History of Barter System

Barter system Barter system is an age-old method that was adopted by people to exchange their services and goods. This system was used for centuries, before the invention of money. People used to exchange the goods or services for other goods or services in return. Nowadays, barter services has staged a comeback with the advent of more sophisticated techniques that aid trading through the Internet. During ancient times, barter system was a local phenomenon, which involved people in the same locality. However, today barter system has become global. You can now negotiate with the opposite party, regarding the value of the item you want to barter and vice versa. The advantage of bartering is that it does not involve money. You can buy an item in exchange for some other thing you current . The barter system was one of the earliest forms of trading. History of barter system It facilitated exchange of goods and services, as money was not invented in those times. The history of bartering can be traced back to 6000 BC. It is believed that barter system was introduced by the tribes of Mesopotamia. This system was then adopted by the Phoenicians, who bartered their goods to people in other cities located across the oceans. An improved system of bartering was developed in Babylonia too. People used to exchange their goods for weapons, tea, spices, and food items. Sometimes, even human skulls were used for barter. Another popular item used for exchange was salt. Salt was so valuable at that time, that the salary of Roman soldiers was paid in salt. The main drawback of this system was that there was no standard criteria to determine the value of goods and services, and this resulted in disputes and clashes. These problems were sorted out with the invention of money, but the barter system continued to exist in some form or another. The Europeans started traveling across the globe during the Middle Ages and used barter services to trade their goods like furs and crafts to the East, in exchange of perfumes and silks. People of colonial America did not have enough money for business, which was mainly based on barter services. Most of their business consisted of wheat, skins of male deer (bucks), musket balls, etc. They were also experts in exchanging services. If members of one family agreed to help their neighbors in harvesting their crops, the latter would help the former in their task, like roofing their building. The history of barter system can also be linked to the initial years of Oxford and Harvard Universities, where students used to pay their fees as food items, firewood or livestock. Barter services became popular during the Great Depression in the 1930s', which witnessed a scarcity of money. The barter system was used as a way of obtaining things like food and other services. The trading was done between people or through groups, who acted as agents and facilitated third party bartering. These groups were like banks, where people maintained their accounts. In case of sale of any of the items, the account of the owner would be credited and the account of the buyer would be debited. It is worth mentioning that Adolf Hitler also used barter system to collect money for funding the war. He was engaged in barter trading with Greece, Sweden and Russia. Post World War II, the people of Germany too resorted to bartering, as the German currency had lost its value. Barter system has been in use throughout the world for centuries. The invention of money did not result in the end of bartering services. Sometimes, monetary crises fueled the revival of the barter system, and the current recession has once again set a stage for its comeback. Even though money is there for trading and for business, barter system still exists and has become more strong and organized. ly have, but don't want. This type of trading can be done through swap markets and online auctions.

A Flea in Her Ear Essay

‘A Flea In Her Ear’ is a play written by the French playwright Georges Feydeau. It tells the story of Victor Emmanuelle Chandebise, played by Nasri El-Sayeh, chairman of a large insurance company, and his wife Raymonde, played by Stephanie Reed. The play is an excellent farce about misinterpretations, confusion and humour, which captures the audience in style. Georges Feydeau was born in Paris in 1862 and lived until 1921. This play is regarded as his best. It was written in 1907, and was known as ‘Une Puce i l’Oreille. ‘ Although his plays were excellent, Feydeau started gambling in 1918 and contracted syphilis, slowly descending into madness, eventually dying and being buried in Paris. I am writing a review, analysing the mediums and elements of drama used in this production. The costumes had been chosen specifically from the National Theatre for this production. They were perfectly suited to the character’s roles and added a touch of eloquence. For example, Stuart Onslow, playing the part of Romain Tournel, a notorious womanizer, is so excellently portrayed from the beginning. His suit is smart, yet not formal, and he is displayed as a somewhat arrogant fellow. His excellent acting added to this and he played a key role in the play. The female roles were wearing flamboyant, evocative costumes. The audience spontaneously stared when they were first seen, as they were ‘over the top’ and stood out. The choice of music and sound, from technical director Ben Sehovic was superb. ‘A Flea In Her Ear’ is a piece of drama that does not require a lot of music or sound, if any. Yet the small sound effects, added at certain intervals, added a great deal of emphasis to the play. During the end of Act Two, a short piece of ‘jumpy,’ disjointed music was played. During this short period the cast moved about the stage, encapturing the moment, mimicking a ‘Charlie Chaplin’ sketch. The play was set at the same height as the audience. There was tiered seating, but the stage had not been raised. I personally felt that this was a fantastic idea, as it involved the audience more. To have actors performing in front of your eyes is much more momentous than to be staring up at them on a stage. There were many exits on this set; an archway, four different sets of doors and a flight of stairs. This was adamant for this farcical play, as the ludicrousness that is acted out is sharp and quick, thus needing many exits and entrances. As one of the actors, or indeed as a member of the audience, you have to be able to imagine that the outside space is real in order to perform or understand the play to the best of your ability. For instance, in Act Two, when in the Hotel Coq d’Or, The stage right exit door is a bathroom, as opposed to Act One, where it is a hallway. We need to believe that, in each scene, the space behind the door is what the actors say it is. This increases our knowledge of the play, makes the speed and identity tracking slightly less confusing. The set, hired from The Royal National Theatre, was fabulous. I particularly liked the revolving bed in the hotel scene, and the French windows. I felt it added a touch of glamour to the Chadebise’s home. There were not a huge number of props used in this play. However, small things, for instance; Doctor Finache (Nathan Ireland) continuously had a stethoscope around his neck. Without anyone speaking, you could immediately see that he was playing the role of some kind of doctor. Small details like this, added to the play so well presented, made it something which was extremely enjoyable to watch. The pace of the play was one of the aspects that everyone was amazed by and indulged in. The interactions of the characters were short, quick and snappy. The language used was extremely witty and all parts were spoken well, the accents used adding to the emotional performance. The actors were extremely confident in performing and this shone through. The only major criticism I have of this play is its length. I appreciate how hard it must’ve been to take anything out, as without one thing you cannot have another. The first two acts went past in a flash, and because there was no interval between the second and third acts, it was hard for many audience members; particularly young children and the elderly to keep focused and listen to each minute detail. The performance as a whole was superb. Nasri’s portrayal of Victor was excellent. His acting was top-notch. He had many quick and difficult costume changes, as well as having to remember when to use his posh voice and when not to. It was truly magnificent The social, cultural and historical content of the play very much relates to today. The farcical confusion, a mixture of people running in and out of the right and wrong rooms, and being in the wrong place at the wrong time is very much loved by people today. World famous television shows such as ‘Frasier,’ ‘Friends’ and ‘Only Fools and Horses’ are brilliant examples of this. One problem with the speed of the piece was that, not for me but others, it would have been a blunder of bewilderment and perplexity. The John Lyon School’s production of Feydeau’s ‘A Flea In Her Ear’ was an outstanding performance. It really helped my understanding of the medium of drama. I can relate the movement to my own work, picking up new ideas as well as improving what I currently know. I can see how a few small props can totally enhance a piece of theatre, also seeing that space and levels are entirely needed to show a piece’s full potential. Deborah Gibbs has created a masterful drama performance from a play which is complicated and complex.

University should provide more online courses Essay

University should provide more online courses - Essay Example Introduction of online courses for those with special needs not only makes it an attractive package for students but also has great advantages to an institution such as student population growth and boosting the institution’s image. Furthermore, there has been significant growth in E-learning globally as from 2007, the number of students in the higher education sector has become a marketing tool if not a requirement. Disabilities are considered to be diverse thus a disability is defined as any physical, mental, sensory, or other existing impairment that is related to hearing, seeing, learning, speaking or physical mobility that may immensely affects one’s participation in social-cultural and economic aspects within a setting or society. (Turnbull 19) Many studies have pointed out the need for equality of students hence it should be noted that learning is a social-interaction process. It is therefore important to break the barrier that students who are challenged face in exercising their right to participation on all available platforms in a school setting, be it, leadership, projects, library access or class participation. There should be a platform that ensures that those with disabilities no longer feel inferior to their peers but can also perform on an equal level. 2. This objective would seek to look at the advantages that would benefit both the institution and the students with disabilities. It will address the roles both parties have to perform ensure success. enquiry for the next stages. Specifically, the research phase will cover information gathering on existing E-learning initiative for the last five years on a national level. This trend data should give a useful indication of the viability of the platform. In an attempt to make the learning process better and satisfy learning needs, elements such as infrastructure, learning outcomes and the local context need

Human Resource Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Human Resource Management - Essay Example The HR Portals generally tend to provide the employees with a chance for self service, i.e. all details of employees are available on the portal which permits them to keep a tab on their pay checks, benefits, and also the vacation benefits alongside with the various policies and procedures. This allows the employees to keep complete track of their own details without the need of the human resources team to interfere. The portals are also time savers as the various forms and applications can be put into the portal for the employees to use and download (Dessler, 2007). This reduced the number of employees coming to the HR teams for forms and also allows the human resources teams to use the time more effectively to do other important tasks. On the HR Portals tend to be very helpful to save time and money and help the human resources teams to use their time effectively to work on other important aspects of the company rather than simply providing ‘employee assistance’ (Dessler, 2007). On the whole the portals provide a chance for the workflow and process flow to become more effective and

Low Cost Airlines Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Low Cost Airlines - Case Study Example based on variance of services, has been the entry in the industry of Low Cost Airlines. The Southwest airline initially started its operation with short-haul destinations i.e. less than 1,500 km, and at present the company has increased its activities beyond the initial values. It has introduced new airplanes into operations, but initially it was particular number of airplanes which were on continuous run. The performance of the Southwest airline has been encouraging due to adoption of effective techniques, the company recorded net profit of USD 413 million in 2001, which is lower than in 2000, but the company was the only profitable airline in United States in 2001. Southwest has planned to create more than 4,000 jobs in 2002. The company at retained low unit costs (costs per ASM): 7.66 cents in 2001, against the cost of 7.73 cents in 2000. The Southwest Company has kept safety as important criteria for the evaluation of its operations, and this is an important aspect of management with reference to Health and Safety, the practice is not widely popular among other low cost airlines, and therefore the Southwest has successful to retain maximum market shares. According to Carlton, the company has complied by the International and National standards of safety and operations, and has invested sufficient amount in this regard. The company's most important management has been its adherence to quality service, and this is termed as an important strategic element for the company. The company purchased Boeing 737 to capsulate required stand-by crews, lower training and maintenance cost. The company has involved its aircraft into continuous operations i.e. higher aircraft utilization. As a result, South West's utilization rate is 7.1 hours. (Carlton, 2000) Southwest has adopted different and effective mode of service, which is of great relevance, the airline has introduced an innovation distribution system through Internet, and telephone and travel agency i.e. traditional modes. The airline has further adopted strategies based on horizontal product differentiation that has proved to be important competitive element for the Southwest. The horizontally differentiated products have no classification of the particular product and brand in terms of qualities. The success of the Southwest Airline has been the function of its ability to introduce and maintain minimum operating cost, and implementation of pricing strategies which have attracted different segments of consumers and have increased the load factors of carriers, which has further contributed towards sustenance of minimum cost. According to Clemons, the airline has preferred its operations in the regional airports, and which is based on strategic considerations, and subsequently the price factor. (Clemons, 2001) Southwest is considered to be the leader among the Low Cost Airlines, and the airline has professional edge over its competitors. The airline has adopted following measures to ensure that the traveling cost can be reduced significantly, for the convenience of the traveler and company's expenses. IN Varian has appreciated the plan, according to which, the Airline offers no meals, drinks, and snacks for free, and narrow seating arrangement has been adopted, the company offers no services for the

The association of community organization of reform now (ACORN) Research Paper

The association of community organization of reform now (ACORN) - Research Paper Example The attainments of ACORN are inclusive of prosperous crusades and operations for better housing, schools, neighborhood security, job provisions, health care, etc. The members of ACORN take part in local meets and diligently work upon the stipulations and functions, thereby, electing leadership from the neighborhood level up, and paying the organization's foundation expenses by means of membership dues as well as grassroots fundraisers (Official Website, 2009). This organization has faced up to the conventional concepts of what a community organization actually is, along with its family of organizations which is inclusive of two radio stations, a housing corporation, a voter registration set of connections, and various publications. Today, ACORN has become America's most eminent left-wing community organization. Until now, there is little that is known, however, ACORN has played a significant role in the sub-prime mortgage issue which has degraded the support of Americans with regards to the free market problem-solving, thereby, setting off a widespread chain of financial catastrophes. Moreover, ACORN is also inferred in vote scams from coast to coast. The ultimate aim of ACORN is to provide America with the change and transformation which is believed in by the socialists, be it by any means. It is intentionally organized to steer clear of any kind of inspections (Vadum, 2008). The longevity, size and scope of ACORN make it distinct amongst the masses, however, two features actually distinguish it from others, and they are an absolute commitment to organizing the poor and the under-privileged and the powerless, along with a continuous willingness and ability to break new ground (Official Website, 2009). 1.2 History of ACORN The sixth decade of the twentieth century was a significant epoch in the history of American politics for the reason that the American decade observed struggles and efforts for freedom of the people with low-income and the minorities across the nation along with a war that intensely disseminated all Americans (Official Website, 2009). In the midst of all the hassle and conflicts, some significant lessons were taken care of by the ones who profoundly cared about America and her residents. Those lessons could be anything about endurance by making a lasting influence on the nation. One of the social welfare communities which took into account all the perils investigated various concepts and ideologies, thereby, developing a distinct formula for a government of justice in America. It was the National Welfare Rights Organization or NWRO, which was piloted by George Wiley (Official Website, 2009). Wiley established this organization in the mid-sixties in order to establish a national driv e for the requirements and rights of the low-income residents of America. By the year 1966, the NWRO was in charge of 170 groups in around 60

Ospedale degli Innocenti Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Ospedale degli Innocenti - Essay Example Ospedale degli Innocenti is one of the great architectural masterpieces by Filippo Brunelleschi. The building is located in Florence, Italy. Its title is translated as a hospital of innocents and often referred as a foundling hospital in literature. Built during 1419–1451 to serve as an orphanage and hospital for children, the building represents clear influences of new architecture which came to replace dominant gothic motifs (GÃ ¼nther, 2010). The building was finished after the death of the architect. It is absolutely symmetrical and orderly organized which is typical for ancient Roman buildings. Inner courtyard of Ospedale degli Innocenti reminds Roman forum plan. It has an open space surrounded by arcades which create some private space in urban settings. Rectangular and square forms dominate the space. Columns are very important elements of traditional Roman architecture. In order to stress the symmetry of the building, all columns have equal distance between them. Cori nthian capitals add ornamentation to the building. Moreover, Brunelleschi designs fluted pilasters which are aimed at decorating the building and keeping the same order of symmetry (LaChiusa, 2002). This arcade on the ground floor of the building becomes the distinguishing feature of the building and makes it easy to recognize. Rounded arches which enclose the arcade create more space for decorum (LaChiusa, 2002). Overall, the exterior of the building shows that the architect was inspired by classical Roman architecture.

Globalisation of Consumer Culture Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Globalisation of Consumer Culture - Essay Example Ted Levitt in his article, â€Å"The Globalisation of Markets† states that the needs and desires of people are becoming homogenized as do the tastes and modes of doing business (Mooij, 2000). McLuhan also prophesied that the media would turn the world into a global village. However, Kotler contends that consumers are not rational human beings and in fact markets are becoming more diverse. Thus based on the theories of cultural homogenization, Indigenization, and fetishism and cultural imperialism, this paper aims to evaluate the extent to which globalisation of consumer culture has led to cultural homogenization. Drivers of globalisation Appadurai identifies five global flows that are transforming the nature of society and eroding the barriers between them (Craig & Douglas, 2006). These include mediascapes (flow of imagination and communication), ethnoscapes (flow of tourists, migrants and students), ideoscapes (flow of political ideas and ideologies), technoscapes (flow of te chnology) and finanscapes (flows of capital and money). The collective effort of these five scapes is turning the world into what Tomlinson (1999) describes as â€Å"a single social and cultural setting†; globalisation makes the world a ‘single place’. Tomlinson however, maintains that connectivity still does not extend in any profound way to every single person or place on the planet; social and cultural divisions continue to persist. Globalisation and culture While culture has been defined by Hofstede as the collective programming of the mind that gives rise to set beliefs and patterns of behavior, and thereby distinguishes one group of people from another (Merz, He & Alden, 2008), cultural globalisation is the emergence of a specific set of values and beliefs that are largely shared around the planet (Movius, 2010). Globalisation of media has been held responsible for the globalisation of culture. However, with converging incomes, cultural values and habits ha ve not converged (Mooij, 2000). People would spend their incremental income based on their value pattern – the Americans would buy more cars while the Spanish would spend more on food. This implies that values, beliefs and patterns of behavior have not homogenized; cultural homogenization has not taken place despite converging income. Appadurai (2001) and Tomlinson (1995) believe that globalisation is not just an economic and a political phenomenon; it is also a complex cultural phenomenon. It promises new possibilities but also gives rise to new anxieties that transform social life. However, as global forces begin to penetrate local culture, it could lead to tensions or collisions. Thus the outcome could be displacement of local culture leading to homogenization of culture or it could lead to resistance due to cultural imperialism. Craig and Douglas (2006) emphasize that culture is pervasive and it is the lens through which individuals perceive and interpret phenomena. Howev er, cultures are dynamic and keep evolving over time; hybrid cultures (fusion of two or more cultures resulting in a new cultural element) develop as people travel across borders. Membership in a culture is becoming transitional and deterritorialized (a particular culture is no longer defined in terms of the specific geographic

McDonalds as a Successful Business Enterpreneur Worldwide Essay

McDonalds as a Successful Business Enterpreneur Worldwide - Essay Example McDonald’s is believed to be operating in one hundred and nineteen countries across the globe. The whole food giant is made up of the franchises. Approximately fifteen million people are employed in the organization and sixty four million people serve as its customer base. Effective implementation of organizing function is necessary to establish a loyal customer base. The approach that has been used by the McDonald’s is collaborative management approach that has helped the organization to adopt a new leadership style. Management keeps itself involved in facing the new challenges and constantly developing new practices to address them, same system is followed throughout the franchises worldwide. McDonald’s has established itself as the successful organization because its management is focusing on the enhancement of long term strategic planning (Baden, 2011). It is believed that organizing is the function that comes to the surface due to synchronization and combina tion of physical, financial and human resources with the help of technology and knowledge (Mullins & Laurie 2007). The function of organizing in the management focuses on development of internal organizational structure. The internal structure of the organization is heavily dependent upon the labor, coordination, flow of information between the departments and control of the filtrated information passage. McDonald’s take this function of management extremely seriously as the assessment of resources, allocation of resources and distribution of resources are all dependent on this function of management, if they are not properly followed, the organization will be like just another food shop round the corner that lacks following and establishing the management functions (Harold & Donnell 1959). The basis for the formation of McDonald’s is Frederick Taylor’s principles of organization. McDonald’s works like a machine. Each activity is divided into subtasks and sub functions to get the job done effectively and efficiently. The tasks are individually designed and they work in coherence with each other to achieve the higher goals. It is the effective organizing function at McDonald’s that there is always a balance between supply and demand. Due to effective organization function McDonald’s is able to control every aspect starting from labor costs, human resource management and physical assets. - McDonald’s have always considered following and establishing management practices seriously. Management always plans the activities and coordinates them according to policies initiated by higher management. Management at McDonald’s sees their employees and customers as the most influential stakeholders for the organization and tries to manage and keep them happy through adopting effective organizing strategies. In past, the focus of the organization was in developing functional departments, highlighting the reporting link s, initiating plans, developing and administering relationships between people like who reports to whom and tasks like that. It is due to focus on the organizational strategies that the McDonald’s is able to update menus, bring quality and sensational taste to its food items. (McDonald's, 2011) Today the management function of organizing reflects in the adaptive and flexible building of the McDonald’s that attract customers and make them feel why they should prefer McDonald’

DQ Week 8 (Managing Professionals) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

DQ Week 8 (Managing Professionals) - Essay Example This is part of man’s humanity. On the other hand, if the situation only aims to unite people towards a common goal or inspire them, then transformational leadership is most important because it would take time to see the fruits of this kind of leadership. Yes, I have. As there is no formula for authentic leadership (George, B., Sims, P., et. al., 2007), I think I have managed to observe several authentic leaders. An example of authentic leadership that is close to home would be my teachers at school. One of the traits common in leaders interviewed in a survey (George, B., Sims, P., et. al., 2007) is that they tap into and hone their strengths and skills in order to influence to others to become better people and this is what my teachers do for me. They guide me with their knowledge and help mold me into the person I am. Aarons, G. (2006). Transformational and Transactional Leadership: Association Toward Evidence-Based Practice. Psychiatr Serv., 57(8). Retrieved from

The Economy of China (Globalization Effect) Essay Example for Free

The Economy of China (Globalization Effect) Essay The effects of globalisation on Economic growth and the quality of life in China. China holds the second largest economy in the world, measured by Purchasing Power Parity (a technique used to determine and compare the relative value of different currencies). From the late 1970’s, the Chinese economy has become more market orientated, rather than its former closed and planned political system. This change has played a major role in the development of their economy and impact of globalisation. At present, it is the world’s fastest growing major economy. Growth rates in the Chinese economy have averaged 10% throughout the past 30 years. By utilising Chinas perfect environment for manufacturing with low minimum income levels compared to other countries, and little to no policies surrounding work place health and safety, in 2010 China became the worlds largest exporter. In 2010, 19. 8% of the world’s manufacturing output was produced by China, and Industry and Manufacturing account for 46. 8% of China’s GDP. Apart from the thriving Manufacturing industry, China also produces 45% of the worlds steel and is the world’s third largest Automotive Manufacturer. Over recent years, China’s Urban wages have received a 13-19% increase to an average of $2472USDp. a. The Chinese Economy has gained both benefit and been disadvantaged by globalisation trends. One advantage is China has received extensive amounts of high GDP over recent years, although it sometimes due to the over exploitation of their unbelievably cheap labour compared to other countries. China has become almost an essential to the global supply chain because of its cheap labour leading to the massive growth we have seen over recent years. Other Positive effects of globalisation include the improvement of living standards due to higher employment and therefore larger income and contribution to the economy. The amount of employment in china has increased due to the rise in growth and creation of TNC’s and movement of production due to globalisation. This means that in order to meet demands, they need to create more jobs which is suited best in China because of low minimum income levels Negative effects of Globalisation on China include environmental changes and urbanisation. The Chinese Environment has been damaged due to rapid pollution and industrialisation consequences. The growth of industries specializing in manufacturing has caused the pollution of the air, ground and permanent damage on the surroundings of these factories due to production processes such as burning or pollution from capital goods. The growth of urbanisation was a result after the rapid increase in jobs around cities, but this can also lead to the lowering of standards of living and the amount of jobs and resources available elsewhere. The urban cities are unable to provide necessities and services the population need. By the end of 2012 52. 6% of the Chinese population had become urbanised, an increase from the former 26% in 1990 . Although currently, the cities cannot provide for the amount of people urbanising, the government has aimed to create services, increase availability of necessities and support a range of mass transit around and inside the city as a part of their 5-year-plan for 2011-2015. The creation of low-income apartments is also being accommodated to support the lowest income earners and reduce homelessness. Another problem with this sudden spark in urbanisation is the lowering of workplace safety regulations yet to be created. The people are working in factories with very poor standards which reduce hygiene and can also cause mental issues such as suicides. The Chinese Economy has implemented particular strategies in order to promote and stabilize the economic growth and development they have received. These policies and strategies are a result of increasing demand because of globalisation in China. The introduction of the â€Å"Open door policy† (essential opening china into a mass of once protected foreign direct investment) created a huge utilisation of Chinese labour. Chinese capital and labour resources have become efficiently allocated, which then has greatly boosted economic growth and productivity. The Chinese economy then strategically utilised their obvious comparative advantage in export orientated and labour intensive industries. The Chinese Economy’s rapid growth is due to creation of particular strategies such us export Incentives and decentralisation of government. Export Incentives are monetary, tax or legal motivations designed to encourage businesses to export certain types of goods or services. This large labour force, huge investments in efficient technology and the introduction of subsidies and incentives have created the perfect environment for mass growth of this emerging economy. Chinese exporting alone has generated up to a staggering 36 per cent of Chinas GDP (2006). Since the â€Å"Decentralization† of Government (the process of redistributing, powers, people or things away from the government) the Chinese GDP per capita has risen from its previous $674 in 1978 to $5,085 in 2004 (ppp adjusted). That is over 7 and a half times greater than the previous recording. This change in government, liberalization of prices, reduction in agriculture resources, and integration into world markets, had proved to be a major cause of the Chinese economic boom over the past 30 years beginning with the open door policy The use of â€Å"Special Economic Zones† in china created an ability to alter the policies and investments in areas suited. For example, lower taxes and lower tariffs and other protection policies were introduced in order to encourage the exportation of technology. Their immediate success fuelled the way for more specific zones in order to utilise the economic boom they were currently experiencing. The implementations of a practise known as the â€Å"household responsibility system† was a specific quota for agricultural demand created by the government in order to remain self-sufficient in agricultural goods, but continue to redistribute their resources to other more profitable and efficient areas. The farmers and producers were given compensation for completing these merit goods that compared to other industrialised productions, were not very profitable. These strategies allowed the Chinese people and economy to thrive during economic boom but also increase their standard of living. The Chinese Government has introduced a way to change economic strategies and policies in order to relate to the current economic activities. This plan is called the 5-year-plan, a set of policies that have to remain active for the remaining 5 years until they are reassessed for the new economic activities. This 5 year plan applies for all regions of china, and is used in order to map strategies for economic development, setting growth targets, and launching reforms. The 12th 5 year plan (2011-2015) outlines their planned urbanisation amount, GDP growth and estimated output from industries and the building of new low-income apartments to reduce poverty and increase the standard of living for the Chinese Population. The policies can also aim to stabilize their current growth, make incomes more equal and improve social infrastructure. The Chinese government believe that the increase of employment and reduction in unemployed population is the top priority to create stability in their rapidly growing economy. By the end of 2005, the registered unemployment population in urban areas reached 8. 39 million, and the registered unemployment rate in the urban areas was 4. 2 per cent. In order to counteract the growing unemployment, The Chinese Government applied structural â€Å"Proactive employment Policies† in order to create incentive and encourage unemployed members of the Chinese population to look, create, or innovate their own employment These practises were used to promote the economic growth but also increase the poor standard of living in China. These included: 1. Encouraging the unemployed to start up their own businesses. Reducing taxes and charges, plus small loans with discounted interests created a perfect environment and incentive for the Chinese unemployed to stimulate the economy and its growth. 2. Exempting and reducing taxes on enterprises willing to employ disadvantaged unemployed people. 3. Offering particular insurance subsidies for flexible employment terms. Evaluation of Economic Growth and development Strategies: Strategies used by the Chinese Government are all aimed to create, stabilise and promote growth of the Economy and the quality of life of the Chinese people. The Open Door policy has unlocked the swift growth of the Chinese Economy by allowing the flooding of Foreign Direct Investment. With an increase of Chinas GDP per capita from $153 to $1284 , this single indicator outlines the success of opening China to Foreign Direct Investment. The open door policy has also created an opening for greater employment, income and therefore better living standards for the Chinese population. This is because the open door policy allows more TNC’s and large enterprises to base their factories and outlets around the Chinese population. Export and business incentives have also fuelled a large amount of success though the encouragement of reaching the technical optimum in economies of scale, and employing more people, once again, creating more jobs and increasing living standards of the Chinese population. The Decentralization from government is a strategy that started the growth they have received and the increase of economic development in China. Through this decentralization, the redistribution of income and resources has unlocked the flood for foreign direct investment, creation of employment and increased the living standards of the population. The 5 year plan has fulfilled its potential by maintaining the economic stability of china, whilst still creating growth. Through the increase of GDP, employment rates, and living standards of the Chinese population, it is obvious that the changing of political policies and goals have succeeded in guiding the Chinese economies growth. This planning allowed the government to change into a market orientated system whilst still keeping the benefits of planning goals, rates and living standards to predict the future of the Chinese economy. The strategies under the â€Å"Proactive employment policies† are used to create jobs and stimulate the economy, whist also decreasing unemployment and increasing the living standards of the Chinese population. Not only has the policies reduced the people unemployed, but they also can be used to raise the minimum income. Overall, the effects of globalisation on economic growth and the quality of life in china have been mostly benefiting. Through the introduction of new employment, high income and standards of living, and the decentralization of the Chinese government, China continues to gain expediential growth over any other country in the world. The industrialisation of China has proven to be a crucial time for reassessing political strategies and adding policies to benefit the Chinese population.

Promoting Diversity and Inclusion in Health and Social Care

Promoting Diversity and Inclusion in Health and Social Care Sharon Heather Ferguson-Guy Promote equality and inclusion in health social care or children’s and young people’s setting Outcome 1 – Understand the importance of diversity, equality and inclusion 1:1Â  Explain what is meant by: Diversity – the word diversity means a different and varied. In the United Kingdom you will find people are different and varied in lots of ways. For example, people who have originated from many different countries, people from different ethnic background, people of different genders with different sexual preferences, people with different values and beliefs, people with different interests and people from different economic backgrounds. We must try and create an environment so that everybody feels valued as a person. Equality – to have equal opportunities means having equal access to things that influence our quality of life and life prospects. To have a fairer society where all that wish too, can participate and have the opportunity to fulfil their wants and needs no matter what disabilities, gender, religion, sexual orientation, beliefs, race and cultural differerences. Inclusion – when individuals are included they often end up with a quality of life that is better than they would reasonably expect. Inclusion is when everyone gets a chance to participate and be part of the team. It is also to feel and be respected and to take part in activities no matter what disadvantages they may have. 1:2Â  Describe the potential effects of discrimination: The potential effects of discrimination are that individuals often end up with a quality of life for lower than they would reasonably expect. Historically discrimination has sometimes been a matter of life and death. In some countries and cultures some of the effects of discrimination, include individuals being generally treated as outsiders and second class citizens, or being subjected to physical attacks and verbal abuse or individuals could be denied education jobs or opportunities. Discrimination can be that of verbal abuse, humiliation, intimidation, and mistreatment. The effects of this can make the individual feel stressed, low self esteem, unwanted, angry, which leads to behaviour problems, feeling isolated, unable to cope, feeling depressed, guilty, anxiety, loss of confidence. The physical effects would in turn be that of changes of eating habits, weight loss, weight gain, poor appetite, headaches, and sleeplessness, lack of energy, communication problems, and deterioration of health. 1:3Â  Explain how inclusive practice promotes equality and supports diversity: Inclusive practice promotes equality and supports diversity so individuals often end up with a better quality of life. To promote equality and diversity and ensures that the user is treated as an individual so as not to be excluded so, to value any differences and embrace full potential of their own personal needs and wants. Every user have a personal care plan which has been put together and is all about them, no two care plans are the same so each have their own individual needs. So each user will be treated equally and by recognising their diversity when assessing their care plans. Outcome 2 – Work in an inclusive way 2:1Â  Explain how legislation and codes of practice relating to equality diversity and discrimination apply to your own work role The codes of practice that relate to my work role are as part of The Person Centred Care Approach. I must respect patients in terms of their religion or sexuality and treat all individuals equally. I am aware to uphold their human rights and make sure they are not being discriminated against. Below are the legislations that relate to my work role: The Equality Act 2010 is the law which bans unfair treatment and helps gain equal opportunities in the workplace. The act replaces anti-discrimination laws from before with a single act to make it simpler to rid of any inconsistencies. The act covers nine protected areas about treating people unfairly so it does not happen. They are: Disability Age Sex Sexual orientation Gender reassignment Religion or beliefs Race Pregnancy and maternity Marriage and civil partnership The Equality Act sets out to prevent unfair treatment in the workplace, the different ways in areas that people are treated unlawfully; it may be direct or indirect victimisation. Unfair treatment should be a thing of the past, but, it still goes on in today’s society. This law replaces: Disability Discrimination Act 1995 Employment Equality (Religion or Beliefs) Regulation 2003 Equal Pay Act 1976 The Race Relations Act 1976 The Sex Discrimination Act 1975 Human rights Act 1998 – this has 16 basic rights that affect the aspects of human rights. There is also a Code of Practice which relates to my work role which is from the General Social Care Council (GSCC) Codes of Practice – it describes the standards and conduct for social care workers and employers. So I must: I am to be accountable for the quality of work that I do and to take responsibility for keeping up and improving my knowledge and skills. Encourage the independence of the patient while protecting them as far as possible from danger or harm. Protect the rights and promote the interest of patients and fellow colleagues. Respect the rights and choices of patients whilst making sure that their behaviour does not cause harm to themselves or other people. Maintain trust and confidence of patients and colleagues. Have the publics trust and confidence in social care services. The Care Standards Act 2000 – this regulates independent health and care sector, this is done by health authorities as well as the local authority which has been overtaken by the National Care Standards Commission (NCSC), this became responsible for registering and inspecting all care homes and private healthcare facilities in the UK. April 2004 this was replaced with Commission for Social Care Inspection (CSCI) and Commission for Healthcare Audit and Inspection (CHAI). On 1st April 2009 they were both amalgamated to introduce the Care Quality Commission (CQC), it became responsible for inspecting the quality and monitor care homes in England. Outcome 3 – Promote diversity equality and inclusion Describe how to challenge discrimination in a way that promotes change I would report any discrimination to my manager and also try to point out to the individual in a tactful manner that their actions were not acceptable under current legislation. I would also encourage them to embrace diversity and treat everyone equally and promote a positive outcome.

Effects of Parental Status on Children

Effects of Parental Status on Children 3.2 PARENTAL HABITS, OCCUPATION, SOCIAL CLASS AND PARENTAL EDUCATION How peers feel about their fathers occupation influences childrens attitudes. From contacts with their friends parents or what they see on television or read in books, children build up concepts of an ideal mother and father. Children feel that if they have better homes, better play equipment than their peers, they feel superior. If on the other hand their socio-economic status is inferior, it is likely to lead to feelings of inferiority. Children like to emulate their parents and thus, bad habits in parents may naturally pass on to them. Ganga et al in their study observed that in 66.2% of children there was history of alcohol abuse by fathers, with most of their income wasted on liquor and gambling. All the boys studied were from an urban or semi-urban area belonging to poor socio-economic category. In 40. 9% boys both parents were illiterate, in 33 8% only father was a functional literate. 52% of the parents were daily wage earners with irregular employment and 14. 2% were in quasi or full time Government job.24 Thilagaraj noted that in 51 % of the children had been brought up in slums and 68% of them had parents completely illiterate. Alcohol usage was found in 78% of the parents.26   3.3 EMERGING CAUSES- Natural calamities, AIDS, etc In the later part of the 20th century the World has witnessed some of the worst natural disasters. India too has witnessed the natural calamities on an unprecedented scale. The gory memories of the earthquake hitting Maharashtra in 1993, followed by another equally severe quake rocking the state of Gujarat in 2000 taking a heavy toll of human lives is still vivid. The problems of flooding in the eastern and north eastern parts of India is a recurrent one to live with, resulting in loss of many human lives. More recently the killer Tsunami waves hitting the southern coast of India taking the official death toll to over 10000.37 During such calamities children are always the first to get relief aid, hence it would be a legitimate conclusion that compared to the number of adult lives lost, the number of child deaths would be low. Mohan Y from JIPMER Pondicherry, in their preliminary study on the Tsunami affected victims in Pondicherry found out that 2% of children below 15 years were orphaned with most of them being losing their fathers.38 Lakhotia N and co-workers in a survey in the relief camps provided for the victims for the 2000 Gujarat earthquake, noted that in nearly 3% of children one of the parents was reported missing, and in 1 % it was confirmed that one of them was dead.39 Sarkar N R et at in their study noted that 4% of orphans had lost one of their parents in the floods over three years.40 Lindblade K A and co-workers feel that one of the consequences of HIV/AIDS epidemic in Sub-Saharan Africa is an increase in the number of orphans, estimated to have reached 6-11 % of children below 15 years by year 2000.41 4. PROBLEMS OF ORPHANS DUE TO ORPHANING Orphan-hood is frequently accompanied with multidimensional problems including prejudice, reduced access to health and school services, inadequate food, sexual abuse and others.42 Joyce K. Kikafunda et al found that orphan children living with their elderly grandparents are highly malnourished . A representative sample size of one hundred (100) elderly headed homes was calculated. Fifty (50) homes of children with both parents were randomly selected to act as a comparison group. A single child under the age of ten was randomly picked for anthropometrical measurements in each selected home. The results of this study show that a large proportion of the orphans (47 %) are malnourished when compared with only 28 % of malnourished non-orphans found in the normal homes. In addition, our study findings revealed that the older the orphans (0 10 years) living with the elderly get, the higher the level of underweight.43 The death of one or both parents has a profound and lifelong impact on the psychological wellbeing of children. Adolescents in particular are at increased risk for unresolved or complicated bereavement because of their developmental vulnerability and emotional dependency.44 Hierarchical framework for investigating the causal pathways between OVC experience and ill-health and malnutrition. N/B The UNICEF indicators used in the analysis are shown in the brackets- where there is no appropriate indicator to fit into the framework, NA (not available) is noted under the risk factor.45 5. ORPHANAGE 5.1 DEFINITION Orphanage is the name to describe a residential institution devoted to the care and education of orphans i.e., children whose parents are deceased or otherwise unable to care for them. 46 Institutions differ from families in both the organization of their context and in the roles of their participants. These factors affect the behaviors of the participants, both children and staff, and the process of the children’s development. 5.2 DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE CHARACTERISTICS OF INSTITUTION  AND FAMILIES: Major characteristics of a total institution as proposed by Goffman are as follows: A total institution establishes barriers to social intercourse with the outside world. It is difficult to leave a total institution. All aspects of life in a total institution are conducted in the same place under the  same single authority. Everybody is obliged to act and to live together with his/her inmates. Officials in a total institution schedule and control all phases of inmates’ activity. There is a basic split between a large managed group (inmates) and a small  supervisory staff. Inmates have restricted contacts with the outside world, whereas staff members are  socially integrated with the outside world.47 In contrast, the family is an open setting where each family member participates in some other settings (e.g. school, day care, playground, work place, peer group, church, etc.). As a system, the family consists of a number of dyads and multiads (e.g. marital couple, children, older members of the family, etc.).Participation in these dyads and multiads determines the roles of family members (husband and father, son, brother, and grandson, etc.). Each of these roles is activated by a certain context which contributes to the development of the child. Thus, in families children witness multiple roles of family members (father and husband; mother and wife; sister and daughter; etc.). In contrast, an institutional staff functions in fixed social roles with strictly denied social behaviors. 48 Another important difference between the family and the institution is that the former is a self-supporting system, but the latter is not. The family may or may not rely on the outside world for help, but the majorities of life-supporting activities originates within the family and are carried out by family members, both adults and children. Mothers and fathers combine roles of providers, cooks, servants, educators, and caretakers in the mutual process and mutual context of life, and are assisted by their children. In an institution, these life-supporting activities are distributed between many staff with little or no participation by institutionalized children. 48 6. QUALITY OF SERVICES RENDERED IN ORPHANAGE Chabra et al in their study on the nutritional status and morbidity among 192 boys aged 6-12 years in a children observation in North West Delhi, noted that the infrastructure in terms of dining rooms, toilets, recreational facilities and medical care was inadequate.49 Erick Otieno Nyambedha et al in his study found that 84% of caregivers said orphans has schooling problems,48% of them said orphans has food problems,20% said hospital facilities are lacking.50 Horwitz S M and co-workers observed in their study on children in a foster care facility in New Haven Connecticut State USA, that there were no adequate toilet facilities for the inmates and the caretakers to child ratio was also inadequate.51 Suma Narayan Reddy observed in her study that out of 16 orphanages surveyed by her, there were 28 caretakers, only 2 caretakers had formal training and orientation courses in mental health problems of children and their early recognition and institution of remedial measures.52 Kapur M et al observed that most of the caretakers involved in the care of juvenile delinquents were not properly trained in recognizing the emotional problems amongst children.53 Takayama and co-workers report in their study on a child protection centre in San Francisco that the number of Caretakers was inadequate, and the medical services too were inadequate.54 7. PROBLEMS FACED BY THE ORPHANS IN ORPHANAGES Children living in institution invariably face a wide variety of problems inherent in institutional care such as (1) shortage of trained staff and the associated problem of high staff turnover (2) children living in groups set up their own social system and code of behavior which may oppose rather than support the aims of the institution (3) contradictions between the needs for regulation and the need to individualize the conflict between the needs of the individual child and the needs of the group. Thus the children are caught amidst such inevitable situation and demands in the institutions. 55 Five areas of potential biologic and social risk to infants and young children in orphanage care include: infectious morbidity nutrition and growth cognitive development socio affective development physical abuses 55 Orphanage children are deprived of their primary care givers, so they are more prone to physical health problems. Various studies have been conducted at national and international level, on health problems of orphans and vulnerable children in orphanage. Some of them are as follows. Chabra et al conducted a study on health and nutritional status of 192 boys in the age group of 6 to 12 years in a children observation home in Delhi. Almost 148 (60%) boys had some or the other forms of morbidity. Skin disease was the commonest morbidity (31.7%), followed by disease of the oral cavity (16%), acute respiratory infection (8.6%) and disease of the ear (9.9%). Additionally, the study revealed that that (36.7%) of boys were malnourished, and (13.5%) of the boys exhibited signs of specific nutritional deficiencies.49 Bhuvanesh Shukla et al found that most commonest health problems in orphanage are skin disease. A sample size of 104 children between the age group of 5 – 14 years was studied. Orphanage children skin problems shows that 3.84% of them had skin patches. Most of the (83%) children had dandruff, 25% of them had pediculosis.50% of them had dental carries, 33.5 of them had gingivitis, 57.7% of them were malnourished.10 Karim SA et al conducted a study in an orphanage in Dhaka to find out the outbreak of scabies and socio-economic profile, water sanitation facilities, personal hygiene and living condition of the orphan children. The study included 492 children and they received clinical check up. The result highlights that 98%children had scabies, and 71% has been infected.56 Dhanya Muralidharan et al a study conducted on oral health status of children in orphanage found that dental caries is most common in them. There were a total of 221 children in the orphanage with a boy to girl ratio of 1.6:1. The number of children having dental caries at baseline was 129 (58.37%). They concluded that comprehensive dental health care program (CDHP) is effective in overall improvement of general and oral health. In resource limited countries like India, such programs organized by dental schools can improve oral health.57 Takayama J I et al observed in their study population that among the 0 to 6 year olds, 27% children had upper respiratory illnesses, 23% had developmental delay and 21% had skin conditions. Among the 7 to 12 age group, 32% failed vision screen, 12% had dental caries and 11% had upper respiratory illness. Among the 13-18 year olds, 31% had failed vision screening, 12% had positive tuberculin skin tests.54 Miller L C and Hendrie N W noted that of the 452 Chinese children adopted form various orphanages from China and observed at an Adoption clinic between 1991-1998, Growth and developmental delays were frequent, in 39% for height, 18% for weight, 24% for head circumference. 75% had significant developmental delay in at least 1 domain; Gross motor in 55%, Fine motor in 49%, Cognitive in 32%, Language in 43%, Social-emotional in 28%, Activities of Daily Living 30% and global delays in 44%, 35% were anaemic, 10% had abnormal thyroid function tests, 9% had intestinal parasitosis (usually Giardia). 3.5% had positive skin tests for tuberculosis, 6% had positive hepatitis B surface antigen, 22% had positive hepatitis B surface antibody. Unsuspected significant medical diagnoses including hearing loss, orthopedic problems and congenital anomalies were seen in 12% of children.58 Wilai S et al conducted a study in Pathum Thani Province, Thailand to evaluate the intestinal parasitic infections in orphanage children. A cross-sectional study was conducted among 106 preschool orphans (60 males and 46 females) and their stool samples were collected. Almost 86 individuals (81.1%) were infected with at least one parasite.59 Ganga et al in their study on 225 children in Thanjavur Observation home observed that, communicable diseases, diseases of the eyes, ear, skin and dental caries

Society Effects On Gender Roles In Malawi Essay examples --

Society Effects On Gender Roles In Malawi Ivy Tech Vocational Collage The seventeenth and eighteenth century was a time of many struggles with many nations. Slave traders, immigrants and Christian missionaries where some of the troubles brought on by changes happening. While it was a time of change the Malawi people came together and formed this alliance of the Nyau . Mostly to form a resistance. Nyau appealed to the people because it brought their culture together instead of the quilted nature of the other cultures. Through the Nayu the Gule Wamkulu was founded they are a society of men . Chinamwali is a female society . In the early twentieth century the Presbyterians and Catholics condemned the Nyau and the Chinamwali as heinous. Asking the native people to denounce both. People in charge of the ceremonies where uncertain of the future. Missionaries where questioning the ritual ceromines and the children not being in school. Giving the opinion that these children are coerced to join these groups a roadblock to their learning keeping them out of school. The government was asked to step in however , decided not to interfere in this matter . Writing on the Nyau subject reports that the researcher Woods (1991/1992) for example ‘illustrates how lineage elders to establish a new hegemony that enabled them to control the lineage when other indigenous forms of authority nearly collapsed during the colonial era. â€Å" Informing the reader that the Nyau was a strong force not easily broken or infiltrated. Through the course of time the Nyau had less of a need . Times had changed slavery was not as prevalent the immigration had elevated, however the missionaries remained , leaving them with... ...art . Often this is done so that the other wives can make money harvesting crops . The husband can take care of the finances. Having many wives can make for having more children which is a status symbol. His wife may become unbecoming so he may aquire another wife. Sometimes a husband will take a luphatho in the form of a basket of maize flour and one chicken which is taken by the wife herself to her parents to ask for the sister’s hand in marriage. If the parents accept the luphatho the formal processes of paying for the bride price is instituted and finally the young sister joins her sister as a second wife. Women are not allowed to marry more than one man. Works Cited Groves, Z. (2012). Urban Migrants and Religious Networks: Malawians in Colonial Salisbury, 1920 to 1970. Journal Of Southern African Studies, 38(3), 491-511. doi:10.1080/03057070.2012.707507

El Patron in The House of the Scorpion :: Nancy Farmer

El Patron in The House of the Scorpion What if there was a world with clones? There would be a way to live for up to 100 years effortlessly, have easy transplants, and maintain a precise memory. But, the recipient would be taking organs from someone else. "So what", he or she may justify, "they're clones, they are inferior. They don't matter because they are stupid." But what if someone had the power to allow them to be of normal intelligence? He or she might think that he or she is doing the clone a favor, but when the clone is killed for spare parts it's an even worse situation than with a retarded clone. Not for this "bandido" (Farmer 37). El Patron is a cruel, selfish, heartless man who clawed his way to power in his youth and rules people with fear, though he is powerful, he is always nagged by the fact that he may lose everything. There is no way on earth he would let that happen. El Patron believes he is doing the clones a favor by allowing them to be smart, but in the end he uses them just like all the other clones in the world - for his own personal use. Esperanza, a fierce No Drug activist, once wrote that “a more evil, vicious, and self-serving man (than El Patron) could hardly be imagined” (Farmer 170). Though the practice of murdering clones is widely accepted in the book, it is morally wrong, and most people would at least have second thoughts about killing someone. Even with his dragon hoard, which he just lets sit there untouched and deeply protected, El Patron becomes outraged with even the slightest of a suggestion towards giving anything away. He is so self-centered, in fact, that at his death greed took over and all of the people inhabiting his part of Opium were silenced and added to his hoard. Power is what El Patron has worked for and what he fears of losing. Unthinkingly describing the drug lord word for word, Tam Lin once said that “Power is a drug, and people like me crave it” (Farmer 243). Though his business is illegal to the rest of the world, he never seems to show any concern about what everyone else’s laws are and he proceeds with what he had planned. Matt and all of the other clones he had created are mere examples of this.

Workplace Spirituality :: Religion, Work

Workplace spirituality is a sophisticated concept (Kinjerski & Skrypnek, 2004). Generally speaking, it involves the sense of well-being, the feeling of the whole self involved in the work, the feeling of connection to others and something larger than oneself, and a sense of transcendence (Ashmos & Duchon, 2000; Ingersoll, 2010; Kinjerski & Skrypnek, 2004; Kinjerski, V. M., & Skrypnek, 2008; Rego & Pina e Cunha, 2008; Sheep, 2004). Individuals view their work as sacred (Ingersoll, 2010), while workplace spirituality is not necessary related to religion (Ashmos & Duchon, 2000; Krishnakumar & Neck, 2002; Milliman et al., 2003; Rego & Pina e Cunha, 2008). It can be regard to personal value or philosophy. This concept can be referred to self-actualization proposed by Maslow’s (1954) hierarchy of needs. Besides pursuing satisfaction of the basic levels in the hierarchy, individuals have desire to satisfy the higher level of need. Although earning money is the basic goal, individuals eager to find out the meaning in work, to make contribution to the society, to reach their full potential, to become connecting with colleagues, to work in an organization which they identify its goal and value (Kinjerski & Skrypnek, 2004). Although a consistent definition in workplace spirituality has not been reached, mutuality in its definition delineated in literatures can be easily found. Sheep (2004) has been summed up into four themes. The first theme is self-workplace integration, that is the immersion of whole self into work. The second theme is meaning of work. People tend to find out meaning in their work. The meaning may be related to personal value, such as contributing to society and others, and go beyond monetary benefits. The third one is transcendence of self, connecting to something larger than self. This theme includes the connectedness to others, community, and the organization. The final theme is â€Å"personal growth and development of one’s inner life at work†. Organization can provide conditions for the growth and development of employees. Despite various perspectives about workplace spirituality, three dimensions were focused in the present study. The model proposed by Milliman et al. (2003) was adopted. In this model, workplace spirituality includes three levels, namely individual, community and organization. This model embraces two above mentioned theme such as meaning of work and transcendence of self. In the individual level of workplace spirituality, meaningfulness in work is involved in this level. People are motivated to actively search for and give meaning to their lives (Ashmos & Duchon, 2000; Frankl, 1992; Lips-Wiersma & Morris, 2009).

Schizophrenia & Paranoid Personality Disorder “a Beautiful Mind”

â€Å"A Beautiful Mind,† which is based on the novel by Sylvia Nasar, is the story about the mathematic genius called John Nash. He enters Princeton University in the 1940s to start his studies in the fields of calculus and mathematical theory. He is very much an outsider, who does not much hang out with his colleague mates but only with his kind and outgoing roommate called Charles and his little nephew. Later on, John turns out to be a teacher at M. I. T and meets one of his students called Alicia, who is very smart, lovely and performs an important role as John’s wife. They get married with blessings of their friends; however, their happiness does not last long because later on, John is diagnosed as psychological disorder called schizophrenia. After this symptom has been diagnosed, Alicia figures out that John’s old friend, Charles and his nephew, never existed but only in John’s imagination. Also she finds out him working as a national security in nowhere, which does not even exist as well. For, she makes a hard decision to send John to the mental hospital and this brings John, who still think everything happened so far is real, to disbelieve his wife. Read also Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. Even though, the story seems flowing to the tragic way, the real beauty of this movie starts after these previous events, because John realizes he really is suffering form schizophrenia by recognizing that Charles little nephew never changes although time passed by. John never gets rid of his imaginary friends, but tries to ignore them and overcome his symptoms. This was possible because he had his loving family next to him. Later on, he keeps moving forward as a mathematician and receives the Nobel Prize by his work. It is not publicly mentioned in this movie; however there are some psychological disorders that are introduced through out the movie that the main character, John Nash, suffers. Among those, the two major psychological disorders that one can obviously recognize are schizophrenia and paranoid personality disorder. According to the American Psychiatric Association, the psychological disorder called schizophrenia is â€Å"a disruption in cognition and emotion, affecting the most fundamental human attributes: language, thought, perception, affect, and sense of self† (2000). There are two symptoms in schizophrenia. One is hallucination, which means something one sees, feels, or hears that is not really there, and the other one is called delusion that means a false belief about something that one wish were true. The content of the movie, which leads the character to be diagnosed as this symptom is that the main character, John Nash, thinks that his imaginary friends and places really exists. For example, when he was taking a walk with his imaginary friend, Charles, someone suddenly attacked him and took him somewhere he has never been (actually, it is a mental hospital). When he recovered his consciousness, he meets a strange guy, who is suppose to be a mental specialist but John thinks he’s a police. Talking with this strange guy for a few seconds, John finds out Charles sitting at the opposite side of him and thinks he (Charles) is the one who betrayed him and take him to the police. Later on, he finds his wife, Alicia as well and thinks that even she betrayed him. This leads the character to be diagnosed as a paranoid personality disorder. Being paranoid means extremely worried about something/someone because s/he believes that they cannot trust other people. There are several symptoms of paranoid personality disorder. They suspects without sufficient basis, that others are exploiting, harming, or deceiving him or her and/or they are reluctant to confide in others because of unwarranted fear that the information will be used maliciously against him or her (American Psychiatric Association). The example scene of the movie that relates to this disorder is, as it is mentioned above, John becomes reluctant to believe others because he thinks his friend and even his wife betrayed him. Although later he figures out that he is mentally ill, he did suspect people when he did not know he was a schizophrenic. This movie portrayed the disorder realistically, because it is based on true story and real person. Even though the movie might be a little bit exaggerated, these kinds of symptom may occur when one person is really into a specific subject and loves too much about it that s/he cannot even help him/herself.

Challenges of restaurants facing in HK Essay

INTRODUCTION: It is well known that Hong Kong is a food paradise since there is an array of types of food and a wide range of restaurants can be founded in Hong Kong. The business of restaurants plays an important role in the food service sector in Hong Kong and it is gaining momentum due to the variety kinds of food provided. However, due to the cost, labor and competition factors, Hong Kong restaurants are facing challenges both internally and externally, and as a consequence, they are opening and closing at a fast pace. (Chung,2013) CHALLENGE 1: First and foremost, one of the crucial challenges facing by Hong Kong restaurants is the soaring rent of their locations. Due to the increasing tension of the land use in Hong Kong, the land price is increasing and as a result, the rent is rising. The tremendous amount of property rental increased by the property owners adds a large financial burden on the restaurants. Since they cannot gain any profits if they need to pay such an expensive rent, therefore, they will have no choice but to close down their restaurants. The famous Lei Yuen Congee Noodles (Chung, 2013) behind Sogo Department Store in Causeway bay is a case in point. It was forced to close because it was located in the core area in Causeway Bay and the rent was doubled. This case shows that the insurmountable rent may lead to an end of a restaurant business. Besides, the food cost is another challenges to Hong Kong restaurants. Due to the inflation, the cost of ingredients is increasing. Some commodities like vegetables, cooking oil, cheese and beef are costing higher, restaurants need to pay more and the profit is lower (Ryan, 2011). Some restaurants had tried not to increase the price od their dishes and make less profit they could get in order not to scare off their patrons initially, however, with the steady rise of food cost, they were not be able to impede the increase of their menu prices. Undoubtedly, the increase in the price of menus resulted in a loss of customers. CHALLENGE 2: Moreover, labor shortage is also a key challenge of Hong Kong restaurants.  (Wong, 2011) Because of the long working hours and tough work, many people are not willing to work in a restaurant, except those are passionate about food and beverage. With fewer newcomers in this industry, there is a lack of skillful staff. Although there is an implementation of minimum wage law in order to prevent workers from depriving, many people will prefer exploring in other industries rather that working in restaurants, especially the Generation Y who born in the 1980s and 1990s. McDonald’s Restaurants (Hong Kong) Limited is a case in point (Wong, 2011). The Generation Y group of staff has become increasingly mobile after the imposition of minimum wage law. They would like to seek better opportunities in other areas instead of working for long hours in the food industry. Since there will be fewer passionate people in food and beverage among the youngsters, as a consequence, there may be a sh ortfall of restaurants workers after the retiring of the current talented staff. The service quality and operational efficiency may not be maintained with a shortage of labor. Therefore, restaurants are facing a tremendous difficulty in the aspect of labor use. CHALLENGE 3: Last but not least, there is a fierce competition among restaurants. In today’s highly customer-oriented marketplace, maintain increasing levels of food hygiene and service quality is certainly important. Restaurants need to ensure that the basic service is good and the menu should not be dull and it should include some special dishes regularly in order to attract customers. However, it is not the only requirement for maintain restaurants’ competitive edge. Becoming a successful restaurant, not only do the food and service are in a good quality, media attention is also needed. Most of the upscale restaurants in Hong Kong are aggressive in holding events or collaborating with other business partners to offer promotions and to attract media attention. They will also add leisure components to the dining experience, such as wine tasting sessions, cooking classes or food photography courses(HKQAA,2011). Many casual restaurants also take advantage of the social media platform s, for instance, OpenRice and Facebook, to promote themselves by offering discounts. It shows that the competition among restaurants is extremely fierce and media attention plays a key role in the competition of restaurants. If the restaurants cannot stand out to  catch customers’ attention through media, the business may not be successful when they are comparing with other restaurants. CONCLUSION: To conclude, restaurants are facing many challenges in Hong Kong, ranging from internal challenges to external challenges. Although the monetary challenges, lack of labor and the fierce competition add a burden on running the restaurants business, there are always solutions to solve the problems. With the perfect service and tasty food provided, restaurants can succeed and always stand out from others. REFERENCES: Cathie Chung(2013),Attractiveness And Challenges Of Restaurant Business In Hong Kong (Website:http://www.joneslanglasalleblog.com/APResearch/retail-research/attractiveness-and-challenges-of-restaurant-business-in-hong-kong#.UmvxjRaA3X9) HKQAA(2013),VISION (Website : http://www.hkqaa.org/cmsimg/1375072136vision48.pdf) Nicolette Wong(2011),Challenges and incentives motivate young restaurant workers (Website http://cthr.ctgoodjobs.hk/article/show_article.aspx/1174-14129-challenges-and-incentives-motivate-young-restaurant-workers) RYAN(2011),Can Restaurants Increase Their Menu Prices In Response To The Rising Food Cost? (Website: http://www.kng.com/blog/food-and-beverage-news/can-restaurants-increase-their-menu-prices-in-response-to-the-rising-food-cost/)

Academic Success Essay

A lot of students think that learning is only in class. If students use two extra steps, most students will not forget what they learned in class. To achieve effective learning, students needed to follow two extra steps in the three strategic learning processes. The key to success is by following these three strategies. Review is essential to student success. Unless content is reviewed by students shortly after it is learned, it will soon be forgotten. To avoid forgetting what you learned, it is recommended to review daily. It is also recommended to reduce large volumes of notes into point form and to paraphrase what you have learned. Other helpful tips include creating concept maps and diagrams; creating fact, concept or vocabulary cards and using visualization to better connect to what you learned. These are all important tools to helping students better understand and memorize lesson content. The key to achieving academic success cannot be directly correlated to one specific area. Rather it requires students to be overall rounded in many different aspects. This includes attending class regularly to keep pace with the class. Falling behind in studies or homework can be detrimental to academic success and can induce stress onto students. Participating in class activities and discussions are also vital parts of learning and applying concepts learned. On the other hand, taking good, concise notes will always help in the long run when reviewing for tests and exams. To sum it all up, strategic learning is the password for many academic achievements. Being exposed to knowledge is the first step in the journey, the fact that young scholars can learn and be a part of history is a phenomenal step in furthering their search to success. Reviewing notes, in the way the young individual wishes, by him/herself, or with a good friend, this will help him/her to understand what has been learned in a way s/he understands. Lastly practice is a great way to memorise what has bee n learned, when practice achieves its full potential, the individual won’t only be entitled for a good mark, but also a way to view, under & think of things. Those three attributes will help scholars become more successful, but it’s important to one as it is to the other, and each and every person should find the learning strategies effectual for him/herself, and in extremely exceptional occasions even invent or innovate new strategies. Academic Success Essay Answer each question below in at least 75 words per question, reflecting on your current abilities, and identify resources to strengthen your skills. Refer to the videos, readings, and other weekly assignments to help you compose your answers. Question Your reflection How would you define academic readiness? See more: Examples of satire in adventures of huckfinn essay I would define academic readiness as being ready,willing and able to let yourself learn.Having the mindset to be ready to take on one of the hardest obstacles of your life.Learning new things doesn’t come easy to everyone.Especially me. I graduated high school 16 years ago,and vowed to never continue my education because I was scared and had low self-esteem.I learned over the years that I can do things,even if its hard or uncomfortable,if I set my mind to it.I am ready,academically,and personally to learn and to achieve my goals,because I need to be and deserve to be. What concerns, if any, do you have with academic writing and reading? I’m concerned mainly with writing essays.Since its been many years since I’ve had to write anything lengthy or of any real importance,I’m not very confident about it.I am,however,confident in my spelling and reading skills.I am looking forward to developing new skills in writing and learning how to put a good essay in order ,since there are many resources available to help me. What two university resources will you use to strengthen your writing and reading skills (refer to your Student Resources Worksheet)? The first resource I will be using is the Center for Writing Excellence.I can get live assistance,step by step guide’s and tutorials.I believe this will be a wonderful opportunity to learn different writing techniques and to make sure I am doing it all properly.The second resource I will utilize are the workshops.In my spare time,I will set a goal of at least 2 hours a week participating in a writing workshop to further my learning. What is your personal learning style (refer to the Ch. 1 Aplia homework)? I have learned  that I am kinesthetic.I never knew there were so many different types of learning before I started this class.I always knew,even as a child,that if the subject didn’t appeal to me personally,I couldn’t pay attention or learn anything.Knowing the information I know now,I understand why I always had such a hard tim e with math. I learn by feeling something emotionally or seeing something be done. Seeing and feeling is the way I connect to everything.Numbers is one thing I don’t comprehend easily,but I succeed in reading because I can emotionally get involved in a story. What are two obstacles you might need to overcome (refer to your Life Factors and personality assessments)? Learning how to manage my time more efficiently.I need to figure out how to manage being a wife,mother,employee and student all in one day.Another obstacle is learning how to handle stress.When I feel overwhelmed,It’s normally a very bad thing.I tend to freak out on everyone who means the most to me,which is something I need help with immediately.It’s not fair to my family. I’m going to be under alot of pressure juggling everything and I want to know how to properly deal with it. What strategies can you use to overcome these obstacles and be successful? I will get a calendar and start writing down my to-do l ist daily.I will set a time limit for each thing to manage my time correctly.As for my stress and anger,I will utilize the Life Resource Center. I am willing to take any advice given to me to help me become the best student,wife,mother and employee that I know I can be.I am willing and able to change,with the right guidance and techniques. How does knowing your personal learning style help you be successful? Knowing that I am kinesthetic and that I learn by seeing and feeling,makes me realize that I need to explore the other learning styles.Experimenting in other ways of learning,I may find that now that I’m older and more experienced at life,ways I learned when I was younger,may not be the only way I can learn now. I honestly haven’t had to learn anything academically for so many years,that trying a new style,might not be such a bad idea. Do you feel you are ready for the academic and financial commitment of attending college? Yes.The reason I am ready,is because I have been procrastinating way too long.Life doesn’t wait for you to keep saying â€Å"I’ll do it next month†¦next year,ect.†Life goes on,whether you’re ready or not.I’m 35 years old.My kids are growing up. Days fly by. You don’t know when your last day on Earth will  be.I’m ready. I’m ready to prove to myself and my family that I can achieve my dream. I’m ready to put my all into this,and I’m willing to work as hard as I can to pay for my expenses as well. How can goal setting and time management help you reach your goals? Goal setting and time management is extremely important,and also something I definitely need to improve. It will help me succeed in my dream of graduating and becoming a substance abuse counselor.I’ve never been very good at setting goals properly in the past,or managing my time wisely.Now,after I have read the chapter on the subject,I have learned ways of becoming more efficient with my time. Having goals in life is something everyone needs. Goals give you hope,and something to look forward to.Learning to make the most of your time will help you achieve these goals and make you a more productive person.

Five literary elements in Barbara Kimenye’s “The Winner” Essay

Barbara Kimenye’s â€Å"The Winner,† is an excellent example of a short story that does not necessarily use all five of the literary elements to their fullest potential, but still creates a sense of organic unity. In this analysis, the elements are organized in the order of theme, plot, characterization, setting, and then structure. Each element will be described and then â€Å"The Winner† and the events in it will be related to the elements. The purpose of the theme of a story is to provide insight to the reader about the author’s point-of-view on the topic they chose to write about. Theme can be communicated in two ways, both of which Ms. Kimenye utilized. One is to reveal the theme directly through a statement that a character makes, and the other is to allow the reader to interpret the theme based on the actions and reactions of the characters. She relates money and happiness throughout the story to convey her theme. Her use of description through the characters stressed her point very clearly. She used the right symbols, such as people, in the proper way to help the reader understand the purpose and meaning of the symbol. Overall, the way she incorporated the theme into the story could be considered to range from good to excellent. The plot of a story should have an element of suspense and irony in it to make the reader want to continue reading. It should also include at least one major complication, that is, the protagonist or another character is blocked from doing what they want to do. While all of this is going on, the order or events and relationship between events still has to make sense to the reader. There was a great deal of irony presented in the end of the story when Pius ended up changing his opinion of Cousin Sarah and marrying her, which the reader didn’t expect. Barbara Kimenye also kept the events in the story organized by some form and made it very simple for the reader to understand what was going on. While she fulfilled most of the characteristics of a good plot, one seemed to be lacking. There could have been more tension between characters present in the story. Ms. Kimenye made wonderful use of the element characterization. In short stories, not much depth is required as to the character’s personalities. It is only required that any reader be able to connect with one character.  However, in this story, one seemed to know Pius’ personality and by the end, could almost predict what his reactions would be to events. The setting in this story was somewhat described literally, but most good authors try to make a touch on figurative settings also. The setting is the conditions prior to the story, and should be described in clarity and detail. In this selection, one had a general idea of Pius’ surroundings, but no information presented was ever extremely detailed so that the reader could make a distinct picture in their head. Finally, the structure of a short story should always be fictional and written in prose. It should also contain no more than one plot and should be based on the plot rather than the characters. Short stories do not usually use all five literary elements clearly and with a great depth, although they are still present in some form. Ms. Kimenye chose a structure to write in at the beginning of the story and, for the most part, she stuck to all of the guidelines with it, although some things she did in the story may have been pushing it a little bit. In general, Barbara Kimenye used the five elements together in a way that most readers can understand and interpret to mean many things. The story could have been written better, but the author placed the elements together in a way that worked, regardless of whether or not she used them all to their full potential.

A Profile of a Place.a Town, a Park, a Room, etc Essay

A Profile of a Place.a Town, a Park, a Room, etc - Essay Example During these activities, they learn how to socialize and communicate. Preschools arrange such outdoor activities that help children learn how to use their problem-solving skills and make choices. Children should learn in preschools the basic knowledge base, which should help them in their academics when they go to kindergarten and the following years. The goal of preschools is to make children learn comprehension, make predictions and decisions, solve problems, draw logics, and interrelate images and language. Hence, preschools focus on the cognitive development of children, preparing them for actual academics. They are taught concepts of time management, cleanliness, concentration, and innovation. I have been intrigued by Craig Child’s experiences written in his book ‘The Animal Dialogues: Uncommon Encounters in the Wild’, and thus I wanted to go to an interesting preschool, and record my own experiences as its profile. The preschool had a very warm and cozy envi ronment, ideal for play activities arranged for young kids. There were around 30 kids, one supervisor and two attendants. There were many sorts of play activities available for kids, such as playing with dough, coloring, trading, jigsaw puzzles, toy slides and swings, and many more. Kids could choose whichever activity they wanted to get themselves occupied with. The most interesting element was that there was a pretend kitchen, which was the main focus of the preschoolers. It contained a toy stove and toy cooking utensils which the children loved to play with. The stove was made out of a big box, overturned with knobs and burners, which were marked on it by a marker. There was toy food on the tables, which had been brought there with the main purpose of teaching the children good eating habits. Children were playing with their toy food with great excitement and fun. They were using the apparatus available in the kitchen to wash and sterilize the toy food, as their friends put the f ood in their mouths. In the article, ‘Develop Your Child's Critical Thinking Skills’, it is stated that, â€Å"Encourage independent thinking. Let your child decide (within reason) what is appropriate for them. Give them enough room to make decisions, but also be there in case their plans don't work out† (Roker, par.8). The instructors were giving children opportunities to explore things and bring new ideas. Moreover, there were many table and chair sets for the kids to use. There were maps, colorful carpets, tiny sofas, bright pictures, funny toys like baby dolls, and a baby calendar hanging on the wall. Kids were using all these as their pretend play. They set the tables and chairs, served each other lunch using toy food, and played chefs. Their sense of creativity was astonishing. They were pretending as if they could smell the yummy food they were playing with. There was also some toy cleaning equipment, like toy brooms and mops, so as to develop the sense of cleanliness in the preschoolers. The supervisor was constantly supervising the kids, with active participation in their play activities. Some kids were surrounding her, asking her different questions. All of them seemed to be very interested in art work and a little pet of theirs, a

Computer literacy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Computer literacy - Essay Example These make of computers are expensive and mainly used for specific operations and applications that need huge amount of information and calculations. They are used in weather forecasting among many other places where supercomputers are needed such as nuclear energy research, geological data analysis, and electronic design. Mainframe computers- it is a powerful computer used by several users thus referred to as a multi-user computer. These computers got their names after the small â€Å"minicomputers† emerged in the early 1970s. Today, the mainframe computers are very large. They are very expensive since they can support several hundreds of users at the same time. In different ways, it can be said that mainframe computers exhibit superior characteristics compared to supercomputers since they can support several programs simultaneously. On the other hand, supercomputers have the advantage of executing single programs at a faster rate compared to mainframe computers. Minicomputers- these are midsize computers used for applications. Their main uses includes engineering, desktop publishing, development of software and many other applications that needs moderate amount of power to compute. Personal computers-they first came to existence in 1970s. They are small, inexpensive and designed to be used by individual users. The first types of personal computers to come to the market were the Apple II. Personal computers are categorized depending on size and chassis. The chassis is also referred to as the metal frame, which serves as the structural support for electronic components. Personal computers evolved to a point where small portable computers came to being. There are different types of personal computers including Tower model-in this computer, the mass storage, motherboard and the power supply are on top of one another in a cabinet. This is opposite of what exists in the desktop models where these computer components are in a compact set of box. Tower

Psychological profile on Hannibal lector and Buffalo Bill Essay

Psychological profile on Hannibal lector and Buffalo Bill - Essay Example Nevertheless, based on first hand information gathered by the authors biographer David Sexton, it is learnt that the character of Hannibal Lecter was based on that of William Coyne, a notorious serial killer who terrorized American society in the 1930s. In this context, one can claim that Lecters profile belongs to the Psychopath category. This assessment also makes sense when one considers the childhood history of Lecter. It should be noted that the novel The Silence of the Lambs does not delve into his childhood history. It is the fourth and fifth books of the sequel, namely Hannibal and Hannibal Rising, that provide greater detail about his early life. Nevertheless, since the underlying theme and the authorship of all these books are the same, one can arrive at the approximate profile of Lecter by cross referencing material from these novels and films. Although the brilliance of his mind was evident from the beginning and something that he was born with, his anti-social tendencies developed as a result of severely traumatic experiences in the past. In his early years in Lithuania, he witnessed the traumatic death and consumption of his sister Mischa, whom he had loved very much. This incident had left profound would on his psyche, which would turn him into a remorseless, cannibalistic psychopath. The adage â€Å"take the help of a thief to catch a thief† fits so aptly in the case of psychopaths as well. In the movie The Silence of the Lambs, Clarice Starling, a rookie FBI trainee, takes the help of Hannibal Lecter, who is in police custody, to identify and track down another serial killer with the name â€Å"Buffalo Bill†. While both Lecter and Buffalo Bill are psychopathic serial killers, the latter seems to be more indiscriminate and brutal in performing his crimes. The other distinction between the two is that Buffalo Bill is not shown to be cannibalistic, but Lecter clearly is. Buffalo Bill, whose real name is Jame

Political Participation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Political Participation - Essay Example Elections will reinforce the political stability and legitimacy of democracy in the country through allowing the citizens to exercise their fundamental rights of selecting their own representatives in several political offices. Accordingly, political elections contribute to self-actualization through confirmation of the basic rights of citizens and reinforcement of self-esteem among the population (Waters 119). Political elections entrench accountability in the management of public affairs and resources across the country. In addition, electoral process forces the candidates to outline their leadership capabilities including past records and future intentions thus acting as a forum for citizens to discuss their political needs and express their public opinion. Elections will provide public education to citizens and safeguard the democratic principles that aim at ensuring proper management of public affairs and full public participation ( Boehmke 234). Types of elections Referendums R eferendum is a electoral process whereby voters express their wishes in regards to proposed legislation or government policy. Obligatory referendums involves statutes or legislation action that seeks approval of the citizens while optional referendum involves popular vote on laws that have been petitioned by a section of the citizens (Boehmke 79). Referendums are useful in advancing legislation in the country since the legislature refers public policy matters to the voters for approval such as tax law changes, changes to the state constitution and other less controversial matters that require the public opinion. Popular referendum is also used to repeal acts of the legislature and statutes through a petition that entails collecting sufficient signatures that require a popular vote for the law to be enacted. Lastly, advisory referendums are used by the legislature or governor in order to determine the public opinion, but the outcome of the vote is not binding. For instance, Rhode Isl and State governor used the advisory referendum in 2002 by asking the citizens to vote on whether or not they wanted to make the three branches of government co-equal, but the outcome of the results were not binding since the governor or legislature did not take any further action (Waters 213). Proponents of referendum assert that it represents a real form of democracy and enhances the political participation of the citizens in legislation process. Referendum will check the excesses of the government before the expiry of term of office and provides the solutions to controversial legislation and statutes. Accordingly, referendums are used to legitimize devolution of political power and unite divided political parties (Tierney 256). Initiatives An initiative is a proposal for a new law or constitutional amendment that entails petition through collection of signatures of certain percentage of citizens in the country. Initiatives to the people requires sufficient signatures that are sub mitted for a vote by the people at the ballot while initiatives to the legislature requires the legislatures to adopt an initiative as proposed without a vote by the people, reject, or refuse to act on the proposed initiative and place it on the ballot for citizens to vote. In addition, the legislature may approve an alternative to the proposed initiative (Boehmke 98). In the USA, 34 states have provided for initiative process with 18