Indian Gdp

India Economy GDP India’s economy is the twelfth largest in the world in terms of market exchange rates. Since liberalization of the economy in 1991, the economy has progressed towards a market-based system from a regulated and protected one. The country became the second fastest growing economy in the world in 2008. India Economy GDP growth rate was 6. 1% in 2009. Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is the measure of a country’s economic performance. It is the market value of all the goods and services produced in a year. GDP can be calculated in three ways namely through the product (or output) approach, expenditure approach and income approach. The product approach is the most direct one which calculates the total product output of each class. The expenditure approach calculates the total value of the products bought by an individual which should be equal to the expenditure of the things bought. The expenditure approach calculates the sum of all the producers' incomes where the incomes of the productive factors are equal to the value of their product. In 2007, the Indian economy GDP crossed over a trillion dollar which made it one of the twelve trillion dollar economy countries in the world. There has been excellent progress in knowledge process services, information technology, and high end services. But the economic growth has been sector and location specific. The trend for India’s GDP growth rate are given below – 1960-1980 – 3. 5% 1980-1990 – 5. 4% 1990-2000 – 4. 4% 2000-2009 – 6. 4% Contribution of different sectors in GDP Below are the contributions of different sectors in the India’s GDP for 1990-1991 –   Agriculture: – 32% Service Sector: – 41% Industry: – 27% Below are the contributions of different sectors in the India’s GDP for 2005-2006-   Agriculture: – 20% Service Sector: – 54% Industry: – 26% Below are the contributions of different sectors in the India’s GDP for 2007-2008- Agriculture: – 17% Service Sector: – 54% Industry: – 29% The service sector contributes more than half of India’s GDP. Earlier agriculture was the main contributor to the GDP. To improve the GDP and boost the economy, the government has taken various steps like implementation of FDI policies, SEZ’s and NRI investments. The GDP growth rate slowed down to 6. 1% in 2009. In 2006, the country’s trade contributed to around 24% of the GDP from 6% in 1985. According to Goldman Sachs, India’s GDP in current prices may overtake France and Italy by 2020, Russia, Germany and UK by 2025 and Japan by 2035. It is also predicted that Indian economy will be the third largest after US and China by 2035. In 2007, agriculture contributed around 16. 6% of the GDP. Even though its share has been declining, agriculture plays a major role in the India’s socio economic development. Industry contributes around 27. 6% of the GDP (2007 est). The services sector contributed to 55% of the GDP in 2007. The IT industry contributed around 7% of the GDP in 2008 which was 4. 8% in 2005-06. Remittances from overseas Indian migrants were around $27 billion or around 3% of the GDP of India’s economy in 2006. Indian Economy-Facts on India GDP †¢ The Indian economy is the 12th largest in the world †¢ It ranks 5th pertaining to purchasing power parity (PPP) according to the latest calculation of the World Bank †¢ The GDP of India in the year 2007 was US $1. 09 trillion †¢ India is the one of the most rapidly growing economies in the world †¢ The growth rate of the India GDP was 9. 4% per year Due to the huge population the per capita income in India is $964 at nominal and $4,182 at PPP Points to remember while calculating India GDP †¢ Calculating India GDP has to be done cautiously pertaining to the diversity of the Indian Economy. †¢ There are different sectors contributing to the GDP in India such as agriculture, textile, manufacturing, information technology, telecommunication, petroleum, etc. †¢ The different sectors contributing to the India GDP are classified into three segments, such as primary or agriculture sector, secondary sector or manufacturing sector, and tertiary or service sector. With the introduction of the digital era, Indian economy has huge scopes in the future to become one of the leading economies in the world. †¢ India has become one of the most favored destinations for outsourcing activities. †¢ India at present is one of the biggest exporter of highly skilled labor to different countries †¢ The new sectors such as pharmaceuticals, nanotechnology, biotechnology, telecommunication, aviation, manufacturing, shipbuilding, and tourism would experience very high rate of growth How to calculate India GDP- The method of  Calculating India GDP  is the expenditure method, which is, GDP = consumption + investment + (government spending) + (exports-imports) and the formula is GDP = C + I + G + (X-M) Where, †¢ C stands for consumption which includes personal expenditures pertaining to food, households, medical expenses, rent, etc †¢ I stands for business investment as capital which includes construction of a new mine, purchase of machinery and equipment for a factory, purchase of software, expenditure on new houses, buying goods and services but investments on financial products s not included as it falls under savings †¢ G stands for the total government expenditures on final goods and services which includes investment expenditure by the government, purchase of weapons for the military, and salaries of public servants †¢ X stands for gross exports which includes all goods and services produced for overseas consumption †¢ M stands for gross imports which includ es any goods or services imported for consumption and it should be deducted to prevent from calculating foreign supply as domestic supply Recent developments in Indian GDP Over the past 4 quarters India Gross Domestic Product (GDP) has extended 6. 10%. According to World Bank report, India Gross Domestic Product accounts to 1217 billion dollars or 1. 96% of the world economy. India being a diverse economy incorporates customary village farming, handicrafts and wide range of contemporary industry and services. Services are considered as a chief factor behind the economic elevation accounting for more than half of India’s productivity. Since 1997, Indian economy has registered an average growth rate of more than 7%, minimizing poverty rate by around 10%. India’s GDP grew at a notable 9. 2 per cent in the year 2006-2007. Now that the service sector accounts for more than half of the GDP is a landmark in the economic history of India and helps the nation to come closer to the basics of an industrial economy. Where does India stand? India is positioned as one of the major economies worldwide in terms of the purchasing power parity (PPP) of the gross domestic product (GDP) by chief financial units of the world such as the International Monetary Fund, the CIA and the World Bank. In terms of agricultural output India is the second largest. Industries related to the agriculture have also played an important role in the up gradation of the nation’s economy by opening up employment avenues in the forestry, fishing and logging sectors. For the elevation in the production volume in Indian agriculture various five year plans should also be given due credit. Improvements in irrigation methods as well as usage of modern technologies have also added value to the agriculture processes. In terms of factory output India ranks 14th in quantity produced by industrial sector. Gas, mining, electricity and quarrying industries also play major developmental roles and contribute in a major way to the GDP. Latest snapshots of India Per Capita GDP †¢ India’s Per Capita Income stood at Rs 19040 in the year 2002-03 †¢ In 2003-04 India Per Capita Income was Rs 20989. †¢ Per Capita Income in India was Rs 23241 in 2004-05. †¢ In the fiscal year 2008-2009 the Per Capita GDP in India was Rs 37490. †¢ Per Capita GDP at factor rate at regular (1999-2000) prices in the FY 2008-2009 is estimated to reach a level of Rs 3351653. †¢ In 2008-2009 India attained a growth rate of 7. per cent. †¢ A collective growth rate of 2. 6 per cent in the field of agriculture, forestry and fishing was witnessed in the FY 2008-2009 †¢ Service industry had a growth rate of 10. 3 per cent in 2008-2009 †¢ During 2008-2009 industry saw a growth rate of 3. 4 per cent. Indian States in terms of Per Capita Income †¢ Jharkhand and Orissa whic h are considered as two backward states are increasingly developing in terms of per capita income. This expansion is facilitated by the growth of business activities taking place in these two mineral rich states. Jharkhand with per capita income of Rs 14,990 has posted 16. 6 per cent rise. †¢ Orissa is a spectator of an steady growth of 11. 5 per cent in per capita income (Rs 14. 795) †¢ The industrialized Gujarat and Karnataka and Tamil Nadu are rated among the top states with per capita income more than Rs 20,734 †¢ Karnataka has per capita income nearly 9. 28% followed by Gujarat and Tamil Nadu at 8. 92% and 8. 46% respectively. †¢ Delhi and Goa however has lower growth rate at 6. 9 per cent and 6 per cent respectively but ranks the highest in per capita income at Rs 49172 and Rs. 7507 respectively. †¢ Chhattisgarh with turbulence in social, political and economic front registered a growth of 8. 8 per cent. However, the average income base is very minimal at Rs. 16,365. †¢ Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar are yet to make a mark in the category of highest per capita income as the growth measures in these states are yet to be implemented. †¢ At per capita income of Rs. 12566, Rs. 10637 and Rs. 6610 of Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar respectively, these states have the sluggish rates of 2. per cent, 3. 1 per cent and 3. 7 per cent respectively. †¢ 17 states have per capita income less than the national average of 8. 4%. India’s Per Capita Income in coming years India’s per capita income is predicted to rise in coming years. FY 2008-09 was expected to witness more than double of per capita income over the last seven years to Rs 38,084, indicating enhancement in the living standards of an average Indian citizen. The highest increase in per capita income was seen during 2006-07 in terms of percentage which stood at 13. %. However, after reducing for inflation (at 1999-2000 rates), the per capita income is predicted to grow to Rs25,661, indicating an upsurge of 5. 6%. In conclusion, as compared to other nations, India has performed well inspite of the global financial meltdown. GDP India Growth Rate India is considered as one of the best players in the world economy in the past few decades, but rapidly increasing inflation and the intricacies in administering the world’s biggest democracy are acting as the major hurdle in the field of development. Indian economy in recent years has been consistently performing with flying colors, escalating 9. 2% in 2007 and 9. 6% in 2006. This uninterrupted expansion is assisted by markets restructuring, huge infusions of FDI, increasing foreign exchange reserves, boom in both IT and real estate sectors, and a thriving capital market. The latest reviews of the India GDP growth rate are as under – †¢ For the first quarter of 2007-08 GDP posted a growth of 9. 3% and stood at Rs 7,23,132 crore, as compared to the consequent quarter of previous fiscal year †¢ In the quarter of April-June economy of India grew at 9. %. The progress was triggered by construction, manufacturing, services and agriculture industries †¢ For the week concluded July 28, 2007, the yearly inflation rate was 4. 45% †¢ Balance of Payments in India is predicted to remain contended †¢ Merchandise Exports registered steady growth †¢ Manufacturing posted 11. 95 expansion Difference between GD P and GDP Growth Rate Retail spending, government expenses exports and inventory levels determine GDP growth rate. Elevation in imports will affect GDP growth in a negative way. Economic strength of a nation is indicated by the GDP growth rate. Development in GDP will eventually boom business, employment opportunities and personal income. On the flip side, if GDP slows down, then business ventures and already established enterprises will come to a halt. This will call off monetary infusion in new purchases, tie-ups and recruiting new employees till the economy gain pace. As a result the GDP further deteriorates because the consumers do not have sufficient money to spend on buying a product or service. India GDP growth rate in 2009 According to International Monetary Fund (IMF) economic growth rate of India is predicted to dip by 6. per cent in the fiscal year 2009. IMF has further stated that this relegation is unavoidable because the Asian nations are not fully impervious to the global financial crisis and its consequent negative effects. IMF's World Economic Outlook (WEO), released in Washington on October 8, 2008, explains the slopping of GDP growth rate in the last three years. In 2007 GDP growth rate was 9. 3 per cent while in 2008 it dipped to 7. 8 per cent and would end up at 6. 9 per cent in 2009. The analysis also asserted that Asia’s economic growth rate is expected to undergo a negative transition in the coming fiscal year. Year 2008 witnessed a 7. 7 per cent decline in GDP growth rate of Asia which would eventually end up at 7. 1 per cent in 2009. Financial market worldwide underwent a severe slowdown after the September 08 market turmoil and is becoming financially fragile day by day. The weak financial market is incapable of attracting investors’ attention. India has also suffered a major setback in the year 2005-07 according to IMF, when the worldwide stock markets slipped radically. LAST 5 YEAR’S GDP FOR DIFFERENT SECTORS: TABLE: 1 AGRICULTURE Year |Agriculture | | |At Constant Prices |At Current Prices | |2004-05 |482910 |552422 | |2005-06 |511114 |625635 | |2006-07 |531315 |686044 | |2007-08 |557122 |782597 | |2008-09 |566045 |861753 | TABLE: 2 INDUSTRY Year |Industry | | |At Constant Prices |At Current Prices | |2004-05 |468451 |598271 | |2005-06 |506519 |679781 | |2006-07 |560775 |794127 | |2007-08 |602032 |898627 | |2008-09 |617882 |985297 | TABLE: 3 MINING & QUARRYING |Mining & Quarrying | | | | |Year | | | |At Constant Prices |At Current Prices | |2004-05 |52591 |84776 | |2005-06 |55164 |94533 | |2006-07 |60038 |106024 | |2007-08 |61999 |117431 | |2008-09 |64244 |125414 | TABLE: 4 MANUFACTURING Year |Manufacturing | | |At Constant Prices |At Current Prices | |2004-05 |361115 |453603 | |2005-06 |393842 |519743 | |2006-07 |440193 |617648 | |2007-08 |476303 |705130 | |2008-09 |487739 |780405 | TABLE: 5 ELECTRICITY, GAS & WATER SUPPLY Year |Electricity, Gas & Water Supply | | |At Constant Prices |At Current Prices | |2004-05 |54745 |59892 | |2005-06 |57513 |65505 | |2006-07 |60544 |70455 | |2007-08 |63730 |76066 | |2008-09 |65899 |79478 | TABLE: 6 SERVICES Year |Services | | |At Constant Prices |At Current Prices | |2004-05 |1437407 |1727008 | |2005-06 |1598468 |1976969 | |2006-07 |1779029 |2299212 | |2007-08 |1970563 |2639668 | |2008-09 |2155448 |3086132 | TABLE: 7 CONSTRUCTION Year |Construction | | |At Constant Prices |At Current Prices | |200 4-05 |158212 |212807 | |2005-06 |183868 |264173 | |2006-07 |205543 |319180 | |2007-08 |226325 |376266 | |2008-09 |242577 |437017 | TABLE: 8 TRADE,HOTEL,TRANSPORT AND COMMUNICATION Year | Trade, Hotel, Transport and Communications | | |At Constant Prices |At Current Prices | |2004-05 |615849 |706073 | |2005-06 |690399 |809870 | |2006-07 |778896 |947096 | |2007-08 |875398 |1090708 | |2008-09 |954589 |1246718 | TABLE: 9 FINANCE, INSURANCE, REAL ESTATE & BUSINESS SERVICES |Year | Finance, Insurance, Real Estate & Business Services | | |At Constant Prices |At Current Prices | |2004-05 |323080 |405081 | |2005-06 |359888 |452469 | |2006-07 |409472 |524019 | |2007-08 |457584 |594096 | |2008-09 |493356 |691221 | TABLE: 10 COMMUNITY, SOCIAL & PERSONAL SERVICES |Year | Community, Social & Personal Services | | |At Constant Prices At Current Prices | |2004-05 |340266 |403047 | |2005-06 |364313 |450457 | |2006-07 |385118 |508917 | |2007-08 |411256 |578598 | |2008-09 |464926 |711176 |

Tanglewood

Develop a detailed selection plan for this position. In this case, you should determine what you want to measure by analyzing KSAOs from the Job description and the information on organizational culture in the case, and fitting the selection measures into the plan format as shown in Exhibit 8. 2 in the book. The current selection methods are the experience check, education check, Marshfield Applicant Exam, and the Retail Knowledge Test. Do not include the current interview as part of the selection plan. Selection Plan Format for Managerial Position at Tanglewood Major KSAO CategoryNecessary for selection? Edc EXC MAE RKT 1 . Communication skills x 2. Knowledge of organizational policies and regulations 3. Decision making Judgment/skills 4. Managerial skills 6. Reasoning abilities 7. Knowledge of personal management regulations 8. Knowledge of retail management: policies and practices 9. Technical knowledge 10. Strategic abilities. Ability to develop solutions to complex conflicts. Y 1 1 . Skill in interpreting and analyzing financial data and performing financial operations. Y RKT = Retail Knowledge Test 3. Develop initial interview questions.Staffing services believes that a half-hour nterview will be appropriate, with about 3 minutes per interview question. They would like 5 behavioral interview questions and 5 situational interview questions. Each interview question should have a very specific KSAO target as shown in the example. Behavioral Questions: 1 . Tell me about a time when you had to make a decision that benefitted the company, but went against your personal values. 2. Tell me about a time you had to go beyond your comfort zone and personal limits to satisfy an unhappy customer. 3.Tell me about a time you received news that an employee was violating workplace regulations. How did you confront that employee and go about solving the conflict? 4. Tell me about a time you offered constructive criticism to an employee regarding workplace responsibilities. How did you broach the subject and create an effective solution to the problem that the employee both clearly understood and willingly complied with? 5. Tell me about a time you received a complaint about one of your employees. How did you approach the matter and bring up the subject with the employee?Situational Questions: 1. Suppose you received an anonymous complaint that a certain employee was sexually harassing other employees in the workplace. How would you handle the situation? 2. Suppose an irate customer demands compensation that exceeds company policy (i. e a large discount or store credit in a situation where it is not a valid option). How would you resolve the conflict and ensure customer satisfaction? 3. An employee has been engaging in dishonest and illegal activity. While it is not felony activity, there can be legal repercussions.How do you deal with this employee? Would there be legal repercussions? 4. An employee is not correctly and fully meeting Job responsibili ties and expectations. This employee reports to another manager in the store. Who would you confront about the issue, and how would you handle the situation? meeting your goal for sales. You are expected to increase sales dramatically in order to remain as close to your sales goal as possible. How do you go about this, and what steps would you take? 4. Develop a scoring key for each interview question.This means you will have ten different scoring keys. Question 1 Job Title Department Manager Item Description Requires applicant to provide a response where they struggled between personal values and Job responsibilities and how they overcame this. Performance Dimensions Task: identify Job duties and compare to ethical issues Knowledge: legal issues, duties, personal values Skill: decision making Ability: conflict solving Question Tell me about a time when you had to make a decision that benefitted the company, but went against your personal values.Scoring Key 1: Applicant fails to men tion a specific incident 2: Applicants mentions a situation, but fails to mention a solution. 3: Applicant identifies a solution and provides and acceptable solution. 4: Applicant successfully identifies a significant situation and provides a solution in a way that exhibits their kills and abilities. Interviewer Comments Legal issues are not so much important as exhibition of skills and abilities regarding job duties and personal values. Question 2 Requires applicant to explain a time they provided excellent customer service.Performance Dimensions Task: Identify customer in need, effectively seek a solution which results in customer satisfaction. Knowledge: customer service Skill: Judgment Ability: Effective communication; inductive reasoning. Tell me about a time you had to go beyond your comfort zone and personal limits to satisfy an unhappy customer. Scoring Key : Applicant fails to mention concepts related to customer service. 2: Applicant Applicant identifies concepts related t o customer service and provides a solution. 4: Applicant fulfills requirements of 3, and exhibits KSAOs.Interviewer Comments Applicant was satisfied with the question and thought it greatly contributed to the interview process. Question 3 Behavioral interview question requiring the applicant to provide a response about an employee violating workplace regulations. Performance Dimensions Task: Absorb information about employee violation, confront employee in an ethical, rofessional manner. Knowledge: personal management Skill: Communication skills, personal management, Judgment and decision making Ability: Effective communication, reasoning, listening aptitude.Question Tell me about a time you received news that an employee was violating workplace Scoring Key 1: Applicant fails to mention a situation. 2: Applicant mentions a situation, but fails to provide a solution. 3: Applicant provides a situation and a solution. 4. Applicant fulfills requirements listed in 3, and also exhibits ex pected KSAOs. Interviewer Comments Applicant felt this was a personal question. Question 4: Behavioral question asking applicant to identify a situation where they had to offer constructive criticism to an employee.Performance Dimensions Task: Offer constructive criticism to an employee that is not meeting workplace standards. Knowledge: personal management, effective communication skills Skill: effective mentoring, reasoning, personal management Ability: Effective communication Tell me about a time you offered constructive criticism to an employee regarding complied with? Scoring Key 1: Applicant fails to mention an applicable situation : Applicant mentions an applicable situation, but fails to mention how they resolved the problem. 3. Applicant identifies a situation and a solution. . Applicant fulfills requirements for score 3, and exhibits KSAOs in their explanation. Method of approach is crucial, as are ethical considerations. Question 5 Behavioral question in which applicant i s asked to respond to a customer complaint about an employee. Performance Dimensions Task: Listen to complaint. Use decision making skills to approach employee and propose an effective solution. Knowledge: Personal management, legal/workplace egulations. Skill: decision making, conflict resolution Ability: Communication, listening aptitude, decision making.Question Tell me about a time you received a complaint about one of your employees. How did you approach the matter and bring up the subject with the employee? Scoring Key 1: Applicant fails to find a workplace solution to solve the conflict at hand. 2: Applicant uses limited reasoning to find a solution to the problem. Uses communication skills. 3. Applicant uses reasonable Judgment, communication skills and inductive reasoning. 4: Applicant meets requirements of score 3, and also emonstrates excellent personal management concepts.Interviewer Comments Legalities may not be necessary considerations for this question, depending on the complaint. Question 6 Situational question asking the applicant to address legal concerns and resolve the conflict at hand. Performance Dimensions Task: Process concerns. Talk with offending employee and discuss legal repercussions. Knowledge: Knowledge of law and workplace regulations Skill: Problem solving, employee directing Ability: Effective communication of protocol Suppose you received an anonymous complaint that a certain employee was sexually arassing other employees in the workplace.How would you handle the situation? 1 : Applicant fails to mention legal concepts and how they addressed the situation with such 2: Applicant shows sufficient knowledge of legal concepts. 3: Applicant demonstrates sufficient knowledge of legal concepts and provides conflict resolution. 4: Applicant fulfills requirements of score 3, and also demonstrates effective application of preventative measures to ensure the conflict does not happen again. Interviewer Comments Candidate felt this was a well-worded question that addressed an important workplace issue.Candidate felt it is important for managers to be able to effectively Question 7 Situational question requiring applicant to provide an original solution based on personal Judgment to effectively resolve the conflict. Product Dimension Task: Communicate effectively with the customer. Knowledge: customer service practices, company policies Skill: Judgment, decision making Ability: effective communication, decision making, develop original solution to conflict Suppose an irate customer demands compensation that exceeds company policy (i. a large discount or store credit in a situation where it is not a valid option). How would you resolve the conflict and ensure customer satisfaction? Scoring Key 1 : Applicant fails to demonstrate customer service practices knowledge and fails to comply with company policy 2: Applicant sufficiently follows company policy, but fails to demonstrate customer service knowledge. 3: Applicant sufficiently follows company policy and customer service practices. 4: Applicant complies with company policy and demonstrates excellent customer service practices.Interviewer Comments Candidate felt this was a great question for a common situation in the retail industry. Question 8 A situational question asking candidate to respond to a situation with legal repercussions. Product Dimensions Task: Engage in documentation and gathering of evidence against employee. Approach employee and take disciplinary action and compose an effective solution to prevent repeat offenses. Knowledge: legal procedures, inductive reasoning, communication.Skill: inductive reasoning, application of legal procedures, communication Ability: Effective problem solving/reasoning, effective communication, personal management Question An employee has been engaging in dishonest and illegal activity. While it is not felony activity, there can be legal repercussions. How do you deal with this employee? Would there be legal repercussions? Scoring Key 1: Applicant fails to mention consequences and legal ramifications. 2: Applicant demonstrates sufficient knowledge for legal repercussions, but not the relevance to the situation.Does not provide a satisfactory solution. 3: Applicant demonstrates sufficient knowledge of legal repercussions, and effectively implements them. 4: Applicant fills requirements of score 3, and also an innovative, original solution to ensure the conflict does not arise again. Interviewer Comments Candidate felt this was especially crucial to the interview process, as legal issues are Question 9 Situational question that requires employer to eliminate performance issues and demonstrate knowledge and accurate observation of employee interaction with other managers.Product Dimensions Task: Communicate with appropriate individuals regarding the issue and effectively eliminate lack of production. Knowledge: personal management, company policy and job requirements knowledge Sk ill: decision making, communication, personal management Ability: effective communication An employee is not correctly and fully meeting Job responsibilities and expectations. This employee reports to another manager in the store. Who would you confront about the issue, and how would you handle the situation?Scoring Key 1 : Applicant shows knowledge of personal management, but fails to provide a detailed course of action. 2: Applicant demonstrates knowledge of personal management, gives an answer but does not completely resolve the conflict 3: Applicant shows knowledge of personal management, and provides a solution and successfully resolves performance issues. 4: Applicant meets requirements of score , and also thoroughly discusses preventative actions taken. Interviewer Comments Candidate felt that incident documentation and repercussions were necessary.Question 10 Situational question requiring the candidate to formulate effective methods to increase sales. Product Dimensions Tas k: Formulate effective strategies to increase sales. Knowledge: sales processes. Skill: Rational decision making. Ability: Communication practices, inductive reasoning, composition of original and innovative solutions. Question Suppose you are halfway through a financial quarter and are nowhere close to steps would you take? Scoring Key : Applicant's plan fails to mention sales concepts and solution is not creative enough. : Applicant develops a sufficient plan, but it is clear they are not confident or knowledgeable enough in this field. Again, solution is not creative enough. 3: forecasting and concepts. Solution is acceptable. 4: Applicant meets requirements of number 3, and also demonstrates a thorough understanding of sales concepts and is able to provide an effective, original solution to the problem. Interviewer Comments Perhaps in future interviews ask candidates to supply a personal example of when they had to do something like this.

Competition in Health Care Essay

For this assignment the class was instructed to describe the different forms of competition that take place among various types of health care organizations, evaluate the benefits and pitfalls of competition in health care and suggest alternatives if competition was not the primary driver of operations in the U.S. health care system, explain the elements of successful competition and the use of competitive intelligence, describe the influence competition has on the services offered by health care organizations and the choices patients have. Health care as in all industries, competition among businesses has long been encouraged as a mechanism to increase value for patients. In the overwhelming majority of industries, firms compete with each other to sell more products or services to customers, their purpose being to capture more of the customer’s dollar (Spath & Abraham, 2014). Many companies are free at any time to offer whatever products they think people need at any price th ey believe people are willing to pay. If customers will buy their product they will succeed; if not, they fail. This considered the nature of competition. Competition creates winners and losers inspires firms to constantly improve. Competition in many sectors of the healthcare industry functions differently. The usual free market principles of supply and demand are distorted by an extensive regulatory framework at both the federal and state levels of government. State regulators may not allow all HSOs in one geographical market area to offer particular services. Price caps may prevent HSOs from charging whatever price people are willing to pay for healthcare services. Pharmaceutical companies are free to develop any new medication they want but must get approval from the Food and Drug Administration before it can be sold in the United States. Insurance plans may direct people to receive services from certain HSOs and not others. Hospital emergency departments must provide healthcare services to people even if they cannot pay for those services (Spath & Abraham, 2014). In the health care industry, competition has an impact on many relational perspectives. There have been  several studies examining the relation ships between competition and quality of health care, competition and health care system costs, and competition and patient satisfaction. Some elements of competition in health care are price, quality, convenience, and superior products and services. One type of competition that takes place in health care amongst the various types of health care organizations is the business’s existing competitors. The existing competitors are the ones that the business has been dealing with for many years. There are also potential competitors, which are companies that are currently operating in another industry or market, but show interest in entering the business’s industry or market. Some examples are; firms operating in other geographic regions seeking to expand their markets, firms offering similar and related, but not directly competing, products that wish to expand their product lines, customer firms that decide to integrate backward in the industrial value chain, suppliers attracted by margins may choose to integrate forward in the chain, a small, strategically weak firm becomes a serious threat of entry when it is acquired by a company that can reduce or eliminate the weaknesses, firms that feel threatened by a move into th eir markets might retaliate by moving in the opposite direction, and firms that have a possible fit or synergy with the critical success factors in the industry (Moseley, 2009). Attention must also be paid to indirect competition, those entities offering products or services that may serve as substitutes to the business’s products or services in the eyes of its customers (Moseley, 2009). Hospitals also compete for physicians by offering more highly trained supportive staff and/or better equipment. Hospitals are more likely to compete for patients by providing more services, better amenities, or discounted prices. There is a strong competition for cutting edge technology and medical talent locally and globally. Hospitals also have to compete for inclusion in insurer’s provider networks. Insurance plans compete for cost to payers, quality of provider networks, credentialing screening, and quality assessment procedures. Competition has played a vital role in shaping the delivery of healthcare in the United States. Competition drives innovation and ultimately leads to the delivery of better healthcare. Competition results in lower prices and broader access to health care and health insurance. Competition among and between hospitals and physicians intensified with the development of managed  care organizations. In addition to putting pressure on costs, managed care plans have pressured providers to use shorter hospital stays and to offer alternative outpatient treatments (Macfarlane, 2014). This led to lower costs  and an increase in choice without sacrificing quality. Lower costs and improved efficiency has made health insurance more affordable and available. Another benefit of competition in health care is the innovation in healthcare technology (endoscopic surgery, anesthetic agents available in ambulatory surgery centers). There are many competitive success stories in healthcare in the area of pharmaceuticals, urgent care centers, and elective surgeries. Competition has some pitfalls in healthcare that includes the time and costs that it takes for healthcare organizations to compete against others. Other common pitfalls are unexpected difficulties when expanding into new geographies, over-optimistic projections in patient numbers, revenues, and profitability, misjudging local income levels and ability to pay, and underestimating local competition. Another pitfall may be over investing in equipment. Competition has severely restricted collaboration among service providers. An alternative to competition would be collaboration between providers or fixed prices. Success is not achieved by ignoring your competition but rather by anticipating competitive issues and influences so you can always have a proactive plan and strategy for staying ahead of your competition. As in all industries including health care the competition among businesses has long been encouraged as a mechanism to increase value for patients. There are many forms of competition that have an influence on services offered by health care organizations. The competition comes from not only other practices, but can include anyone or anything that may influence a prospective patient to not become a patient of an organization. Organizations that fail to deliver products that satisfy customers’ needs will soon go out of business. Strategic thinking and planning enables organization to stay ahead of the competition. References Macfarlane, M. (2014). Sustainable Competitive Advantage for Accountable Care Organizations. Journal of Healthcare Management, 59(4), 263-271. Retrieval from EBSCOhost, www.ashford.edu/libraryMoseley, G (2009). Health Care Competition, Strategic Mission, and Patient Satisfaction: Research Model and Propositions. Retrieved from www.ncbi.nln.nhi.gov/. Spath, P., Abraham, S. (2014). Strategic Management for Healthcare Organizations, Bridgepoint Education, Inc. www.ashford.edu/books.

Organized Crime Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Organized Crime - Essay Example Despite the fact that there were criminal organizations existing before this prohibition, the country experienced an upward development of strong organizations, which took advantage of the prohibition to make millions of dollars through illegal importation and sale of liquor to the American citizens. For example, a Chicago gang, the Capones, led by a notorious gangster, Al Capone, is said to have been making more than $100 million on annual basis through bootlegging of liquor and other criminal activities such as prostitution (Abadinsky, 2002). After the ban was lifted in 1933, criminal organizations that depended on income from the sale of liquor had to look for other sources of income and this brought about a rise in activities such as drug trafficking, human trafficking, gun trafficking and extortion among others. This paper is a critical evaluation on some of the criminal organizations in the US. Criminal Organizations in the US The US is a country, which is rich in diversity esp ecially due to the presence of high numbers of immigrants from all corners of the world. This diversity has propelled the country’s economic growth but it has also led to the emergence of numerous criminal organizations and street gangs as a result of culture importation coupled with poverty and insecurity in neighborhoods especially those belonging to the minority groups. Some of these organizations have grown in size such that they are not only operating within the US but also across international borders. Mara Salvatrucha, for example, is a transnational organized criminal gang, which is perceived as being one of the most notorious both internationally and within the US. It is estimated that the gang has more than 50000 active members, 10000 of whom are supposedly operating inside the US (Logan, 2009). The formation of this gang was motivated by the need to provide protection for its members but with time, it has deviated from its original goal by engaging in well organize d criminal operations involving drug trafficking, extortion, gun trafficking, murder among others (Logan, 2009). Mara Salvatrucha, commonly abbreviated as MS-13, begun in Los Angeles after immigrants from El Salvador, who were escaping from civil conflicts in their country met hostile communities of Mexican and African American origins, who were not willing to accommodate them in their neighborhoods. The Mexicans and African Americans in Los Angeles had well established street gangs, which kept on attacking and harassing the Salvadorians to the point that it became too much for the immigrants to handle. They were used to armed conflicts due to the civil war in their country and therefore, they had the skills and the motivation to defend them selves from armed attacks (Logan, 2009). The US authorities have had a difficult task of identifying and arresting members of this gang but their actions are highly credited for the ever increasing numbers of Mara Salvatruchans (Monteith, 2010). It is believed that the authorities have made this possible through deportation of gang members, which has made it possible for them to recruit new members from their home countries only to return to the US through illegal means to meet with members of their families and other gang members operating within

Learning For Students in Clinical Practice Essay

Learning For Students in Clinical Practice - Essay Example The NMC contends that the stage 2 mentor can only achieve maximum individual potential amongst his or her students by facilitating the selection of appropriate learning strategies to integrate learning from practice and academic experience and supporting student in critically reflecting upon their experiences in future learning (Clay and Wade, 2001, p. 213). The following essay breaks down and discusses these two responsibilities critically in a clinical practice context. How Mentors Can Effectively Facilitate Learning For Students In Clinical Practice First, a stage 2 mentor should facilitate a relationship that is conducive to nursing with his or her students (Clauson, Wejr, Frost, Mcrae, and Straight, 2011, p. 315). Research findings on the impacts of the clinical setting for education have concentrated on human interactions instead of physical situations. The same findings indicate that clinical surroundings influence learning. For instance, students of clinical practice who had a place for carrying out their meetings and storing their possessions felt like the learning setting was welcoming and respectful. This frame of mind extended to the clinical personnel at the clinical practice setting. Consequently, a student who feels welcomed and respected by clinical personnel will reflect the same attitudes towards his or her classmates and patients. In addition, the feeling of being a crucial participant of a group raises inspiration to learn. These feelings and attitudes are achievable through the effective facilitation of student learning by mentors.

As temperature increases the level of turbidity increases Lab Report

As temperature increases the level of turbidity increases - Lab Report Example 107). It can be said that it is the measure of how much light can pass on the water, and this may be influenced by suspending matter in the water; these may be sediments, organic matter, eroded soil, silt, industrial waste to mention a few. The particles resting at the bottom of water may also be stirred up by water movement, people or storm runoff. With levels of turbidity may indicate the water is unhealthy for aquatic life as light will not easily penetrate to the bottom. Introduction:Temperature may determine the conditions in which matter exists. Minute temperature changes in water may change the conditions and thus make the aquatic life hard to survive in. Temperature changes may also result from deforestation thus allowing more sun to directly shine in the water. Factories and other power plants use water as a coolant and later discharge it back to water sources, this changes the water temperatures. The above reasons were the inspiration for this experiment. The results: The results demonstrate that at 40 degrees Celsius the lowest level of turbidity were recorded. An average reading of 21.65 in the turbidimeter was recorded. At 10 degrees Celsius an average turbidity of 21.65 was noted, at 30 degrees Celsius an average of 21.72 value was recorded, our control was 20 degree Celsius which recorded a reading of 22.38 Conclusion: My hypothesis was that when temperatures increase turbidity of water also increases, this hypothesis should not be accepted as the results recorded did not show any correlation between the water samples taken and the level of turbidity. Recommendations: In the future this experiment should be done in a well controlled environment where the surrounding or confounding variables are well controlled so that they do not have an influence on the experiment. Parker, Gary, and Coastal River. River, Coastal, and Estuarine Morphodynamics: RCEM 2005, Proceeding of the 4th IAHR Symposium on River, Coastal, and Estuarine

Compare and contrast three stories from three different cultures Essay

Compare and contrast three stories from three different cultures - Essay Example The essay will juxtapose these stories and discuss their differences and similarities between these three stories according to cultural standards and human psychology. The Greek myth that relates the conception of Helen is perhaps the most intriguing as it involves not only an obscene case bestiality, but also the conception of a demigod after that encounter. The legend of Helen of Troy is most popular because of its Hollywood depiction and the many mystical events surrounding the event. Helen was the most beautiful women that made men go to war for her but she was also the product of an odd love affair between her mother Leda and the Greek god of Thunder and the father of gods, Zeus. There are many myths and legends in which Zeus was known for ravishing young women and producing many offspring that grow up to become godly or heroic figures in their mythology. However, in this particular tradition, Zeus transforms himself in to a swan to have intercourse with Leda, who in turn lays t wo eggs and gives birth to a daughter named Helen and a son named, Polydeuces. There are many alternating versions of the story and this is why, it is not known whether Leda was actually seduced or raped by Zeus. Moreover, at the same time Leda was known to have given birth to two of her other children after sleeping with her husband, Tyndareus. (Cavendish 2005, 811) The second myth narrate the story of Osiris and Isis, the former was deceived and killed by his jealous whereas the latter, who was the sister and wife of Osiris and also the patroness of nature and magic. After her husband was tricked and murdered by Seth, his body was dismembered in to 14 pieces and scattered throughout the land of Egypt. Isis with the help of her sister and Seth’s wife, Nephthys located all 13 parts of his body; which also represent one of the 14 full moons in one year. The last part was devoured by a fish that is Isis had to create a phallus made of gold and then brought Osiris back to life b y singing to him. As a result, Osiris became the lord of the underworld and together they created Horus, who went on to defeat Seth and reclaim the kingdom of Egypt. As Osiris was murdered out of jealous, the night signified the darkness that is associated with such a heinous trait and crime. However, the moon that becomes the only source of light became associated with the resurrected Osiris and the righteous ones who died were exalted to the status of a star that brightened up an otherwise dark sky. (Pugliano-Martin 2011, 22) On the other hand, the primary plot revolving around the one thousand and one Arabian nights is the story of a Persian King, who is betrayed by his wife and upon seeing his brother’s wife’s infidelity; he convinces himself that all women are evil. He not only has his wife and his brother’s wife executed but each day he marries a maiden and then the very next day he has them executed. The king’s grand Vizier became increasingly worr ied at the King’s madness but stayed mum until her daughter Scheherazade volunteers to become the next bride. Although he is reluctant at first but quickly places his faith in his daughter, who assures him that she would put an end to the massacre. On their wedding night she begins to tell her husband, the king a story but does not tell him the end as it dawn, her scheduled time to be executed. The king is fascinated by

Article response paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Response paper - Article Example They also point out the misconception that many scholars have on the relationship between L2 and L3 acquisition; L3 is not a continuation of L2 as they are independent of each other. As such, the authors highlight the reasons why L3/Ln must be analysed independent of their predecessors, L1 and L2. They also outline the differences between the factors, while specifying their individual and collective contributions to the study of language acquisition. How Article Relates To Previous Knowledge Up to until when I read the article, I was unaware of the existence of any differences in language acquisition; to me, learning a new language was the same process as the child first-language. However, the article outlines the differences in language acquisition clearly. Universal grammar, obtained from first language (L2), and previous linguistic knowledge affect the acquisition of adult third language (L3). Whereas there are controversies on the extent to which these factors affect adult acquis ition, there is a general agreement that experiences with L1 and L2 determine its path and ultimate attainment. The article also outlines how children acquire L2 using linguistic experiences from L1. Just like adults do, children form hypotheses about the second language that they are expected to learn. They use these hypotheses to form opinions and come up with techniques and methodologies that help them acquire second languages. The fact that children with L1 experience function, in a similar way as adults, means that L1 acquisition is often referred to as child language ineffectively. This is because it offers children an experience similar to that which L2 acquisition, referred to as adult acquisition, offers grown-ups. Some studies have revealed unexplainable characteristics in L3 that were not learnt in L1 or L2. It is, therefore, correct to deduce that universal grammar is available even at L3. This reinforces the argument that language acquisition is age independent; thereby discrediting the notion that L1 is ‘child first language’ and L2 and L3 as adult acquisition. When L2 learners decide to acquire new languages, whether through tutoring or naturally, they become L3 learners. At this level, they have more metalinguistic acquaintance and learning experience than at L2, increasing their proficiency and instructional experience. The article also brings out the fact that tests reveal that the effects of L1 and L2 on L3 depend on the relationships between the languages, as well as the typological proximity of the studies. This is determined by the level of similarity, or difference, between the L1 and L2 and the L3 acquisitions. For instance, studies showed that placing German as a constant L3, and English and French as alternative L1 and L2, L2 yielded stronger presence in L3, with English showing a stronger influence than French. This is in spite of English and French having very little similarity. This is indicative of the fact that the l anguage learnt as L2 has a greater impact on L3 than that used at L1. Other researches also revealed that no matter the languages, some instances of L1 will be transferred to L2, and in some cases, L3; on the other hand, L3 absorbs some features of L2 as well as L1. Three Concise Excerpts from Article i. †Ã¢â‚¬ ¦it is largely accepted that some level of transfer obtains and significantly alters the path and ultimate attainment potential of adult acquisition†

The Bank of Enlgand's M.P.C. Has Allowed the C.P.I. Inflation Rate to Coursework

The Bank of Enlgand's M.P.C. Has Allowed the C.P.I. Inflation Rate to Stay above its 2% Target for More than Two Years - Coursework Example Aggregate demand is said to be the total demand of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of an economy and its components are the consumption (C), investment (I), government expenditure (G), and net exports (X-M) which is the imports subtracted from exports (Investopedia, n.d.). Along with aggregate demand, there is the aggregate supply which is the total supply of the Gross Domestic Product and it is the total of the goods and services produced in the economy. The diagram on the right shows the aggregate demand and aggregate supply curve which help to signify the inflation rates and the GDP in the economy. Inflation rates are calculated by different measures which are namely the Consumer Price Index (CPI), Retail Price Index (RPI), and RPIX. Consumer Price Index (CPI) is used to measure the price level of the consumer goods and services in the economy. Retail Price Index (RPI) is the measure of inflation by measuring the change in the prices of retail goods and services. RPIX is a measur e which is dominantly used in the United Kingdom and it is the RPI excluding mortgage interest payments. The Bank of England has set a target of an inflation rate of 2% which is considered to be ideal given the circumstances of the UK economy. The inflation rate of 2% is low and very much constant which means that there is stability in the economy. The UK also has set the golden rule which is that the government will only borrow the money in order to invest and not to fulfill the current spending in the economy. This means that the economy will not be leveraged to a greater level to cover the expenses, and money will be borrowed to generate future revenues. The Bank of England works to keep the economy stable and head towards progress, with the help of its fiscal and monetary policies. The Bank of England aims to keep the inflation rates at low and constant level which generates investor and consumers’ confidence and it will help to develop the economy in the present as well as in the future. The figure on the right shows a business cycle which represents the points which can be experienced by an economy, both good and bad. The peak is the point when the economy is doing its best and economic growth rates are high. At this point, the unemployment rates are on a low but the inflation rates may be high. During the recessionary period, the economy is experiencing lower economic growth and unemployment starts to rise but inflation may or may not be decreasing. The time of trough or slump is when the economy is at its worst in that time and such economy usually faces high unemployment rates and low inflation rates. However once again, the inflation rates may or may not be decreasing as it depends on several other factors too. Inflation can be of two types according to their predictability, which are the anticipated and unanticipated inflation. Anticipated Inflation: Inflation is said to be anticipated when it can be accurately predicted and that it is forese en to be at a specific level in a financial period. Since this inflation is calculated and known, people can protect themselves from its impact. An example of anticipated inflation is when a labor union collectively bargains for a rise in their wages because they have anticipated the inflation rat

Radical Islam Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Radical Islam - Essay Example This justification has severe repercussions one of which is that it implicitly states that all Muslims are required to waed the war if they are to live as true Muslims. This paper aims to discuss the role of Jihad as an instrument used by terrorist organiations in their plan of action. The focus will be on the discussion how Jihad serves as a recruitment tool of the organiations. The discussion involves that of establishing the nature of Islam as a religion, its provisions for physical struggle, the consequences of such orienations and its use as a recruitment tool of terrorist organizations. Thru the determination of relevant Quranic verses, this paper aims to provide the background and foundation of the terrorist's interpretationof the Jihad. Jihad is an Islamic term that means "to exert utmost effort, to strive or to struggle". This definition may mean anything from an inward spiritual struggle to attain perfect faith to a political or military struggle. The term Jihad is often taken into context as to describe purely physical and military struggle. The military struggles usually come in the form of religious wars. Although this maybe the case, there are actually five different forms of jihad. They are as follows: Jihad by the pen and knowledge (jihad bil qalam/ilm) is a struggle fo... pen and knowledge (jihad bil qalam/ilm) is a struggle for good against evil through an academic study of Islam, ijtihad (legal reasoning) and even through sciences (such as medical sciences). Jihad by the hand (jihad bil yad) refers to a struggle of good against evil waged by actions using one's wealth or actions that is virtous such as providing funding for jihad, advocacy campaigns for furthering the cause of Islam, undergoing the Hajj pilgrimage, taking care of the family and may even include espionage. Jihad by the sword (jihad bis saif) refers to the holy war or armed fighting in the way of God. Of all the forms of jihad, the form which pervades the social scene is the Jihad by the sword. A person who engages in jihad, whatever forms may be, are called a mujahid which means struggler. With this definition, a Muslim person engaging in fighting in a military struggle as well as those who are memorizing the Quran can be considered as a mujahid. The variety of forms of Islam gave rise to the need to classify which of them are more appropriate in terms of value creation and importance. Because of this, the five forms of jihad was classified either as al-jihd al-akbar (the greater jihad) or al-jihd al-asghar (the lesser jihad) , the struggle against one's soul (nafs), , the external, physical effort, often implying fighting. From this classification, it can be seen that the first threeare implied as the greater jihad with the remaining as the lesser jihad. The Aspirations of Islam and Jihad In this paper the word "Islam" has three meanings that have been taken in the context of which it operates. First, using the Western view of Islam, this term is primarily used to denote a religious tradition, much like Christianity, that provides fundamental

Rome's Religious History Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Rome's Religious History - Essay Example In fact, Beard, North and Price (1998) did not provide any definition of 'religion' in their work on religions of Rome because according to them, modern categories for thinking about religion are coloured by Christian ideas. They would not, therefore, be applicable for understanding the religion in ancient Rome. This was the same idea espoused by Imber (2007). Meanhile, Dumezil and Krapp (1996) described Roman religions as not only influenced by other religions, but influenced them as well. The worship of certain gods became the special concerns of certain parts of society, all of which needed attention to assure Rome's success in war, civil administration, and the production of food and goods. In trying to identify "religion" in the Graeco-Roman world, James Rives (2006) said the concept of "religion" does not seem to be a part of their traditional culture although it perhaps began in the second century. The religious history of Rome started from mythical origins, with its character and development running through the later Republican centuries with pagan response, to the coming of new religious forms during the centuries of Roman imperial rule (North, 2000). There were 12 or 15 major deities of the Romans familiar from art and myth where some are more popular than others (Rives, 2006) For example, it is said that the rural god, Silvanus, appears in more than 1,100 inscriptions from the western empire. In categorizing Roman deities, Mirza and Tsang (2007) virtually adopted the same ones of Turcan (2002) as follows: religions of the family, religions of the state, and religions in the imperial age. The only difference is that while Turcan (2000) promised to look into Roman religions the way Romans looked at them, Mirza and Tsang (2007) said they are exposing Rome for what its religions were. This paper looks into Roman religions from both stances of various authors. Finally, it presents the difficulties involved in studying Roman religions and makes a conclusion on this issue. Aspects of Roman Religions Numina. Religions in ancient Rome combined several different cult practices and embraced more than a single set of beliefs. The Romans originally followed a rural animistic tradition in which many spirits or gods were each responsible for specific, limited aspects of the cosmos and human activities. The early Romans referred to these gods as numina. For example, there were different numina for ploughing, for horses, and for cattle. There were no temples or statues, but the rites were clean and simple and they were practiced with an exactness believed pleasing to gods (Mirza and Tsang, 2007). Influences. Early in the history of the Roman Republic, foreign gods were imported especially from Greece, which had a great cultural influence on the Romans. In addition, the Romans connected some of their indigenous deities with Greek gods and goddesses. As the Roman Empire expanded and included people from a variety of cultures, there were more and more gods. The legions brought home cults originating from Egypt, Britain, Iberia, Germany, India and Persia. The cults of Cybele, Isis, and Mithras were particularly important. The ancient Roman beliefs and practices continued, including the worship of the lares and penates or spirits specific to a family, with altars in the home, the festivals such as the Lupercalia and Saturnalia, and a complex system of lucky and unlucky days (Mirza and

Prosperity of Australia Essay Example for Free

Prosperity of Australia Essay Presently there are about 3. 6 million people who are living on less than $A400 per week. Around two million Australians are living in poor conditions with only one earning person in a single family. Nearly 700,000 children growing in families where none of both the parents have a full time job. Among the poorest only 20 per cent of population hold government service. The Democrats are debating on the issue of poverty in Australia, with a concrete fact that over the past decades there has been a continuous economic growth in Australia despite of which the poor were worst effected and the prosperity of Australia has not reached the poor. This has been further supported by Government by reducing the incomes of many single parents and of disabled people, which has contributed to the growth of higher poverty. Living in poverty is a struggle and affects families in physical and mental health. It can even be stated here that ‘healthy families make a healthy society’ and societies make a state and healthy states make a healthy nation. The importance and significance of healthy families is much larger and plays a pivotal role in making a happier and prosperous nation. There are segregations about class living and style such as ‘middle class’ ‘upper middle class’, ‘luxurious class’ and last, not least ‘poor class’ which receive a minute attention in all aspects of health care, nutrition and in efforting to make both ends meet which is a great responsibility of governments to provide food and shelter as a basic need for living. The pestilence of poverty is tiresome and requires a great amount of effort and hard work from the end of governments to create job opportunities, encouraging new small and big industries, encouraging basic education and providing some discounted facilities for further advancement in education, creating new and innovative career and job opportunities or self-employment schemes by providing small amount of financial loans from banks to make a living for poor. As a matter of fact, how much ever new jobs are created either in government, public or private sector, many people are still left not having a seat for job which means that public bodies cannot create jobs till the number of zero and it is for the unemployed to seek and find an area of source through which income can be generated on one side and on the other side, make a happy family. In this regard, computer technology offers a multiplex opportunities and with basic knowledge of computer, unemployed can offer services of various kinds and can make a living by setting SOHO (Small office Home office) Such as this, there are many other professional methods to reduce poverty line and introduce better standards of living among poor people, viz., computer technical jobs, software jobs, application jobs and other electronic communication jobs and even industrial and public sector labor jobs can be advantageous to create job opportunities wherein with minimum education, jobs can be suitably found which would at least enable most of the family members to stay in jobs and endeavor to grow further for hike in salaries. However, these are not as easy as stated and it requires more efforts, job and employment schemes from Governments in the interest and prestige of nation. Otherwise, this would further deteriorate the standards of living of children, elderly and ageing couple, single parented families, young people and students and migrants. According to the survey conducted in the year 2001, there are 100,000 people who are homeless and looking for home assistance. Poverty rate in cities is 10. 5 per cent and it is 12 per cent in other states and territories. It is also to be noted that 6 out of 10 poor Australians are living in capital cities which concludes a fact that both regional areas along with cities have to be equally assisted in development of strategies to remove poverty. In March 2004, there were stringent efforts by Senate Community Affairs Committee has issued a report on poverty and financial hardship which stated that â€Å"â€Å"These key findings presented below serve to illustrate a compelling case that Australia will face a crisis of poverty and disadvantage in the coming years. They carry with them the implication that Australians are increasingly at risk of falling into poverty and indeed more so now than at anytime during the post-war era. What is most disturbing however is the common theme that while poverty is becoming more entrenched and more intractable, the Commonwealth is increasingly abrogating its responsibility to tackle this great indignity inflicted on the Australian people. † The Senate Committee further recommended 95 strategies to be implemented in Australia. Some of the important recommendations are viz. , development of a strategy for providing national jobs, focusing on school education, work and training and how to advance in education without deviating from work, research on skills, wages, where the shortage exists, the reasons for low-pay jobs, the problem of casual workers and job insecurity, a guaranteed work experience of six months for those who were without employment for a period of two years, provision of employment security and social security to casual workers by strengthening work environments and poverty proof wage system which has an economic measuring scale for adequate and satisfied living.

Relationship Between Gender And Crime

Relationship Between Gender And Crime Its often thought that when females commit a crime they are often given a lesser sentence than if they were a male and that more males commit crimes than compared to females. It is also often thought by females that feminists if tried by a male may get longer than they should because of what they stand for. This can also apply when the situation is turned around where the male is standing up for what they believe in. Most people believe that the only reason females commit a crime is to provide for her family and make sure her children are brought up in a stable environment. On the other hand females are portrayed are the people that are more likely to shoplift and other crime that are unlikely to be noticed. The work carried out on the area of females and crime is very limited as there are fewer reports. 1. Gender and Patterns of crime. Carol Smart has given a number of reasons as to why she thinks crime rates for females are neglected. Carol Smart indicates that because females commit so few crimes they as not seen as much of a threat as males are because they commit more serious crimes therefore females are considered to be less of a threat to society. She also says that in both sociology and criminology professions there are more males employed than women therefore more studies have been on a males state of mind for crime instead of womens state of mind. Also criminology is stimulated by a desire to control, behaviour that is regarded as challenging. Females have been seen as less problematic then men so they are given less attention for the crimes they have committed. Carol Smart has quoted judges who are being biased against females: It is well known that women in particular and small boys are likely to be untruthful and invent stories (Judge Sutcliffe 1976) how would the female fell in this case? She would fell like it was her fault like he had committed a crime. She also asks three very interesting questions about females and what crimes the commit and why they do: Do females really commit fewer crimes then males, or are the figures misleading? Some Sociologists have suggested that females offences are constantly under-recorded by the authorities Although females continue to commit comparatively few crimes, some people have suggested that the proportion of crimes committed by females has been increasing. According to a number of commentators this alleged increase has resulted from Womens Liberation. Is this so? Why do females who break the law commit crimes?. 2. Official Statistics, Criminality and Gender. Otto Pollak helps explain the answers to the above questions. He has looked at the figures of crimes committed by females over different countries so it is not as accurate as it would be if the U.K statistics were used.  Pollak insists that the official figures are very vague level of female criminality. He further indicates that he thinks that a large amount of petty theft crimes are committed by females, and the asserted that such crimes that were improbable of coming to the awareness of the system.  Many unreported crimes were committed by  female household servants. Otto Pollak also insinuated that a females household roles gave them a considerable opportunity to commit such crimes like Poisoning Loved ones and sexually abusing their children. The police, Magistrates and other law enforcement officials have a tendency to be male. Raised to be courteous, and are usually compassionate towards female offenders so that smaller quantity of females becomes apparent in the statistics. 3. Criticism of Otto Pollak Frances Heidensohn used the statistics for the U.K to point out the major flaws in Otto Pollaks argument. Frances Heidensohn point out flaws in the statements above with his research. Most shoplift is actually done by middle ages males rather than females. That the time Pollak was writing there was a cut in the number of female household Servants. Heidensohn draws awareness to the quantity of crimes performed against prostitutes by male clients, and the occurrence of male crimes in domestic life, all the evidence point towards males being significantly more likely than a female to commit aggressive and sexual offence in the solitude of their own home. Otto Pollaks statistical study is based on insignificant data and unconfirmed statements. Heidensohn notes that the disguise of menstruation is by no means collective and changed sexual society have long since made gibberish of his view of passive, friendly females threatening revenge. 4. Evidence against the Chivalry Thesis Steven box has re-examined the statistics from self-report studies in Britain and the USA. A few of these studies show some compassion regarding females, the greater part do not. The Mass of verification on females committing serious offences does not give obvious foundation to view that they get given a degree of difference and more positive conduct from members of the community, police and judges. Abigail Buckle and David P. Farrington preformed a small-scaled surveillance study of shoplifting in a British department store in southwest England in 1981. Shoplifting is one crime where the female offenders nearly match the male offenders in the official statistics. This study found that two point eight percent of the one hundred and forty-two males observed shoplifted but only one point four percent of the three hundred and sixty-one females shoplifted. Evidently this study uses far too small a sample to get an accurate assumption, but as one of the very few attempts to measure crime precisely it does prove some evidence against the Chivalry Thesis. In 1983 David P. Farrington and Allison Morris conducted a study off sentencing in magistrate courts. They started out by noting the some official figures did imply more compassion towards females. E.g. In 1979 six point six percent of males were found guilty of indictable where as only two percent of females were convicted. Farrington and Morris examined data in sentencing for four hundred and eight offences of theft in Cambridge in the same year. Some one hundred and ten of these offences were committed by females. Although males receive more severe sentences than females, the study found that the differences disappeared when the harshness of offences was taken into account. Farrington and Morris came to the conclusion that there was no self-sufficient effect of sex on sentencing seriousness. Roger Hood on the West midlands in 1989 carried out a more recent study the used a sample of two thousand eight hundred and eighty-four male and four hundred and thirty-three female defendants in crown courts. Hood compared the sentencing of males and females, controlling for variables which he had found affected the sentencing of men. He found that white women were give custodial sentences thirty-four percent less often than men in similar cases and black women thirty-seven percent less often. 5. Female Crime and Womens Liberation. Freda Adler claimed that womens liberation had shown the way to a modern form of female criminal and has amplified females involvement in crime. Freda also thinks that the biological theories are not precise and she believes that is has nothing to do with a females hormones, aggression and criminality. In the USA between 1960 and 1972 robberies by females went up by two hundred and seventy-seven percent males by only one hundred and sixty-nine percent. Embezzlement by females rose by two hundred and eighty percent in the same period of time, whereas for males it rose by as little as fifty percent. Overall arrests rates for females rose three times as fast as those for males and particularly among female delinquents. Why then were women becoming so much more involved in crime? Adler believed the main reason was that females were taking on male social roles in both legitimate and illegitimate areas of performance. She stressed the pace and extent of change saying: there is a tide in the affairs of females as well as males, and in the last decade it had been sweeping over barriers which have protected male prerogatives and eroding the conventional differences which once nicely defined the gender roles. Adlers views proved to be very contentious, for the most part as they could be used to imply that the womans liberation was a bad thing. They replicated Substantial research into the question on whether female crime is increasing or not. Adler is relying on statistics which are clearly unreliable as they are not recorded properly as stated earlier by Carol Smart and Frances Heidensohn. They believe that that system is too soft on females and that they are more likely to get away with petty crimes than males are. Sources Smart, C. Women, Crime and Criminology 1976 Pollak, O. The Criminality of women 1950 Heidensohn, F. Women and Crime 1985 Box, S. Recession, Crime and punishment 1987 Adler, F. Sisters in crime 1975

The Maritime Education And Training Education Essay

The Maritime Education And Training Education Essay E-learning systems have several names which basically mean the same: Virtual Learning Environment, Learning Management System, Course Management System, Learning Content Management System (LCMS), Managed Learning Environment (MLE), Learning Support System (LSS) and Learning Platform (LP). In Europe the term VLE is mostly used, but in United States the term CMS is favored over others (Kanninen, 2009). Todays learners can use some different ways to learn. One of them is technology based environments is inclusive of using of computers and Internet. Online learning is one of these type environments. An attractive side of online learning is that education service to come to the learner itself and flexible usage of it. In online learning, to perform effective instructional design is being difficult because of the learners characteristics that are related to learning are not being known. As a matter of fact, to bring into existence of effective learning for the learners in online learning environments, needs and expectations of the learners that are in these environments are comprehended and development of convenient environments which are adequate for different learning styles are required. Technology density environments cause a change of learning styles of the learners and bring up a concept that is online learning style to the agenda (DaÄÅ ¸ Geà §er, 2009). In the literature, the explanation of the online learning has been used different terminologies. Because of this, makes it difficult to develop a generic definition. Terms that are commonly used include e-learning, Internet learning, distributed learning, networked learning, tele-learning, virtual learning, computer-assisted learning, Web- based learning, and distance teaching (Anderson Elloumi, 2004). In the literature, there are many definitions which are reflect the diversity of practice and associated technologies of online learning. For example, while some researchers define online learning as educational material that is presented on a computer, the others defines online instruction as an innovative approach for delivering instruction to a remote audience, using the Web as the medium (Anderson Elloumi, 2004). Kanninen (2009) online learning is learning which takes place in a network; it could be the Internet or just a schools internal/closed net. Ally (2004) wrote that there are at least the 6 following synonyms used for online learning: e-learning, Internet learning, distributed learning, networked learning, tele-learning, virtual learning, computer-assisted learning, web-based learning, and distance learning. So it can be said that in online learning the learner is at a distance from the tutor or instructor and the learner uses some form of technology to access the learning materials. (Ally 2004) Online learning can be divided into three classes: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Contact learning supported by the net à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Multiform learning in the net à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Self studying in the net Online learning (sometimes referred to as e-learning or distance learning). In this study, online learning adopted the ASTD (American Society for Training Development) definition, which describes it as education which is facilitated and supported via information and communications technology (ICT). ASTD states that e- learning is: A broad set of applications and processes which include web-based learning, computer- based learning, virtual classrooms, and digital media. Much of this is delivered via the Internet, intranet, audio and videotape, satellite broadcast, interactive TV, and CD- ROM. The definition of e-learning varies depending on the organization and how it is used, but basically it involves electronic means of communication, education, and training (Franetovic, 2011). McGill Hobbs (2007) mentioned that a virtual learning environment (VLE) is an information system that facilitates e-learning. VLEs process, store and disseminate educational material and support communication associated with teaching and learning. Virtual learning environments (VLEs) are widespread in higher education today, typically used to deliver instructional materials and facilitate communication within a course. Briefly, we can define online learning in this thesis as an approach to a TEL (Technology Enhanced Learning), in a self regulated method, which utilizes information and communication technology to maximize the acquisition and processing of the knowledge in a VLE (Virtual Learning Environment) as a learner centered educational framework. Our conception of education is that it should help students to develop their personalities and to cope with the tasks and challenges that arise from their environments. More formally, education should assist young people in developing meaningful goals and provide them with the knowledge and skills to achieve these. To the extent that they manage to monitor and control the activities to reach their goals, they are said to self-regulate these activities (Steffens, 2006). The online environment calls for students to demonstrate self-regulated learning (Ally, 2004). Dabbagh (2007) characterized successful online learners as those who exhibited self-directed learning skills. Self-regulated learning has been framed in the online education context by Carson (2012) research as an active, constructive process whereby learners set goals for their learning and then attempt to monitor, regulate and control their cognition, motivation and behavior, guided and constrained by their goals and the contextual features in their environments (Bandura, 2001; Pintrich De Groot, 1990; Schunk, 2005; Zimmerman, 2002). the processes of self- regulation as a reciprocal cycle consisting of forethought, performance and self-reflection (Figure 2-2). Each of the phases consists of sub processes that play a greater or lesser part in learning depending on the task, the learner, and the environment (Carson, 2012). Figure (2-2): Phases and sub processes of self-regulation. From Zimmerman, B., Campillo, M. (2003). Motivating self-regulated problem solvers. Manochehr (2006) has made a study where he compared the effects on e-learning versus those on traditional instructor-based learning, on student learning, based on students learning styles. The result was that the learning style in traditional learning was irrelevant but in e-learning it was very important. The study showed that learners with an assimilating or converging learning style achieved better learning results in e-learning. DaÄÅ ¸ Geà §er (2009) stated that recent developments of the online learning are also related to Adaptive educational Hypermedia Systems (AEHS). An AEHS aims to build a model of the goals, preferences and knowledge of each learner and use this model throughout the interaction with the leaner, in order to adapt learning content to the needs of that learner that is adapted specifically to the learners (Brusilovsky, 1996). For example, in an AEHS, learning content knowledge of the subject is given to the learner. In addition, AEHS can support learners in their navigation by limiting browsing space, suggesting most relevant links to follow, or providing adaptive comments to visible links (Brusilovsky, 2003). AEHS researches are centered on learning style based personalization researches (Brown, 2006; Paredes Rodriguez, 2004; Piombo, Batatia Ayache, 2003; Graf, 2007).

The Death of the ‘Authorlessness Theory’? Essay -- Essays Papers

The Death of the ‘Authorlessness Theory’? Let’s face it. Can one fully buy into Roland Barthes’ claim that â€Å"The birth of the reader must be at the cost of the death of the Author†? (172). Even if â€Å"it is language which speaks, not the author† (168), an author is responsible for the creation of a unique sequence of words in a novel, a poem or an article. The canvas on which freeplaying signifiers paint themselves seems so vast to Barthes that â€Å"the writer can only imitate a gesture that is always anterior, never original† (170). His claim, when taken at face value, is equivalent to saying that since paint exists, there can be no Painter. But it would be a faux pas give his idea such a naà ¯ve reading—a reading strictly limited to written texts. When applied to projects such as Group art, music and film, his theory gains greater validity. Three such works that illustrate the complexities of authorship are Judy Chicago’s The Dinner Party (1979), Gr am Parsons’ second solo album, Grievous Angel (1974), and the 1939 MGM film version of The Wizard of Oz. Adding to Barthes’ idea proposed in â€Å"The Death of the Author† will be discussions of Michel Foucault’s â€Å"What is the Author?† and Andrew Sarris’ auteur theory to understand the complexities of claiming authorship. These examples will show that the Author is a construct that might not disappear as quickly as Barthes and Foucault had anticipated. A discussion of The Dinner Party group project is an excellent starting point to explore definitions of â€Å"The Author† and authority. First, to what extent can fine art be authored (or rather, can a non-text be authored)? Second, who should receive credit? A simple dictionary definition of â€Å"author† will contain ... ...e of MGM—and the Miracle of Production #1060. Special 60th Ann. ed. New York: Hyperion, 1998. Jones, Amelia. â€Å"Sexual Politics: Feminist Strategies, Feminist Conflicts, Feminist Histories.† Sexual Politics: Judy Chicago’s Dinner Party in Feminist Art History. Ed. Amelia Jones. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1996. 20-38. - - - . â€Å"The ‘Sexual Politics’ of The Dinner Party: A Critical Context.† Sexual Politics: Judy Chicago’s Dinner Party in Feminist Art History. Ed. Amelia Jones. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1996. 82-118. MacDonald, Ian. Revolution in the Head: The Beatles’ Records and the Sixties. Rev. ed. London: Pimlico, 1998. Rushdie, Salman. The Wizard of Oz. London: BFI Publishing, 1992. Sarris, Andrew. The American Cinema: Directors and Directions 1929-1968. New York: Da Capo Press, 1996.

New Computer Build :: essays research papers

New Gaming and Over Clocking Computer Build Building a new computer can be quite complicated and time consuming. You should take just as much care in researching each component as you would installing them into your system. It is crucial that the component fit your purpose, provide stability, and work well with the other components you select. For my system, I have chosen components that have been thoroughly tested and approved by respected people in the technology field.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The centerpiece of this system is of course the motherboard. I wanted something that was cutting edge but also stable. Ease of use is important, as well as compatibility. I plan to do some over-clocking so this feature was also of great importance to me. After sifting through many reviews I rested on the ASUS P5AD2 Premium, because of its immense offerings and satisfactory reviews. This board supports all of the latest features including SATA, PCI-Express, DDR2, and it accepts the new socket 775 Pentium 4. These features will allow me to use the fastest hardware made for consumers today and hopefully allow this computer to play the latest games for years to come. The board also comes with an impressive list of onboard features. It incorporates 8 channel onboard sound which will suit my needs and save me the expense of buying a separate sound card. It also has two onboard gigabit Ethernet ports and, onboard wireless G with an external antenna which should more than handle anyone’s networking needs. This motherboard has the most advanced feature set I could find available. ASUS has also made great advancements in over clocking with this board. All you need is the most recent bios and you can now unlock the clock multiplier on the Prescott Pentium 4. Until now this was only achievable through the use of an AMD processor but now offers this option with the newest Pentium family. Because heat has been a problem with the Prescott processors ASUS has also introduced â€Å"Stack Cool† this is simply placing another PCB on the underside of the board to dissipate heat. This helps improve stability and increase the life of components.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  For the processor I have chosen the Intel LGA775 Pentium 4 550. This 3.4 GHz, 800MHz front side bus processor is a very good choice for over-clocking and even at stock speeds it screams. Although the Prescott processors don’t score much higher than the Northwood processors in benchmarking at stock speeds, the over-clocking factor really comes into play here.

Consumer Decision Making Process Essay

The consumer purchase decision process is generally viewed as consisting of sequential steps or stages through which the buyer passes in purchasing a product or service. The various steps in this process, as well as the relevant internal psychological processes, those occur at each stage such as motivation, perception, attitude formation, integration and learning. 1. Problem recognition—is the first step in the consumer decision-making process. This is caused by a difference between the consumer’s ideal state and actual state. There are various causes of sources of problem recognition. These include: a. Out of stock b. Dissatisfaction c. New needs / wants d. Related products/ purchases e. Marketer induced problem recognition f. New products Look more:  the consumer buying process begins when essay 2. Information Search—being the second step in the consumer decision making process, involves a scan of information stored in memory to recall past experiences or knowledge regarding purchase alternatives. External search involves go to outside sources to acquire information such as personal sources, marketer controlled sources, public sources, or through personal experiences such as examining or handling a product. 3. Alternative Evaluation— At, this stage the consumer compares the various brands and services, he or she has identified as being capable of solving the consumption problem and satisfying the needs or motives that initiated the decision process. The evoked set is a subset of all the brands of which the consumer is aware and actively considering in the decision process. A goal of marketers is to ensure that their brands are included in the evoked set of consumers. 4. Purchase Decision—as an outcome of the alternative evaluation stage the consumer may develop a purchase intention or predisposition to buy a certain brand. Once this intention has been made and an intention formed, then the consumer implements it and makes the actual purchase. Many purchase decisions are made on the basis of brand loyalty which is a preference for a particular brand that results in its repeated purchase. Many purchase decisions for non-durable, low involvement items take place in the store and decision and purchase occur almost simultaneously. For these types of decisions top-of-mind awareness of a brand is important as is the influence of packing, shelf displays, point-of-purchase materials, and various sales promotion tools. 5. Post-purchase Evaluation—the consumer decision process does not end once the product or service has been purchased. After using a product or service the consumer compares the level of performance with expectations. Satisfaction occurs when the consumer’s expectations are either met or exceeded, while dissatisfaction results when performance is below expectations. Another possible outcome of purchase is cognitive dissonance which refers to a feeling of psychological tension or post-purchase doubt a consumer may experience after making a difficult purchase choice. Consumers often look to advertising for supportive information regarding the choice they have made. 6. Variations in Consumer Decision Making—consumers do not always engage in all five steps of the purchase decision process nor proceed in the sequence presented. There are three major variations of the consumer decision making process. †¢Routine response behavior—many purchase decisions for low-priced, frequently engaged in brief internal search and making the purchase. Marketers of products characterized by routine response behavior must get and/or maintain their brands in the consumers’ evoked set and encourage brand loyalty. Those not in the evoked set must encourage trial and brand switching.

Constitutional reform has gone too far, or not far enough

Constitutional reform is a process whereby the fundamental nature of the system government (as well as the relationships between governing institutions) is changed, or where change is proposed. In the case of the UK this may also involve the process of codification. Such reforms have arguably been frequently present over recent years, with the introduction of numerous constitutional reforms since 1997-the Golden Date, some might argue. The UK currently has a Two-and-a-Half Party System, with the Liberal Democrats being the half. As such, there are of course many competing points of view, some of which differentiating due to a party’s position on the political spectrum. This essay will identify and explain the differences in opinion concerning whether or not constitutional reform has gone far enough. The Conservative party, made up of many traditionalists of Great Britain, very much believe that constitutional reform has gone too far. They believe that numerous sudden changes have occurred since 1997 under Labour, but there has not been a pause. Britain therefore needs to stop and see if the system is working, before any further/additional-and perhaps unnecessary-changes are made. One of several major constitutional reforms that the Conservative party are opposed to/believes that it is a step too far, is having a codified (written) constitution. This codified constitution would to some extent limit government power, which the Conservatives are very much against; preferring strong government. The party also believe that an uncodified constitution allows it to evolve gradually and naturally over time, ensuring that it suits that particular time period. For example, if the constitution would have been codified one hundred years ago, then the women of today would not be able to vote. The Conservatives therefore argue that the constitution should remain uncodified as many aspects would soon be outdated. The Conservatives also believe that the constitution should only change when there is an obvious problem; and where a clear solution that will improve things exists. The Conservatives also believe that devolution (a process of constitutional reform, whereby power, but not legal sovereignty, is distributed to national or regional institutions) was a step too far, but have reluctantly accepted it. However, they did warn that devolution-especially at the speed that it has occurred at in recent years-may lead to the eventual break up of Great Britain. This is a possible reason for Prime Minister, David Cameron, attempting to dictate the referendum concerning Scottish Independence. The formation of the Scottish Parliament-a result of devolution-has limited the power of the British government over subjects such as education and health in devolved areas. Moreover, although the Conservatives have reluctantly ‘accepted’ devolution, they have given a definite no to Scottish Independence, much to the annoyance of Alex Salmon. The Conservative party, the traditionalists of Great Britain are very much against ‘reform for reforms sake. ’ They were therefore rather reluctant to reform the House of Lords. However, as they are currently in a coalition with the Liberal Democrats, who wish to dramatically reform the House of Lords, they had to come up with a compromise. This compromise came in the form of proposing for 80% of the members to be elected, with the remaining 20% being appointed by Appointment Committees. The Conservatives have argued against a fully elected House of Lords because they believe that it is sensible to have experts present in the legislative process. Although such constitutional reform has been proposed, the Conservatives would much rather have not reformed the Lords at all, keeping true to traditional views, which have aided Britain so well in the past. On the other hand, the Conservatives have agreed to reduce the number of MPs in the House of Commons from 650 to 600. As a result, there will be less representation of the people and also less scrutiny; which is the main negative repercussion. Less scrutiny could allow an ajar backdoor for further corruption and manipulation in politics to be present. This particular constitutional reform is one of the few that the Conservatives believe has not gone too far, insisting that it has the potential to aid Great Britain. A further constitutional reform that links to the previous point is the attempt at making boundary sizes more equal. This is to be done in order to achieve political equality, for votes. A prime example of this is the Isle of Wight which has one representative for the entire area. With the implementation of equal boundary sizes, there will be several representatives for the area, which would go some way to ensuring that votes are equal. Nevertheless, this particular constitutional reform is favourable to the Conservatives, as the Isle of Wight is a predominantly Conservative area. The Liberal Democrats, made up of many eager reformists, strongly believe that constitutional reform has not gone far enough. With this view in mind, they wish to reform many aspects of Britain, in the hope of promoting democracy. The Liberal Democrats also believe that prior reforms have laid some of the basic foundations for democracy to be developed, such as the proposed reforms to the House of Lords, but believe they should continue. One of several constitutional reforms that the Liberal Democrats believe have not gone far enough is the constitution remaining uncodified. The Liberal Democrats favour a codified (written) constitution as it outlines the rights of the people, and in a sense, limits government power. A codified constitution could also allow human rights to become entrenched (the device which protects a constitution from short-term amendment). As human rights and liberties are at the heart of many Liberal Democrats, it is obvious why they wish to have a codified constitution, and are not at all content with the current uncodified constitution. This may be because the government has found ways to go around issues in the past, due to the uncodified constitution not distinctly outlining their power, roles and limitations. The Liberal Democrats also believe that a codified constitution could be more democratic, in the sense that popular sovereignty (sovereignty lies with the people, as is the case in America) could be integrated. The Liberal Democrats are also in favour of devolution, which fits in with the idea of federalism (the process by which two or more governments share powers over the same geographic area). During the 1990s and in the run up to the 1997 general election, the Liberal Democrats developed a joint policy with Labour, showing their commitment to devolution. After the invitation onto a cabinet sub-committee, the Liberal Democrat leader and a number of senior figures found itself working with the machinery of government. The policies that they worked on were some of those closest to the hearts of many Liberal Democrats. Although the Liberal Democrats agree with devolution, many would like to take it a step further and go federal. This is why the Liberal Democrats believe that constitutional reform has not gone far enough when it comes to devolution, as a crossover between devolution and federalism is not yet present. Furthermore, the beloved idea of federalism links to both devolution and a codified constitution, which is present in both America and Germany. Nevertheless, the Liberal Democrats disagree with Scottish independence; even though it fits in with the beloved idea of federalism. It therefore seems that the Liberal Democrats are only in favour of constitutional reform that suits them/increases their power and number of seats. The Liberal Democrats believe that constitutional reform has not yet completely reached the House of Lords. The Liberal Democrats are eager for 100% of members of the House of Lords to be elected, similar to a senate present in America and Australia. The members would be elected by proportional representation instead of FPTP, as this has been strongly argued by the Liberal Democrats to be undemocratic. However, due to the coalition, a compromise had to be made which allowed the proposal of a House of Lords with 80% of its members elected to be put forward. This is a clear compromise between the coalition members as the Liberal Democrats are eager to reform many aspects of Britain, including the House of Lords, whereas the Conservatives, the dominant member of the coalition, would prefer not to reform the Lords at all as it has never caused any violent uprisings or revolutions in the past. The Labour party, ‘a party of the working class,’ was the party that first introduced ‘radical’ reforms, stemming from 1997 under Tony Blair. The current Labour party, under Ed Miliband, are reviewing all of their policies and are yet to publish a manifesto. However, the policies that are yet to be published may go back to the roots of Old Labour, have influence from Tony Blair’s Third Way or may set out on a completely different path. The Labour party are said to be somewhere in the middle, agreeing that constitutional reform has gone too far in some aspects, but not far enough in others. For example, when it comes to the constitution, the Labour party are very much in agreement with the Conservatives. This is true in the sense that they also believe that the constitution should be allowed to evolve naturally, instead of being dictated by predecessors. The Labour party also argue that introducing a codified constitution would be very time consuming and very costly. At this point in time, considering that a deficit of over ?1tn exists, introducing a codified constitution would not necessarily be the best thing to spend a large sum of money on. Labour argues that a codified constitution would be fixed/static and could not be easily changed, which would not be ideal in a crisis. The Labour party are in favour of reducing the number of MPs in the House of Commons from 650 to 600, as long as it is done in the old manner, which would be more beneficial to them. However, the party give a firm ‘no’ to equal boundary sizes. This is predominantly because they would lose out significantly, making it very difficult for Labour to form a significant majority. On this particular issue, Labour believes that equalling boundary sizes is a constitutional reform that is just a step too far. As previously stated, this is most likely because they would lose out dramatically. Similar to the Liberal Democrats, the Labour party are strongly in favour of devolution, but are against Scottish Independence. This is because Labour has a strong grasp on Scotland, and if Scotland was to go independent, they would lose many seats. This loss would make it very difficult for Labour to form a majority, meaning that their chances of being elected as the next government would be extremely slim. This would of course be very beneficial to the Conservatives, but would be very damaging to Labour. Hence why Labour believe that Scottish Independence is a step too far. In conclusion, each of the three main parties have different opinions concerning the true extent of constitutional reform: with the Conservatives predominantly believing that it has gone too far, the Liberal Democrats believing that it has not gone far enough and Labour lying somewhere in between. However, under the coalition, the two members have compromised and have strayed slightly from their original views. The Conservatives, for example, have proposed to reform the House of Lords, which is arguably quite ‘untraditional’ of them. The Liberal Democrats have agreed to reduce the number of MPs in the Commons, even though there will be less scrutiny and they will lose out. The numerous differences in opinions and views over constitutional reform has sometimes allowed for some parties to spring up: the bid for Scottish Independence created the Scottish Nationalist Party and issues concerning the EU have created UKIP. It can be strongly argued that constitutional reform has not gone far enough, in the sense of improving democracy, as several aspects of the UK remain undemocratic, such as reducing the number of MPs in the Commons and not completely reforming the House of Lords.