Thomas Edison Essays (4475 words) - Thomas Edison, Deists

Thomas Edison Thomas A. Edison earned his reputation as one of America's greatest inventors and heroes. Full of innovation, ingenuity, and enterprise, Edison "embodie[d] much of what Americans have felt was positive about the national experience. " Edison can put claim to 1093 US patents in addition to thousands more international patents. His works include such major contributions as advancements in telegraphy, the phonograph, a perfected nickel-iron-alkaline battery, and the first commercially successful incandescent lighting system. As shown by his many patents, Edison not only contributed innovative technologies to society, but he was also a successful entrepreneur. Edison's success with the incandescent light was not only one of his greatest achievements, but also one of man's greatest achievements. Edison began tinkering with the notion of incandescence in 1876 up to 1878, when he dedicated his efforts to produce an economical electric light. He combined both his stunning intellect with his spirit for hard work to produce some of the world's greatest inventions. Finally in 1879, after nearly four years of tedious work, Edison's first success came about with the use of a carbonized cotton thread. History of Thomas A. Edison Born on February 11, 1847 to Samuel and Nancy Edison, Thomas spent the first seven years of his life in Milan, Ohio, his place of birth. In 1854, opportunity took the Edison family to Port Huron, Michigan, a city twice the size of Milan. Edison's formal education ended after only three months of private schooling; he "responded poorly to the regimented atmosphere of the school," which caused some to see Edison as a "problem child. " However, Edison's mother, a former school teacher, began educating Thomas at home. Edison credits some of his creativity to his non-formal education, claiming that formal education, "cast 'the brain into a mould' and '[did] not encourage original thought or reasoning,' laying 'more stress on memory than on observation.' ". Early on, Nancy provided Edison with physical science and chemistry books, from which he would experiment. This set in motion Edison's interest and fascination with the scientific and inventive processes. At the age of twelve, Edison began his work as a railroad concessionist, selling newspapers and snacks on trains. During his breaks, Edison would experiment in the baggage cars, one of which he later set on fire. Edison's shift in career to telegraphy was a fortunate event for him. "One day he saved a boy's life and in gratitude the father taught Edison how to become a telegraph operator. " Later, Edison migrated to New York and found himself in a high paying job for having repaired a broken stock ticker machine during a financial crisis. In 1869, Edison swore to move from being a simple operator to a scientific inventor, and later, he sold an improved stock ticker, which allowed him to open a workshop in New Jersey to become a full-time inventor. "The laboratory was a forerunner of today's modern research facility, and itself was a great invention. " Here, Edison improved the typewriter, making it possible for the first time to type faster than could be written by hand. And in 1876, Edison moved to the famous Menlo Park in New Jersey, where one of his first inventions included an improved telephone with a carbon transmitter so people would no longer need to shout into the phone. Over the next six years, Edison and the Menlo Park team produced more than 400 patents. One such major invention includes the phonograph, Edison's personal favorite and "one of the most original inventions ever devised ", which he again later improved for commercial use. He was trying to find a way to record telegraph messages automatically with the application of a paraffin-coated paper tape, embossed by a stylus with dots and dashes. The tape made a similar sound to human speach, and so Edison attempted to connect a telephone diaphragm to the embossing needle. In his first demonstration, Edison recited "Mary Had A Little Lamb," which the phonograph was perfectly able to reproduce. With the ability to record, the phonograph led to the development of the music industry today. This invention earned Edison the nickname, "The Wizard of Menlo Park". While the Wizard's earliest hopes for the phonograph focused on education and business, Edison envisioned the phonograph as a "way to record books for blind people, to teach elocution, to record lectures, to preserve the voices of historically important people, to perform office dictation, to log telephone messages, and finally to record music. " He even imagined the application of the phonograph towards talking dolls and other toys.

Skills for Life Assessment and Learning Guidance Essay Example

Skills for Life Assessment and Learning Guidance Essay Example Skills for Life Assessment and Learning Guidance Essay Skills for Life Assessment and Learning Guidance Essay Please note that this content is based on the Skills for Life Assessment and Learning guidance booklet Initial and diagnostic assessment a learner-centered process. The original booklet can be found at: http://sflip.excellencegateway.org.uk/assessment/assessmentguidence.aspx. This adapted version is part of the Being functional resource which builds on effective practice to support the planning and delivery of functional skills. For more information, go to www.excellencegateway.org.uk/beingfunctional. What is an initial and diagnostic assessment? Initial and diagnostic assessment begins the process of getting to know learners and building a relationship with them. Initial assessment happens at the time of a learnerâ„ ¢s transition into a new learning programme. It is a holistic process, during which you and the learner start to build up a picture of their achievements, skills, interests, previous learning experiences and goals, and the learning needs associated with those goals. This information is used as a basis for negotiating a course or programme. Diagnostic assessment helps to identify specific learning strengths and needs. It determines learning targets and appropriate teaching and learning strategies to achieve them. This is important because many learners have higher-level skills in some areas than in others. Diagnostic assessment happens initially at the beginning of a learning programme and subsequently when the need arises. It is related to specific skills needed for tasks. The two processes are closely linked: diagnostic assessment adds to the information gathered from initial assessment. Together they help you and the learners to use this information in order to: * personalise learning; * develop individual learning plans; * begin the process of assessment for learning that will continue throughout the learnersâ„ ¢ programme; and * make links to progression routes and prepare for the next steps. A positive experience Initial and diagnostic assessment can be among learnersâ„ ¢ first experiences of your organisation and will influence their early impressions. If the experience is positive, active and involving, this will help to create a climate in which learners are able to negotiate and take responsibility for their learning. You can help make the experience positive for learners by: involving them â€Å" do the assessment with themâ„ ¢ not to themâ„ ¢; helping learners to take an active part will encourage motivation and independence; building their self-esteem and sense of self-worth; recognising their strengths and achievements, not just their weaknesses; linking initial and diagnostic assessment to their own aspirations, such as their career choices or aspects of their everyday lives; taking the opportunity to discuss issues such as cultural perceptions, learning difficulties or disabilities that might form barriers to success and lead to career stereotyping; using active listening skills to foster an atmosphere of mutual respect, build relationships with learners and make each learner feel valued; encouraging and establishing a level of trust so that issues for learning can be discussed openly, in context, and dealt with constructively; and making the assessment relevant to their specific context for learning, which will enhance their confidence and self-esteem. Initial and diagnostic assessment: methods and approaches Initial and diagnostic assessment should involve a range of methods and approaches, none of which is sufficient on its own. It is important to evaluate the quality of information obtained from particular methods. Once you have begun to get to know the learners and their learning preferences, you will be better able to select the appropriate assessment methods. The diagram below shows a range of possible methods. Adapted from The initial assessment toolkit (Key Skills Support Programme, 2007). Documents and records give evidence of achievements and include qualifications, records of achievement, references, non-academic certificates and awards. Self-assessment gives learners some idea of where their strengths and weaknesses lie. It is vital to take learnersâ„ ¢ own views into account and to make the most of this knowledge. Discussions and interviews allow teachers and learners to get to know each other. They also provide an excellent opportunity to feed back the results of other assessment methods and to probe more deeply. Assessment tools can play an important role in objective initial and diagnostic assessment of functional skills. Tools are also sometimes used to assess occupational skills and learning difficulties and/or disabilities. Structured group or individual activities during induction and early parts of the programme allow learners to apply specific skills. A free writing task, for example, gives a rounded picture of how someone actually writes. Such a task also helps to put learners at the centre of the assessment process because they can write about themselves and their interests. Observation gives a broader picture of the whole person and how they perform in a range of contexts. This will give insights into learnersâ„ ¢ strengths, how they work with others, how they think, how confident they are and how willing they are to ask for help. Try this: 1.Make the assessment relevant to learnersâ„ ¢ context and interests. This may mean planning activities or using assessment tools related to learnersâ„ ¢ vocational areas or everyday interests. Providing a context for the assessment helps the learners to see how skills can be transferred. 2.Gather information from activities that learners carry out in other parts of their programme. For example, you can: a.observe them on a work placement; b.use examples of their writing to assess their skills. 3.Select a blend of assessment methods to suit individual learners and their circumstances. Tools for assessing functional skills/Skills for Life Tools that have effectively supported the assessment of Skills for Life could be adapted to provide support for assessing functional English and functional mathematics and incorporate functional ICT. It is important that the following points are understood. Functional skills standards should be applied and adhered to. For more information on functional skills and the standards, go to www.qcda.gov.uk or the Ofqual website at www.ofqual.gov.uk/. It is important to recognise that the levelâ„ ¢ of a functional skill is determined by a combination of factors: familiarity of the situation or problem to the learners; independence of the learners in identifying and selecting the skills they will need, and in tackling the situation or problem; complexity of the situation or problem the learners are tackling; and technical demand of the skill required. Learners whose functional English, functional mathematics or functional ICT is being assessed should be able to: consider a problem or task; identify the functional skills (whether English, mathematics or ICT) that will help them to solve it; select from the range of skills in which they are competent (or know what help they need and who to ask); and apply their skills appropriately. Any terminology used should be consistent with that of functional skills (for example, LLNâ„ ¢ should be replaced with functional Englishâ„ ¢ and/or functional mathematicsâ„ ¢, as required). Assessment may highlight areas of individual support learners may need which could enable them to achieve goals and targets agreed as part of their individual learning plans. Initial assessment tools provide information about learnersâ„ ¢ current levels of functional skills, measured against national standards. They are useful in helping to match learners to an appropriate learning programme and in directing further, more in-depth, assessment. Diagnostic assessment materials assess all aspects of functional skills. There are also materials that can be used to explore whether learners would benefit from further assessment for specific learning difficulties (such as dyslexia). Specific diagnostic tasks should be selected and used at the start of a learning programme but also regularly throughout the programme to assess particular skills as further needs are identified. Diagnostic materials help you to discuss and agree with individual learners: learning targets for both consolidating existing skills and developing new ones; recommendations about how the learner will tackle new learning; and their own priorities: for example, skills needed at work. For details on functional skills standards and tools built specifically for the assessment of functional skills, see the Want to know moreâ„ ¢ section on page 8. Who carries out initial and diagnostic assessment What skills are needed Staff who carry out initial assessment are able to: understand the whole assessment process; present it to learners in a positive and constructive way; value and engage with learners; use a variety of approaches appropriate to individual learners and their context for learning; interpret results appropriately and give professional feedback to learners; recommend learning programmes; and refer learners for further expert assessment. In addition to the above, staff who carry out diagnostic assessment can also: use the outcomes to plan individual and group learning; and monitor progress. It is important that staff involved in initial and diagnostic assessment are well trained and able to use professional judgement. A team approach ensures consistency and reliability and increases staff confidence and skills. If tools are used as part of the assessment process, staff need to have training in using them effectively. Feedback from assessment Giving timely, constructive feedback to individuals is crucial to effective initial and diagnostic assessment. Try this: 1.Stress the positive. Always celebrate what learners have done well. This helps to build confidence. 2.Seek learnersâ„ ¢ views and value their contribution. This will help them to get better at assessing their own work, which is vital to their becoming independent learners. 3.Frame questions carefully and use prompts such as Would you like to say more about thatâ„ ¢. 4.Pause for a few seconds after questions have been posed or responses have been given, to encourage learners to carefully consider and expand on what they say or have said. 5.Be specific. Avoid generalisations such as There are a lot of inaccuraciesâ„ ¢ and instead focus on individual points which you can discuss with the learners. This will enable them to set their own individual short-term targets with guidance from assessment as evidence. 6.Focus on things learners can change, and avoid overloading them with too much feedback at once. 7.Look for ways forward together. Share ideas and explore solutions rather than always putting forward your own suggestions. 8.Agree what you will both do as a result. This could include agreeing new targets or planning learning opportunities. Feedback is not a one-way process. Invite learners to comment on what you do as well. Using the data from initial and diagnostic assessment For you and the learners Information from the initial and diagnostic assessment process should be used to develop individual learning goals and targets and to inform appropriate teaching and learning strategies and use of resources. It should be recorded in the individual learning plans, session plans and schemes of work. Effective use of assessment data: makes sure that planned learning is grounded in the learnersâ„ ¢ needs and priorities; avoids learners wasting time by going over old ground unnecessarily; and reduces the risk of learners being frustrated by tasks that are beyond them. Data should be shared with all staff supporting the learners so that all learning can be differentiated to take account of their strengths and needs. It is important that where learners are following vocational pathways, vocational and functional skills staff work together to plan learning in response to the findings from initial and diagnostic assessment. This ensures that learners have opportunities to develop functional skills in their vocational context. For managers and the organisation Good initial and diagnostic assessment make a significant contribution to the overall quality of provision by: ensuring that learners are on the right course or programme; maintaining motivation; and improving learnersâ„ ¢ achievement and progression. Your organisation should require you to record assessment results on the Management Information System (MIS). Assessment data should be collated and analysed to ensure that programmes offered are appropriate for learnersâ„ ¢ skills profiles. Key messages from the assessment data relating to particular programmes should be fed back to curriculum teams to inform the development of appropriate teaching and learning strategies, so that all learners are provided with suitable opportunities to develop and progress. How initial and diagnostic assessment fit in with other assessment processes Want to know more To find out more about functional skills: www.qcda.gov.uk For support with functional skills: www.fssupport.org/ Rethinking induction (cross-curricular): http://tlp.excellencegateway.org.uk/tlp/xcurricula/index.html Rethinking induction (Engineering): http://tlp.excellencegateway.org.uk/tlp/eng/resource/rethinkinginduc/index.html Motivational dialogue: http://tlp.excellencegateway.org.uk/tlp/personalisation/md/resource/#content.php Top tips introduction If you are a manager or teacher with responsibility for teaching and learning, the curriculum or quality assurance, using these booklets will support you in planning, implementing, monitoring and evaluating high-quality assessment practices for functional skills provision. Just as in other programmes, your assessment practices for functional skills need to align themselves to the needs of learners and to help deliverers to provide the best possible advice and feedback, so that the learners are able to develop English, mathematics and ICT skills and become more aware of their skills and how they select and use these skills to achieve their educational, employment and life goals. Everything we know about good assessment can be transferred to assessing functional skills. In particular, the assessment for learning principles, which encourage learners to take a role in their assessment as a way to develop awareness and independence, are very useful to functional skills managers and practi tioners. This resource allows you to benefit from best practice in assessment using lessons from assessment for learning. The following practical tips can be used to address particular issues or development needs in your organisation. The booklets contain key messages, checklists and flowcharts that can be adapted for a wide range of audiences and purposes, such as staff/team development, working with learners, guidance notes or handouts. The booklets can be used together to support improvement at each stage and type of learner assessment: initial, diagnostic, formative and summative. The Top Tips leaflets listed below offer some practical suggestions for getting the most out of the information and guidance contained in the accompanying booklets. 1.High-quality assessment processes â€Å" guidance for managers 2.Using skills checks 3.Initial and diagnostic assessment 4.Individual learning plans 5.Assessment for learning All the leaflets can be downloaded as Word documents and customised with your own logos and text to suit your individual purposes. Please note that in the resource Being functional, numbers 2, 3 and 5 accompany CPD activity 1: Assessment for learning and numbers 1 and 4 accompany CPD activity 3: Whole organisation approach. Initial and diagnostic assessment Top Tips â€Å" some practical suggestions For staff Use the leaflet as a staff development tool, together with the initial and diagnostic assessment checklist which can be downloaded from: http://sflip.excellencegateway.org.uk/assessment/assessmentresources.aspx Tailor this to your organisation to provide a focus on what is well-developed practice and practice that needs further development. The Feedback from assessmentâ„ ¢ section on page 5 provides an effective checklist for staff involved in assessing learners. This good-practice guidance applies to giving all feedback, and you could use it in staff training â€Å" perhaps using role play. Remember that functional skills focuses on how learners select and apply their skills in context. So ensure that your initial and diagnostic assessments look at how well, how confidently and how independently learners use their skills. Allow them to comment on their confidence and how well they feel they used their skills. For learners The information can be adapted for learners to explain the assessment processes that will happen, often during induction sessions. This will enable you to tailor the information to your own organisationâ„ ¢s assessment processes. For example, the information from page 1 may be adapted to speak directly to the learner: Initial and diagnostic assessment begin the process of getting to know you and working together. Initial assessment happens when you move onto a new learning programme and helps us to build up a picture of you and your skills, interests and achievements ¦ Ask learners to comment on their skills and confidence themselves, allowing you to note their speaking skills and self-awareness while promoting their ownership of their skills and of their learning. For managers You could adapt the Using the data from initial and diagnostic assessmentâ„ ¢ section on page 6 as a memo or notice to staff, particularly at key points during programmes. The information could be used to develop staff practice in effective information sharing and underline the importance of completing and reporting such data in an accurate and timely manner. It can also raise awareness of the importance of this information in enabling managers to make decisions and to monitor systems. The Information Mapping Action Plan, which can be downloaded from http://sflip.excellencegateway.org.uk/assessment/assessmentresources.aspx provides additional resources for identifying who needs what information from assessment processes and why. The visual representation of how initial and diagnostic assessment fit with other assessment processes (page 7) could be adapted to make a poster for display in staff workrooms and resource centres. Information For staff The text of the leaflet or relevant sections e.g. Initial and diagnostic assessment: methods and approachesâ„ ¢ on page 2, could be customised to your particular organisation so that staff involved in assessment have access to up-to-date and focused information about the processes in place. Changes to systems and processes (such as data collection or use of specific tools) can then be made easily and speedily. For learners Information about your vision to ensure a positive experience of assessment for learners could be adapted from the A positive experienceâ„ ¢ section on page 1. This could be used in course brochures and programme information for parents and learners to promote understanding and good practice. This could also be used in learner feedback, allowing you to judge how positive the experience has been for learners. For managers You could adapt information on approaches, tools and data management from the following sections: Initial and diagnostic assessment: methods and approachesâ„ ¢ (page 2); Tools for assessing functional skills/Skills for Life (page 3); and Using the data from initial and diagnostic assessmentâ„ ¢ (page 6). Use these sources to create a brief summary for managers to use with a range of audiences such as governors, inspectorate, programme funders and cross-organisation sharers of information (such as diploma consortia). Used together with information from other leaflets in the series, specifically High-quality assessment processes: guidance for managers, this could provide a comprehensive overview of assessment to support effective practice and disseminate these approaches more widely. Sections on Initial and diagnostic assessment: methods and approachesâ„ ¢(page 2) and Tools for assessing functional skills/Skills for Life (page 3) could be used to develop an audit and review process for assessment materials currently in use in your organisation. This could also include protocol for evaluating potential new materials and methods supported by a reflective cycle (which might include processes support by the IfL: www.ifl.ac.uk/cpd). Examples of key prompts: What Establish key definitions and main priorities. Agree on what this means to you and your organisation and identify both positives and negatives. So what Reflect on why this is important and the impact that it could have, both on your practice and, ultimately, on your learners. Now what Explore opportunities to improve and agree next steps. Record and reflect on the steps as you take them.

Cultural and Economic Forces in the Maintenance of Reproduction of Essay

Cultural and Economic Forces in the Maintenance of Reproduction of Social Inequality - Essay Example There is certainly the difference of social class due to economic differences. The wealthy and poor are discriminated not only by money but by their appearance and cloths also. The social class has mobility unlike racial stratification. For e.g. some maids may be working to support their studies and after which they will be working in higher paying and more skilled jobs which would take them to higher class socially. The maids and the hotel guests are two poles of different social class based on their economic conditions. The two groups have homogeneity within the group while great difference between the groups. Hence it is better explained by economic polarization of Esteban and Ray (As cited in Palacios-Gonzlez and Garca-Fernndez 1). The polarization differs from inequality in the sense that as the income increases the inequality decreases. The income is considered around the global mean while the polarization centers on many factors. As the polarization increases the social confli ct also increases (Mogues and Carter (4). It is true, though, that the different class of hotel maids put them at culturally disadvantaged position as well. They are excluded from high culture group and restricted in their cultural practices (Benett et al 268). It is to be noted here that the cultural capital alone is not sufficient to remove such class inequality, possession of social capital is necessary to give future generations advantages or being the high social class citizen. In other words the social class with economic capital provide transmission and reproduction of social advantages to next generation while lack of these results in exclusion from advantageous social class (Benett et al 268-269). Case 2- Minorities in the bus (William Harry Shipps) : The minorities including the black Americans had taken to travel en mass in particular buses and avoid those carrying predominantly white people. The racial and ethnic basis of social inequality still continues despite the abolition of slavery in USA. The Marxist view considers inequalities unacceptable though at the same time it finds these inevitable as consequences of unequal availability of cultural and economic capital. According to them the system allows uninterrupted access to strategic and basic resources to some people while restricting access of these to others. Moreover, different groups in social hierarchy are placed at various social distances in terms of cultural and other factors. This different access to opportunities is explained by a number of ideological explanation that not only maintain the social distances but also make these look normal and inevitable (Bartlett 199-200). As a result Marxist explain class as group's ability to own or access a good and that whe re blacks and other American minorities are still at disadvantage. The other reasons for persistence, of this social inequality, is non-mobility that makes racial categories inert for very long time compared to the social class categories. For e.g. blacks are considered as racially subordinate group when it comes to education and occupational opportunities. These opportunities overlook the individual qualities and

The Issue of Embodiment where Competing Sociological Positions have Essay

The Issue of Embodiment where Competing Sociological Positions have been Taken with Reference to Patriarchy, Gender, and Choice - Essay Example The issue of male dominance was not very relevant in a world that was primitive and full of physical dangers. In such a society, physical strength was considered to be important rather than intellect. It was only when the concept of safety and protection became orderly and came under the ambit of a written law that was enforced by a government that physical strength became less important. It could have been due to this that women became aware that they were not treated equally in many respects by the opposite sex. As mentioned earlier, the demand for the right to vote became one of the early expressions of dissent. The concept of male dominance appears in one of the basic psychological and social needs of human beings, namely religion. In Western religion, even the concept of God is based on masculinity. God is said to have told Adam that he had been created in the same image as the creator himself. â€Å"The god-head of this system was to be a male. This male god was endowed with a ll the creative abilities of man.† (Gardiner 2009).  The religious contention that man was created in God’s image may be one of the basic underlying factors that made a man believe that he is superior to women and hence has the right to control her. In later years, the church also played a role in this regard. â€Å"Towards 1000 A.D. the Roman Catholic Church in Europe took an increasingly negative and ambivalent stance towards women. Evil was seen to come to the world through women, women’s sexuality was seen as impure and priests were required to leave their wives and stay celibate.† (Mikkola 2005, p.6). The role of women in religion, the church, and the society was also severely curtailed during that time.  Ã‚  

Your Business Structure and Corporate Business Structures Essay

Your Business Structure and Corporate Business Structures - Essay Example The decisions made are made the sole persons. (Resnicoff, 2006) The owner of the business may hire staffs to manage the business on his/her behalf. Sole proprietorship is the most available business. The first advantage of sole proprietorship is that is simple to form. It does not require a lot of formalities to form it. One can start it any time without following or filling legal formalities. The second advantage is that it is simple to manage. The owner of the business may find it easy to manage the business on his own. This reduces complications and follow-ups. It is also easy for a sole proprietorship to be sold or passed from one generation to the other. (Resnicoff, 2006) Thirdly, sole proprietorship has the tax advantage. A tax imposed on the sole proprietorship is based on the personal income. This means that the tax liability is less as compared to other forms of business. It is also easy to terminate the business. The owner of the business can terminate the business at his will. No legal formalities are required to end the business. (Resnicoff, 2006) One of the setbacks of sole proprietorship is that it is difficult to raise money. Financing institutions and banks are reluctant to fund a sole proprietor. It is also difficult for a person to get the fund from the government institution. This is a form whereby the two or more people with a common goal get into an agreement to run a business. The persons contribute money, and the profit is shared according to the agreed ratio or the contribution ratio. (Welsh, 2000) This form of business has several advantages. One of them is that it is easy for the partners to raise capital. Through their contribution, the partners can raise a lot of money easily. With partnership, taxes are not on the whole partnership but to the individual partners income. This makes the partnership have a tax advantage. The third advantage is, with different partners involved in the

History of Educational Planning

History of Educational Planning Everyone plans. Ranging from individual to the government, each produces its own form of plans. The only difference however is the mode of planning, which could be different from government to government and individual to individual. The centralized form of government plans and executes most of its activities through top-down approach while the decentralized form of government does it the opposite way. Similarly, an individual plans its activities either mentally or writing manually on a piece of paper. All these statements state that plan exists everywhere. Educational planning, and I shall concentrate on this form of planning alone, is all about planning various forms of quantitative and qualitative educational reforms. It is into this context; Philip H. Coombs (1970) in his report What is Educational Planning? states that educational planning is concerned not only with where to go but with how to get there and by what best routes. In doing so, educational planning should be able to help see more clearly the specific objectives in question, the various options that are available for pursuing these objectives, and the likely implications of each (Ibid). Further adding to this statement, the Working Party Report of the UNESCO (1963) mentions that education planning should not be an isolated activity; in fact it must be undertaken in the framework of comprehensive development planning and must be viewed in the target context of all the steps required for effective educational development (UNESCO, 1963 as cited in Prakash, 2008 p.2). This statement from UNESCO also underpins the importance of educational planning in the overall development of a nation. The history of educational planning is not new; in fact it was more than 2,500 years ago the Spartans planned their education to fit their well-defined military, social and economic objectives (Coombs, 1970). Not only until 1923 AD, some 87 years ago, that the former Soviet Union structured a five-year education plan, which aimed at eradicating two-thirds illiterates during the plan period. However, in those periods the educational plans were used to be non-integrative; in the sense that educational activities were planned autonomously and that there was little or no linkages between education and other sectors. Since then, the pattern of integrative educational plans have been designed and developed in various nations. The comprehensive investment planning for education that incorporated nationwide capital planning for education is an effective example of the integrative plan that France developed in 1946 AD. However, it was not until the 1960s when educational planning became very popular in most of the countries, especially in the developing countries (UNESCO, 2003). These convictions strengthen the notion that planning in education has been seen as an extra step in eradicating various forms of deficiencies of a country, notwithstanding rich or the poor, democrats or the socialists. It is into this context I would look at the educational planning process from Communist countries like China and Democratic country like the United Kingdom and Republic of Korea and would reflect educational planning process of our nation, and in the end would suggest our position in regards to our educational planning. While talking about the United Kingdom I would only be exploring on England, not Scotland, Ireland and Wales. In England, it is the Department for Children, Schools and Families and the Department for Business, Innovation and skills that look at the education sector from the central level. At a local level, the local authorities take responsibility for implementing policy for public education and state schools. The local authorities meanwhile, comprise of three layers: each layer having its own sets of responsibilities. The first one is the parish level, the second one is the district level and the third one is the county level. Besides some governmental rules and regulations, these local authorities can plan various forms of educational activities in its jurisdictions. However, in the past it was not as easy as the education planning and financing in England were done on the basis of equity. Every school, wherever it is located, got the equal educational conditions in terms of facilities, qualifications of teachers, student activities and so on. The central level used to calculate Standard Spending Assessment (SSA) using the complex formula that determined the needs of the schools in terms of numbers. They then used to determine the amount of Revenue Support Grants for each local authority by taking account of the difference between SSA and the sum of non-domestic rates and Council Tax of a given local authority. It is only after mid-1990s that the Government of England reformed the structure of educational planning in the country. In doing so, the central level authorities set many norms and standards to the schools, and at the same time provided numerous devolutionary opportunities for the local authorities to improve its educational status. In England, there are certain areas where the central level plays a vital role in the educational planning of the country. The compulsory age of schooling is one of those areas. At present, the full-time education is compulsory for all children aged 5 to 16, which is decided by the central level in coordination with other departments. Free schooling up to certain years is another segments where the central decision matters the most but at the same time the central level provides autonomy to the local authorities to levy certain charges if it provides extra facilities like swimming, theatre visits and school trips to the students. In this regard, the local authorities have the option of planning various forms of activities in the schools without having to depend on the state for all finances. During time if schools develop it into specialist schools they get various forms of funds from the central level, which has extra motivated the schools. The number of students that schools enroll has now been directly linked to the amount of money schools receive. To counter balance the situation where schools would fraud the enrollment number, the central level authorities have given a unique ID to each student, which would be different for each student. Thus, it could be said that educational planning in England comprises of boundaries and beyond boundary is within the boundaries of central level norms and standards and sometimes even beyond the boundary that the local authorities can plan various level of educational activities. The development of schools into specialist schools is something that I have kept under the category of beyond boundary. The National Curriculum System is another area where the central level has set a standard for schools to reach and maintain. Under this system, there are 12 compulsory subjects that schools must teach; for others schools can decide on its own. Another area is the compulsion of attendance records of teachers and students in schools. The teacher recruitment process whereby each teacher needs to agree on nationally set School Teachers Pay and Condition Document is another area where central level authorities play a major role. Within this boundary, it is up to the local authorities to decide on its own. The Office for Standards in Education (Ofsted) publishes reports of the quality of education at each school. Failing to maintain standard results to schools being placed in special measures, which may include replacing the governing body and senior staff. All these state that planning in education in England, a mixture of both devolutionary and centralized approach, after mid 1990s was t he result of those reforms in education. The reforms in educational planning in the Republic of Korea happened recently. It is into the March of 2001 AD only that the Republic of Korea allowed schools to decide how to use the money allocated by provincial authorities. Earlier, schools had little or no voice in matter related to educational financing. Schools were seen and viewed as the places where students learn and teachers teach. The responsibility for financing was borne by the provinces of education under the belief that schools dont have adequate manpower and skills to do on its own. Those provinces also set up the school budget and administered the complete process of those budgets. They never trusted the morality of school administrators too. In this regard, those old plans could not reflect the specific requirements of each school. The reforms in education after 2001 AD has seen the Republic of Korea getting into the act of decentralization in every sector including education. Parents and teachers are getting more involved in the overall management of schools. The formation of School Council, a decision-making body of a school comprising of parents, teachers, and community leaders and a head teacher, is an example of those involvements. Similarly, the government of Republic of Korea introduced the new school-based financing system in order to increase the efficiency of school financing and guarantee the autonomy of each school in the process of planning and managing the school budget. The end result has seen provincial office of education allocate a kind of block grant except teacher salary to each school, considering the number of students, the location of school, and specific requirement of school. It has provided each school certain level of freedom in planning and managing school curriculum and budget, whic h could then be deliberated and monitored by School Council. All these efforts were made in order to better equip schools through decentralization and participatory planning approach. In China, education is a state-run system. It was in 1985 AD that the national government parted its responsibilities for basic education to the local governments. In doing so, it also created a nine-year compulsory schooling for all. However, in 2001 AD the Chinese government convened a working meeting on basic education, on which various forms of decision were made on the reform and development of Basic Education. The decision pointed out clearly that a management system under the leadership of the State Council, implemented by the local governments, managed at different levels and with stress on counties would be conducted for compulsory education in the rural areas. The meeting also felt the need for making governments at the county level responsible for planning the local education, and the allocation and use of the funds and the overall management of teachers. All these activities were realized to make county dominated management as accountable as possible for the development o f education. It also suggests that the Chinese Government, despite having state-run education system is trying to maximize the participation of local level actors in the development of education. Apart from the above-mentioned reforms, the Chinese government also reformed the management system of basic education. It was done to ensure that the most needy schools get the most priority. In doing so, the Chinese government divided schools into various categories; like rich and the poor, rural and urban based schools and so on. Both the central and the local governments increased the financial transfer payment towards the poor and most needy areas, and respective local governments also paid attention to strengthen their functions in increasing investment in rural education. This type of planning was intended to deepen the internal reform of schools and at the same time enhance the capability of schools in actively adapting to the changing needs of the society. Asides, the Chinese government took an extra step in educational planning when it introduced the non-standard education system in the country. By non-standard, it referred to network education, night school, university for workers, correspondence college, broadcasting and television school, self-study examination and training schools. This type of educational planning helped build a lifelong learning system in the country. Nepal started the structured planning process in 1956 AD. In doing so, Nepal already formulated numerous medium-term national plans ranging a period of 3 to 5 years. The currently running Ten-Year Implementation Plan (TYIP) is an example of those medium term national plans. In addition to those medium term plans, Nepal also started to develop periodic plans that were intended to incorporate education component for the development of national level education plan. As a result, the educational issues were looked into two forms: one in the macro level and the next into the micro level. In the macro level national plan like TYIP or the Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (PRSP), the respective ministries develop drafts of the sectoral plans and submit it to the Nepal Planning Commission (NPC), which then incorporate it into the national plan as specific chapters. In the case of education, it is the Ministry of Education that follows this procedure. As for micro level plan, the District Deve lopment Committee (DDC) under the guidance of NPC is responsible for preparing periodic plans for their respective districts. In doing so, DDCs are required to prepare district periodic plans on a participatory basis by covering all the development sectors including education. The District Education Offices (DEOs) meanwhile provide information and technical services to the DDCs while preparing the plan. These exercises show that, on one hand we are following the time-bound planning designs and at the same time, we are also trying to embed every development sector into each other to prepare a comprehensive macro and micro level plan. In reality, the preparation of District Education Plan (DEP) is a process through which the DEOs provide education related information and technical services to the DDCs when in time of preparing District Periodic Plans. In doing so, the DEOs follow certain procedural guidelines to identify the education related issues in the district, followed by prioritizing processes, budget allocation and monitoring mechanisms. Here, the DEO also take into account the local needs expressed in Village/Municipal Educational Plans (VEP/MEP) and also the School Improvement Plans (SIPs) and other local demands. Practically, it has been felt that there exist little or no relation at all in regards to the SIP, VEP/MEP and the DEPs. The unpublished report Best Practices of DEP (2007) from Dr. Pramod Bhatta also states this statement. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Education_in_England#Primary_and_Secondary_education http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Education_in_the_Peoples_Republic_of_China

The Pen :: Essays Papers

The Pen Mortality is a fact of life for everyone and has been since Creation. As humans, we have the intelligence to realize and understand this because we possess the ability to reason and to learn. This ability, when combined with the presence of Life that keeps us in existence, beckons us to secure the future in some way and for some reason(s). We need not only the chance at life beyond our own which comes with the birth of our children, but also to leave our own names, our own ideas and beliefs secured onto something more solid than the spoken word yet not as heavy as stone tablets. In the arid, desert climates this came in the form of parchment . In locations with more water and vegetation, it came from the papyrus plant. But in either climate, something was needed to stain the language onto this new device. That something was the first pen. The Dawn of Pen-kind As early as 2,800 years before Christ, the pen was beginning to appear as a writing implement in the world. Its first form was that of a dried reed, its tip cut at an angle so to create a line of ink instead of a blot. To write with it, simply dip the cut tip of the reed into an ink supply, then gently press the dipped tip against the paper . This was a simple means of writing that required raw materials ample in the environment. The degree of technology it used can be seen as only slightly higher than the scientific concept of the sharpened wedge (blade) used to cut an angle on the reed tip. The small effort needed to build a pen was far less than that of the ink needed. Nature grew the reed, humans merely plucked it from the ground and sliced off its bottom tip. During this period of Antiquity, the Egyptians had also constructed the Great Pyramids and the Sphinx. By no means was the pen as physically large and complex a creation as the wonders of the world, which were constructed with the sole purpose of being the final resting-place of the Pharaoh. However, the reed pen had a much more profound, a much greater effect on the world and the path our present-day history took. There are no records to indicate any one person or group as the inventors of the pen.

New Caledonia

There are two primary facts about New Caledonia that are particularly interesting and unique.   The first is that it was formally colonized by the French in 1864, and for the next four decades following, it served as a Penal Colony.   The prison of ‘New Caledonia’, which housed thousands of French felons, would serve until 1897 when the penal nature of the island ended (World Infozone, New Caledonia). In addition to its use as a penal colony, New Caledonia is also unique for its natural resources.   For a stretch during the prominence of Nickel, New Caledonia as the world’s fourth largest exporter of Nickel, experienced great economic growth (Australian Radio ABC.net, New Caledonia). However, as the world demand for nickel has declined, the economy has struggled to regain its previous levels of prosperity. II. The Penal Colony New Caledonia was settled by both Britain and France during the first half of the 19th century.   Eventually, by 1853, it was officially colonized by France, and has remained in France’s possession ever since (Virtual New Caledonia).   â€Å"New Caledonia was founded as a penal colony, and the first shiploads of convicts were shipped from France to New Caledonia in 1864† (Logan, Leanna, p.16, 2001).   The conditions of the four-month sail from France to the new colony were horrible, and the few that did survive ended up living in small makeshift huts.   They were responsible for all of the colony’s public works; they built churches, and carved roads out of the landscape (Logan at p.16). The most terrible of the convicts sent over were kept in dungeons, and were put to extreme hard labor.   They were beaten, and within twenty years of the colonies formalization as a French colony, the guillotine made its way to the colony (Logan at p.16).   The guillotine would be used with regularity once arriving, and during its first 21 years 80 people felt its blade (Logan at. 16). New Caledonia, in all, would house more than 21,000-22,000 convicts from France.   This number would end, as in 1898, Le Governor Feillet decided to close the flow of â€Å"The dirty water spigot†, as he termed it.   He eventually ended the delivery of prisoners to the island (Croixdusud.info, New-Caledonia).   Although the flow of prisoners stopped, the actual camps continued until 1922, when 2310 prisoners were still held in camps (Croixdusud.info, New-Caledonia). The prison colony created several problems during its operation, including the fact that the population was almost exclusively male.   In addition, the large influx of various felons meant that eventually, many would be released, and the nation became a dangerous haven of ex-convicts. III. Nickel as Export The mineral industry of New Caledonia is dominated by Nickel (Lyday, Travis Q., 1999).   The French government, who earned 60% of the New Caledonia share, initially dominated nickel production in the area, while Japanese led companies (10%) and New Caledonia (30%) shared the balance (Lyday, Travis Q., 1999). Although large for a Pacific Island, New Caledonia’s only true export of immense value is Nickel.   As such, the economy is highly dependant upon the market economy for the mineral.   There are several uses for Nickel, and the market has shown major changes since the 1960’s (Cranfield, Peter, 2006, p.2). The peaks of usage rates for the United States were in the 1960’s, which were the golden age of post war growth.   During this time, the world had a growth rate of 7% for Nickel use, and the economy of New Caledonia felt the influx of this wealth of demand (Cranfield, Peter, 2006, p.2).   However, in each of the decades to follow, the demand growth has dwindled to 2%, and it does not appear to be increasing again any time soon. The products created from Nickel range from: stainless steel (62%), non-ferrous alloys (15%), batteries (4%), playing (7%), alloy steels and foundry (5% each)   (Cranfield, Peter, 2006, p.3).   It is very likely that the creation of new demand for nickel, much like the world has seen with stainless steel, will be instrumental in maintaining the economy of the island nation.   At the moment, China accounts for all increases in the demand for nickel worldwide.   Other exports like coffee and tourism assist New Caledonia’s economy, but nickel will remain its staple. IV.   Facts and Conclusions New Caledonia, as of 2006, has a population of 230,000 people (BBC News, 2006).   The major languages are French, Melanesian and Polynesian Dialects.   The major religion is Christianity, and the monetary unit is the Pacific Franc (BBC News, 2006).   The head of state is the French president, although there is a sovereign leader in New Caledonia, which has spurred inconsistent rumblings of an independence movement. (BBC News, 2006)   The representatives are freely elected, although are very polarized along country lines. The media is considered free, and there are various radio stations that are private in nature (BBC News, 2006).   The country is gaining some rights independent of France, as French citizens have been refused the right to vote in the nation subject to residency requirements. (BBC News, 2006)   There are rumors that the nation will vote for its independence between 2014 and 2019 in a referendum. The two most interesting facts about New Caledonia may be its nickel productions amazing level of world contribution, and the fact that it was colonized by the French for the sole purpose of housing its prisoners.   Although much of the impact of the penal camps are now gone, nickel remains the driving force of the economy. Bibliography ABC Radio Australia, ABC.net, New Caledonia, 2005, . BBC News, Regions and Territories, New Caledonia, December 20, 2006, . Cranfield, Peter, The Nickel Industry – Long Term Drivers of Nickel Supply and Demand, October 2, 2006, < http://www.insg.org/docs/Mr_Cranfield_Oct06.pdf >. Croixdusud.info, New-Caledonia, History, . Logan, Leanne, Cole, Geert, Lonely Planet New Caledonia, Lonely Planet Publications 2004, 4th edition. Lyday, Travis Q., The Mineral Industry of New Caledonia, 1999, . â€Å"New Caledonia,† CIA World Fact Book (2001), < http://www.cia.gov>. Nicol, David, The Fundamentals of New Caledonia, Luath Press Ltd. Publishing 2002, copyright 2002. Virtual New Caledonia, Information and Stats on New Caledonia, . World Info Zone, New Caledonia Facts, Copyright World Info Zone 1997-2007, .      

Free Essays on Disarming

On September 11, 2002, we saw as a country what terrorists can do. It was the first time in my life; I had witness mass destruction in this country. The loss of so many human lives’s. People just trying to go to work, have a family, and make a living for themselves. On that day the people of this country gave up some of their freedom, and liberties that they took for granted. Because of this we saw President Bush focus his attention on Saddam Hussein. President Bush Believes that Saddam Hussein pursuit of weapons of mass destruction pose a grave danger, not only to his neighbors, but also to the United States. His regime aids, and protects terrorists, including members of Al Qaeda. He could decide secretly to provide weapons of mass destruction to terrorists to use against the Untied States. As of January 30, 2003, Eight European Leaders supported the disarming of Iraq. In a statement issue around the world, they express that more than ever in today’s world it is vital that we preserve unity, and cohesion. We know that success in the day-to-day battles against terrorism, and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction demands unwarering determination, and firm international cohesion on the part of all countries for which freedom is precious. On January 30 the U.N. Weapons inspectors have confirmed that Saddam Hussein long-term established pattern of deception, denial and non-compliance with U.N. Security Council resolutions is continuing. Also on January 30, 2003, President Bush Expressed his gratitude to the eight European Leaders, and to other who are supportive of his efforts to make certain that Saddam Hussein is disarmed. But Diplomatic efforts to find a peaceful solution to the problem of Iraq’s failure to get rid of it’s weapons of mass destruction will continue indefinitely, President Bush said. The President is hoping ‘ the pressure of the free world† would convince Saddam Hussein to relinquis... Free Essays on Disarming Free Essays on Disarming On September 11, 2002, we saw as a country what terrorists can do. It was the first time in my life; I had witness mass destruction in this country. The loss of so many human lives’s. People just trying to go to work, have a family, and make a living for themselves. On that day the people of this country gave up some of their freedom, and liberties that they took for granted. Because of this we saw President Bush focus his attention on Saddam Hussein. President Bush Believes that Saddam Hussein pursuit of weapons of mass destruction pose a grave danger, not only to his neighbors, but also to the United States. His regime aids, and protects terrorists, including members of Al Qaeda. He could decide secretly to provide weapons of mass destruction to terrorists to use against the Untied States. As of January 30, 2003, Eight European Leaders supported the disarming of Iraq. In a statement issue around the world, they express that more than ever in today’s world it is vital that we preserve unity, and cohesion. We know that success in the day-to-day battles against terrorism, and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction demands unwarering determination, and firm international cohesion on the part of all countries for which freedom is precious. On January 30 the U.N. Weapons inspectors have confirmed that Saddam Hussein long-term established pattern of deception, denial and non-compliance with U.N. Security Council resolutions is continuing. Also on January 30, 2003, President Bush Expressed his gratitude to the eight European Leaders, and to other who are supportive of his efforts to make certain that Saddam Hussein is disarmed. But Diplomatic efforts to find a peaceful solution to the problem of Iraq’s failure to get rid of it’s weapons of mass destruction will continue indefinitely, President Bush said. The President is hoping ‘ the pressure of the free world† would convince Saddam Hussein to relinquis...

Platos cave Essay Example

Platos cave Essay Example Platos cave Essay Platos cave Essay In the seventh book of The Republic, Plato, the Greek philosopher discusses the allegory of the cave in our situation of the understanding of the world around us. The allegory is presented as a story and then interpreted. Plato is talking about illusion and reality and how one is enlightened.` When a prisoner is freed and dragged up out from the cave into the sunlight, his eyes became painful and so blinded by the glare that he cannot be able to see anything at the moment. As his eyes adjust to the light, he will see darker shapes such as shadows, the reflections in the water and the objects around him. The last object he will be able to see is the sun. In time, he would learn to see the sun as the source that makes the seasons and the years, presides over all the things in the area and is in some way the cause of all the things that he has seen. Having seen the outside world, the prisoner remembered his companions in the cave and wants to return to share what he has seen. Upon his return to the cave, the freed man once again sits next with the prisoner. His eyesight readjusts to the dimly-lit cave and starts in telling them about what he has seen. His companions did not believe in his story instead they fear that to go outside would destroy their eyesight because they obs erved that the freed man cannot see well the shadows on the wall. They would kill if someone forces them to go outside. As Plato(517a) explains, Men would say of him that up he went and down he came without his eyes; and that it was better not even to think of ascending; and if any one tried to loose another   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   and lead him up to the light, let them only catch the offender, and they would put him to death. Plato calls the turning around of the soul when the eyes are turned from darkness to light. Though the soul has already power and learning capacity, it is the eyes that makes the movement of the soul into being knowledgeable, thus, it is the enlightenment process. At first, the shadows cast on the walls were assumed to be the reality and then the freed man saw the truth when he went outside the cave where there is the brilliant sun. In other words, one knows only a shadowy inner mental image of the real object. The real object cannot be immediately known until he came out from the dark into the sun to know what is reality by acquiring knowledge and reason. The cave has the following parts: chained prisoners, wall, fire, roadway and the exit. The prisoners are seated side by side facing the wall and their legs and necks are chained so that they cannot turn their head around. They can only see the wall which is in front of them. The prisoners represent the humanity who are just sitting around and not knowing the truth instead they assume that the shadows of the images cast by the objects are the real objects.The roadway is the elevated causeway that crosses through the cave and where different objects are carried across. It is situated between the prisoners and the fire. This is like a stage where the objects are carrried across and cast its shadows on the wall. The wall is like a screen where the shadows are reflected and the prisoners look and engage in naming the shapes. The fire is located behind and this gives some light in the cave. This represents the source of their limited knowledge about their world in the cave. The light that can be seen at the exit portion of the cave is the light from the sun. The exit means the departure from darkness into the light. The story of the cave relates closely to my own life by being afraid to accept some truths because of pain and disillusion. It is difficult to adjust and accept certain realities and truths in the world around us. But we must open our eyes to the real world and not stay in the dark. The story of the cave is a good paradigm for the image of the philosophic journey that all human beings are on because we are like the prisoners in the cave who isolate ourselves from the world, enjoying our projected images of ourselves and see only the distorted shadows in front of us. We are satisfied to live the lives this way. We are imprisoned without our knowing it. We are sometimes blind to the whole worlds beauty as well as the pain and horrors caused by war and poverty. We misinterpret the truths to coincide with what we believe. Our senses would refuse to accept what is eventually the truth. Some people are dragged up and forced to understand the relationship between illusion and reality. In time, these people would come to have genuine knowledge and reason that would be superior than the others. Yet, when they return to the prison, they would be the object of ridicule, disbelief and hostility.

Impact of stigma Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Impact of stigma - Essay Example They react in severely distorted manner, not because of their illness but because of the society's reaction towards their illness. The outlook of the patient changes once they witness their discrimination from rest of the individuals in the social circle. Symptomatic treatment could be alleviated by means of numerous measures encompassing medicines, exercises, physiotherapy, recreational means but the stigma linked with the mental illness may continue for complete life span (Corrigan, 2002). If not treated in a psychological manner, the stigma could culminate into a typecasting, disbelieve, terror or dodging behaviour and be able to pessimistically impact tracking down of treatment, job status and earnings, self-image and relations with those in the family and also with the society. Thus their personalities are projected as feeble willed and capricious. These features retreat patients from their close ones. Individuals with mental illness display an abnormal behaviour and distinguish ing socio-economic status. Education and awareness of parents could control the situation of the child to a greater extent. It is observed that in childhood years if appropriate and timely care is given symptoms could be diminished to a greater extent. ... On one hand they are being bothered about their disease and symptoms and on the other hand they are facing the misunderstandings about themselves, prevailing in their social circle. Accumulating these features provide them a feeling of being stripped off from numerous prospects that classify the excellence of life encompassing high-quality jobs, secure shelter, reasonable health care and association with a varied group of people (Corrigan, 2002). Research studies conducted to understand the impact of psychology, reveals that there are two kinds of stigma that a mentally ill patient views; self-stigma and social or public stigma. Public stigma finds its relation with the kind of cultural atmosphere of the individual. In some countries especially in Asian and African countries, stigma is not very imperative while in Islamic societies, stigma does not finds any place. In western world, public stigma is weighed extremely high. In western countries people have a great terror of being excl uded from their communities. The public stigma seizes the authority of the patient, i.e. the patient is thought to be highly irresponsible in all his/ her actions and pursuits. This takes away his individuality as all the decisions are taken by associates about him and the patient is deprived of taking any decision. Moreover, mentally ill individuals behave like a child due to lack of brain development. The brain of such individuals is just like a child that needs tremendous care, in certain cases they are pampered by those associated with the patient, further deteriorating their development (Lai, 2000). It is observed that people with physical disabilities are accepted in the social set-up as normal individual but those suffering with mental illness are not

Importance of Food Safety in Restaurants Research Paper

Importance of Food Safety in Restaurants - Research Paper Example Restaurant owners and managers should benchmark the famous example of Ray Kroc, the founder of McDonald when he canceled the license of a franchise restraint when he saw a fly. Such was his commitment to cleanliness and food safety. All restaurants should make food safety and cleanliness an integral part of their mission statements, rules and regulations and should also incorporate them into their training programs. Benefits: A good training program protects the customers from any harmful effects and so in the process, it protects the business venture. Trained employees will not just ensure food safety and cleanliness but they will also be efficient and productive. Apart from protecting the customers a good training also safeguards the health and safety of employees. Employee training also ensures their motivation and loyalty because training makes them feel that they are involved in the bigger picture. A training program also makes employees more customers driven. The point that should be of emphasis is that training should not be considered a short term solution. It should be considered a policy of continuous improvement and an ongoing process. So the new standards and techniques should be taught all the time to employees. Organizations should keep in touch with national and local organizations and authorities that specialize in food and restaurant safety and training programs. Last but not least is the fact that a good training program is a great tool to reinforce in customers a feeling that the organization cares about them and the environment they provide to them. This, in fact, is crucial in building long term relationships with them.