History of education Essay Example for Free

History of education Essay Tamil Nadu is regarded to be one of India’s star performers in the sector of elementary education. The results of the 2001 Census show that Tamil Nadu has attained third position behind Kerala and Maharashtra both in terms of overall and female literacy. It recorded close to 100 per cent gross enrolment ratio (GER) at primary and upper primary levels based on 2007 estimates. A major legislative effort for the universalisation of education in line with the constitutional mandate has been the introduction of the Tamil Nadu Compulsory Education Act, 1994. Under this Act it is the duty of the government to provide the necessary infrastructure (schools and teachers) for ensuring universalisation of elementary education. Parents are also liable to be fined if they do not send their wards to school, though this rule is not very strictly enforced as most of the children not going to school come from poor backgrounds. Tamil Nadu’s high enrolment statistics are also the result of the number of welfare schemes that the State government has introduced in the elementary education sector. The large number of missionary and private schools are also playing a role in the spread of education. The government provides textbooks, uniforms and noon meals to the pupils making it a State where the per child spending is much higher than in educationally backward States such as Bihar, Assam, Andhra Pradesh, Rajasthan and others and is higher than the all-India average. The State is making an endeavor to provide primary schools within a one km radius of human habitations with a population of 300 and above to increase their accessibility. It is also a State that has actually spent most of the funds allocated to it by the Centre under the SSA scheme, in contrast to States like UP, Bihar and Assam that have huge unspent amounts. Tamil Nadu students stood first in the country in mathematics, language and reading comprehension skills according to the national mid-term achievement survey of Class III children commissioned by the NCERT in collaboration with the MHRD and the SCERT and SSA wings of the States recently. But it has come to light that local bodies like corporations and municipalities are not fully utilizing money collected as education tax as a percentage of property tax under the Tamil Nadu Elementary Education Act and this is affecting the quality and quantity of formal education provision at the grassroots level. While the general literacy rate in Tamil Nadu as per 2001 data is 73. 5%, wide disparities exist across districts, gender, and area of residence as well as social grouping. The literacy rate of the SC and ST populations are consistently lower in all the districts. The retention rate within and after the primary school level is also not very impressive and there is a high percentage of repeaters. This is particularly so in the case of the STs and SCs. It is to overcome this discrepancy between education offered in different kinds of schools, between rural and urban schools and to overcome other numerous ills that have crept into the education system—such as arbitrary collection of fees, induction of daily waged, inadequately qualified para teachers, rote learning, examination stress, problems related to the medium of instruction and so on—that the State government constituted the Muthukumaran Committee, which submitted its report in 2007. This committee had the mandate to work out a framework of a uniform pattern of education in Tamil Nadu and to make recommendations for improving its quality. The report of the Committee recommends only one autonomous board, The Tamil Nadu State Secondary School Education Board, instead of the existing four State level boards—Matriculation, Anglo-Indian, Oriental and State Board. Schools coming under this integrated Board would follow a common syllabus ensuring an equitable school education in the State not conferring any undue advantages with regard to admission into higher educational institutions for students completing their school education from one particular Board. Equitable standard education is to be provided by a Common School or Neighbourhood School system, which with uniform syllabi would help to ‘decommercialise’ educational institutions and put an end to many a private management that does not feel sufficiently accountable to society in this crucial sector. The spiraling cost of education starting at the nursery level is cementing caste-class and rural-urban divisions. A common school system using the mother tongue as a medium of instruction would make equal education accessible to all without discrimination. A common school system also means a common examination pattern. The report of the Committee advocates a reasonable teacher-student ratio of not more than 1:30 and doing away with faulty textbooks and a system of rote learning. It emphasizes the promotion of analytical and rational skills that would equip the students to learn by themselves; a testing and evaluation pattern that involves the application of concepts learnt rather than mere reproduction of facts. The school syllabus should not overload students with information but instead kindle their interest in the subject and teach them how to search for more information and conceptualize it. Traditional knowledge should be incorporated and made part of school education. Evaluation should be comprehensive and not just of academic achievements, and that too only marks based. Evaluation should include an assessment of student abilities and performance in academics, the arts, sports and games, values, reading habits, character, conduct and other extra-curricular activities. Schools should not only lay emphasis on academic subjects but also on moral education. Here the Committee suggests that it may be better to have a progress book with entries made from time to time and also periodically sent to the parents so that they may be made aware of their child’s progress. Regular consultation with parents about their wards’ progress and achievements and educational goals is a must. A sheet of paper containing marks obtained in public exams is not enough to understand a student’s development and potential. If the marks obtained in only one exam are going to decide the person’s admission into an institute of higher learning then all stress is on preparing for this exam neglecting other exams and activities. The chance or temptation to indulge in malpractices is also high. Marks obtained in a one-time exam also are no accurate reflection of the student’s actual knowledge and achievement level and potential. Treating exams and marks as more important than life itself has meant the death of many a student. Finally, children belonging to linguistic minorities should be allowed to gain instruction in their respective mother tongue, while all students in standards 5 or 8 ought to have a specific level of knowledge in Tamil and English so that these languages can be used for communication. No student should be dropped and he/she should be allowed to grow in the chosen field of interest and in accordance with their individual capability. A simple pass or fail should certainly not be a deciding factor in a person’s life. While the government has accepted the notion of one board for school education other major recommendations of the Muthukumaran Committee on education reforms are being sidelined by the State government. In fact, some government run schools are changing the medium of instruction to English and not all schools teach Tamil, though this is compulsory as per current State education law. Moreover, schools with an eye on the results in board exams and aiming at future lucrative career possibilities for their students are introducing modern European languages like French (German is waiting to be introduced on a larger scale on the school level) that are supposedly high scoring subjects in comparison to Tamil, which is seen to be difficult even by those whose mother tongue it is. There is almost everywhere an exodus from government run schools to aided or private schools because of the perceived better quality and the lure of an English medium education, which is regarded by parents to be necessary in today’s world. It is to remain viable and not lose out in this competition for students that government run schools are increasingly offering English medium instruction also, although the English medium sections are permitted only on a self-financing basis. The non-acceptance of important recommendations by the Muthukumaran committee is thus in line with the general pro-globalisation trend in the Tamil Nadu economy as a whole. Current education system Why is India still a developing country and what is stopping it from being a developed country? India’s education system as a stumbling block towards its objectives of achieving inclusive growth. India is going to experience a paradox of nearly 90 million people joining the workforce but most of them will lack requiste skills and the mindset for productiveemployment according to a report in DNA. India has about 550 million people under the age of 25 years out of which only 11% are enrolled in tertiary institutions compared to the world average of 23%. . I will be focussing on how the education system’s failure is leading to another social issue of income inequality and hence, suggest certain policies to improve India’s education system and reduce inequality. Problems and drawbacks The really critical aspect of Indian public education system is its low quality. The actual quantity of schooling that children experience and the quality of teaching they receive are extremely insufficient ingovernment schools. A common feature in all government schools is the poor quality of education, with weak infrastructure and inadequate pedagogic attention. What the government is not realising right now is that education which is a source of human capital can create wide income inequalities. It will be surprising to see how income inequalities are created within the same group of educated peopleSo if the government does not improve education system particularly in rural areas the rich will become richer and the poor will get poorer. Hence, it is imperative for the government to correct the blemishes in India’s education system which will also be a step towards reducing income inequality. Another reason for poor quality of education is the poor quality of teachers in government schools . Government schools are unable to attract good quality teachers due to inadequate teaching facilities and low salaries. The government currently spends only 3% of its GDP on education which is inadequate and insufficient. To improve the quality of education , the government needs to spend more money from its coffers on education. Most economists feel that the only panacea to the ills of the public schooling system is the voucher scheme. Under the voucher system, parents are allowed to choose a school for their children and they get full or partial reimbursement for the expenses from the government. But however, the voucher system will further aggravate the problem of poor quality of education in government schools. Such a system will shift resources from government schools to private schools. This will worsen the situation of government schools which are already under-funded. Moreover, if the same amount given as vouchers can be used to build infrastructure in schools then the government can realize economies of scale. For example- The centre for civil society is providing vouchers worth Rs 4000 per annum to 308 girls. This means that the total amount of money given as vouchers is Rs 1232000. If the same amount can be used to construct a school and employ high quality teachers who are paid well then a larger section of the society will enjoy the benefit of education. A school can definitely accommodate a minimum of 1000 students. I hope government takes certain appropriate policy measures to improve the education system otherwise inequalities are going to be widespread and India’s basic capabilities will remain stunted. Let us strengthen the case for a stronger education system. Conclusion Certain policy measures need to be taken by the government. The basic thrust of government education spending today must surely be to ensure that all children have access to government schools and to raise the quality of education in those schools. One of the ways in which the problem of poor quality of education can be tackled is through common schooling. This essentially means sharing of resources between private and public schools. Shift system is one of the ways through which common schooling can be achieved. The private school can use the resources during the first half of the day and the government school can use it during the second half. It is important to remember that the quality of education is directly linked to the resources available and it is important for the government to improve resource allocation to bring about qualitative changes in the field of education. Common schooling is one of the ways in which government can use limited resources in an efficient way and thus improve resource allocation.

The Concept of Equitable Globalisation

The Concept of Equitable Globalisation Rebecca Knighton Globalisation Debates: The Concept of Equitable Globalisation and the Offshoring of Jobs ‘One of the fundamental questions of todays world is undoubtedly the question of equitable globalisation’, these were the words of Dr Janez DrnovÃ… ¡ek (2004), then President of the Republic of Slovenia, in a speech addressing members of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe. In order to realise the importance of that sentence, an understanding must be gained of what is meant by globalisation. A word that Godin (2006) described as a buzzword; globalisation is today used to define, justify and legitimise the interconnectedness of the world. Theodore Levitt and his 1983 article The Globalisation of Markets in the Harvard Business Review are accepted by many commentators as the origin of the mainstream use of the term (Mullen, 2006; Abdelal Tedlow, 2006). Equitable globalisation can be defined as an interconnected world in which progress made is fair and development is impartial. When comparing this ambition to how modern day global relationships operate, it’s clear that globalisation today does not possess these qualities. Joshi (2009) explores globalisation and describes it as the increasing economic interdependence of national economies across the world, attributing this interdependence to a rapid increase in the cross-border movements of ‘goods, service, technology, and capital’, while this idea does not contradict the pursuit for fairness, the real and tangible effects of global interconnectedness do not always embody fairness or impartiality. The debate that will be the focus of this discussion, one that routes from the equality – or lack of equality – within global interconnectedness, is centred on offshoring. Offshoring is the process of moving parts of a business’s operations to a different country – this can be either through subcontracting with a contractual agreement or setting up business further premises in another carrying out tasks there. Mankiw (2004) describes the notion as the latest manifestation of the gains from trade ‘that economists have talked about at least since Adam Smith’, his opinion is that this so-called ‘phenomenon’ (Vedder, Guynes and Reilly 2010) is simply the next step businesses can take to profit in many ways in a progressing business environment. The source of the debate leads on from the aforementioned pursuit of equitable globalisation and the contrasting opinions, and justifications of those opinions, between those who support or dis parage offshoring. The debate itself can be separated between the country a business originates from and its chosen destination of offshoring, arguments from both locations identify reasons either for or against. Throughout the debate, the economic, political, social and cultural elements of this element of globalisation will be examined. The first area of the debate to be examined is the contrasting opinions about offshoring in the country of the business’s origin. For the purpose of this discussion, there will be a focus on the USA. A word that seems synonymous with these contrasting opinions is ‘protectionism’ – Mankiw and Swagel look into the term in their insightful 2006 article and conclude that in different arguments it come with entirely different connotations. Members of the American public are looking for some security and consistency in their job and the services they receive, and the term ‘protect’ is tantamount to this, and something they feel the US Government should prioritise. Brothers Ron and Anil Hira are prominent authors within this globalisation debate, and their book Outsouring America (2005) represents the debate well. Their view is that America policy, representative of MEDC’s around the world, is ‘naà ¯ve’ – stating that †˜the formula of free, deregulated markets and faith in American superiority ignores how the international economy has slowly and gradually shifted in the last few decades ‘. Their point follows on from book’s foreword by Lou Dobbs, in which the accusation is made that globalisation and its consequential offshoring have and continue to lead to economic insecurity which is in direct contradiction of the American Dream. This argument is somewhat fuelled by the media (Mankiw Swagel 2006; Amiti Wei 2005). Within the last decade, political events such as the publishing and the controversy surrounding CEA’s February 2004 Economic Report for the President Report in the run up to the 2004 election which mentioned offshoring have coincided with impartial reports and media attention regarding job losses and economic slowdown. These overlapping events have led to the subject of offshoring becoming thought of as a justification for a faltering labour market. In addition to the argument of a loss of American jobs, an element of this debate is about the quality of exported services. A customer survey by American Banker/Gallup (2004) found that of the two thirds of respondent aware of offshore outsourcing, the vast majority (78%) held an unfavourable opinion. Exemplifying this point is the relocation, and consequential return, of a call centre for the computer technology firm Dell due to customers complaining that upon its move to India, standards dropped and customer service quality was reduced, this was discussed by Taylor and Bain (2004). Although this case is not alone it its controversy, may call centres have remained in India and other popular offshoring locations – part of the Asian information technology enabled services (ITES) industry estimated to be worth US$1.5–1.6 trillion in 2020 (NASSCOM 2009a). To refer back to the aforementioned point of varying connotations of protectionism, the opinions found in academic and particularly economic literate are that the notion carries negative implications. This academic literature forms part of the discourse that offshoring is a positive contribution to a country’s economy. In order to justify the concept of outsourcing, economists look into the theory that defines their subject area – a part of this theory is comparative advantage. This is the ability for one party to produce a good or provide a service at a lower marginal cost to its competitor (Baumol Minder 2009) and can also be applied to whole countries. The comparative advantage that, for example, India can offer US companies for elements of their business that can be outsourced, is the driver of offshoring. One view of this concept is that of Bhagwati (2008), who labelled the phenomenon ‘kaleidoscopic comparative advantage’ is recognition of its complex ity. In direct contradiction to the so-called protectionists’ opinion of a negative effect on the economy, McKinsey Consulting (2003) calculate that overall net US income rises by about 12–14 cents for every dollar of outsourcing; this is due to the increased profits of companies being contributed to tax, being used to develop and grow the business – leading to more US employment, and consumers paying lower prices for products and services that have been made cheaper by offshoring. A further point in the debate that this embodiment of globalisation is good for the economy is that these global economic developments could be liken to a third Industrial Revolution. Blinder (2006) explored this idea – he identified that such vast and unsettling adjustments are not unique today as the same repercussions were felt during both the agricultural and the manufacturing industrial revolutions, but added that both of those economic changes are looked back upon as succ essful and relevant steps forward. The article goes on to address the opinion that jobs are risk of being relocated are those that are typically lower paid; using an example of taxi drivers, aeroplane pilots, janitors and crane operators as ‘safe’ jobs, compared with accountants, computer programmers, radiologists and security guards as jobs that could potentially be outsource. The range of jobs that are or are not at risk do not correspond to traditional distinctions between high-end and low-end work. A further point opposed to the argument against the offshoring of job to America is the contest to opinions that it lead to a reduced quality of customer service. Blinder (2006) comments on the constant improvements in technology and global communication, says that due to this there has been little or no degradation in quality. The education of the employees in foreign companies is discussed by Doyle (2012) – he used the example of the recent vast improvements of English Language education in India and puts forward the point that this in turn eliminates a potential language barrier that may have supposed negative effect on the customer service provided by companies that outsource their call centres to country that don’t have English as a first language. Having explored both view of offshoring in the country of the business’ origin, the nest step to gaining an understanding of this globalisation debate is that of the country hosting these outsource jobs. Similarly to the previous arguments, using a case study will allow a more in depth investigation into the opinions and justifications of this debate. India will be the focus of this debate – chosen due to its popularity amongst business as a destination for offshoring jobs. According to the Tholons 2013 report of the top worldwide outsourcing destinations, six Indian cities are within the ten most favourable, including the 1st and 2nd being Bangalore and Mumbai respectively. The offshoring of jobs to India is regarded as the main vendor of offshored jobs, with some estimates that an additional 400 people are employed a day due to jobs that have been offshored (Bergh et al, 2011). This contribution to the economy is the main positive with this globalisation debate in favour of outsourcing jobs to India; a contribution estimate by Nasscom to be growing 19% per year (Nasscom, 2012). Bergh et al (2011) go on to discuss the impacts of this input into the India economy, such as vast improved have been made to infrastructure that has in turn allowed further expansion and an increased quality of life. A further part of the debate is the social side of this embodiment of globalisation: this impacts of increased employment. Despite criticism, that will be explored further into this discussion, there is evidence within academic literature and other publications that improvement are made to the quality of lives of those employed by companies that have offshored their jobs to India, Ball et al (2005) explore this point, their findings indicate that those employed by subsidiaries of the original company that has outsourced the jobs benefit from working conditions better than if they were employed by companies based in India, as well as a better sense of job security. Another point is the claims that these companies recognise the nature of the work, identifying that by working and travelling home overnight employee would be increasingly vulnerable, and by offering security and transport services care is taken of these employees (Messenger and Ghosheh, 2010). Whilst this argument of the positive effects on the vendors’ economy and the satisfactory to good working conditions provided is legitimised by academic papers on the subject, the opposing opinions come from a strong stand point and are very well justified by both academic research and events in the media. One underlying point of this discourse relates back to the point of equitable globalisation and the impartiality of development – a concept which ties in with the opportunity to develop sustainably. A major criticism of the presence of outsourced jobs and the effects of these in India and other vendor nations is the instability of and speed in which changes are being made. Whilst governments, such as in India, have been recognised as paramount in facilitating an inflow of not only foreign capital but also knowledge and technology. Winters and Yusuf (2007) highlight the pressure felt governments by internationally trading companies to aid their overseas operations – attributing this to the fast growth and lack of forward planning when implementing incentive schemes. This potential instability is worsen by claims that India may be losing its popularity amongst multi-national companies leading to a slowdown in investment (Helyah, 2010; The Economist, 2013). A second element to this discourse is explored by Messenger and Ghosheh (2010), and is based on the deep rooted cultural differences between vendor countries, i.e. India, and the companies’ country of origin. This leads to difficulties in integration and segregation between higher management and workers, which is turn can very negatively affect moral. A further point in the issue of cultural difference, is the westernisation of the nation a company is operating – an example of this is demonstrated in a Post-Colonial perspective investigation into recent changes in Indian culture and an example within the paper, by Ravishenkar et al (2013), is the education system in India that is said to ‘mimick’ Western concepts and ignore local stakeholder. Whilst this change would not be considered a negative by all commentators, it exemplifies a potential loss of national identity which has been explored in the wider sense of globalisation by Featherstone (2005). A final point in the discussion of this debate is the working conditions of people employed in offshored jobs. Ghimire (no date) commentates the topic and highlights the following point as issues within the sector: disturbed social and family life due to overbearing work commitments and a lack of flexibility by employers; detachments from local culture and lifestyle; racist abuse from customers abroad. This list is increased by further contributions from Messenger and Ghosheh (2010) who explain that of their sample over 50% have suffered from work related illnesses and conditions including back and neck pain, sleep problems and headaches; they also reveal that many regulations set out by India’s government are not adhered to or are interpreted in the favour of employees: example are having the breaks required by law being dependant on outputs and call levels (in call centres) or breaks cut short due to overloading workloads and missed, sometime considered unattainable, targets . Due to the nature of companies with insufficient working condition, data is not available across the board due to secrecy and strict employee contracts; information in the media gives an insight into how conditions are worse than this, but cannot be relied on to be true and legitimate sources in an academic discussion. By investigating the debate with what can be identified as four separate discourses, a comprehensive understanding can be gained of the opinions, justifications and evidence of each opposing argument. The exploration of such a topical and global debate bring some difficulties – such as contradicting literature and misinterpretation of statistical evidence. The question of the practice of offshoring is a prominent debate within globalisation; and due to its so called ‘kaleidoscopic’ complexity (Bhagwati, 2008) and multiple standpoints it demonstrates the complexity in the global interconnectedness of today’s world. When returning to the initial concept of equitable globalisation, this debate highlights how the pursuit of that ideal is somewhat unattainable; the impartiality of the concept is impossible to obtain due to the nature of the profit driven forces that dominate the global relations and drive globalisation itself. References Abdelal, R and Tedlow, R S (2003) Theodore Levitt’s ‘The Globalization of Markets’: An Evaluation after Two Decades. Harvard NOM Working Paper No. 03-20; Harvard Business School Working Paper No. 03-082. [Online] Last accessed 04/01/14 at http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=383242 American Banker/Gallup (2004), What Americans think about overseas outsourcing? American Banker. 169 (192) 18 Amiti, M and Wei, Shang-Jin (2005) Fear of Service Outsourcing: Is it justified? Economic Policy. 20 (42) 308-347 Anon (2004) Economic Report of the President, 108th Congress, 2nd Session [Online] Last accessed 06/01/14 at http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/ERP-2004/pdf/ERP-2004.pdf Anon (2013) India No Longer Automatic Choice for Services and Back Office Work. The Economist. (Special Report). Bain, P and Taylor, P (2004) Call Centre Offshoring to India: The Revenge of History? Labour and Industry: A Journal of the Social and Economic Relations of Work. 14 (3) Baumol, W and Binder, A (2009) Economics: Principles and Policy. Ohio: South Western Cengage Learning Bergh, A, Israels, R, Mehta, S, Sheychenko, A (2011) A decade of offshore outsourcing to India: Define your strategy for the next decade. [Online] Last accessed 07/01/14 at http://www.quintgroup.com/content/library/A_Decade_of_Offshore_Outsourcing.pdf Bhagwati, J (2008) The selfish hegemon must offer a New Deal on trade. [Online] Last accessed 06/01/14 at http://delong.typepad.com/egregious_moderation/2008/08/jagdish-bhagwat.html Blinder, A (2006) Offshoring: The Next Industrial Revolution? Foreign Affairs. 85 (2) 113-128 DrnovÃ… ¡ek, J (2004) Speech by President DrnovÃ… ¡ek at the opening of the meeting of European Liberals in Ljubljana [Online] Last accessed 04/01/14 at http://www2.gov.si/up-rs/2002-2007/jd-ang.nsf/dokumentiweb/A28B9C6C3EC2ABFEC1256F95002CB360?OpenDocument Farrell, D, Baily, M, Agrawal, V, Bansal, V, Beacom, T, Kaka, N, Kejriwal, M, Kumar, A, Palmade, V, Remes, J, Heinz, T (2003) Offshoring: Is it a Win–Win Game? McKinsey Global Institute Featherstone, M (2005) Undoing Culture: Globalisation, Postmodernism and Identity. London: Sage Publications Ghimire, b (no date) Social Impact of Outsourcing. Understanding Outsourcing. Professional Education, Testing and Certification Organization International [Online] Last accessed 07/01/14 at http://www.peoi.org/Courses/Coursesen/outsrc/outsrc6.html Ghosheh, N and Messenger, J (Eds) (2010) Offshoring and Working Conditions in Remote Work Godin, B (2006) The Knowledge-Based Economy: Conceptual Framework or Buzzword. The Journal of Technology Transfer. 31 (1) 17-30 Guynes, C, Reilly, R and Vedder, R (2010) Offshoring Limitations. Review of Business Information Systems. 14 (1) Helyar, J (2012) Outsourcing: A Passage out of India. Bloomberg Business Week Companies and Industry Hira, A and Hira, R (2005) Outsourcing America: What’s behind our national crisis and how we can reclaim American jobs. New York: AMACON Joshi, R M (2009) International Business. New Delhi and New York: Oxford University Press Levitt, T (1983) Globalization of Markets. Harvard Business Review. May/June. 92-102 Mankiw, G and Swagel, P (2006) The Politics and economics of Offshore Outsourcing. Journal of Monetary Economics. 53 (5). Mullen, J (2006) An ‘Original Mind’ of Marketing Dies. Advertising Ages. 77 (8) NASSCOM. (2009) Gender inclusivity in India: Building an empowered organisation. [Online] Last accessed 06/01/14 at: http://www.nasscom.in Tholons (2013) 2013 Top 100 Outsourcing Destinations: Rankings and Report Overview. p2 Winters, A and Yusuf, S (2007) Dancing with Giants: China, India and the Global Economy. Washington: World Bank Publications

The Importance of Wearing a Seatbelt Essay -- Argumentative Safety Dri

The Importance of Wearing a Seatbelt We have all heard the excuses before, "It's uncomfortable, I'm only going around the corner", I'd rather be thrown out of a car than be stuck in a seatbelt," and my favorite, "I'm a good driver I don't need to wear one." Well you may be a good driver but there are situations beyond your control such as bad weather, road conditions and not to mention other drivers that can affect your safety. Seat belts can mean the difference between life and death in an auto accident. Wearing a seat belt every time you enter a vehicle is not only the smart thing to do it is the right thing because it saves lives, it's the law and it will save you money. Car accidents are the leading cause of death for people under the age of 35. Wearing a seat belt can prevent death in about half of these accidents. Did you know that every 15 seconds someone is injured in an automobile accident if they are not buckled up, or that every 13 minutes someone is killed in a crash. Failure to wear a seat belt contributes to more fatalities than any other single traffic safety related behavior. According to the National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration seatbelts saved nearly 12,000 lives in the United States in the year 2000. The NHTSA estimates that more than 9,000 U.S. car accident fatalities in 2000 would have been avoided if the victims had been wearing seatbelts. Sixty three percent of the people killed in accidents were not wearing seat belts. The NHTSA a...

Education and Act 48 Essay -- Education School Legislation Teaching Es

Education and Act 48 On November 23,1999 Governor Ridge signed Act 48 of 1999, enacting new requirements for professional education (formerly professional development) plans. The legislation also requires that all certified educators complete six college credits, six credits of continuing professional education courses, 180 clock hours of continuing professional education, or any combination of collegiate studies, continuing professional education courses or learning experiences equivalent to 180 hours every five years. For the purposes of calculating hours and credits, one credit of collegiate studies or continuing professional education courses is equivalent to 30 hours of continuing professional education. The professional education requirements take effect July 1, 2000 for all certified educators and will support achievement of the Pennsylvania Academic Standards, the Chapter 49 Teacher Certification Standards, and high standards for all educators and student. The information below has been rese arched directly from the Pennsylvania Department of Education’s Act 48-Professional Development Plan. The Act 48 plan requires that â€Å"upon expiration of an existing professional development plan, each school entity (district, intermediate unit (Ill), area-vocational-technical school (AVTS), joint school district, charter school, the Scotland School for Veterans Children and the Scranton School for the Deaf) submit a three-year professional education plan to the Department of Education for approval.† Approved schools for special education are also required to comply with Act 48 by the Bureau of Special Education. This plan is based on national standards, state standards and the individual needs of the district. Professional education plans from IUs, approved schools for special education and state-owned schools are submitted by June 30 in two phases. School district and AVTS professional education plans are due with a strategic plan by September 30 in the assigned phase. Private schools may also submit a professional education plan for approval so they can be an approved professional education provider. This, however, is an option to private schools and is not mandated by the state because they do not receive federal funding in the way that public schools do so. Wallenpaupack Area School District is currently in phase one of the strategic plan... ...www.ed.gov/pubs/PrisonersOfTime/index.html] Professional development: Changing times. (1994). Policy Briefs, Report 4. Oak Brook, IL: North Central Regional Educational Laboratory. ED376618 State Higher Education Executive Officers Association [SHEEO]. (1991, August). Higher education and school reform: Creating the partnership. Denver, CO: Author. ED 337,110. Tanner, B., Canady, R. L., & Rettig, R. L. (1995). Scheduling time to maximize staff development opportunities. Journal of Staff Development, 16(4): 14-19. EJ522303 Taylor, T. A. (2000, May 24). Congress confronts Goals 2000, national service. AACTE Briefs, p. 1. Troen, V., & Bolles, K. (1994). Two teachers examine the power of teacher leadership. In D. R. Walling (Ed.), Teachers as leaders. Perspectives on the professional development of teachers (pp. 275-86). Bloomington, IN: Phi Delta Kappa Educational Foundation. ED379283 Voices from the field: 30 expert opinions on America 2000, The Bush administration strategy to "reinvent" America's schools. (2001, April). Washington, DC: Institute for Educational Leadership and William T. Grant Foundation, Commission on Work, Family, and Citizenship. ED 336 823

Electrophoresis Machine Essay

Gel electrophoresis is a laboratory procedure used to separate biological molecules with an electrical current. In this lesson, we’ll review how agarose gel electrophoresis works and introduce the equipment necessary to perform an electrophoresis experiment. Separation of DNA molecules of different sizes can be achieved by using an agarose gel. Recall that agarose is a polysaccharide that can be used to form a gel to separate molecules based on size. Because of the gelatin-like nature of agarose, a solution of agarose can be heated and cooled to form a gel in a casting tray. Think of casting the agarose gel like pouring hot gelatin into a mold. The hot agarose liquid is poured into a casting tray. Once the mixture cools, a thin agarose brick will form. To ensure there’s a place to put the DNA in the gel, a comb is placed in the agarose liquid before it cools. Each tooth in the comb will become a hole, or ‘well,’ in the solidified agarose gel. Once cast, this gel is placed inside a piece of equipment called a gel box. An electrode – one positive and one negative – resides at each end of the gel box. The wells are always oriented, so they’re farther from the positive electrode. This ensures that the DNA molecules in the well must travel through the majority of the agarose gel, thus providing sufficient time for separation. Air isn’t a great conductor of electricity, so we cover the gel with electrophoresis buffer. Electrophoresis buffer is a salt solution. It isn’t table salt, but the salt ions can carry an electrical charge just like salt water can. The salt in the electrophoresis buffer completes the circuit between the positive and negative electrodes. When the electrodes of the gel box are connected to a power supply, electricity flows through the electrical circuit, causing the negatively charged DNA molecules to move into the agarose gel. The DNA molecules continue to travel through the agarose toward the positive electrode as long as an electrical current is present. Recall that shorter DNA molecules travel through agarose faster than longer DNA molecules. In this way, agarose gel electrophoresis separates different DNA fragments based on size. Once the samples are loaded, the electrical current supplied by the power supply not only moves the DNA samples through the gel but the dye molecules as well. Note the colored lines that appear. These lines do not represent the DNA fragments. These lines represent the dye in the loading buffer that was used to visualize the samples during the loading step. Once the gel run is complete, the agarose gel can be removed from the gel box and soaked in an ethidium bromide solution. Recall that ethidium bromide is used to visualize DNA. Ethidium bromide molecules intercalate, or insert, between the nitrogenous bases in a DNA molecule. In summary, gel electrophoresis is a laboratory procedure used to separate biological molecules with an electrical current. Together with a gel box and a power supply, an agarose gel can be used to separate DNA molecules based on size. Loading buffer enables scientists to insert DNA samples into the wells of the agarose gel. Once the electrophoresis procedure is initiated, the dye in the loading buffer forms a dye front that is used to determine when the procedure is complete. When the electrophoresis procedure is complete, the agarose gel can be soaked in an ethidium bromide solution to visualize the DNA bands on a UV box.

Bristol Biomedical Company

Bristol biomedical company came into being about ten years ago. It is a small fifty person medical device company. For years it has made sufficient revenue to fulfill the needs of the company and its employees and has also managed to make a profit. The reason for preparing a new marketing plan for the company is that the company through the hard work of its workers has invented a new x-ray machine which is both inexpensive and easy to use in a doctor’s office. Therefore a new marketing plan is being devised so as to market the product properly and also to target a vast market.Executive summary: The marketing plan for the Bristol Biomedical Company will consist basically of four steps which will guide our product and ultimately the company towards success; on the basis of these four steps a marketing plan will be developed. These four areas are Organization, Research, Creativity process, and Control. The area relating to organization will relate mainly to the establishment of m arketing goals and objectives. The research area will include the outlining of market audit, completing the completion of data and finally analyzing the audit targeting.The creativity process will deal in developing strategies and tactics and finally the control phase will deal with developing an effective control system. Our marketing plan will basically target the first two areas i. e. the organization and the research part and a little of the creativity process and we will also deal with the target market. The organizational and marketing plan will provide a base from which specific marketing goals and objective can be developed. Executive Summary: It should include research paper one material Marketing Plan:The core market objective for the marketing plan for Bristol Biomedical Device Company is for generating enough sales of x-ray machines of high premium qualities. The marketing plan consists of four areas: †¢ Target Marketing †¢ Pricing Strategy †¢ Product â₠¬ ¢ Place Target Marketing: The company must develop an action plan for introducing the x-ray machines into the markets. Within the role of markets the company must target its distribution and promotion to the best prospect groups. These prospects have following characteristics: †¢ They would be early adopters†¢ They would be heavy users †¢ They would be opinion leaders †¢ They could be reached at a low cost Geographically, Seattle is the originator of corporate successes in diverse businesses such as Starbucks, Amazon. com etc. It can be assumed that the diversity found in these successful businesses is due to the diversification of the local people. Seattle's economic circle is driven by bioinformatics and medical equipment which are trusted for premium quality. There is just one private hospital in Seattle and remaining are mostly government owned institutions.The management can use network planning techniques such as critical path scheduling. Critical path sc heduling calls for developing a master chart showing the simultaneous and sequential activities that must take place to launch the product. By estimating how much time each activity takes the management estimates the completion time for the entire project. Any delay in any activity on the critical path will cause the project to be delayed. The management of the Bristol Biomedical Company believes the theory of innovation, diffusion and consumer adoption to identify early adopters.The consumer adoption process is influenced by many factors beyond the marketers control including consumers that are private doctors and dentists and other health organizations willing to try new machines, personal influences and the characteristics of the new x-ray machine innovations. Demographically, variables such as age, income, occupation, religion, race, generation, nationality and social classes are mainly found in Seattle's population. Seattle locals are entrepreneurial, outdoorsy, rugged yet lite rate; they have a high sense of understanding.The new x-ray machine with its exclusive features such as being less economical and comprehensible enough to be used in doctors clinics. Situational Analysis: The term situational analysis â€Å"is a shorthand description for keeping track of what is going around you in a complex, dynamic environment†. Situational Analysis helps to keep in mind the uncontrollable factors while making a plan. The situational analysis is an analysis of the market and the competitive forces in terms that most influence revenues.The SWOT analysis gives statements to analysis of marketing. These generally involves analyzing the opportunities available such as customer requirements, product capabilities, cost of services and the price the market will bear to obtain the maximum self income. Several factors maybe responsible for hindrance and weakness: †¢ Social and governmental constraints. †¢ Fragmented markets †¢ Development costs being higher than expected. †¢ Competitors fight back better than expected.Bristol Biomedical Device Company can insure the success by a leading factor of its unique superior x-ray machine for example its higher quality and new features in use. Another key success factor of company is its well defined product concept prior to development where the management carefully analyzes the target market, product requirements and benefits before proceeding. Other success factors for the company are the technological and marketing synergy as Seattle is source of innovations by a scientifically oriented population, quality of execution in all stages and market attractiveness.Pricing Strategy: The main part of the marketing mix plan of the Bristol Biomedical Company Device has set a price for the first time for its success when the firm develops a new innovation and its supplying its machines to a new distributive channel or geographical area and at the time of new contract. The company considers it's product on quality and price on different levels considering its special needs that is ease and convenience. Each price that the company might charge has different impacts on its marketing obecjectives.The company wants to charge a price that covers it's cost of producing, distributing and selling the products including a good compensation for it's efforts and risks. The company should consider value pricing where they charge a relatively low price for high quality pricing and in return they gain more and more customer satisfaction. Planning should take into account costs per unit and display the projected surpluses, losses, subsidiary or contribution towards fixed costs. This information will be critical for: †¢ Pricing policy.†¢ Range of Products and services offered. †¢ Time required in achieving planned objectives. This wall all depend upon the particular circumstances of the organization. Product: Bristol Biomedical Device Company came up with an innovative new product in advanced radiological field through a new x-ray machine to satisfy want and need for medical equipments. The x-ray machine is easy to use and comes at an affordable price and occupies small space. This machine gives the fundamental services or benefits that the health professionals are buying.This x-ray machine is really an augmented product; it gives the total consumption system where the needs and wants are properly accomplished. General Electrics Medical System Division, Japanese model are the real competitors. Siemens and Toshiba are competitors in this radiological field. The Bristol Biomedical Company has no threat by its competitors as its product strategy considers through the five levels of the product. The most fundamental level is the core benefit that the customer is really buying.This x-ray machine includes additional services and benefits that distinguish the company's offer from that of competitors. Place: The Bristol Biomedical Company has a strong ma rketing plan for its fulfillment of core marketing objective that is to achieve the maximum number of sales. The increase in demand depends upon the place (marketing mix too) which includes the various activities that market demand is fulfilled, accessible, and available to target marketing. It links various marketing facilitators to supply its product efficiently it also includes the physical distribution firms and their decision making skills.Place is the distribution of the product of sale promotion, advertising, sales force, public relations, direct mail and telemarketing to reach the distribution channels and the target customers According to Corey observation in selecting and marketing channels a distributional system is an important external and internal resources such as manufacturing, research, engineering and field sales personnel and facilities. It represents as well a commitment to a set of policies and practices that constitute the long term relationship with the custom er.Determining the types of distribution channels is important because it can have a great impact on sales. The channels should be selected based on those distribution channels that can best satisfy those distribution markets. Developing a comprehensive marketing strategy will enhance the success of the x-ray machine sales. The customer demographic and Psychographic patterns along with competitive product advantages and key product features should be utilized to name the product, project a product image, advertise and package product.The sales force and the distribution channel must be selected and made aware of this product. Bibliography: †¢ Abell, D. (1980). Defining the Business: The Starting Point of Strategic Planning: Prentice-Hall. †¢ Levitt, T. (1986). The Marketing Imagination: Free Press. †¢ Pfeffer, J. , & Salancik, G. R. (1978). The External Control of Organizations: Harper & Row. †¢ Peters, T. J. , & Waterman, R. H. (1982). In Search of Excellence: H arper & Row †¢ Kotler, P. (1976) Marketing Management (3rd ed. ): Prentice-Hall . Coltheart, M. ,

Salt Definition - Glossary of Chemistry Terms

The word salt has different meanings in common usage and in chemistry. If you ask someone to pass the salt at dinner, this refers to table salt, which is sodium chloride or NaCl. In chemistry, sodium chloride is an example of a type of salt. A salt is an  ionic  compound produced by  reacting  an  acid  with a  base or occurring as a natural mineral. In other words, a salt is produced by a neutralization reaction. Examples A salt is an ionic compound in which the cation is a metal and anion is a nonmetal or group of nonmetals. Specific examples include sodium chloride (NaCl), potassium chloride (KCl), and copper sulfate (CuSO4). Other salts are magnesium sulfate (Epsom salts), ammonium dichlorate, and sodium bicarbonate (baking soda).

Expressions Of Love In Shakespeares Romeo And Juliet

Expressions of Love in Romeo and Juliet Compared to the Modern DayLove is one of the strongest emotions humans can feel toward each other. Love has evolved over time from generation to generation. Love today is much different than its portrayal in Romeo and Juliet with the development of dating apps based solely off physical appearance, and we always want instant satisfaction. We want results immediately and do not want to wait. While in Romeo and Juliet, love is more thoughtful and is expressed through some very grand gestures. Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet transcends time by addressing the issues of lust, convenience, and romantic gestures, themes that modern-day young adults face.Lust is to have†¦show more content†¦This is all based on physical appearance much like Romeo and Juliet’s first meeting. Shakespeare addressed lust by having Romeo â€Å"fall in love† with Juliet after just catching a glance at her w hich correlates to the use of dating apps in society today. We base our relationships on who we find physically appealing even though we may not know them as a person. This is exactly what Romeo did with Juliet except he ended up marrying her not just going out on one date.In our modern-day world, we are always trying to find new ways to make our lives easier. We use technology for everything including love. â€Å"...through eliminating time lags and distance, Tinder bridges the gap between digital and physical dating.† (Chamorro-Premuzic, â€Å"The Tinder Effect: Psychology of Dating in the Technosexual Era.†). When you open the Tinder app, you will be shown people to swipe left or right on based on your location. This prevents people from going out to meet people like Romeo did when he went to the Capulet banquet. In the era of technology, these â€Å"conveniences† of not going out to meet people organically can truly isolate themselves fr om the outside world. This is the very opposite of what Romeo did. Romeo really put himself out there after his heartbreak with Rosaline. He told Juliet during their first interaction, â€Å"My lips, two blushing pilgrims, ready stand to smooth thatShow MoreRelatedWilliam Shakespeare s Romeo And Juliet967 Words   |  4 Pagessea, my love as deep; the more I give to thee, the more I have, for both are infinite†. Good morning Class, today I will be exploring the human relationship of love in modern interpretations of ‘Romeo and Juliet’ written by William Shakespeare. Shakespearean time was between the middle Ages and the Industrial Revolution and it was branded by religious changes. William Shakespeare is widely known as the greatest dramatist of all time. Born April 1564, Shakespeare’s play ‘Romeo and Juliet’ is no doubtRead MoreBaz Luhrmanns Production of Romeo and Juliet1683 Words   |  7 PagesBaz Luhrmanns Produc tion of Romeo and Juliet Romeo seems like a passionate, romantic and excitable young man. 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Even from thisRead MoreExamining the Character of Juliet in Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare1748 Words   |  7 PagesExamining the Character of Juliet in Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare A wealthy girl like Juliet would be expected to obey her parents. Juliet would have to listen to anything her parents said. She would be expected to marry at a young age and carry on the family legacy. She would be married off to a rich husband, even though Juliet is about thirteen now, that is why her parents won’t marry her to Paris yet. Her father is also protective of her he says’ she is theRead MoreRomeo And Juliet Suicide Essay1220 Words   |  5 PagesIn Shakespeares rendition of periodical Verona, feuds among houses can’t help but kindle and burn warm against the existence of Romeo and Juliet, fictional characters who are driven to suicide because their family never recognized their love as valid. These drastic lengths demonstrated in Shakespeare’s classic dramatic tragedy seem undoubtedly fictitious — but some may be surprised to realize that the restrictive elements that had once driven Romeo and Juliet to suicide mirror the present day conflictsRead MoreRomeo And Juliet Essay1041 Words   |  5 PagesRomeo and Juliet Essay â€Å"Holding a grudge doesn’t make you strong; it makes you bitter. Forgiving doesn’t make you weak; it sets you free.† This quote was once stated by Dave Willis, and teaches those that forgiving is something you can do to strengthen your life, not to weaken it. In the novel, Romeo and Juliet, written by William Shakespeare in 1594, shows this lesson as well. William Shakespeare uses literary terms and language to portray how rivalries impede life’s most desirable events from happeningRead MoreComparing Zeffirelli and Luhrmanns Versions of Romeo and Juliet930 Words   |  4 PagesFor never was a story of more woe Than this of Juliet and her Romeo. - William Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet, 5.3 ‘Romeo and Juliet’ is a tragic play about two star crossed lovers written by Shakespeare in 1595. The play is a timeless teenage tradgedy. â€Å"The play champions the 16th Century belief that true love always strikes at first sight,† (Lamb 1993: Introduction) and even in modern times an audience still want to believe in such a thing as love at first sight. Act II Scene II the balcony scene