Hamlet and Rosencrantx and Guildenstern Are Dead

The plays Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead by Tom Stoppard and Hamlet by William Shakespeare were composed in vastly different contexts and the nature of the plays greatly reflect the context in which they were composed. Hamlet is clearly a product of the times of the early 17th century as Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead is a product of the Swinging Sixties as it has very modern views on many issues that have been raised throughout time. A common feature in both plays which represented the context in which the plays were composed was the obvious pre-occupation with morality. In Elizabethan times death was accepted more as a normal event as people did not live to be very old and there was an obvious pre-occupation with the idea of mortality and the afterlife. Hamlet is no exception to this as the play is concerned with death from the start, as we learn that Hamlet’s father had been killed. It is not strange at all that the ghost of Hamlet’s father appears and speaks to him. This reflects the context in which it was composed. People used to be entertained by such encounters with the dead in plays and believed strongly in death and an afterlife. Read this â€Å"The Secrets of Haiti’s Living Dead† The number of deaths that occur in Hamlet is also not surprising as audiences in Elizabethan times were very much pre-occupied with dying and felt comfortable watching it on stage. They also remained true to their beliefs that tragedy could only happen to famous figures. This is partly due to the distinct social classes in England at the time and it was not considered a tragedy so much if a peasant died. Therefore Hamlet is a product of an Elizabethan context in that it is pre-occupied with mortality throughout the play and audiences were comfortable with it because of their strong religious beliefs. Tom Stoppard, however, took two sideline characters from Hamlet and showed that Hamlet could be applied to modern audiences over four hundred years later. Rosencrantz nd Guildenstern, the main characters of the play are also pre-occupied with death. The context in which Stoppard composed the play, however, presents a changed view of death. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern both spend a lot of time thinking about death and what it means to them. They are not sure about it, and have a pretty bleak perception of the whole idea. They continue throughout the play not knowing for sure what will happen to them when they die, but they accept that they must die at some stage in their life. This reflect the context of sixties England entirely, as the trend in attitude was confusion about death. Nobody knew why they were on the earth and nobody knew where they were going when it was all over. Religion was being questioned in the sixties, like all traditional authority figures and this comes through very strongly in Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead. People didn’t have the assurance as they did in Elizabethan times with their beliefs in the afterlife. The fact that this idea was questioned so much in the play shows the contrast between the two plays and how Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead reflect the values of the sixties. A contrasting theme in the plays is identity. In Elizabethan times everyone was very sure of their place in the grand scheme of things and there was a distinct hierarchy of social classes. The characters of Hamlet are reflections of this context to an extent, because there is a sense of order in the play with the structure of the Danish monarchy. It is a very modern play, however, and there is a sense of disorder in the immediate world of the upper class society. This unrest is expressed from early in the play with lines such as â€Å"There’s something rotten in the state of Denmark†. Every character is clearly defined in Shakespeare’s play and nobody is confused about who they are or where they came from. The opposite of this, however, is Rosencrantz and Guildenstern in the sixties interpretation of the text. They seem to be very confused about their own personal identity and this can be seen frequently throughout the play when they and other characters mix their names up almost every time. The effect of this is humorous, but also comments on the confusion of identity that was being felt in the Sixties. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern as characters very much reflect the ideas of the Sixties in this way, as they seem to be drifting throughout the play as observers, and are minor players. They are not sure about themselves, question their own identity and cannot find much purpose in their lives, which makes death difficult for them to comprehend. Because they are such minor players and tend not to take themselves as seriously as the traditional characters such as Hamlet himself, they can easily bring Hamlet down to a human level. They did this in the play when they quickly flattened Hamlet’s wit. In all these respects it is plain to see how the sixties version of the play reflected the context in which it was composed. What makes the contrast between the two plays so apparent is the audience that it was intended for. In Elizabethan times, audiences loved to see revenge tragedies and lots of blood and guts and murder, particularly amongst famous people. Hamlet is a clear product of this context as there are eight deaths in the play, which would have greatly entertained an Elizabethan audience. All people could appreciate Shakespeare’s blank verse and took pleasure in the language used. After all Shakespeare was looking to be the most popular writer of his day and appeal to as large an audience as possible. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead being composed in the Sixties is made for the theatre of the absurd. People in the Sixties could relate best to this, as there was a general sense of rebelling against the system and confusion about identity. Normal prose is used much more in this, as the beauty of language isn’t so much important but the feeling that they express about the situation through the language. The two plays Hamlet and Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead contrast in many ways because of the context in which they were created. The context of Elizabethan times is reflected strongly in Hamlet which holds the values of the early seventeenth century, as Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead reflects the values of the Swinging Sixties which are abounded by confusion. These contexts are vital in the study of both plays as they do not differ greatly, apart from the values they carry from the time in which they were composed.

Social Impacts of Smart Phone Addiction

There is a serious negative impact on social relationships with the widespread use of cell phones and smart phones. Notwithstanding the fact that technology allows people to be constantly connected to the world, it leads people to become even more disconnected from each other as well. The first evident change of the social norm Is that people are starting to have less real communication with others, and more plumbing.It has become a very common sight In today's society to snub someone In social setting by looking at a mobile phone Instead of paying attention to him or her. Besides, teenagers nowadays are testing all the time rather than chatting with friends and employees are receiving work-related phone calls or e-mails after work and even during holidays. It can Interrupt real social life. The Intimacy, one of basic human needs, Is hard to achieve or malting when a mobile phone keeps beeping with alerts, notifications, and e-mail reminders.To sustain good social life, It Is very Im portant for people to form meaningful relationships based upon mutual respect and sportiveness, and marked by a sense of loyalty, trust, and commitment with their family and friends in lieu of socializing online. Furthermore, reduced real life activities due to excessive use of mobile phones can bring isolation of individuals. People are becoming so distracted by their mobile phones that they are unable to make meaningful connections in social life.Some researchers even found that people re commonly choosing smartness instead of going to work or school and cultivating personal relationship. Some might contend that video chatting can substitute an actual meeting; however, it only provides a temporary solution in limited situations. Face-to-face interaction, which cannot be replaced with electronic devices, is absolutely essential for people. Therefore, people should not be so involved in their mobile phones and engage in actual human interaction.

Authentic materials as supplementary materials

Authentic materials as supplementary materials Plagiarism is a practice that involves the using of another person’s intellectual output and presenting it as one’s own’. This includes the presentation of work that has been copied, in whole or part, from other sources (including other students’ work, published books or periodicals, or unpublished works or unauthorized collaboration with other persons), without due acknowledgement. A student found guilty of plagiarism will be subject to some or all of the following: Referral to Course Coordinator for: counseling; submission of further work; use of the services of Student Learning Unit; the placing of a record of the alleged infringement on the student’s file. Referral of the matter to the Head of School for: issuing of written warning; re-submission of work for assessment or the undertaking of another form of assessment such as an oral or unseen examination; allocation of a fail grade to part or all of the assessment; allocation a fail grade to th e subject. Referral of the matter to the Dean for: suspension from the course; official disciplinary action by the University Disciplinary Committee Student Declaration I declare that this assignment is original and has not been submitted for assessment elsewhere. I declare that this assignment is my own work and does not involve plagiarism or collusion. I give my consent for the electronic version to be examined by relevant plagiarism software programs. I have made a photocopy or electronic copy of my assignment, which I can produce if the original is lost for any reason. Signed: ___________ ____________ Dated: / / How to submit Your assignment Students are required to submit their assignment to their lecturer. This should be done in class, but can be done via email or via the mail with prior agreement from the lecturer. Students should ensure they are aware of how and when to submit their assignment by checking with their lecturer before the due date. How to Collect Your Marked As signment Your work should be collected from the lecturer in class or from the VU-HANU Program Coordinator in HCM City, Ms. Nguyen Thi Thanh Ha or in Hanoi, Ms. Nguyen Thai Ha. If work is not returned in class or prior to the end of semester please contact your lecturer or the program coordinator (Mr. Martyn Brogan ) More information about Plagiarism is available from the Faculty of Arts, Education and Human Development Student Information Website: http://www.vu.edu.au/Faculties_and_TAFE/Arts_Education_and_Human_Development/Current_Students/Undergraduates/Faculty_Student_Forms/indexdl_88408.aspx TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER I Introduction Research questions CHAPTER II: LITERATURE REVIEW Text book 2.1.1 Textbook Description 2.1.2 Textbook Evaluation 2.2 Authentic materials for ESP course book 2.2.4. The role of reading materials 2.2.1. Definition of authentic materials 2.2.2. The role of authentic materials 2.2.3. Advantages of authentic materials 2.2.5. The criteria of selecting readin g authentic materials 2.3. Applying authentic materials in extensive reading program 2.3.1. Applying authentic materials in extensive reading program 2.3.2. Post-reading activities 2.4. Motivations 2.4.1. Definition of motivation 2.4.2. Factors effecting motivation CHAPTER III: METHODOLOGY 3.1 Kind of research 3.2 Participants 3.2.1 The researcher 3.2.2 Selection of the subject 3.3 Data collection instruments

Fourth Party System (1896-1928) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Fourth Party System (1896-1928) - Essay Example There were key changes in the Republican and Democratic parties amid 1896 and 1928. Further revolution was experienced due to the changing roles of the national government on farmers, business and minorities. The story of continuity and the key changes experienced in the fields are discussed aptly in the essay. Changes Republican and Democratic Parties between 1896-1928 There were major changes observed in the Republican and Democratic Parties. The changes concentrated in the number of times each party formed the authorized government (Wayne et al, 249). In my viewpoint, the fourth party system can be perceived as an era of inter party competition. Averagely, the 7 national elections held after 1896, the ratio of the party vote between the republicans and the democrats was 57.7% to 42.3% respectively (Wayne et al, 249). Moreover, the republicans got 60% of votes in the 22 states of North and West of the presidential election. Earlier, Democratic and Republican party dominance was equ al in between 1874 and1896. The base of electoral support was initiated when the electorate was modified and realigned by the 1896 election of 1896, which changed the political landscape (Wayne et al, 249). ... odrow Wilson’s 1912 election as the president representing the Democratic Party was only achieved because of the core division within the prevailing Republican coalition (Wayne et al, 249). Republican Party The issue that preoccupied the Republican Party leadership was the splitting up of the party’s members because of internal conflict amid the traditional conformist of the industrial-financial centers of the Northeast. A further cause of the schisms was the traditions of the Progressive reformer of the Middle West that caused disarray amid the Republicans. In my opinion, the issue that preoccupied the Republican Party leadership was Theodore Roosevelt role in splitting the republicans when he failed to capture the GOP nomination from President William Howard Taft (Wayne et al, 248). For this reason, he split the electoral votes in the range of 27.4% to 23.2%. The change observed in Republican Party was its renewal of dominance in producing potential candidates for the presidency. Changes in the Role of National Government between 1896-1928 The American national government had roles during the progressive era at the time the country was evolving from the agricultural epoch to industrial period, for transformation in economic augmentation. It is realistic that the national government experienced major changes in its role of governing the American groups such as farmers, workers, business, minorities and dissidents. The government had to come up with policies to guide large populace being employed in the manufacturing industries. I was especially moved by a research conducted that found out that 1 in 4 families practiced farming because of the industrialization era. The national government role was concentrated in the interest of maintaining and improving the

Marketing and Distribution Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Marketing and Distribution Management - Essay Example Statistics for the company as per the year 2011 showed that the company has 221,726 employees and its assets total USD 135.131 billion. The company’s main areas of products are mobile phones, televisions, semiconductors along with LED and LCD panels. 1 b. Marketing and Selling Concept Marketing is a collective process through which Individuals and groups attain what they require and want by creating, offering and exchanging products and services which considered as valuable with others. The major concepts hold in this perspective is: Selling Concept This Inside-out perspective assumes that people must be sold whatever good or service the firm wants to offer. First it is decided what should be produced and then is selected a strategy to persuade people to buy the decided product. This approach implies that great deals of promotional or selling activities are needed to make the product move through the market to the consumers. The Selling Concept could be summarized as 1) Start with deciding what the firm wants to make; 2) Persuade the customers to buy the given product; and 3) It is aimed at ‘getting rid of what consumers have’. Marketing concept According to this concept, the achievement of organizational goals depends greatly on knowledge of needs and wants of the target markets. Also, these needs and wants have to be satisfied more efficiently than done by the competitors. The Marketing Concept could be summarized as 1) Start with the needs of the customers; 2) Develop the Four P’s of marketing in light of the customer needs; 3) It is about â€Å"Having what consumers can get rid of† In practice, Samsung followed the marketing concept after analyzing the needs of consumers who require smartphones at affordable costs with all advanced features. The changes in life styles of consumers are closely monitored and suitable applications are designed to match these needs in every new model. That is why the sales volume of smart phone s reached about 40% of sales volume of the company mobile phones category in 2012. 1 b. Market Segmentation and Targeting The segmentation done at Samsung is mainly on the basis of demographics and psychographics. Youth and middle age cosmopolitan consumers of both genders are targeted who belong to middle and high income groups. Novelty seekers, fun loving, extroverts are major personality traits of company consumers segments. The target strategy applied by Samsung is the 'shotgun' strategy according to which a wide range of market segments are covered through creation of many models. In contrast, Apple, which itself is a competitor, offers only a small number of models which are high-profile. In the pursuit of market share, both the companies have managed to mark their geographical presence as well expand it. However, the two companies can possibly come in to conflict inevitably as both get in to the run of trying to generate additional gains. 1 c. Brand Positioning The main posit ioning strategy of Samsung is to stop consumers just thinking about the product instead start feeling it as part of their personality. Normally when brand is transitioned from the left side of the brain to the right side, its position becomes powerful. i) Samsung has a position of best alternative to Apple iPhone category at economical price. Recent court cases of both companies supported this position as Samsung trying to achieve the leading edge in smartphones market.

The Uses and Abuses of Nationalism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The Uses and Abuses of Nationalism - Essay Example The religious systems influenced the way commerce and trade has been done since the ancient times. During the 17th Century, there was a disagreement in establishing what was right according to the religious beliefs at the time. A rift had emerged between the Protestants and the Catholics, leading to the northern European nations’ interest in â€Å"trade and commerce† (896). The transition from Catholicism to Protestant among many Europeans created a transformation in commerce. Watson says, â€Å"New mercantile classes were replacing the traditional military and landowning aristocracies as the main political force.† (896).This demonstrates the influence of religion on trade and commerce during the ancient times. However, the influence of religious systems has continued to be minimal with time. In the modern day society, the input of the religious systems in matters of commerce and trade is almost inexistent. The change has been characterized by religious tolerance and freedom of religion as enshrined in the bill of rights. Colonization helped shape trade and commerce in the European countries as well as those of their colonies. Courtesy of British colonization, America sprung to become a giant economy partly because most of the individuals who embarked on building the country had a great background. Watson supports this argument by mentioning that, â€Å"Britain had her American colonies†¦ she had emerged as the most powerful of the maritime nations† (897). Some of the Britain’s benefits came from the trade and taxes that were levied on its colonies, an aspect that facilitated the growth of the economy. Slavery was a key component of economic growth, in an attempt to maintain supremacy and high economic output western countries pioneered by Portugal engaged in slave trade. It began around 1444 despite criticism from several quarters, especially from key

The nature of Ontological arguments for Gods existence Essay

The nature of Ontological arguments for Gods existence - Essay Example The majority of the things are black and white. A person can tell the truth from what is false easily without much struggle. For instance, it would be useless for a person to start looking for a four or five-sided triangle as one will not find the triangles. Most ontological arguments use this approach to explain the concept of the existence of God. In this, they go contrary to other arguments that entirely rely on at least a single empirical premise (Reeves 24). A simple ontological explanation is a proposition of being a bachelor. A bachelor is a male. Therefore, a simple mention of God means that Got exists. However, whereas the being a bachelor means one is unmarried, there is nothing to assert his existence (Nagasawa 34). Despite this, the ontological augments go on to show how they can deduce the existence of God from the definition of God. An example of an ontological argument is the having views that the existence of God to be absurd as the four-sided triangle or existence of the married bachelor. Knowing the triangle means as a three sided, and not four sided and knew the name of God means he exists without further questions. Therefore, based on this argument, if a person claims of the non-existence of God they contradict themselves. This argument is self-explanatory that the claim that God does not exist to be a clearly false claim. this argument only focuses on the reason for the support of their argument (Pasquini 23).The ontological arguments define God as all-powerful and the beginning of perfection.

Question Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 15

Question - Essay Example 486). This view gives hegemony between deafness and deafhood. While deafness is a medical condition, deafhood represents a continuous struggle by deaf people to explain their existence to the world (Hauser 2010, p. 486). Deafhood, in this case, is interpreted as a process rather than an end that characterizes the perception of deafness. In this view, the world should recognize deaf people as normal but different. In describing normal, the term recognizes deaf people as individuals capable of emotions and rationality just as other hearing people do (Ladd 2003, p. 176). In describing different, however, the term recognizes deaf people as individuals facing different challenges from hearing people. The medical definition of deaf people has characterized them as strange and helpless people who demand help from the hearing people. This means the society typified the deaf as people who are less capable of surviving in an ordinary world. In essence, deaf people are just normal people whose langu age system differs from the hearing people ((Ladd 2005, p. 13). Oralism and audism, therefore, are great challenges for deaf people in defining themselves to the world. The society symbolically participates in eugenics in order to define a distinct way in which every person should define oneself. This occurs as the society highlights the traits it considers as positive and the traits it considers as negative (Ladd 2003, p. 18). In a physical sense, the society invests in activities such as genetic engineering, genocide, and selective breeding as a means of identifying the part of the population it deems fit for life. Oralism is an educational philosophy that focuses on the development of speech and listening skills (Ladd 2005, p. 13). This philosophy constrains the individuality of deaf people by claiming that if everyone is taught reading through lips and auditory input, they eventually attain

Engineering management Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Engineering management - Coursework Example All quality control and quality assurance affairs including ISO certification and auditing fall under the responsibility of Director Quality Assurance. The entire network of demand and supplies is handled by the logistics while accounts and related administration tasks fall under purview of the director administration. Crouch (2003) defined mission as organization’s statement of purpose and vision as organization’s statement of future position. The mission of the company is â€Å"Produce highly reliable aviation parts for its customers†. The company’s vision is â€Å"Be a leader in design, development and production of aviation parts†. The core values of the company include: According to Balthazard and Cooke (2004), organizational cultures have positive or negative effect on the efficiency of organization and employees. Handy (1976) identified four types of organizational cultures as: Power Culture. The type of culture largely depends on power and is determined by a key role figure (Struwig & Smith 2002). Here one or more individuals affect the working practices, management style and beliefs in the organization. Pretorius (2004) is of the view that many organizations exhibit power culture. Role Culture. The role culture is based on the job descriptions, rules, standard procedures and is bureaucratic in style. Pretorius (2004) describes such organization’s working characterized by rules, procedures and job descriptions. According to Bredenkamp (2002), managers would depend on procedures, existing systems and defined roles of communication for making decisions and conflict resolution. Task Culture. In this type of culture, organization is project orientated (Struwig & Smith, 2002). Pretorius (2004) refer such culture as a project management team where emphasis is on accomplishment of assign tasks and getting results. Person Culture. In this type of culture, an individual acts as the

Communication reaction paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Communication reaction paper - Essay Example veral times I manage to observe that my behavior is modified depending on the manner by which I perceive an arriving stimulus and respond to it correspondingly. I used to suppose that ‘being real to oneself’ simply meant going by the nature I am without needing to pay regard to the impact of society, thinking that the concept of self is understood just once in a lifetime. Along with this misconception is the belief that former foundations bear the sole responsibility of substantiating the self, yet by objective and subjective learning alike, self-identity formation actually proceeds and may not be confined only to a few aspects of growth. Until I had come to the point of discerning that ‘sense of self’ is yielded through a process of evolution, it often felt complex to deal with knowing myself and what the exact meaning is of a true self in the past. To this extent, I have thus realized by far that human interactions or communication schemes portray a huge role in creating a person’s identity which continues to evolve with time and socio-cultural influences. When I experienced serious infatuation with a person for a couple of years and thought I would never get over the hurtful feeling toward the fact that the person betrayed my confidence, I unconsciously allowed myself to seek alternatives to divert my unpleasant emotions for relief. Out of having to cope with the difficulty of erasing deep-rooted sentiments that had gone through an intense motion, I have become inclined to the love of art the habit of which has eventually made me conduct myself in a totally different perspective and attitude. At this stage, I discover that though certain changes initially occurred peculiar in the course of getting accustomed to the new interest, my other desires and priorities spontaneously shift their ranks. These have all taken place in varied occasions and people with whom my interactive efforts are spent, contributing to the progress of my transforming

The federal budget and the state Essay Example for Free

The federal budget and the state Essay The main difference between the federal budget and the state and local budgets is the issue of a monetary deficit, in which expenditures in the budget exceeds revenues that were estimated. State and local governments are required to balance their budgets. The federal government is allowed to borrow money to meet its obligations and have a deficit. The federal government collects the most tax revenue, but state and local governments have a greater range of revenue options for funding their budgets. The federal government relies mainly on income taxes, capital gains and Social Security taxes. State and local governments collect sales taxes, taxes on fuel, property taxes and fees from special licenses and permits. Also, many state and local Governments collect funds from state lotteries and taxes on alcohol and tobacco. When comparing Federal, State and Local Budgets, each one is slightly different. Each budget has its own goals and direction that they are moving toward. On the internet site: http://www.usgovernmentspending.com I was able to obtain several pie charts that breaks down the 2012 fiscal year budget for Federal, State and Local governments. These pie charts give a basic breakdown of the budgets for each level. Figure 1: Federal Budget (Federal Budget Site). This budget shows that the largest portion of the federal budget is for Defense. This includes military spending for the troops in the Afghanistan and Iraq and Homeland Security. Since 200,1 this portion of the budget has increased from $297 billion to $740 billion in 2011. The next largest portion is both Health Care and Pensions at 22% of the federal budget each. Health care constitutes Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid. Social Security was established in the 1930s and was created to help older Americans. Before Social Security the responsibility of their well being was the responsibility of the community and the family. While the individual was working, they paid a small portion into a federal fund so they would be able to receive benefits when they were older. Medicare benefits are sometimes considered part of the Social Security benefits but are actually a separate program. Medicare was established in 1965 and is available for people 65 and older, people under 65 that have disabilities and people that have permanent kidney failure that are in need of a transplant and receiving dialysis (Medicare Site). Medicare comes in two portions. Part A includes hospital  expenses that normally cost the Medicare holder nothing out of pocket. Part B covers the cost of doctor visits and other medical care but cost the Medicare holder a small monthly charge (Medicare site). Medicaid is an insurance covered by the federal government for people that have lower incomes and cannot afford health insurance (Medicaid site). Next on the pie chart show that 12% is spent on Welfare. This would include Unemployment, Workers Compensation and food and nutrition assistance. The fifth largest portion on the federal budget is the money paid back due to interest. The federal government must make payments on the interest on the money it has borrowed, which is now the National Debt. The amount of the interest only is approximately $230 billion of around 6% of the federal budget (Policy Basics). Figure Two: Georgia State Budget (Georgia Budget Site). This budget shows that the largest portion of the Georgia budget is for Education, at over half of the budget. Education would include an increase of $188.5 million from previous years. This is because of the increase in k-12 students and an increase in the college system and the state making the required payments into the Teachers Retirement System (Georgia Budget). The next largest portion of the Georgia budget is regarding Healthcare. In Georgia they face several different challenges when it comes to health care; Infectious diseases, obesity and low birth weights are just a few of these problems. Georgia’s public health challenges such as obesity, infectious disease and low birthweight continue to increase in importance, but Georgia’s per-capita investment in public health programs has declined in recent years due to a shrinking state funding commitment coupled with a growing state population. The next largest portion at almost 10% of the budget is allotted to Criminal Justice. In the state of Georgia we have 159 state funded prisons that house over 57,000 inmates (Ga Prison Fact Sheet). This also includes over 13,000 state employees that run these facilities (AJC Prison). Each inmate takes approximately $51 a day. This includes housing, meals and general day to day activities (Ga Prison Fact Sheet). Forth largest in the Georgia budget is for Debt Services. Debt services include the payments of the principal and interest of any general or long term obligation that the state has accrued. This amount is over $64 million in 2012. Lastly, the fifth  largest budget allocation is for transportation. Transportation encompasses road repair, improving the efficiency of the movement of goods, construction of new roads and Highways and reducing congestion within the state. Along with these services, the salaries and benefits of their employees are figured into this section of the b udget (Georgia Budget site). Figure 3: Local Budget (Cobb County Budget). This budget shows the breakdown on the spending in Cobb County Georgia. Cobb County includes portions of Atlanta and is just north of Fulton County, which contains the largest portion of the city of Atlanta. The largest portion of the Cobb County budget goes toward Education. In Cobb County there are 4 Universities, 64 Elementary Schools, 25 Middle Schools and 16 High Schools (Cobb County School Site). The Cobb County school system is the 2nd largest system in the state and 24th largest in the country (Cobb County School site). With the large amount of Schools in the County come a large number of employees at 13,551. This portion of the budget includes keeping up with technology, salaries, maintenance of older schools and the construction of new facilities. The Next largest is listed as Other Spending. Other spending would include things like waste management, water treatment, and agriculture and community development. Each area has its own operating expenses, salaries and new projects. The third largest budget expense in the Cobb County Budget is for Protection. This would include things like the jail and court system, Sheriffs Office, Police Departments, Fire Department, 911 services and Ambulance services. Just like each other portion of the budget it contains operating expenses and salaries of their employees. The fourth and fifth largest portion of the Cobb County Budget, at 8% is for Transportation and Health Care. Transportation in Cobb County would include things like public transit system, operation of the Department of Transportation operation and the school bus department. Health care in Cobb County maintains a Public Health Department and two separate hospitals. When comparing the different budgets, each one has a much different focus on their expenditures. Some portions of each budget in the top five are shared by each level in some sort of fashion. The number one expenditure for the Federal Government is Defense. Number three for the State of Georgia is Criminal Justice and number three for Cobb County Georgia is Protection.  Comparatively so, all three items are very much alike. The federal government is concerned with National Security and based 24% of its budget on its funding. The State of Georgia spends 9.4% of their budget toward state prisons and their state police. Cobb County spends 11% of their budget to protect their citizens by pre-trial housing, local law enforcement and emergency medical services. Another large expenditure for the federal government is health care at 22% of their budget. This is only slightly higher than the State of Georgia spends on health care at 20.5%. Cobb Countys Health Care budget comes in at the 5th highest expense at only 8%. When looking at the different budgets I started trying to compare all three of them and decided that the best way to look at the different spending is with a graph that give a visual element to better describe the scope of their spending. Based on each group of budgets, these graphs show the comparative relationship between the top five expenditures. This first graph shows that the top five budget expenses for the federal government is much different when compared to the State of Georgia and the Cobb County Government. The federal government spends 24% of its budget on national defense and 22% each on Health Care and Federal Pensions. Looking at the top five budget items for the federal government uses 86% of their available funds. This graph shows the State of Georgia top five budget items. The majority of the budget for Georgia is allocated to Education at 51.8% of their funds. The top five budget items for the State of Georgia uses 92.2% of the $19.2 billion budget. This graph shows the top five budget items for Cobb County Georgia. It shows a drastic difference in the second largest budget item, Community Development at 20%.

Collaborative Planning Forecasting And Replenishment Commerce Essay

Collaborative Planning Forecasting And Replenishment Commerce Essay Consider a company XYZ which produces various automotive parts. One such part is ABC, for which there is a rise in inventory level. The marketing team decides to launch a promotional campaign to boost the sales and ABC and curtail this rising inventory level. This promotional campaign was a great success and there was an increase in the sales of product ABC. The production department noticed this rise in sales of product ABC and they started producing more of ABC in anticipation of rising demand. This again resulted in an increase in inventory level (negated the entire motive of the campaign). This is a perfect example of the importance of information sharing (collaboration and Communication). A similar kind of issue occurs, when we do not share information in a supply Chain, resulting in Bullwhip Effect. In an organization, if different departments have different owners with different views and goals, they all try to maximize their individual profits. In the path of achieving this, they get deviated from their common goal of maximizing the overall profit of the entire Supply Chain. This deviation from the true goal leads to lack of coordination Inappropriate flow of information Due to incomplete sharing of information between stages (inter-organization and intra-organization), information is distorted. Today, for a given organization, there are a thousand of products. This increase in variety of products makes it next to impossible for the companies to exchange all information among all its suppliers Such inappropriate flow of information results in BULLWHIP effect. Here, fluctuations in orders increase as we move up the supply chain from consumer to retailer to wholesalers to manufacturers. Proctor and Gamble was the first to observe the bullwhip effect in its supply chain for Pampers diapers. They found that the raw material replenishment order at the supplier side had huge fluctuations as compared to fluctuation in demand at retail stores. Same way, HP also found that the fluctuations varied significantly with being very little at resellers point and increasing as moving up in the chain towards integrated circuit division (ICD). Here also, while the variation in product demands were very little, replenishment orders placed with ICD saw much more variability. A similar phenomenon can be seen in apparel and grocery industry. Lack of Coordination and its effects on Performance The Bullwhip effect A supply chain is said to be lacking in coordination if each stage (level) is concerned about optimization of its own objective. In doing so, various individual entities get deviated from a common objective or organizational goal to satisfy consumers by satisfying their needs and there by generating maximum profit for the organization. Information distortion is also one of the causes of Lack of Coordination, as in the case of diaper supply chain of PG. Areas affected by Bullwhip effect Manufacturing cost Inventory cost Replenishment lead time Transportation cost Labor cost Levels of product availability ( service level) Relationship across the supply chain Manufacturing Cost As a result of Bullwhip effect, Manufacturing unit of PG have to produce to satisfy the demand of diapers with much more variability. PG can respond to such variability by either holding of excess inventory or by producing more capacity, both of which leads to increase in manufacturing cost. Inventory cost The Bullwhip effect also results in increase in inventory cost. With increased variability in demand, P%G has to carry a higher level of inventory than would actually require in absence of Bullwhip effect. Thus, we can see a major increase in Inventory cost. A higher level of inventory will also mean an increased warehouse space requirement (again an increase in cost). Replenishment Lead Time The Bullwhip effect results in increased replenishment lead time. With the increase in variability in demand due to Bullwhip effect, scheduling at suppliers and PG are much more difficult as compared to a level demand. There are situations when the available resource (inventory) is not enough to meet the demand and there by resulting in higher replenishment lead time. Transportation cost The Bullwhip effect results in higher transportation cost. With the increased fluctuations in demand due to Bullwhip effect, there is a proportional fluctuation in the requirement of transportation. This results in a rise in transportation cost Labor Cost Labor cost increases in presence of Bullwhip effect. Labor cost at PG and its suppliers increase due to fluctuations in demand. Also, labor cost for receiving at retailers end increases due to this increased uncertainty. Now all these stages have option of either operating at excess labor or variable labor, both of which results in increase in labor cost. Level of Product availability One of the major outcomes of Bullwhip effect is the Out Of Stock situations. As we know, with increase in fluctuations in orders, PG is not capable of satisfying the needs of all its retailers on time, which in turn increases the likelihood of retailers going OOS resulting in a sales loss in the supply chain. Relationship across the supply chain The Bullwhip effect, having a negative effect on performance at all levels of supply chain results in bitterness in the relationship between these various stages of supply chain. Since each stage is working independently and is trying to achieve its individual goal, they are under an impression that they are doing it in right way. They start blaming other department of inefficiency and there by resulting in loss of trust. Performance Measure Bullwhip effect Manufacturing cost Increase Inventory Cost Increase Replenishment Lead Time Increase Transportation Cost Increase Shipping and Receiving Cost Increase Level of Product availability Decrease Profitability DecreaseThus, we can say that the Bullwhip effect has a significant effect on the overall profitability of the supply chain. There is an increase in cost and decrease in responsiveness. Obstacles to achieving coordination in Supply Chain Factors leading to local optimization at various stages of supply chain or increase in information delay are the root cause of difficulty in coordination in supply chain. The five major categories of obstacles are Incentive obstacles Information processing obstacles Operational obstacles Pricing obstacles Behavioral obstacles Incentive obstacle When there is a variation in incentive offered at different stages in a supply chain, there is an increase in variability in the productivity and reduction in total supply chain profits. Local Optimization: Suppose that the incentive of a floor manager at a local grocery store depends up on the profit they generate for that particular store. Here, the managers take all their purchasing and inventory decisions to achieve this goal only and not for the benefit of the entire supply chain. Buying and stocking decisions which are based on single stage optimization can never result in over all supply chain profitability. Improper sales force incentive: Very often, sales force incentive are designed in a manner to achieve local goals. Sales force incentive are based on the quantity sold to the distributors and not the end consumers. For example, consider an umbrella manufacturing firm, which offers its sales force an incentive on the sales target achieved in off season. To maximize their bonuses, sales force convinces distributors to buy more umbrellas even though there is no demand. This results in order variability with more demand in off season and less demand when actually there are sales. This kind of sales forces incentive result in order variability more than customer demand variability. Information processing obstacles Information processing obstacles occurs in a situation when there is a distortion in information regarding demand as it moves from customers to retailers to distributors to manufacturers. Forecasting based on orders and not on customer demand When there is a Bullwhip effect is a supply chain, the only communication between different stages is the orders they receive. Each stage sees its responsibility as fulfilling orders to its downstream. In such a scenario, a very small change in customer demand will result in large variability in orders placed by the distributors. The fact that each stage in a supply chain forecasts demand based on the stream of orders received from the downstream stage results in a magnification of fluctuations in demand as we move up the supply chain from the retailer to the manufacturer. Lack of information sharing Suppose a retailer increases the size of order for a particular product due to its planned promotion. Now, if the manufacturer is not aware of this planned promotion, it will see this increase in order as increase in customer demand and place orders with suppliers accordingly. So, when the retailer finishes its promotion, both manufacturer and distributor has a piled up inventory. Operational obstacles Operational obstacles occur at the time of placing and filling of orders. There are a number of fixed costs associated with placing of order, receiving or transportation of an order. Different retailers may prefer orders in lots to minimize such costs. Thus at the suppliers end there is large variability in order as compared to demand variability at retailers end. Now, if there a number of retailers associated with the same supplier, and due to placement of orders in lots, there might be some days when order may be erratically high as compared to other days as compared to demand. Such situations may also lead to large replenishment lead time. Pricing obstacles Lot size based quantity discounts occurs when there are discounts offered on large lots of order placed. These resulting large lots magnify the Bullwhip effect. There are a number of trade promotions and short term discounts. Such offers always boost orders, which are nowhere in sync up with the real demand. Such forward buying result in large orders during promotional activity or special discount rates but very small orders after that. Behavioral Obstacles Behavioral obstacles are problems in learning within organizations which later on contribute to the Bullwhip effect. Each stage of supply chain acts locally and is not aware of the consequences of its action on others. Different stages of the supply chain react to the current situation locally rather than trying to identify the root cause. Due to lack of common understanding and mutual trust, each stage plays a blame game on each other with no one taking the responsibility of these fluctuations. Lack of trust with in supply chain makes them all opportunistic at the expense of the overall supply chain profitability. This also results in duplication of efforts. Since individual entities do not share ideas and work in isolation, many a times they turn up doing the same task. Means to Overcome obstacles of Collaborative information sharing Collaborative Planning, Forecasting and Replenishment Means to overcome these obstacles Improved information accuracy Alignment of goals and incentive across the channel Building strong partnership and mutual trust Improving Operational Performance All these efforts can be achieved by Collaborative Planning, Forecasting and Replenishment. So what exactly is Collaborate Planning, Forecasting and Replenishment (CPFR)? Here, both sellers and buyers at all the levels come together and collaborate along all or few of these activities. Strategy and Planning Demand and Supply Management Execution Analysis At strategy and planning stage, all the partners involved discuss upon the scope of collaboration and assign roles and responsibilities and define checkpoints. They align all their activities including promotions, new product introduction, store opening and closing and inventory policies. Then, at demand and supply management, sales forecast using point of sales data give an accurate picture of demand. Now, as the forecasts become firm, they are converted to actual orders. Then, processes like production, shipping, receiving and stocking are executed. Now the last but most important task is analysis of KPI. There is always a need for identifying exceptions and evaluating metrics that are used to access performance. One successful CPFR implementation has involved Henkel, a German detergent manufacturer, and Eroski, a Spanish food retailer. Prior to CPFR, Eroski saw frequent stock outs of Henkel products, especially during promotions. At the inception of CPFR in December 1999, 70 percent of the sales forecast had an average error of over 50 percent and only 5 percent of the forecasts had an error below 20 percent. But, just within four months of CPFR implementation, the numbers changed drastically. Forecast errors above 50 percent reduced to 5 percent and more than 70 percent of the time, forecast error was below 20 percent. Customer service level also increased to 90% with an average inventory of just 5 days. CPFR implementation Scenarios Mentioned below are the most common CPFR implementation scenarios CPFR scenario Where applied in Supply Chain Industries where applied Retail event collaboration Highly promoted channels All industry other than those that practice EDLP DC replenishment collaboration Retail DC or distributed DC Drugstores, hardware, grocery Store replenishment collaboration Direct store delivery or DC to store delivery Mass merchants, Club stores Collaborative assortment planning Apparel and seasonal goods Specialty retail Common CPFR Scenarios Retail event Collaboration: In any retail supermarket, there are a number of events such as promotional activities and they affect demand very much.OOS and excess inventory, unplanned logistics cost and order placement costs are sometimes very high and may affect the overall profitability in the supply chain. Here the two parties involved identify specific brands that are to be included in collaboration. Each and every minute detail like promotion time and place, display tactics, advertisement are shared. Once, information sharing is done, a demand forecast is prepared and shared with in the two parties. PG is one such example which has implemented Retail event collaboration with many big retail chains including Wal-Mart. DC replenishment Collaboration This is one of the simplest and mostly used collaboration scenarios, where partners need to collaborate for forecasting on demand and DC withdrawals. This collaboration is comparably easy to implement since this collaboration requires aggregate forecast and does not require sharing of point of sales data. And slowly, with due course of time, this collaboration can be moved up to all other storage points in supply chain (from retail shelves to Inventory warehouse) Store Replenishment collaboration Store replenishment collaboration is one step ahead of DC replenishment collaboration. Here, collaboration is on store level point of sale forecast. These forecasts are used placing store orders. Benefits of store Replenishment collaboration is increased replenishment accuracy, improved service level and less Out of Stock situations, reduced inventory and greater visibility of point of sales data. Collaborative Assortment Planning For fashion apparels and seasonal products, demand follows a seasonal pattern. Thus, collaborative planning in these categories follows seasonality Hence, the forecasts rely more on collaborative understanding of industry trends, customer tastes and less on horizontal data. Why is CPFR important? Consider a consumer walking in to a retail grocery outlet to find that the product which he is looking for is not available (out of stock). For the consumer, it is great inconvenience and for the store owner, it is a loss of revenue. Such a situation is not only a plague in retail industry, but also a nightmare for manufacturing sector. Out Of Stock of one particular inventory in the manufacturing line can lead to zero overall production (bottlenecks). Mostly (70% to 75%), out of Stock occur at retailer level. Reasons for Out of Stock at retailer level: Lengthy Ordering Processes/Cycles Underestimated demand Un stocked shelves even though the products are at the store So, what is required to tackle such problems? End to end information channel Point of Sale information coming from retailer to the supplier. CPFR is one such process where we use common tools to capture data at all stages in the supply Chain. Pioneers to this practice are Wal-Mart and Tesco. They first linked their Point of Sale data from Retail stores to their Warehouses. This laid down the bricks to the building of an open information infrastructure. The second and more critical task in implementation of CPFR is managing cultural change. There has to be a willingness to share information. A mutual trust between different stakeholders is a must, since the required information to be shared is confidential most of the time. Benefits of Collaborative Planning, Forecasting and Replenishment Lower inventory levels Increased sales Less overhead Reduced human errors ( data exchange) Better insight in customer demand resulting in better resource utilization, reduced inventory requirements. Improved and direct communication with customers Opportunity to provide category management Reduced replenishment time Less redundancy Increase service level and reduced stock outs Lower Inventory Level By having knowledge of exact inventory status of customer, the supplier has better control on lead time of his inventory. He knows his exact inventory requirements due to lower uncertainty. A better forecasting leads to lowering the need for safety stocks (also termed as buffer stock is the level of extra stock maintained to mitigate the risks of stock outs due to uncertainties in forecasting). All these factors combine to result in lower inventory. Increased Sales CPFR in place ensures the product availability at any given point. This results in a better customer experience and customer satisfaction. A satisfied customer becomes your loyal customers. A loyal, regular customer generates more revenue than a first time customer. Also, less stock outs at outlets result in less customers returning without any purchase. This results in increased sales. Better Resource Utilization Proper knowledge of customer demand due to end to end information sharing, results in a better forecasting. An improved forecasting numbers result in more planned decisions, clarity of mind in terms of inventory requirements and so a better RU plan. Increased Service Level Collaborative Planning, forecasting and Replenishment builds up a better forecasting model. In CPFR system, at each level, a supplier has access to real time sales and inventory data of a customer. As soon as the inventory goes below the safety level, a replenish order call is triggered. It helps customers to operate at higher service levels and lower inventories. Now, these are the benefits every supplier aspires for. Challenges in implementation of CPFR It is a universal truth that no benefit comes without a cost. Same way, with so many benefits associated with Collaborative Planning, Forecasting and Replenishment, there are also few risks and hurdles to its implementation. With sharing of information at such a large scale, its misuse is one such risk. Often, one entity may have relationship with various competitors. Another risk involved is viability of change in technology. If one of the partners in collaboration changes its technology, the other is forced to do so or it may lose its collaboration. Thirdly, with the requirement of close interaction of the partners, a variation in their cultures can also play a very important role in making decisions of CPFR implementation. The inability to foster a collaborative culture across the partner organizations can be a major hurdle to the success of CPFR. However, one of the biggest challenges is that the demand information which is shared between the partners is often not used in an inte grated manner within the organizations. It is imperative to have integrated supply and demand, logistics and corporate planning within the organizations. This will help in maximizing the overall profit generated in the supply chain. Factors affecting Distribution Network design Elements of customer service influenced by network structure: Response time Product variety Product availability Customer experience Order visibility Return ability Supply chain costs affected by network structure: Inventories Transportation Facilities and handling Information Supply Chain Costs affected With a better visibility due to information sharing, the inventory requirement decreases, thereby reducing overall inventory cost. Also, a common supplier may have information (real time) of all its customers and can very easily club in various orders. This can be achieved by using MILK RUN model of distribution One truckload stopping at multiple points to replenish various customers. This helps him to reduce his transportation cost also. Implementation of centralized information systems (ERP, SAP) may eliminate the hassles of manually data entry and transfer. Though, the onetime cost of implementation of such systems might be very high, they reduce the human error probability. Such errors may result in inaccuracy in forecasting which will again result in higher inventory costs and out of stocks (loss of sales). Elements of Customer Services influenced Response time and Product availability CPFR builds up a better forecasting model. The actual demand information is used to generate replenishment orders. This helps vendors to improve their response time and less out of stock situations in the retail outlets. Customer Experience When a customer walks in to a retail store, there is a lesser chance of him finding an out of stock situation. Product availability (right product at right place) helps to increase customer satisfaction. Order Visibility With CPFR in place, the supplier can see the customer demand in actual and can anticipate the orders. This helps in reduction in errors in forecasting. A well informed and collaborated partners increases order visibility. All this is possible only due to Collaborative information sharing in the system.

Communication Is Important In Nursing And Nursing Process Nursing Essay

Communication Is Important In Nursing And Nursing Process Nursing Essay This essay will look at the importance of communication in nursing. To begin, the essay will consider the use of communication in nursing in the general context. The latter section will go on to reflect on the application of communication in practice in relation to conversation and basic psychotherapeutic support within the dementia care environment. Introduction Communicating is a fundamental skill in nursing. It governs every task a nurse undertakes from the point of admission to the point of discharge. There are a number of levels from simple phatic exchanges used to initiate conversation, extending to complex counselling techniques. Effective use of communication has been shown to benefit the nurse-patient relationship, contributing to overall well-being and accelerating the process of treatment. It is therefore an essential aspect of the nursing process. In some cases, it can even mean the difference between life and death. Good communication is often regarded as a delicate and complex art, requiring a good understanding of the interplay between numerous factors. This essay intends to provide a definition and to highlight a number of important professional, ethical, legal and moral responsibilities of the nurse in relation to communication (Sheldon, 2005). Discussion There are numerous definitions for communication. Potter and Perry (2001 p.445) offer a definition for communication as a process in which people affect one another through the exchange of information, ideas, and feelings. Thus, it is about sending and receiving a message, both verbally and non-verbally, with a shared goal of conveying a mutual understanding. In general regard to the verbal domain, the process is often reciprocal in nature as both informant and referent change role, seek clarification and offer an acknowledgement of understanding throughout the exchange. It is imperative to be aware of the effect that body language and paralinguistic features have on communication. Thinking about body posture and implementing the principles of SOLER (identified by Egan (1982) cited in Burnard and Gill (2009)) is useful in nursing. A relaxed posture can help in the process of active listening, helping to convey an empathic response to the patient. Argyle (1994) points out that people are often unaware of their own non-verbal communication, whilst it is clearly visible to the receiver. Incongruence between what is being said verbally and what otherwise is perceived does not help in facilitating a positive relationship from a patients perspective. However, for a nurse who is trained to be sensitive to such cues (particularly in mental health settings), it can sometimes present useful information about a patients mental state and is a possible indicator of deterioration. The Fundamentals of Care (2003) document published by the Welsh Assembly Government highlights that communication should take place using appropriate language and in a sensitive manner. Care should be taken to communicate effectively with people who are mentally impaired. In all patient communication the use of medical jargon should be limited wherever possible. As the Department of Health Valuing People Now (DH 2007) points out, as cited in Baillie (2009), people with learning disabilities have a right to healthcare just as much as other people and it should be just as accessible. In essence, nurses have to be open, flexible and versatile in their approach. Stuart and Laraia (2005) cited in Riley (2008) suggest that communication facilitates the development of a therapeutic relationship. Nurses should adopt a suitable style of questioning, using open and closed questions appropriately depending on the situation. It is always important to convey a warm and accepting attitude that is objective and value free, taking into account the different cultural variations that exist. Nursing is increasingly recognised as a holistic and person-centred process, with so many aspects of a patients life regarded as important to the process of recovery that communication in itself forms a significant aspect of treatment. Caris-Verhallen et al. (1999), cited in Crawford et al (2006), imply that communication promotes an increased level of self-esteem and reduces stress. These benefits also promote staff wellbeing. In addition, Watkins (2002) mentions the usage of self-disclosure as a factor that helps develop therapeutic relationships with patients, parti cularly within mental health settings. Teamwork is a factor too which relies heavily on good communication. Nurses are surrounded by different types of health care professionals and as Peate (2006) acknowledges, interdisciplinary communication can be difficult. The Nursing and Midwifery Council (2008) Code of Conduct states that, as a nurse you must work cooperatively within teams and respect the skills, expertise and contributions of your colleagues. It is often the nurse that acts as an intermediary between the patient and another healthcare professional, disseminating information and explaining it in terms suitably appropriate to the understanding of the patient. Poor communication creates barriers which can often lead to patients feeling alienated and making complaints as well as often being a significant factor in cases of malpractice, neglect and negligence. Within many clinical settings, a lack of time presents difficulties in utilising effective communication. Nurses often have to take opportunities to build rapport using synchronous communication whilst carrying out other tasks and duties. As Crawford et al. (2006) point out, healthcare professionals are increasingly task driven and laden with administration which prevents them from spending time talking with patients using the ideal but time consuming counselling type communication. Therefore, in modern healthcare settings, they suggest a newer model is used that encompasses Brief, Ordinary and Effective (BOE) communication Crawford et al. (2006). With regard to written communication, the NMC Code of Conduct (2008) highlights that nurses are expected to ensure that accurate and up to date records are maintained, with clear information about when the entry was made together with a signature of the person making the entry. Not only is this therapeutically useful, it is also an essential legal requirement and offers evidence that treatment has been carried out. Finally, Baillie (2009) explains that the telephone also forms an important, often overlooked mode of communication. As with all clinical work, it is essential for nurses to maintain professional etiquette and confidentiality, as well as acknowledge their level of competence to the caller and ensure that the call is documented where necessary (Baillie, 2009) Conclusion Communication has been demonstrated to have an important positive influence on treatment outcome. Nurses as a collective group represent a substantial aspect of all clinical health care professionals. They probably spend the most amount of time with a patient. As such, there is an enormous capacity for influence on treatment. It is therefore clear why there is a need for significant emphasis on this matter in nurse pre-registration programmes. Encouraging future and present generations of nurses to communicate more effectively could have a significant influence on increasing patient satisfaction and recovery time. It is therefore suggested that promoting effective communication has potential cost saving implications for local healthcare authorities too. This is important given the enormous strain that the NHS is under in the current economic climate. From a wider perspective, it could be speculated that effective communication indirectly has some bearing on aspects of future health a nd social policy. Reflection: Communication in The Dementia Care Context This next section looks reflects on communication within a dementia care setting and utilizes a Reflective Cycle model (appendix 1) adapted from Gibbs et al (1988) as cited in Bulman and Schutz (2008). The model begins by using a description about what has happened and then encourages the person whom is reflecting to acknowledge their feelings about the situation/event. From this, the evaluation phase encourages the reflector to make value judgements and to say what was good or bad about the experience. Next, an analysis can be made about the situation and this should hopefully generate ideas and themes about the situation. Through doing so, conclusions can be drawn both in the general sense and in terms of the reflectors specific personal experience. The final part of the reflection process with this model is the personal action plans stage whereby the reflector can suggest different, perhaps better ways of doing things in a similar future situation. Description The placement was a dementia care ward which was all-female bedded with people who were at various stages in terms of the development of their dementia condition. The majority of the patients were still relatively active in a physical sense and often quite talkative. I spent a significant amount of time sitting with various patients in the dayroom, often for observation reasons to help ensure their safety. This enabled frequent opportunity to talk to the patients and also to gain some insight into the nature of how dementia can affect people. There was one patient that particularly concerned me. In the interests of preserving confidentiality I will change her name and refer to her as Abigale. Although this reflection is predominantly focused on my interaction with Abigale, much of what I mention is relevant to the patient population at large in respect of dementia care. Abigale was an elderly lady, perhaps in her early 70s, who used to be a school teacher during her working years. Her condition was such that she was often quite talkative although the conversation was very much disjointed. She conveyed a range of emotions and often talked to me as if I resembled a particular character in her former life. Sometimes she spoke in a manner that suggested that she was seemingly happy about something and then for no apparent reason, she would become very upset and tearful. This happened on a frequent basis, with her emotions appearing to cycle between positive and negative affect in relatively short periods of time. Feelings Throughout the time I spent talking with Abigale, I always tried to talk warmly to her and convey an accepting attitude along with empathy, interest and compassion, reflecting the core principles of Rogers client centred therapy. I was aware that my non-verbal communication was very important both to her and other patients. Within the dementia care setting, non-verbal communication is often even more important because it is often relied to a great extent. I always tried to portray openness in my body language, using the SOLER principles acronym outlined by Egan (1994), (see appendix 2). I found that she often used the mode of touch to communicate when sitting and/or talking with people and I attempted to replicate this in a similar, acceptable manner. I found this to be very effective which did surprise me. With a younger generation, touch tends to be a form of communication that I tend to perceive as not working very well for me. This maybe because I just havent utilised this method very much outside of friendship and family settings. I enjoyed spending time talking with Abigale. I particularly liked the way she continued to speak with a degree of authority that would perhaps be commensurate with her former role as a teacher. Even though her conversation was markedly unfocused and incongruent, she spoke in a very articulate manner. When I was able to answer her with a response she appeared to find satisfactory, it felt quite rewarding and it was good to see when she appeared to be happy. Sometimes she acted as if I resembled various people from her life. It was difficult to know whether to simply accept these non-sequiturs and go along with them, or correct her and risk upsetting her. Unfortunately, there were also times when I could not give her a response that she needed. I occasionally found it difficult to determine what she was actually talking about and I didnt want to respond with something that wasnt relevant. Despite my best efforts, it was difficult to seek clarification from her as she would often move on to some other topic. I also found it emotionally challenging at the times where she was upset for no apparent reason and I would have liked to have been able to offer more support. Sometimes, I have observed staff using diversion techniques to help distract patients from distressing situations. I have tried to use these occasionally. However, I tend to be a little uncomfortable doing this and I would rather be able to help somehow by having a greater understanding of the person and addressing their questions and concerns more directly. Finally, not having access to the computerised notes system (PARIS) was very frustrating as it meant that I only had information passed verbally from staff. Evaluation Whilst communicating with Abigale and indeed, other patients within the setting, I tried to maximise my listening capacity by blocking out noises that were external to interactions. However, because I felt I had a duty to the other patients, blocking all noises was impracticable. The dayroom tended to be a difficult place to have a conversation. The television appeared to be more or less continually switched on, and there were often domestic staff performing various cleaning duties. The ambient noise levels tended to be quite high and somewhat distracting both for myself and no doubt, the patients. Access to PARIS would have allowed me to gain a greater awareness about the patient as I would have been able to read comments and assessments made by the whole multidisciplinary team. Analysis Good communication forms an intrinsic part of the nursing process and is part of many nursing models. Roper et al. (1996) as cited in Peate (2006) list it as an aspect of daily living. Unfortunately, people who suffer with dementia experience a number of cognitive difficulties according to Mace (2005) as cited in Adams (2008) (see appendix 3) which make communication very difficult. The associated pathological diseases and consequences of aging also exacerbate these difficulties making effective communication even more problematic (Adams, 2008). The role of communication is therefore especially important for dementia patients as they are likely to have difficulties with interpretation of messages (Kitwood, 1997 as cited in Adams (2008)). Indeed, I often found that what Abigale said and how she acted on the responses that I gave was often incongruent suggesting there was a problem with interpretation. However, when I attempted to seek clarification, it was very difficult or indeed imp ossible. According to Cheston and Bender (2003), dementia care can be improved by beingpsychotherapeutic and using every interaction as an potential opportunity to help and support them. The humanistic and Rogerian aspect of empathic listening is particularly important and provides clues about embedded emotional messages according to Cheston and Bender (2003). However, they go on to suggest that in order to be psychotherapeutic in an approach requires a good understanding of a persons life history. Unfortunately, the short term nature of the placement meant that I was likely to remain relatively naive in terms of understanding her history and condition to any useful extent, so being truly psychotherapeutic in my actions was difficult. Nevertheless, I attempted to provide a contribution to the nursing process. I found that some of the communication strategies that nurses are encouraged to use in many settings need to be changed when consideration is given to the dementia care environment. Watkins (2001) suggests that clients respond better when nurses ask open questions. However, for dementia patients, asking open questions would appear to have a tendency to induce cognitive overload. As such, the Alzeimers Society Advice Sheet (2000) recommends that carers should ask short questions, one at a time which require only short answers. The Alzheimers Society (2000) also highlight the need to try and see the person behind the illness: Interests, likes and dislikes, hopes and fears, early life, places they have lived and visited, working life, people they love/have loved, friendships and personality. I did try to find out from Abigale aspects of her former life but in truth, I had very little understanding about these factors. Abigale tended not to respond directly to questions but rather hinted certain aspects on an adhoc basis. Therefore, hypothetically, if I was a named nurse for Abigale in the future, it would perhaps be useful to speak to her close family to gain some insight and as well as potential stimulus for conversations. Perhaps a reminiscence box containing various items such as photographs and objects would be useful in terms of triggering memories and developing conversations. I think it is important to acknowledge that it would have been better to take Abigale to somewhere quieter when she was upset. This would have been more conducive to conversation as well as offering some level privacy for Abigale. However, in the reality of the situation, there were limited places that were actually available on the ward. In addition, it was likely there were other patients that were also episodically distressed that made it difficult to devote full time to Abigale. The other patients tended to demonstrate similar emotions which coincided with the majority; hence there were good and bad days in terms of patient behaviours. Overall, I feel that on balance I offered a good level of support for Abigale. At times, I believe that I could have offered her more in terms of conversation if I had a better level of knowledge about her background. Indeed, sometimes I felt that I lacked the relevant stimulus to have a lengthy conversation. Despite it being my first placement, there were times where I would have liked to have had the knowledge to use certain basic level therapeutic approaches that are applicable to patients whom suffer from dementia. My mentor also mentioned an interest in validation therapy and I am aware too of the existence of other forms of therapy such as pre-therapy, reminenscence therapy, resolution therapy and the person-focused approach. However, I can clearly appreciate that as a 1st year nursing student, to gain such knowledge is totally impracticable, as well as potentially unethical and unprofessional if actually used without proper registered status. Indeed, under the NMC Code of Cond uct (2008) I must recognise and practice within the limits of competency. As such, in order to be in a position to use many therapeutic techniques effectively, I would need significant further training and/or further professional accreditation. Conclusion (General) Communication with patients who have dementia is an extremely difficult and complex process. It is absolutely essential that nurses practice effective communication to help maintain the quality of life of the patients in their care. In practice, it is very difficult to ensure that psychotherapeutic support is well provided, particularly as psychological needs are more subtle and discrete. It could be argued that relatively low levels of staff and the often high levels of physical interventions often found within dementia settings means that the provision for effective communication regarding psychological care presents a significant challenge. I think the psychotherapeutic aspect of care is a important issue, particularly with the number of cases of dementia predicted to rise to almost 1 million in the UK by 2020 (according to Alzeimers Disease International, 1999, cited by Burgess, 2003). Conclusion (Specific) Overall, I feel quite positive about my experience on placement and about the use of communication. I believe that I worked to the best of my ability. Abigale and many other patients appeared to be quite advanced in terms of their dementia condition. This proved to be quite a challenge. I would like to have had more awareness about Abigales history. I can now more readily appreciate the importance of family and friends, not only in terms of direct contribution to care but also the indirect contributions that they make through providing information about the patient. Early recognition of emotional distress helps with the nursing process. It could have made it more feasible for me to talk to Abigale to provide reassurance and limit the likelyhood of her becoming upset, therefore preserving her dignity. I have gained a great deal of insight into dementia care both through the placement experience and through the process of reflection. In retrospect, I would like to have been able to offer more in terms of psychological support and this provides some insight into the psychotherapeutic aspect of care for future placements. Action Plan In future, I would like to have acquired a higher level of therapeutic skills to enhance my ability to communicate with people who have dementia. The predicted rise in dementia cases as previously mentioned means there is a greater likely hood of coming into contact and providing nursing care for a patient who has dementia. I think it would therefore be useful to develop a greater awareness into the condition, especially from a psychological perspective. I also hope to have training and therefore approved access to PARIS computerised notes system. References Adams T (2008) Dementia Care Nursing: Promoting Well-Being in People with Dementia and Their Families. Hampshire: Palgrave Macmillan Alzeimers Society (2010) Factsheet 500: Communicating. Alzeimers Society: London. http://www.alzheimers.org.uk/factsheet/500 Accessed: 30.06.10 Argyle M (1994) The Psychology of Interpersonal Behaviour (5th Edn). London: Penguin Books Baillie L (2009) Developing Practical Adult Nursing Skills (3rd Edn). London: Hodder Arnold. Bullman C Schutz S (2008) Reflective Practice in Nursing (4th Edition). Oxford: Blackwell Publishing. Burgess L (2003) Changing attitudes in dementia care and the role of nurses. Nursing Times, 99 (38) 18. http://www.nursingtimes.net/nursing-practice-clinical-research/changing-attitudes-in-dementia-care-and-the-role-of-nurses/205196.article Accessed: 30.06.10 Burnard P Gill P (2009) Culture, Communication and Nursing. Essex: Pearson Education Limited. Cheston R Bender M (2003) Understanding Dementia: The Man with the Worried Eyes. London: Jessica Kingsley Publishers. Crawford P Brown B Bonham P (2006) Foundations in Nursing and Health Care: Communication in Clinical Settings. Cheltenham: Nelson Thorns Ltd. Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) (2008) The Code: Standards of Conduct, Performance and Ethics for Nurses and Midwifes. NMC, London http://www.nmc-uk.org/aDisplayDocument.aspx?documentID=5982 Accessed: 12.04.2010 Peate I (2006) Becoming a Nurse in the 21st Century. West Sussex: Wiley. Potters P A Perry A G (2001) Fundamentals of Nursing (5th Edn). St Louis: Mosby. Riley J B (2008) Communication in Nursing (6th Edn). United States of America: Mosby. Sheldon L K (2005) Communication for Nurses: Talking With Patients. Massachusetts: Jones and Bartlett Publishers Watkins P (2002) Mental Health Nursing: The Art of Compassionate Care. Edinburgh: Butterworth-Heinemann. Welsh Assembly Government (2003) Fundamentals of Care: Guidance for Health and Social Care Staff. Welsh Assembly Government: Cardiff. http://www.wales.nhs.uk/documents/booklet-e.pdf Accessed: 12.04.2010 Bibliography Ellis R B Gates B Kenworthy N (2003) Interpersonal Communication in Nursing: Theory and Practice (2nd Edn). Churchill Livingstone: London. Hamilton S J Martin D J (2007) Clinical Development: A framework for effective communication skill. Nursing Times, 103: 48, 30-31. Appendix 1 The Reflective Cycle (adapted from Gibbs et al.1988) cited in Bulman and Schutz, (2008). Appendix 2 Egans SOLAR Principles (Egan, 1994) as cited in Crawford et al. (2006) S Face people Squarely O Maintain an Open shape to the body L Lean forward slightly E Use appropriate Eye contact R Relax

Analysis of Article about EnClean Case Essay examples -- Harvard Busin

This case analyzes situation described in the Harvard Business Review article about EnClean located at: http://harvardbusinessonline.hbsp.harvard.edu/b02/en/common/item_detail.jhtml?id=794115 1. Major issues facing EnClean. A. Stock price is down more than 85% from its high of $22. Company has been losing money since the first quarter of 1992. Financial fundamentals are sagging: Â · Gross margin is dropping; Â · SG&A are too high; Â · debt is huge; As a result, investors have lost confidence in the company. B. Managerial incompetence. COO has lost control over several major company’s SBUs. Since 1989 EnClean has been failing the task of properly integrating acquired companies. Business units such as CMC, AlphaChem, and Sizemore have resisted change and have never accepted the vision, the mission, and the common strategy of EnClean. C. Demoralized personnel. Because of the following problems EnClean is losing highly valuable sales and technical associates: Â · absence of clear goals; Â · lack of training; Â · confusing deliverables; Â · faulty employee recognition system; Â · blame culture, finger pointing; Â · conflict between corporate and divisional interests; D. Uncertain/declining economic conditions. Â · Economy has been in recession for several years; Â · Environmental cause has received a hard blow in 1992 when president Bush Sr. postponed or cancelled many environmental laws. As a result, companies began to postpone environment-related jobs. E. Facing heavier competition. Â · Environmental side of the EnClean’s business faces increased competition due to the business erosion. Competition lowers prices to secure the reduced amount of work. Â · Industrial side of the EnClean’s business faces equal competition. For instance, 1992 saw the emergence of two potent competitors: WMX Technologies and Rust International. F. Losing the focus on quality. Since 1988 EnClean had been basing its strategy on providing high quality service (as opposed to low-cost). Quality improvement and control processes had been developed and successfully maintained. However, by 1992, as a result of rapid expansion, many divisions were executing quality procedures as a formality, just to satisfy the corporate group. Thus, EnClean is undermining its core competency – hig... ...ompany. o Create a learning network to share company’s best practices throughout the organization. o Start building a management development facility to teach and preach company values to managers of various divisions. o Identify and start to fold down businesses that are outside of the company’s core competency. Long Term Action Items o Free up capital by divesting from the business units that are unprofitable or are outside of the company’s core competency. o Use that capital to improve financial fundamentals, especially debt-to-equity ratio. o Put all company’s managers through the leadership development program. o Put in place semi-annual management evaluation survey. All managers must be regularly evaluated on their effectiveness, creativeness, and, most important, whether they are compatible with company’s values, mission, and vision. o Grow EnClean into the strongly centralized company, where planning, even if done on an individual division basis, is then linked back to the overall strategy of the company. Works Cited http://harvardbusinessonline.hbsp.harvard.edu/b02/en/common/item_detail.jhtml?id=794115

Acid Rain :: essays research papers fc

Acid Rain INTRODUCTION: Acid rain is a great problem in our world. It causes fish and plants to die in our waters. As well it causes harm to our own race as well, because we eat these fish, drink this water and eat these plants. It is a problem that we must all face together and try to get rid of. However acid rain on it's own is not the biggest problem. It cause many other problems such as aluminum poisoning. Acid Rain is deadly. WHAT IS ACID RAIN? Acid rain is all the rain, snow, mist etc that falls from the sky onto our planet that contains an unnatural acidic. It is not to be confused with uncontaminated rain that falls, for that rain is naturally slightly acidic. It is caused by today's industry. When products are manufactured many chemicals are used to create it. However because of the difficulty and cost of properly disposing of these products they are often emitted into the atmosphere with little or no treatment. The term was first considered to be important about 20 years ago when scientists in Sweden and Norway first believed that acidic rain may be causing great ecological damage to the planet. The problem was that by the time that the scientist found the problem it was already very large. Detecting an acid lake is often quite difficult. A lake does not become acid over night. It happens over a period of many years, some times decades. The changes are usually to gradual for them to be noticed early. At the beginning of the 20th century most rivers/lakes like the river Tovdal in Norway had not yet begun to die. However by 1926 local inspectors were noticing that many of the lakes were beginning to show signs of death. Fish were found dead along the banks of many rivers. As the winters ice began to melt off more and more hundreds upon hundreds more dead fish (trout in particular) were being found. It was at this time that scientist began to search for the reason. As the scientists continued to work they found many piles of dead fish, up to 5000 in one pile, further up the river. Divers were sent in to examine the bottom of the rivers. What they found were many more dead fish. Many live and dead specimens were taken back to labs across Norway. When the live specimens were examined they were found to have very little sodium in their blood. This is typical a typical symptom of acid poisoning. The acid had entered the gills of

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles Essay -- essays research papers

Throughout history, man has been fascinated by the thought of flying among the clouds. But recently it seems that man is slowly starting to come back down to earth and complete aviation-required tasks with two feet firmly on the ground. As impossible as it may seem, aeronautics and aviation are doing something almost unfathomable: letting airplanes fly without a pilot. This amazing feat is being done through the use of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs). These spectacular aircrafts are revolutionizing the aviation industry by using incredible technology and the brightest minds from all around the globe. Many prestigious aviation companies such as Boeing, Northrop Grumman, and Lockheed Martin, (to name a few) have led the way in the design and development of UAVs. Even though UAVs are seen as very modern and futuristic, the concept of flying without a pilot has been thought of for long time. (â€Å"Brief† 1) The idea was first tested during the United States Civil War, when both the North and South attempted to put explosives in a hot air balloon, and make them drop on the other side’s camp. The idea of using hot air balloons was used again in World War II by the Japanese, who attempted to bomb the United States by using wind to guide the balloons. During WWII, the U.S. had a more successful attempt at producing a UAV, a prototype called, â€Å"Operation Aphrodite.† (â€Å"Brief† 1) But it was the development of cruise missiles that paved the way for UAVs. The aeronautics company, Chance Vought Aircraft, is the company that took the first step in p roducing UAVs by proposing the idea of putting landing gear onto missiles. One of the first, full-functioning UAVs is the Firebee. The Firebee was designed by Ryan Aeronautical Company and u... ...form surveillance as well as artillery missions (â€Å"Production† 1). Other countries with UAV programs include North Korea, South Korea, India, Pakistan, Japan and Australia, to name a few (Wilson J.R). UAV technology is available to not only industrial superpowers, but also to smaller countries. Unmanned Aircraft are the future of aviation. When people think that the most advanced and best models cannot be topped, they are surprised to find that what they thought was the best, is merely a stepping stone of a field with tons of potential. UAVs are keeping humans safer but are also doing jobs that, without them, would be hard for humans to do. UAVs are the result of the most advanced technology known to mankind being put into an aircraft. With so many advanced models of UAVs already, it is amazing to ponder about what the future of UAVs will hold.

Cooperative Learning Is About Learning In Groups Education Essay

1. Group members depend on each other for endurance of the squad or to make the set mark. That is members are reciprocally responsible for sharing a common set of rule. The success and failure of the group depends on the each member of the group. 2. Face-to-face interaction- Promoting success of group members by praising, promoting, back uping, or helping each other. 3. Individual accountability- Each group member is held accountable for his or her work. Individual answerability helps to avoid members from â€Å" thumbing † on other group members ‘ achievements. 4. Social skills- Cooperative acquisition groups set the phase for pupils to larn societal accomplishments. These accomplishments help to construct stronger cooperation among group members. Leadership, decision-making, trust-building, and communicating are different accomplishments that are developed in concerted acquisition. 5. Group processing- Group processing is an appraisal of how groups are working to accomplish their ends or undertakings. By reexamining group behaviour the pupils and the instructor acquire a opportunity to discourse particular demands or jobs within the group. Groups acquire a opportunity to show their feelings about good and unhelpful facets of the group larning procedure in order to rectify unwanted behavior and observe successful results in the group work. Concerted acquisition is about pupils developing their cognition and interacting with others. Researchs on larning suggest that an effectual manner of acquisition is when pupils look for information themselves and construct on such information. Knowledge can be tested and developed to a big extent by so making ( Ray, 2008 ) . Other academicians are besides of the impression that effectual acquisition can be achieved chiefly by interaction with people. During group larning pupils interact and learn from each other to accomplish their set end and construct a positive relationship. This manner of larning brings about increased academic success by pupils and besides improves their human dealingss. Harmonizing to Foyle and Lyman ( 1988 ) , for a concerted acquisition as a instruction scheme to be successful, the instructor should come out with the best technique to be used and the subject to be taught while seting pupils into groups with ideal size in a well organised schoolroom where there will be free interaction by pupils and besides assesses the methods to guarantee smooth running by the squad. Again the instructor explains the purpose and outlook of the acquisition and makes it clip edge. Group advancement is besides monitored by the instructor and offer aid suitably to hard undertakings if required. Besides group work is assessed with accent on single pupil ‘s learning constructs or public presentation and Markss awarded for their accomplishments or success. Teachers every bit good as scholars do bask a batch of benefits from concerted larning. Many of these benefits arise from the intrinsic motivational strengths of Cooperative Learning and the extent to which Cooperative Learning Fosters pupil involvement, behavioral and attitudinal alteration, and chances for success. As Keller ( 1983 ) demonstrates â€Å" this set of results consequences from the successful incorporation of motivational issues into direction. † Johnson & A ; Johnson ( 1989 ) in their survey found out that â€Å" a primary benefit of Cooperative Learning is that it enhances pupils ‘ ego regard which in bend motivates pupils to take part in the acquisition procedure. † Slavin ( 1987 ) is of the sentiment that â€Å" concerted attempts among pupils result in a higher grade of achievement by all participants. † Again harmonizing to Kagan ( 1986 ) , â€Å" Students help each other and in making so construct a supportive community which raises the public presentation degree of each member. † This brings approximately motive every bit good as increased ego regard in all pupils as noted by Webb ( 1982 ) . Johnson and Johnson ( 1990 ) once more noted that â€Å" cooperation enhances pupil satisfaction with the larning experience by actively affecting pupils in planing and finishing category processs and class content. † Besides Turnure and Zigler ( 1958 ) assert that â€Å" effectual squads or groups assume ownership of a procedure and its consequences when persons are encouraged to work together toward a common end, frequently defined by the group which is particularly helpful for persons who have a history or failure. † Harmonizing to Kessler et Al. ( 1985 ) , â€Å" concerted acquisition reduces schoolroom anxiousness created by new and unfamiliar state of affairss faced by pupils. † In a traditional schoolroom when a instructor calls upon a pupil, he/she becomes the focal point of attending of the full category. Any errors or wrong replies become capable to scrutiny by the whole category. Slavin and Karweit ( 1981 ) are of a contrasting position that â€Å" when pupils work in a group, the focal point of attending is diffused among the group. In add-on, the group produces a merchandise which its members can reexamine prior to showing it to the whole category, therefore decreasing chances that errors will happen at all. When a error is made, it becomes a learning tool alternatively of a public unfavorable judgment of an single pupil † . Featherstone ( 1986 ) noted that â€Å" Students show more assurance and show high degree of enthusiasm, wonder and engagement in being taught through concerted acquisition undertakings. Besides pupils are empowered to hold the sense of being successful at each phase of their instruction. † What makes it even more singular is that in concerted acquisition squads, low accomplishing pupils who have low degrees of public presentation and accomplishments have the chance to do parts to a group and therefore experience success. Nor is it all for pupils enjoy other benefits such as increasing their cognition and apprehension of thoughts by sharing and explicating them to others. Students working with spouses ask each other for aid and better their attitude towards work. Methodology The survey focuses on concerted acquisition as a instruction schemes used by instructors and its consequence on students ‘ acquisition. It will follow a combination of qualitative and quantitative methods. The primary research of the survey will be in the signifier of questionnaires and interviews. Qualitative research will be used because it allows the topic being studied to give much ‘richer ‘ replies to inquiries put to them by the research worker, and may give valuable penetrations which might hold been missed by any other method. It besides provides valuable information to certain research inquiries in its ain right. It besides helps to analyze things in their natural scene, trying to do sense of, or construe the significances people bring to them. Van Maneen ( 1983 ) defines qualitative method as an array of interpretative techniques method which seek to depict, decode, translate and otherwise come to footings with the significance, non the frequence, of certain more or less of course happening phenomena in the societal universe. The chief ground for sing qualitative interviews is to be able to understand and clear up all uncertainty and guarantee that the responses from staff are decently understood. Face-to-face interviews besides allow more ‘depth ‘ probe although it could besides take a long period of clip to set up and carry on ( www.marketresearcher.com ) . Burgess ( 1982 ) describes face-to-face interviews as the agencies and chance for the research worker to examine profoundly to bring out new hints, open up new dimensions of a job and to procure vivid, accurate inclusive histories that are based on personal experience. The strength of a quantitative method is that it produces quantifiable dependable informations that are normally generalised to some larger population. It focuses on Numberss and frequences instead than on significance and experience. It besides provides information which is easy to analyze statistically. Questionnaire study was chosen as the best quantitative tool for this survey. Sampling Procedure A sample is defined as a subset or some portion of a larger population ( Westen, 1996 ) . A population in this context can be classified as a group of people who portion or hold a common set of features and who can handily be used for the intent of this work. A sample size of 30 will be selected for this survey. This will consist 15 instructors, 5 caputs of section and 10 pupils. The principle for this sampling method is to bring forth the needed information for analysis and avoid the complexness of informations, biased and subjective sample choice. The inclusion of the caputs of sections and pupils in the survey is to supplement, balance and bring forth an nonsubjective information of the existent state of affairs. Data Collection Source Data will be obtained through questionnaires given to instructors and pupils. Few instructors and caputs of section will be interviewed to obtain information which will non be covered in the questionnaire. The survey will trust chiefly on primary informations as the chief beginning for analysis. The cardinal point here is that the informations collected is alone and until published, no 1 can hold entree to it. This will be gathered fundamentally through the usage of self-administered questionnaires, interviews of instructors, caputs of section and pupils. A dairy will be kept to enter relevant information. Questionnaires A questionnaire may be defined as a group or sequence of inquiries designed to arouse information on a topic or a group of topics from an source ( Casley and Lury, 1987 ) . The inquiries will be a upper limit of 12 to enable instructors, caputs of section and pupils complete within a short period of clip. Close ended inquiries will chiefly be used because they are easy and quicker to reply. Interviews The entire figure of interviewees will be 10 being 2 caputs of sections and 8 instructors. They will be given the chance to discourse their positions on concerted acquisition, its effects on acquisition and the benefits. The interview will last for approximately 10 to 15 proceedingss. The undermentioned countries will organize the topic of the interview inquiries: The importance of concerted acquisition. Using concerted acquisition in schools The benefits of concerted acquisition The impact of concerted acquisition on pupils larning. One of the advantages of questioning as a signifier of informations aggregation is that it enables the interviewer to examine and inquire follow up inquiries based on the response ( s ) of the interviewee. Second, there is the possibility of the interviewer being able to do intending out of non-verbal communicating medium such as facial looks and gestures made by the interviewee in the class of the interview. It besides eliminates the impersonal component of the questionnaire attack and allows for good resonance and personal interaction between the interviewer and the respondent. The interviews conducted will be used to complement the informations collected from the questionnaires. Data Handling and analysis Datas collected through procedures such as questionnaires and interviews are described as natural ( informations ) and can merely be utile when it is transformed into the needed information for which they were gathered, collected, analysed and reported. This is so checked for the necessary accommodations for skips, discernability and consistence and subjected to computing machine aided analysis. This research adopted a combination of descriptive, analytical, comparative and per centums derived from quantitative analysis. Descriptive statistics and analytical methods will be used to show detect tendencies and facts, utilizing tabular arraies and per centums. The public presentation of students thought utilizing concerted acquisition as a instruction scheme will be assessed and illations drawn from them. LIMITATION OF STUDY The survey will be limited to my 2nd instruction pattern school with more accent on the instructors, caputs of section and pupils. Another restriction could be the chosen sample size, which might non be a just representation of the entire population of staff in that school. Again some staff might non be willing to portion information, while other staff might non be able to finish the questionnaire or acquire the clip to be interviewed because of the nature of their work. CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS Teachers are faced with a figure of issues that concern guaranting that pupils achieve their outmost best in footings of accomplishment and higher-level logical thinking. Concerted acquisition is considered to be among the most of import instruction schemes because of its effectivity. The popularity and broad spread usage of concerted acquisition is its footing on a theory validated by a great trade of research. Decisions would be made based on the findings which will be analysed in consistence with the reviewed literature. Decisions would besides be drawn based on the findings and analysis made as to how feedback from the instructors and students questionnaires can be transformed into actionable day-to-day tool for set uping the best instruction schemes that will convey approximately effectual acquisition on the portion of the pupils. Thereafter recommendations would be made sing the restraints of this survey for policy shapers and for future research work in this country. It is expected that the survey when completed successfully will hold a great impact on the professional development of instructors in footings of their instruction schemes and its consequence on students larning. It is besides expected that the result of this survey will function to edify instructors in their professionalism in fiting their instruction schemes to the acquisition manners of students for the maximal benefit . By and large it is expected that the undermentioned decisions can be drawn with mention to the reviewed literature. Students from different cultural background construct their assurance and do steady advancement when they work in a squad through the aid they get from their equals. Cooperative acquisition methods are used as a scheme of come oning pupils ‘ accomplishment to a greater degree and to assist keep a consistent growing in a planetary universe. Teachers who are keen on working with pupils from different cultural background usage this scheme to back up them to stand out academically. Concerted acquisition technique raises pupils ‘ attainment to a high criterion so far as they are designed to reflect the civilization and linguistic communication of the pupils Concerted acquisition promotes mastery while inactive credence of information from an outside expert frequently promotes a sense of weakness and trust upon others to achieve constructs. In a typical schoolroom stressing instruction, there is small clip for contemplation and treatment of pupils ‘ mistakes or misconceptions. With the Cooperative acquisition pupils are continuously discoursing, debating and clear uping their apprehension of the constructs. Students spend more clip working on a undertaking in concerted acquisition than when working separately. Most surveies have found that concerted acquisition pupils spend more clip on undertaking than control pupils ( Slavin, 1995 ) . Spending tonss of clip on a undertaking increases pupils motive and gives them assurance in themselves. Good assurance additions self-esteem. There is a relationship between self-pride and motive. Students who have positive self-prides are easy motivated in category. Concerted acquisition enables pupils to believe and ground good. As a consequence of this, pupils are able to maintain any information learnt for a long clip than pupils who work on their ain ( Johnson and Johnson 1986 ) . Thus the shared learning experience gives pupils an chance to prosecute in treatment, take duty for their ain acquisition ( Totten et al. , 1991 ) and as a consequence, go critical minds. Cooperative acquisition has an added advantage of assisting pupil non merely to interact academically but besides socially whereby they are extremely motivated and encouraged to work together as a group. The concerted acquisition as a instruction scheme has been found to be successful and effectual with older pupils in every bit much as with younger. Through concerted larning a kid in his or her early phases of larning develops a good and unquestioning attitudes for their couples, instructors and every bit good as school attending with increased involvement in school which leads to tonss of academic successes. It besides provides the platform where pupils in the group get and portion thoughts by larning each other ‘s job resolution accomplishments through the usage of different linguistic communications.