Cooking and Food Safety Measures Essay

Q1 – Identify potential food safety hazards when preparing, serving, clearing away and storing food and drink. People can get sick if the food they eat has harmful chemicals or microorganisms. This is called food-borne illness. The goal of food safety is to prevent the hazards that cause food-borne illness or injury. Most of the hazards in food are things you cannot see, smell, or taste. – Physical hazard: Hard or soft objects in food that can cause injury. For example, broken glass, jewellery, staples and fingernails. – Chemical hazard: Poisonous substances that occur naturally or are added during food handling. For example, cleaning products and pest control chemicals. – Biological hazard: Germs that cannot be seen without microscope. For example, parasites, viruses and bacteria. ( Preparing: – While preparing food, food workers must remove watches, rings, bracelets, and all other jewelry on the arms or hands. – Using the same cloth for cleaning surfaces used for both raw, i. e. meat and poultry, and ready to eat foods – Physical contamination e. g. flies, jewellery, broken glass and equipment in bad condition. ( Storing: – Store raw meats at the bottom of the fridge to prevent meat juice dropping on the other food – Eggs will be stored under refrigeration in order to reduce the growth of Salmonella – No cleaning materials should be stored where they may come into contact with open food. – Dried foods will be decanted into seal-able containers in order to protect from physical and chemical contamination ( Serving: – Serving Ready-to-eat food (e. g. sliced fruit, cooked pizza, bread) without additional washing or cooking to remove microorganisms. – Must use utensils such as tongs, scoops, deli papers, or single-use gloves to keep from touching ready-to-eat foods. – You place food and drink within easy reach of the individual – You serve food and drink with the appropriate utensils and in a hygienic manner ( Cleaning away: – Food-contact surfaces should be washed, rinsed, and sanitized after each use. – Scrape excess food into a rubbish bin – Leave dishes and cooking utensils to air-dry or wipe with clean dry cloth. – Rinse in clean hot water – Encourage individuals to wash their hands and clean themselves. Q2 – Explain the importance of implementing food safety measures when providing food and drink individuals. Every day people all over the world get sick from the food they eat. This sickness is called food-borne disease and is caused by dangerous microorganisms or chemicals. The importance of implementing food safety measures when handling food and drink is to keep children and young people safe from food-borne illnesses. Q3 – Explain why personal protective clothing should be used when handling food and drink. Personal protective clothing should be used to protect the wearer from specific hazards of a hazardous substance. – PPE includes gloves, respiratory protection, eye protection, and protective clothing. – You should always wear gloves to minimize the chance of bacteria entering the food from unclean hands. – Gloves must be changed each time you do a different task, e. g. preparing sandwiches then going into walk in cooler-touching different contaminated surfaces. – Aprons and chef jackets are a great way to prevent any of your clothing from contaminating the food. – Hairnets and hats are used to prevent hairs from entering food and drink. Q4 – Explain why surfaces, utensils and equipment must be cleaned before beginning a new task. Surfaces, utensils and equipment must be cleaned before beginning a new task to prevent cross-contamination. Cross-contamination is one of the most common causes of food poisoning. It happens when harmful bacteria are spread onto food from other food, surfaces, hands, utensils or equipment. Q5 – Explain the importance of clearing and disposing of food waste promptly and safely. Food waste must be disposed of on a regular basis. This helps to prevent cross contamination. Pests such as flies and insects love leftovers. There is also the added risk of attracting mice and rats. – Food waste and other refuse must not be allowed to left in food rooms, except so far as is unavoidable during the business operation. – It is good practice to remove all waste from the food room at the end of the day. – Food waste and other refuse must be deposited in closable containers. These containers must be of an appropriate construction, kept in sound condition, and where necessary be easy to clean and disinfect. – Adequate provision must be made for the removal and storage of food waste and other refuse. – Refuse stores must be designed and managed in such a way as to enable them to be kept clean, and to protect against access by pests, and against contamination of food, drinking water, equipment or premises. – Refuse should be removed frequently and, depending on the size and type of business more than one collection/removal per week may be required. – Storage facilities must be kept in a clean condition and the waste must be protected from rodents or birds. Q6 – Explain the importance of storing different types of food and drink safely. The importance of storing different types of food and drink safely is to avoid cross contamination and ensure a good rotation of stock. In the UK we end up throwing away 8. 3 million tonnes of food and drink every year and most of this could have been eaten. There are simple things you can do to reduce waste – to try to make sure you don’t buy or cook more food than you want to eat. Some food needs to be kept in the fridge to help stop bacteria from growing on it, such as food with a ‘use by’ date, cooked food and ready-to-eat food such as desserts and cooked meats. – Keep food covered to protect it from contamination from raw foods and physical objects – Always store â€Å"cooked† food above â€Å"raw† meat in the refrigerator this will eliminate the risk of contamination from bacteria and meat juice spillage to other foods. – Do not store food in open cans because when a can has been opened and the food is open to the air, the tin from the can might transfer more quickly to the can’s contents. – Do not overstock the refrigerator, as this will affect the airflow around the food. You can keep food safely in the freezer as long as it has stayed frozen the whole time; however, the taste and texture of food changes if it’s frozen for too long. It should be all right to freeze most raw or cooked foods. – Freeze it before the ‘use by’ date – Follow any freezing or thawing instructions on the label – Defrost it in the fridge so that it doesn’t get too warm. – Ensure food is thoroughly defrosted before cooking food Many types of food don’t need to be kept in the fridge to keep them safe to eat, for example dry foods such as rice, pasta and flour, many types of drinks, tinned foods, and unopened jars. But it’s still important to take care how you store them. – Try to keep food in sealed bags or containers. This helps to keep them fresh and stops anything falling into the food by accident. – Don’t store food or drinks near cleaning products or other chemicals. – Don’t store food on the floor, because this can encourage mice, ants and other pests. – Remember that some types of food might need to be kept in the fridge once you’ve opened them – follow any storage instructions on the label. Task 2 Q1 – Identify sources of information about food safety. – Food Safety Education – Food safety training – Research and development Q2 – Describe how to access and support about own role in maintaining food safety when providing food and drink for individuals. – Talking to teacher or leader of placement – Listen and take notes – Making posters. Bibliography ( Notes (http://www. who. int/foodsafety/publications/consumer/manual_keys. pdf ( http://web. princeton. edu/sites/ehs/hazardcommguide/3. htm (http://www. caerphilly. gov. uk/Pdf/Environment_Planning/HACCP-self-help-guidance-pack-for-caterers. pdf.

How to Write an Sop for Grad School

HOW TO WRITE A WINNING STATEMENT OF PURPOSE FOR A GRADUATE SCHOOL Compiled by Shoukat Iqbal Khattak Faculty Member Bahria University of Management Sciences-Karachi campus E-mail:shoukat. [email  protected] edu. pk Developed & Created by Anthony O. Okobi using: STATEMENT OF PURPOSE Table of Content 1. Introduction:What, Why and How of Statement of Purpose. 2. Stage I: Do your Homework 3. Stage II:Reflect and Brainstorm (on paper) 4. Stage III:Outline your Statement of Purpose 5. Stage IV:Write Draft of Statement of Purpose 6. Stage V:Ask for Critique, Revise and Edit . Example:Sample Statement of Purpose Introduction A written statement of purpose is a standard requirement for graduate school admission. It is a tool for the faculty on graduate school admissions committees to assess the knowledge, experience, motivation, intellectual maturity and readiness of applicants to pursue graduate education at their institution. The statement of purpose is a crucial component of the graduate school admissions process. It can determine whether an applicant is accepted or rejected, irrespective of their other qualifications.This document outlines the 5 stages that a graduate school applicant should go through in order to write an impressive and successful statement of purpose. Stage I: Do your Homework 1. Browse through the websites of the schools/departments/programs of interest to you. Obtain brochures and booklets and read through them carefully. Highlight the aspects of the programs that appeal to you. 2. Read up on the research interests and projects of the faculty in the schools/departments/programs. Read publications from a faculty of interest. 3.Browse through recent articles from the research field of interest and try to get a general understanding of how the field developed and what are its current problems and challenges. Stage II: Reflect and Brainstorm (on paper) 1. Reflect on your intellectual development. †¢ What and when were the major moments in your life that have led you to your current research interest(s) and school/department/program? †¢ What or who influenced your decision or interest (i. e. role models)? †¢ What quality about them appealed to you? 2. Why did you choose your research topic(s)/field/school? . Why did you choose your undergraduate major? 4. What are your career goals? †¢ Where do you see yourself in 10 years? †¢ What do you hope to accomplish? †¢ What drives you? What motivates you? Stage III: Outline your Statement of Purpose 1. From the results of Stage II, determine a central theme/topic that stands out or dominates your reflections and brainstorm. 2. Using bullet points and brief comments/statements, organize your reflections and brainstorm ideas that strengthen the central theme/topic of your statement of purpose. Concentrate on your life experiences and give specific examples. †¢ Put down only those things that excite you. †¢ Do not make things up! 3. Your outline sh ould cover these areas and, preferably, in this order: †¢ What aspects of the school/department/program appeals to you? †¢ What are your research interest(s)? †¢ How did you become interested in your current research topic/area? †¢ How did you prepare or are preparing to address the issues in this research area/topic (i. e. research experiences, courses, etc. )? †¢ What are your future goals for graduate school (i. e. Ph. D. )? What are your career goals (i. e. professorship)? †¢ What characteristics of the school/department/program can help you accomplish your goals? †¢ What positive aspects do you bring to the school/department/program? Stage IV: Write Draft of Statement of Purpose 1. When writing your statement of purpose: †¢ Always use positive language when referring to yourself. †¢ Give detailed, but concise examples. †¢ Use transition words, sentences and paragraphs. Your statement must read smoothly. †¢ Skip a line after each paragraph. †¢ Refrain from starting neighboring paragraphs the same way. Avoid using vocabulary that you do not know. †¢ Refrain from repeating yourself. †¢ Have strong opening and closing paragraph. †¢ Stay within the 2 – 3 page limit! †¢ Thank the admissions committee for their time at the end of your statement of purpose. Stage V: Ask for Critique, Revise and Edit 1. When you are finished with your draft statement of purpose, read it out loud to yourself and make corrections. 2. Ask friends, colleagues and professors to read your edited draft. Taking their comments into consideration, revise and edit your draft. EXAMPLECourtesy of copyright  © 2012 Study Mode, Inc. The following is a shortened sample SOP (with technical details removed. ) Expert comments at the end of the paragraphs point out important features. After one year's work experience as a research technician at  [redacted], one of the US's leading research institutes, I want to return to academic study and undertake graduate studies in Cell Biology and Molecular Genetics at the University of  [redacted]. 1. Stating what you are doing now and what you are applying for is a simple, direct way of starting an SOP.After graduating with a first class degree from  [redacted], University of  [redacted], I felt I should gain some practical experience working in a research environment to gain first-hand knowledge of what the life of a research scientist entails. I have loved every minute of my work: especially the opportunity to participate in cutting-edge projects and discuss ideas with senior biologists. I soon realized that, although I enjoy handling the complex equipment and processing the results, I am not going to be satisfied with carrying out routine procedures under the direction of others.I want to be part of the team that directs the course of the project. My senior colleagues have encouraged my ambition and feel that I have the potential for gradu ate studies. 2. Notice how the student tries to analyze the reasons for her choices. My love of biology started in high school. We had a young and enthusiastic teacher, Mrs. [redacted], who took us on field trips and visits. She made sure we did as much practical work as was feasible, and demonstrated experiments that we hadn't the equipment or time to do ourselves. She also encouraged us to read.I remember the impact reading Maynard Smith's  The Theory of Evolution  had on me: I wanted to be able to explain such important ideas as clearly as he did. Quite naturally my first thoughts about a future career tended towards teaching – I wanted to be another Mrs. [redacted]. 3. It is good to explain how you became interested in your subject. However, don't go too far back! Notice that a specific example helps create interest. At undergraduate level, my interests became more focused. Although physiology and ecology came easy to me, it was biochemistry and cell biology that real ly captured my interest.We were fortunate to have good laboratories and excellent professors. I found that cell biology was an interdisciplinary undertaking: today you need a foundation in chemistry, physics and even IT to be at the forefront in this subject. This interdisciplinary aspect of the subject suits my abilities well. I have always performed well in all science subjects and find it challenging to apply the knowledge to practical problems. For this reason I chose to undertake a project in my final year on the behavior of protein molecules in high energy fields at  [redacted].The scientists at [redacted]  were impressed with my practical skills and were happy to give me a recommendation that led to my present job. 4. Details of courses and projects help to show focus. (This student went on to describe another important college project. She also gave a full description of her current scientific work. ) Many people have asked me why I did not proceed directly to graduate s tudies after graduating. The answer is that I wanted to make sure that I had chosen the right subject and the right place before embarking on a course of study that would involve many years of my life.The one-year gap has also given me time to work with the local Natural History Society: we take families on Sunday trips to the nearby National Park to help create awareness about environmental issues. I have also been a member and organizer of the  [redacted]  Film Society: we watch and discuss films from all over the world. I am looking forward to furthering my interest in film in the  [redacted]  Film club, at your university, and I also hope to use my passion for teaching in the  [redacted] Social Outreach program. . Explain the reasons for any unusual features of your career (taking a year out, poor performance, etc. ). Include social and extracurricular activities to show balance in your life or because they are relevant to the course. In selecting the University of   [redacted],  I have been influenced by the way your research program addresses biological questions at the levels of molecule, gene and cell. I am particularly looking forward to such courses as Developmental Biology and Bioinformatics.I am also excited to interact with Professors  [redacted]  and  [redacted]  whose work is closest to what I want to pursue for the original research component of the MS degree. I have been corresponding with  [redacted], a current student, from whom I have learned about the collaborative environment at  [redacted]  where I will interact with talented students, teachers and industry professionals. I believe that I will be able to contribute to and learn from the academically challenging environment at the University of  [redacted]. 6. Try to show that you are fully familiar with the course you are applying for.

Professional Career Action Plan Essay

When I first started out going to school after college I thought that I wanted to be a teacher and so right after high school I started going to school to be an elementary teacher. I quit school because I wanted to move out of my parent’s house and be on my own so I got a full time job. After I moved and got stable I went back to get my early elementary degree. After about a year and a half I got pregnant and had my son and couldn’t go to class in the morning after being up all night with a toddler and then to work so I quit school again until my son got older. My son was able to start school when he was two so I decided to go back to school and get my educational degree. As I was going to school I was also volunteering at my son’s school and that is when I decided I really didn’t want to be a teacher and I was undecided what I wanted to do and I knew I was wasting my money and time going to school so I quit once again. I got a job at a temp agency working for the temp sending people on assignments and after a year the company decided they were going to close the company in my location but my supervisor got me a job at Advanced Radiology Services doing data entry putting in codes in the system. After a few years I realized that I really like being in the health care field and wanted a career in it and I tried to move up doing different jobs in the field but I realized that in order to really move up and eventually become a director I would need a degree so I decided to get my degree in Healthcare Management so I went back to school, this time determined to make it work. My Job in the Health Care sector In the health care sector my career job is to be the Director of the billing department of a health care facility. As a director my job would be to work with a team or staff to establish and maintain the skills which are necessary for the facility. I would need to display a personal commitment and courage and in doing that I will be keeping the staff working as a team. I would be developing as well as improve the performance of myself as well as my staff and I will need to do this through training, coaching and feedback. In order to achieve this I would have to further my education by obtaining a baccalaureate degree in a health related area and have experience in an allied health field. (eHow 2013) I have worked in the health care field for over ten years and have done billing front end and  back end, customer service, demographic edits, payment poster, and issue refunds. I have also trained new and current employees and served as a lead. I also have my schooling that can qualify me for the director position. Although I have all of this I feel I would still need to get certified in and get my dual certificate in CPAT and CCAT and what this is the CPAT is designed for people who work on the hospital side of patient accounting and the CCAT is for people who work on the clinical/physician side. Having this certification will help keep me in pace with the industry and also will allow me to gain recognition by the industry by letting me get the job or a promotion that I would want. (illinoisaaham 2013) I also would need to get a Master’s degree in a health management related field. I feel that I need this degree so I can learn more on being a director and learn more on directing a facility. Achieving my professional Goal The steps that I will need to do in order to achieve my professional goal are to continue to go to school and receive my master’s degree in Master of Health Administration with a Concentration in Sustainability Management. Obtaining this degree I feel will be a benefit for me in my role as Director. I also plan on taking getting my certification in CCAT and CPAT. I also feel that before I can achieve this I will need to be a supervisor and manager for a few years so I can have a better understanding of leadership roles. Being a supervisor is the start of being a manager and then a director those are the steps that I will have to take in order to achieve my goal of being a Director. I am now employed at Spectrum Health Hospital and I feel that I can go far in this organization and eventually be a director for this organization. This organization will help me get the certification that is need because it is something that they off and also will allow me to go to school and furth er my education. If I get the certification and the degree that is required then I will be able to get a job as a director at any health care facility or organization. With the career action plan that I have done I feel this will help keep me grounded and on track with the steps I need to obtain in order to achieve my goal. Completing a goal maybe harder than it seems but if you have steps in place that will help keep you focused you can get through your goal and you will want to achieve higher goals in the process. This is a step by step process  and may not happen overnight but with dedication and hard work you can successfully complete the goal you set out to achieve. References American Association of Healthcare Administrative Management AAHAM Retrieved from http://www.aaham.org/Certification/CPATCCAT/tabid/90/Default.aspx CPAT/CCAT Frequently Asked Questions Retrieved from http://www.illinoisaaham.com/images/Technical_Certification_FAQs.pdf Edwards T, Job Description of a Health Director eHow Retrieved from http://www.ehow.com/about_5347304_job-description-health-director.html Setting goals and objectives Retrieved from http://www.time-management-guide.com/goals-and-objectives.html

Tax law Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Tax law - Coursework Example This paper will look at four different examples of taxes and explain these examples using scenarios (Amatucci, GonzaÃŒ lez, Trzaskalik and Amatucci 2006). The tax imposed on Brain’s family home and shop is classified as a capital gain tax. This is because the price at which he sold it was higher than the price in which he bought it plus all the commissions and the improvement cost. There is also the net rate of appreciation. He bought the empty premises ten years ago at 750 thousand dollars and started his business. He sold it at 1,880,000 dollars. The tax imposed here will be nominal based which implies that it will not change with inflation rates. Brain’s property will be taxed as a long-term capital gain since he has owned the property and business for over one year. The shop and land will be taxed at 15% to 20%. The trading stock, goodwill, and fittings may be exempted from taxation since they are long term gains acquired and are below the 20 percent mark of the total amount. Since Brain is married, and his wife has a 5% ownership in the company where Brain 45% and is worth 5.4 million dollars, the couple will be excluded a tax of up to 540 thousand dollars. The 20 thousand dollars, he received for signing an agreement of not establishing a business in a 10 kilometer radius of the property he sold, will not also be taxed. However, he has to stick to the agreement for five years to avoid a penalty on him. The tax imposed on income from property is either capital on general principles or income. In George’s case, the sale of trees at a cost of 20 dollars for each tree is classified as farm income since the trees are farm produce and are taxable under the farm income statement. This implies George will be taxed on a rate stipulated in the country that changes with time. In the second year, George will also be taxed on the 9

A model of how we should look at war Research Paper

A model of how we should look at war - Research Paper Example The severity of pains keeps him busy with himself, not giving him much scope to mull over the necessity of this painful reality. He cannot brood much over the philosophy why people need to involve in war because he himself is busy with it. On the contrary, the speaker in Tennyson’s poem sees war from a bird’s-eye point of view. The flaw (or limitation) in such a viewpoint is that it does not allow the speaker as well as the readers to experience the realities of war from within itself. Therefore, Tennyson’s speaker fails to view war as an unwanted reality. Being blindfolded by an undefined (it is undefined because he fails to define why he should call the soldiers glorious and honorable) idealism and by love and passion for one’s country, he tends to glorify war. Such an attempt of the speaker in Tennyson’s poem is often difficult to be sorted out from a fascist tendency to glorify one’s country’s involvement in a war, irrespective of the right and the wrong. Tennyson’s poem â€Å"The Charge of the Light Brigade† tells the story of the British soldiers’ courage and heroism in a disastrous military event in the beginning of the Crimean War. The six hundred soldiers of the Light Cavalry Brigade were moving forward in order to execute Lord Raglan’s order to defend the Russians from seizing their guns. But that was a blunder. As a result, most of the soldiers were killed in the fight. Despite the huge losses, Tennyson as well as some of contemporary authors glorified the courage and heroism of the soldiers in that war (Landow 23). Quite contrary to Tennyson’s stance about the British involvement in the Crimean War, Owen’s poem deals with dark aspects of the chemical attack of Germany during the First World War. The overwhelming massacre was induced by the use of chlorine gas, which â€Å"is a powerful irritant that can inflict damage to the eyes, nose, throat and lungs. At h igh concentrations and prolonged exposure it can cause death by asphyxiation† (Romano 23). The lethal effect of this gas on the health of the soldiers is further described by Sidell, Urbanetti, and Smith as follows: Internal and external bleeding and attacked the bronchial tubes, stripping off the mucous membrane. This was extremely painful and most soldiers had to be strapped to their beds. It usually took a person four to five weeks to die of mustard gas exposure. (4) Though both Tennyson and Owen failed to uphold war as a reality that still exists and though some people do not want it, Owen’s portrayal of war as a painful reality obviously provokes the readers to be more cautious while deciding whether human societies need war. On the other hand, Tennyson’s idealistic view of war can instigate any group, community and society to involve into war since people who are willing to fight can easily establish their own ideals. Amazingly, it is true that Tennysonâ₠¬â„¢s poem can be used to warm up soldiers in each of the parties involved in a war. The loyalty, the obedience and the courage, which the six hundred soldiers of the Light Brigade of the British Army show against the Russian soldiers in the War of Crimea, could be exemplary for even the Nazi soldiers. Therefore, Tennyson’

Oce 2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Oce 2 - Essay Example The Alaska Shell drilling project and the Keystone XL project worth $7 billion does not portray President Obama and his party as very environmentally friendly people in the mainstream media. The Democratic Party is looking forward to change this Image completely through various projects that are about to unfold, with environmental safety as their key concentration. Let us analyze about two such projects. Greenhouse Gas Standards for existing power plants and refineries Nearly 2.4 billion metric tons of Carbon dioxide is emitted into the US sky through the 500 power plants and the oil refineries present here. This constitutes to nearly 40% of the total Carbon dioxide emission in the country (Biello). The new rules will force the refineries and the power plants to avoid using fossil-fuel for energy and look for other alternative means like natural gas. The practical applicability of the plan is still under question. EPA is seeking the co-operation of the state governments to upgrade th e age old techniques used in the power plants and refineries. Though there is much opposition for the move from the Congress, the President had already waived a green flag for EPA to formulate the rule within the next couple of months approximately. Forcing down Carbon dioxide emission means using natural gas as alternative which is way expensive than the current methods. This will result in increased electricity and gasoline bills for the consumer. But, the government is announcing various subsidies for the power plants and oil refineries to keep the prices in check. New Source Performance Standards have framed new rules for using several items in steam generating units like its generators. It closely monitors the emissions of PM, SO2 and NOX from these equipments and orders for an upgrade if they are beyond the permitted level. Various measures like the Acid Rain program and Emissions Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants programs will be used to monitor the power plants. Petrole um refineries will be scrutinized under the Catalytic Reforming and Catalytic cracking of Sulphur plants program. President Obama's various measures to make the US environment a cleaner and greener one have resulted in complete failure in the past. The Solyndra project which received nearly $535 million aid from the US government proved to be a failure, which came as a death blow to President Obama's solar electricity dream. Similarly, the A123 system which was encouraged to create hybrid electric cars which do not pollute the environment also became a massive failure. Though the intention of these projects was good, inefficient administration and lack of advanced technologies paved way for their failure. President Obama is quite concerned about not making the same mistake again. EPA held 5 listening and discussion sessions with participants from electric power industry, petroleum refineries, environmental organizations, state and tribal representatives as well as coalition group me mbers to finalize the measures on the actions. The concerns about various parties and the difficulties in implementing the new rules were discussed in detail way back in 2011. EPA had been working on an error proof plan since then. It is only a matter of days before the new green house gas emission standards will roll out. Why is it important to control Green house gas emissions? The sun emits energy which the earth absorbs and re-emits back into the atmosphere. The over emission of green house gases

Working Mothers Benefit Familes Vs Stay-at-Home Mothers Benefit Essay

Working Mothers Benefit Familes Vs Stay-at-Home Mothers Benefit Families - Essay Example One major reason for which working mothers have been praised is the influence that they have on their children. It has been observed that the children of working mothers have a generally positive attitude towards women. The thoughts on sex and gender roles are also less rigid as compared to their counterparts. Their daughters and especially have an acquired and greater self esteem and a more positive view of themselves as workers in the society at large. Meanwhile, the sons acquire a positive attitude of shared roles that they take to their own marriages. The overall effect of working mothers would be an increased number of women in the labor force, as equal partners with men. This would mean that the attitudes of children and their psychologies would be less focused on their sexes or gender (Valente, 272). Additionally, working mothers, contend that there are more positives than negatives to being a working mother both from a family and a personal standpoint (Valente, 270). Such a situation ensures that the woman gets a varied life that is not confined to the home. Unlike staying at home mothers whose experiences are the same, working mothers say that the interactions that they have with their husbands are mostly at a peer to peer level, the financial position of the family is complimented and as a result the needs of the family are quickly and easily met. The typical day of a working mother involves the duties of a mother in addition to her responsibilities as a worker. Such women sometimes get the advantages of both sides but the disadvantages of only one side, being a working mother. While it is true that they may employ the services of a housekeeper or baby sitter, there are others who do not. Moreover, such a move would detach them from their families and children if their whole focus is on their careers. On the contra side, there are quite a number of women who are opting or reconsidering the idea of becoming stay at home

One Day Training Programme for Big Idea Limited Assignment

One Day Training Programme for Big Idea Limited - Assignment Example Since the company lacks experience in managing such events so it has approached our consultancy firm to design the way in which such a training programme can be managed. Concept of Project Management (PM) and its strategy All over the world, most of PM practitioners prefer to use Project Management Board of Knowledge (PMBoK) and Projects In Controlled Environments (PRINCE2) methodologies as they are the standardized ones. According to PMI (2008), both methodologies suggest that the projects should get started with a Project Initiation phase that helps in identifying the main requirements of the owners. However, in case of Big Idea Ltd., preparing a Feasibility study or Business case is most appropriate which is the latest tool used by PM practitioners (Field & Keller, 2007). Business case is described by Gardiner (2005) as a tool that is standard in Project Management with the aim of providing analysis of three crucial features of projects i.e. managerial, technical and financial so that a solution can be derived in accordance with the customer’s set of requirements. Business case has been used by Project Management practitioners as it eases the management team in making sound decision in future about project related to its objectives and scope (Ali, Anbari, & Money, 2008). Since Project Initiation Phase is of utmost importance in every project, it is vital for the PM practitioner to ensure that this phase is properly worked out. According to Kerzner (2009) and Turner (2009), Project Initiation phase must have to two outputs; one is there should be an appointed Project Manager and second output is Project Initiation Document known as PID. While the process of initial project development is progressing and project objectives are being defined, PM practitioners identify two sets of factors that will be used for measurement of project’s success (Haas, 2006). According to PMI (2008), the first set of factors is made from the success criteria which com prise of dependents variable that will assess the successful project’s outcome i.e. time, quality and cost. While, second set of factors set comprise of success factors that consist of independent variables that have influence on success criteria’s successful achievement i.e. project assumptions and constraints. Figure 1: Project Life Cycle Source: Lock (2003) The project objective for Big Idea Ltd can be defined as: To design and prepare a one day UG Project Management Training Programme for Level 3 Undergraduate students to make them understand the application of Microsoft Project and Critical Path Analysis for delivery on 1st September 2012 with a maximum budget of ?40,000. When the project initiation phase ends and project is approved by the concerned authorities, the next phase of the project life is project development phase. Olsson and Magnussen (2007) and Shenhar (2008), the second phase of Project Life Cycle is the most crucial one as at this stage the project is either made or broken. At this stage, the project is refined as formation of project team takes place along with setting of various plans and activities for implementation, monitoring and control are completed. Project Development phase helps in setting the project boundaries and identification of details and requirements of the projects (Kwak, Anbari, 2008). Turner (2009) defined the second phase as the identification of activities that will allow operations

What is terrorism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

What is terrorism - Essay Example There are many other similar definitions of terrorisms used by scholars and research institutions and thus, there isn`t a consensus on the exact definition as yet. Thus, it may be concluded that it is not an easy task to define it with one single definition. In fact, the true definition of terrorism can be given by looking at the nature of conflict and role of media. Since both of these are determining factors for classifying an act as a terrorist activity or the war of freedom it is crucial to study various definitions and thus find out recurring patterns. Thus, despite of the variety of definitions, there are some factors that are common to all of them (Duncan 2013). These factors are: b) Perpetrator: constitutes the person who is responsible for the terrorist attack. It can be anyone; even the state itself uses violence against its own public which is referred to as state terrorism c) Motive: in other words the aim of the terrorist attack. There is always a goal behind any terrorist activity which may be political or social. In the absence of any such motive, the act is not a terrorist attack, it is simply a crime. d) Victims: Who is a victim of terrorist activity is a very controversial issue. According to many definitions of terrorism, victim is generally the common people. Terrorists’ activities are carried on the masses in order to pressurize the government of that particular country. The term terrorism was first coined during the French revolution in 1790`s for the insurgents using violence against the state (Lacqueur 1977). However, over the years, such terrorist groups have been found inflicting violence if different forms all over the world. The concept of terrorism was historically treated as religious extremism, i.e. religious extremism could interchangeably be used for terrorism. One of the aspects

Did the USA need to drop bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945 Essay

Did the USA need to drop bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945 - Essay Example Simultaneously, it demonstrated a change within the nature of warfare, as well as the beginning of a novel age. American Head of state Harry Truman’s contentious verdict to drop an atomic-bomb on Japan concluded the 2nd World War as well as initiated the nuclear era (Leahy 2008). Since the culmination of the warfare, Truman’s verdict has been the focus of much debate, largely becauseof the huge civilian fatality toll, which ensued from the assaults. Nevertheless, the setting of the era as well as the demand to culminate the 2nd World War rendered the usage of the nuclear-powered weapons an indispensible action to force the Japan’s surrender. Truman’s verdict to employ the atomic-bomb over Japan was vindicated by the historic setting of the 2nd World Warfare, Japan’s repudiation to surrender totally, and the huge death toll projected from an attack of central Japan. Revisionists have reckoned the usage of the atomic-bomb a misdemeanor against humanit y because of the high civilian casualties as well as horrific effects, which ensued from the attacks. The subject of morals has made this debate much more controversial (Leahy 2008). Assessed by today’s ethical standards, the usage of the nuclear bomb on Japan that produced thousands of fatalities is commonly viewed as ethically wrong (Hayes 2006). Nearly 150,000 nationals were murdered because of the attack of Nagasaki and Hiroshima. Only forty three thousands of Hiroshima’s populations of three hundred and fifty thousand were soldiers (McNulty 2005). Conferring to the American Strategic Bombing Assessment, all but three thousand, two hundred and forty three of the seventy thousand people slayed by the bombing of Hiroshima were civilians (The United States Strategic Bombing Survey 2006). Because of the large civilian death-toll from the bombardments, the usage of the nuclear explosives is contended to be unlawful (Frank 2009, pg. 19). Rendering to the ‘Draft Rul es of Aerial Warfare’, outlined in February of 1923, the bombarding of nationals was an illegal and illegitimate usage of military force. The ‘Draft Rules of Aerial Warfare’ assert that the Aerial bombing is legal only when aimed at a martial objective, namely, a purpose where the injury or destruction would establish a distinctive military benefit to the destructive, and additionally firms that if legal military goals such as martial establishments as well as factories employed for military reasons are so positioned, that they can never be attacked without the undiscerning assault upon the civilian populace, the aircraft should abstain from assault (Leahy 2008). The bombing of Japan’s warfare production industries unavoidably resulted to the prevalent bombings of huge areas occupied by civilians. Hence, according to global law, Nagasaki and Hiroshima were not legal military targets (McNulty 2005). As the attack of these towns was unlawful, the usage of th e nuclear bombs is contended to have been unfounded rendering to the prevailing international decree during the 2nd World War (Hayes 2006). The large civilian death-toll, which ensued from the attack of Nagasaki and Hiroshima, occurred in a dreadful manner. Radiation illness afterwards claimed tens-of-thousands’ of lives of people who were not directly murdered by the attack (Hayes 2006). Burchett Wilfred, a journalist who went to Hiroshima on September of 1945, depicted the predicament of radiation fatalities that in Hiroshima, 30 days following the first nuclear

Marketing of Central Heating System Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Marketing of Central Heating System - Case Study Example They can do a better job of choosing their market, developing their offerings and executing their marketing plans. Company needs a strong marketing information system to gather, sort, analyze, evaluate and distribute needed, timely and accurate information to marketing decision makers. This information in developed from internal company records, marketing intelligence, marketing research and marketing decision support analysis. Marketers find many opportunities by identifying trends in the macro environment. A trend is a direction or sequence of events that have some momentum and durability. According to futurist Faith Popcorn (1992) a trend has longevity, is observable across several market areas and consumer activities and is consistent with other significant indicator that occur or energy at the same time. A new product or marketing programme is likely to be more successful if it is in line with strong trends rather than opposed to them. Companies and their suppliers, marketing in termediaries, customers and competitors all operate in a macro environment of force and trends that shape opportunities and pose threats. Within the rapidly changing global picture the firm must monitor six major forces: demographics, economics, natural, technological, political-legal and socio-cultural. Now we will analyze the there markets i.e. Poland Hungary and Czech republic on the basis of six macro- environments forces and analyze their needs (Market needs and Customers need) for central heating system. After analyzing markets trends the launch product in the said markets could be prioritized. During analysis we also take care of financial analysis of the product through Return on investment analysis. This process is called target- return pricing for the product. The firm determines the price that would yield its target rate return on investment (ROI). Many firms use target pricing. The target-return price is given by formula, Target return price = unit cost + desired return * invested capital/unit sales. After fixing the desired return company could easily analyze and perform break-even analysis so that it could assess that how many minimum numbers of units of product selling is essential to match their investment (Kotler, 2003). (For data see appendix) Poland: It is one of the Central European countries having population of 38.6 million. After world war -II until 1989-90 it remained under communist control as well as members of Warsaw pact. During the last decade Poland has made the transition to democracy and to market based economies. Now it becomes EU member state. Poland was the first economy in Central and Eastern Europe to recover to pre-transition level of economic output. Growth in GDP since 1993 has been very strong averaging over 5% annually and making the polish economy between the fastest growing economies in Europe. However, GDP per capita (measured in terms of purchasing power parity) remains very much lower than the other western European union members. The most notable features of Poland's energy sector are its heavy dependence on coal and the depth of power sector restructuring both to date and planned for the future. The total installed power generation capacity in Poland amounts to approximately 33GW while peak d emand is about 24GW. So it is energy surplus country. Annual electricity consumption stands at around 124 TWL of which about 63% powers the industrial sector (including

Jim Crow Essay Example for Free

Jim Crow Essay C. Vann Woodward’s book The Strange Career of Jim Crow is a close look at the struggles of the African American community from the time of Reconstruction to the Civil Rights Movement. The book portrays a scene where the Negroes are now free men after being slaves on the plantations and their adaptation to life as being seen as free yet inferior to the White race and their hundred year struggle of becoming equals in a community where they have always been seen as second class citizens. To really understand the motivation of C. Vann Woodward’s motives of his book, The Strange Career of Jim Crow, one must look at Mr.  Woodward’s life. Comer Vann Woodward was born and raised in Vanndale, AK in Cross County on November 13, 1908. The town was named after his mother’s aristocratic family. He attended Henderson- Brown College in Arkadelphia, AK for two years before transferring to Emory University in Atlanta, GA in 1930, where he graduated. He received his PHD in history at the University of North Carolina and after he took graduate classes at Columbia University where he was introduced and influenced by the Harlem Renaissance. Woodward taught at Johns Hopkins University from 1946-61 and at Yale University from 1961-67. He won the Pulitzer Prize in 1982 for Mary Chestnut’s Civil War and won the Bancroft Prize for Origins of the New South*. It was when he was teaching at Johns Hopkins when he wrote the book, The Strange Career of Jim Crow. It was during the court ruling of Brown vs Board of Education in 1954 that Woodward started his lectures, which lead to his book, at the University of Virginia. His audience was more or less surprised about the race relations of the old south during reconstruction; most thought that the two races have always been separated with hatred. Woodward argues that the Jim Crow laws of the 1890s were a new concept of separating the two races. Throughout slavery and during the reconstruction period, the two races were fully integrated working on economics and political problems; the separation of the two races would lead to an insufficient and ineffective plantation. â€Å"The typical dwelling of a slave-owning family was a walled compound shared by both master and slave families. Neither non-slaveholding whites nor free Negroes escaped this ntimacy, for they were ‘sprinkled through most parts of town and surrounded by people of both races’† (14). The same relations remained true during the Reconstruction era when the blacks started to urbanize in the south. Woodward goes on to say that the â€Å"blacks and whites lived side by side, sharing the same premises if not equal facilities and living constantly in each other’s presence† (14). The good relations of the south turned sour when conflicts between the whites over economic troubles heightened in the late 1870s. the determination of the Negro’s ‘place’ took shape gradually under the influence of economic and political conflicts among divided white people- conflicts that were eventually resolved in part at the expense of the Negro† (6). The Negro at the time became the scapegoat for all of America’s economic strife. Many thought it best if they separated themselves from the Negro then all would be better. Hence the Jim Crow laws started to form on the segregation of the two races and then court cases followed in suit, aka Plessy vs Ferguson in 1896 which ruled â€Å"separate but equal†. Ironically the south is known for the most racism but most cities were reluctant in to enforce legal separation of the races. In New Orleans, whites and blacks gathered freely at public events and even many had sexual relations with one another resulting in an influx of mulattos in that area (15-16). Racism did in fact take place in mostly rural areas. â€Å"An excessive squeamishness or fussiness about contact with Negroes was commonly identified as a lower class white attitude, while opposite attitude was popularly identified with ‘the quality’ (50). It was within these rural lower classes that extreme racism was formed involving white supremacy groups such as the Ku Klux Klan. As political parties started to shift in the mid 1880s, more conservative Democrats took the scene and strictly enforced the laws of segregation. The Republicans were the ones in support of more tolerant and equal society. The mentality of if one thing is separate then they all have to be took precedent during this time. With the shift of political parties, the segregation of the blacks from the whites heightened and the individual rights a Negro had were limited. Blacks were discouraged to vote and separation of the two races became almost total with separate modes of transportation to separate drinking fountains. After the Progressive era and the New Deal, integration was a thought in higher education. Colleges started to let Negro students attend white universities because the separation of the races at school was infringing on their fourteenth amendment rights (144). Even though theses students did not attend the university for all four years, it was progress that helped lead up to the 1954 case of Brown vs Board of Education. The school boards argued that â€Å"’Segregation of white and colored children in public schools has a detrimental effect on colored children’, for it ‘generates a feeling of inferiority as to their status in the community that may affect their hearts and minds in a way unlikely ever to be undone’† (147). The ruling of integration of public schools was monumental for the blacks at that time. After trying to fight racism and limitations of their individual rights, the blacks could finally be more equal then they had been in the eyes of the law. When Woodward presented his lectures at the University of Virginia, which subsequently led to his book, it was right after the ruling of Brown vs Board of Education. He insisted that his audience would be integrated as well so he spoke to not only students, faculty and dignitary of the university but he also spoke to local blacks and whites of the community. His lectures received mix reviews; some older, more conservative members of the university were shocked and appalled by Woodward’s comments of pro-integration, while others were intrigued. For them, the white Southern professor’s message was a challenge to the assumption that race relations had been immutably fixed over the course of Southern history† (224). Woodward also argued that the south was always changing and something that limited the rights of blacks in the 1890s was to turn around in the 1950s to something better. When The Strange Career of Jim Crow was released nationally, America did not agree with Woodward’s idea that it was time for a change, â€Å"segregation was ore firmly embraced than ever† (225). Whites did not approve of the ruling of the integration of schools so they protested and sometimes rioted when the government tried to integrate some of the schools. States such as Georgia put the confederate flag back on their state flag in defiance of the new laws (225). Blacks protested in comparison. After the arrest of Rosa Parks not wanting to give up her seat to a white man, the Civil Rights Movement launched its campaign of civil and equal liberties lead by Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. When this book was originally published in 1955, Rev King called it â€Å"the historical bible of the Civil Rights Movement†. I believe that the main reason behind King’s statement was that the movement was on the front page of every newspaper for over a decade that when the book did come out, Woodward looked at the struggle of the Negro in a historical sense and not putting blame on a specific race, but on certain decisions some legislators made that forced America to head in the direction of segregation. Woodward presented a historical and non threatening story which gave reason to the Civil Rights Movement. The blacks liked it because it showed the persecution they had to endure for so long and the perseverance they maintained throughout that time and the whites bought the book because it helped explain what was going on at that moment in time. No doubt that this book is an important historical document that helped a nation through one if its more difficult times in history.

Healing in Medicine: Norman Bethune

Healing in Medicine: Norman Bethune The True Spirit of Healing in Medicine: Norman Bethune Introduction Henry Norman Bethune was a Canadian doctor who became famous for his selfless service of people in the Second Sino-Japanese War. His service endeared him to Mao Zedong, who hailed him as a communist and supporter of the Chinese people’s efforts for liberation. Even today, Bethune’s popularity in China stands undisputed with his statues present all over the country. There is no doubt that Bethune had in him the true spirit of healing, a unique spirit, because doctors often perceive their professions as scientific pursuits or even money making endeavors. This is illustrated in the manner in which pharmaceutical companies and doctors work hand in hand to achieve profits and market prominence by selling medicines. Bethune’s dedication to his profession was illustrated in the manner in which he served in the World War I and the Spanish Civil War before his stint in the Sino-Japanese War, in spite of his open contention that wars were meant to make profits (Shepherd an d Là ©vesque 147). He was known repeatedly state that â€Å"the private economic profit† (Clarkson 40; Stewart and Stewart 317; Wilson 75) should have no place in medicine. In addition, he was also a proficient inventor, who designed and altered several surgical instruments, such as the portable blood transfusion system he developed in the Spanish Civil War (Stewart and Stewart 92, 95). Moreover, many of his inventions continue to be in use today (Stewart and Stewart 92, 95). It is also notable that while Bethune passionately and dedicatedly adhered to his professional ideals, he also had clear political ideologies. In the Spanish Civil War, he sided with the democratic republic and during the Second Sino-Japanese War, he sided with the rural population in China and accepted communism as opposed to Imperialism. However, today he is heralded in China for his communist ethoses, which were very different from the communism that was practiced in China under Mao Zedong. This pape r contends that Bethune was not simply a doctor by profession but also a healer at heart who formed political ideals according to the welfare of humanity, and thus, his image as a communist leader in and outside China might be somewhat misconstrued. Discussion Bethune’s ideology behind traveling all the way to China in 1938 and to serve the people in the Sino-Japanese War was to aid the suffering and poor people there. This was in line with his endeavors in his life thus far, that is, in World War I and the Spanish Civil War. He also carried out crisis surgical procedures on the casualties in the war as well as instituted training for medical personnel for the same (Stewart and Stewart 32). He also refused to treat the casualties by considering their race, culture, political side, or even the side in the war (Stewart and Stewart 32). Clearly, he was dedicated to the cause of serving his patients, irrespective of the social conditions. As a doctor, he treated the people who were suffering and sick. He was also believed in the communist ideologies, that is, those that had been propounded by Marx and was a member of the Canadian Communist Party (Stewart and Stewart 124). This was in spite of the fact that in those days, it was illegal to be a part of the communist party in Canada (Stewart and Stewart 124). However, this was naturally because of the conflicts between what would become the allied and axis powers in the World War II. In fact, most people in Canada associated communism with Stalinist and Nazi policies of control (Stewart and Stewart 371). Moreover, the United States’ staunch anti-communist policies must have also influenced the Canadian policies. However, in Bethune’s philosophy, the poor, proletariats, who were subjugated under capitalism or were the casualties in war, should be side he supports. Consequently, he became a part of the communist party in Canada, because he believed in Marxist philosophies, which communists promised to practice. Clearly, his political ideology was founded in his dedication to his professional and moral ideal of serving the suffering and the weak. When Mao Zedong welcomed Bethune as a communist comrade, he was impressed with Bethune’s dedication to the communist ideals. Bethune illustrated his ideals with his dedication to his profession and by serving in the frontlines in the war. As mentioned before, this was not different from the manner in which he served in World War I and the Spanish Civil War. However, Mao interpreted Bethune’s work and ideologies as his dedication to the communist cause and the cause of the people. It must be remembered that under Mao’s rule, there was no growth of the proletariats and the Chinese economy collapsed as all the contributing members to the economy, such as, doctors, owners of industries, and lawyers were banished from their jobs to serve in the rural areas. In such conditions, the overall suffering, illness, and pain experienced by the Chinese people were probably worse if not as bad as in Imperial China. Although Bethune died in China of blood poisoning, while servin g in the Second Sino-Japanese War, he was, nevertheless, unaware of the true ethos of the brand of communism that would be practiced by Mao. Considering his ideals, he would have probably never wanted to be a part of this kind of communism. Ultimately, Bethune was a man who wanted to serve the people and not simply have a political ideal, where personal and profit goals were in focus. Today, it can be said that communism and democracy have both failed in the ability to separate the profit making processes from the social serving ones. Given these facts, Bethune would have probably sought to be a part of a more humanitarian political ideology. Notably, Bethune’s legacy rests on the fact that Mao published an essay on him—In the Memory of Norman Bethune in 1939—for unselfishly serving in the Second Sino-Japanese War. This essay was considered essential reading in Chinese schools then and even today, students are required to be familiar with this essay. Indeed, the philosophy of the essay is in tune with Bethune’s philosophies. Consider the following excerpt from the essay: We Chinese Communists must also follow this line in our practice. We must unite with the proletariat of all the capitalist countries, with the proletariat of Japan, Britain, the United States, Germany, Italy and all other capitalist countries, for this is the only way to overthrow imperialism, to liberate our nation and people and to liberate the other nations and peoples of the world (Tse-tung) Clearly, Bethune would have been glad to be associated with such ideologies. He expressed his views on his profession by stating that, â€Å"medicine, as we are practising it, is a luxury trade† (Allan and Gordon 130). He further abhorred the use of monetary ends in practicing medicine and believed individualism, which is always associated with democracy and never with communism, as the reason for such a state of affairs (Allan and Gordon 130). However, Bethune died well before the Chinese Cultural Revolution of the 1960s started. This was a time when millions of Chinese died because communism had turned to totalitarianism (Yan and Gao 2). The death toll in the Chinese Cultural Revolution has not been released by the Chinese government until date (Yan and Gao 2). However, this was a time when people were ruthlessly massacred by governmental encouragement of mobs and by authorized attacks on civilian populations by military personnel (Yan and Gao 2). Moreover, the anti-democrac y stand Bethune held would have probably been shaken if he had lived to experience the shock the world felt when the truth that Hitler carried out genocides in Germany was publicly known and acknowledged after World War II. However, since he never lived to experience such events, and thoroughly believed communism to be anti-exploitation, he stood by it while practicing his medical ideologies. It can also be recalled that Bethune was virtually unknown in Canada well after he died. Canadians and the rest of the Western world did not know about him until 1952, when Ted Allan and Sydney Gordon published their book, The Scalpel, the Sword: The Story of Doctor Norman Bethune (a new version is mentioned in the works cited section of this paper). However, unfortunately, they hailed him as a communist hero in this book. However, the timing could not have been worse, because in this Cold War era, anti-communist feelings thrived in Canada (Stewart and Stewart 327). Thus, Bethune’s contributions to science and his altruism were well forgotten until much later. Only in the past few decades, especially since China has cautiously opened its doors to the western world for trade has Bethune’s abilities and work been acknowledged. Today it is known that Bethune was among the original advocates of socialized medicine, which is in high demand in Canada and in the rest of wester n world—the Obamacare policies next door are perhaps the best examples of this. Bethune also formed the Montreal Group for the Security of People’s Health (Stewart and Stewart 371), which established the need for socialized medicine. Bethune has also visited the Soviet Union to understand and learn about socialized medicine (Stewart and Stewart 122). Such endeavors eased his way into the political ideology that was communism and thus, he became a part of the Communist Party of Canada. In the most unbeknownst manner, he became a part of a political thought that defied the altruism fundamental to his ideologies. Conclusion This paper illustrated the manner in which Bethune contributed toward the development of medicine and struggled to treat the injured and the sick as a doctor. Undeniably, he endeavoured to achieve his professional idealism through his research and treatment as in shown by his inventions. Similarly, as became aware of the social and economic characteristics of disease, he adopted a political thought that he believed cared for the proletariats and the suffering as he did. However, he was not well informed about the nature of such communism or even to of democracy. As time showed, both were capable of exploitation, and in fact, communism enabled totalitarianism—a concept that Bethune would have definitely abhorred considering his ideologies. It can be thus concluded from the facts presented in this paper that Bethune was indeed a dedicated doctor, who truly adhered by the Hippocratic Oath as well as formed political ideals keeping the welfare of humanity in mind. However, his ima ge as a communist leader in and outside China has been misconstrued over the years, since he died well before the harms of communism were experienced by the world. Work Cited Allan, Ted and Sydney Gordon. The Story of Doctor Norman Bethune. Dundurn Press: Dundurn. 2009. Print. Clarkson, Adrienne. Extraordinary Canadians: Norman Bethune. Toronto: Penguin Canada. 2009. Print. Stewart, Roderick and Stewart, Sharon. Phoenix: The Life of Norman Bethune. Toronto: McGill-Queen’s Press . Shephard, David A. E, and AndreÃÅ' e LeÃÅ' vesque. Norman Bethune: His Times and His Legacy. Ottawa, Ontario: Published by the Canadian Public Health Association, 1982. Print. Tse-tung, Mao. In Memory of Norman Bethune. 1939. Web. Accessed on April 15, 2015 from https://www.marxists.org/reference/archive/mao/selected-works/volume-2/mswv2_25.htm. Wilson, John. Norman Bethune. Dundurn: Dundurn Press. 1999. Print. Yan, Jiaqi, and Gao Gao. Turbulent Decade: A History of the Cultural Revolution. Honolulu: Univ. of Hawaii Press, 1996. Print.

Implementation of User-Pairing Algorithm for OFDMA

Implementation of User-Pairing Algorithm for OFDMA Table of Contents (Jump to) Introduction Literature Survey Problem Formulation References CHAPTER 1:  INTRODUCTION Introduction Orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA) is an encouraging technology that supports high data rate transmission. The blend of OFDMA with the relay technology has expanded a large extend of potential to develop the overall network performance, and therefore has received a lot of intension in the recent years. Network resources that may include bandwidth and transmission power are limited; hence how to efficiently and fairly allocate these resources to users with guaranteed quality of service is a key issue. The models used while dealing with the partnering problem usually involve some form of orthogonality across the user pairs, so that the pairs can cooperate without causing interference to each other. OFDMA, has a lot of essential properties due to which it has gained a lot of acceptance and popularity in the recent years, and because of its orthogonal structure it is considered as a good candidate for realizing practical cooperation. As we already know that huge amount of research is done on sub-channel and power allocation schemes for OFDMA. Yet, encoding techniques, and resource allocation for mutually cooperative OFDMA systems, have not been investigated much until rather recently. For cooperative OFDMA systems containing only two users, achievable rates based on mutual cooperation across sub-channels were characterized in [3], and for such systems, optimal power allocation algorithms are used. Relay-assisted cooperative communication Relay-assisted cooperative communication has turn out to be very effective in several wireless systems [1]. This communication system is capable to enhance the overall system performance that includes spectral efficiency, network lifetime and coverage area. Efficient wireless resource allocation is critical to fully realize these benefits in cooperative communication systems. Resource allocation in orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) based relay communication systems involve even more technical challenges. Single-hop OFDM or OFDMA which are traditional systems when compared then we must carefully and accurately coordinate the power and subcarrier allocations across different hops resulting from multiple relays. Compared with single-carrier relay systems, in this we are able to assign multiple orthogonal subcarriers in every single hop, which not only gives more design freedoms but also typically higher design complexity or intricacy. In this paper, we will take a close look on the power control problem, joint relay selection, and subcarrier assignment for a cooperative two-hop multi-relay OFDM system using the protocol called amplify-and-forward. The main aim is to make the most of the transmission rate subject to an individual power constraint of each transmit node. Recently, a number of results have been described on relay selection in two-hop multi-relay systems. A common selection strategy is to choose the relay with the best equivalent end-to-end channel gain. Similar strategy can be used in OFDM systems, where a relay is selected based on the channel condition of the whole OFDM symbol. However, such symbol based relay selection may not be efficient as the differences of channel conditions amongst diverse subcarriers are not completely utilized. The subcarrier-based relay selection, which selects one best relay for each subcarrier, was then proposed to exploit both frequency diversity and node diversity. [2] Two-way relay network In this type of network, two users or operators communicate with each other via one or multiple relays. There are three two-way relaying protocols which differ in the number of required phases. The first protocol is called as the simple four phase protocol consisting two one-way relaying protocols. The second protocol is named as the time-division broadcast (TDBC) protocol which consists of three phases. The third protocol is the multiple-access broadcast (MABC) protocol which consists of two phases. The MABC protocol is more bandwidth efficient compared with the other two protocols. Orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA) is one of efficient techniques to mitigate the problems of frequency selective fading. In an OFDMA network, a complete obtainable bandwidth is separated into a number of orthogonal subcarriers and multiple users transmit their information simultaneously using the different subcarriers without inter-user interference. Generally, it is assumed that the bandwidth of each subcarrier is much smaller than the coherence bandwidth of the channel, and so the channel of each subcarrier has a flat fading. In addition, the OFDMA network uses the method of adaptive resource allocation and thus delivers improved performance [4]-[5]. In a two-way OFDM relay network having a single user pair and a single relay, the sum capacity for both users over all subcarriers is maximized by power allocation and tone permutation. In resource allocation for a multiuser two-way OFDMA relay network is investigated to support two-way communication between the base station and each of multiple users. In several relay selection policies for a MABC DF two-way relay network are proposed. The subcarrier based relay selection usually assumes that signals received over one subcarrier is amplified (or decoded) and forwarded by a relay over the same subcarrier in the next hop. However this is not optimal in terms of system performance. An improved performance can be attained if subcarriers in the first and second hops are paired according to the conditions of their channel. Such a subcarrier pairing approach was proposed in [1]. AF-based two-hop multi-relay OFDM system An AF-based two-hop multi-relay OFDM system in which we optimally and mutually assign the three types of resources: subcarriers, relay nodes, and power. Such joint optimization hasn’t been well thought of or considered in the literature as far as we know. We formulate it as a joint relay power allocation problem, subcarrier pairing, and selection with an objective of exploiting the transmission rate under specific power constraints. A dual nature can be used for solving the optimization problem in three phases. First, we find the optimal power allocation for any given strategy of subcarrier pairing and relay assignment. In the second phase, we determine the optimal relay assignment when subcarrier pairing is given. And in the last or third phase, we obtain the optimal subcarrier paring by means of the Hungarian method. The overall complexity of the optimal algorithm is polynomial in the number of subcarriers and relay nodes. Based on the intuition derived from the optimal algo rithm, we further propose two suboptimal algorithms that have lower complexity but can achieve close to optimal performances. PRACTICAL SUBOPTIMAL PAIRING ALGORITHMS In our model, the locations of the users, and their distances to each other are the major factors that affect their transmission rates. The impacts of Rayleigh fading and noise variances on the rates are negligible in comparison to path loss. This forces the power allocation and partner selection to be mostly dependent on the topology of the network, which means that a suboptimal but fast algorithm can be derived based only on user locations as an alternative to the maximum weighted matching algorithm. But then, the weights of the graph will not be needed to match the users, and this will decrease the time consumed by the matching algorithm drastically. We will be dealing with 5 algorithms as following:- Select Nearest to Receiver algorithm:- The two users nearest to the receiver get matched. These users are removed from the pool, and the algorithm repeatedly matches the rest of users with the same method until every user is matched. Select Farthest from Receiver algorithm:- The two users farthest from the receiver get matched. These users are removed from the pool, and the algorithm repeatedly matches the rest of users with the same method until every user is matched. Maximum Matching on Nearest Four to Receiver algorithm:- The user nearest to the receiver is selected. Then, three users which are nearest to it are selected. Maximum weighted matching algorithm runs on those users and the users get matched. The algorithm repeatedly matches the rest of users with the same method until every user is matched. Maximum Matching on Farthest Four from Receiver algorithm:- The user farthest from the receiver is selected. Then, three users which are nearest to it are selected. Maximum weighted matching algorithm runs on those users and the users get matched. The algorithm repeatedly matches the rest of users with the same method until every user is matched. Select Nearest and Farthest to Receiver algorithm:- The user farthest to the receiver gets matched with the nearest to the receiver. These users are removed from the pool, and the algorithm repeatedly matches the rest of users with the same method until every user is matched. The performance comparisons of the above algorithms are presented in this section. CHAPTER 2:  LITERATURE SURVEY In 2010, N. Balasubramanian, A. Carroll and G. Heiser et al, proposed that:- A rich body of literature has been dedicated to measuring the power consumption of cellular and WiFi interfaces for mobile users. Although a variety of power consumption models have been proposed and studied, one general conclusion is that, in spite of comparable power consumption (typically around 1 W), WiFi is much more power efficient in sending/receiving the same amount of data because of the higher data rates (e.g., a few Mbps for 3G while ten or more Mbps for 802.11n) [6]–[7]. Assuming that the wireless link is experiencing path loss as well as Rayleigh fading during the process is totally unacceptable. Note that, the data rate of the wireless link varies for different distances as well as channel realizations. In 2005, L. Shao and S. Roy, T. Thanabalasingham, S. Hanly, L. Andrew et al, proposed:- Resource allocation and interference management of multi-cell downlink OFDMA systems were presented. A key focus of these works is on interference management among multiple cells. Our general formulation includes the case where resource coordination leads to no interference among different cells/sectors/sites. In our model, this is achieved by dynamically partitioning the sub channels across the different cells/sectors/sites. In addition to being easier to implement, the interference free operation assumed in our model allows us to optimize over a large class of achievable rate regions for this problem. If the interference strength is of the order of the signal strength, as would be typical in the broadband wireless setting, then this partitioning approach could also be the better option in information theoretic sense [9][7]. In 2004, A. Nosratinia, G. Tsoulos et al proposed that:- A. Nosratinia, G. Tsoulos et al proposed MIMO systems because in recent years, MIMO systems [10] have been widely accepted as the ultimate approach to fulfilling the high performance demands of current and future generation of wireless systems. Using multiple antennas at the transmitter or/and receiver dramatically increases the spectral eà ¯Ã‚ ¬Ã†â€™ciency and enables the system to achieve very high data rates. It is also widely accepted that the majority of multi-antenna spatial diversity techniques are mainly applicable in downlink transmissions due to the size and complexity constraints that limit their implementation in small mobile units [11]. However, to achieve spatial diversity on the uplink without the need to have more than one antenna per mobile unit, cooperative transmission is the answer. In this case, the mobile units help each other to emulate a multiple transmit antenna system. In 2006, Yang and Belfiore proposed that:- Yang and Belfiore present a near optimal AF scheme which in certain conditions is able to achieve the diversity multiplexing trade-off (DMT) upper bound introduced. In [13], cooperative diversity protocols which are based on DF relaying are developed. The relay nodes that can fully decode the received transmission relay to the destination using a space time code. The idea of cooperative diversity under asynchronous channel conditions was suggested. The authors in [12] proposed a simple DF relay technique in a Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) system where the relay nodes detect and forward the transmission regardless of whether successful decoding has occurred or not. In [13] a 2 hop asynchronous cooperative diversity technique is introduced where the authors propose two different protocols to determine the participating nodes. In this technique, the set of participating relays that receive the packet without errors is the only set of nodes involved in the relaying process. In 2004, Sendonaris et al proposed that:- The second type of uplink cooperation, which will be the main focus of this chapter, is based on pairing each user with a neighboring user, a â€Å"partner†, to create a MIMO-like effect on the uplink transmission. This was first suggested by Sendonaris et al. [14] in a synchronous full-duplex CDMA system utilizing orthogonal spreading codes. The technique was for a two user system where at the first transmission instance both users transmit their symbol to the other user and the base station. The symbol is then received and processed by the other user and in the following transmission instance the users transmit a composite signal consisting of their own symbol and a detected estimate of their partner’s symbol, each spread with its user’s spreading code, to the base station. In 2003, A. J. Jahromi, et. Al proposed that:- In this case at each transmitting instance, each user transmits a composite signal of both his new symbol along with a detected estimate of his partner’s previous symbol. In this method, to maintain the total transmit power constant, the joint transmit-power is manipulated such that at the base station, the average received power and the received power per user remains constant. In [15], the authors propose a new multiuser uplink pairing CDMA technique in which each user transmits its own signal to the base station and follows that by relaying a processed estimate of his partner’s information. At the receiving end, an algorithm is utilized to achieve near optimum ML performance with reduced complexity. CHAPTER 3:  PROBLEM FORMULATION 3. Problem formulation Scheduling and resource allocation are essential components of wireless data systems. Here by scheduling we refer the problem of determining which user will be active in a given time-slot; resource allocation refers to the problem of allocating physical layer resources such as bandwidth and power among these active users. In modern wireless data systems, frequent channel quality feedback is available enabling both the scheduled users and the allocation of physical layer resources to be dynamically adapted based on the users channel conditions and quality of service (QoS) requirements. This has led to a great deal of interest both in practice and in the research community on various channel aware scheduling and resource allocation algorithms. Many of these algorithms can be viewed as gradient-based algorithms, which select the transmission rate vector that maximizes the projection onto the gradient of the systems total utility. REFERENCES [1] A. Nosratinia, T. E. Hunter, and A. Hedayat, â€Å"Cooperative communication in wireless networks,† IEEE Comm. Magazine, vol. 42, no. 10, pp. 74–80, Oct. 2004. [2] A. Bletsas, A. Khisti, D. P. Reed, and A. Lippman, â€Å"A simple cooperative diversity method based on network path selection,† IEEE Journal on Selected Areas in Comm., vol. 24, no. 3, pp. 659–672, March 2006. [3] S. BakÄ ±m and O. Kaya. â€Å"Cooperative Strategies and Achievable Rates for Two User OFDMA Channels.† IEEE Trans. Wireless Commun., 10(12): 4029–4034, Dec. 2011. [4] C. Y. Wong, R. S. Cheng, K. B. Letaief, and R. D. Murch, â€Å"Multiuser OFDM with adaptive subcarrier, bit, and power allocation,† IEEE J. Sel. Areas Commun., vol. 17, no. 10, pp. 1747-1758, Oct. 1999. [5] Z. Shen, J. G. Andrews, and B. L. Evans, â€Å"Adaptive resource allocation in multiuser OFDM systems with proportional rate constraints,† IEEE Trans. Wireless Commun., vol. 4, no. 6, pp. 2726-2737, Nov. 2005. [6] A. Carroll and G. Heiser, â€Å"An analysis of power consumption in a smartphone,† in Proc. USENIX, June 2010. [7] N. Balasubramanian, A. Balasubramanian, and A. Venkataramani, â€Å"Energy consumption in mobile phones: a measurement study and implications for network applications,† in Proc. IMC, Nov. 2010. [8] L. Shao and S. Roy, Downlink multicell MIMO-OFDM: an architecture for next generation wireless networks, IEEE WCNC, vol. 2, pp. 1120 { 1125 Vol. 2, Feb 2005. [9] T. Thanabalasingham, S. Hanly, L. Andrew, and J. Papandriopoulos, Joint allocation of subcarriers and transmit powers in a multiuser OFDM cellular network, IEEE ICC, vol. 1, pp. 269 { 274, Jun 2006. [10] G. Tsoulos, 2006. MIMO System Technology for Wireless Communications. Boca Raton: Taylor Francis Group [11] A. Nosratinia, T. E. Hunter and A. Hedayat, Cooperative communication in wireless networks , IEEE Commun. Magazine, vol. 42, no. 10, pp. 74—80, Oct. 2004 [12] K. Vardhe and D. Reynolds, The Performance of Multi-User Cooperative Diversity in an Asynchronous CDMA Uplink, IEEE Trans. Wireless Commun., vol. 7, no. 5, pp. 1930—1940, May 2008. [13] S. Wei, D. L. Goeckel and M. C. Valenti, Asynchronous Cooperative Diversity, IEEE Trans. Wireless Commun., vol. 5, no. 6, pp. 1930—1940, Jun. 2006. [14] A. Sendonaris, E. Erkip, and B. Aazhang, User cooperation diversity — Part I: System description, IEEE Trans. Commun., vol. 51, pp. 1927 — 1938, Nov. 2003. [15] A. J. Jahromi, et. al., On multi-user detection in CDMA based cooperative networks, IEEE Sarnoff Symposium, 2009, SARNOFF ’09, 30 Mar. 1 Apr. 2009

Guidance Counseling and Parental Involvement :: essays papers

Guidance Counseling and Parental Involvement The elementary school counseling and guidance program is part of the total school program and complements learning in the classroom. It is child-centered, preventive, and developmental. The program encourages students’ social, emotional, and personal growth at each stage of their development. The purpose of counseling with students, parents, and teachers is to help students maximize their potential. The elementary school counselor also conducts guidance lessons; consults with parents, teachers, and other professionals; and coordinates student services in the school (Gartner, Larson, & Allen, 1995). Counseling and guidance programs provides elementary students with assistance in: understanding self and developing a positive self-image, showing respect for the feelings of others, understanding the decision-making process, developing effective study skills, being prepared to make the transition to the intermediate school, and gaining an understanding of the world of work (Finney & Maloney, 1985; McCullough, 1995; Paloma & Pendelton, 1991). Counseling is conducted with students and parents individually and in small groups when requested and determined appropriate. It is short-term, voluntary, and confidential. Parental permission is obtained prior to any extended individual or group counseling. Students are seen by the counselor when: parents request and indicate a need and desire that the counselor meet with their children, students request counseling, and teachers, administrators, or other school staff refer the student. Parents are informed of counseling groups for children and adults. Group counseling sessions for children focus on building self-esteem, learning how to make or keep friends, developing good study habits, improving communication skills, preparing for the intermediate school, and coping with changing family situations. Topics for parent groups include child-rearing concerns, child development, and methods parents may use to help children experience healthy development and success in school (Aldridge, 1991; Friedman & Benson, 1997). The elementary school guidance counselor works with parents through individual consultation, joint consultation with the children’s teachers, and parents discussion groups. In these ways the counselor assist parents to: understand their children’s progress in school, select strategies to motivate their children, develop realistic goals with their children, become actively involved in their children’s school life, and understand the educational program K-12 (Byrd, 1988, p. 29). The counselor may lead parent education and discussion groups and serves as a resource when parents study or discuss child-related issues. The counselor consults with parents to identify students with special abilities and/or needs. In this capacity the counselor helps parents understand the services available from other school staff such as the school psychologists, social worker, and resource teachers.

Does The Internet Foster Isola Essay -- essays research papers

One of the most talked, known and controversial issues today is the Internet. Internet is a large network made up of a number of smaller networks. Almost every computer in an educational facility and in home and small office use is connected to some type of a network. People spent a lot of time on the Internet, which may make them seem isolated. However, the Internet does not foster isolation, because it may be used for many different things like communication, education, problem solving and etc. The concept for the Internet was to make a link in to a new world, a world that has many different opportunities within its self. To gives the people options to go to China, Italy, and Egypt without spending a lot of money on the trip. To open new experiences and ideas that are just a click of a button away. The idea of going on to the internet for almost every thing may make the person seem isolated. Isolated from people, form culture, from education, from communication to other people, but in reality they are not isolated. The internet gives variety. It might not give physical opportunity to visit Japan or Russia, but it gives almost the same emotional and cultural experiences. A person does not have to read a newspaper on the train or go to an art gallery to be cultured and not seem isolated; a person just has to do what feels right at a certain time. The Internet also gives a misconception about communication. Internet is a different world that has the idea of communication in ...

Effectiveness Of Cost Sharing Mechanisms Health And Social Care Essay

The cost of health care has become an progressively outstanding issue in recent old ages. In the United States every bit good as in many European states, wellness related costs have risen significantly and have progressively constituted a larger proportion of GDP.[ 1 ]The rapid addition in health care costs has threatened to force healthcare systems in certain states to the fiscal threshold. Citizens in states with privatized systems like the United States ‘ have seen their premiums rise at rates higher than rising prices with many people going unable to afford even basic wellness insurance. In states with cosmopolitan wellness attention, costs have besides risen with much of the load being passed on to occupants in the signifier of higher revenue enhancements.[ 2 ]The recent health care argument in the United States underscores the importance of this issue. Although there was dissension as to how the job of unaffordable health care should be solved, there was a general consens us that something had to be done to lower wellness attention costs. The demand to drastically cut down health care costs and increase efficiency has led to much research and argument. Many inefficiencies exist within the system but for the intents of this paper, the chief focal point will be on over use of wellness attention services and more specifically ambulatory attention. Regardless of the type of insurance, the presence of the 3rd party remunerator has the possible to bring on over use of wellness attention services. If patients are non straight exposed to the costs of their ingestion, there is considerable inducement for them to take advantage of the system and to devour at a higher rate than they would hold otherwise. This extra ingestion is the consequence of a general phenomenon called moral jeopardy. Moral jeopardy exists when one party ‘s insularity from hazard causes it to act in mode that is inconsistent with how it would hold behaved had it been exposed to that hazard.[ 3 ]In order to battle extra ingestion and fringy use of ambu latory services, the mechanism of cost sharing through copayments is frequently used. Copayments are either a level fee or per centum of entire monetary value which the user must pay upon ingestion of services. The principle behind copayments is as follows: insurance users are by and large desensitized to the cost of their services because they incur no disbursals at the point of ingestion. This desensitisation leads to an extra ingestion of services. By doing the user wage a part of the cost at the point of ingestion, one forces the user to go sensitive to the costs of his/her ingestion therefore cut downing his/her leaning to demand and consume unneeded services.[ 4 ]The usage of copayments is rather important because by cut downing the over use of ambulatory attention, one efficaciously reduces the load born by taxpayers and premium remunerators. Cost sharing through copayments has proven effectual at cut downing over use in many cases but is its effectivity the same in all systems? Furthermore, do the economic demographics of the user population have any consequence on the efficaciousness of user payments in cut downing the use of ambulatory attention? A expression at the effects of copayments in the Medicaid system in the U.S. versus in the German Universal Healthcare system will supply great penetration into this issue. Overview of Systemic Differences Both health care and wellness insurance in the United States are provided chiefly by the private sector. The cost of health care constitutes a important part of national and single income with the United States taking the universe in money spent per individual on health care. Although the United States spends a considerable proportion of its income on health care, approximately 11 per centum of its citizens remain uninsured with an estimated 21 per centum holding less than equal coverage. The logical thinking of those who remain uninsured varies from circumstance to circumstance. Some people choose non to inscribe in an insurance program because they do non experience like they have considerable wellness hazards and experience that their income could be put to better usage. Others, who have fallen victim to fiscal strain, merely do non hold the resources to afford equal insurance or any insurance at all. The people in the latter class frequently have incomes that are merely above the threshold that would measure up them for governmental assistance, but for those who live below what has been established as the poorness line, assorted plans exist to help with wellness insurance.[ 5 ] One of the primary plans which the U.S. uses to supply wellness insurance to the hapless is the Medicaid system. Medicaid was founded in 1965 under the Social Security Act. The Medicaid plan is jointly funded by the federal and province authoritiess. Each province names its ain Medicaid plan and has the duty of puting its eligibility guidelines while the Center for Medicare and Medicaid services sets general parametric quantities with respects to support and service bringing. Poverty is seen as the chief requirement for Medicaid eligibility, but low income entirely does non measure up an person for Medicaid coverage. In fact, a considerable part of hapless person in the United States do non measure up for Medicaid. In order to measure up for Medicaid, an single must fall into either one of the Mandatory Medicaid eligibility groups or into what is defined as a flatly destitute group. The people who fall into these classs range from Supplementary Security Income receivers to medically destitute individuals with inordinate medical costs. For the intents of this paper the most of import thing to maintain in head is that the bulk of Medicaid users fall below the poorness line.[ 6 ] The universalized German health care system contrasts greatly with the privatized American system. 88 per centum of Germans are covered under their Statutory Health Insurance Plan with the other 12 per centum choosing for the private sector. The national health care program is compulsory for all salaried employees, and merely a few select groups have the option of buying premium private insurance. Premiums are set by Germany ‘s Public Ministry of Health to degrees that are determined to be economically feasible. Premiums do non take into history the wellness position of persons but alternatively are based on a per centum of wage. Because the cosmopolitan system covers the bulk of German citizens, the demographics of its users differ greatly from those of the Medicaid system. More specifically, the mean income of the typical German user is significantly higher than that of the norm Medicaid user.[ 7 ]Comparison of Two Natural ExperimentsIn order to compare the comparative effect ivity of copayments in the two systems, this paper will see informations from two natural experiments. One survey by Helms, Newhouse, and Phelps entitled â€Å" Copayments and the Demand for Healthcare: The California Medicaid Experience, † examines the consequence of the debut of copayments on Medicaid users in California. The other survey entitled â€Å" Copayments in the German Healthcare System: Does it Work? , † examines the effects of the debut of a 10 Euro copayment for the first physician visit of each one-fourth in Germany. Because of lifting wellness attention outgos, in 2004, the German authorities introduced a copayment for all those covered by Statutory Health Insurance. Those covered by private insurance programs where exempted from the copayment and therefore within the model of this experiment service as a natural control. The copayment was 10 Euros and was to be paid upon the first physicians visit of each one-fourth. Certain groups were to be exempted including those with chronic conditions and patients with well low incomes. The information collected in the survey covers 2000-2003 and 2005-2006 – the periods before and after the intercession. Harmonizing to the Data collected in the Study, the figure of doctors visits for non exempt SHI members dropped from 2.75 in 2003 to 2.5 in 2004. That figure increased to 2.6 in 2005 before falling back to 2.5 in 2006. Interestingly PHI members followed a similar tendency during this period with mean visits falling from 2.25 in 2003 to 2 in 2004 so lifting back up to 2.5 in 2005 before falling back to 2 in 2006.[ 8 ]The fluctuation in these Numberss suggests that while the copayment may hold had an initial consequence, it did small to cut down use of ambulatory services in the long term. A similar natural experiment took topographic point in California in 1972. In order to cut down use of ambulatory services, Medicaid patients were asked to pay a little out of pocket fee for certain out of infirmary services. A group of patients was exempted to function as a control. Data was collected for six quarters from July 1971 to December 1972. The sample includes 400,662 persons from the San Francisco, Tulare, and Ventura Counties. The demographics of the sample differed greatly from the general population with 100 per centum the participants being low income persons. From January 1, 1972 to the terminal of the experiment, the Californian authorities imposed a copayment of 26 per centum on the sample population. The copayment was $ 1 for the first 2 visits of each month with subsequent services being offered for free. In the copayment group, the mean figure of doctors visits per one-fourth decreased from.6772 before the imposed copayments to.6494 stand foring a 4.1 per centum lessening in use. For the control group the figure of visits dropped from.7316 to.7274. Using complex methodological analysis, the Numberss where adjusted to account for demographical and behavioural differences between the experimental and control group. After this accommodation, it was found that the existent consequence of the 1 dollar copayment was a important 8 per centum decrease in physicians visits.[ 9 ]DiscussionThe findings of these two experiments are important. While the debut of the copayment in the German system seemed to hold the initial consequence of cut downing use, in the long tally it proved futile. On the other manus cost sharing seemed to hold rather a important consequence in the Medicaid system in California. There are assorted grounds for this statistical disparity. One may be the differences in fringy public-service corporation that exist between the two populations. The Californian experiment monitored a public assistance population. Because all of the to pics were of low income the fringy public-service corporation of one dollar was rather high. Given this fact, it is rather likely that even a little sum of money played a important function in changing their behaviour. In contrast, the mean member of the German population was comparatively good off. The bulk had the agencies to take attention of life ‘s basic necessities. The fringy public-service corporation of their money was well less than those of the Medicaid users. This is likely why the infliction of copayments had really small permanent consequence on the use of ambulatory services. It is besides likely that other factors including assorted regional, societal, and cultural differences, may hold contributed to the disparity, but more research is required to asses the effects of these variables.DecisionGiven the consequences of the two experiments, it appears that the socioeconomic demographics of an insured population play a important function in the effectivity of user payments at cut downing over use of ambulatory services. Cost sharing mechanisms are rather effectual at cut downing over use in poorer populations, but loose their effectivity with more flush insured populations. While it is rather clear that a important relationship exists between the efficaciousness of cost sharing mechanisms and the income degree of insured populations more research is needed to find the full extent of this relationship.