Principles of the Sda Health Message Essay Example for Free

Principles of the Sda Health Message Essay The Seventh Day Adventist religion has certain guidelines and principles on the health of their bodies and minds. The main focus of these principles can be broken into 8 main areas; The blessing of Exercise, The blessing of Water, The blessing of Sunlight, The blessing of Fresh Air, The blessing of Temperate, Drug-free, Stimulant-free Living, The blessing of Rest, The blessing of Nutritious Food and Trust in Divine Power. Each of these areas has separate ideas and guidelines on how to truly nurture your body and mind. Although these principles were introduced a long time ago most of them are still relevant for today’s lifestyles but like most things they do have weaknesses. The blessing of Exercise states that exercise is not merely an option, it is essential to maintaining both physical and mental health. Regular exercise has the benefits of increased energy, stress relief, healthier skin, more self-confidence, effective weight control, reduced depression and the risk of heart disease and cancer. Our bodies are designed to be active yet in today’s society we are moving less. Society’s lazy lifestyle has resulted in a rise in many medical conditions. Some conditions that result from inactivity include: heart disease, stroke, obesity, diabetes, ‘metabolic disorder’, and certain cancers. Proverbs 6:6-13 says â€Å"How long is the lazy man going to lie around? When is he ever going to get up? Ill just take a short nap, he says; Ill fold my hands and rest a while. But while he sleeps, poverty will attack him like an armed robber.† This verse is saying that useful activity tends to prosperity while inactivity and laziness tend to adversity. Christ himself set an example of physical activity. For most of his life he was engaged in manual labour and during his ministry he walked the roads of Palestine. Christians partake in exercise to keep their bodies healthy and reach their full potential as a creation of God, to serve him efficiently. In today’s society there are no weaknesses with the idea of exercise, it is still beneficial to our bodies to partake in exercise. Water is a vital fluid which without we would die. The human body is 75% water but it is constantly being lost through exhaling and perspiration. Drinking 6 – 8 glasses of pure water a day will aid in maintaining efficient, happy wellbeing. Water is often linked with purity. We use water to clean our bodies, cleanse our insides and to clean our conscience. Water is also used during Baptism in Christian religions because of its purity. A clean body inside and out and a clean conscience will lead to total health. The principle, The Blessing of Water is based not only on our body’s physical need for water but also the use of water to clean our body, soul, conscience and mind this is a key to full health. So let us come near to God with a sincere heart and a sure faith, with hearts that have been purified from a guilty conscience and with bodies washed with clean water (Hebrews 10:22 GNT). This quote focuses on the use of water for cleanliness of the physical body and the heart and conscience. Light is essential to life (Gen. 1:3). It powers the process that produces the nutrients that nourish and energize our bodies and that releases the oxygen we must have to live. Sunshine promotes health and healing. Every living thing in our world is dependent on sunlight. There are many proven health benefits one will receive from being exposed to regular sunlight. Some health benefits that sunlight can give us include lowers blood sugar and blood pressure, lowers cholesterol by converting it to vitamin D, increases red and white blood cells in the body, strengthens the immune system, helps calm nerves and increases adrenaline, destroys germs on the skin, increases circulation, helps eliminate pesticides and other chemicals from the body. The sun is an essential part of our life and that has not changed and will never change as we depend on it to live and keep us healthy. Sunlight does need to be in moderation especially in today’s society where skin cancer is very high. The most essential element to sustain life is oxygen. Without it we would die in a few minutes. Fresh air helps the immune system fight disease, rids the body of impurities and helps prevent problems such as fevers, colds and disease. An environment with impure air causes blood to carry less oxygen than is required for optimal function of cells. This tends to make a person less alert and responsive. Adults spend about 8-10 hours indoors at work and children 5-6 hours indoors at school instead of being outdoors in the fresh air. Dust collects on every surface and even as we get rid of it, the dust swirls around and makes its way into our respiratory system. As we cook food, occasionally we burn a meal or two and those fumes get inhaled also. Companies try to sell us products to ‘clean’ the air in our homes, but they add to the indoor air pollution. There is no substitute for fresh air. People living in small towns experience air which is fresher than those living in cities and therefore the benefits are even greater for them. This is because the air in large cities is polluted with smoke from factories and vehicles. More oxygen to the muscles reduces that lactic acid build-up in the muscles which leads to cramping. Ellen White once said The stomach, liver, lungs and brain are suffering for want of deep, full inspirations of air which would electrify the blood and impart to it a bright, lively colour, and which alone can keep it pure, and give tone and vigour to every part of the living machinery.. The only weakness of this idea in today’s society is the amount of air pollution we are faced with. We are not able to gain the full potential of this idea because of this pollution. The Blessing of a Temperate, Drug-free, Stimulant-free Living includes the use of any drugs even caffeine and alcohol as well as things that overstimulate our bodies like most technologies. The wise Christian will abstain from all that is harmful, using in moderation only that which is good. Drugs have saturated our society because they offer stimulation and release from stress and pain. Christians are surrounded with seductive invitations to use drugs. Even many popular, innocent-appearing beverages contain drugs – coffee, tea and colas etc all contain caffeine. Tobacco is another drug that is popular in society but tobacco in any form is a slow poison that has a harmful effect on physical, mental and moral powers. At first it affects are hardly noticeable. It excites and then paralyses the nerve, weakening and clouding the brain. Alcohol is a very popular drug in society today but some people do not understand that it is a drug and the effects it can have on the body. Since God communicates with us only through our minds, it is well to remember that alcohol adversely affects their every function. As the level of alcohol in the system rises, the drinker progresses through loss of coordination, confusion, disorientation, anaesthesia, coma and death. Drinking alcoholic beverages on a regular basis will eventually produce loss of memory, judgement and learning ability. Although the ideas behind this make sense and can improve health, in today’s busy society caffeine would have to be one of the highest used drugs. Proper rest is essential for health of body and mind. Periods of rest provide much needed quietness for communion with God: â€Å"Be still, and know that I am God† (Ps 46:10). God stressed our need for rest by setting aside the seventh day of the week as the day of rest (Ex 20:10). Rest is more than sleeping or ceasing our regular work. It involves the way we spend our leisure time. Weariness is not always caused by stress or by working too hard or too long. Our minds can be wearied by overstimulation though the media, sickness or various personal problems. Recreation is re-creation in the truest sense of the word. It strengthens, builds up and refreshes the mind and body. To life at its best, Christians should only pursue only those forms of recreation and entertainment that strengthen their bond with Christ and improve health. This is a much needed principle in today’s society but again it is unrealistic with such busy lifestyles. The blessing of nutritious foods was given to the first couple by the Creator with the ideal diet. â€Å"I have provided all kinds of grain and all kinds of fruit for you to eat† (Gen 1:29 GN). The diet God planned for us consisted of grains, fruits, nuts and vegetables. This diet offers the right nutritional ingredients to support optimum health. The Bible does not condemn the eating of clean animal products, but in the original diet God gave us did not include any flesh foods and this is why the Seventh Day Adventists try to follow a vegetarian diet. The vegetarian diet is the ideal, but sometimes we cannot always have the ideal. Those who wish to stay in optimum health will eat the best food they can obtain. The Seventh Day Adventist started the company Sanitarium which makes healthy, vegetarian food to help them to obtain the best foods they can. Another weakness of the original diet is that it can reduce the chance of your body to lack in proteins, calcium, vitamin B12, i ron and Zinc. Trusting in God means to rely on Him. You must surrender your will, your ideas, your desires and your future in to Gods hands. It takes a very special relationship to allow you to surrender so much. When we trust in god we look to Him for guidance, we look to Him when things go bad, we look to Him for help and we look at Him for love and strength. All God requires from us is to simply trust in Him. Trust in God can is the only way that we can overcome our fears and weakness. To trust in God we put all confidence into His character, ability and strength. We depend and have faith in Him; we believe He is who He says He is. There are no weakness when trusting in God the only thing that comes when trusting God is the strength to let him into your life and replaces feelings of insecurity and fear with those of love and compassion. We can trust in many things. None, however, offer the protection, the long term security, or benefit that trusting in God offers. Although these health messages are still spoken about and believed in they are not always, in today’s society, followed exactly. It is all well and good to think that these principles are a good idea but it is another thing to follow them. We have the mentality these days that yes something may be a good idea and you may believe in what it means and what it is doing but we still don’t do it. Times have changed and we are not ‘forced’ or expected to do things that people were once ‘scared’ of defying like attending church or following principles of their religion like these health principles. Although these messages are mainly still useful today they need to be put into practice to achieve any results. References Bible: Good News Translation. (1992). Ingleburn, NSW: The Bible society. Chamberlain, M. (1997). Cooranbong first town in Lake Macquarie: 1826-1996. Cooranbong: Michael Chamberlain. Health Systems Check,. (2012) Alcohol and Malnutrition. Health Effects of Alcohol Consumption. Retrieved on 25th May 2012 from http://www.healthchecksystems.com/alcohol.htm Hopp, J. (1984). Light for living part 1. Journal of Adventist Education. 40(4). Retrieved on 26th May 2012 from http://circle.adventist.org/files/jae/en/jae198446041714.pdf Parker, M. (2011). Christian Behaviour. Lecture presented to education students at Avondale College, Cooranbong, NSW. Sun Safety Alliance. (n.d.). The facts about getting too much sun. Skin Cancer. Retrieved 28th May 2012 from http://www.sunsafetyalliance.org/bare_facts.html

Communication In Intimate Relationships

Communication In Intimate Relationships What makes relationships successful? What kind of process do we go through to create an intimate relationship? What are some of the problems we encounter during them and how should we go about solving those issues? The questions above are some of the subjects I am going to tackle in this paper. Relationships can be very rewarding if the good outweighs the bad. The success in an intimate relationship depends highly upon effective communication. There is not only one specific way for couples to communicate, because each relationship is different. It is important to know good forms of communication to improve the quality our relationships. Date night is the movie I chose to compare my subject to a movie. In this movie, a couple is having After being in a relationship for three years, I feel as though my relationship with my boyfriend is fairly successful. What makes a relationship successful? In my opinion, the following are important qualities of an intimate relationship: Friendship, love, respect, compassion, and passion among others. Friendship is a good basis for any relationship. I dont believe a couple has to start from friendship, but from what I have seen, it is important for a friendship to develop. While spending a lot of time together, it is important to have similar likes and interests, as friends do, to keep the fire going. Love is an obvious importance to an intimate relationship, because it is needed to endure the hard times of a relationship, as well as the easy times. Compassion is necessary when a person in a relationship is having a hard time and needs support; it is very important for a couple to support each other. Respect is very important to me, because I expect a mutual respect between my boyf riend and I to keep our boundaries set, and to keep us both happy. Our thoughts and opinions are important to each other. Every relationship has its own priorities in which different values are more important, as Anderson explains in more complex terms: Personal predispositions of one person will interact with the intimacy displays of another to produce unique individual valences of the intimacy displays of their partner (52). The process to form a strong bond in a relationship takes a good amount of time. They differ couple to couple and take the different steps at different speeds. Floyd lists Mark Knapps model of relationship development as the following: initializing stage, experimenting stage, intensifying stage, integrating stage, and bonding stage. The initializing stage is meeting for the first time (342-345). After the initial meeting comes the experimenting stage, which is where two people get to know each other through conversation (such as figuring out what kind of music, movies, and activities someone likes.) Next is the intensifying stage, which is when two people go from just having occasional conversations, to being closer friends. The intensifying stage may also include hanging out in groups of friends or only with each other. The integrating stage is when other people start to notice your relationship and that commitment has developed. The last stage is bondage, which is when a relationsh ip is announced to everyone, and everyone acknowledges the two as a couple. My last experience with the model of relationship development was quick. I met my boyfriend and four days later, we started dating. We got to know each other quickly, because we spent a lot of the summer together, directly after meeting, and we had many common interests. The experimenting stage occurred quickly, and we became closer friends in our quickly started relationship. The intensifying and integrating stage came pretty much at the same time. Everyone knew that we liked each other and were in a relationship almost right away. Bondage for us was very natural and everyone accepted us as a couple, and still does. What are some ways to improve our relationships? Research says that for a satisfying relationship, there should be five positive behaviors for every one negative and that unsatisfying relationships have only one positive behavior for every negative (Floyd.) In my personal relationship, my time together with my boyfriend is focused on forming at least five of those positive behaviors. Most days, we have many more than five positive behaviors for every one negative behavior, and I believe that does directly correlate with happiness in our relationship. Sorgen, on her WebMD feature says Its the rare couple that doesnt, sooner or later, run into a few bumps in the road. According to Sorgen, to improve communication, couples should do the following: make time, set up rules, listen to each other, and make sure to argue in private if you cant keep your voice down. I feel like my relationship follows these guidelines. We make sure no matter how busy we are, we find time to spend together, an d talk subjects out, if we need to. If we do get into arguments, we have rules, so we dont become too mean. We also try our best to listen to each other whether we disagree or not, and we definitely dont make a scene in public. Personally, being sensitive to anothers emotions and feelings is important to do; that is a problem I have in my relationship. When he doesnt agree with what I am saying, he becomes rude. I am an emotional girl, and my feelings are hurt easily and he knows what to say to get me to stop talking. It would help us a lot if he would calm down when I get emotional, and talk calmly instead of getting angry. This would prevent us from saying words we dont mean. Sometimes, when I am emotional for a serious reason, he fails to take my emotions seriously, and says something to upset me more. Why do we become emotional when we do? The most common way in which emotions occur is when we sense, rightly or wrongly, that something that seriously affects our welfare, for bett er or worse, is happening or about to happen.. (Ekman 19.) Although my boyfriend may be somewhat emotionally insensitive, he does apologize afterwards if he hurts my feelings, which means a lot to me. Compromise is important in relationships also. It can never just be about one person, or it is a one-road relationship that is bound to fail. According to Floyd, its important to emphasize excitement and positivity, handle conflict constructively, have realistic expectations, and manage dialectical tensions (362-367.) For my boyfriend and I, we try to be spontaneous and do things out of the ordinary on a regular basis; that emphasizes excitement. Just like in Date Night, when Phil and Claire Foster have problems because of having the same every day routine, romantic relationships may have problems when things are the same every single day. When they are chased and almost killed after being mistaked for thieves when they took another couples reservations at a restaurant. After all the excitement of being chased and almost killed, their relationship was much better because they appreciated each other much more after all the excitement. A change in a mundane schedule sometimes can help to get away from relationship problems. We also try to thank each other for things that we do just to make each other happy, so that both of us know we appreciate what we do for one another; that emphasizes positivity. Handling conflict constructively is the most important, because there is conflict in every relationship that I have seen and if conflict isnt handled constructively, it could obviously lead to an unhealthy relationship. Realistic expectations help to keep order in a relationship. You cant expect a person to completely drop his/her life to be with another person. There has to be balance in the relationship for it to be fair. Managing dialectical tension is dealing with two opposite needs (Floyd 366). Another way to help a relationship is to accept the person for who they are and not to try to change who they are. You should love a person for who he/she is, and if you cant accept that person for who he/she is, you shouldnt be in a relationship with him/her (Sorgen). In this paper, I explained what makes a relationship successful, and what can be done to make a relationship better. Every couples relationship is different and there is not one way to go about handling a relationship, or its problems. Make sure you love, respect, and show care for the person you love, and try to understand each others opinions and beliefs, even if you dont exactly agree with your significant other. Work Cited Anderson, Peter A., et al. Progress In Communication Sciences Volume XIV. Stamford: Ablex, 1998. Print. Elkman, Paul. Emotions Revealed: Recognizing Faces and Feelings to Improve Communication. New York: Henry Holt, 2003. Print Floyd, Kory . Interpersonal Communication: The Whole Story. New York, McGraw Hill, 2009. Print. Levy, Shawn. Date Night. 20th Cetnury Fox, 2010. Sorgen, Carol. 7 Relationship Problems and How to Solve Them. WebMD. N.d. Web. 15, Oct. 2010.

Impact of Policies on Health and Social Care Setting

Impact of Policies on Health and Social Care Setting 2:1 Explain the implementation of national polices, legislation, regulations and codes of practice that are relevant to your work in the health and social care setting In my   place of work it imperative   that we follow the guide line,   I will be looking at national polices ,legislation ,regulations and codes of practice that was implement to help staff and health care provider to care and support our client . the safe guarding act look at provision to reform the law that associate with the care and support for adult also to support carers ,it provide polices that governor the health and social care setting   on how to safe guarding adult from harm and abuse or neglect, safe guarding mean protecting an adults right to live in safety .It is all about all different group of people and organisations working together to make sure abuse is stoop and prevent from happening to the vulnerable people in the society and if they are experience neglect that someone is aware of it and do something about it .it is of hotter most important that adult in the care setting is made to feel valve regarding their views and wishes. Valuing people identified so me of the situation facing people living with learning disabilities as poor coordinated service lack of choice for people with disability get insufficient support and help to care and support them self. Quality protect was introduced in 1988 as the governments main initiative to improve childrens social service. While applauding the attempt to improve services attention is drawn to four areas on which progress will depend better performance indicators, the extent and quality of research based evidence. The expansion of professionals social work training and user feedback and involvement. The first of the Quality protects objectives on promoting secure attachment is highlighted and the evidence for the current emphasis on adoption is considered. The article concludes that the extent of progress that is being made to help children and families in difficulty will need to be assessed by systematic research as well as by routine service performance indicators (2002) The Protection of Vulnerable Adults scheme was introduced by the Care Standards Act 2000. It aims to ensure that no one is allowed to work in the care sector if they have ever abused, neglected or otherwise harmed vulnerable adults in their care or placed them at risk.the Care standard Act was change to the Care act in 2014 Under the Care Act, local authorities have new functions. This is to make sure that people who live in their areas: Receive services that prevent their care needs from becoming more serious, or delay the impact of their needs Can get the information and advice they need to make good decisions about care and support Have a range of provision of high quality, appropriate services to choose from Provision for the Protection of Vulnerable Adults (POVA) scheme is made in Part 7 of the Care Standards Act 2000. At the heart of the POVA scheme is the POVA list. The POVA scheme will act like a workforce ban. From 26 July 2004, individuals should be referred to, and included on, the POVA list if they have abused, neglected or otherwise harmed vulnerable adults in their care or placed vulnerable adults in their care at risk of harm.People with dementia should expect support from workers who can confidently provide care which is tailored to their needs and interests, which minimizes stress and encourages independence and choice. This requires a higher level of understanding and of knowledge and skill, not only for the social care workers but also for those who provide practice supervision and management. To build the social care workforce needed to support the increasing number of older people with dementia, we must be creative in securing the most resource efficient workforce develo pment solutions that will have the greatest and most sustainable impact on social care practice. Underpinning this approach to workforce development is a commitment to the fundamental principles and standards of social care. The Code of Conduct provides a clear set of standards. It is essential to protect people who use health and care services, the public and others from harm. The code ensures you can:   Promote and uphold the privacy, dignity, rights, health and well being of people who use health and care services and their carers at all times.   Work in collaboration with your colleagues to ensure the delivery of high quality, safe and compassionate healthcare, care and support. Be sure of the standards your worker is expected to meet Check that your worker can fulfil the requirements of their role, behave correctly and do the right thing at all times Identify areas for continuing professional develop   The Code of Conduct describes how workers should behave.It states the standard of conduct expected of all healthcare support workers and adult social care workers in England. The code outlines the behaviours and attitudes that people who use care and support should expect from those workers signed up to it. The Code of Conduct is voluntary, but is seen as a sign of best practice.The Code of Conduct sets the standard of conduct expected of healthcare support workers and adult social care workers. It outlines the behaviour and attitudes that you should expect to experience from those workers signed up to the code. It helps them to provide safe, guaranteed care and support. The Code of Conduct is voluntary but it is seen as a sign of best practice. Guidance documents to help you understand or implement the Code of Conduct are also available. My duty as care worker is   to make sure that I treating my client with respect and dignity ,also treating them as individuals Respect your client confidentiality Maintain clear professional boundaries Inform my colleagues of changes Work with others as a team   Uphold and promote equality, diversity and inclusion. Working in   the health and social care sector I am learning new information about polices and procedure on how I am working and caring for my client I will carry out these polices by adhering to them by taking them in to account when I am working with the vulnerable client to sure they are treated with dignity and respect and feel value . (AC2.2) Explain how local policies and procedures can be developed in accordance with national policy requirements. Working in   the health care setting you will come across different policies and procedure that governor the health and social care setting   looking at safeguarding   and health and safety. .We have to develop   educational   program that all staff and volunteers have to under take   so they will have a better idea how to deal with them At the end of any training and group discussion, ask participants to complete a short quiz to show they have understood the information Make sure the training have information   about the policies and procedures, and where to access them, interduce them in   your induction   programs, or into your volunteer handbook if you have one. Create posters or process charts to post around the workplace to keep key messages firmly in mind Regularly upgrade in   policy or procedure in internal newsletters or at team meetings.Its important that staff and volunteers , new and existing member   understand the function of your policies and procedures, which is to create a safe and welcoming environment for everyone. Also have   section that outlines the details of the policy   who is responsible for actioning or implementing the policy, when it needs to be done by and which documents are needed to up date the policy. Also to inform new staff and volunteers that they will have to have a (DBS) disclosure and barring service before they are able to work with vulnerable individuals. The care standard act 2000 updated to care act 2014. There can be no secrets and no hiding place when it comes to exposing the abuse of vulnerable adults. The Governments White Paper, Modernising Social Services, published at the end of 1998, signalled our intention to provide better protection for individuals needing care and support.this is being taken up though the care standard act bill. Also The Data Protection Act controls how your personal information is used by organisations, businesses or the government. Everyone responsible for using data has to follow strict rules called data protection principles. They must make sure the information is: used fairly and lawfully. 2:3 Evaluate the impact of policy,legislation and codes of practice on your organisation policy and practice. Legislation and code of practice work together with my organisation policy to make sure that individuals are care for in accordance with the policy and procedure that governor the health and social care sector .There are numbers of principle that support the organisation policy like ,Equality act,safeguarding act,and human rights act 1998 . most health and social care setting will keep a watchful eye on the new laws and legislation to see when they are updated or change because if they are not aware that the policy as change they could be in breach of the legislation that governor their organisation and that could have serous effect on there business. In my   work environment, the code of practice ensures that the action of   professional comply with required company standards. This helps to identify and manage risks in order to ensure safety. A code of practice also helps to protect individuals with   quality services . Violating a code of practice in any profession may have legal consequences both for the organisation and the person preforming the act. So as we work in this sector we are reminded that our job is to support and care for our clients and safeguard them from harm and abuse. References https://www.reference.com/business-finance/meaning-code-practice-785df7315aefb2df access online 7/2/17 http://www.volunteer.vic.gov.au/manage-your-volunteers/policies-and-procedures/developing-policies-and-procedures 6/2/17 https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/194272/No_secrets access online 7/2/17 https://www.gov.uk/data-protection/the-data-protection-act access online 7/2/17 Hawort E et al (2010)Health ans social care   published by Pearson uk Rushton A, Dance C (2002)   http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/ access online 1/2/17 http://www.skillsforhealth.org.uk/standards/item/217-code-of-conduct access online 31/01/17 http://www.cqc.org.uk/content/safeguarding-people access online 1/02/17 http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ access online 31/01/17 http://www.mndassociation.org/ access online 1/2/17 http://www.agendani.com/community-care/ access online1/2/17 https://www.pointofcarefoundation.org.uk/?gclid=CO2CqPDm79ECFUq77Qod8sYEB w access online1/2/17 http://www.skillsforhealth.org.uk/standards/item/217-code-of-conduct access online 1/2/17 http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2000/14/pdfs/ukpga_20000014_en.pdf   access online1/2/17 http://www.fipo.org/docs/archive/csa.htm access online 1/2/17

Educational Productivity :: Teaching Education

Educational Productivity Educational productivity is the improvement of students outcomes with little or no additional financial resources, or a consistent level of student performance at a lower level of spending. Educational productivity is based on effectiveness. This is the linkage between student outcomes and the level and use of finacial resources in the schools. Production functions are concerned with how money is related to student learning and lifetime earnings. Other approaches are cost functions, data envelopment, and the impact of smaller class size on the student learning. Although there has been extensive research about educational productive functions, there are still many disagreement among researchers as to whether or not a statistical link can be found between student outcomes and money. However, it is agreed upon that the single largest expendidture in the public school system is teacher expenditure. Early production-function research, modeled on classical economic theory, tried to correlate a set of educational "inputs" to a single "output." Most of these studies were inconclusive. Because of the complexity of the schooling process and factors (like child poverty) outside schools' control, it has been difficult to isolate statistically significant one-to-one correlations between inputs and student learning. The most common outcomes measured in such studies are standardized test results, graduation rates, dropout rates, college attendance patterns, and labor-market outcomes. Inputs usually include per-pupil expenditures; student-teacher ratios; teacher education, experience, and salary; school facilities; and administrative factors (Lawrence Picus 1997). The most famous production-function study was the U.S. Department of Education's "Coleman Report." This massive survey of 600,000 students in 3,000 schools concluded that socioeconomic background influenced student success more than various school and teacher characteristics (Picus 1997). Another type of research was culminated in Eric Hanushek's 1989 study, which analyzed results of 187 production studies published during the previous 20 years. Using a simple vote-counting method to compare data, Hanushek found no systematic, positive relationship between student achievement and seven inputs. Hanushek's findings have been challenged by recent studies using more sophisticated research techniques. When Larry Hedges (1994) and associates reanalyzed Hanushek's syntheses using meta-analysis, they discovered that a $500 (roughly 10 percent) increase in average spending per pupil would significantly increase student achievement. Likewise, Faith Crampton's comprehensive analysis (1995) of inputs affecting achievement in New York State schools found that expenditures seemed to matter when they bought smaller classes and more experienced, highly educated teachers.

Bay Of Pigs :: American America History

Bay Of Pigs The story of the failed invasion of Cuba at the Bay of Pigs, which is located on the south coast of Cuba about 97 miles southeast of Havanna, was one of mismanagement, poor judgment, and stupidity ("Bay of Pigs" 378). The blame for the failed invasion falls directly on the CIA (Central Intelligence Agency) and a young president by the name of John F. Kennedy. The whole intention of the invasion was to assault communist Cuba and put an end to Fidel Castro. Ironically, thirty-nine years after the Bay of Pigs, Fidel Castro is still in power. First, it is necessary to look at why the invasion happened and then why it did not work. From the end of World War II until the mid-eighties, most Americans could agree that communism was the enemy. Communism wanted to destroy our way of life and corrupt the freest country in the world. Communism is an economic system in which one person or a group of people are in control. The main purpose of communism is to make the social and economic status of all individuals the same. It abolishes the inequalities in possession of property and distributes wealth equally to all. The main problem with this is that one person who is very wealthy can be stripped of most of his wealth so that another person can have more material goods and be his equal. The main reason for the Bay of Pigs attack on Cuba was the change to communism. On January 1, 1959, Cuban dictator Fulgencio Batista fled the country for the safety of the Dominican Republic (Goode, Stephen 75). Fidel Castro and his guerrilla warriors overthrew the old government dictated by Batista. During the next couple of weeks, Castro established a new government and on February 16, he was officially declared premier (Finkelstein, Norman H. 127). The United States accepted this new regime as a relief from the harsh, corrupt, and unpopular government of Batista. Soon after everything settled down, Castro and his men made a rapid move to change their political course. He announced his transformation to Marxism-Leninism and avowed his friendship with the Soviet Union (Goode, Stephen 75). These events upset the United States and there were concerns about Castro becoming too powerful. One reason was the friendship with the Soviet Union because Cuba was receiving armed forces to expan d and improve its army.

The Financial Cost of Technology in Education Essay -- essays papers

The Financial Cost of Technology in Education Think about how much it costs you or your family to keep up with the latest computer technology. Also think about about how much you pay at home for a high speed internet connection. Not to mention, the security, adware, and virus protection software you must purchase to ensure your computer keeps working properly. Consider how much it costs to outfit a single classroom with this technology, or even an entire school. Schools are still expected to provide books, pencils, and paper; however, they are now also expected to budget in computers, scientific calculators, and DVD players. Computers cost up to one thousand dollars a piece; scientific and graphing calculators cost around one hundred dollars a piece; in addition wiring the schools to accept this new technology can cost thousands. The cost to implement technology into our schools is enormous, tens of thousands per school, and millions per school system. In the 21st century, people are becoming more and more dependent on technology. We rely on computers and cell phones more than books and meeting people face-to-face. The internet is becoming a main source of information and communication. Schools, as the primary educational source, must then teach children at a young age how to use technology as an efficient and effective tool. In schools’ haste to update and modernize everything, many concerns are overlooked; most notably, the necessity of additional technology and the amount of time and money required for the new technology. In many instances, the cost of technology is far greater than the rewards. The Washington Post reported that D.C. public schools lost $25 million and five years on a failed project to insta... ...aste.† The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. May 23, 2004. News; Pg. 1A. Retrieved from Lexis Nexis Academic on 10/18/04. 6. Hare, Mary Gail. â€Å"School officials explain rising cost of programs; County must pay the bills for state, federal initiatives.† The Baltimore Sun. August 6, 2004 Friday CARROLL Edition. LOCAL, Pg. 5B. Retrieved from Lexis Nexis Academic on 10/18/04. 7. King, Wayne D. â€Å"Taxpayers don’t have to be strangled by the cost of technology in schools.† (1998) New Hampshire Business Review. Vol. 20 Issue 23, p9. Retrieved from MasterFILE on 10/18/04. 8. Fickes, Michael. â€Å"How much does technology really cost?† (May, 2004.) School Planning and Management. Vol. 43 Issue 5, Pg. 16. Retrieved from Ebsco on 10/18/04 9. â€Å"The Price is Wrong.† (Nov/Dec 1997) Learning journal. Vol. 26 Issue 3, pg. 7. Retrieved from Ebsco on 10/18/04

Best Buy Co., Inc. and Customer Centricity Essay

Best Buy Co. , Inc. is a specialty audio retail company that, through its unique marketing methods and willingness to risk and experiment, has expanded unto numerous subsidiaries across and among continents for providing consumer electronic products and services. It adopts the concept of customer centricity, in which a company’s efforts are designed to align their target and potential clients’ needs, wants, feelings, and behavioral patterns. Though they have incurred considerable challenges and losses along the way, Best Buy Co. , Inc. ’s journey to the business accomplishment has been one that has garnered them extensive experience and strong business disposition that has truly worked not only for their principle and processes but more importantly on their development. Marketing Case Study: Best Buy Co. , Inc. and Customer Centricity Best Buy’s Top Concern: Understanding of Consumer Behavior Best Buy Inc. , Co. has made it of great importance to center their business and marketing trade operations on better recognizing and identifying the how’s, why’s, and what’s behind their consumers’ approach dynamics to electronic retail purchasers. Philip Kotler defines consumer behavior as â€Å"the study of how individuals, groups, and organizations select, buy, use, and dispose of good, services, ideas, or experiences to satisfy their needs and wants† (Kotler, Keller, Ang, Leong, Tan, 2006, p. 179), which Best Buy has made their top priority through and through. With a humble beginning as â€Å"The Sound of Music† during the mid-nineteen sixties, Best Buy initially suffered a disaster blow which they quickly translated to building a sense of customer relations and, in every extent, better brand recall. As Store Service Manager Joe Brandt emphasized, â€Å"When the tornado hit, we decided to market to the community as a whole, and get electronics out there to everybody. We geared our selves up to win by understanding what consumers want in technology,†Ã¢â‚¬â€Best Buy has not only managed to turn the most unfortunate of circumstances into positive output, but they also exuded their willingness to identify who their consumers were, why they purchase from them, and what would make them happy (Author’s Last Name, Year, p. 139). During the steady growth through the mid-nineteen eighties, Best Buy wanted to keep the customer connection they have started. Thus, they broke away from traditional business sales by â€Å"eliminating commissioned sales representatives† (Author’s Last Name, Year, p. 139). Despite having experienced momentary financial woes, the company pushed through furthering circumstances. Amidst many adjustments, significant acquisitions of Geek Squad and Magnolia Audio and Video were made possible. Today, Best Buy is more equipped to depart from individual selling and is capable of providing better, wider, and more customer-focused services, from in-store, home, and office computer services needs. Focusing on the end-users, the development in understanding the various attributes the customers and clients led to the company’s five segment priority. This meant that discovering more about who their clients really are and how their clients shop for their electronics meant that in-store service processes could be further developed to suit their target consumers and those others in between who do get their electronics needs at Best Buy. The five segment priority not only gave them the opportunity for bettering customer service and knowledge, but also with customers’ and their respective segments as the focal point of all operations, personalization even in a the setting of business relations were made possible and sustainable. The process which Best Buy Inc. , Co. started and revolved centrally on different aspects for their customers, of which they were able to maintain through out and has been key their growth and success which translated to â€Å"1,172 stores, 140,000 employees, and $35. 9 billion in revenue† and world-wide business achievement and recognition (Author’s Last Name, Year, p. 139). Best Buy’s Journey through Customer Centricity With the employment of customer centricity as the company’s foremost business principle, Best Buy has learned many business lessons which they had to accept, adjust, balance, and realize as either forms in reward or drawback. The most obviously beneficial characteristic of customer centricity which provided Best Buy with a strong sustainable business advantage is its soaring customer relations. Creating an atmosphere wherein customers are not only comfortable but also confident that all their electronic needs and concerns shall be tended and answered in any Best Buy store. Through building individual customer rapport, Best Buy creates a business situation where brand retention, customer service, quality product, and service offering are all and more associated with their name and reputation. However, in considering the whole process of adaptation, the company underwent some difficulties. In the early-on stages that led to the principle acclimatization, Best Buy experienced an increase of expenses and a decline of profits when they decided to deviate slowly from doing business via sales representatives. Additionally, this move was critically queried by analysts, but more importantly, it was greatly identified and appreciated by the customers. As the market for consumer electronics slowed down, Best Buy continued to differentiate their style of business from the competition. Hence, risk was its key catalyst that brought success, though accompanied by some hardships. In creating the five-customer segment priority—Barry, the affluent professional, Jill, the soccer mom, Carrie and Buzz, early adopters, Ray, practical adopter, and Small business—Best Buy financially endeavored through the company’s vision of centering on the customer and were prepared to incur loses to better understand the inner-workings of their consumer. Within each segment, all had specific needs and features to which Best Buy fittingly offered solutions both product and service-wise. In the process of appreciating and grasping the purchasing techniques of their customers, Best Buy realized the need for financial pre-requisite that the adaptation entails to substantiate the processes and services to better fit the client, via the trialing of â€Å"lab† stores. These lab stores stood as an evidential gauge on who customers would receive, react, and respond to â€Å"product offerings, store designs and service offering targeted at each segment† (Author’s Last Name, Year, p. 140). In the transition of adopting, Best Buy computed costs up to $600,000 to qualify a specific store outlet as customer centric. However, it all paid off since it was positively acknowledged and received by its customers (relatively performing better, compared to the average chain counterpart). Thus, it spearheaded the formal integration of Customer Centricity throughout all its stores. With this, the identification of customer qualities had to be more specific, as they had fleetingly overlooked the differences between men and women as consumer electronics shoppers. Yet, with extensive research and tuning, consumer markets further distinguished their full potential was explored and utilized. Best Buy’s Pursuit to Accommodate Male and Female Market Shopping Qualities The constricting soccer mom segment seemed to limit the female market. â€Å"Research showed that women spend $68 billion on consumer electronics each year and influence 89 percent of all purchases. † This suggests that there is much potential for profits and improving female customer relations for Best Buy (Author Last Name, Year, p. 140). In addition to this, in terms of their shopping style, â€Å"men tend to be independent, whereas women tend to seek assistance while shopping for electronics† (McGraw-Hill Irwin, n. d. ). With these facts in hand, Best Buy opted to gear their processes even more to better answer the needs of their female market. Incorporating the customer assistant program was also premeditated and established for any and every query the customer has to bring â€Å"personal shopping to the next level† (McGraw-Hill Irwin, n. d. ). The personal shopping assistant not only facilitates the discussion of the clients’ electronic needs, but they also thoroughly explain key benefits on how and why certain electronic products would impact the lives of the customers, relating them on a personal level at each transaction, which favors the more dependent shopping style of women. Also, after broadening the Jill segment, Best Buy modified their in-store design for women, from color theme, lay-out, and displays of kitchen vignettes to packages, to house more appropriately their needs and thus, be more â€Å"female friendly† (McGraw-Hill Irwin, n. d. ). Best Buy Co. , Inc. truly adapted a system in which customer comes first, in every possible business and marketing scenario and circumstance. Through centricity, Best Buy elevated their brand and brand of service which put them in a class of their own, above from competition, beyond traditional marketing, and in the minds of their customers. References Kotler, P. , Keller, K. L. , Ang, S. H. , Leong, S. M. , Tan, C. T. (2006). Marketing Management: An Asian Perspective (Fourth Edition). Singapore: Prentice Hall. McGraw-Hill Irwin. (Producer). (n. d. ). Best Buy: Using Customer Centricity to Connect with Customers [Case Study Video]. Retrieved February 20, 2009 from http://www. mhhe. com/business/marketing/kerin9e/video/Ch05_BestBuy. swf. Last Name, First Initial (Author). (Year). Book Title. (Edition). New York: McGraw Hill Irvin.