Water Pollution in Orlando Florida Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Water Pollution in Orlando Florida - Coursework Example Orlando has failed to control water pollution to the extent that the federal government had to intervene. Orlando has many water catchment areas but there have been recent concerns over the level of effluents that are finding their way into the lakes and rivers. For instance, Lake Lawne was put on alert after a residential sanitary system blocked leading to sewage overflow that ended up into the lake. Although there were intervention measures, the lake was already polluted. Indeed a lake alert was issued and public warned not to use the water until the issue was resolved. Lake Okeechobee has been in the public limelight for uncontrolled pollution. Effluents from large farms and ranches find its way into the lake thereby causing water pollution. These are just some of the examples. However, the water pollution through improper effluent management seems to be escalating. The primary causes of water pollution stemming from the failure the of effluent management by waste management depar tments and most importantly failure of industries and farming sector to manage their waste. This is a case of lack of human values and environmental ethics. For instance, ranches and dairy firms should observe environmental ethics and take precautionary measures to ensure that their effluents do not end up in the water catchment areas. They should all respect human values and observe environmental ethics even when it means cutting down their profits to do so. This way Orlando will be an environmentally conscious city.

Khmer Rouge Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Khmer Rouge - Essay Example   Ã‚  Ã‚   The Khmer Rouge or Red Khmer - a communist party - governed in Cambodia from 1975 to 1979. However, they remained active even after the fall of their regime by engaging in guerrilla fighting against the new government. In other words, they turned into a terrorist group. Although they do not seem to be active right now - they were dropped from the list of foreign terrorist organizations of the Department of State because they "ceased to exist as a viable terrorist organization" (Cronin, 2003) - the time when they were active is too close and, therefore, they cannot be ignored.   Ã‚  Ã‚   Moreover, bearing in mind the genocide that the Khmer Rouge under the leadership of Pol Pot carried out in Cambodia, we should assume that the potential threat from this group implies threat for the lives of many people.   Ã‚     The Khmer Rouge are the perpetrators of the frightful genocide in Cambodia from 1970s. Although the Pol Pot regime (1975-1979) with the killing fields and the horrors of mass destruction is now a thing of the past, the Khmer Rouge seem to never have changed: "There is little sign that the ideology, leadership or social regulations of the Khmer Rouge have change significantly since their bloody reign from 1975 to 1979." (PoKempner, 1995) This conclusion is based on a report by Human Rights Watch, based itself on observations from 1994 to 1995, almost 20 years after the end of the Pol Pot regime.   Ã‚     Such evidence shows that a group with a history like that of the Khmer Rouges has little potential for change. Therefore, we should expect that their disregard for human life has remained the same over the years and any anti terrorist strategy should be developed with regard to that fact.   Ã‚  Ã‚   It is important to identify the specific military tactics of the Khmer Rouge so that we can be prepared for specific responses. Here are a few of the distinguishing characteristics of Khmer Rouge

Educational attainment vary with childrens social class

Educational attainment vary with childrens social class   Increased diversity in our educational institutions as a result of modern globalisation has led to many different racial and linguistic backgrounds integrating together in schools. The impact on the British education system has thus seen a rise in the influx of children from different ethnic backgrounds. Despite the implementation of various policies to ensure that every child, regardless of ethnicity, social class and gender, has the access to the best education, the debate around inequality in education has still focused on the evidence of the underachievement of particular racial groups in our education system. The debate is a very complex one, and it requires looking at how each three variables interlink, since any one alone cannot account for the variation. This paper will attempt to discuss them, whilst critically analysing why and how they play such a critical role on an individual childs educational attainment, and whether or not it should concern us as practitioners.   The underperformance of certain ethnic minority children, in particular black African-Caribbean pupils, is well documented in the Swann Report (1985), which highlighted how this group of children perform consistently worse compared to their counterparts. The report also recognised that teacher racism, low expectations and stereotyping contribute to poorer performance. Indeed, pupils themselves in the report cited that there tended to be an emphasis on physical ability rather than academic, and thus felt stereotyped that they were only any good for their sports abilities. Institutional racism can play a vital role in the breakdown of rapport between teacher and pupil, which would almost certainly affect their educational attainment. Wright (1992) found in his observational research that children of African-Caribbean heritage saw their typical schooling experience as one of high teacher expectation for poor behaviour, high incidences of teacher disproval, criticism and control. Sim ilarly, Gillborn (1990) supports these findings, by highlighting how children in his study felt they were singled out for criticism, even though several pupils of different ethnic origins were engaged in the same behaviour. White students at the school confirmed these observations on unfair and frequent criticism. Thus, discrimination may influence how a child is treated within the educational institution and therefore may impede their learning opportunities within the classroom. Indeed, Sewell (1997) sought to focus on the interactions between teachers and African-Caribbean pupils with particular regard to the constructs of black masculinity and the tensions around their heritage. He found that the teachers in the survey displayed more control and criticism of these compared to other ethnic groups. Moreover, general staff views were negative. There was a high teacher expectation for challenges to teacher authority and inappropriate behaviour. Sewell (1997) concluded that there was a failure to deliver an inclusive curriculum, and to tackle institutional racism. This evidence clearly shows how a childs ethnic background can contribute to a negative learning environment which can affect their chances of performing well at school. Furthermore, Rutter et al (1999) extends this view by arguing that the notion of resistance is responsible for their underachievement; he argues that since the education system is dominated by white, middle-class male teachers, some black boys resist their efforts, and do not want to be taught by them, this negative perception creates the divide between the teacher and the pupil. Equally, as the report stated, some institutional racism on behalf of the teacher may also occur that can limit the crucial teacher-pupil rapport being built and consequent opportunities for learning. Additionally Moore et al (2001) continues to discuss how African-Caribbean males respond with aggression, and reject the education system primarily due to the do mination of white pupils. This adverse view, results in children trying to make an attempt to gain status and recognition through other means, for example through anti-social behaviour. Similar to the African-Caribbean males, those of Indian origin also revert to exhibit their anger, however rather than rejecting the educational system they use it to its advantage and proceed on to succeed. (Moore et al 2001).   Franklin (1998) argues that some institutional factors cause attainment to vary by ethnicity. He argues how school assessments are based on culturally biased tests, which are written primarily in English, leading to poor results and unsuitable intervention and overrepresentation in special educational needs. Although the Framework for the Identification and Assessment of Special Educational Needs in England and Wales (DfEE, 1994) warns against blurring special needs with special educational needs, and the need for assessment tools to be culturally neutral for a range of ethnic groups, Franklin argues that it is bland and general and not in enough detail. Moreover, Franklin and Franklin (1998) argue that the IQ definition is biased against bilingual children. In their study they found that bilingual children scored lower standardised reading scores on prose tests as opposed to single writing. They concluded that these children were less able to take advantage of the context in the prose test than the predominantly monolingual group on whom it had been standardized. It instead focused on higher order processing skills for example comprehension rather than spelling which is not confounded by higher order processing skills. Indeed, this would affect the educational attainment chances of some of the ethnic minority children such as Bangladeshi. Indeed, children with Bangladeshi origin are the worst performing group of children across all four Key Stages. Strand (2008) highlights how these children tend to fall behind at Key Stage 2 assessments, and then continue to fall behind as the children enter Key Stage 3 and Key Stage 4. It is interesting to note that even when accounting for other socio-economic factors, for example the free schools meals proxy for disadvantage that these children still tend to perform worse. Moreover, Strand (2008) also highlights how by the end of Key Stage 4, Chinese and Indian children actually overtake middle-class White children in the attainment league tables. It is therefore clear that there are other factors influencing why these children perform at a disadvantage to their peers, not ethnicity alone. Family factors such as family ethics may attempt to shed light on the reasons why some children are more involved at school than others. For example, the level of parental engagement with the school certainly varies between ethnic and social class group. Crozier (1996) conducted a case study of the experiences of a group of black parents in relation to their childrens schools. Although he found that many had educational knowledge and awareness of the school system, there remained a dissonance between these parents and the school. Indeed, parents are the first educators, and the most effective way of communicating with them as practitioners is to initiate a firm base of trust and openness, especially true for children with English as an additional language, since much more information is required from their pare nts in order to create fluidity across both the school and home settings. However, since Bangladeshi families face additional barriers presented to their community, since they are not as long established and therefore less fluent, this has a great influence on their childrens education. Furthermore, data from the National Child Development Study (Sacker et al 2002) highlighted how if the social class is high, then educational attainment tends to be high, however the strongest factor was parental engagement. Given that some parents are harder to reach than others; for reasons other than simply language barriers, may attempt to explain why their input into their childrens education is limited. Indeed, Harris and Chrispeels (2006) argue that certain ethnic and social groups are less likely to engage in their childs education and the school in which they attend.   The Berkow Report (2008) highlighted that children from a low socioeconomic background will have difficulties at school. Given the reality that the UKs minority ethnic groups as a whole are more likely to be in poverty than the population at large (Craig, 2002); coupled with the fact that they tend to get placed in housing in low socio-economic areas, provides a prediction towards their educational achievement. The impact of attending a disadvantaged school contributes to it also, due to uneven funding and allocation of resources. The Excellence in Cities scheme has helped to reduce low achievement through focusing on poor schools in areas of serious disadvantage. Moreover, the Narrowing the Gap (NFER, 2008) focuses on improving the home learning environment, which is essential for improving   childrens behaviour, wellbeing and later educational achievement (Sylva et al, 2004). Although the difference within social class has been a dominant feature in education, the government has tried to narrow the gap by introducing a number of initiatives from an early age, such as The Every Child Matters (2003) agenda, Sure Start schemes, and The Early Years Foundation Stage. Yet, the gap remains. Moore et al (2001) indicates that high performance in educational attainment is inclined by ones social status in society. He states that those with a lower social status are materially deprived, with less money to use, therefore are unable to use education to their full advantage. Moreover, the fact that black children attend lower quality schools on average is identified by Fryer and Levitt (2004). They argue that higher levels of free school meals, litter and gang culture makes for a more disadvantaged learning environment, as opposed to middle-class predominantly white schools. They also argue that these children lose ground to white children over the summer period as a c onsequence of a worse neighbourhood environment. Furthermore Douglas (1971) indicates that the most important factor in a child excelling through education is the parental interest given in a childs daily life at school. However, ethnicity has strong associations with the incidence of social class and poverty through different household structure, and child-rearing practices. For example, birth rates for Bangladeshi and Pakistani families are higher than the UK white population; therefore larger families need more money. Moreover, there is less individual attention on the child in these families. Barn (2006) explored the views and experiences of parents in key areas for example family support and education. The findings showed that minority ethnic family life is complex. Most parents wished to be involved in their childrens education, regardless of ethnic background and social class. Black and Asian parents in particular placed an enormous importance on the value of education which was less prominent among white. This places a tension on the reality of the educational achievements of such minority groups.   The reasons for this are complex. Strand (2008) focuses on socio economic classification on linguistic attainment to try and account for the gap. Through analysing data from the Youth Cohort Longitudinal Study, he highlights how children from high classified groups have a vocabulary 50% more than working class children, and 100% more of those on welfare. Since 50% of all African Caribbean births are to single women (Somerville, 2000) they are more susceptible to material deprivation, thus fewer learning opportunities. Indeed, a high quality home learning environment is essential for raising attainment highlighted through the EPPE project (Sylva, 2004). Clearly, any attempt to understand ethnic differences in the involvement/achievement link must first take into account the influence of socio-economic status. Ethnicity alone does not account. Ross and Ryan (1990) have documented that children can pick up and absorb racist values from early as three years old. They argue that positive self esteem is directly related to attainment, so it is vital that we are concerned as practitioners to raise their self esteem from an early age and promote inclusion of all racial backgrounds, regardless of their social class and gender. If a child feels they are worthless their self esteem decreased which affects their academic attainment (Purkey, 1970). It is clear to see that the Government recognises the disadvantages of children from particular ethnic backgrounds, through looking at the specific projects launched to help certain ethnic minority children, for example the Excellence in Cities scheme, and the Ethnic Minority Achievement Grant (EMAG). Moreover, the launch of the Aiming High: DfES National pilot project to Raise Levels of Attainment for African-Caribbean pupils was launched in 2003 with the aim of maximising levels of achievement. Such focus leads one to respond that indeed, educational attainment is affected by ethnicity, and therefore, as discussed, social class. The issue of gender also throws a complex light onto academic performance. On the whole, females tend to perform better than males academically, yet for Black African-Caribbeans, both male and female fall behind, compared to any other ethnic group (Strand, 2008).This therefore, seems to suggest that this particular ethnic group is underperforming for another reason, such as the reasons given above. The issues surrounding gender performance and achievement are complex, affecting different sub-groups of boys and girls in different ways, often reflecting the influence of class and ethnicity. The traditional criterion for monitoring the school system has been the proportion of students securing five or more A* to C grades in public examinations at 16-plus. Since the late 1980s this figure has been rising steadily, however the gap in the performance of boys and girls appears to have been widening parallel to this. The National Pupil Database (2002) highlighted how girls performed better a cross all groups, however there are many complex reasons as to why this is. Firstly, there are scientific explanations for example whilst children are young, numerous changes take place, each child begins to develop   physically, emotionally, socially and intellectually at their own pace, they begin to acquire   the understanding of the environments they are exposed to whilst their ability to communicate   with their peers strengthens. Scientific evidence states the physical structure of the brain may be the reason as to why both sexes have a variance in attainment. The development of language within boys comes at a slower pace than that of girls, as girls acquire language rapidly, and at an earlier stage. Girls also focus for lengthier periods of time when in conversation and are able to concentrate more in the classroom. Therefore the structure of the brain shows advantage to the girls (Watkins, 1991). Furthermore, Haralambos et al 1997 states that research over the past 30 years shows a consistency of trends whereby girls at the age of 16 left school after acquiring better grades than boys. Government s tatistics indicate that the variance in attainment achievement between boys and girls start from an early age. Data from the 2007 examinations in England, from Key Stage One and Key Stage Three examinations show that girls achieved higher marks then boys. However in the mathematics papers taken at key stage 2, showed that boys outperformed girls by 2%.In comparison to the papers taken by Key Stage 3 the differences amongst the sexes was higher. It has also been argued that the curriculum has become feminised whereby it works in favour to the females, whilst disadvantaging the boys (Mac and Ghaill, 1994). They argue that there has been a crisis of masculinity, because of the decline in traditional manual jobs. This has led, to an identity crisis, and made it easier for some males to question the need for qualifications when the jobs they would have traditionally gone into no longer exist. Unmistakably the issue around boys underachieving within education in comparison to girls is a major cause for concern. Perhaps the specific focus on some of the ethnic minority groups have shifted the concern away from the white population, with the result being that white working-class boys are now underperforming consistently through the education system. The statistics presented are undeniable, particularly whilst it is becoming an increasing trend for boys to take the opportunity of turning away from formal education at a young age. Thus being the reason why parents and practitioners need to be able to recognise the changes in a child from earlier on so that there is support available for the child to be able to make the right decisions. The variance amongst children can be immense, as mentioned above; each child is individual and develops at their own pace. Although these differences can be vast, it is up to teaching professionals and parents to be aware of this and to be able to recognise it, particularly when each child approaches the learning process in different ways. In conclusion, it is clear to see that not any one variable of social class, ethnicity and gender stand alone as a cause behind a childs educational attainment; rather they interlink in quite a complex way. It should concern us, since we, the practitioners who are helping to shape their futures, need to understand that all three interlink to produce each unique child, which is at the very heart of the Every Child Matters agenda.

Eamon De Valera :: essays research papers fc

Eamon de Valera, although born in New York City, in the United States of America, devoted his life to help the people of Ireland. As he once said it, â€Å"If I wish to know what the Irish want, I look into my own heart.† De Valera loved Ireland and its people with a deep and lasting passion. It was he, probably more than any other person in their history, who helped that country win freedom from British rule and then shaped its history well into the twentieth century.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  De Valera’s mother, Catherine Coll, usually known as Kate, came to the states in 1879, at the young age of twenty-three. Like so many other Irish immigrants of that time, she had suffered from poverty, and even hunger, in her native land and saw America as a place where she could go to try and get a fresh start. She first took a job with a wealthy French family that was living in Manhattan. This is where and when she met Vivion Juan de Valera. He was a Spanish sculptor who came to the home of her employers to give music lessons to the children.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In 1881, the couple married. A little over a year later, while living at 61 east 41st Street, Kate Coll de Valera gave birth to the couple’s only child. His name was Edward, called by Eddie at first, but would become known to the world by the Irish variation of that name, Eamon.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Always in poor health, Vivion de Valera left his young family behind him and traveled to Colorado, hoping that perhaps the healthier air would help him out. Within a few months he died. Now a widow, Kate went back to work, leaving Eamon in the care of another woman who also had come from the tiny village of Bruree, in County Limerick. Later in his life, Eamon would remember occasional visits from, as he knew her, a woman in black, which ended up being his true mother. Kate de Valera decided that Eamon would be better cared for by her family back in Ireland. Before long he found himself away from noise of Manhattan, living in Bruree in a one-room house with mud walls and a thatched roof. Living with him were his grandmother, his twenty-one-year-old uncle, Pat, and young Hannie, his fifteen-year-old aunt. Shortly after Eamon arrived, the family moved to a cottage, built by the Irish government for farm workers, but it was only a little bit larger.

Education Essay

Step 1. Create a short answer (150-250 words) to each of the following questions. 1. How do social interactions among people in locales help define community?  2. How do schools help to shape the local boundaries of communities and the identity of community members?  3. Although schools and the communities they serve are closely entwined and community development is in the best interests of schools, why may school leaders be hesitant about involving schools and students in important community development roles? 4. Of all social institutions, why might schools be best placed to catalyze community development?  5. What are some likely results of school consolidation in a rural community or urban neighborhood?  6. Beyond the socially integrative functions, what distinct local economic roles might a school have in a rural community or urban neighborhood?  7. What characteristics of a well-planned school-community partnership project would indicate it is mutually beneficial?  8. How might a community or neighborhood development activity reinforce what is ta ught in the public school classroom?  9. What barriers might a community development organization expect to experience when seeking to partner with a public school or school district?  10. How can service learning and place-based education serve to facilitate a  viable schoolcommunity partnership and accomplishment of local community or neighborhood development needs? Step 2. Discuss your responses with a group of 4 or 5 classmates. SOAR ACTIVITY 15.1 SCHOOL-COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS Step 1. Contact your local elementary, middle and high schools. Step 2. Interview the principals about their partnerships with community organizations. Step 3. Have them describe each activity and assess the benefits to the school and community. Step 4. Compile a list of all the organizations and institutions involved with school programs. Step 5. As part of this project, prepare a list of recommendations for improving schoolcommunity partnerships in your area. LIFE Activity 15.1 Here are some examples of school-based service learning projects: 1. Drop-out prevention: A service-learning project focused on drop-out prevention might coordinate schools with local businesses to partner at-risk students with job shadowing and mentoring opportunities with local business leaders/members. These connections will help build bridges between schoolwork and work â€Å"in the real world,† and develop stronger ties between schools and local business, better meeting the needs of each while providing important opportunities to at-risk youth. 2. Subject-specific service-learning: Science and reading provide two examples of subjectspecific service-learning. Connecting college students majoring in science with schools to tutor K-12 students can create opportunities for hands-on learning during or after school hours. This might involve engaging in environmental projects, such as local water quality testing, cleaning of local stream or river beds, or wildlife conservation efforts. Similarly, college students majoring in language arts or reading might provide tutoring services during or after school for at-risk students, assist in running family literacy programs after school to engage parents in literacy efforts, and/or read to students at the elementary level. 2. Building school-community connections: Students plan a school-community day, in which school staff, community members, and students organize, run, and attend a school-community fair. The school can set up exhibits of student learning and projects students are engaged in that connect to the community. Community leaders can set up exhibits featuring ways they have been or would like to be involved with the school and with students. Local businesses might provide food and donate prizes or items for auction. Students at the school can perform music or showcase artwork. This would also be a good venue for team-building exercises between  community organizations and businesses and school staff and leaders, culminating in competitions with awards. These are only a few examples. We want to emphasize though that effective service learning projects are not â€Å"paint by the numbers† efforts, but are directly shaped by and responsive to the individual needs of local communities. That said, examples are useful, but ultimately your best guide is the community that lies before you. REFERENCE MATERIAL ON EDUCATION AND COMMUNITY SERVICELEARNING Syllabi: Literacy Tutoring: Principles and Practice (Syracuse University) http://www.compact.org/syllabi/syllabus.php?viewsyllabus=407 Service Learning in Higher Education (Vanderbilt University) http://www.compact.org/syllabi/syllabus.php?viewsyllabus=663 APPENDIX: Additional Resources to Learn about School-Community Partnerships for Community Development:  NOTE that the following descriptions have been taken directly from organization websites and have been only slightly modified, if at all. Associations, Organizations and Centers Center for Place-Based Education http://www.anei.org/pages/89_cpbe.cfm The Center for Place-based Education promotes community-based education programs. Its projects and programs encourage partnerships between students, teachers, and community members that strengthen and support student achievement, community vitality and a healthy environment. Coalition for Community Schools http://www.communityschools.org The Coalition for Community Schools represents an alliance of national, state and local organizations concerned with K-16 education, youth development, community planning, family support, health and human services, government and philanthropy, as well as national, state and local community school networks. The Coalition advocates for community schools as a means to strengthen schools, families and communities and improve student learning. Rural School and Community Trust http://www.ruraledu.org The Rural School and Community Trust is a national nonprofit organization addressing the crucial relationship between good schools and thriving communities. It also serves as an information clearinghouse on issues concerning the relationship between schools and communities, especially in rural contexts. School of the 21st Century. Linking Communities, Families and Schools http://www.yale.edu/21c/index2.html Based at Yale University, the 21C program develops, researches, networks, and supervises an educational model that links communities, families, and schools by transforming the school into a year-round, multi-service center that is open from 6 in the morning until 7 at night. The core components are affordable, high-quality child care for preschool children, before- and afterschool programs for school-age children; and health services, referral services, support, and guidance for parents of young children. Schools and Communities http://www.enterprisecommunity.org/programs/schools_and_communities/ This webpage of Enterprise Community Partners documents and disseminates the nation’s current efforts to combine school reform and community development. Web-based Documents and Material Local Governments and Schools: A Community-Oriented Approach http://icma.org/documents/SGNReport.pdf (International City/County Management Association, Washington, DC , 2008) Provides local government managers with an understanding of the connections between school facility planning and local government management issues, with particular attention to avoiding the creation of large schools remotely sited from the community they serve. It offers multiple strategies for local governments and schools to bring their respective planning efforts together to take a more community-oriented approach to schools and reach multiple community goals-educational, environmental, economic, social, and fiscal. Eight case studies illustrate how communities across the U.S. have already succeeded in collaborating to create more communityoriented schools. Includes 95 references and an extensive list of additional online resources. 40p. Report NO: E-43527 Reconnecting Schools and Neighborhoods: An Introduction to School-Centered Community Revitalization http://www.practitionerresources.org/cache/documents/647/64701.pdf (Enterprise, Columbia, MD , 2007) Provides an introduction to school-centered community revitalization. Part 1 presents the case for integrating school improvement into community development, drawing on the academic research linking school and neighborhood quality as well as early results from school- centered community revitalization projects across the country. Part 2 presents the core components of school-centered community revitalization, including both school-based activities and neighborhood-based activities. The final part of the paper illustrates the diverse approaches currently being taken to improve schools and neighborhoods, drawing on the experiences of eight  school-centered community revitalization initiatives in five cities: Atlanta, Baltimore, Chicago, Philadelphia, and St. Paul. 30p. New Relationships With Schools. Organizations That Build Community by Connecting With Schools. Volumes One and Two  http://www.publicengagement.com/practices/publications/newrelationshipssmry.htm (Collaborative Communications Group for the Kettering Foundation, Nov 2004) Case studies of organizations that establish strong connections between communities and schools using many different entry points. Includes a profile of New School Better Neighborhoods, a nonprofit intermediary organization in Los Angeles that works to design schools that serve as centers of communities. The organization brings together community stakeholders to plan multiuse development that combines residential, recreational, and educational use of scarce land in densely populated urban areas. Schools, Community, and Development. Erasing the Boundaries http://www.practitionerresources.org/cache/documents/56274.pdf Proscio, Tony (The Enterprise Foundation, Columbia, MD, 2004) This describes the results of efforts in four neighborhoods in Baltimore, St. Louis, and Atlanta to connect community-based revitalization initiatives with school reform programs in the same neighborhoods. Chapters include: 1) Building and Learning Go Seperate Ways; 2) The SchoolCommunity Alliance in Practice; 3) The Developer as Educator; 4) Housing and Economic Development. 39p. Using Public Schools as Community-Development Tools: Strategies for Community-Based Developers http://www.jchs.harvard.edu/publications/communitydevelopment/W02-9_Chung.pdf Chung, Connie (Harvard University, Joint Center for Housing Studies, Cambridge, MA; Neighborhood Reinvestment Corporation. , 2002) This paper explores the use of public schools as tools for community and  economic development. As major place-based infrastructure and an integral part of the community fabric, public schools can have a profound impact on the social, economic, and physical character of a neighborhood. Addressing public schools, therefore, is a good point of entry for community-based developers to place their work in a comprehensive community-development context. The paper examines ways in which community-based developers can learn from, as well as contribute to, current community-based efforts, particularly in disinvested urban areas, to reinforce the link between public schools and neighborhoods. Furthermore, the paper considers the policy implications of including public schools in comprehensive development strategies, and asserts that reinforcing the link between public schools and neighborhoods is not only good education policy, but also good community-development policy and practice. An appendix presents contact information for organizations participating in school and community linkages. 55p.

Characteristics of a Person

Characteristics of Personhood Rationality The ability to reason is seen as being one of the defining characteristics of personhood. Rationality can be summarised in our ability to make considered choices and decisions at a higher intellectual level. Rationality is illustrated in our ability to justify our thoughts and actions through reason, scaled to emotional or practical variables. Aristotle considered that the thought-processes that precede our actions are pivotal to personhood.Such thought-processes generally involve evaluating the positive and negative consequences of our actions, and deciding whether the ‘reward’ is worth the ‘cost’. This ability to predict consequences of our actions isn’t shared by the lower animals, and is pivotal in making the distinction between a person and a non-person. We have the ability to justify our beliefs and actions and to enter into reasoned dialogue with others. Rationality also leads to the ability to evaluate experience and draw logical, considered conclusions which will influence our actions in the future.The lesser animals lack this capability, a view which is illustrated in the following example: the squirrel stores food for the winter in order to survive, however the squirrel does not store food because it knows that food will be scarce in the winter; the squirrel stores food because of impulses governed by animalistic instinct, and nothing besides. The squirrel could not consider the possibility of an abundance of food in the winter, and decide that it did not wish to store food for the winter, and is confined to the demonstration of instinct.To further illustrate this point we could say that dogs have desires but they do not have choices. For example, when a piece of meat is left unattended, a dog would see it and eat it straight away because it desires the meat and has no regard as to whom it belongs or whether eating the meat would be of benefit to it. In this sense, animals suc h as dogs act on the basis of their desires. On the other hand, we as humans would firstly deliberate between the pros and cons of what to do with this piece of meat, taking into account the various factors and potential consequences of eating it.Humans will not simply act on the basis of their desires but will make a decision and then perform an action according to the decision that we make through our rationality. Possessing a network of beliefs Possessing a network of beliefs is a characteristic that predominately distinguishes humans as persons, as opposed to animals. A network of beliefs can be formed on the basis of reasons in accordance with our rational nature as persons are able to reflect upon the relative strengths and weaknesses of the evidence of these beliefs, basing our belief system on what others tell us and on our own experiences.It is believed that in comparison to most animals, humans have a much more complex network of beliefs. For example, a dog may avoid eatin g chocolate because of a bad experience devouring a whole box – but it is doubtful that the dog is able consciously to hold the belief that â€Å"chocolate makes me sick†. A human, however, has the ability to make a rational decision from past experiences and act upon this belief.For example, if a person eats chocolate and is allergic to it and is thus made ill by it, through a network of wider beliefs such as â€Å"allergies causing illness†, â€Å"the feeling of being ill being horrible†, etc a person can deduce that â€Å"chocolate makes me sick and therefore I won’t eat it again†. Unlike animals we can have beliefs about the past and future and refer to these beliefs as the past and future; an animal may remember something as a belief from the past such as the chocolate but can only see how it will affect the present.We can also have beliefs about beliefs; humans have the ability to hold beliefs about possibilities and things that may ha ppen in the future, whereas animals can only have beliefs about the actual and fact. Language User Language users are beings who can communicate with others through a range of mediums. This means that they are able to talk about ideas in the abstract. Furthermore, language is necessary for the possession of genuine ideas and concepts about the world. Language allows people to understand their desires; without language, beings would be unable to communicate and request their desires.For example, a cow can feel hungry and desire grass but it doesn’t know that it desires grass and feels hungry because it does not have those concepts. These concepts are human linguistic concepts. A creature’s mental horizon is broadened by the ability to represent the world by signs. Language gives the user the ability to express thoughts about an infinite number of things. Furthermore language allows the intelligent construction of arguments; it allows the user to criticize and justify. M oreover, language permits a new king of socializing, based upon discussions.It allows interaction and develops personalities. Language broadens people’s knowledge and their emotions. All of these examples mean that one is a person if one can use language. This is because language allows you to formulate your thoughts and having thoughts and self-awareness means you have the capacity to understand the thoughts of others. This means you are a person. Self Awareness Self awareness is the ability to experience and do things whilst understanding what it is that’s going on and having an awareness of the fact that it is ‘I’ that is having the experiences.Descartes defines self awareness as having a conscious mind. He believed that using speech and reason were good examples of the mind working. He uses this theory to eliminate animals from what he classes as a person, and in turn describes them as ‘nothing more than a complex machine. ’ However, altho ugh we are unable to know whether an animal is self-conscious or not, they are clearly conscious in the sense that they are aware of their surroundings and at times can be unconscious. However, consciousness is not the same as self-consciousness.Another way in which self awareness can be described is by a person’s ability to talk about themselves using words such as ‘I’ or ‘mine’. It is the ability to describe ones mental state to others and to understand them from the first-person point of view. Looking back upon your memories is another example and knowing that it is ones self that has experienced these memories. A good example to illustrate self-awareness is the ‘mark test’. This is where a mark is placed on the head of a participant who is then placed in front of a mirror.If the participant tries to wipe the mark off their reflection in the mirror, then it is argued that they do not recognise the reflection in the mirror as them and therefore lack self-awareness. If, however, they wipe the mark off their foreheads, then clearly they understand that the reflection in the mirror is them and they therefore have a sense of self. Infant humans beyond the age of 24 months, as well as some animals such as apes, dolphins and elephants, can successfully complete the test whereas other animals are not.This shows that self-awareness is not a characteristic that can be associated with all animals and as such may be a way of distinguishing between animals and persons. Social Being One characteristic that is thought to be essential for personhood is that of being a social being. Humans, unlike other animals, have a â€Å"prior awareness† of the existence of other human beings. We identify ourselves in the context of our relationships with other human beings and through our various roles in society. Arguably, we can only recognise ourselves as a person if we have prior awareness of the existence of other such persons.T hroughout life, humans form complex social relationships with others which they often maintain and develop. Human beings have a more developed society than animals such as dogs and horses due to the fact that humans have plans, intentions and schemes. They are individuals but this individuality stems from society. This inherent social nature is dependant upon our ability to communicate, allowing us to establish social roles and connect with others. Through this we see our own identity, as belonging to groups: work, culture, nationality and so on. Arguably, our â€Å"persona† might be largely formed because of these networks.To have a good life, we must interact with others in order to be able to reflect upon our own selves. In this sense, persons depend on society for not only specific ambitions and goals but also for language, beliefs and to compare themselves to other individuals. It is through this that we can discover the best way to live and therefore hopefully live a go od life. We cannot achieve a good life in isolation as we cannot share our thoughts and feelings with other people. Human beings are social animals and it can be argued that being a person necessarily involves having complex relationships with others.Penguins huddle together for warmth, instinctively, not for any reason more complex than this. They don’t have meetings, parties or â€Å"heart to hearts†, and wouldn’t later reflect upon this, or develop because of it. Creativity, autonomy and individuality Autonomy is the ability to reason about whether to perform an action or not and suggests that persons are not controlled by our natural instincts, unlike animals. It appears that a person is not entirely influenced by basic instinct, and can refer to more complex thoughts and ideas in decision making.This is shown through the example that a dog does not reflect on whether to bark at the stranger in the street, or continue to go about its own business in the shad e, whereas a person will often reflect upon the reasons for and against acting upon their immediate desires. A person is able to rise above their basic animal drives and take a measure of control over their own lives. By enabling us to reflect on how to act, reason gives us some mastery over our passions, elevating us above the level of creatures of instinct.The capacity to reflect and reason gives us a measure of autonomy or self-control. Individuality allows each person to identify and emphasize the uniqueness of each of us and it is argued that an individual person is defined not so much by their shared human essence as by the particular characteristics of his or her own nature. Human beings in all societies give themselves proper names which uniquely identify them as individuals and some philosophers have argued that it is a natural tendency for all human beings to construct a unique personality.Also, animals appear to have no concept of creativity or imagination and only experi ence things for what they are. For example, an animal would not understand metaphor, because a metaphor is a representation of something else, and an animal cannot fathom this concept. Yet, people do have the ability to be creative and imaginative. Moral Sense Having a moral sense means that we are able to decide what we should and shouldn’t do, to identify what is good and bad, and to label actions moral or immoral. Kant says that a person uses their moral principles and this determines their actions.He also says that we, as moral persons, are able to recognise what our duties are and then we can further choose whether to act in accordance with these duties. Acting in accordance with our moral duties rather than our desires is what makes our actions truly free as we can transcend our desires in order to do what we see we ought to. For example, although we may not want to give ? 5 to famine relief, we realise that we ought to and recognising this duty can motivate us to act o n it. Morals tend to be related to humans, as animals don’t have the notion of orality. For example, in the case of a lion killing an antelope for food, we see this as an act of survival; therefore we cannot blame the lion for being immoral. However if a human killed an antelope for sport it could spark a moral debate, as some people would agree with it and some people would think it immoral. If we can’t attribute morals to animals, but we can attribute morals to humans, then there is a distinct difference between the two. This distinction illustrates that maybe we only attribute morals to persons.

Double-Helix Structure of DNA

Double-Helix Structure of DNA In biology, double helix is a term used to describe the structure of DNA. A DNA double helix consists of two spiral chains of deoxyribonucleic acid. The shape is similar to that of a spiral staircase. DNA is a nucleic acid composed of nitrogenous bases (adenine, cytosine, guanine, and thymine), a five-carbon sugar (deoxyribose), and  phosphate molecules. The nucleotide bases of DNA represent the stair steps of the staircase, and the deoxyribose and phosphate molecules form the sides of the staircase. Why Is DNA Twisted? DNA is coiled into chromosomes and tightly packed in the nucleus of our cells. The twisting aspect of DNA is a result of interactions between the molecules that make up DNA and water. The nitrogenous bases that comprise the steps of the twisted staircase are held together by hydrogen bonds. Adenine is bonded with thymine (A-T) and guanine pairs with cytosine (G-C). These nitrogenous bases are hydrophobic, meaning that they lack an affinity for water. Since the cell cytoplasm and cytosol contain water-based liquids, the nitrogenous bases want to avoid contact with cell fluids. The sugar and phosphate molecules that form the sugar-phosphate backbone of the molecule are hydrophilic, which means they are water-loving and have an affinity for water. DNA is arranged such that the phosphate and the sugar backbone are on the outside and in contact with fluid, while the nitrogenous bases are in the inner portion of the molecule. In order to further prevent the nitrogenous bases from coming into contact with cell fluid, the molecule twists to reduce space between the nitrogenous bases and the phosphate and sugar strands. The fact that the two DNA strands that form the double helix are anti-parallel helps to twist the molecule as well. Anti-parallel means that the DNA strands run in opposite directions, ensuring that the strands fit tightly together. This reduces the potential for fluid to seep between the bases. DNA Replication and Protein Synthesis The double-helix shape allows for DNA replication and protein synthesis to occur. In these processes, the twisted DNA unwinds and opens to allow a copy of the DNA to be made. In DNA replication, the double helix unwinds and each separated strand is used to synthesize a new strand. As the new strands form, bases are paired together until two double-helix DNA molecules are formed from a single double-helix DNA molecule. DNA replication is required for the processes of mitosis and meiosis to occur. In protein synthesis, the DNA molecule is transcribed to produce an RNA version of the DNA code known as messenger RNA (mRNA). The messenger RNA molecule is then translated to produce proteins. In order for DNA transcription to take place, the DNA double helix must unwind and allow an enzyme called RNA polymerase to transcribe the DNA. RNA is also a nucleic acid but contains the base uracil instead of thymine. In transcription, guanine pairs with cytosine and adenine pairs with uracil to form the RNA transcript. After transcription, the DNA closes and twists back to its original state. DNA Structure Discovery Dr. Francis Crick and dr. James Watson at a molecular biology symposium. Ted Spiegel  / Contributor  / Getty Images Credit for the discovery of the double-helical structure of DNA has been given to James Watson and Francis Crick, awarded a Nobel Prize for their work. Determining the structure of DNA was based in part on the work of many other scientists, including Rosalind Franklin. Franklin and Maurice Wilkins used X-ray diffraction to ascertain clues about the structure of DNA. The X-ray diffraction photo of DNA taken by Franklin, named photograph 51, showed that DNA crystals form an X shape on X-ray film. Molecules with a helical shape have this type of X-shape pattern. Using evidence from Franklins X-ray diffraction study, Watson and Crick revised their earlier proposed triple-helix DNA model to a double-helix model for DNA. Evidence discovered by biochemist Erwin Chargoff helped Watson and Crick discover base-pairing in DNA. Chargoff demonstrated that the concentrations of adenine in DNA are equal to that of thymine, and concentrations of cytosine are equal to guanine. With this information, Watson and Crick were able to determine that the bonding of adenine to thymine (A-T) and cytosine to guanine (C-G) form the steps of the twisted-staircase shape of DNA. The sugar-phosphate backbone forms the sides of the staircase. Source: The Discovery of the Molecular Structure of DNA- The Double Helix. Nobelprize.org, Nobel Media AB, 2014, www.nobelprize.org/educational/medicine/dna_double_helix/readmore.html.

Between You and I vs. Between You and Me

Between You and I vs. Between You and Me Between You and I vs. Between You and Me Between You and I vs. Between You and Me By Maeve Maddox An ad for a new movie about the Hebrew exodus from Egypt shows Christian Bale as Moses–a character who has received a privileged and educated upbringing–shouting the words, â€Å"Something’s coming that is far beyond you and I!† I noticed because beyond is a preposition and should be followed by the object form me, not the subject form I: â€Å"Something’s coming that is far beyond you and me!† Note: The fact that English did not exist in the time of Moses is not relevant. A more commonly heard ungrammatical prepositional phrase is â€Å"between you and I.† This error is so common that it has its defenders. On a Slate post, podcast producer Mike Vuolo takes the position that correctness should be determined by what people â€Å"actually use.† He admits that â€Å"between you and I† contravenes the standard rule about prepositions being followed by me and not I, but claims that there is â€Å"a relatively modern theorywhich may undermine that rule†: Noam Chomsky and modern linguistshave a very persuasive theory that holds that in a construction like â€Å"between you and I, the entire phrase â€Å"you and I† is the object of the preposition and that for the individual elements within it the [grammatical] case becomes arbitrary. He mentions a quotation from Shakespeare to prove that â€Å"between you and I† must be all right. Note: For one example of between you and I in the entire works of Shakespeare, there are numerous examples of between followed by the object form me. The Bard’s one use of â€Å"between you and I† appears in a letter from Bassanio, the merchant from whom Shylock has demanded a pound of flesh: My bond to the Jew is forfeit; and since in paying it, it is impossible I should live, all debts are cleared between you and I. –The Merchant of Venice, Act III, scene ii. Shakespeare can teach us a lot about our language, but he’s not a reliable guide to modern standard usage. For example, in Julius Caesar, he has Antony say, â€Å"This is the most unkindest cut of all.† The most grammar-challenged modern speaker knows better than to double a superlative. Vuolo cites an academic paper written by two sociolinguists that identifies and labels three competing permutations of the between prepositional phrase: 1. between you and me, â€Å"standard usage† 2. between you and I, â€Å"polite usage† Note: By labeling this form â€Å"polite usage,† the authors encourage the false idea that the pronoun I is somehow â€Å"nicer† than me. 3. between me and you, â€Å"vernacular† The authors found that â€Å"the oldest people studied and those with the most education† tended to use the standard form. Participants â€Å"intermediate in age and level of education [less than a Ph.D.] favored† the â€Å"polite† version, whereas â€Å"youth and the less educated† used â€Å"between me and you.† The fact that between you and me was most common among the oldest participants could have something to do with the possibility that grammar was more effectively taught in the public schools in the past than it is now. As for youth and the less educated, good for them. They may be erring socially by putting themselves first, but they are using the correct pronoun case. Language evolves, including pronouns. I and me may eventually change places. Me is an object form, yet many speakers use the compound â€Å"Me + x† as a subject: â€Å"Me and the children went to the zoo on Sunday.† The first person pronouns I and me may go the way of second person ye (subject form) and you (object form): first they changed places, and then one of them disappeared altogether. Vuolo suggests that â€Å"between you and I† is far more common on the Web than â€Å"between you and me.† This may be true, but I wasn’t able to duplicate his search results. I did search the three phrases in the Google Ngram Viewer and found that between you and me is the clear winner in books–and has been for the past two hundred years. Time will tell. When persistent enough, nonstandard popular usage eventually makes its way into standard usage. For now, in this decade of the 21st century, between you and I is nonstandard usage. Related links: I vs Me Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Grammar category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:5 Uses of InfinitivesAmong vs. AmongstShow, Don't Tell

The Role of Zoos in Endangered Species Conservation

The Role of Zoos in Endangered Species Conservation The worlds best zoos offer face-to-face encounters with some of the most fascinating and rare creatures on the planet- an experience that few people would ever be able to pursue in the wild. Unlike the cramped cages that housed wild animals in sideshow spectacles of the past, the modern zoo has elevated habitat emulation to an art, carefully recreating natural environments and offering inhabitants challenging activities to reduce boredom and stress. The evolution of zoos has also included programs dedicated to protecting endangered species, both in captivity and in the wild. Zoos accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) participate in Species Survival Plan Programs that involve captive breeding, reintroduction programs, public education, and field conservation to ensure survival for many of the planets threatened and endangered species. Conservation Breeding AZA conservation breeding programs (also known as captive breeding programs) are designed to augment populations of endangered species and avoid extinction via regulated breeding in zoos and other approved facilities. One of the primary challenges facing captive breeding programs is maintaining genetic diversity. If the population of a captive breeding program is too small, inbreeding may result, leading to health problems that can have a negative impact on the species survival. For this reason, breeding is carefully managed to ensure as much genetic variation as possible. Fast Facts: Six Species Saved From Extinction by Zoos Arabian Oryx: Hunted to extinction in the wild, the Arabian Oryx  was revitalized thanks to conservation efforts of Phoenix Zoo  and others. As of 2017, 1,000 animals had been restored to the wild, while thousands more were living in zoo environments.Przewalski’s Horse: The only truly wild species left in the world, Przewalski’s Horse is native to the grasslands of Central Asia. After being declared completely extinct in the wild, it’s made an amazing comeback.California Condor: Not all that long ago, there were only 27 of these magnificent birds left. Thanks to conservation efforts from the San Diego Wild Animal Park and the Los Angeles Zoo, hundreds of California Condors have been reintroduced into the wild.Bongo: The  Eastern Bongo, a large antelope native to a remote region of Kenya was one of the last large mammal species to be discovered but poaching and loss of habitat nearly wiped them out.  Zoos worldwide are  to working to establish a stable p opulation to ensure their survival.Panamanian Golden Frog:  Beautiful but extremely poisonous, the entire species succumbed to the effects of a devastating fungal disease in the wild. Since 2007, existing captive populations abetted by collaborative conservation efforts by a number of zoos have staved off their extinction.Golden Lion Tamarin: Close to extinction due to loss of habitat from logging and mining, as well as poaching in its native Brazil, there has been a steady effort since the 1980s to ensure this species doesn’t vanish from the face of the Earth. Currently, about one-third of wild Golden Lion Tamarins come from breeding programs.Source: Taronga Conservation Society Australia Reintroduction Programs The goal of reintroduction programs is to release animals that have been raised or rehabilitated in zoos back into their natural habitats. AZA describes these programs as powerful tools used for stabilizing, re-establishing, or increasing in situ animal populations that have suffered significant declines. In cooperation with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the IUCN Species Survival Commission, AZA-accredited institutions have established reintroduction programs for endangered animals such as the black-footed ferret, California condor, freshwater mussel, and Oregon spotted frog. Public Education Zoos educate millions of visitors each year about endangered species and related conservation issues. Over the past 10 years, AZA-accredited institutions have also trained more than 400,000 teachers with award-winning science curricula. A nationwide study including more than 5,500 visitors from 12 AZA-accredited institutions found that visits to zoos and aquariums prompt individuals to reconsider their role in environmental problems and see themselves as part of the solution. Field Conservation Field conservation focuses on the long-term survival of species in natural ecosystems and habitats. Zoos participate in conservation projects that support studies of populations in the wild, species recovery efforts, veterinary care for wildlife disease issues, and conservation awareness. AZA sponsors a landing page on the National Geographic Societys Global Action Atlas, featuring worldwide conservation projects associated with participating zoos. Success Stories Today, 31 animal species classified as Extinct in the Wild are being bred in captivity. Reintroduction efforts are underway for six of these species, including the Hawaiian crow. According to the IUCN, conservation breeding and reintroduction have helped prevent the extinction of six out of 16 critically endangered bird species and nine out of 13 mammal species, including species previously classified as Extinct in the Wild. The Future of Zoos and Captive Breeding A study recently published in the journal Science supports the establishment of specialized zoos and a network of captive breeding programs that target species facing an acute risk of extinction. According to the study, Specialization generally increases breeding success. The animals can be parked at these zoos until they have a chance of survival in the natural environment and can then be returned to the wild. Endangered species breeding programs will also help scientists better understand population dynamics critical to the management of animals in the wild.

Class scientific literacy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Class scientific literacy - Essay Example How did he gain extensive knowledge on the subject? Through formal education or mere observation? Who was this person? Where is this person now? There is also a possibility that Super Novas are of varied types. Are there different types of Super Novas? Is there a classification for such? How does he determine or differentiate one from the other? Where do stars come from? How do they come about? How do they die? Do Super Novas have the same life span as other stars? How often do stars reproduce themselves? With continual research being done to come up with highly developed instruments, how advanced is technology pertaining to Astronomy? How expensive can they get? Can digital cameras do the job of capturing the movement of stars? If not, what is the instrument to use? Would you recommend what is called â€Å"charge-coupled devices† in practicing this hobby? 2) Many scientists discussed in Bryson pre-dated the Nobel Prizes. Nominate one of these scientists for a pre-Nobel prize - the "DSL100 Award." Select a discovery worthy of receiving such an honor and provide 3 specific reasons your nominee should win. I would nominate Charles Darwin for a Nobel Prize. Darwin’s Theory of Evolution by means of what he calls natural selection (Bryson, 2003) is one of the most essential and most fundamental theories of how man evolved and came to be. It is fascinating to note that Darwin adhered to the idea that humans are the upgraded versions of apes. Darwin had other worthy contributions to science but this discovery had the greatest impact and significance to mankind. - Darwin was a scientist at heart. At a young age, he traveled the world to make observations on plants and animals. He eventually succeeded and was able to come up with inferences which he wrote in a book entitled â€Å"The Origin of Species†. If not for his discovery, other scientists would not have had a basic idea to work on and initiate further studies on the

Burger Joint Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Burger Joint - Case Study Example The chain which originally started off at Baldwin Park has now assumed cult status and generates revenues in millions. Adored by celebrities and the masses alike, the fat, juicy perfect burgers find their way into celebrations and have satisfied hungers for decades now. This is the radio jingle which most Californians would probably remember more accurately than the national anthem. Quality can add wonders to even the most basic advertising. The delicious burgers churned out by the chain can speak more than any advertisements. Started off in an Era of Post War development, the chain finds its humble beginnings in the dreams of the young couple Harry and Esther, both from the Military background. After they met at a common workplace, Harry and Esther not only found companionship but also the perfect business partners in each other. While Esther was grounded, gentle and calm, Harry was the Maverick, going by his guts to reach out to new avenues. She managed the accounts, while Harry took care of everything including Quality and the logistics. The synders found a partner and the much needed funds to fuel their business in Charles Noddin who invested a sum of $5000.However the business relations between the two associates soured and they decided to split ways soon afterwards when Harry insisted on keeping the price low and bettering quality while Charles wanted to take the practical and commonly followed route of increasing profits through cost cutting and price increase. Harry was stubborn in his ways and detested listening to others when he thought he was right-hence the store remained independent hence forth under his regime. The chain under the synders thrived on a system which ran on 3 simple words-Quality, cleanliness and Service. Harry was determined to bring in the best in all 3. And hence the buns were baked fresh everyday; the store personals always had a smile to share, and the open kitchen was visibly spic and span. And that's how the burgers found themselves staying on par, if not surging ahead of the competition. While the competition was busy franchising, In N out maintained a strict decree in maintaining it as a family owned business. This helped the chain maintain quality. And when it came to quality, Harry had got his formula right-He insisted on using only the best bits of the tomatoes and discarding the rest. He selected the best quality beef himself, and got in touch with suppliers frequently to maintain the best standards. There had to be perfection in every step that constituted the making of a Burger. This was the sole secret to the beginnings of the enormous success his creation was to become. As freshness and quality became the Mantras, only the freshest meat, potatoes and buns found their way into the kitchens. The chain diverted advertising funds towards increasing quality. This in turn led to increasing word of mouth publicity which worked better than churning out print and television ads. The Synders were not shy of exploring- and hence they found lifelong friends, business rivals and advisers in the Karchers, who were to own the entrepreneurial success-Jr carl's. Both the synders and the Karchers believed in creating their own

Executive degree program. Admission essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Executive degree program. Admission - Essay Example So having an executive degree will benefit me and my career and it will develop my management skills as the second or first man in the embassy sometimes who will take care of all the financial and Consular Affairs related to the embassy. My professional goal involves attaining a prestigious position within a reputed organization and drawing a lucrative salary for my work. Also my professional framework would include organizing symposia, conferences, study circles and scientific gatherings; and taking part in overseas or internal conferences, meetings, and symposia appropriate to the aims of the institute. Thus an Executive degree program have been opted by me that will help me to develop the decision making skills and interpersonal skills within myself. (172) 2 What professional achievement are you most proud of? Please be as specific as you can. Being an accountant who works for the diplomatic firm, I would be proud to serve my organization at every difficult situation. Ministry of foreign affairs (where I work) is not 100% a profit organization and here we don’t deal with client. Here we take care of the financial and consular related matters of the embassy. Therefore I will feel proud to provide every kind of service necessary for operating the foreign affairs ministry, which would include handling the financial and banking affairs, investment, foreign trade, framing the budget for the country, maintaining the currency balance, and abiding by the laws of the country. These services would further include cooperating with the government agencies, ministries, public utility, and public authorities and private establishments in the nation in line with the goals of the institute. Further my achievements would involve providing consultation to the ministries, government agencies, public utility and public authorities, private establishments in the nation in line with the duties of the institute, training and preparing the ministry's personnel to handle inte rnational relations, consular and diplomatic work and contributing to the groundwork of diplomats and all staff of the ministry with the necessary proficiency and practical and theoretical capabilities through instructive and training structure and exceptional capabilities development curriculum. Thus my professional achievement would include completion of all the above functions successfully. (222) 3 Please describe a situation where you failed to reach a professional objective or goal, and what you learned from this experience. As an accountant, it is very important to keep track of the exchanged data. Along with keeping track of the data, it is necessary to keep the data updated and communicated. During a budget session a few months back, I failed to communicate the senior managers about the certain changes incorporated within the budget, which happened due to a sudden change of the foreign economic conditions. When the change was communicated later on, my seniors told me that it is a very significant task for an accountant to keep the records updated and inform everyone about the update, who is involved in preparing the budget. Thus from this experience I learnt that data depends on certain market forces and whenever changes take place within those forces, it must be immediately disseminated among all the staff related to the budget. Again it is necessary to gather all the data related to a task and then filtering those data and selecting the essential ones for the purpose of preparing the budget. (169) 4 How do you think you are perceived by colleagues? You can mention 3 strengths and 3 areas for improvement.

Exploiting the Native Americans Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Exploiting the Native Americans - Essay Example s of Native Americans, the colonists necessitated having to consult pertinent documents substantiating the expeditions of Columbus as well as hearsays from fishermen and traders which detailed personal encounters with the indigenous Americans. Perhaps through the stories relayed by Spanish visitors of the land, they found out that the latter often appeared to match emblematic descriptions as ‘savage’, ‘beastlike’, ‘flesh-eating’, or any such term near ‘hostile’. On the other hand though, there existed locals as the Indian tribes that exhibited character of earnest openness and received the Europeans well, notwithstanding mixed emotions and motives.  While many of them fell into the assumption that foreign invaders arrived for a good cause inclusive of the will to form allies to aid them in combating native adversaries, gradually, they discovered that the people from the West were scheming to exploit their resources. As an indirect manner of exploiting the native Americans, Europeans generally acknowledged trade with the latter from whom they obtained animal skins and hides and a wampum of polished shell beads in exchange of technology-based weaponry, liquors, and even religion and disease type which bore negative impact upon the sense of independence and natural system of the local people. Initially, this relation enabled the natives to trust the settlers with their properties and resources, understanding the risk measures the foreigners had to undergo in order to survive the New World that originally belonged to the indigenous inhabitants. Eventually though, the stealthy nature of the colonizers’ primary aim was revealed and the natives realized that their course of action reflected a hidden goal of securing lands and trading for the purpose of acquiring tools to exploit the indigenous Americans. Despite the Puritan attitude, it became clear that land acquisition by the western intruder s meant complete exclusion of the natives from the huge

Strategic Reward Key Models and Practices Essay

Strategic Reward Key Models and Practices - Essay Example For example, it is possible to create a plan for performance related pay using different strategies such as the following: (1) merit-based pay plan; (2) job- or skill-based pay plan; (3) competency-based plan; and/or (3) job-evaluation-based pay (Heneman and Werner, 2005, p. 45; Baldwin, 2003, p. 45, 70). After examining the potential impact of introducing a performance related pay in a German public service, Shmidt, Trittel and Muller (2011) found out that the use of different types of performance related pay schemes can lead to different effects in terms of public sector employees’ work motivation and performance and that a highly selective performance related pay will never work in government offices. It simply means that depending on the type of performance-based appraisal used by each government office, there will always be the risk wherein the public sector employees would perceive the type of assessment and evaluation process used within the government office to be inef fective, inconsistent, and unfair to some government employees (Shmidt, Trittel and Muller, 2011; Rayson, 2013). Another possible reason behind the reluctance of the public sector employees in integrating performance related pay is the fact that most of the non-performing government employees would fear that their superiors would be closely monitoring their overall work performance. Because of the on-going tight government budget, Weiner (2013) reported that the public sector employees may no longer have the opportunity to enjoy so much of work-related flexibility options. Since there is a need for the government to cut down their unnecessary fixed operating costs, some of the underperforming public sector employees may think that they can be one of the candidates in case... It is the duty and responsibility of the public HR managers to design and implement the performance related pay effectively within the UK government offices. As a common knowledge, the public sector employees will be affected by the new pay and reward scheme. Therefore, the reservations made by the public sector employees should be considered legitimate. The use of performance related pay is a good form of pay and reward strategy particularly in terms of increasing the quality service provided by the public sector employees. For this reason, the public HR managers should exert more effort to effectively address all reservations made by the public sector employees. It is also necessary to create a S.M.A.R.T performance-based criteria that could guide the public sector employees on what they are expected to do. In the process of removing the reservations of each public sector employee, the HR professionals can easily win the support of all affected individuals.

Strategic Information Systems Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Strategic Information Systems - Essay Example Therefore, the most important element among those perquisites is a secure, well designed and well managed website. It is through a user friendly website that a firm can attract more traffic to the website. This report presents an investigation into the extent to which e-commerce is currently being used in the computer hardware and the banking industry. The Computer Hardware industry is as much a commodity market as it is a technology market. It is somewhat misleading to assume that research and development alone decides the success of a PC manufacturing company. R&D is most definitely required for future improvements but perhaps is not the sole determinant of a company's success. In the PC industry, apart from excellent R&D and customer care, it is marketing of the product that would matter. Dell has been one of the prime examples of success in e-commerce. The business objective of Dell is to eliminate the retailers and sell directly to the consumers. By eliminating the middle layers, Dell has brought about epochal changes in the PC industry. Communicating directly with the consumer helps the business become more agile, and also helps cut cost of sales. In this endeavor, the only tool in the hands of Dell is the Internet. Dell has unique business strategies and models to support the growth process of the organization. From $1000 to $30 billion, the growth rate of Dell has been phenomenal. Dell mainly concentrates on activities that would add more value to the organization and also result in good-looking market returns. Over the years there have been many companies in the PC/server industry following the footsteps of Dell. However most of them failed in their endeavor (Woodgrange Technologies Ltd., 2005). Simply replicating the business model never serves the purpose of making something successful. Dell has a competitive advantage in its cost advantage and greater efficiency. As such it emerged as the cost leader in the market. Dell was the first one to offer world-class PCs at dream prices to the consumers. However selling directly to the consumers were more of a revolution than a religion. As such Dell has continued to surprise their customer base with unique and intelligent offers. Recently Dell has signed up Best Buy as a retail partner (Dell, 2007c). This is a major historical shift for Dell who had been preaching the values of direct selling for more than two decades. With the

Strategic Reward Key Models and Practices Essay

Strategic Reward Key Models and Practices - Essay Example For example, it is possible to create a plan for performance related pay using different strategies such as the following: (1) merit-based pay plan; (2) job- or skill-based pay plan; (3) competency-based plan; and/or (3) job-evaluation-based pay (Heneman and Werner, 2005, p. 45; Baldwin, 2003, p. 45, 70). After examining the potential impact of introducing a performance related pay in a German public service, Shmidt, Trittel and Muller (2011) found out that the use of different types of performance related pay schemes can lead to different effects in terms of public sector employees’ work motivation and performance and that a highly selective performance related pay will never work in government offices. It simply means that depending on the type of performance-based appraisal used by each government office, there will always be the risk wherein the public sector employees would perceive the type of assessment and evaluation process used within the government office to be inef fective, inconsistent, and unfair to some government employees (Shmidt, Trittel and Muller, 2011; Rayson, 2013). Another possible reason behind the reluctance of the public sector employees in integrating performance related pay is the fact that most of the non-performing government employees would fear that their superiors would be closely monitoring their overall work performance. Because of the on-going tight government budget, Weiner (2013) reported that the public sector employees may no longer have the opportunity to enjoy so much of work-related flexibility options. Since there is a need for the government to cut down their unnecessary fixed operating costs, some of the underperforming public sector employees may think that they can be one of the candidates in case... It is the duty and responsibility of the public HR managers to design and implement the performance related pay effectively within the UK government offices. As a common knowledge, the public sector employees will be affected by the new pay and reward scheme. Therefore, the reservations made by the public sector employees should be considered legitimate. The use of performance related pay is a good form of pay and reward strategy particularly in terms of increasing the quality service provided by the public sector employees. For this reason, the public HR managers should exert more effort to effectively address all reservations made by the public sector employees. It is also necessary to create a S.M.A.R.T performance-based criteria that could guide the public sector employees on what they are expected to do. In the process of removing the reservations of each public sector employee, the HR professionals can easily win the support of all affected individuals.

Contribution and Marginal Costing Essay Example for Free

Contribution and Marginal Costing Essay This is an important business concept and must never be confused with profit. The contribution of a product refers to how much it contributes to the fixed costs and profit of the business once variable costs have been covered. It can be calculated either per unit of output or in terms of total contribution of all units produced. Contribution ignores fixed costs and only considers any surplus left once variable costs have been subtracted from revenue. Hence, contribution is what a product contributes towards the fixed costs of the business and, once these are paid, the profits of the business. Managers need to know, as accurately as possible, the cost of each product or service produced by the firm. One reason for this is the need to make a pricing decision. In fact, buyers of many products will want an estimated price or a quotation before they agree to purchase. Managers may also need to decide whether production should be stopped, stepped up or switched to new methods or new materials. Managers also need to compare actual product costs with original budgets and to compare the current period with past time periods. In calculating the cost of a product, both direct labor and direct materials are often easy to identify and allocate to each product. For instance, the materials used in making product X are allocated directly to the cost of that product. These are not the only costs involved. Overheads, or indirect costs, cannot be allocated directly to each product but must be ‘shared’ between all of the items produced by a business. There is more than one costing method that can be used to apportion these costs and, therefore, there may be more than one answer to the question: ‘How much does a product cost to produce?’ contribution costing method that only allocates direct costs to cost/profit centers not overhead costs. This approach to costing solves the problem of how to apportion or divide overhead costs between products – it does not apportion them at all. Instead, the method concentrates on two very important accounting concepts: †¢Marginal cost is the cost of producing an extra unit. This extra cost will clearly be a variable direct cost. For example, if the total cost of producing 100 units is $400 000 and the total cost of producing 101 units is $400 050, the marginal cost is $50. †¢The contribution to fixed costs and profit. This is the revenue gained from selling a product less its variable direct costs. This is not the same as profit, which can only be calculated after overheads have also been deducted. For example, if that 101st unit with a variable (marginal) cost of $50 is sold for $70, it has made a contribution towards fixed costs of $20. The unit contribution is found as the difference between the sale price ($70) and the extra variable cost ($50), that is $20.

The Safeguarding Of Children By The Government Social Work Essay

The Safeguarding Of Children By The Government Social Work Essay The process of protecting children from abuse or neglect, preventing impairment of their health and development, and ensuring they are growing up in circumstances consistent with the provision of safe and effective care that enables children to have optimum life chances and enter adulthood successfully. (Source: Working Together to Safeguard Children, 2006). It is essential that children are safeguarded from maltreatment and impairment of their health and development not only to prevent the terrible day-today suffering some children are subjected to, but also to ensure that children are safe from these abuses to protect their long-term well-being (Combrink-Graham, 2006: 480). Deliberate and sustained maltreatment, which includes physical, emotional and sexual abuse of children, is not confined to any particular group or culture; it pervades all groups, classes and cultures. So as practitioners it is our professional duty of care to ensure that every child has the same amount of safeguarding as the next. It is also vital that as Early Years professionals we understand the roles and procedures of the services available for children and families so that we may offer the best advice possible. There are two areas of guidance statutory and non-statutory. LOC1- analyse the role of statutory, voluntary and independent service in relation to children and families. A service which is defined as statutory is one that the Local Authority have a legal duty to supply. The Local Authority is obliged by statute to provide some services, for example, social services, NHS hospital, health professionals, the police and probation service, youth offending teams, secure training centres, childminders and schools. They all have a duty under the Children Act 2004 to ensure that their actions are clear with regard to the need to safeguard and promote the welfare of children. (Source: Working Together to Safeguard Children, 2006). Safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children is the responsibility of the local authority (LA), working in partnership with other public organisations, the voluntary sector, children and young people, parents and carers, and the wider community. (Source: Working Together to Safeguard Children, 2006). The role of statutory services in relation to children and families is to employ professionals who are committed to the cause of helping children to stay safe. The services need to employ staff that understands their responsibilities and duties in these difficult situations, so any organisation that deals with safeguarding children needs to make sure that all members of staff are safe to work with children and young people by providing a thorough identity check. Also the organisation that provides this service needs to be equipped to deal with any allegations including ones made against staff by having clear procedures in place. All staff have to have regular up to date training and understanding of the subject while working in this environment and they also need to understand the correct procedures if working with partner organisations. The voluntary sector is undertaken by organisations that are not for profit and non-governmental such as charities like Childline, the NSPCC and churches. This sector plays an important part in providing information and resources to the general public who may be unable or afraid to contact other sectors about the welfare of some children. They may also specialise in a particular area of abuse and may have greater and better understanding of the subject as their members of staff have experienced more in-depth training. Like the public sector their staff paid or volunteers need to go through the same process as the staff from the public sector that is stated in paragraph 2.8 in Working together to Safeguard Children 2006. Like the voluntary sector, the independent sector also has to abide by the regulations that come with working towards safeguarding children. The Independent sector is not financed through the taxation system by local or national government, and is instead funded by private sources. Such independent services are private schools, boarding schools, private counsellors and private charities such as UNICEF. A non statutory service is one which may or may not be supplied, at the discretion of the authority concerned. LOC2- Evaluate the legislation framework and procedures for child protection at national and local level. There are several legislative frameworks/laws and procedures for child protection at national and local level which are continually being amended, updated and revoked. One of the significant pieces of legislation is The Children Act 2004 which led to a considerable change in the way services are directly concerned with serving children and families. As a result of consultation with children and families following Lord Lamings enquiry into the terrible and tragic death of Victoria Climbià ©, the government announced its plans to restructure childrens services to help achieve five outcomes for well-being. The government outlined these outcomes in its Every Child Matters (ECM) agenda, stating that to achieve well-being in childhood and in later life children and young people want to: be healthy; be safe; enjoy and achieve; make a positive contribution; and achieve economic well-being (DfES, 2004b). These five outcomes for well-being are now the goals for Every Child Matters and all services that are concerned in the education and welfare of children and young people are bound to ensure these outcomes are achieved. The Every Child Matters Outcomes Framework (DCSF, 2008b) for enabling children and families to be safe requires that Early Years settings and primary schools must demonstrate that they are enabling children to be safe from maltreatment, neglect, violence and sexual exploitation, and from accidental injury and death, and that children and young people have security, stability, are cared for and are safe from bullying and discrimination. This is a very complex area for those who work with children, or intend to work with children, in part because of the amount of legislation that is attached to these issues. The Education Act 2002 places a duty on Early Years settings and schools to safeguard and promote the welfare of all children, including ensuring they provide a safe environment themselves and take steps, through their policies, practice and training, to identify child welfare concerns and take action to address them, in partnership with other organisations where appropriate (HM Government, 2006:13). The Education Act 2002 also places this duty on childminders and any organisation that provides day care for children of whatever age. Locally the group of people responsible for co-ordinating what is done by organisations in Essex to safeguard and promote the welfare of children and to ensure the effectiveness of this activity is the Essex Safeguarding Children Board (ESCB). Despite all of the legislation and policies, preventable tragedies like Victoria Climbià © and Baby P continue to happen. It is vital therefore that child protection agencies learn from these terrible events and continue to amend their policies. Legislation is also put in place not just to protect against harm to children but also to give protection to the professionals working with children and their families. LOC3- Debate theories of abuse such as medical, feminist, social and psychological models. The general publics usual opinion of an abuser is that they are abnormal, sick or criminal. The reasons for abuse may be deep and complex. The actions of an abuser are definitely wrong but why did they take them? There are lots of different theories as to why abusers abuse. Some of the more widely held theories are: The social model definition is where it is believed that a child copies the behaviour of adults around them. Albert Bandura (1977) referred to the social learning theories of other important professionals in child development such as Vygotsky and Lave. This theory includes aspects of behavioural and cognitive learning. He believed that behavioural learning assumes that peoples environment cause people to behave in certain ways. Also he believed in cognitive learning which is when someone experiences or acquires knowledge, he presumed that psychological factors are important for influencing how people behave. Another theory is the medical model. John Bowlby (1969-80), is recognized as one of the most prominent theorists in researching social effects on child development, in particular he is famous for his attachment theory (Flanagan, 1999). When Bowlby first began discussing this theory his work focused on the importance of the attachment a child has with its mother. The present accepted theory is that children can form a number of attachments with adults other than their biological mother, what is important is that children need caring and nurturing relationships in order to thrive, and not simply the basic needs of food and shelter (Foley et al., 2001; 211). Bowlby believed that there was a critical period of bonding in the first year of life. Much research has been done that suggests a strong correlation between mothers who have not formed a strong attachment to their children and child abuse and neglect. If not treated conditions such as postpartum depression (or post-natal depression as it is more commonly known) could lead to the mother having a negative attachment with the child developing into neglect which is a form of abuse without the mother realising. Another influential theorist in the area of child development is Erikson (1902-1994) who in the 1960s devised a model of human social development that focuses more on the impact of background and environment on development, rather than genetic determiners. This is known as a psychosocial model (Miller, 2003). The importance of this theory is that it explores how the beliefs, attitudes and values we grow up to hold are shaped by our genetic predisposition towards incentive acts and how the environment we grow up in impacts on those natural characteristics. Therefore, Erikson maintains, we are distinctly shaped by our formative experiences. If this is so, then the experiences a child will have while they are young will impact on their life as an adult, including on their attitudes, beliefs and values. A different opinion as to why abusers abuse is the psychological model. Psychological theories focus on the instinctive and psychological qualities of those who abuse. This theory believes it is abnormalities within the individual abuser that are responsible for abuse, for example, abusive parents may themselves have been abused in childhood (Corby, 2000). Although the flaw is that psychologists have failed to establish a consistent personality profile for a child abuser when compared to another form of abuser. Feminists believe that the Feminist model may be the answer to the actions of an abuser. The feminist model suggests that child abuse like domestic violence is a result of unequal power in the family. Cossins (2000) believes that abuse is done by man to women and is about male masculinity and power. But this does not take into account female abusers. Professor Lynne Segal suggests that the ideas of masculinity emphasises control and power. This assumes that all men have power and women and children do not have power (Bell, 1993). This theory also needs to include not just gender and power issues but to consider race, class and culture as well (Reavey and Warner, 2003). The Cycle of violence is another model, it is based on the view that children who live with domestic violence will learn that abuse is acceptable and will become either an abuser or a victim. While experiencing or witnessing domestic violence can have a serious impact on children and young people, they will respond in various ways depending on their age, race, sex, culture, stage of development, and individual personality. By no means do all children who have lived with domestic violence grow up to become either victims or abusers. Many children exposed to domestic violence realise that it is wrong, and actively reject violence of all kinds.  There is not much evidence to support this model. Although all these models give some insight into why an abuser would abuse there is no one type of abuser, so there can be no one model. What we would consider a child abuser in this country is not the same standards as other countries. Not one of these models can solely explain the actions of a child abuser. Finkelhor (1986) understood that and was a critic of single factor models. He also believed that women were just as capable of abuse as men are. LOC4- Describe the categories of abuse and the possible effects on the child, family and workers. What comprises abuse is open to wide debate, because some researchers will state that what one group in society deems to be abuse, another will claim is a normal part of child rearing practice. For example, the smacking debate. Is it acceptable to smack a child? There is a legal acceptance that where a smack doesnt leave a lasting mark it is not abuse, but if it is continuously done and escalates then this would be classed as abuse. The point at which any practice becomes abusive is the point at which it becomes ill-treatment, likely to impair health or physical, emotional, social or behavioural development (DfES, 2006). The categories of child abuse are physical, emotional, sexual abuse and neglect. Most often if a child is suffering from one of the categories like physical or sexual abuse they are likely to be suffering from emotional abuse as well, as the categories link into one another. As Early Years practitioners we need to keep an eye out for any signs of physical abuse, which are usually visible to the eye, such as unexplained injuries, bruises or burns. Other signs of physical abuse are if the victim refuses to discuss injuries, gives improbable explanations for injuries, has untreated injuries or lingering frequently recurring injuries. If the parents administering of punishment appears excessive, if the child shrinks from physical contact, or they have a fear of returning home or of the parents being contacted, or a fear of undressing, or a fear of medical help these could also be a sign of physical abuse. Physical abuse can lead to the child becoming aggressive towards other children and bullying. An abused child may display over compliant behaviour or a watchful attitude, have significant changes in behaviour without explanation, their work may deteriorate and they may have unexplained patterns of absences whilst bruises or other physical injuries heal. In some cases the child may even try to run away. Another form of abuse is emotional abuse; this is one of the hardest types of abuse to recognise as there are often no outwardly visible signs. Emotional abuse is about messages, verbal or non-verbal, given by a care giver to a child. Almost all children are subjected to emotional abuse to some degree. Even the most caring of parents will at some time give children quite negative messages, this is why it is hard to detect emotional abuse. Examples of emotional abuse are deliberately humiliating a child, making a child feel ashamed for not being able to do or understand something which they, in fact, are developmentally incapable of. Other signs of abuse are expecting a child to put the needs of other family members before their own. Persistently verbally abusing a child, or constantly threatening to leave a child on their own as a punishment is abusive whether or not the threat is carried out. Making threats of other cruel and excessive punishments and/or carrying them out, telling a child that he was not wanted, was a mistake, or was the wrong gender, isolating a child, preventing them from socialising with their peers and continually putting a child under unfair moral/emotional pressure is abuse. Some adults may also not realise that exposing a child to age-inappropriate activities such as television, films and computer games is also classed as emotional abuse. The DfES (2006) What to Do if You Are Worried a Child Is Being Abused document defines sexual abuse as: Sexual abuse involves forcing or enticing a child or young person to take part in sexual activities, including prostitution, whether or not the child is aware of what is happening. The activities may involve physical contact, including penetrative or non-penetrative acts. They may include non-contact activities, such as involving children in looking at, or in the production of, sexual on-line images, watching sexual activities, or encouraging children to behave in sexually inappropriate ways. (DfES, 2006: 9). The definition of neglect is the persistent failure to meet a childs physical and/ psychological needs, likely to result in the serious impairment of the childs health or development (DfES, 2006: 9). Some examples of neglect are failure to feed a child adequately, not providing appropriate clothes or bedding, giving inadequate basic physical care, the child having no boundaries or consistency, the child not being safe, not attending to a childs medical needs and failure to meet or recognize a childs emotional needs. The definition of neglect clouds with shades into the definition of emotional abuse. While both these definitions make sense, they are somewhat blurred around the edges. When we talk about severe actions it can be difficult to decide whether, and at what level, to intervene. There have been studies that show evidence that neglect, physical abuse and sexual abuse are all associated with reduced intelligence in children (Carrey, 1996). While this study shows an example of the effect abuse can have, sometimes a child can grow up with a positive attitude and have a successful life. But this is not to say that all survivors are successful in life and obviously some people suffer terrible ongoing issues related to their experience of abuse. Such as being able to trust anyone or in the case of sexual abuse never being able to let anyone touch them and the damage is permanent. Abuse can also affect the family by breaking it apart and separating the abuser from the abused. LOC5- Evaluate ways of enabling children to protect themselves, and ways of supporting children who have been abused. We cant expect children and young babies to protect themselves. So the government and schools try to communicate a universal message to children to try to protect them. Such as bullying is wrong, to be nice to one another, to eat well and look after each other and to promote a positive environment. We should always take children seriously and listen to what they are saying, as this is a way of improving our ways of providing support. There are four methods that are used with children in need and their families, each of which needs to be carried out effectively in order to achieve improvements in the lives of children in need. They are assessment, planning, intervention and reviewing (DfES, 2006). As an Early Years professional you should be aware of the local procedures to be followed for reporting concerns about a particular child. If you have any concerns about a child, they must be reported to the schools designated senior member of staff or a senior member that is appointed child protection supervisor. This may be where your involvement may end or you may need to be involved further. The practitioner will discuss with a manager and/or other senior colleagues what they think the appropriate action should be, then if there are still concerns a referral to the Local Authority childrens social care team will be made, followed up in writing within 48 hours. The social worker and manager then acknowledge receipt of referral and decide on the next course of action within one working day. An initial assessment is required to decide if there is any concern for the childs immediate safety. The initial assessment should continue in accordance with the assessment framework which is a chart that states what the needs of a child are. If there is reasonable cause to suspect the child is suffering, or is likely to suffer significant harm, childrens social care should arrange an immediate strategy discussion. The purpose of the strategy discussion is to agree whether to initiate section 47 of the Children Act 1989. It is also to identify the appropriate tasks and timescales for each involved professional and agency, and agree what further help or support may be necessary. If the child is likely to be harmed then the police and other relevant agencies are called. Next there would be a child protection conference and the results from that would determine whether a core assessment is made which is where the family and other professionals agree a plan for ensuring the childs future safety and welfare. If the results are that the child is in sufficient harm then the child becomes the subject of a child protection plan, which is where the difficulties of the child will be made known to partner agencies. This will be followed by giving the child a key worker and a child protection review conference, the purposes of the child protection review is to review the safety of the child. Usually, the decision to keep a childs name on the protection register is reviewed every six months, depending on the circumstances. A child protection review conference can decide that a childs name should be removed from the register. This decision will only be made when the child protection review conference is satisfied that the child is no longer at risk of significant harm. A young person will also be removed from the register once he or she turns 18. Obviously the worst case scenario is when a child dies due to abuse and nothing was done to help them. As Early Year professionals it is extremely important that situations like this never happen and that is why these procedures are put into place. Professionals can intervene by working with children and families to help protect them. There are support systems in place for children and their families provided by local government and sometimes connected to the school. Sure start is one such system. Sure start is a government programme which provides services for children and their families. It works to bring together early education, childcare, health and family support. Services provided include advice on health care and child development, play schemes, parenting classes, family outreach support and adult education and advice. If there is a case of suspected abuse but it is decided that there is no need to remove the child or the parent following the families assessment, Sure start can be recommended to the family as a place for family development. In this country there are 11 million children, 4 million have been identified as vulnerable (disabled), 400,000 have been identified as children in need, 32,000 are on the child protection register and 63,000 are looked after (in foster care). These statistics have gone up since the terrible tragic death of Peter Connelly (Baby P) in 2007. (http://www.statistics.gov.uk/cci/nugget.asp?id=348). We live in a highly complex and diverse society and as professionals it is part of our responsibility to ensure we are not confusing what we think is the case, or what we would like, with what is really the case. As Early Years practitioners we need to approach individual children and families with an open mind. While we believe we know what, a perfect world is, we also know that families come in all shapes and sizes, and that all families are likely to need support to help them. To make sure that all children get the correct and full treatment/service needed to make sure that they are safeguarded against abuse all practitioners/professionals should work together and communicate to achieve this goal.