilateral approach of providing both a favorable regulatory framework and high quality liquidity assets for financial institutions to commerce Islamic Finance transactions, with the main objective of promoting the Islamic Finance market in Singapore.The government's aim is to control the country strength in wholesale banking, asset management and UAPITA markets to tallow Islamic financial service to prosper, in conjunction with the already established conventional financial services available in the island. According to the speech given by Assistant Managing Director of Monetary Authority of Singapore (MASS), Mr.. Eng Sam Sin, the authority hosted initiatives to create an encouraging environment for Islamic financial activities to grow in Singapore.Their basic approach was to level the playing field betw een Islamic and conventional finance as many of the same risks can be found in both. Since 2004, their body has revived clarifications for an increasing number of Shari-compliant financing arrangements and had worked with the industry and other government agencies to ensure that Islamic financial players and end-users are not disadvantaged in terms of taxation. In respond, the range of Islamic financial products available in Singapore has expanded beyond Shari-compliant credit facilities such as SKU.There has been a steady issuance of Sucks and they were aware there are more incoming. Tax incentives were actively introduced by Singapore government to harmonies the tax retirement of certain Shari-compliant financing instruments including the imposition of double stamp duties in Islamic transactions involving real estate in Singapore, and providing the same concessionary tax treatment to income from SKU. In Singapore 2013 Budget, Singapore government has stated about the widening of F inancial Sector Incentive (IFS) Scheme which was forecasted to bright a new light to the island's already established Islamic Finance market.Qualifying Islamic Finance activities under the FSML-lilacs Finance award will be incentive at a 12 percent concessionary tax rate. In 2001, Malaysia's largest bank, Mbabane, started Islamic banking in Singapore with the introduction of Singapore Unit Trusts Ethical Growth Fund while in 2006, the bank introduced a Shari-compliant online savings account and savings UCM checking account that is also complied with the principles of the Shari. Another significant move in the development of Islamic finance was through education.The Singapore Islamic Scholars and Religious Teachers Association (PEERAGES) has announced that some Islamic religious scholars would be trained in banking and finance to assist Singapore aim of becoming a hub for Islamic Finance. RECEPTION & PROBLEMS Singapore financial markets start to see a gradual increase in the Islamic financial products. The global Islamic financial markets are estimated to be valued at approximately IIS$ 1 trillion and also are expected to grow rapidly at an annual rate of 25 per cent. In 2009, the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MASS) is S$ 200 million through SKU AAA-Sarah Trust Certificate Issuance Program.On the next year, the financial market of the Khans National Beebread's increases to S$ 1. 5 billion through SKU Wake. The MASS has adopted a fractional approach by insert new revisions relating to Islamic banking and finance to develop the regulatory framework of Islamic banking and finance in Singapore. They abide the legislation, the Banking Act and Securities and Futures Act and regulations to accommodate and focus the regulation of Islamic banking and finance within the conventional banking in Singapore without any specific reference to Shari.Similarly, the income tax legislation and regulation in Singapore have been adjusted in order to establish a level playing fiel d through practicing same tax treatments and incentives as it is part f conventional financing arrangements. However, there are some barrier that needs to overcome before Singapore developed as an international financial centre for Islamic banking and finance. Firstly, there is still a lack of friendliness of issuers and investors in Singapore with the detailed components and mechanics of Islamic financial products.Thus, they need to increase the financial incentives offered to issuers to attract them to invest more time and resources in practicing themselves on Islamic financial products. Secondly, Islamic banking and finance legal framework in Singapore has not been tasted. While in Malaysia, the Central Bank of Malaysia Act 2009 renders the Central Bank of Malaysia's Shari Advisory Council as the sole authority relating to Islamic banking and finance in Malaysia.Conversely, due to Singapore position as a non-Muslim country, the legislation and regulations touching on Islamic fina ncial instruments are sterilized from religious reference. Singapore also did not have a party that can compliance with the application of Shari principles in the Islamic banking and finance sector. Natural advantages hat are given in Singapore is due to its strong banking regulatory framework, political ability and high-skilled professional workers.

Food Essay Paper (in-N-Out vs Mcdonalds

In-N-Out Burger VS McDonald’s Within today’s modern society we like to have everything when we want and have it at any given time. Growing with that trend, modern fast food places like McDonald’s and In-N-Out Burger have giving their consumers that very thing. Even though In and out and McDonald’s have been around for years, both vary their menus and the way they appeal to their consumers with the change of time. On the west coast, In-N-Out is favored more than it is on the east coast.While McDonald’s is a worldwide company, with restaurants open in France, China, Iraq, and also America. Who is the better franchise; it is time to find out. The American hamburger is an American classic and the most recognizable menu item in the fast food industry. Even though there are many different takes on the types of meats, toppings, and dressings used, the hamburger has been a restaurant regular and historical favorite of both children and adults. The hamburger can even bridge cultural and religious divides.It can unite the masses, and with that being said many people agree that all burgers are not created equal. While McDonald’s is synonymous with happy childhoods and those long bumpy road trips, In-N-Out caters to the majority of young adults past the age of fourteen desires a more sophisticated burger. McDonald’s Quarter Pounder with cheese is the most popular hamburger at the famous fast food restaurant. Before people try In-N-Out, the Quarter pounder brings as much joy to people as any burger could.The half pound of beef drenched in cheese, stuffed between a sesame seed bun, garnished with thick cut onions, and a squirt of ketchup are a stunning combination for any occasion. Unfortunately, it is also usually waiting for customers before they even have a chance to order it. On an off day the bread can be stiff, the meat is dry and the cheese is slick. The dehydrated shredded lettuce is poured from plastic bags daily. Cus tomers found a way around this by masterminding a creative way to receive fresh food from McDonald’s, special order.By requesting a hamburger with extra ketchup, a Filet O’ Fish with extra tartar sauce, and French fries with easy salt, consumers have ultimately forced the king of burgers into making fresh food. While this is a tried and true technique, unfortunately it doesn’t work one hundred percent of the time. The alternative to gambling with pre-cooked burgers is In-N-Out. With an uncomplicated, no frills menu, In-N-Out Burger specializes in burgers, fires, and their famous shakes. Their one and only focus is burgers-not chicken, fish, or salads; it is a carnivore’s dream.All of the ingredients are made fresh every single burger is made to order. Their signature gristle-free beef is never frozen, the hand leafed lettuce is crisp and fresh, the tomato slices are plentiful, and the buns are always soft and lightly grilled on the inside of the bun. The end result is a multi-ingredient masterpiece called a â€Å"Double Double† that contains two juicy beef patties smothered with two pieces of cheese, Thousand Island dressing, crisp lettuce, and plump tomato rings stuffed inside of a fluffy bun.Although In-N-Out burgers are pure perfection as is, consumers have been prone to order something that is off the menu (but well–known) called â€Å"Animal Style† (extra dressing, grilled onions, and pickles). Quite frankly, more than half of their most popular items are off the menu, shrouded in secrecy and urban legend. On occasion customers have ordered another secret item called the â€Å"Protein burger†, which is a carb-free â€Å"Double Double† wrapped in a full lettuce leaf.Even more secret burgers can be found by simply asking about the â€Å"Three by Three† or â€Å"Four by Four† that contains three or four patties and the same amount of cheese on either. The Flying Dutchman is simply t wo meat patties and two slices of cheese; it includes no bun, vegetable, or spread. Other secret items include: grilled cheese sandwiches, meatless burgers, root beer floats and chilies. Comparing McDonald’s and In-N-Out’s fries, there is one clear victor. In-N-Out fries are peeled and sliced right in the restaurant for your viewing pleasure; they are meatier and fresher than their competitor’s infamous fries.The signature burger, fries, and real ice cream shakes cause traffic jams to the point where a cashier equipped with a PDA-style device greets you before you even pull into the drive-thru to head off the onslaught of eager customers. Ironically, both restaurants are competitively priced, but the quality of In-N-Out far surpasses McDonald’s famous menus. From a practical standpoint, cleanliness is an important part of the fast food industry, not only in the restaurant image, but also health safety of the customer.If customers received a dollar every t ime they ate or entered a McDonald’s, they could probably buy a franchise themselves. Sadly, most McDonald’s restaurants from Los Angeles to New York look the same, somber and bleak. In stark contrast, In-N-Out Burger painted sterile white inside and out, makes their restaurants look refreshingly clean and bright. In-N-Out’s fire engine red sign catches customer’s eyes as they drive along side of the famous restaurant. The employees are super friendly and accommodating at all times during the dining experience.McDonald’s serves its purpose in the middle of nowhere because of its familiar brand name, but it’s not usually a true hamburger aficionado’s first choice. Customers have driven over ten or fifteen miles, passing several McDonald’s in order to get to that little piece of ecstasy nestled in a piece of wrapping paper and a white envelope. Just the smell of a freshly grilled burger permeates your nose, and drowns your senses . If In-N-Out Burger’s are tried just once, there will be no doubt that the consumer will be a couple of times a week. Lee, R. (2007). McDonalds and In-N-Out. Yahoo Voices. Retrieved from http://www. yahoovoices. com

Peer Buddy Program

Peer Buddy Program Secondary schools that have adopted inclusion programs have enhanced performances and interactions of student with disabilities and those without disabilities.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Peer Buddy Program specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More These schools adjust themselves according to Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and No Child Left Behind (NCLB) program in order to enhance learning, socialization, and friendship among all students irrespective of disabilities. Thus, the study shows how peer buddy programs serve purposes of enhancing inclusion (Hess and Chester, 2007). Authors like Carolyn Hughes and Erik Carter are outstanding in the field of peer buddy programs. They note that implementation of peer buddy programs step-by-step always gives successful results. Consequently, they identify several reasons and purposes why peer buddy program is important in promoting educational achievem ents among learners with disabilities and those without disabilities (Hughes and Carter, 2008). Well implemented peer buddy programs increase learners’ interests in learning and at the same time establish the role of each participating individuals in inclusion programs. The success of peer buddy program depends on educators, parents, counselors and students. Similarly, program implementations must also create inclusion by identifying unique students’ needs, strengths, weaknesses and common interests. This research paper seeks to establish the purpose, importance, and rationale of the study of peer buddy program on students with disabilities in high school, in both social and academic grounds. The paper will explore how provisions of suitable inclusion programs enhance academic, support, and promote socialization in the school environment. This is only possible through assessing and expanding peer buddy program, and including feedback of all participants. The proven str ategies of peer buddy program should change high schools into supporting and compassionate environment where all learners support one another. However, some studies show that some sections of educators are reluctant to make changes to their current teaching approaches in response to IDEA and NCLB programs.Advertising Looking for research paper on education? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Their methods still tend to exclude students with severe cases of learning disabilities (Cowne, 1998). At the same time, some teachers show relaxed approaches to inclusion programs because they do not have experience in such programs. This necessitates the purpose for this research paper. Importance of study This study seeks to find out the importance of peer buddy program in enhancing social and academic achievements of students in high school. Peer buddy programs for students with disabilities in the learning environment have been sources of fundamental concerns for educators and society at large. Consequently, inclusion issues have attracted both legislative and political supports. In every society, there are segments that are fighting to access equality of opportunity and social justice in the national educational systems. Therefore, the study is important in addressing the needs of learners with disabilities in high schools using peer buddy programs. Studies by Troyna and Hatcher established that education systems are necessary in perpetuating or lessening limitations associated with education for marginalized learners (Troyna and Hatcher, 1992). These findings led scholars like Slee, Vlachou, and Pijl critically analyze importance of special education on students with disabilities (Pijl, 1997). On the other hand, Tomlison has concentrated on the impacts of educational underperformance and disadvantages on individuals. In addition, society has placed education at the center of security, employment and opp ortunity (Tomlinson, 2000). Social justice systems have recognized the fact that individual’s characteristics and available resources are not the only factors controlling opportunities in education, and chances in life. Some factors like living conditions, family members and community influence life chances and educational opportunities. In all these, the key to success is social capital. Social capital entails ways of getting networks, trusts and norms that enhance cooperation and coordination for a mutual benefit (Putnamm, 1993). Therefore, a healthy society must rely on its social capital in order to make life possible for its members.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Peer Buddy Program specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The current political situations favor the principle of inclusion and education for an inclusive society. Despite these favors, the failure by many education systems to support inclu sive learning programs is noticeable. Therefore, the aim has been to develop education systems and programs that will enhance the potential of every learner in society, and recognize and appreciate their differences. Chances are that learners who lack access to inclusive and mainstream education will not have all rounded experience. The problem is that people who invented past curriculums never meant schooling to accommodate every child. The disadvantaged learners are students with special educational needs. However, the current education systems tend to accommodate such learners through various programs like peer buddy program. Thus, the importance of the study is to identify how peer buddy programs promote equal learning for learners with disabilities in high school through distribution of social capital. Like any other social program, peer buddy program has also experienced some challenges. The main challenge lies in creating a sustainable social capital and social well-being in a fragmented and struggling school system. However, we must realize that peer buddy program is important when all participants get in an interactive mainstream school environment. For instance, scholars make references to the success of Metropolitan Nashville Peer Buddy Program. Despite these benefits and importance, educators rarely use such achievements to inclusion programs because of their invisibility. Educators must be aware of the contributions students with disabilities make to a school community. This is a problem because not many researchers have concentrated on peer buddy programs. In addition, available information concentrates on the needs of students with disability instead of focusing on the value students with disabilities add to education in a school environment. According to Young, the programs of inclusions have not gone unopposed. Most scholars note that people identify students with disabilities in terms of the relatively low share of social goods they have (You ng, 1990). Educators use various educational programs to reduce noticeable disadvantages in learners with special needs. The challenge is that all these programs rarely contain inputs of those most affected.Advertising Looking for research paper on education? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Therefore, the programs become undemocratic because the procedures and processes of distributing social goods are not favorable to some of the stakeholders. These procedures and processes show the values and interests of people who are in charge of the education system (Smith, 1986). The participatory approach works well in peer buddy programs. This is because the model advocates for the inputs of all participants. Policymakers use this approach in distribution of the predetermined public goods, status, and inputs of the participants. Participants identify social goods, policies, needs, and practices, which they negotiate and investigate using democratic and justice principles as the ideal approaches. Stenhouse also expresses his concern for the principle of difference because of a balance between an approach that gives all learners equal chances to access cultural goods, and a curriculum developed for the purpose of productive use (Stenhouse, 1975). Stenhouse indicates that student s with natural abilities and suited for the curriculum will gain more than other students. However, the participatory and peer buddy program will benefit all learners in long-term irrespective of disabilities (O’Donoghue and Chalmers, 2000). According to Elliot, accesses to programs like peer buddy enable students to acquire self-esteem in a learning community. This serves the importance of enhancing primary goods of promoting students’ achievements and social status (Elliott, 1991). However, achievements in education also depend on practices and policies of education. Educators have realized that it is only through carrying out comprehensive reforms to the existing educational, and institutional control that primary aims of peer buddy programs can achieve its missions. Past studies on the importance of peer buddy programs focused on education as a whole and ignored individual contributions. These approaches made teachers, learners and other educators irrelevant in the feedback but were only subjects of influence by forces in society. In conclusion, scholars like Bogdan and Biklin noted that any educational achievements knowledge learners got through such means were not helpful but misleading. This is because the approaches did not include the moral dimension of education according to inclusion and justice in education (Bogdan and Biklin, 1982). Rationale of study There are changes taking place in the education system. These changes show that peer buddy programs in education enable schools to accept and retain students with various disabilities. Therefore, this study highlights reasons why studying peer buddy program is necessary among educators. These were the students the education system initially segregated, or were in special schools. There are ways that schools can increase and participate in the provision of inclusion through curriculum support and development of socially representative students’ fellowship. This is the rationale be hind of the peer buddy program study. The issue of how best to give students with superior learning abilities and those who have disabilities is a matter of concern among the educators. Researchers like Oliver argue that mainstreaming does not help gifted learners. Oliver states that gifted students do not suffer from stigmatization and separation, which students with disabilities experience. He insists that separation works better for gifted students. This is because the program provides small class size, and wise use of time and resources than in regular class. In addition, Oliver insists that placement of gifted students in regular class limits their potential and creative abilities. He concludes that mainstreaming and inclusion programs like peer buddy in schools contribute to a diminution of potential in gifted learners. Oliver proposes a system whereby students’ placement should permit and encourage special classes and schools for gifted learners and those with disabili ties (Oliver, 1996). Most professional changes in education systems or structures aim at inclusive practices. Occasionally, these changes begin with an individual through enhancing self-awareness, self-evaluation and changing attitude towards inclusion programs like peer buddy. However, educators only implement those practices they believe promote inclusion. The professional approach to peer buddy program should encourage openness in discussions among participants. It is also necessary for educators to learn how to avoid hasty judgments in introducing new practices (Osgood, 2005). Educators use their own different approaches in peer buddy programs because there are no standard structures of rationality for general inclusion programs. However, there are criteria for making a judgment about peer buddy programs. Educators can only develop such criteria by dialogues among various participants. These discussions and dialogues are mandatory for any in peer buddy program. Educators must mo nitor goals and quality of a peer buddy program as an inclusive approach to learning through the use of problems and feedback. The education system remains the only alternative to solving social challenges in a school environment democratically. Participants can address issues of moral concerns in quality, equality and inclusion. Therefore, the aim of education is to provide a way so that people can comprehend educational equality and equal opportunity as social goods of the education system (Ainscow, 1999). Educators should determine the quality of education with no exceptions of equality. Consequently, educators must note that any peer buddy program must apply reputable educational practices. Researchers have noted that poor educational practices enhance negative practices among participants, to the extent of socially marginalizing learners within and beyond a school environment. Educators believe that equity in education is a matter of physical and human resource. Therefore, they may change peer buddy program into a resource of risk management whereby extents of the learners’ disabilities determine the limits of resource allocation in order to maintain equilibrium in a school environment (Slee, 1996). Slee argues that resources should support the development in school to enhance positive cultures through curriculum, teaching methodologies and extracurricular involvements. Conversely, she argues that the use of resources to enhance peer buddy program and mainstreaming should be challenged. According to Slee, a mere mainstreaming may conceal the underlying issues in peer buddy program, in a school environment. Students’ differences and diversity in a learning environment increase and strengthen the scope of educational culture. Therefore, a change in access to teacher and professional training for the creation of a professional diversity needs to occur in parallel with the increasing student peer buddy program so as to provide role models for di verse and different pupils. Peer buddy programs have situations which are complex in nature and require reconstruction of educational institutions. Therefore, it is better for educators to have insight and reliable knowledge on how such institutions operate. It is advisable to carry out inquiries rather than stick to preconceived ideas. In this regard, experimental inquiry is the basis of a democratic life, which implies a willingness to entertain novel ideas and the personal flexibility to carry out new ways of perceiving and acting. In peer buddy program, promoting students with disabilities to make their own choice is an important step to inclusion. Subsequently, educators must inculcate such choices into teaching programs. Educators must know that students with severe disabilities have limited chances of learning what depends on personal preferences. For instance, students with communication difficulties may not be able to express themselves verbally. Therefore, educators must b e able to identify problem behavior in their actions. At the same time, learners who have intensive support may learn by other means of making preferences. According to Shevin and Klein, teachers should incorporate students choice earlier enough in their instructional programs. Likewise, they should also increase the number of choices and domains for every activity students undertake. In making choices, educators must engage students in clear communication and indentify the extents of such choices (Shevin and Klein, 1984). Peer buddy program must involve goal setting and support. This idea comes from a theory of goal setting and attainment. The theory notes that goals are the main control of people’s actions. Teachers must base their goal setting strategies on identification and clear formulation of ideas in terms of objectives, actions, and tracking techniques. This is a participatory process. Peer buddy program must help students with severe disabilities achieve a step-by-s tep system in setting their goals. This process must ensure that students with disabilities remain as point of learning in the inclusion process. An example of a success story of the inclusion programs is the Metropolitan Nashville Peer Buddy Program. The peer buddy program aimed at inclusion among all learners. The program also aimed at increasing the knowledge capacity in inclusion programs. Finally, peer buddy program also focused on the distribution of information collected for social goods of other inclusion programs. The peer buddy program also aimed at giving support and resources to high school students with severe disabilities so that they become actively engaged in school life. Educators designed the inclusion program to promote students social skills. The Nashville program teaches normal students different manifestations of disabilities and their associated learning difficulties. At the same time, teachers and students learned motivational, instructional, and basic concep ts and techniques on how to help their colleagues with disabilities become part of the main school system (Guth and Hughes, 2011). Learners spent their time (at least a period per day) in activities of their choices, such as games, eating lunch, attending lessons, joining clubs, or just relaxing. The program created role models for students with disabilities. Students with disabilities received support from normal students for skill developments. Peer buddy engaged in collaboration activities with regular, special education teachers, vocational, students, and parents. They also carried out research on transition and inclusion activities. Educators used their findings as a benchmark for implementation of peer buddy programs, or similar ones in other states. In Nashville, there was general improve in all areas of focus. For instance, participants realized fundamental changes in both students with and without disabilities. In addition, students with disabilities participated in school activities than before. At the same time, all participants noticed improved activities and participation in community programs (Presley and Hughes, 1999). The significant social achievement was that all peer buddies showed improvement in interaction and involvements among regular students and students with disabilities. There were the formation of partnerships and friendships among students with disabilities and those without disabilities. Participants also noticed increased activities in leisure and recreational involvements. It is also of interest to note that all high schools in Metropolitan Nashville have incorporated peer buddy programs in their main school systems. There is a peer buddy grant coordinator. The coordinator works with administrators and guidance and counseling teachers in enhancing inclusion among learners with disabilities and learners without disabilities. In this regard, all participants recorded increased acceptance and awareness among participants concerning disabilities. The program developed permanent models that educators used outside Nashville area. Increased tolerance of others Reduced fear of human differences Increased awareness of disabilities Developed friendship with students with disabilities Increased social-cognitive growth 6% 12% 20% 43% 92% Source: Metropolitan Nashville Peer Buddy Program This is how important peer buddy programs have been in Nashville high schools. The programs adopted the use of peer teaching and tutoring to support inclusion in schools. Regular interaction among students without disabilities and those with disabilities built friendship, and promoted learning of new ideas among all participants. In this process, both students acquired new social interaction basic skills. In conclusion, peer buddy program has been important program in enhancing student inclusion and interaction. This is the rationale, importance and purpose of the study. We notice these gains in results of peer buddy program of Metropolitan Nashville high schools. For instance, participants recorded improvement in both social and academic achievements notably in disability awareness, changes in communication skills, understandings among participants in schools and community, making friends, and recognizing individuals’ differences. Reference List Ainscow, M. (1999). Understanding the Development of Inclusive Schools. London: Falmer Press. Bogdan, R. and Biklin, S. (1982). Qualitative Research in Education. Boston: Allyn and Bacon. Cowne, E. (1998). The Senco Handbook: Working within a Whole-school Approach. London: David Fulton. Elliott, J. (1991). Action Research for Educational Change. Buckingham: Open University Press. Guth, C. and Hughes, C. (2011). Inclusion on the High School Level: The Metropolitan Nashville Peer Buddy Program. Baltimore: Brooke Publishing. Hess, F. M. and Chester E. (2007). No Remedy Left Behind: Lessons from a Half- Decade of NCLB. Washington, DC: The AEI Press. Hughes, C. and Carter, E. (2008). Peer Buddy Programs for Successful Secondary School Inclusion. Baltimore, MD: Paul H. Brookes Publishing Co. O’Donoghue, T. and Chalmers, R. (2000). How teachers manage their work in inclusive classrooms. Teaching and Teacher Education, 16(8), 889–905. Oliver, M. (1996). Understanding Disability: From Theory to Practice. London: Macmillan. Osgood, R. L. (2005). The History of Inclusion in the United States. Washington, D.C.: Gallaudet University Press. Pijl, S. (1997). Inclusive Education: A Global Agenda. London : Routledge. Presley, J. and Hughes, C. (1999). Peer Buddy Program Manual: Metropolitant Nashville Peer Buddy Manual. Washington, D.C: Vanderbilt University Press. Putnamm, R. (1993). The prosperous community: social capital and public life. American Prospect, 13, 307–308. Shevin, M. and Klein, N. (1984). The Importance of Choice-Making Skills for Students with Severe Disabilities. The Journal of thc Association for Perons with S evere Handicaps, 9(3), 159-166. Slee, R. (1996). Inclusive education in Australia? Not yet! Cambridge Journal of Education, 26(1), 19-32. Smith, F. (1986). Insult to Intelligence: The Bureaucratic Invasion of Our Classrooms. New York: Arbor House. Stenhouse, L. (1975). An Introduction to Curriculum Research and Development. London: Heinemann. Tomlinson, S. (2000). Ethnic minorities and education: new disadvantages. London: Falmer Press. Troyna, B. and Hatcher, R. (1992). Racism in Children’s Lives. London: Routledge. London: Routledge. Young, I. (1990). Justice and the Politics of Difference. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.

Performance-Based Pay Essays

Performance-Based Pay Essays Performance-Based Pay Paper Performance-Based Pay Paper Essay on Performance-Based Pay Organizations pay salaries to their employees based on the type of services rendered. Salary levels rise system is one of the most critical elements in strategic human resource management. This is primarily due to the role played by rewards and compensation system in determining employee productivity. Rewarding the employee on the basis of his productivity or performance generates enthusiasm and interest within the employee to perform better. Moreover, this approach tends to increase the level of motivation encouraging him to perform better. An intrinsic part of rewards and compensation strategy is performance management that seeks excellence and high quality work from the work force. The study highlights various theories in relation to performance related pay and associated human resource strategy. The discussion provides an insight into essential features of performance related pay such as motivation, performance management, appraisals, feedback, and learning that play a vital role in creating effective performance related pay strategies. It also identifies some practical problems faced by managers and strategic alternatives that can effectively meet these challenges. What is performance related pay? Performance related pay is the financial compensation paid to an employee based on his work performance. It translates to rewarding employees for effective performance. Bruno Frey (2002) observes in his book Successful Management by Motivation â€Å"Variable performance related pay has become an increasingly popular form of compensation. The key to performance related pay is that compensation is adjusted to reflect an employee’s individual performance. † This form of compensation is similar to rewards system adopted by organizations to motivate their work force and extract higher quality work. Performance related pay has been practiced by a large number of organizations since the inception of trade and commerce. The system has now evolved to include identification of measurable parameters while assessing performance, use of positive reinforcement and feedback mechanism to instill confidence within employees, and ongoing training development sessions to equip the workforce to meet operational challenges. Theoretical bases of performance related pay Rewarding an employee with financial compensation is a form of motivation that is intended to increase productivity and encourage others within the organization to strive harder to reach the specified performance targets. Motivation has been defined as the â€Å"driving force that determines the direction and strength of goal-oriented behaviors† (Preker, 2007; pg 240). Performance based pay schemes have failed in many instances to motivate the employees to the desired level of performance. Many explanations have been given for this failure and it is to some extent attributed to the amount of compensation in lieu of the hard work and the management fairness during performance appraisals. Vroom’s expectancy theory and the Adam’s equity theory provide explanation to the fundamental problems faced during the process of deciding the level of compensation. Pros and Cons of Performance-Based Pay Advantages The first and most important advantage to performance-based pay is that this type of pay is a fantastic motivator. Simply for a worker to get more money, which is the case in nearly every job, he needs to work harder. This pay system is great for retaining key talent the organization has and getting unmotivated individuals to improve productivity. For a sales person, performance- based pay motivates you too sell your product, since it is the only way that you are going to get paid. There is also a feeling of accomplishment when you get your income, its like a reflection of all the hard work you have put in the month or week. Another advantage to performance-based pay that I think is rather important is that amount of freedom that they might get, (depending where they work). For example, a salesperson would be interacting with customers, he wouldn’t be tied down to a strict schedule or be stuck behind a desk all day. Its also good as you can plan your day around personal appointments, like the dentist or your daughter’s piano recital. Another great advantage for an organization that offers a performance- based pay scheme would be that it is attractive to workers who are higher skilled than their co workers in the same category of work. For example, if I am an extremely experienced and educated sales rep, and I know I’m better than most people at the job, I want to work in a place that will recognize my talents and will also be reflected in my pay. So the organization will have access to a wider range of more educated and experienced workforce. This is extremely useful for an organization, especially in the current economic climate. Disadvantage of performance-based pay A disadvantage of performance-based pay that would contradict my previous advantage would be that motivation isn’t just as simple as money = happiness! Too little money will demotivate but more money will not necessarily increase satisfaction or monivation. (Herzberg) Abraham Maslows hierarchy of needs model of motivation has 5 levels of motivation. 1.physiological 2. Safety 3. Social 4. Self esteem 5. Self actualization. In the there are many other motivators than just financial incentives, like need to belong to a group, to make friends, to work towards job security and to work towards bettering yourself and your career. Once your basic needs are satisfied, other factors start to become more important. A contrasting view of this would be that, in early careers, some people find themselves working an insane amount of hours, and with a performance- based pay, there may not be a limit to the hours you can work, as you can spend a big amount of time building up a client list. Also if you have a certain sales goal to meet or making up for lost time at that dentist or the piano recital, you can sometimes find yourself working through the weekends or even very late into the evenings. In line with this, another disadvantage would be the financial instability. Your wage or salary cannot be sure. This would increase the tension of the employee. A good way to battle the tension or anxiety caused by performance- based pay would be to have some savings set aside for a rainy day or an emergency or if your performance hasn’t been up to par. This isn’t a great solution but it’s a way to help A disadvantage that I though went together in relation to my previous advantage (employees) is that employees that are working on the basis of performance- based pay, may only be inclined to actually do what is measured in their performance appraisal. For example, an employee who picks orders for customers in a warehouse for a wholesalers might have a daily goal or picking up to 14% of the orders placed in a day. He may have achieved that goal, but in the process of just meeting the target, he has caused long-term setbacks but ignoring tasks involved in the company, like restocking the shelves, which is not ideal for an organization. Another disadvantage to do with the employees is that this type of pay scheme can cause a split amongst employees. If some employees are not being rewarded as equal it can cause other employees to feel under appreciated or even start to have some resentment towards the employee who is getting the better rewards. This error can occur easily enough as not every single aspect of the job can be monitored. It can be prevented by putting strict and clear stipulations in place for the system.

USS Wasp CV-18 World War II Aircraft Carrier US Navy

USS Wasp CV-18 World War II Aircraft Carrier US Navy USS Wasp (CV-18) was an Essex-class aircraft carrier built for the US Navy. It saw extensive service in the Pacific during World War II and continued to be of service after the war until it was decommissioned in 1972. Design Construction Designed in the 1920s and early 1930s, the US Navys Lexington- and Yorktown-class aircraft carriers were intended to conform to the limitations set forth by the Washington Naval Treaty. This agreement placed restrictions on the tonnage of various types of warships as well as capped each signatorys total tonnage. These types of limitations were reaffirmed in the 1930 London Naval Treaty. As worldwide tensions increased, Japan and Italy left the treaty structure in 1936. With the collapse of the agreement, the US Navy commenced designing a new, larger type of aircraft carrier and one which drew from the lessons learned from the Yorktown-class. The resulting class was longer and wider as well as included a deck-edge elevator. This had been used earlier on USS  Wasp (CV-7). In addition to carrying a larger number of aircraft, the new design mounted a greatly enhanced anti-aircraft armament. Dubbed the Essex-class, the lead ship, USS  Essex (CV-9), was laid down in April 1941. This was followed by USS Oriskany (CV-18) which was laid down on March 18, 1942, at Bethlehem Steels Fore River Ship Yard in Quincy, MA. Over the next year and a half, the carriers hull rose on the ways. In the fall of 1942, Oriskanys name was changed to Wasp to recognize the carrier of the same name which had been torpedoed by I-19 in the Southwest Pacific. Launched on August 17, 1943, Wasp entered the water with Julia M. Walsh, daughter of Massachusetts Senator David I. Walsh, serving as sponsor. With World War II raging, workers pushed to finish the carrier and it entered commission on November 24, 1943, with Captain Clifton A. F. Sprague in command. USS Wasp (CV-18) Overview Nation: United StatesType: Aircraft CarrierShipyard: Bethlehem Steel - Fore River ShipyardLaid Down: March 18, 1942Launched: August 17, 1943Commissioned: November 24, 1943Fate: Scrapped 1973 Specifications Displacement: 27,100 tonsLength: 872 ft.Beam: 93 ft.Draft: 34 ft., 2 in.Propulsion: 8 Ãâ€" boilers, 4 Ãâ€" Westinghouse geared steam turbines, 4 Ãâ€" shaftsSpeed: 33 knotsComplement: 2,600 men Armament 4 Ãâ€" twin 5 inch 38 caliber guns4 Ãâ€" single 5 inch 38 caliber guns8 Ãâ€" quadruple 40 mm 56 caliber guns46 Ãâ€" single 20 mm 78 caliber guns90-100 aircraft Entering Combat Following a shakedown cruise and alterations in the yard, Wasp conducted training in the Caribbean before departing for the Pacific in March 1944. Arriving at Pearl Harbor in early April, the carrier continued training then sailed for Majuro where it joined Vice Admiral Marc Mitschers Fast Carrier Task Force. Mounting raids against Marcus and Wake Islands to test tactics in late May, Wasp commenced operations against the Marianas the following month as its planes struck Tinian and Saipan. On June 15, aircraft from the carrier supported Allied forces as they landed in the opening actions of the Battle of Saipan. Four days later, Wasp saw action during the stunning American victory at the Battle of the Philippine Sea. On June 21, the carrier and USS Bunker Hill (CV-17) were detached to mop up fleeing Japanese forces. Though searching, they were not able to locate the departing enemy. War in the Pacific Moving north in July, Wasp attacked Iwo Jima and Chichi Jima before returning to the Marianas to launch strikes against Guam and Rota. That September, the carrier began operations against the Philippines before shifting to support the Allied landings on Peleliu. Replenishing at Manus after this campaign, Wasp and Mitschers carriers swept through the Ryukyus before raiding Formosa in early October. This done, the carriers began raids against Luzon to prepare for General Douglas MacArthurs landings on Leyte. On October 22, two days after the landings commenced, Wasp departed the area to replenish at Ulithi. Three days later, with the Battle of Leyte Gulf raging, Admiral William Bull Halsey directed the carrier to return to the area to provide assistance. Racing west, Wasp took part in the later actions of the battle before again departing for Ulithi on October 28. The remainder of the fall was spent operating against the Philippines and in mid-December, the carrier weathered a severe t yphoon. Resuming operations, Wasp supported landings at Lingayen Gulf, Luzon in January 1945, before taking part in a raid through the South China Sea. Steaming north in February, the carrier attacked Tokyo before turning to cover the invasion of Iwo Jima. Remaining in the area for several days, Wasps pilot provided ground support for the Marines ashore. After replenishing, the carrier returned to Japanese waters in mid-March and began raids against the home islands. Coming under frequent air attack, Wasp sustained a severe bomb hit on March 19. Conducting temporary repairs, the crew kept the ship operational for several days before it was withdrawn. Arriving at Puget Sound Navy Yard on April 13, Wasp remained inactive until mid-July. Fully repaired, Wasp steamed west July 12 and attacked Wake Island. Rejoining the Fast Carrier Task Force, it again began raids against Japan. These continued until the suspension of hostilities on August 15. Ten days later, Wasp endured a second typhoon though it sustained damage to its bow. With the end of the war, the carrier sailed for Boston where it was fitted with extra accommodations for 5,900 men. Placed in service as part of Operation Magic Carpet, Wasp sailed for Europe to aid in returning American soldiers home. With the end of this duty, it entered the Atlantic Reserve Fleet in February 1947. This inactivity proved brief as it moved to the New York Navy Yard the following year for an SCB-27 conversion to allow it to handle the US Navys new jet aircraft. Postwar Years Joining the Atlantic Fleet in November 1951, Wasp collided with USS Hobson five months later and sustained severe damage to its bow. Quickly repaired, the carrier spent the year in the Mediterranean and conducting training exercises in the Atlantic. Moved to the Pacific in late 1953, Wasp operated in the Far East for much of the next two years. In early 1955, it covered the evacuation of the Tachen Islands by Nationalist Chinese forces before departing for San Francisco. Entering the yard, Wasp underwent an SCB-125 conversion which saw the addition of an angled flight deck and a hurricane bow. This work was finished late that fall and the carrier resumed operations in December. Returning to the Far East in 1956, Wasp was redesignated as an antisubmarine warfare carrier on November 1. Transferring to the Atlantic, Wasp spent the rest of the decade conducting routine operations and exercises. These included forays into the Mediterranean and working with other NATO forces. After aiding a United Nations airlift in Congo during 1960, the carrier returned to normal duties. In the fall of 1963, Wasp entered the Boston Naval Shipyard for a Fleet Rehabilitation and Modernization overhaul. Completed in early 1964, it conducted a European cruise later that year. Returning to the East Coast it recovered Gemini IV on June 7, 1965, at the completion of its spaceflight. Reprising this role, it recovered Geminis VI and VII that December. After delivering the spacecraft to port, Wasp departed Boston in January 1966 for exercises off Puerto Rico. Encountering severe seas, the carrier suffered structural damage and following an examination at its destination soon returned north for repairs. After these were completed, Wasp resumed normal activities before recovering Gemini IX in June 1966. In November, the carrier again fulfilled a role for NASA when it brought on board Gemini XII. Overhauled in 1967, Wasp remained in the yard until early 1968. Over the next two years, the carrier operated in the Atlantic while making some voyages to Europe and participating in NATO exercises. These types of activities continued into the early 1970s when it was decided to remove the Wasp from service. In port at Quonset Point, RI for the final months of 1971, the carrier was formally decommissioned on July 1, 1972. Stricken from the Naval Vessel Register, Wasp was sold for scrap on May 21, 1973. Sources DANFS: USS Wasp (CV-18)NavSource: USS Wasp (CV-18)USS Wasp Association

Research Paper on Whipple's Disease (Epidemiology Course) Proposal

Paper on Whipple's Disease (Epidemiology Course) - Research Proposal Example As earlier noted, it was the year 1907 when GH Whipple was able to discover the existence of Whipple's disease. He primarily noted it as a disease that affects the intestinal systems of the body and is caused by the bacterial Tropheryma Whipplei. It could be observed the disease first affects the function of the small intestines as the said part of the body intends to distribute nutrients to the body during absorption. Hence, because of this fact, it could be expected that once the disease develops in the small intestine, it is sure that the entire body system shall then suffer from the said failure. From this point, Whipple recognized that the disease is a fatal matter once it is not given the right attention needed. Although there had been some developed cure, it is still strongly suggested by medical experts that this particular disease be prevented well through regular bowel check ups. It is through the bowel of a patient that the said disease is being recognized. Likely, because of the malfunction of the small intestines, the bowel also becomes loose. With masses of fat present in the bowel, Whipple's Disease naturally is depicted as the (040.2) intestinal lipodystrophy as its ICD description. It could be observed that its name was transformed as Whipple's disease as an honor to the one who was able to state it as a real disease, an epidemic that is dangerous to human kind. II. NATURAL HISTORY The disease usually begins with regular illnesses that might not be easily detected immediately as a part of Whipple's disease. Undoubtedly, this is the reason why the disease only becomes eminent after two years of understanding and diagnosing the situation upon a patient. At some point, it could be said that the major implicative symptoms of the disease may not be easily detected. Because of the prolonged development of the situation, the function of the small intestine begins to weaken slowly, giving a time for the patient to care less about the said matter. However, as noted above, not treating the symptoms early might cause fatal dangers to the patient being affected by Whipple's disease. To understand the different symptoms further, here are the lists of the said events and body-conditions needed to be looked out for: (a)Typical diarrhea: A typical diarrhea usually lasts for three to four days and then ends. Usually, the return of the illness comes along not within three or four months after the previous diarrhea. However, in the case of Whipple's disease, the matter becomes a serious situation, whereas the patient begins to feel awful of diarrhea almost regularly within the first two months of the development of the disease. (b) abdominal cramping: this may happen due to the stressed status of the small intestines. Besides that, diarrhea itself could cause the pain, especially if the situation keeps on recurring between shorter times of relapse. (c)Fast Wight Loss: Because of constant diarrhea along with the maldistribution of the nutrients to the body, the weight of the patient is likely to drop from normal to state of malnutrition.

Conlon Nancarrow's career and his relation to player piano Research Proposal

Conlon Nancarrow's career and his relation to player piano - Research Proposal Example The interview is considered as quite important for understanding the actual view of composer for a series of critical issues related to his life and career. The findings of the literature review will be categorized, so that they are presented in separate sections according to their relevance to the study’s issues. The career of Conlon Nancarrow can be characterized as rather impressive. As for all artists, for Conlon Nancarrow also communicating effectively with his audience has been a key priority. Media and technology have helped Conlon Nancarrow to achieve this target. Has this support intervened in the development of the composer’s career? Was the involvement of media and technology in the career of Conlon Nancarrow fully justified? Duffie, Bruce. â€Å"Composer Conlon Nancarrow. A Conversation With Bruce Duffie.† Archive of Contemporary Music. Northwestern University. October 12, 1987. Accessed at 25 February 2013.

Discuss the role of craft and decoration in C.H. Townsend's Essay

Discuss the role of craft and decoration in C.H. Townsend's Whitechapel Art Gallery (1901) what kind of social ambitions do th - Essay Example He was born in Birkenhead, Cheshire and started his architectural career as a draftsman in London. He later branched off to his own in 1877 and built connections with RIBA and the Art Workers Guild. He became the Master of the Art Workers Guild in 1903. It has been argued that he might have been the only English Architect to have worked in Art Nouveau. However, Townsend considered himself an exponent of the freestyle movement of the Arts and Crafts Movement. Some of his buildings that stand out in style and originality include the Bishops Gate Institute, the Horniman Museum and the Whitechapel Art Gallery. The Whitechapel Art Gallery was a clear attempt by Townsend to showcase the spirit and ideals of the Arts and Crafts Movement. On the exterior, the building has a two tower feature that is a signature feature of Townsend’s architectural designs. It has a relatively wide frontage and it fits organically into the environment around it. Perhaps this imposing nature of the desig n was intended to portray the building as an important and authoritative structure in the East London area. By blending organically with the surroundings, the structure ably served its purpose of providing recreation for the locals without seeming pervasive. The main doors of the Whitechapel gallery go in at the street level. The placement of the doors is done in an asymmetrical way on one side. The large semi-circular light above them naturally takes the eye upwards leading to the impressive keyed arch on top. From the onset, the art gallery was designed for the people. Hence, by putting the doors to go in straight at the street level, Townsend projected the building as easily accessible. A person walking on the streets could instantly connect with the building and easily enter if interested. Also, the light on top of the door was a natural way of allowing a person’s eyes to wander and explore the other compelling feature of the building: the rounded, arched keyway. This dec orative and artistic piece purposively ushered a person into the art gallery in a subtle way. Suffice to say, the keyed arch is neatly tucked into the building and not protruding into the streets in an intrusive manner. This design made the building to feel like a natural fit into the surrounding area without seeming intrusive. The elaborate frontage design of the building was perhaps meant to make it standout in contrast with the railway stations that were already running in the place. The railway stations were uninviting and dull. Also, the underground trains were running through darkness in the tunnels. In contrast, the Whitechapel Art Gallery frontage was bright and welcoming. It opened quickly into a space where the mind could engage in a captivating journey. The frontage of the building was meant to act as an inducement for people to come into the gallery and explore the art pieces on exhibition. The design had the role of attracting passer-bys and engages their curiosity on t he things that they could find inside the gallery. In fact, the gallery attracted over two hundred thousand people during its first exhibition. The towers of the building are square in design but taper as they rise. At the top, the towers divide into four turrets with a larger turret in between. Previously, Townsend had a much more bold design that he showcased 1890s. The design of the towers projected the relationship between the earth and the