Human Resources Final Project Essay

The role of the HR Department of the Department of Human Services (DHS) is to handle all aspects of employee relations. The areas it covers are Recruiting and Selection, Training and Development, Performance Management, Employee Discipline, Compensation and Benefits and Labor Relations. Each of these areas is vital to the effective operation of the company as a whole. Although each area is outlined in detail, there is still room for improvement in each. The Recruiting and Selection process at the Department of Human Services (DHS) is a fairly simple one. The requirements for the applicants are not strenuous; thereby allowing a wide range of applicants to be considered for the positions. It is recommended that a personality test be given to each applicant in order to gage their ability to handle the many different scenarios they will encounter while employed at DHS. A prerequisite for applying should be that the applicant has worked in an environment which required handling stressful situations. The Training and Development process at DHS consists of both Internal and External training methods. One such external method requires the new hire to travel to the corporate headquarters in Atlanta, GA. This training lasts for two weeks and requires the applicant to stay nightly at that location to complete the training. A suggested change to that training would be that it is held locally for those new hires that may not be able to travel for such long periods of time due to family obligations, such as having small children. As far as the internal training is concerned, the coaching portion done one on one with the new hire should be extended well after the training process has ended. This will ensure that the employee is still understanding his or her job duties and performing them accordingly. The Performance Management aspect of DHS is one in which the employees are evaluated yearly to measure their success in their position on an individual and team level. Each employee is measured according to his or her  position’s requirements and job duties. A beneficial change to this process would be to review each section of the evaluation form with the employee well in advance of their evaluation date. This will give the employee a heads up on the areas within their job that they need to focus one and the goals they need to achieve before their yearly evaluation time arrives. The Employee Discipline process at DHS serves to ensure that employees are receiving corrective action whenever a workplace infraction occurs. The employee can receive either an oral or written disciplinary action depending on the severity and frequency of the offense. Employees are given feedback on how to correct their action after the offense occurs. However, there are times when an employee is not given the proper follow up and feedback after an infraction occurs. This can in turn cause the employee to commit the offense again and make the disciplinary action process go to the next level. DHS should make sure proper follow up is done on a regular basis to ensure the education and growth of the employee. The Compensation and Benefits packages offered at DHS are designed to help make the company a competitive one. Salaries are paid on a bi-monthly basis on the 15th and last day of each month. Employees are given the option to add healthcare benefits, sign up for 401k or flexible spending accounts. There aren’t many incentives offered at DHS. One such incentive which could be offered is rewarding employees based on their monthly performance individually and as a team. This would assist with keeping employee morale high and giving them something to strive for. Also, the starting salary should be increased in order to keep the job a competitive one on the job market. Potential employees are attracted to a nice salary as well company incentives. It is essential for DHS to maintain strong and positive Labor Relations between employees and management. The employee should always feel as if they have the help and support of their management team. Communication between the two must be maintained at all times so that issues and concerns can be addressed effectively. One way for DHS to improve these relationships is for there to be more interaction between the employees and management in a non-working environment. This can be accomplished by  establishing company sporting leagues or having company picnics. The HR Department of DHS is the chief factor which ensures that the company is run smoothly and efficiently. Each functional area has a particular job to accomplish. It is important that each area be explored thoroughly to determine if each is accomplishing the tasks it has been given to handle. Implementing a few changes in each area will help to take the HR department to the next level. References Smith, A. E. (n.d.) What are furlough days? Retrieved on October 27, 2012 from http://www.wisegeek.com/what-are-furlough-days.htm Recruitment (n.d.) retrieved on October 27, 2012 from http://www.ohrmd.dhr.georgia.gov/portal/site/DHS-OHRMD/menuitem.a90032b0182b9d5171f585c4da1010a0/?vgnextoid=bc80e250e1522310VgnVCM100000bf01010aRCRD People Management-Recruitment Methods (n.d.) retrieved on October 30, 2012 from http://www.tutor2u.net/business/gcse/people_recruitment_methods.htm Heathfield, Susan, M. (n.d.) Hiring Freeze Retrieved on October 30, 2012 from http://humanresources.about.com/od/glossaryh/g/hiring_freeze.htm Temporary Worker (n.d.) retrieved on October 30, 2012 from http://education.yahoo.com/reference/encyclopedia/entry/tempwkr Selection (n.d.) retrieved on October 30, 2012 from http://www.odis.dhr.state.ga.us/1000_adm/1300_ohrmd/MANUAL/0402.pdf Employee Orientation (n.d.) retrieved on November 3, 2012 from http://www.odis.dhr.state.ga.us/1000_adm/1300_ohrmd/MANUAL/0501.pdf Marti (April 6, 2010) Human Resources: Informal vs Systematic Appraisal retrieved on November 7, 2012 from http://bloghresources.blogspot.com/2010/04/informal-vs-systematic-appraisal.html Performance Management (n.d.) retrieved on November 8, 2012 from http://www.odis.dhr.state.ga.us/1000_adm/1300_ohrmd/MANUAL/0701.pdf Disciplinary/Dismassal Actions-Classified Employees (n.d.) retrieved on November 16, 2012 from http://www.odis.dhr.state.ga.us/1000_adm/1300_ohrmd/MANUAL/1601.pdf Drug Free Workplace (n.d.) retrieved on November 16, 2012 from http://www.odis.dhr.state.ga.us/1000_adm/1300_ohrmd/MANUAL/1301.pdf Grievance Procedures for Employees (n.d.) retrieved on November 17, 2012 from http://www.odis.dhr.state.ga.us/1000_adm/1300_ohrmd/MANUAL/1501.pdf Noe, R. A., Hollenbeck, J. R., Gerhart, B., & Wright, P. M., (2011) Fundamental of Human Resource Management: Giving Performance Feedback (4th ed.) New York, New York: McGraw-Hill and Irwin Culpepper and Associates (November 24, 2010) Salary Structures: Creating Competitive and Equitable Pay Levels Retrieved on November 30, 2012 from http://www.shrm.org/hrdisciplines/compensation/Articles/Pages/SalaryStructures.aspx Calculation of Salary Payments (n.d.) Retrieved on November30, 2012 from http://www.odis.dhr.state.ga.us/1000_adm/1300_ohrmd/MANUAL/0801.pdf Salary Adjustments (n.d.) Retrieved on December 1, 2012 from http://www.odis.dhr.state.ga.us/1000_adm/1300_ohrmd/MANUAL/0802.PDF Eligibility of Benefits (n.d.) Retrieved on December 1, 2012 from http://www.odis.dhr.state.ga.us/1000_adm/1300_ohrmd/MANUAL/0901.pdf

Community: Sharing One Skin

The Okanagan people, also spelled Okanogan, are a First Nations and Native American people whose traditional territory spans the U. S. -Canada boundary in Washington state and British Columbia. (Wiki, 2011) Known in their own language as the Syilx, they are part of the Interior Salish ethnological and linguistic groupings, the Okanagan are closely related to the Spokan, Sinixt, Nez Perce, Pend Oreille, Shuswap and Nlaka'pamux peoples in the same region. Wiki, 2011) When the Oregon Treaty partitioned the Pacific Northwest in 1846, the portion of the tribe remaining in what became Washington Territory reorganized under Chief Tonasket as a separate group from the majority of the Okanagans, whose communities remain in Canada. (Wiki, 2011) The Okanagan Tribal Alliance, however, also incorporates the American branch of the Okanagans, who are part of the Confederated Tribes of the Colville, a multi-tribal government in Washington State. Wiki, 2011) The bounds of Okanagan territory are roughly the Basin of Okanagan Lake and the Okanagan River, plus the basin of the Similkameen River to the west of the Okanagan valley, and some of the uppermost valley of the Nicola River. (Wiki, 2011) The various Okanagan communities in British Columbia and Washington form the Okanagan Nation Alliance, a border-spanning organization which includes American-side Okanogans resident in the Colville Indian Reservation, where the Okanagan people are sometimes known as Colvilles. Wiki, 2011) A group of Okanagan people in the Nicola Valley, which is at the northwestern perimeter of Okanagan territory, are known in their dialect as the Spaxomin, and are joint members in a historic alliance with neighboring communities of the Nlaka'pamux in the region known as the Nicola Country, which is named after the 19th Century chief who founded the alliance, Nicola. (Wiki, 2011) This alliance today is manifested in the Nicola Tribal Association. As in the reading, you can imagine how spiritual and well-being play a huge role in their culture. Every word in their ulture has a very important meaning for their way of life. Jeannette Armstrong refers to her culture and the word â€Å"Okanagan† in a lot of deep and emotional depth. Armstrong explains the word Okanagan comes from a whole understanding of what they are as human beings. They can identify each other through that word in their interaction, prayer, and they identify there selves as human as well, different from birds trees and animals. The first part of the word refers to the physical realm. The second part of the word refers to the dream or the dream state, but Okanagan doesn’t precisely mean â€Å"dream. It actually means â€Å"the unseen part of our existence as human beings. † They are dream memory and imagination. The third part of the word means that if you take a number of strands, hair, or twine, place them together and then rub your hands and bind them together, they become one strand. Use this thought symbolically when you make a rope, twine, or weave a basket. They are tied into a part of everything. â€Å"I know my position and my responsibilities for that specific location and geographic area, which is how I introduce myself. The Okanagan people identify there selves as four main capacities that operate together: the physical self, the emotional self, the thinking-intellectual self, and the spiritual self. The Okanagan people teach that each person is born into a family and a community. No person is born isolated from those two things. As an Okanagan you are automatically accepted. You belong. You are them. Wouldn’t this be nice in our current society here in the U. S. The Okanagan refer to relationships with others using a word that means â€Å"our one skin. This means that they share more than a place; they share a physical tie that is uniquely human, that the many that became before the Okanagan and the many ahead of the Okanagan share their flesh. Community comes first, then family and finally the individual. This is interesting to me. Do you think we as a population have this line of thinking? I would have to say a big percent of us think of ourselves in this society. Indigenous people, not long removed from their cooperative, self-sustaining lifestyles on their lands do not survive well in this atmosphere of aggression and dispassion. The Okanagan word they have for extended family is translated as â€Å"sharing one skin. † The concept refers to blood ties within community and extends the instinct to protect our individual selves to all who share the same skin. Armstrong knows how powerful the solidarity is of peoples bound together by land, blood, and love. This is the largest threat to interests wanting to secure control of lands and resources that have been passed on in a healthy condition from generation to generation of families. Armstrong goes on to saying she is pessimistic about changes happening; the increase of crimes, worldwide disasters, total anarchy, and the possible increase of stateless oligarchies; borders are disappearing, and true sustainable economies are crumbling. However, she has learned that crisis can help build community so that it can face the crisis itself. Since time immemorial, the history of the Okanagan began, long before the arrival of the Europeans. They are the Syilx-speaking people – the original inhabitants of a vast and beautiful territory that encompasses forests, grasslands, lakes and desert. For thousands of years, the Okanagan people were self-reliant and well provided for through their own ingenuity and use of the land and nature. They lived united as a nation with a whole economy, travelling the breadth and depth of their territory, hunting and fishing, growing and harvesting, crafting and trading to meet their needs. Since reading this chapter of the Okanagan people, I have learned a lot about these very fascinating people. I also believe if every culture was like the Okanagan people, our planet would be a much peaceful, spiritual, and well respected place.

Night of Scorpion Essay

Night of the scorpion written by Nissim Ezkiel is an interesting poem and the poet brings about a very appealing contrast between good and evil in it; altogether giving the poem an essence of equality. The poet makes it a trouble-free task for the readers to visualize the scenes with the appropriate use of various imageries. He has also done a marvelous work of adding various different senses into the poem. All the senses, visual, smell, internal feelings and sound have been included. In this poem we can see the scenes vividly with the help of lines like,† †¦to crawl beneath a sack of rice,† and,† Peasants came like swarm of flies. Nissim Ezekiel is able to keep are mind alive and engaged the entire duration of the poem with the help of lines like,† Peasants came like swarm of flies. † When we read this line, we know that it is a simile and it help us to see how the peasants came along. But when think deeper we realize that it also shows us that the narrator does not admire the kind of care that the villagers are showing, he just wants them to leave him and his family alone. The reason the villagers are compared to flies is to show exactly how exasperating they are and that they are not welcome, just like flies. The poet has made this poem complex, which is always a good thing. This can be proved because to describe the scorpion he uses words like â€Å"diabolical† and â€Å"The Evil One† which show it as a demonic creature. On the other hand he also used lines like,â€Å" driven him to crawl beneath a sack of rice† and â€Å"†¦ risked the rain again,† which brings about a contradiction as this line shows that the scorpion is not at all the villain, it is simply scared. Among the many figures of speech used in this poem onomatopoeia is one of them. He has used this figure of speech efficiently, enabling us to hear the constant noises that were made. The poet write that the villagers â€Å"buzzed the name of god† which again stresses on the point that the noise and commotion being made by the villagers was not at all welcome. The poet further draws the interest of the reader by using a figure of speech to convey this message and not doing it directly. He has also written â€Å"They clicked their tongues,† which is another instance of onomatopoeia. The element of smell is brought about because the poet has introduced candles and burning oil in lanterns in his poem as well. Nissim Ezekiel has made the mother’s experience of getting bitten by the scorpion sound excruciating and eternal. He has conveyed this by using some very descriptive writing, example, â€Å"May the poison purify your flesh of desire, and your spirit of ambition,† Nissim Ezekiel successfully built the tense atmosphere by using just a short sentence,â€Å" My father, sceptic, rationalist, trying every curse and blessing,† There is also an instance in which the poet uses alliteration,â€Å" I watched the flame feeding on my mother. This line has also been able to build up the complex nature of the poem because of its dual meaning. We can simply say that the ‘flame’ refers to flame of the paraffin or we can also say that ‘flame’ refers to the scorpion’s poison. The poem ends sanguinely, with the mother surviving and being thankful to god for making her suffer and not her children. After all the tense moments of pain, suffering, torture and fear, the poem has a very touching and warm ending which proves the mother’s love for her children.

Legalization of Drugs Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Legalization of Drugs - Essay Example E. Point One: American should never legalize such drugs as marijuana, ecstasy, methamphetamines, heroin, and cocaine for two reasons because of this country’s deep rooted opposition to these drugs. In a democracy, public policy ought to be shaped by what the people want. However, the people do not want to voluntarily spread the disease of drug addiction and abuse, or increase the likelihood that their kids will irresponsibly consume these drugs recreationally (Peele). Point Two: It is a myth that legalized drugs will eliminate organized crime. Organized crime did not disappear after Prohibition’s repeal in the 1920s. The price of drugs, if legalized, would go down and the likelihood of a child’s access to these drugs would increase and put all children at risk (Costa). Point Three: The current administration of the United States correctly believes that â€Å"protecting the safety of our food and drug supply is one of the most fundamental responsibilities government has†. This inevitably includes protecting citizens from the effects of releasing very harmful substances into the marketplace. The government, to uphold its responsibility of protection, must prevent this market activity from happening (Daily Kos). D. The War on Drugs is one of the most catastrophically inefficient and unjust of governmental policies in the history of the United States. Ever since its launch, it has put countless harmless individuals in prisons for crimes that have almost no negative impact on society. Jailing is not a deterrent for drug sale or abuse; it only serves to pull families apart unjustly. It also prevents drug addicts from seeking and getting the help they need in breaking their habits. These drugs can also play a positive role in the lives of those suffering with incurable diseases like multiple sclerosis. E. Point One: Possession or

Discussion Board on Beverage Reverse Logistics Coursework

Discussion Board on Beverage Reverse Logistics - Coursework Example In an argument by Madaan & Wadhwa (2007) reverse logistics provide an organization with massive inventory that require to be handled before they could be released back to the market or appropriately disposed. In addition, this process significantly increases the expenditure cost of an organization. Handling the massive product and adjusting expenditure costs is a significant implementation challenge. Mollenkopf, Russo & Frankel (2007) assert that developing product handling techniques is a major problem in reverse logistics. In the beverage industry, product may be prone to breakages. Products returned from consumers may be packed ineffectively to withstand the transportation process. In an instance where the organization seeks to refurbish a product, the damages would hinder the process of remanufacturing to its desired market shape (Mollenkopf, Russo & Frankel, 2007). Generally, major problems in the implementation process of reverse logistics are from the cost incurred in product handing and transportation from the source to the company. Massive costs are also incurred in evaluating the changes required on the product to design a market desired final product. This is a major problem considering that products are required to be at a shape that can deliver the reverse logistics objectives of an

Speluncean Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Speluncean Paper - Essay Example Chief justice Truepenny made a ruling that found the accused guilty of murder, which she supposed that it was in accordance with the Commonwealth law. However, I do not agree with the opinion of proposing the course of action to the Executive. The rationale for such a statement is that her presumptions had a considerable influence on the case and the ruling. Such a statement also implies that the chief justice hindered the independence of the executive through the imposition of his mind. As such, there is a conclusion that the ruling must have been biased because there is no element of the collaboration of the jury (Hockett 2013). Justice Foster ruled that the plaintiff was innocent after an interpretation of the loopholes of the Commonwealth law. For instance, in his ruling, the judge claimed that the case was under the guidance of the law of nature, which meant that the accused did not commit murder. He assumed the weakness of the law and interpreted it to the rest, which made his judgment a possible source of other related crimes. He made a mistake in quoting a number of cases that explored the weaknesses of the law to make rules of the nature that he made concerning the case. The third ruling involved Justice Handy, who considered opinions polls from the public to make sympathy judgments. The judge applied only a little component of the law in making his decision almost unlawful. The approach he took to consider the opinions of the public was not wrong, but choosing to incline his ruling to sympathy diluted justice according to the law. The accused found themselves innocent because the pubic thought so and influenced the opinion of the judge. Justice keen’s ruling should have had the fairest legal touch should he have considered the nature of their decision. For this case, the judge ruled in accordance with what the law of the land

Corporate Fundraising Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words - 2

Corporate Fundraising - Essay Example As can be observed with reference to the case scenario presented, The Green Coffee Company Ltd is aiming at investing in Vietnam which requires a substantial amount of funds. It is worth mentioning in this context that corporate fundraising options available to a particular business depends on various factors including the size of the company which further signifies its certification as a public or a proprietary company as per the Corporations Act 2001 (Cth) (â€Å"A Practitioner’s Guide to Corporate Law†, 2007). To be noted, as per the Corporations Act 2001 (Cth) Section 45A, a proprietary company can be limited or unlimited with share capital. Another type of company identifies as per the Corporations Act 2001 (Cth) is the public company wherein the Section 195 of the Act specifies that â€Å"public company means a company other than a proprietary company† (â€Å"Corporations Act 2001† 2005). Also, the corporate name of a proprietary company is distinct to that of a public company, i.e. ... With reference to this context, The Green Coffee Company Ltd can be identified as a public limited company which shall further determine its fundraising obligations when attempting to invest in an international expansion venture to Vietnam. One of the major differences and opportunities for The Green Coffee Company Ltd in fundraising, being a public limited company, is that it can issue equities or sell its debentures or shares to â€Å"more than 50 non-employee shareholders† through the obligatory issuing of prospectus where proprietary companies (either limited or unlimited) are exempted from such permits (â€Å"Corporate Law† 2011). From a managerial concern, fundraising activities performed by organisations such as The Green Coffee Company Ltd will quite essentially give rise to company liabilities and thus will seize the risk of affecting shareholders’ or investors’ interests. It is in this context that The Green Coffee Company Ltd must ensure its com pliance with the norms prescribed in the Chapter 6D of the Corporations Act 2001 (Cth). It is worth mentioning in this regard that The Green Coffee Company Ltd is planning to offer shares to the public with the intention to obtain a capital of around $7 million and $15 million owing to which the company must ensure the disclosure of all the required and lodged documents prior to offering securities as per the provisions mentioned in Section 727 (1) of Chapter 6D in the Corporations Act 2001 (Cth) (â€Å"Corporations Act 2001, 2005†). It is mandatory on this note to lodge the disclosure document to the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) as per Section 709 of the Corporations Act 2001 (Cth) (â€Å"Better prospectus disclosure† 2006). Contextually, any identification of forging in the

Business Communication Portfolio Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Business Communication Portfolio - Assignment Example Although the idea of entertainment at Disney Land is typically attractive for children but it is presented in such a way that people from all over the world enjoy visiting it (Jackson, 2011, p.139). In Hong Kong, it has been built with incorporation of International Theme Parks Ltd, The Walt Disney Company and the Hong Kong Government (Hong Kong Disneyland, 2013). The organization is continuously increasing its attractive places while improving the overall entertainment experience. Huge business portfolio often generates great difficulties for Disneyland which subsequently affects customer satisfaction and long term relations with other businesses. For instance, on weekends or public holidays the parks become over crowded which causes immense difficulties for the visitors. This paper aims to present two business-business letters related to Hong Kong Disneyland. Skyline Event Management Company 26th Street, across Southern Avenue Hong Kong October 12, 2013 Mr. Robert James The Operati ons Manager Disneyland Resorts Hong Kong Subject: Complaint for poor resort services. Dear Sir, On October 10, 2013, the students of Foundation School grade 4 to 6 visited the Hong Kong Disneyland Resort along with the teachers and other staff members. It was a school trip primarily arranged to enhance the artistic sense of students while enabling them to understand different stories. Moreover, to help them visualize the classical characters they have been reading about since early childhood. Our aim was to entertain children through best possible means. However, the students did not find Disneyland as appealing as it has been marketed (Haberer, 2010, p.4). Most of the staff members complained about the misbehavior of employees especially those who have been on duties in the Toy Story Land. Hence I wish to complain about the poor services that the school has received from the renowned Walt Disney Company. The visit was arranged by Skyline Event Management Company. After visiting the theme parks, students were required to write a comprehensive review of the entire trip. This was done in order to gain inside knowledge about their perception and ideas related to different cartoon characters. Additionally, they were needed to compose stories with the help of their favorite cartoons. They were also asked by the event managers to fill the feedback forms regarding the entire trip. The feedback forms which we received were significant enough to let us know about the poor services of your staff members. Students were highly de-motivated and even some of the parents complained to the school management regarding the trip. Parents were too much concerned about their children’s safety. Most of them believed that the amusement parks and rides at Disneyland were not safe for young children. Here, I would like to add another important thing that since Disneyland is marketed primarily to the children then why the management has installed such equipment which is prominen tly dangerous for young ones? Moreover, the older people visiting Disney Land behave very rudely with the young children while on the other hand, the managing staff usually do not respond to the customer complains. Even today I had to wait for around two hours to meet you and in the end I was told that you are busy in some meeting and would not be available until next week. All these things have greatly disappointed us and hence I request you to train you staff members while ensuring that older

Los Vendidos by Luis Valdez Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Los Vendidos by Luis Valdez - Research Paper Example Though the mood of the play is light hearted or comic, it discusses grave issues that crave great social attention. The play brings to our notice the issues like social injustice, racism and the class segregation where the Americans always expected the Mexicans to rise up to their expectation. This attitude of the Americans is quite evident in the words of the secretary in the play where she demands the kind of robot that walks and behaves in the American fashion. A critical estimate of the play makes one join with the Canadian writer, Ryan McFadden when he rightly observed thus, â€Å"Los Vendidos is a play centred on drawing great attention to the misconstrued stereotypes of Chicanos while covertly ridiculing Americans which in turn successfully brings about conversation and critical thinking of these stereotypes and inspires viewers the opportunity to change their preconceived notions of Chicanos† (McFadden para.1). Therefore, the proposed critical study aims to establish a foresaid statement, that is, the play is a criticism, presented in a satirical way, against the existing social injustice touching the Mexican Americans from the Native Americans. The setting of this one-act play is located at Honest Sancho's Used Mexican Lot and Mexican Curio Shop, a shop located in California that sells various kinds of ‘robots’, stereotypes of Mexicans and Mexican Americans.... The very presentation of the salesman-cum owner, Honest Sancho and the customer, Miss Jimenez, who introduces herself as secretary for Governor Reagan, itself provides enough materials for the audience about the Mexican and Mexican American clash. Jimenez’s reprimand to Sancho’s mispronunciation of her name in ‘bad English’, when he actually used Spanish accent, provides ample evidence for this disagreement. The attitude of the Mexican American to the Mexican is crystal clear at her ignorance to the cultural stereotypes exhibited in that showroom, though belongs to the Chicana or the Mexican American and was actually looking for a ‘Mexican’ type. The satirical note in the play is very notable that the dramatist does not spare even a single chance to criticise dominating mentality of the Americans. Elements of the comedy of manners in Los Vendidos can be especially identified when considering Valdez’s satirizing of his Chicano stock chara cters (Stereotyped, flat characters or caricatures) that fail to conform the conventions of the U.S. society (Vogelmann p.7). The reluctance of the Mexican Americans to mingle with the Mexicans has been shaded in the words of the Secretary when she disagrees with the prospect buying the first two robots. She rejects the first robot which is in the form of the farm worker, just because of the reason that he does not know English, which has an elite part of American culture which the Mexicans lacked. In order to proposes these issues, the dramatist resorts to realistic comedy which really enhances the quality of the presentation, especially the conversation between Sancho and the secretary. According to Vogelmann, â€Å"The most important elements of realistic comedy in Luis Valdez’s acto Los Vendidos are,

Operating Systems Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 2

Operating Systems - Essay Example n the Linux I/O services is the optimization of disk scheduling through the use of multilevel queues and priority scheduling to enable the execution of many program processes. Setting these commands provides an end user with the robust set of tools to manage file operation and process execution within an operating system. The Linux I/O services will change society a great deal since the optimization of disk scheduling and page cache services are essential for quick program execution, therefore saving time. It is also important for performing read/write services on a computer hard disk (memory) through satisfying fast mapping of data (Bovet, Daniel & Marco 599). The Windows I/O concept offers subjects that describe the applications that control the input and output services that assist in data access from and data writing to the computer hard disk (memory). One basic I/O facility utilized by window operating system is the Asynchronous and Synchronous I/O, which both offer necessary operations for facilitating communication and fast processing of information within a system. In a synchronous I/O operation, programs are placed on a wait state while in an asynchronous I/O operation; program or process execution request can be interrupted to enable the execution of another program (Russinovich, Mark, David & Alex Ch. 7). The advancements made in the basic windows I/O operations include the optimization of processing efficiency. This mechanism majorly entails the processing of large data or information within the shortest time possible without having to interrupt other prior made I/O requests made by a system user. Uninterrupted program execution ensures there is no loss of data or delay of displaying outputs during the I/O

Estray statutes Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Estray statutes - Essay Example The statute defines lost property and abandoned property, and provides procedures and remedies which prescribe the powers and duties of finders and owners of the property, and of relevant government employees. It provides for the disposition of lost property that remains unclaimed by the owner and by the finder. The statute exempts from its application limited types of property. Defined by these laws and regulations, a person taking up an estray has a qualified ownership in it, which becomes absolute if the owner fails to claim the animal within the statutory period. If the owner reclaims the estray, he is liable for reasonable costs of its upkeep. The use of an estray during the period of qualified ownership, other than for its own preservation or for the benefit of the owner, is not authorized. Some statutes limit the right to take up estrays to certain classes of persons, to certain seasons or places, or to animals requiring care. Like registering title, estray statutes discourage the theft of property. Like adverse-possession rules, estray statutes tend to clear the clouds from title and transfer property to productive use. Like adverse-possession rules, estray statutes also provide an incentive for owners to monitor their property. Estray statutes induce the dissemination of information and thus reduce the search costs of owners who lose their property (Wen, 2004). Statutory time limit is usually within one year (Baumer, 2003) as practiced in South Dakota. In Colorado however, this limit is good for five days only by animal control officer, unless claimed by the owner, the state board of stock inspection commissioners will keep the animal (Ord. 196, 1973). In Idaho, upon notice to the County Clerk within ten days, publish notification in a newspaper within twenty days and still unclaimed, the statutory limit will end within three months and the finder will become the owner. These notifications are necessary for the finder who fails to make a reasonable effort to return the property to its owner will be considered theft (Idaho Code 55-405). In Nebraska (Nebraska Brand Committee, 2006), Oklahoma (University of Vermont. 2001), and Minnesota (Office of Revisor of Statutes, 2006) the notification is only within seven days. In Minnesota, notification is also within ten days. If the finder failed to post the notice hence ignored the property rights o f the owner, he shall be charged double the amount of damages sustained by the owner thereby. In New Jersey, if the owner failed to reclaim it within 120 days "a. the owner of the premises where the property was found may claim title to buried or hidden lost property or to lost property which a trespasser found; b. the finder of the property may claim title to lost property in other cases." (New Jersey Law Revision Commission, n.d.) If the owner of the premises or the finder does not claim the lost property, marketable property shall be sold in which the net proceeds shall be deposited with the administrator of the Uniform Unclaimed Property Act (46:30B-1 to -109) in the Unclaimed Personal Property Trust Fund

My review and judgement for Toyshops online marketing Essay Example for Free

My review and judgement for Toyshops online marketing Essay Top shop online retail website allows their customer to purchase their products online. Top shop is generally regarded as the high street fashion centre for all women and men under 30, reasonably priced clothes suitable for all occasions. Top shop is one of the better laid out online shops the site uses an attractive black colour scheme and the clothes are divided into categories, viewers can choose to browse by New In items, Special Offers, Sale, Kate Moss range, Dresses, etc. Topshop is a high street fashion retailer that has been up and running since 1964 and is has successfully open 300 store across the UK, do shipments to more than 100 countries and has their eclectic British style is known all over the world. Over the years they have built a strong bond with industry insiders and in 2002 they joined forces with newgen, a scheme which allowed them to foster new design talent and provide a global platform for the scene’s brightest new stars. Topshop also the only high street brand to show on schedule at London Fashion week and Topshop Unique has become the style set’s hottest ticket. The Topshop formula is proving not just popular/reputation but profitable too. The chain made around $200 million in pre-tax profits last year on revenues of approximately $1.14 billion. Topshop online marketing system is very effective to its viewers/ users, Topshop’s online website benefits their customers because it give their customers the opportunity to visit their website at any time during business hours which make online shopping an excellent option for many busy shoppers. One of the most obvious benefit for online shoppers is convenience, online shoppers has the ability to purchase products/service from Topshop’s online website at any time which is most convenient for them. Their online website accepts orders twenty-four hours a day during normal business hours. Topshop’s online website provides their customers with total product information. Customers shopping online expect product details which is the Price, information on how the product or service runs on how to use it an so on, this is a benefit for the customer because before purchasing a product they get to see the price and get information on the product on how it will work out for them so they will get an rough idea of how it will work so before purchasing they could compare and select whether the price is suitable for them and if the service or product has what they need. Viewing items is easy – viewers can just click on the item they want to view in more detail and it brings up the name of the item, the price, a brief description of the product, materials used, suggestions for how to wear it, and a picture of the front and the back which you are able to zoom in. customers can see what sizes the item is available in sizes go from 6-16 and any sizes not in stock are greyed out. The business online features is beneficial to their viewer because it help to their viewers to find exactly what they are looking for in other words ‘easy to use’; images, colours, gifs, videos, drop down menus and search bars are all useful to the business viewers. Topshop’s online website also provides their viewers to be able to create their own account with the company, get additional information on their business, clothing and also complaints, viewers can write their own review on their products and service that the business offers. The effectiveness of the of Topshop marketing The effectiveness of Topshop marketing online gives customers an opportunity to purchase items from their online webpage, collect information about the product, service and also information about the business, their online webpage is also design in a way to enable their customers to get exactly what the they are looking; at the bottom of Topshop online webpage is where customers can get the information there need from the business such as, information about the business, how to find different branches, help and also other website that the customers can visit for update; Facebook, twitter, YouTube and also Google. Images, videos, pictures, drop down menus, gifs and search bar play a big impact on how customers view the business webpage, it make it easier for the customers to locate stuff on the business webpage, because these online features are visual. Topshop online website is effective because it help to attraction new customers to the business. The internet is a main asset to many people because they use this on a regular basis whether it is to communication, gather information or locate new places. Topshop use many marketing techniques to promote their online business, these are; promotional adverts online, email promotion, hyperlinks, on website such as twitter and Facebook and so on YouTube. Topshop also have an app for all smartphone, where customers can use to also purchase item, gather information and so on, this is very effective for their customers because this give their customers the advantage to shop from anywhere, during business hours. Topshop internet marketing states for Facebook and Twitter. Topshop continues to grow its following on social media sites, due to lots of features, in-store promotions and relatively high levels of engagement with fans and followers. Stats from E-Digital Research look at the number of followers for the top 20 retailers on Facebook and Twitter and, for the first time, Google+. Top 20 UK retailers on Facebook Topshop was also in pole position and it has added more than 1m new fans since May 2011. Its target audience are big Facebook and social media in general users, so the strategy of promoting its Facebook presence works well. Content is regularly updated to keep people interested, while it also promotes its social media profiles in stores and from its website. The retailer uses exclusive deals and interactive content to keep people interested. How much this translates into sales is another matter, but its significant that it hasnt opened an f-commerce store, presumably preferring to drive users to its product pages.

Marriage in African Traditional Society

Marriage in African Traditional Society Marriage is an important step in the life of every human on earth. Different cultures have different rituals and beliefs about marriage. Love, economic status, religious beliefs, and social acceptance are just a few reasons individuals marry across differing cultures. To understand various form of marriages among the Kenyan societies and specifically the Akamba, we shall look at length the systems of marriages that existed. Kenyan culture is very diverse and full of tradition based on social norms that have been around for generations. Social life is patterned around a strong clan and extended family ties. This plays a vital role in the marriage process. Kenyans attempt to maximize rewards and minimize costs. This is done by comparing what one gives up compared to what they receive in marriage. A husband may receive social status, sexual enhancement, increased labor, and the knowledge that his blood-line will continue, while giving up some sort of economic compensation to the family of the wife. The wife may receive resources, adult status as a wife, and protection in return for her labor and obedience to her husband. Marriage is a recognized union of a man and a woman as husband and wife, a union that is intended to last their joint lives. Mutisya(2004) cites a case of Rex vs Amkeyo, the then Chief Justice, Sir Robert Hamilton, that stated: In my opinion, the use of the word marriage to describe the relationship entered into by an African native with a woman of his tribe according to tribal custom is a misnomer that has led in the past to a considerable confusion of ideas the element of a so-called marriage by native custom differs so materially from the ordinary accepted idea of what constitutes a civilized form of marriage that it is difficult to compare the two. However, in the African mind, it is considered as a serious affair and one that demands high commitment. There are no half-measures in Akamba marriages. A man who engages in dubious marital relationships is a mutuanya, a vagabond despised by everyone in the community. Likewise, a woman without a proper husband is referred to as a mukoma nthi, one who sleeps on the floor, a person of no fixed abode. Among the Akamba, a virgin bride brought shame to her family; her virginity was an indication of ill preparation before marriage, therefore young women were ritually deflowered by elder men from whom they received sexual teachings. In the same vein, pre-marital sex was permitted for both boys and girls to prepare them adequately for their conjugal responsibilities in marriage. Among the Akamba, marriage had the specific purpose of perpetuating ones lineage and in the process, bestowing social status on the man and his wife. When a boy and girl came to a secret agreement that they were in love and wanted to marry, upon agreement, the young mans father would approach the girls parents on the matter. This was followed by the first sign of sealing an in-law relationship uthoni with two goats mbui sya ntheo. The young suitor then prepared the best beer uki, which was taken to the girls father, followed by a negotiation on the bride-wealth. The Akamba married woman was more or less the head of the family in the long run, since the husband had little control over her in the day to day management. If such a freedom to manage the home was absent, the husband had the danger of his wife becoming exasperated and running away. At all costs, the husband had to avoid such situations of a wife running back to her parents, because he would definitely not recover the dowry he gave to her parents, which could only happen if his former wife re-married. In the case of re-marriage, the new husband was obliged to refund the entire dowry paid to the former husband. In the final analysis what this system did was to reduce exceedingly the number of divorce cases. The Akamba men were socialized to worship physical power fighting, cattle raiding, and so on. The women maintained a closely guarded culture of oppression in which men were excluded from all intellectual activities. The mens only tasks were to raid cattle and guard the community. When they were not doing that, they were allowed to spend their time drinking beer or socializing. They were excluded from all creative activities where thought and tact would have been necessary. In deed, even in worshiping Mulungu the Akamba God, the men were excluded. The women had their own well organized religion called Kathambi. Their goddess, Kathambi, is the goddess of rain and fertility. The women associated rain and fertility with womanhood. And since men dont give birth or menstruate, they were deemed incapable of communicating with Mulungu. The congregation of Kathambi worshiping women was called Ngolano and the congregation was led by woman priestesses (who had stopped menstruating and giving birth) in shrines called mathembo, composed of thick forests or huge trees. Ghost Wives (Mulewa) Mulewa Muthiani goes about her business just like any other widowed woman in her village in Ukambani. But there is one difference between her and normal widows Mulewa never met her husband. In fact, she was married to him after he died, about 30 years ago. Mulewa is what is referred to in Ukambani as a ghost wife. And while she never set eyes on Muthiani, her husband, she knows for a fact that he once lived, and even if now long dead, he continues to live as a spirit. This she knows because when she was being married, her mother in-law, Muthoni who died in 1992 told her that she was being married to bear children for Muthonis son, Muthiani, who died in early childhood. Yes, she has children five in fact who were fathered by different men and who bear her dead husbands name. Stanely Kimanga. It was considered highly important for every Akamba man to be married because it was his wife and children that would guarantee keeping his memory beyond his death. If an Akamba man died before marriage, the father arranged to obtain a wife (Mulewa) for the dead son. Such a girl was married to the name of the dead unmarried man and bore him children, usually by his brother (cf. Middleton, p. 90). In 1967 C. W .Hobley wrote in Bantu Beliefs and Magic: There is a curious custom in Ukambani If a young unmarried man is killed away from his village, his Imu or spirit will return there and speak to the people through the medium of an old woman in a dance and say: I am so-and- so speaking, and I want a wife. The youths father will then make arrangements to buy a girl from another village and bring her to his, and she will be mentioned as the wife of the deceased, speaking of him by name Among the Akamba, a woman could be married to a man who was long dead and such a woman was called Mulewa ghost wife. Athough the ghost wife never met her husband, she knew he once lived and continued to live as a spirit. Mulewa was therefore expected to bear children for her dead husband by sleeping with other men. The ghost wife cultural practice also catered for male children who died in infancy. The bereaved mother counted the years until the dead baby would have reached marriageable age, then she would find him a bride. Before a girl was identified to be a ghost wife, there had to be evidence that she had already produced a son. The continuation of the dead mans lineage and that of his father was of prime importance. Even if daughters remained at home and produced children, they were not perceived as continuing the lineage of their maternal grandfather because kinship in the Akamba community was patrilineal and the children of daughters would not belong to the same clan as their grandfather. A ghost wife was accorded the privileges of a normal wife and her right of inheritance was protected and she received what her dead husband would have received from his parents. Woman-to-Woman Marriage (Iweto) The practice of women marrying women is somewhat common in certain societies in West Africa, Southern Africa, East Africa, and the Sudan. Yet, besides a total lack of discussion in the popular media, what is typically called woman-woman marriage is the subject of a very small body of academic literature. Cross-culturally, women take wives under three circumstances, all of which increase the status of the female husband: 1) barren women and widows take wives to obtain rights over children produced; 2) rich women accumulate wives to gain prestige and wealth in the same way men do through polygyny; and 3) in some societies where women have the right to have a daughter-in-law, women without sons can exercise their right to a daughter-in-law by marrying a woman and giving her to a non-existent son. In each of these situations, African women are able to manipulate the existing system through woman-to-woman marriage in order to achieve higher social and economic status. Woman-to-woman marriage can also be beneficial to persons other than the female husband. Woman-to-woman marriage involves the following persons: 1) the female husband herself; 2) if the female husband is already married, her own husband (the female husbands husband); 3) the woman who is married by the female husband the wife; and 4) the lover(s) of the wife who may father her children. To obtain a full understanding of the topic, it is important to examine the motivations not only of the wife, but also those of the wifes lover(s) and the husband (if any) of the female husband. The Akamba practiced woman-to-woman marriage (Gynegamy) known as Iweto All ceremonial aspects of this marriage were observed, bride-wealth was paid to the girls father, and all rules of divorce applicable in the Akamba community were adhered to. This marriage involved one woman marrying another woman, thus assuming control over her and her offspring. The Akamba female husbands resorted to this form of marriage to further their social and economic positions in society. Barren women and widows took wives to obtain rights over children produced. Rich Akamba women accumulated wives to gain prestige and wealth in the same way men do through polygamy. The Akamba women who had no sons exercised their right to a daughter-in-law by marrying a woman and giving her to a non-existent son. The Akamba allowed a woman who had no sons to marry another woman. This was usually after widowhood, but could also be during the husbands lifetime. The bride worked for and looked after the elderly woman she had married but was free to choose male partners as she pleased, since the purpose for her union with the elderly woman was to have sons. Any children born belonged to the family group, and the sons would inherit the property. Among the Akamba it was and still is the wifes duty to provide food for the family from the family cultivated land. The wife could ask for divorce if the plot of land was too small and the husband refused to negotiate a larger piece of land (cf. Penwill, pp. 15-18). Christian view of both types of Marriages In traditional thinking, ancestors are an essential link in a hierarchical chain of powers stretching from this world to the spirit world. Insofar as African traditional religion can be defined by specific religious actions, the cult of the ancestors is its most common and essential activity. In order to understand the importance of ancestors one must realize that in the African view, death is not thought to end human relationships. Rather, those who die enter the spirit world in which they are invisible. Deceased ancestors are integral to the traditional African social structure. In a culture where tribe, clan and family are of utmost importance, ancestors are the most respected members of the family. To be cut off from relationships with ones ancestors is to cease to be a whole person. Moreover, the ancestors sanction societys customs, norms and ethics. Without them, Africans are left without moral guidelines or motivation, and society is powerless to enforce ethics. However, the bible is clear on when should a union between a woman and a man end, in case of the ghost marriages. A wife is bound as long as her husband lives; but if her husband is dead, she is free to be married to whom she wishes, only in the Lord.( 1st Corithians 7:39). This outlaws the connection in matrimony between the dead and the alive. It also cautions against tokenism where one worships a dead person. It is through Christ that all that have died will rise again. However, woman to woman marriages of Ukambbani are not same with lesbianism. It was a place to take care of each other and involved no or little sexual intimacy. Christian teachings prohibit marriage and sexual activities between same genders but encourage people to take good care of each other. ( 1st John 3:16). It was love that guided these relationships. References Cited Cadigan, R. Jean (1998), Woman-to-woman marriage: practices and benefits in Sub-Saharan Africa. Comparative Perspectives on Black Family Life. Journal of Comparative Family Studies, vol 1 Dundas, C. (1913), History of Kitui, Journal of Royal Anthropological Institute, Vol 43 pp480-549. Kimanga, S. (6 October 2004), The ghost wives of Ukambani, All Africa News, http://allafrica.com/stories/200410060072.html, Accessed 18th July 2010 Lindblom, G., (1969.) The Akamba in British East Africa, 2nd Edition, New York: Negro University Press. Middleton, J. (1953), The Central Tribes of the North-Eastern Bantu, London: International African Institute. New International Version, Holy Bible Penwill, D.J., (1951), Kamba Customary Law, London: Macmillan and Company. Roy M,M. (2004), Akamba Marriage Customs. Nairobi: Roma Publishers Limited. Mueni, E. (2010) Personal interview (0726 43-0331) Terry, M. (2010) Personal Interview (0721- 738524)

Analysis of the Healthcare Reform Act

Analysis of the Healthcare Reform Act According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services the Health policy broadly describes actions taken by governments national, state, and local to advance the publics health. It is not a single action but requires a range of legislative and regulatory efforts ranging from ensuring air and water quality to supporting cancer research. Health care policy deals with the organization, financing and delivery of health care services. This includes training of health professionals, overseeing the safety of drugs and medical devices, administering public programs like Medicare and regulating private health insurance (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services 2010). This analysis covers the federal statute enacted in 2010: the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), which was designed to help families across the states gain access to quality, affordable health care. Many countries integrate a human rights viewpoint when creating their health care policies. The World Health Organization reports that every country in the world is party to at least one human rights treaty that addresses health-related rights, including the right to health as well as other rights that relate to conditions necessary for good health (World Health Organization, 2012). The United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) asserts that medical care is a right of all people (The United Nations, 2012). UDHR Article 25: Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family, including food, clothing, and housing and medical care and necessary social services, and the right to security in the event of unemployment, sickness, disability, widowhood, old age or other lack of livelihood in circumstances beyond his control. Health care reform in the United States has a long history. In 1900 the American Medical Association (AMA) became a powerful national force. By 1910 the American Association for Labor Legislation (AALL) organized the first national conference on social insurance. Liberal activists argued for health insurance. In the 1930s the Depression changed priorities, placing more importance on unemployment insurance and old age benefits. The Social Security Act was passed, omitting health insurance. By the 1940s prepaid group healthcare began and was seen as radical. During the 2nd World War, wage and price controls were placed on American employers. To compete for workers, companies began to offer health care benefits, this employer-based system in place today. President Roosevelt asked Congress for economic bill of rights, including the right to adequate medical care. President Truman offered national health program plan, recommending a single system that would include all of American society . Trumans plan was criticized by the American Medical Association (AMA), and is called a Communist plot by a House subcommittee. In the 1950s, hospital care cost doubled. In the early 1960s, President Lyndon Johnson signed Medicare and Medicaid into law. President Richard Nixon renamed health care plans to health maintenance organizations (HMOs), with regulations that provided federal endorsement, certification, and assistance. American medicine was viewed as being in a state of emergency. President Nixons plan for national health insurance was rejected by liberals labor unions. In the 80s Corporations began to integrate the hospital system (previously a decentralized structure), consolidating control. Healthcare shifted toward privatization and corporatizations. In 1986 Congress passed and President Ronald Reagan signed into law COBRA, an option that former workers could stay on the company health care plan for 18 months after leaving a job, although the former employee would pay for the coverage. In 1988 prescription drug benefit and catastrophic care coverage was added to Medicare; Congress repealed the law the next year. Under President Reagan, Medicare moved to payments for diagnosiss (DRG) rather than for treatment received. Health care costs increased at double the rate of inflation. Federal health care reform legislation failed passage for a second time in the U.S. Congress. By the end of the decade there were 44 million Americans, which was 16 % of the nation, with no health insurance at all. With a fresh era and Health care costs are on the upsurge again. Medicare is viewed by some as unmentionable under the current organization and must be rescued (Associated press, 2012). After years of unsuccessful attempts by a series of Democratic presidents and a year of bitter partisan struggle, President Obama signed legislation on March 23, 2010, to overhaul the nations health care system and guarantee access to medical insurance for tens of millions of Americans. The Affordable Care Act seeks to extend insurance to more than 30 million people, primarily by expanding Medicaid and providing federal subsidies to help lower- and middle-income Americans buy private coverage. It will create insurance exchanges for those buying individual policies and prohibit insurers from denying coverage on the basis of pre-existing conditions. To reduce the soaring cost of Medicare, it creates a panel of experts to limit government reimbursement to only those treatments shown to be effective, and creates incentives for providers to bundle services rather than charge by individual procedure. (Henry J. Kaiser Foundation, 2010) According to research done by the New York Times the law will cost the government about $938 billion over 10 years, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, which has also estimated that it will reduce the federal deficit by $138 billion over a decade (Andrews, 2012). One feature of the Affordable Health Care Act is that insurance companies including all exchange plans will provide adequate benefits to their enrollees. The essential health benefits package will define the minimum set of benefits that new health plans must offer for private market individual and small group plans as well as for Medicaid enrollees in benchmark coverage and those covered by state Basic Health Programs. Many expected the Department of Health and Human Services to outline the services to be included in essential health benefits package; instead it specified that each state would select the package that best meets the needs of children and families (Merles, M. 2005). Essential health benefits (Ebbs) are the least amount benefits that the Affordable Care Act (ACA) requires to be offered by non-grandfathered health plans in the individual and small group markets. Section 1302 of the ACA identifies the requirements for the essential health benefits. This approach allows states have the discretion to choose a benchmark set of benefits from among the existing health plans. Section 1302 also establishes some specific guidelines in defining the Ebbs. Benefits may not be designed in ways that discriminate against individuals because of their age, disability, or expected length of life and are required to take into account the health care needs of diverse segments of the population, including women, children, persons with disabilities, and other groups.(Touschner, 2011) EHB packages must include benefit protections established in other parts of the ACA, including parity for mental health services and preventive services offered at no cost to enrollees. For infants, children, and adolescents, the preventive services requirement incorporates the services recommended in the American Academy of Pediatrics Bright Futures initiative (Touschner, 2011). The need for adequate Childrens benefits is critical due to their constant development and growth. Children have need of health services that are different than adults, which includes preventive screenings depending on their age and development stage. Childrens growing bodies may also require long-lasting medical equipment (like wheelchairs) on a more frequent schedule than adults. In its Scope of Health Care Benefits for Children policy statement, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) outlines the services that are essential for children. (Scope of health, 2012) For many years, Americans have paid the price for policies that have allowed insurance companies to place barriers between them and their doctors, dropping their coverage for sickness, and discriminating against anyone for pre-existing conditions. Mississippi has one of the nations highest percentages (63.2 percent) of uninsured people who would qualify for Medicaid under the expansion in the United States (Kaiser 2010). The Affordable Care Act gives middle-class and low income families in Mississippi the health insurance coverage they deserve. The new health care law dictates that insurance companies are to play by the rules, they can no longer drop coverage if you get sick, sending you into bankruptcy because you have met your annual or lifetime limit, but most importantly they cannot discriminate against anyone with a pre-existing condition (U.S. Department of Health and Human Service, 2010). It is now mandated that health plans allow parents to maintain coverage of their children who are under the age of 26 and without insurance on their jobs. Resulting from this provision, As of December 2011, 37,000 young adults in Mississippi now have insurance which is included in 3.1 million young people nationwide. The health care law includes Medicare prescription drug coverage benefits which have made prescriptions more affordable. In 2010, a $250 rebate was given to 34,604 people with Medicare in Mississippi who had hit the prescription drug donut hole. In 2011, they began receiving a 50 percent discount on covered brand-name drugs and a discount on generic drugs (U.S. Department of Health Human Services, 2012). Since the law was enacted, residents with Medicare in Mississippi have saved a total of $41,809,338 on their prescription drugs. As a result of the discounts people are saving $591 per year and a total savings of $11,732,360 in Mississippi in 2012. It is projected by 2020; the law will close the donut hole. Last year (2011) 330,017 people with Medicare in Mississippi received free preventive services or a free annual wellness visit with their doctor (U.S. Department of Health Human Services, 2012). Approximately 47 million women, including 381,704 in Mississippi now have guaranteed access to additional preventive services without cost-sharing. Under the new health care law, insurance companies must provide consumers greater value by spending generally at least 80 percent of premium dollars on health care and quality improvements or they must provide consumers a rebate or reduce premiums. This means that 51,744 Mississippi residents with private insurance coverage will benefit from $10,122,532 in rebates from insurance companies this year which will average to $329 for the 30,800 families in Mississippi covered by a policy. Under the new law Mississippi has received $4,783,208 to help fight arbitrary premium increases. As of August 2012, 317 previously uninsured residents of Mississippi who were locked out of the coverage system because of a pre-existing condition are now insured through a new Pre-Existing Condition Insurance Plan that was created under the new health reform law (U.S. Department of Health Human Services, 2012). Mississippi has received $21,143,618 in grants for research, planning, information technology development, and implementation of Affordable Insurance Exchanges. Since 2010, Mississippi has received $5,200,000 in grants from the Prevention and Public Health Fund created by the Affordable Care Act. This new fund was created to support effective policies in Mississippi, its communities, and nationwide so that all Americans can lead longer, more productive lives (U.S. Department of Health Human Services, 2012). In Mississippi, there are 21 health centers providing preventive and primary health care services to 324,046 people from183 different sites. These health centers have received $49,784,983 under the Affordable Care Act to support the operations and establishments of new health center sites. Mississippi was granted $4,100,000 for school-based health centers, to help clinics expand and provide more health care services such as screenings to students and $3,100,000 for Maternal, Infa nt, and Early Childhood Home Visiting Programs. These programs bring health professionals to meet with at-risk families in their homes and connect families to the kinds of help that can make a real difference in a childs health, development, and ability to learn such as health care, early education, parenting skills, child abuse prevention, and nutrition (U.S. Department of Health Human Services, 2012). The Patient Protection and affordable care Act (PPACA) will be implemented in a span of the next four years. The law includes an increase of the number of persons who are eligible to Medicaid; the government will reward discount of insurance premiums, for businesses providing health insurance. Insurance companies will no longer be able to deny coverage or claims because of the health history of any person. With the Patient Protection and affordable care Act all Americans will have the security of knowing that they dont have to worry about losing coverage if theyre laid off or change jobs. Insurance companies now have to cover preventive care like mammograms and other cancer screenings. The new law also makes a momentous investment in State and community-based efforts that promote public health prevent disease and protect against public health emergencies. Although this healthcare plan comes with its own costs, they will be covered by the taxes that will be imposed on the wealthy. Individuals who choose not to have insurance will be penalized with a tax fee as a way of encouraging every member in society to have insurance and this will be as a source of income to offset the plans cost. This was a great step towards ensuring a good healthcare for all the people of the US regardless of whether they are insured or not. There are several classes of people living in the US, who do not have access to insurance. These people range from illegal immigrants to others who see insurance as very expensive and cant afford to pay for insurance. The number of uninsured Americans is estimated to be 32 million today but after the PPACA was signed in to law the number is expected to decline considerably to about 23 million. Most of the uninsured people are drawn from illegal immigrants because they are not eligible to obtain insurance while they are resi ding in the US. Poor and middle class persons and their families also tend to go without insurance. (Institute of Medicine of the National Academies 2010 available online) The Affordable Care Act was specifically designed to give States the resources and flexibility they need to tailor their approach to their distinctive needs and to help families across the country gain access to quality, affordable health care. The Affordable Care Act ensures hard-working, middle class families will get the health care they deserve by keeping health care costs low, encouraging prevention, and making insurance companies accountable.

Comparison of The Matrix and Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? Essay

Comparison of The Matrix and Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? Andy and Larry Wachowski's movie, The Matrix parallels many of the characters and themes that are explored in Philip K. Dick's novel, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?. There are five main characters or groups of people that are explored in Dick's novel. First, Morpheus, the leader of the "unplugged" individuals, emulates the role that the Rosen Association plays. Next, Cypher, an underhanded man, who is comparable to Rachel Rosen, a typical android, shows no empathy towards anyone. Surprisingly, Rick Deckard, an android killer and the main character, resembles the "agents" in The Matrix. Following Rick, the androids represent the enlightened men and women in The Matrix. Lastly, John Isidore, an unintelligent man, symbolizes the mass amount of people plugged into the Matrix. On a grander scale, the Matrix itself is very much like Mercerism, a way of life, which is explored in Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?. In addition to this, both futures contain the results of world-wide-wars. To start, the Rosen Association, an android producing and harboring organization, compares to Morpheus in a variety of ways. The Rosen Association creates new androids just as Morpheus frees minds. Neither of which, are easy tasks. Rick is talking with the head of the Rosen Association, Eldon Rosen, about a test he needs to perform on some androids. Eldon complies with Rick, but he explains to him that it is not that easy, "We can't just phone down to production and ask for a diverse flock of items"(44). Androids are very complex and cannot just be mass produced. Morpheus has a similar problem. Humans are also extremely complex. It is dangerous to free a mind that i... ...p? and The Matrix, both contain futures that are strikingly similar in a number of ways. Primarily, the characters in Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? match up perfectly with those in The Matrix. Dick's characters and creations: The Rosen Association, Rachel Rosen, Rick Deckard, the androids, and John Isidore resemble Morpheus, Cypher, the "agents," the "unplugged," and the people plugged into the matrix respectively. Interestingly, both stories involve global warfare. Finally and most obviously, Mercerism and the matrix itself serve the same exact purpose, which is to blind people from the truth in oder to control them with more ease. Works Cited Dick, Philip K. Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?. New York: Ballantine Books, 1968. Matrix, The. Dir. Andy Wachowski, Larry Wachowski. Perf. Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne. Film. Warner Brothers,1999. Comparison of The Matrix and Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? Essay Comparison of The Matrix and Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? Andy and Larry Wachowski's movie, The Matrix parallels many of the characters and themes that are explored in Philip K. Dick's novel, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?. There are five main characters or groups of people that are explored in Dick's novel. First, Morpheus, the leader of the "unplugged" individuals, emulates the role that the Rosen Association plays. Next, Cypher, an underhanded man, who is comparable to Rachel Rosen, a typical android, shows no empathy towards anyone. Surprisingly, Rick Deckard, an android killer and the main character, resembles the "agents" in The Matrix. Following Rick, the androids represent the enlightened men and women in The Matrix. Lastly, John Isidore, an unintelligent man, symbolizes the mass amount of people plugged into the Matrix. On a grander scale, the Matrix itself is very much like Mercerism, a way of life, which is explored in Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?. In addition to this, both futures contain the results of world-wide-wars. To start, the Rosen Association, an android producing and harboring organization, compares to Morpheus in a variety of ways. The Rosen Association creates new androids just as Morpheus frees minds. Neither of which, are easy tasks. Rick is talking with the head of the Rosen Association, Eldon Rosen, about a test he needs to perform on some androids. Eldon complies with Rick, but he explains to him that it is not that easy, "We can't just phone down to production and ask for a diverse flock of items"(44). Androids are very complex and cannot just be mass produced. Morpheus has a similar problem. Humans are also extremely complex. It is dangerous to free a mind that i... ...p? and The Matrix, both contain futures that are strikingly similar in a number of ways. Primarily, the characters in Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? match up perfectly with those in The Matrix. Dick's characters and creations: The Rosen Association, Rachel Rosen, Rick Deckard, the androids, and John Isidore resemble Morpheus, Cypher, the "agents," the "unplugged," and the people plugged into the matrix respectively. Interestingly, both stories involve global warfare. Finally and most obviously, Mercerism and the matrix itself serve the same exact purpose, which is to blind people from the truth in oder to control them with more ease. Works Cited Dick, Philip K. Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?. New York: Ballantine Books, 1968. Matrix, The. Dir. Andy Wachowski, Larry Wachowski. Perf. Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne. Film. Warner Brothers,1999.

Motion Sickness Essay -- Biology Essays Research Papers

Motion Sickness Ever felt carsick, airsick or seasick? Motion sickness is the most common medical problem associated with travel. As a child I was always told that "it was in my head," that if I wanted to, I could make it go away. I was made to believe that motion sickness was a psychological problem. To certain extend it is true that it is in my head, but it is not a psychological defect, but rather, a disorder that occurs when conflicting sensory information is sent to the brain. This mild and self-treatable disorder can affect anyone, but recent studies seem to imply that motion sickness may affect certain groups of people more than others. This paper will discuss the causes of motion sickness and will question the genetic and racial implications as contributing factors. The anatomy of balance Balance is maintained by a complex interaction of sensory parts of our body. The first are the inner ears, which monitor the directions of motion (such as side to side, back to front, up and down, and turning). Some people may feel dizzy without having to be spinning or turning. This dizziness is sometimes caused by an inner ear problem. Changes of fluids in the semicircular canals of the inner ear are one of the attributing factors of motion sickness. (1). Second, the eyes monitor where the body is in space and also the direction in which the motion is taking place. Third, the skin pressure receptors (joints and spine) send messages to the brain to inform what part of the body is down and touching the ground. Lastly, the muscle and joint sensory receptors are in charge of informing the brain which parts of the body are in motion. Through the interaction of all these parts, the central nervous system (the brain and the spinal c... ...should therefore, not be used or imply that motion sickness is part of one's self identity. It is true that some individuals are naturally prone to motion sickness since childhood (including myself), but this should not be because one is Latino or African-American. In fact, I dismiss the notion that race has anything to with one having motion sickness. Perhaps, it would've been better to investigate the environment and conditions of where people are located; there may be risk factors related to one's location in a geographical space. References 1)What Causes Motion Sickness http://www.bcrescue.org/carsickness.html 2)Dizziness and Motion Sickness http://www.entnet.org/healthinfo/balance/dizziness.cfm?o=0 3)What's Motion Sickness http://community.healthgate.com/ 4)What Causes Motion Sickness http://www.motion-sickness.net/aboutms2.htm<br>

Brand Report – Monster v Red Bull

At the heart of every great organization, Is a world class product or service and in any competitive business market, organizations rival to be every consumer's â€Å"first choice†. Effective brand management Is essential to every business – building strong brands that not only reflect value and credibility, but also outlive the product or service the business offers, Is a challenge for many organizations today.The FMC (Fast Moving Consumer Goods) industry is one of the biggest industries in the world, simply because of the rand's and products that make up this sector such as Colgate, Dove, Palmolive and the list goes on. This report will compare two FMC brands within the Australian market, namely Monster Energy and Red Bull, and the consumers levels of brand awareness towards the selected brands. It will also discuss the importance of brand association and how this is measured.Through the use of these brands, Monster Energy and Red Bull, the report will illustrate the importance of an organization's ability to continuously build brand awareness with its consumers. Launched by Hansen Natural In 2002, Monster Energy penetrated the Australian market In 2009 ND has since bumped up the consumption of energy drinks In Australia to 225 million liters, resulting In gross sale of $2. 37 billion, according to Monster Corps's 2012 annual report. This figure also includes Australia's number one selling energy drink company, Red Bull, with a market share of 40%.As defined by Kettle (2009), a brand can be a name, sign, logo, symbol or a combination of these, that identifies an organization's product or service, differentiating them from other competitors. According to Keller (1993), brand equity is conceptualized from the perspective of the individual consumer. He also asserts that customer-based brand equity (CUBE) occurs when the consumer is familiar with the brand and whilst holding favorable, strong and unique brand associations in memory (1993). CUBE (Cus tomer-Based Brand Equity) is further defined by Keller (1993, up. ) as the differential effect of brand knowledge on consumer response to the marketing of the brand. Brand knowledge Is defined In In terms of two components; brand awareness and brand Image. According to Keller (1 993), brand awareness relates to brand recall and recognition performance by consumers, whilst brand image refers to the set of associations that consumers hold in memory. Since its launch in 2002, Monster Energy has developed strong brand salience, despite its non-evocative brand name.Placing the word ‘energy' with ‘Monster assists the customer to associate the product with the correct category. Brand salience is the first step in Seller's CUBE model (2008) and where organizations must establish who they are and what the brand represents to consumers. Establishing an identity and creating brand awareness is important at this stage, as it is when customers initially create perceptions about the b rand. McDonald & Sharp (2003) assert that a brand that has some level of brand awareness Is more likely to be selected by the consumer, than a brand unknown to the consumer.A challenge FMC companies must consider, Is the consumer's lack of decision making process Involved at the time of purchase, making It difficult for new brands to penetrate an already infiltrated industry. When Monster was initially low. Despite heavy marketing promotions and sporting associations, Monster's position within Australia's energy drinks category was relatively low, in comparison to market dominator and competitor, Red Bull. In comparison to its rival, Red Bull, Monster's brand salience lacks depth in the minds of Australian consumers.Although the Monster's logo of a monster claw shaped as an ‘M' is easily recognizable internationally, Australian consumers still lack the ability to recognize or recall the product category in which Monster belongs. The breadth of brand awareness concerns the rang e of purchase and usage situations in which the brand comes to mind (Keller, 2008), which largely depends on the organization of the brand and the product knowledge in consumers' memory.Today, Red Bull is the most recognized ND profitable energy drink in the world and is a beverage consumed at any time throughout the day. Both Red Bull and Monster offer a range of energy products, targeting consumption at different times throughout a given day. Both brands have broad brand awareness, consumers associating them with extreme sports, beverage for consumption early, mid or late in the day and an energy booster. Experiment 1 A research survey was conducted with a sample of 30 participants, 1 5 of which were male and 15 female (Fig 1 & 2).The objective of the survey research was to: Determine if males or females consume energy drinks and how frequently To determine the position of both Monster Energy and Red Bull in the mind of consumers Determine when and where the energy drink is most c onsumed Procedure The survey was formed with the appropriate questions to provide the data required to support brand awareness research on the energy drinks category. Participants were recruited from Speeches Australia Pity Ltd and also several students from the University of Western Sydney, Parameter campus.Results The first question was to determine how frequently males and females drink energy drinks throughout any given week (Fig 3). 19 participants reported drinking 1 or less energy drinks throughout the week with only 2 drinking 5 times a week. The next question asked what energy drink they consume and Red Bull came in at 43% popularity and Monster ranking third place at 20% Fig 4). The third question was asked to determine when and where the participants consumed their selected energy drink (Fig 5). 17 participants reported having an energy drink in the afternoons, with mornings being the time energy drinks were least consumed.Consumption within the workplace was reported as being the most common place of consumption with social events ranking in second with a reported 9 participants (Fig ). Summary Although the sample was small, the data research supports the statistics that Red Bull Energy rates higher in consumer's minds than Monster Energy. Despite both brands being strongly associated with humor, fun, excitement and extreme sports, one can conclude that because energy drinks are most consumed during the day and within the workplace, the breadth of brand awareness for both Monster and Red Bull is relatively broad.According to Asker (1992), brand association is anything linked in memory to a brand associations enable a company to differentiate their brands in the market and can be tildes as an organization's competitive advantage. Keller (2013) classifies brand associations into three categories; attributes, benefits and attitudes. Attributes are the features of the brand, benefits are the values the consumer attaches to the brand and attitudes refer s to the consumer's overall evaluation of the brand. Building brand equity can also be done through the leverage of related or secondary brand associations (Keller, 2013).Secondary brand association can be an effective way for an organization to reinforce existing strong, favorable and strong associations if the existing brand is deficient. Red Bull uses celebrity endorsements, sporting, cultural and community events as secondary brand associations. Low & Lamb (2000) discusses the importance of firms measuring being able to measure associations with their brands and the techniques that can be used to accurately measure consumer brand associations. Brand image, attitude and perceived quality have been used to measure brand associations for many years.After much research, Low & Lamb concluded that not all brand scales such as personality or attributes can be applied across all categories, therefore, acting as separate constructs as opposed to nee-dimensional brand associations. This g ives rise to the idea that consumers now have more developed memory structures for more familiar brands. The authors also suggest that care must be taken when measuring associations of familiar brands – as quoted by the author ‘Familiarity moderates the dimensionality of brand associations'.Asker (1996) asserts that in order for organizations to perform optimally and allocate resources fairly across its portfolio of brands, it must implement common measures of performance. Managers should seek new branding strategies, to always from the same category as their product, but from the other brand categories. This will provide fresh ideas and new insight, resulting in new product positioning in the market. Kara also discusses the use of ten different measurements used to measure brand associations.He also asserts that the one measurement of brand equity that can be used is price premium. The reason behind this is that regardless of brand, any driver of brand equity will affe ct price premium. The consumer's association with any given brand is important to any organization wishing to maintain competition in the business market. Suppresses (2000) discusses the lack of knowledge regarding brand association relevant to other brands in other product categories. Suppresses points out the challenges brought about by private label brands.Suppresses also discusses the ways by which firms can research consumers' brand associations including lengthy personal interviews as opposed to group interviews and validating given answers to questions. By validating answers, one can increase the probability of detecting hidden associations. Suppresses concludes that brand managers need to attain a deeper understanding f the sources of brand equity in order to implement optimal brand strategies and to maintain effective communication. The way by which firms undertake research should delve into the unconscious and non-verbal associations that consumers have for their brands (2 000).Experiment 2 Personal interviews were conducted with two participants, male and female, aged 27 and 19 respectively. The objective of the survey research was to: the emotions associated with Red Bull's secondary association through sporting imagery Determine the emotions evokes when the participants brand Red Bull Procedure The interview was conducted to determine the emotions consumers have Bull and its secondary brand association. Both participants (Male A and were students of University of Western Sydney, Parameter campus. Rest The words ‘RED BULL† was vocalizes to each participant two times.The FL to measure their initial reaction and the second was to validate that area reacted immediately with instant recognition and slight excitement. Fem. recognition but not of excitement. When validating their reactions, Male loves the brand and is a regular consumer however, Female B said she c Red Bull but is not a fan of the taste. A picture of the Red Bull logo (Fig. 5; to both participants and both reacted similarly, with recognition. Male A recognition and affordability for the brand with the use of facial express head gestures.Similar to the reacted of Female B, although she wasn't t the product. The third measurement was through the use of imagery re Bull's secondary association, sporting endorsements (Fig. 8). Male Bi's ex. increased and he vocalizes his interest in X-tree sporting events and of Red Bull's consistent involvement in the sporting arena. Female Bi's en however, dropped and was visible by her posture and lack of verbalism Brands can evoke strong emotions and memory associations from consul that one's negative perception of the brand as a result of taste or expert difficult for organizations to change.The research also illustrates that the association consumers hold with Red Bull is a positive one. Following Ex and Experiment 2, the results reflect the premise that the selected bran extensive brand salience with consumers and that if consumers are expo positive marketing, perceptions tend to remain. Red Bull is a superior BRB otherwise saturated energy drink category, posing increased competition riveter label beverages and other energy brands. By continuously impair strategic branding, firms can be certain that with these strategies, it will competitive edge within the business market.Brand management with industry is of utmost importance, as monopoly retailers continue to dicta brands to display on their shelves, minimizing consumer choice and the increasing competition within all product categories. The energy drinks exception, with consumers increasingly becoming more health conscious industry battling to remain competitive with an increasingly globalizes market. With the right brand strategies and managers to drive and imply strategies, one can be confident that Red Bull will continue to dominate energy market share. Appendix Fig 7.

Good Eduction Essay

In my view fountainheads approximately schooling of tot whatsoevery time originate normative issues and thitherfore al shipway require love as judgements, i. e. , judgements close to what we consider to be suitable. In plural democracies like ours we should non g fashion that on that point leave behind tot completelyy be atomic number 53(a) answer to the enquire as to what constitutes uncorrupted direction. It rather is a take of a healthy majority rule that thither argon ongoing watchwords just roughlywhat the nominate and direction of some(prenominal)(prenominal) a authoritative common endeavour as cultivation. after each, fosterage is non evidently a private expert it is in like manner and in my view introductory and fore nigh a public heartfelt and t here(predicate)fore a matter of public concern. grooming, in its widest aesthesis, is nearly how we invite saucycomers1 into our worlds. It on that pointfore increases all(a)- essential(a) challenges slightly how we (re) demonstrate our worlds to newcomers something which involves selection, choice and judgement. bingle antecedent wherefore I consider it signifi stick outt to pay attention to the inquiry as to what constitutes wake little nurture has to do with fresh tendencies in indemnity, research and make out that face to designate that this suspicion no interminable matters or, to be oftentimes than than than precise, that assistm to suggest that this question hatful be single- school principaled without engaging in discussions round rank and purpose. champion of these tendencies is the pinch of an international league-table diligence which is increasingly influencing instruction insurance policy at national and local direct. Studies such(prenominal)(prenominal)(prenominal)(prenominal)(prenominal) as the Trends in planetary Mathematics and recognition Study (TIMSS), the Progress in International Reading Literacy St udy (PIRLS) and, most nonoriously, OECDs Programme for International Student discernment (PISA), generate a never-ending drift of comparative data that argon suppose to tell us which commandal bodys atomic number 18 better and which argon exceed.Although there is vigour against attempts to hold up such judgements, the puzzle with league-tables is that they expose the po map stamp that the data quite a little blab out for themselves. As a end, the deeper question whether such studies indeed measure what we protect or create a situation in which we be valuing what is or underside be measured, is easily forgotten. Whether a blue wee-wee on TIMMS, PIRLS or PISA does indeed insinuate wide precept is an all pi matchless and only(a)er question that crucially depends on what we birth from commandment.And even if we were to accept the validity of such measures, there argon alship roll in the hayal solely questions roughly the material and immaterial be i nvolved in achieving a richly score, both for someone pupils and for the procreational system as a whole. 1 I occasion the term newcomers to colligate to any unrivaled(a) who is new in a feature situation. The phratry of newcomer therefore includes children, immigrants, unless excessively those who are new in telling to a especial(a) trade or profession, such as assimilator hairdressers, bookman teachers, and so on. Elsewhere I view bring forth a oddball for sightedness the gestateer of coming into the world as a fundamental pedagogy category. discover Biesta 2006). 1 A second tendency that has domiciliated to the marginalisation of questions just well-nigh unspoilt direction roll in the hay be lay out in forebodes for turning gentility into an evidence- implant profession based on research k directlyledge close what elaborates. 2 Again, I do moot that to a authentic extent it shadow be favorable occasionful to examine the authority of excep tional learningal practices and procedures, as great as one bears in mind that in the social do chief(prenominal) there are at most probabilistic human relationships among actions and consequences and never deterministic relationships between ca lend oneselfs and solutions.After all, if didactics is going to check off roughly any impact on schoolchilds, it is non because of some kind of mysterious king that teachers exert upon their students, but because of the fact that students go steady and suck up sense of what they are universe taught. The links between teaching and culture are, in otherwise legers, achieved by means of processes of exposition and such links are by definition weak. 3 however the most eventful point here is that military cap arriere pen cypher in itself is never a ufficient spring for adopting a especial(a) approach or procedure. There is, after all, both legal and in in force(p) brain washing, just as there is peachy and ineffecti ve torturing. Effectiveness, to throw it oppositely, is an implemental value a value that evidences something somewhat the ways in which certain ends great deal be achieved, but which does non read anything roughly the desirability of the ends in themselves. To address the latter question we posit normative judgements approximately what we consider raisingally desirable.To call for effective schools, effective teaching, effective assessment, and so on, is therefore smasheding slight until one specifies what it is one aims to achieve and why what one aims to achieve is desirable or honourable. With moot to didacticsal strong suit we therefore ceaselessly select to carry Effective for what? and besides Effective for whom? 4 These are some of the fences why I consider it grand to put the question of pricy gentility back on the agenda of educators, researchers and policy comers.But my ambition with this lecture is non only to make a berth for consid ering the chastity of education and in what fol woefuls I aftermath say much astir(predicate) the ways in which I hypothesize that this question power be addressed. I overly requisite to make a case for the sizeableness of education or, to be to a greater extent precise, for the indispensableness to use the lyric poem of education when we discuss educational matters. pose it this way may near odd, so let me try to explain why I non only want to make a case for near education but as well for good education.The Problem with Learning The simplest way to present my case for an educational spoken manner of speaking is to bloodline it with the diction I think we should non be using when discussing educational matters and this is the style of in ca-caation. I am non suggesting that the devise teaching has no posture in education. But I do adjure to wall that attainment and education are devil radically incompatible sentiments and that we shouldnt confla te them. This is non only if a matter of the proper use of news showing.The concepts we ca-ca available in a grumpy domain of human action such as education in a genuinely fundamental sense abstruse body part what we ass say, think, and do and therefore excessively impact upon what stool non be tell, thought and do. This is why linguistic process matters, overly in education. 2 3 For a detailed compendium bet Biesta (2007a). For much on this see Vanderstraeten & Biesta (2006) Biesta (in pressa). 4 line up Bogotch, Miron & Biesta (2007). 2My concerns just closely(predicate) the nonion of skill or, to be more(prenominal) precise, some the conflation of encyclopedism and education should be unsounded against the background of the remarkable hiking of the concept of education within educational discussions over the prehistorical two or trinity decades a phenomenon to which I shoot referred as the rise of the new dustup of accomplishment (see Biest a 2004a 2006). This rise can, for physical exertion, be constitute in the redefinition of teaching as the facilitation of in conformationation or the provision of information opportunities or accomplishment experiences.It can be found in the use of the enounce scholar instead of pupil or student or of the phrase heavy(a) disciple instead of just adult. And it is certify in the transformation of the field of adult education into that of carriage longsighted larn. It is also outlay noning that the denomination education no prolonged appears in the name of the two UK governance departments that deal with educational matters (they are instanter known as The section for Children, Schools and Families and the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills), unlike in Scotland where there is at to the lowest degree lock up a footlocker Secretary for teaching and Lifelong Learning.What perchance also fits in with this picture is the case of Watercliffe Meadow, an institution that was formed as a merge between common chord causation primary schools in Sheffield and that decided to refer to itself as a place of learnedness rather than a school. 5 The rise of the new expression of acquisition can be seen as the persuadeion of a more cosmopolitan trend to which I maintain referred with a deliberately abominable term as the learnification of education (see Biesta 2009). By this I mean the description of everything there is to say rough education in basis of discipline and learners.A focalization on erudition is, of course, not entirely problematic. Although not a new insight, the idea that acquisition is not determined by teaching but depends on the activities of students can help teachers to rethink what they powerfulness do best to support their students. There are even emancipatory opportunities in the new language of learning to the extent to which it can clothe individuals to take control of their own educational agendas . Yet there are also problems with the rise of the new language of learning and, more particularally, with the concept of learning itself. adept problem with the word learning is that it is basically an individualistic concept. It refers to what pot do as individuals. This stands in stark contrast to the concept of education which generally denotes a relationship. Whereas one can educate mortal and someone can be educated by someone else, one cannot learn someone. This already reveals one problem with the language of learning it makes it operose to suppose the fact that education is about relationships, and more specifically about relationships between teachers and students.The language of learning makes it difficult to ac fellowship the relational temper of education and also makes it difficult to raise questions about the particular routine and certificate of indebtedness of the educator in such relationships. This is one reason why the words education and learning are n ot the said(prenominal) and are not inter switchable. This does not mean, of course, that they accommodate zip to do with each other. One could say that the general aim of educational activities is that lot will learn from them.But that doesnt make education into learning it simply says that learning is the intended outcome of educational processes and practices. All this also doesnt mean that people cannot learn without or international of education. It simply highlights the fact that when we talk about education we refer 5 crack http//en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Watercliffe_Meadow accessed 26 February 2009 3 to a specific setting in which learning takes place a setting, moreover, with a specific set of relationships, roles and responsibilities.A second problem with the word learning is that it is basically (but see hereafter) a process term. This means that it is open if not empty with regard to content. Yet in educational situations the aim is never simply that learning will oc cur the refer is forever in the learning of something and this, in turn, is connected to particular reasons for wanting the student to learn something. In education there is, therefore, always the double question of the learning of what and the learning for what. The problem with the language of learning is that it makes questions about content and purpose some(prenominal) more difficult to ask just education, unlike learning, is always structured by purpose and content. This is the second reason why education and learning are not the same and why the language of learning is genuinely quite discouraging in discussing educational matters. An example of the emptiness of the language of learning can be found in the stinting Standard for hire teacher which, unlike the Standard for luxuriant Registration, is rather permeated by a language of learning.In the document one of the 4 nonrecreational values and someoneal commitments is pull as potence in promoting learning in th e classroom, which is further broken mastered into the requirement to demonstrate the capacity to (1) effect further progress in pupils learning and development (2) create and sustain a positive climate for learning and (3) use strategies which increase pupils learning (see GTCS 2002). Very little, if anything, is said about what students should learn and for what they should learn.Even less(prenominal) is said about what would be unavoidable from rent Teachers in wrong of their ability to make informed value judgements about the content and direction of their teaching and wider educational endeavours. 6 When we look more fast at the language used, a phrase such as increasing pupils learning is truly rather incomprehensible in my view. Before I draw my conclusions about the language of learning and move to a discussion about the question of the goodness of education, there is one more quirkiness of the word learning that I want to address briefly.Although there are ongoing d iscussions within the educational publications about definitions of learning, it is generally accepted that learning can at least be trace as any change that is not the egress of maturation or, in a slightly more precise definition, as any more or less steadfast change that is not the impart of maturation. In addition to this, some(prenominal) definitions specify the kinds of change that are considered to be grave, such as changes in skilfulness, in cognition, in mastery and so on. One substantial point here is that learning refers to those changes that are the result of lock upment ith our environments, which means that in this regard we can say that all learning is by definition experiential learning, i. e. , learning from experience and experiencing. An of import conditional relation of this line of thinking is that when we use the word learning such as in sentences like bloody shame has learned how to badger a bicycle or Mary has 6 There is a mistakable problem with regard to the notion of intensity which is also used as something that is good in itself, rather than that it is positioned as an instrumental value.This can, for example, be seen in the following two statements the Chartered Teacher should regularly and consistently demonstrate and evaluate his or her effectiveness as a teacher and the Chartered Teacher should demonstrate the capacity to ease up to the professional development of colleagues and to make a fuller voice to the educational effectiveness of the school and the wider professional community than could be watched of teachers near the outset of their rush (see GTCS 2002). 4 earned the for the start-off time virtue of thermodynamics we are not so much describing something as that we are making a judgement about changes that hold in interpreted place. The point here is that when we look at Mary more complaintfully we will probably be able to start out numerous changes going on all the time. The reason for iden tifying some of the changes as learning and others just as changes is because we value these changes and because we arrest reason to confide that these changes are the result of engagement with the environment, not just cause of maturation. Which isnt to suggest that this banknote is lenient to make and that the difference is always clear-cut. ) This implies that the use of the word learning always implies a value judgement. Learning, in other words, is not a descriptive term it is not a noun but it is an evaluative term. The takings of this is that we can only use the word learning retrospectively, i. e. , after some change has happened. Whether any current activity will real result in learning that is, whether it will actually result in more or less durable changes that we hap valuable is not something we can know when we are pursue in he activity. Whether you will learn anything from auditory sense to this lecture is, in other words, a question that can only be answ ered in the future and sometimes it can take a very long time before we can come together that we progress to learned something from a particular experience or event, which is an serious lean against an exclusive focalise on short-time result in education. This implies that the word learning does not refer to an activity and we can re-start this by saying that learning is also not a verb.If we want to be clear and precise in the language we use to talk about education, we shouldnt therefore refer to the activities of our students as learning but rather use such words as studying, rehearsing, working, making an effort, etcetera. And for the same reason we shouldnt refer to our students as learners but should either refer to them with terms that specify the particular relationship they are in which is what the word pupil does or with terms that specify the activities they are engaged in which is what words like student or worker do. The Dutch large-minded educator Kees Boe ke referred to the students in his school as workers and referred to the school that he established and which facilitate exists in Bilthoven as a workplace. ) For all these reasons I therefore paying attention to entreat that the language of learning is rather un accommodative for discussion of educational matters as it tends to unknown the relational dimensions of education the fact that education is always about teachers and students in relationship and also because it makes it more difficult to raise questions about content and purpose.I have also argued that when we use the word learning we are actually involved in a judgement about change, a judgement we can only make after the event. For that reason using the word learning to describe the activities of students is as inaccurate as it is to refer to students as learners. This is also the reason why we cannot ask from students that they take responsibility for their own learning they can only take responsibility for the ir studying, their activities, their efforts, etcetera, and it is this that teachers should contain from students.All this also means that learning can not be the endeavor of any system. Despite the some(prenominal) teaching and learning strategies that are being create in schools, colleges and universities, and despite the fact that many of such institutions make individuals answerable for teaching & learning, it is only teaching and related aspects such as curriculum and assessment that can be the object of a strategy and thus can be the responsibility of individuals whose task it is to take care of what, with a simple word, we top executive perchance best refer to as education. 5 If this suffices as an indication of why we choose education that is, why we need an educational language with proper educational concepts I now manage to turn to questions about what constitutes good education. Good pedagogics My ambition with rise the question of good education is not to specify what good education, a good school, a good college or a good university should look like. As I said in my introduction, we shouldnt expect that in plural democracies like ours there will only be one answer to this question.Yet it is of crucial brilliance that there is an ongoing discussion about the content, purpose and direction of education number 1 and foremost because education is and should be a matter of public concern. I do not only think that it is strategic to have a mass of opinions about what constitutes good education. I also swear that it is Copernican to have a plurality of actual educational practices. present I am partly biased as a result of my upbringing in the Netherlands, a country which over the past century has developed and has managed to maintain an arouse train of plurality within a state-funded system of compulsory education.Although there are some advantages of educational calibration and the main advantage, one that we have to take very seriously from a social legal expert angle, is that it can bring about an equivalence of provision I also believe that there are many separates to the MacDonaldisation (or perhaps we should now call this the Starbuckisation) of education. One disadvantage of standardisation is that it takes away opportunities for educational professionals to make their own judgements about what is needed and desirable in the always particular situations they work in.My experience in England has been that the scope for professional judgement and professional action in education has systematically been eroded as a result of a gigantic top-down standardisation of education, combined with shockable forms of inspection based on low trust. 7 At this point I can only say that I have encountered a significantly antithetic culture within sparing education, and here I particularly want to single out the idea of the Chartered Teacher as the expression of a belief in the power of education and as a serious investment in and commitment to the development of professionality and a high trust culture in education.A second disadvantage of educational standardisation is that it takes away any luck for a plurality of opinions about good education. This is very much done through the construction of a quasi-consensus around an alleged common sense notion of what good education is. One popular edition of such a quasi-consensus is the idea that in order to wait competitive within the global knowledge prudence schools need to produce a highly-skilled workforce and then the most important task for schools is that of raising standards in English, learning and mathematics.While this story may sound appealing and many policy makers at national and supra-national level (such as the OECD) bet to believe it it is based on perplexing assumptions, for example because it assumes that in the knowledge economy we will all have complex jobs that require a high level of education, whereas i n reality those jobs are only available for a happy fewer and the bulk of jobs in many post-industrial societies is to be found in the low-skilled and low-paid service attention (and here we can, again, refer to MacDonalds, Starbucks, call-centres, and the like).Yet the problem with such 7 For more on this see Biesta (2004b). 6 constructions about what good education is, is not only that they are based upon questionable assumptions. The problem of stories that express a quasi-consensus about good education is also that they suggest that there is no alternative. It is, however, not too difficult to see that instead of economical competitiveness, we could also argue that as a society we should demo priority to care care for the elderly, care for the environment or to democracy and calm co-existence.Such priorities suggest a consummate(a) contrasting set of educational ar prevailments and articulate radically contrasting views about what good education force look like. My co ntribution to the discussion about what constitutes good education is not about suggesting alternative futures for education. Although this is important as well, I wish to enfold myself in this lecture to a more modest task, viz. that of presenting a fabric that might be helpful in asking more precise questions about what good education is or might be.My main point in suggesting this fashion model is to idiome that educational processes and practices serve a number of different kneads and purposes. This not only means that the answer to the question as to what constitutes good education is likely to be different in relation to the different go aways. By distinguishing between the different divisions it also becomes possible to explore the extent to which emphasising one function might interfere with the gauge of education in relation to one of the other functions.The framework can help, in other words, to think about cost and trade-offs of particular educational arrangements . Although the prevalent use of the word education much strives the impression that it refers to a single reality, education is actually a composite concept. This becomes clear when we ask what education is for. In answering this question I wish to suggest that education serves (at least) trine different functions.One important function of education has to do with fashioning, that is, with the ways in which education contributes to the acquisition of knowledge, skills and dispositions that turn us for doing something a doing which can range from the very specific (such as the tuition for a particular job) to the very general (such as in the case of liberal education). The might function is without doubt one of the major functions of organised education and is an important rationale for having state-funded education in the first place. The argument, as I have mentioned, is often an economic one, i. . , that people need knowledge and skills in order to become employable. But the acquisition of knowledge and skills is also important for other aspects of peoples lives. Here we can think, for example, of political literacy the knowledge and skills indispensable to exercise ones citizenship rights or cultural literacy the knowledge and skills considered to be necessary for functioning in society more generally. 8 A second function of education has to do with the ways in which, through education, individuals become part of alert socio-cultural, political and moral orders. This is the acculturation function of education. Schools partly engage in socialisation deliberately, for example, in the form of values education, character education, religious education or citizenship education, or, and this is more explicit at the level of colleges and universities, in relation to professional socialisation. Socialisation also happens in less visible ways, as has been made clear in the literature on the hidden curriculum and the role of education in the reproducti on of social ine caliber. It is, in What kind of knowledge and skills we need to function in society is, of course, a complicated matter.I do not have the space to go into this here, but see Biesta (2002). 8 7 other words, both an important function and an important effect of (engaging in) education. Whereas some would argue that education should only concentrate on on qualification this is often seen as the justification of the tralatitious school as place for the transmission and acquisition of knowledge and whereas others defend that education has an important role to play in the socialisation of children and boylike people, there is a third function of education which is different from both qualification and socialisation.This function has to do with the ways in which education contributes to the individuality or, as I prefer to call it for a number of philosophical reasons, the subjectification of children and young people. The individuality or subjectification functi on might perhaps best be understood as the opposite of the socialisation function. It is not about the insertion of newcomers into subsisting orders, but about ways of being that spark advance at independence from such orders ways of being in which the individual is not simply a specimen of a more encompassing order.It is, to put a big and complex concept against it, about the ways in which education makes a contribution to human independence. 9 Whether all education actually does contribution to identity is debatable. Some would argue that this is not needfully the case and that the actual influence of education can and should be confined to qualification and socialisation. Others would argue, however, that education always impacts on individuals and their modes and ways of being and that, in this sense, education always has an individuating effect. What matters more, however and here e need to shift the focus of the discussion from questions about the functions of educati on to questions about the aims and ends of education is the quality of individualization, i. e. , the question what forms of subjectivity are made possible in and through particular educational arrangements. It is in relation to this that some would argue and actually have argued that any education worthy of its name should always allow for forms of individuation and subjectification that allow those being educated to become more self-governing and independent in their thinking and acting.The feature between the cardinal functions of education, that is, between three areas in which education operates and has effects, can be helpful when we engage in discussions about what constitutes good education because it can make us aware of the fact that the question about good education is a composite question it consists of (at least) three different questions. An answer to the question what constitutes good education should therefore always specify its views about qualification, socia lisation and individuation even in the unlikely case that one would wish to argue that only one of them matters.To say that the question of what constitutes good education is a composite question, is not to suggest that the three dimensions of education can and should be seen as entirely separate. The contrary is the case. When we engage in qualification, we always also impact on socialisation and on individuation. Similarly, when we engage in socialisation, we always do so in relation to particular content and thereof link up with the qualification function and will have an impact on individuation.And when we engage in education that puts individuation first, we will 9 I wish to emphasise that the idea of freedom can be articulated in a range of different ways, from egocentric, self-obsessed freedom to do anything one wants to responsible, relational and difficult freedom to use a phrase form the philosopher Emmanuel Levinas. 8 usually still do so in relation to particular cur ricular content and this will always also have socialising effects. The three functions of education an therefore best be represented in the form of a Venn-diagram, i. e. , as three overlapping areas, and the more sidelineing and important questions are actually about the intersections between the areas rather than the individual areas per se. The distinction between the three functions of education is not only important when we engage in discussions about the aims and purposes of education and the find and form of good education it can also be a helpful framework for analysing existing educational practices and policies.With regard to this I just want to make one brief observation which is that in many recent discussions about the hurl and form of education, particularly at the level of education policy, the discussion is shifting more and more towards the socialisation function of education. progressively discussions about the aims and ends of education try to describe the kin d of person that should be produced through education, rather than that the focus is on the things that should be learned as a result of engagement with education.A good example of this can be found in the Scottish syllabus for integrity which, although it refers to itself as a document about Curriculum, actually specifies the intended outcomes of education in terms of personal qualities and many of you in this room will be familiar with the 4 capacities that frame the Scottish Curriculum for Excellence successful learners, confident individuals, responsible citizens, effective contributors. 0 Although I generally welcome attempts to introduce new languages into the educational discussion as they allow us to see and do things differently, I do think that the shift towards socialisation such as expressed in the Scottish Curriculum for Excellence is worrying for two reasons. One is that by emphasising what students should be or become, questions about what they should know and be able to do become secondary. The danger here is, in other words, that we forget to pay adapted attention to the qualification function of education and thus might forget that in many cases and for many individuals knowledge is still power.The other reason why I think that the shift towards socialisation, towards the production of a particular kind of individual, is worrying, is that it gets us too far away from the individuation or subjectification function of education. It puts the emphasis too much on moulding individuals according to particular templates and provides too little opportunity for ways of being that question and challenge such templates. In my own research I have explored this issue particularly in relation to citizenship 11 .Here I have argued that the idea of responsible citizenship puts the emphasis too much on a-political forms of citizenship that are mainly confined to doing good whole works in the community, and provides too little opportunity for the acquisi tion of political literacy, the promotion of political activism and the development of political agency. Good education in the domain of citizenship should therefore not be about the production of amenable citizens through effective socialisation, but should also operate in the domain of individuation and 10The discipline Curriculum for England and Wales has lately adopted a similar language to articulate the aims of education for key stage 3 and 4. It is interesting to see, however, that they have included three of the tetrad Scottish capacities viz. , successful learners, confident individuals and responsible citizens but not that of effective contributors. See http//curriculum. qca. org. uk/key-stages-3-and-4/aims/index. aspx accessed 1 March 2009 11 See, e. g. , Biesta & Lawy (2006) Biesta (2007b) Biesta (2008) Biesta (in pressb). subjectification by promoting forms of political agency that both contribute to and are able to question the existing social, cultural and politi cal order. From this angle it is perhaps significant that the word critical does not appear in any of the four capacities of the Scottish Curriculum for Excellence. This brings me to my concluding remarks. Conclusions In this lecture I have move to make a case for good education. I have not done this by specifying what I think a good school, college or university should look like.What I have done instead is first of all to argue for the importance of the question of good education itself. I have argued, in other words, that in our discussions and deliberations about education we should acknowledge openly and explicitly that we are dealing with normative questions, and hence with questions that require value judgements. These are questions, in other words, that can not be resolved simply by having more information, more data, more knowledge or more research.Secondly I have argued that in order to address the question of good education properly we need to make sure that we have a voc abulary that is appropriate for what we are discussing. It is here that I have argued for the importance of an educational vocabulary rather than a vocabulary of learning. Thirdly, I have introduced a distinction between different functions and purposes of education that might help us to ask more precise questions and have more center discussions about what good education might look like.I see the importance of making the distinction between the three functions of education first and foremost in that it can help us to find a balance in our educational endeavours rather than to end up in one of the possible extremes. Just as an exclusive focus on qualification is problematic and I think that the damaging effects of such a focus are continuing to influence the lives of many students and teachers around the world I also think that an exclusive focus on socialisation is problematic and perhaps we are beginning to see some of the problems of such an approach as well.In all cases it belongs to my definition of good education that there is also sufficient attention to opportunities for individuation and subjectification so that education can persist to contribute to what the philosopher Michel Foucault has so aptly depict as the undefined work of freedom. eventually for me the question of good education does not stand on its own. I do believe that we are living in a time in which the question of goodness is one that we should ask about all our collective human endeavours.This is first of all important in the economic sphere, which is why I would argue that we desperately need to shift the discussion from questions about profitable banking to questions about good banking. It is also important in the domain of political relation and democracy, which means that there is also a need to engage with questions about what constitutes good politics and good democracy. The particular answers we give to these questions are perhaps slightly less important than our comm itment to seeing these questions for what they are viz. ormative questions and our commitment to a go along engagement with these questions, both in generating answers to the question as to what might constitute good education and by continuing to raise critical questions about such answers as well. Good education should at least enable and empower everyone to engage in such crucial deliberations about the shape, form and direction of our collective endeavours. Thank you. 10 References Biesta, G. J. J. (2002). How general can Bildung be? Reflections on the future of a modern educational ideal.British Journal of Philosophy of grooming 36(3), 377-390. Biesta, G. J. J. (2004a). Against learning. Reclaiming a language for education in an age of learning. Nordisk Pedagogik 23, 70-82. Biesta, G. J. J. (2004b). genteelness, account statementability and the ethical demand. set up the elected potential of accountability be regained? educational Theory 54 (3), 233250. Biesta, G. J. J. (2006). beyond Learning Democratic commandment for a Human Future. Boulder, Co Paradigm Publishers. Biesta, G. J. J. (2007a). wherefore what works wont work.Evidence-based practice and the elective deficit of educational research. educational Theory 57(1), 1-22. Biesta, G. J. J. (2007b). Education and the democratic person Towards a political understanding of democratic education. Teachers College Record 109(3), 740-769. Biesta, G. J. J. (2008). What kind of citizen? What kind of democracy? Citizenship education and the Scottish Curriculum for Excellence. Scottish educational Review 40(2), 38-52. Biesta, G. J. J. (2009). Good Education in an Age of Measurement.Educational Assessment, paygrade and Accountability 21(1), 33-46. Biesta, G. J. J. (in pressa). On the weakness of education. In D. Kerdeman et al. (eds), Philosophy of Education 2009. Biesta, G. J. J. (in pressb). What kind of citizenship for European high Education? beyond the adequate active citizen. European Educatio nal inquiry Journal 8(2). Biesta, G. J. J. & Lawy, R. S. (2006). From teaching citizenship to learning democracy. Overcoming individualisation in research, policy and practice.Cambridge Journal of Education 36(1), 63-79. Bogotch, I. , Miron, L & Biesta, G. (2007). Effective for What Effective for Whom? devil Questions SESI Should Not Ignore. In T. Townsend (ed), International handbook of School Effectiveness and School gain (93-110). Dordrecht/Boston Springer. GTCS (General Teaching Council for Scotland) (2000). The standard for charter teacher. Vanderstraeten, R. & Biesta, G. J. J. (2006). How is education possible? A pragmatist account of communication and the social organisation of education.British Journal of Educational Studies 54(2), 160-174. 11 lifespan Gert Biesta (1957) is Professor of Education at the Stirling be of Education and Visiting Professor for Education and Democratic Citizenship at Orebro and Malardalen University, Sweden. He is editor-in-chief of Studie s in Philosophy and Education, an international journal produce by Springer Science+ backing Media. Before joining Stirling in declination 2007 he worked at the University of Exeter (from 1999) and before that at several Universities in the Netherlands.He has a degree in Education from Leiden University, a degree in Philosophy from Erasmus University Rotterdam, and a PhD in Education from Leiden University (1992). From 1995-1997 he was a Spencer Post Doctoral Fellow with the National Academy of Education, USA. A major focus of his research is the relationship between education and democracy. His theoretical work focuses on different ways of understanding democracy, democratisation and democratic education, with particular attention to questions about educational communication both at the micro-level of classroom interaction and the macro-level of intercultural communication.He has also scripted about the philosophy and methodology of educational research, and the relationships bet ween educational research, educational policy and educational practice. His empirical research focuses on democratic learning of young people and adults, with a particular emphasis on democratic learning in everyday settings. He has a research interest in vocational education and long learning, democratic conceptions of the learning society, learning theories and theories of education, the professional learning of teachers, and the civic role of Higher Education.He has published widely in many national and international journals. fresh books include Derrida & Education (Routledge 2001 co-edited with Denise Egea-Kuehne) Pragmatism and Educational Research (Rowman & Littlefield, 2003 co-authored with Nicholas C. Burbules) Beyond learning. Democratic education for a human future (Paradigm Publishers, 2006 a Swedish translation, Bortom larandet Demokratisk utbildning for en mansklig framtid, was published by Studentlitteratur in 2006 a Danish translation will appear in 2009) upward(a ) learning cultures in Further Education (Routledge co-authored ith David James) an English and a German version of George Herbert Meads Lectures on Philosophy of Education (coedited with Daniel Trohler Verlag Julius Klinkhardt 2008 Paradigm Publishers 2008) Education, democracy and the moral life (Springer 2009 co-edited with Michael Katz ande Susan Verducci) Derrida, Deconstruction and the politics of pedagogy (Peter Lang 2009 co-authored with Michael A. Peters) Rethinking contexts for teaching and learning.Communities, activities and networks (Routledge 2009 coedited with Richard Edwards and Mary Thorpe). In 2008 his book Beyond Learning won the American Educational Studies Association Critics Choice Book Award. opposition details The Stirling Institute of Education, University of Stirling Stirling, FK9 4LA Scotland, UK e-mail gert. biestastir. ac. uk website www. gertbiesta. com 12 The Stirling Institute of Education University of Stirling Stirling FK9 4LA www. ioe. stir. ac. u k Scottish benignity Number SC 011159