National ( the U.S.) and Oklahoma medicaid Dissertation

National ( the U.S.) and Oklahoma medicaid - Dissertation Example Per-enrollee growth exceeded economy-wide inflation by nearly 11% (Klemm, p107). Amendments to the Social Security Act were passed in 1971 and 1972 creating Supplemental Social Security Income and nearly all beneficiaries also received Medicaid. Optional amendments began covering intermediate care services for the mentally retarded and psychiatric services for patients under 22. By 1976 enrollment reached 20.7 million with an average growth rate of 5% a year which did not vary greatly for the next ten years. Because of this considerable growth the Reagan administration began to consider ways to curve deficit. The Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act in 1981began a three year reduction in and also reduced some eligibility for Welfare benefits. States begin to attempt Health Maintenance Organizations and community based waiver programs and focus began to shift more towards managing services and controlling the costs of care. Enrollment rates remained stable though expenditures continued t o increase and rise. In 1984 congress decided to implement expansions that continued to increase throughout the eighties. ... Medicaid spending was approximately 275.5 billion dollars in 2003 (Holahan and Ghosh, p 26) and became a major target for the 2005 budget debate. Spending increased by 10 % between 2000 and 2003; thus being attributed to welfare reform. Growth was noted among the non-disabled and children; as the economy began to decline the population experienced job losses and loss in income. State Medicaid cutbacks were made, insurance premiums rose and employee sponsored coverage declined. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2011 was tailored with the expectation that sixteen million people would gain access to health care. Obama care has created two basic paths towards universal health care access (Reno, p 61). Obamacare has increased funding for the public side of the current health care system though many worry that private insurers will end up absorbing increased health care costs. Oklahoma Medicaid Program Medicaid provides acute health care and long term care services to over 600,000 low-income families and elderly individuals. The Oklahoma health care vision is ‘for Oklahoman’s to enjoy optimal health status through access to quality health care regardless of their ability to pay,’ (Connell, 2012). The Oklahoma Health Care Authority has administered and overseen the Oklahoma Medicaid program since 1995 and is responsible for rule making and policy development. The Oklahoma Medicaid State Plan includes coverage for the following services: Ambulance and ambulatory surgery center services Substance abuse and behavioral health services Case management services Radiation and chemotherapy services Renal dialysis services Certain dental services Durable

Understand Group Dynamics Essay Example for Free

Understand Group Dynamics Essay I.Introduction To understand Organizational Behavior and Management, we must study three different levels. The first is the individual level, because every individual has its own unique perception of the world and what surrounds him. Individuals behave following how they interpret this and their environment. Each individual is different from the next one, because of its personality and characteristics. However, it’s possible to organize them by categorizing their perceptions. Categories such as Appearance, Social behavior and Status are often considered. Individual’s motivations must be analyzed to understand the next level : the Group. A Group is composed by 2 or more individuals, who come together to accomplish a particular task or goal, which is why their behavior is very important and has to be studied first. A manager leading a group will have to take into account each of the individual characteristics in order for it to work. As individuals join and create a group, shall it be a formal or informal one, we slowly change focus. The individual needs, perceptions and motivations get absorbed and the Group creates its own norms of acceptable behavior for all the individuals to follow for as long as they are part of the Group. They don’t, however, chance the individual itself when he is by himself. As Groups develop its own norms and statuses, its behavior evolves. The third level, is Organizations. That level is different from the Group one because it involves systematic efforts and organizations are engaged in the production of goods and services. It’s also different from the sum of the individuals perceptions because it can impact how individuals behave with each other, thus influencing their perception. An organization though, is comparable to an individual because each is unique and has its own culture. Moreover, if the values of the organization match the values of the individuals, they will enjoy being part of it more than if it’s not the case. The second level, Group Dynamics, is the one that will be focused on in this report. II.Group Characteristics. a)Formal and informal groups. There are different kind of groups, but they can mostly be split into two categories : Formal and Informal. Formal groups are groups officially planned and created by the organization to do a specific task. At ESSEC, we could compare them to the individuals who, in groups, did the OB presentations. They were officially planned in the course to do a presentation. In an organization, a formal group could be the Marketing (or any other) Department. In a formal group, there is a structure. Often, individuals are given specific tasks to complete within the main final task. Sometimes, there is a hierarchy and written rules. Informal groups are not official per say. They are natural social formations established by individuals rather than organizations, and unplanned. In a workplace, it could be a group of employees meeting once a month for dinner to discuss their Fishing hobby. At ESSEC, it could be an unofficial football team made especially for a tournament within the school. The purpose of an informal group can be pursuing a special interest, be social, or even just have fun. b)Group effectiveness Group dynamics concern how groups form, their structure and process, and how they function. Some groups are more successful than others. Why ? A common mistake would be to say that if your group members or employees are hard working, happy, competitive or smart, the group only can function well. But as a matter of fact, that doesn’t mean they are honest, productive, loyal or creative. However, teamwork and communication between members is capital. Managers can help increasing a work group’s performance when they create it by taking into consideration the characteristics of members they assign to particular groups. The members should have tasks assigned to them according to their domain of expertise and appropriate interpersonal skills to facilitate interaction and communication with others. Moreover, a degree of diversity among group members has shown to usually add to performance. If members are attracted to the group because they like members of the group, or the group activities/goals or just because it fills a need for affiliation, they are more likely to be productive. The size of the group also has an influence on the group’s performance. According to recent research, medium sized groups of 5 to 7 people seem to have the higher performance in organizations. If the group is smaller, there’s a chance it can highlight the individual differences and harm the group cohesiveness. If group are too large, people tend to work more by themselves (â€Å"Free riding†) rather than with the whole group, or create smaller teams within the group. c)Group norms. Norms are acceptable standards of behavior within a group that are shared by the members of the group. Norms define the limits of what is acceptable and what is not in terms of behavior. They are typically imagined in order to facilitate group survival, make behavior more predictable, avoid embarrassing situations, and express the values of the group. Each group will establish its own set of norms that may determine anything from the appropriate clothes to wear at a dinner to how many comments to make in a meeting. Groups pressure members to force them to conform to the groups standards. The norms often reflect the level of commitment, motivation, and performance of the group. The majority of the members of the group must agree that the norms are appropriate in order for the behavior to be accepted. There must also be a shared understanding that the group supports the norms. However it may happen that the norms are broken from time to time by some members. If the majority of members do not adhere to the norms anymore, then there is a chance they will eventually change and will no longer serve as a standard to study the group’s behavior. From there, group members who do not conform to the norms risk being excluded, ignored, or asked to leave the group. d)Group Roles Having a diversity of skills and ideas within a group often enriches the group process and can improve the final product. It can, however, also be seen as a challenge to work with people different from ourselves and avoid exacerbating individual characteristics. One way to structure group functioning and benefit from each other’s expertise is to assign roles to each member of the group based on individual’s strengths. It can also be a good idea to switch roles between members periodically so every member understands why those roles are important. I have found that four roles that have the potential to maximize group performance and help understanding group’s dynamics and behavior in the workplace. A group should not be composed of just those 4 people, but the others would only have tasks assigned to them. They are as follow : The first is the Leader, also called Facilitator. He’s the one who clarifies the aims of the group and helps the members set smaller tasks for themselves to work on. Leaders also make sure that all group members understand the concepts of the project and that the group’s conclusions make sense. If the group has meetings, he is the one who introduces the agenda of tasks to complete until the next meeting, mind oriented towards the final goals. Then, the Monitor, also called Arbitrator. Its key role would be to monitor carefully if the group is functioning well. Regularly, he will initiate discussions on group climate and process, especially if he senses tension or sees there could be a conflict between two or more members. During disagreements or conflicts, he will explain each sides arguments and suggests solutions to resolve the conflict. He makes sure that all group members have a chance to participate and learn from the process. There’s also the Note/Time Keeper. Note and Time Keeping are two different things, but the role could be taken by just one person. He keeps a record of what has been decided, shall it be tasks that are assigned to who or other any other information by taking notes when the group meets or when talking to group members. He makes a summary of previous discussions/decisions and makes it available for all the members to see. He also presents the group progress to the supervisor regularly to make sure the group is headed in the right direction. The Time Keeper keeps track of time during meetings to avoid spending excessive time on one topic. This is best handled by deciding how much time will be allocated to each issue in the agenda, and letting everyone know when this time is up. It is also useful to point out when time is almost up so that issues can be wrapped up appropriately. Finally, there’s the Devil’s Advocate. It’s someone who takes a position he does not necessarily agree with, for the sake of argument. In taking such position, the individual taking on the devils advocate role seeks to engage others in an argumentative discussion process. The purpose of such process is typically to test the quality of the original argument and identify weaknesses in its structure, and to use such information to either improve or abandon the original, opposing position. He must keep his or her mind open to problems, possibilities, and opposing ideas at all times. e)Group or Team ? We could say a group is just a collection of people whereas a team is that same collection of people who are working together on a common goal. Example: A group of people get in an elevator. They all have different goals and agendas for being on the elevator, they don’t even know each other, or maybe they do, it’s irrelevant. The group becomes a team when the elevator breaks down. Now they all have the same goal : figure out how to get out of the elevator. The difference between Group work and Team work can be resumed as follow. A group will focus on individual goals. Each member will produce individual work products. Individual tasks, roles and responsibilities will be assigned. Also, in a group, the manager is the one who sets up the purpose, goals, approach to work. A team is slightly different. The focus is on team goals. It also defines roles, responsibilities, and tasks but will often share and rotate them to help team do its work. The goals and approach to work w ill be shaped by the team members together.

Approaches to Financial Crisis Management

Approaches to Financial Crisis Management LITERATURE REVIEW The following Literature review starts with past studies and researches based on the crisis in general. Different types of crisis are referred and what kind of effects do they cause to businesses and people. Additionally are past studies on management strategies in period of recession and what does a business has to follow, not only old businesses but also new. Furthermore we focus on the new start up businesses that decide to grow in period of crisis. What Past studies and researches found and proved through history, when again in the past there was a recession. Crisis A crisis is an adverse incident with an unpredictable outcome (Campbell, 1999; Coombs, 1999; Coombs Holladay, 2002; Ruff Aziz, 2003). Interestingly, it should be pointed out that there is a wide range of crisis categories, from a basic ‘internal versus external’ introduced by Evans and Elphick (2005, p. 135), to a more complex system proposed by Henderson (2007) who categorized crises into economic crisis; political crisis; socio-cultural crisis; environmental crisis; technological crisis; and commercial crisis. Although there are numerous approaches to crisis categorization, The Pacific Asia Travel  Association (2003) has suggested that crises can be largely categorized into two major types, which are human-made and natural-made crises. It is crucial for one to understand that not all types of crisis lead to the same consequences, differing from one another in terms of the scope and extent of damage caused (Aktas Gunlu, 2005). Different public reactions to both human-made and natural crises provide a clear example of the critical differences in the public’s reaction to different types of crisis. The public normally reacts more negatively to the effects of human-made crises than to those of a natural crisis. While it is generally conceded that organizations have little control over natural crises, human-made crises can devastate the established reputation of an organization. As human-made crises are usually preventable, this type of crisis therefore often receives severe public condemnation (Pearson Mitroff, 1993). Furthermore, different crisis types, particularly both natural and human induced crises, are neither absolutely predictable nor avoidable. This means while crises occur rarely and randomly, it is also true that no industries are unaffected by those crises. In  response to the near certainty of experiencing crises, it is suggested that organizations come up with a plan for minimizing the damage of, and accelerating the recovering from, such crises through the development of crisis management strategies (Faulkner, 2001). Therefore the concept of crisis management is discussed below. Crisis Management Being able to effectively respond to a crisis is critical for the survival of an organization. Whether an organization is prepared or not for a possible crisis usually depends on senior officials and other private operating within organizations. More importantly, studies have shown that organizations with an established crisis management approach are able to effectively communicate and respond in the event of a crisis (King III, 2002). Clearly, it is crucial for an organization to have a crisis management approach in place. In general, a crisis management approach can be viewed simply as involving the  Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ4 Rs’ of a four-stage process, which are reduction, readiness, response and recovery (Evans   Elphick, 2005). The Pacific Asia Travel Association (2003) has summarized and described each stage as follows: Reduction. In this phase, an organization’s analysis of strengths, weakness, opportunities, and threats (a SWOT analysis) will help the managers to assess a potential crisis and to prepare a contingency plan. After identifying potential crises, organizations need to be prepared by developing strategic, tactical and communication plans. Readiness, the second phase, crisis response and crisis simulation exercises are very important in order to acquire and maintain crisis management skills as managers and staff need to be ready for the impact and stress from crises. Response, the third phase, a contingency plan is implemented immediately after a crisis occurs, as organizations that have a well-established crisis management plan tend to be more successful in handling crises. A crisis communication strategy should be utilized to communicate with not only the customer, but also the stakeholders and the public. Recovery. In the last phase, the crisis recovery could be measured by the speed with which an organization resumes full business operations; the degree to which a business recovers to pre-crisis levels, or the amount of crisis-resistance added since the crisis occurred. Whilst corporate managers are faced with the reality of trying to implement this process (Evans Elphick, 2005), it should be noted that all stages of the crisis management process need to be flexible, which allows for potential evaluation and modification, depending on the nature of the crisis/disaster (its magnitude, scale and time pressure) and stakeholder response to strategies. Although crisis management is a requirement for organizations, and although business leaders recognize this, many do not undertake productive steps to address crisis situations. Managers who do take productive steps however will be in a much better position to respond when a crisis or disaster affects an organization or destination (Ritchie, 2004). So, because a start up business in time of a recession has knowledge of all the stages, it is easier to handle the crisis as they are aware of the consequences a bad economy has on a business. Measurement are been taken before they have any bad influence on the ir business from the recession. Start-ups business and existing business in time of recession First of all, we are going to study past studies that were done during a period of recession and see how they coped during the period. Small businesses in their starting period are responsible for the New England turnaround and the Massachusetts miracle in the early 1980s. Small businesses had the willingness to expand and form and were the reason the economy became so strong (Lamp, 1988). It was found by Birch (1987) that the keys to new job creation are pioneering firms. Stable economies that can offer a proper environment for start-ups and existing firms to expand and grow but on the other hand those that cannnot offer such an environment usually suffer. With the reason that large businesses are reengineering, resizing and most importantly, downsizing, many people are leaning towards small business as a reason of economic expansion. In 1994 Dun Bradstreet anticipated that 3.1 million new jobs would be created with 72.4 percent following up from new firms with less than 100 employ ees. New small firms with less than 20 employees have also been seen as the creators of new markets for large firms and as the nations job creators (Phillips, 1993). As from this example, it is clear that new businesses and especially a small one can survive and also take advantage of the recession, if handled in the right way. Small businesses are considered to add to the local economy and therefore invigorate the economy (Violaris, Harmandas and Loizidis, 2012). When there is an economic recession, it is a period where all firms are struggling for their survival, especially for new firms and start-ups the failing rate proved to be higher compare to larger companies (Latham, 2009 p180-201, Lawless and warren,2005). However, some scholars have argued that smaller firms (start-ups) can have their own unique competitive advantage since they are closer to the market and realize the customers’ needs more easily (Young and Shepherd, 2005, Tavakoli and McKierman, 2009) There are several success factors that new companies can adopt in order to survive the crisis or event to expand in this recessionary environment. According to professor, John Quelch (2012), a success factor during a recession is that the firms should continue spending on marketing and in order to survive a firm should be able to realize how the needs and preferences of customers change in order to adopt their strategies. They should keep 8 factors in mind when making the marketing plans: research the customer, focus on family values, maintain marketing spending, adjust product portfolios, support distributors, adjust pricing tactics, stress market share and emphasize core values. A research of (Srinivasam, 2009) on six recessions that took place in US, from 1969 to 2007, showed that increases in RD (research and development) decreases profits for B2B and B2C, while there is no change for service firms. However, more expenditure in advertising increases the profits to B2B and B2C but not for firms that are in service. Also another research agreed that increases in advertising spending increases returns during recession but disagrees that increases on RD decreases returns (Graham and Frankenberger, 2008). Another strategy for start ups to follow during recessionary environment is a â€Å"Lean start-up† strategy. Many start-ups do not manage to survive because they spend a lot of money and time trying to produce products to customers that they might don’t like and therefore will mathematically drive the company out of business ( Eisenman, 2011). The methodology on start-up businesses is all about avoiding waste in terms of money and time. A good example is through the Toyota Production System (Dennis 2002). Important factors, for the success of small firms, especially in recessionary environment are the role of education, training and prior knowledge and experience. There are evidences that prove entrepreneurs having previous experience in the industry and knowledge of the market will have positive impact on the firms (Harada, 2002). A research that took place by Simpson, Tuck and Belammy, 2008, shows that only one group out of the four( â€Å"the empire builder†, â€Å"the happiness seeker†, â€Å"the vision developer† and â€Å"the challenge achiever†) showed clear evidence that education and training had a positive impact on the success of the business. He found out that motivation and teamwork is a key factor for success. According to Fiol (2001) employees are recognised as one of the most valuable resources to the business in order to achieve their objectives. For some small firms the key point for success is happiness. Entrepreneurs must be happy at wor k as well the employees and the customers must enjoy the experience at the place of work (Simpson, Tuck and Belammy, 2008). Analysts have researched on firms choosing to start during recession by following investment strategies. In antithesis with downsizing, firms like to take recessions as opportunities to innovate, expand and invest into new markets in order to extend or expand in a competitive advantage during the recession. Most of today’s household names had successfully launched businesses during recessions in the past. In the oil and steel industries that were emerging during the 1870s recession Rockefeller and Carnegie took advantage of steel production and technologies and of the weakness of various competitors from the same industry (Bryan and Farrell, 2008), and Edison also established General Electric which is until today a big and successful business (Lynn, 2009). Hershey started up their brand and distribution during the 1893-97 depression. Everybody also know until today Kellogg’s which grew out of another period of depression in the 1920s (Rumelt , 2008). The electrical, che mical and motor industries that were very important to post-war British industry expanded during the 1930s. Also two massive companies today, Microsoft and Apple corporations were also both founded in the 1970s, following from the oil-crisis. A lot of different studies disagree that firms adapt to recession conditions by applying business strategies based on new investment, market diversification and innovation, and a a strategy such as that usually leads to higher levels of business performance. Such examples are :targeting new market niches ,increased marketing spending and new product development (Roberts, 2003; Srinivasan, 2005; Pearce II and Michael, 2006); pricing strategies that centre the value, whereby rich resource firms highlight brand and quality instead of low prices to attract customers, or even, adopting ‘acquisitive pricing’ policies, to control low prices in sensitive markets that are influenced by prices (Chou and Chen, 2004). On a macro-level, quantitative studies of quantities and asset prices show that quantities differ more than prices do over the business’s cycle, including time between the periods of recession (e.g. Bhaskar, 1993; Geroski and Hall, 1995). From the above it is referred that most firms respond to macroeconomic shocks from a recession by prices maintenance, leading to quantities sold eventually to decrease. For a lot of firms, this is more likely to consequent into lower sales and, to extreme cases, exit. Studies like this show important data on the response of firm under financial crisis conditions but offer a small insight on why firms pick to respond in this way or if the price maintenance is advised by efficient measures. For the new business, more recent studies claim that a recession is normally an opportunity, not a threat for them, if handled correctly (Rumelt, 2008; Williamson and Zeng, 2009). The recent recession the whole world is facing is characterised by its nature globally and the risk that companies in rising markets take are becoming more active than expected. But research also show businesses not doing very well. Williamson and Zeng (2009) said that a key strategy business might be adopted to avoid this by focusing on developing what rising markets know to do well by offering value for money. They also suggest that companies should invest in research that is aimed at service and product innovation offers similar purposes but at lower expenses and costs. To sum up, a new business has to have a strategy to begin with. The proof on start up businesses adopting investment strategies to grow through recession is not so clear. Taking on strategies in the beginning and especially in a recession is under risk and most businesses are more likely to be very busy with short-term survival to think correctly about way to innovate and grow. Investments need resources –managerial skills, technical expertise and especially finance –and businesses with no or fewer resources are more likely not to be able to implement them. On the other side, history has proved that companies can adapt competitive advantage though a recession period from innovating into services, business models, products and also by getting into new and growing markets. As seen from previous studies they make very little efforts in explaining the reasons why particular firms do so very well when starting up their business in time of recession. No explanation is clearly given why they take the risk in the first place and avoid the potential risks of attempting such investment. It is consequential from the various researches that when a business adopts investment strategies from the beginning, success without any doubt follows. But the procedures a business has to take to imply these investment strategies and also having profitable outcomes is more likely to be more complicated than just said. However, such suggestions ignore the external issues: if all new firms start up by adopting investment strategies, would all succeed? In such crucial times of a recession, when nearly all customers turn to cheaper products, market conditions may not be able to support a wide range of unique and new innovations or a large number of firms looking for diversity, or new business wanting to grow and succeed. It is known that new business cannot lower their costs as they have more expenses than a mature business. REFERENCES Aktas, G. Gunlu, E. 2005, Crisis Management in Tourist Destinations, in Global Tourism,  3rd edn, ed. W. Theobald, Elsevier Inc., New York, pp. 440-55. Bhaskar, V., Machin, S. and Reid, G. (1993) ‘Price and Quantity Adjustment over the  Business Cycle: Evidence from Survey Data’, Oxford Economic Papers, vol. 45, no 2, pp. 257-268. Bryan, L. and Farrell, D. (2008) Leading through uncertainty, McKinsey Quarterly, online  at: http://www.mckinseyquarterly.com/Leading_through_uncertainty_2263 Campbell, R. 1999, Crisis Control: Preventing Managing Corporate Crises, Prentice Hall,  Australia. Chou, T-J. and Chen, F-T. (2004) ‘Retail Pricing Strategies in Recession Economies: The  Case of Taiwan’, Journal of International Marketing, vol. 12, no. 1, pp. 82-102. Coombs, T. 1999, Ongoing Crisis Communication: Managing, Responding and Planning,  Sage Publications, London. Coombs, T. Holladay, S. 2002, Helping Crisis Managers Protect Reputational Assets:  Initial Tests of the Situational Crisis Communication Theory, Management  Communication Quarterly : McQ, vol. 16, no. 2, pp. 165-87. Evans, N. Elphick, S. 2005, Crisis Management: Evaluation of their Value  for Strategic Planning in the International Travel Industry, The International Journal  of Tourism Research, vol. 7, no. 3, pp. 135-51. Faulkner, B. 2001, Towards a Framework for Disaster Management,  Management, vol. 22, no. 2, pp. 135-47. Geroski, P. and Hall, S. (1995b) ‘Price and Quantity Adjustments to Cost and Demand  Shocks’, Oxford Bulletin of Economics and Statistics, vol. 57, no. 2, pp. 185-204. Henderson, J. 2007, Crises: Causes, Consequences, and Management, Butterworth-  Heinemann, Oxford. King III, G. 2002, Crisis Management Team Effectiveness: A Closer Examination,  Journal of Business Ethics, vol. 41, no. 3, pp. 235-50. Lynn, M. (2009) The new capitalism, Sunday Times, 17 May, p.4.  Pacific Asia Travel Association 2003, Crisis: It Wont Happen to Us, Pacific Asia Travel  Association, Bangkok. Pearce, J. II and Michael, S. (2006) ‘Strategies to Prevent Economic Recessions From  Causing Business Failure’, Business Horizons, vol. 49, no. 3, pp. 201-209. Pearson, C. Mitroff, I. 1993, From Crisis Prone to Crisis Prepared: A Framework for  Crisis Management, The Executive, vol. 7, no. 1, pp. 48-59. Ritchie, B. 2004, Chaos, Crises and Disasters: A Strategic Approach to Crisis Management  in the Retail Industry, Retail Management, vol. 25, no. 6, pp. 669-83. Roberts, K. (2003) What Strategic Investments Should you make During a Recession to  Gain Competitive Advantage in the recovery?’ Strategy Leadership, vol. 31, no. 4, pp. 31-39. Ruff, P. Aziz, K. 2003, Managing Communications in a Crisis, Gower Publishing Limited,  England. Rumelt, R. (2009) Strategy in a Structural Break’, McKinsey Quarterly, no. 1, pp. 35-42. Simpson M., Tuck N., Bellamy S. 2004. Success factors of small businesses: the role of education and training Srinivasan, R., Lilien, G and Rangaswamy, A. 2005, ‘Turning Disaster into Advantage:  Does Proactive Marketing During a Recession Pay Off?’ Journal of Research in Marketing, vol. 22, no. 2, pp.109-125 Williamson, P.J. and Zeng, M. (2009) Value-for-money Strategies for Recessionary  Times, Harvard Business Review, vol.87, no.3, pp: 66-74.

The Cultural Invasion of Kenya Essay -- American Culture Traditions Es

The Cultural Invasion of Kenya A screeching yell ripped through the house that Wednesday evening, "Ahhhhh, we're being invaded!". My mother rushed into the living room. I pointed to the flickering television screen. "Look," I whispered in disbelief. A few seconds of silence followed. There they were, the words I never thought would appear on our 29 inch Sony screen: "Sizzlin' Hot Country". The appearance of American country music on the Kenyan airwaves was the latest sign that American culture had penetrated the borders of my country. The airing of Garth Brooks and Dolly Parton on the local television station is not the only evidence of the rapid spread of American culture in Kenya. One look at a large portion of its youth and this cultural invasion will become apparent. Baggy pants, Nike, pop music and malls, symbols of American youth culture can now be associated with the Kenyan teenagers. The Nike phenomenon hit Kenya several years ago. My classmates in primary school were obsessed with the American brand name that had rocked the global shoe industry. Their school desks had the Nike name and logo painted on in every color imaginable. Not being able to afford some of the merchandise, many resorted to drawing the logo on bags, clothes, shoes and other visible possessions. Turning up to a class party with the trademark tick appearing on one's footwear simply made one the center of attention. My favorite pair of shoes, I have to admit, were a pair of black Nikes which raised many brows and turned just as many heads. Secondary school had its fair share of examples of the cultural invasion. In most schools in Kenya, students dress in uniforms. For example, in my school it was compulsory to wear a white shirt, gra... ...ols of success. While hip hop and baggy pants may not epitomize American success, Kenyan youth adopt this aspect of American culture perhaps because of the common roots and racial background the majority share with African Americans. Wearing Nike shoes or sagging one's pants may seem to be meaningless gestures. However, wearing shoes that many popular, rich American sporting icons don or sagging pants like the famous hip hop artists makes one different from the rest. It allows one to adopt an American identity, one defined by success and importance. While some would argue that such a spread of American culture would be beneficial because it would, in a sense, create a global village, I think this cultural invasion creates more harm than good. It would result in the demise of local cultures and languages. And this is certainly not a good thing.

Home Depot Analysis

Home Depot – 2010 Financial Report For fiscal year ended January  30, 2011 (â€Å"fiscal 2010†), Home Depot reported Net Earnings of $3. 3  billion and Diluted Earnings per Share of $2. 01 compared to Net Earnings of $2. 7  billion and Diluted Earnings per Share of $1. 57 for fiscal year ended January  31, 2010 (â€Å"fiscal 2009†). The results for fiscal 2010 included a $51 million pretax charge related to the extension of our guarantee of a senior secured loan of HD Supply, Inc. (the â€Å"HD Supply Guarantee Extension†). The results for fiscal 2009 reflected the impact of several strategic actions initiated in fiscal 2008. These strategic actions resulted in store rationalization charges related to the closing of 15 underperforming U. S. stores and the removal of approximately 50 stores from their new store pipeline, business rationalization charges related to the exit of our EXPO, THD Design Center, Yard birds and HD Bath businesses (the â€Å"Exited Businesses†) and charges related to the restructuring of support functions (collectively, the â€Å"Rationalization Charges†). These actions resulted in pretax Rationalization Charges of $146 million for fiscal 2009. The results for fiscal 2009 also included a pretax charge of $163 million to write-down our investment in HD Supply, Inc. Additionally, fiscal 2009 included earnings of $41 million from discontinued operations, net of tax, for the settlement of working capital matters arising from the sale of HD Supply. Home Depot reported Earnings from Continuing Operations of $3. 3  billion and Diluted Earnings per Share from Continuing Operations of $2. 01 for fiscal 2010 compared to Earnings from Continuing Operations of $2. 6  billion and Diluted Earnings per Share from Continuing Operations of $1. 5 for fiscal 2009. Excluding the HD Supply Guarantee Extension charge from their fiscal 2010 results, and the Rationalization Charges and the write-down of their investment in HD Supply from their fiscal 2009 results, Earnings from Continuing Operations were $3. 4 billion and Diluted Earnings per Share from Continuing Operations were $2. 03 for fiscal 2010 compared to Earnings from Continuing Oper ations of $2. 8 billion and Diluted Earnings per Share from Continuing Operations of $1. 66 for fiscal 2009. Net Sales increased 2. 8% to $68. 0  billion for fiscal 2010 from $66.   billion for fiscal 2009. Home Depot’s comparable store sales increased 2. 9% in fiscal 2010, driven by a 2. 4% increase in their comparable store customer transactions and a 0. 5% increase in their comparable store average ticket to $51. 93. Comparable store sales for their U. S. stores increased 2. 5% in fiscal 2010. In fiscal 2010, Home Depot focused on the following four key initiatives: Customer Service: Home Depot’s focus on customer service is anchored on the principles of taking care of their associates, putting customers first and simplifying the business. The roll out of their Customers FIRST training to all store associates and support staff in fiscal 2009 has brought simplification and focus across the business, and they repeated and refreshed the Customers FIRST training during fiscal 2010. The Customers FIRST program is part of their ongoing commitment to improve customer service levels in their stores, and they continued to see the benefit of this training in improved customer service ratings for fiscal 2010 compared to fiscal 2009. Also in fiscal 2010, Home Depot completed the deployment of their FIRST Phone, a new hand held device that provides multiple functions such as inventory management, product location and mobile checkout. The core purpose of this new device is to reduce tasking time for their store associates to allow them more time to focus on customer service. Home Depot ended fiscal 2010 with more than half of their store payroll allocated to customer facing activities rather than tasking activities. They have a customer facing store payroll target of 60%, and they believe they will achieve that by 2013. Product Authority: Our focus on product authority is facilitated by our merchandising transformation and portfolio strategy, including innovation, assortment and value. In fiscal 2010, we made significant progress on our merchandising tools in the U. S. that helped us manage markdown and clearance activity and better control inventory. Our inventory turnover ratio was 4. 13 times at the end of fiscal 2010 compared to 4. 06 times at the end of fiscal 2009. Additionally, we continued to form strategic alliances and relationships with selected suppliers to bring a number of proprietary and xclusive brands across a wide range of departments. Productivity and Efficiency: Home Depot’s approach to driving productivity and efficiency starts with disciplined capital allocation focused on building best-in-class competitive advantages in information technology and supply chain, as well as building shareholder value through higher returns on invested capital and total value returned to sh areholders in the form of dividends and share repurchases. At the end of fiscal 2010, they completed the roll out of their Rapid Deployment Centers (â€Å"RDCs†) and now have 19 RDCs that serve 100% of their U. S. stores. Also during fiscal 2010, they repurchased 80. 9  million shares for $2. 6 billion, and on February  22, 2011 Home depot announced a six percent increase in their quarterly cash dividend to 25 cents per share. Interconnected Retail: Home Depot’s focus on interconnected retail is based on the view that providing a seamless shopping experience across multiple channels will be a critical enabler for future success. Their multiple channel focus is allowing them to greatly expand their assortment of merchandise, and they are making the investment to build these capabilities, including the roll out of â€Å"buy on-line, pick-up in store† next year. Home depot is committed to having a best-in-class website, and during fiscal 2010 their site was named as a Most Improved Website for customer satisfaction by Foresee, a leading customer satisfaction analytics firm. Home Depot opened eight new stores in fiscal 2010, including one relocation, and closed three stores, bringing our total store count at the end of fiscal 2010 to 2,248. As of the end of fiscal 2010, a total of 272 of these stores, or 12. 1%, were located in Canada, Mexico and China compared to 268 stores, or 11. 9%, at the end of fiscal 2009. Home Depot generated approximately $4.   billion of cash flow from operations in fiscal 2010. They used this cash flow along with cash on hand to fund $2. 6 billion of share repurchases, pay $1. 6  billion of dividends and fund $1. 1 billion in capital expenditures. At the end of fiscal 2010, Home Depot’s long-term debt-to-equity ratio was 46. 1% compared to 44. 7% at the end of fiscal 2009. Their return on invested capita l for continuing operations (computed on net operating profit after tax for the trailing twelve months and the average of beginning and ending long-term debt and equity) was 12. 8% for fiscal 2010 compared to 10. % for fiscal 2009. This increase reflects the impact of the Rationalization Charges which they included in their operating profit for fiscal 2009. Excluding the Rationalization Charges, their return on invested capital for continuing operations was 12. 7% for fiscal 2010 compared to 11. 1% for fiscal 2009. Week 2 Activity Ratios of Home Depot vs. Lowe’s One key to profitability is how well a company manages and utilizes its assets. Some ratios are design to evaluate a company’s effectectiveness in managing assets. Of particular interest is the activity, or turnover ratios, of certain assets. The greater the number of times an asset turns over, the higher the ratio the fewer assets are required to maintain a given level of activity (revenue). Given that a company incurs costs to finance its assets with debt (paying interest) or equity (paying dividends), high turnovers are usually attractive. |Receivable Turnover | |Year |2009 |2010 |2011 | |Home Depot |68. |63. 9 |53. 9 | |Lowe’s |0. 0 |0. 0 |0. 0 | Receivable Turnover ratio is calculated by dividing a period’s net credit sales by the average net accounts receivables. The receivables turnover ratio provides an indication of a company’s efficiency in collecting receivables. The ratio shows the number of times during a period that the averages accounts receivable balance is collected. The higher the ratio, the shorter the average time between credit sales and cash collection. As we can see above, Lowe’s has zero receivables, which can be translated to no credit sales. |Inventory Turnover | |Year |2009 |2010 |2011 | |Home Depot |4. 21 |4.. 19 |4. 34 | |Lowe’s |4. 0 |3. 72 |3. 63 | Inventory Turnover is an important measure for a merchandising company. The ratio shows the number of times the average inventory balance is sold during reporting period. It indicates how quickly inventory is sold. The more frequently a business is able to sell, or turn over, its inventory, the lower its investment in inventory must be for a given level of sales. The ratio is computed by dividing the period’s costs of goods sold by the average inventory balance. The denominator, average inventory, is determined by adding beginning and ending inventory and dividing by two. A relatively high ratio, as in the case of Home Depot compare to Lowe’s, usually is desirable. A high ratio indicates comparative strength, perhaps caused by a company’s superior sales force or maybe a successful advertising campaign. However, it might also be caused by a relatively low inventory level, which could mean either very efficient inventory measurement or stock outs or lost sales in the future. Comparing the two industries, we can conclude than Home Depot turns over their inventory a bit faster than Lowe’s. Asset Turnover | |Year |2009 |2010 |2011 | |Home Depot |1. 73 |1. 62 |1. 73 | |Lowe’s |1. 48 |1. 43 |1. 41 | Asset Turnover is a broad measure of asset efficiency. The ratio is computed by dividing a company’s net sales or revenue by the average total assets available for use during a period. The denominator, average assets, is determined by adding beginning and ending total assets and dividing by two. The asset turnover ratio provides an indication of how efficiency a company utilizes all of its assets to generate revenue. Also, it shows how many sales dollars are generated for every dollar invested in the company’s assets. Lowe’s had relatively lower asset turnover than Home Depot because their recent investment in PP&E has not yet reached their potentials. Home Depot is a financially sound company and performs well when compared to its competitors. Based on current business conditions and the potential growth opportunity facing Home Depot, we feel that the bottom line will continue to grow at a healthy rate above the competition in the near future. We believe that the relatively low levels of debt, slightly wider margins, and lower costs make Home Depot an attractive investment for the long run. Shares of Home Depot are currently trading at $33. 92 to what we believe is gaining momentum in the market. This increase is possibly derived from the market’s belief that better than predicted growth will be seen from expansion into foreign markets, specifically China. Week 4 Home Depot – Accounting Policies The retail industry, in general, presents a very competitive market with high price competition and low product differentiation. Although almost any retailer, from supermarkets to superstores, can offer home improvement items at a competitive price, the home improvement industry currently provides a great opportunity for differentiation in regards to the types of services home improvement retailers offer. To successfully maximize sales and increase revenues in the home improvement industry, retailers such as Home Depot must successfully combine product variety, quality and price and specialized services. As discussed earlier, Home Depot has adopted a business strategy based on these key factors. Consequently, as we look at Home Depot’s overall financial results, it is necessary to focus on key accounting policies adopted by the company to measure critical factors and risks. In the â€Å"Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Results of Operations and Financial Condition† of The Home Depot, Inc 2011 Annual Report (www. omedepot. com), management identified three major areas as areas of critical accounting policy and discussed the adoption of four different accounting pronouncements. In addition to the four recently adopted accounting pronouncements identified in the management’s discussion, The Home Depot identified four other major accounting policy change s in it’s â€Å"Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements†. Specifically, The Home Depot adopted four different accounting pronouncements in regards to service revenue recognition, vendor allowances, goodwill amortization and stock based compensation. The three critical accounting policies, as identified by The Home Depot management refer to the treatment of merchandise inventories, self insurance and revenue recognition. Merchandise Inventory policy is specifically addressed by The Home Depot management in â€Å"Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Results of Operations and Financial Condition† and is assessed in two different ways. Approximately 93% of total inventory is valued at the lower of cost or market utilizing FIFO under the retail inventory method with the other 7% valued under the cost method. The Notes section of the Financial Statements accounts for the two different methods. According to the Notes, the 7% of inventory valued under the cost method was due to inventory policy of certain subsidiaries and distribution centers. In addition, The Home Depot, Inc. takes a physical inventory count on a regular basis at each store to verify that inventory amounts in the merchandise inventory section of the Consolidated Financial Statements are accurate. Lastly, in regards to merchandise inventory, the company does account for possible inventory shrinkage or swell based on historical results and industry trends. Self Insurance accounting policy for Home Depot addresses it’s treatment of â€Å"losses related to general liability, product liability, workers’ compensation and medical claims†. The total liability is estimated on the total cost incurred as of the specific balance sheet date and is not discounted. The estimate is based on â€Å"historical data and actuarial estimates†. The company also explains in it’s Management Discussion that they ensure estimates of liability are as accurate as possible by having both management and third-party actuaries review the estimates on a quarterly basis. Revenue Recognition is the third critical accounting policy identified by The Home Depot management. Revenue recognition at the Home Depot follows the industry norm of recognizing revenue when the customer takes possession of the merchandise or, if a customer makes payment prior to take ownership of the merchandise, Home Depot records the sale as Deferred Revenue on the balance sheet until the sale is finalized when the customer takes possession of the paid merchandise. Additionally, because The Home Depot also provides a variety of services through their installation and home maintenance programs, they also recognize service revenue at the time when the service is completed and also record any customer pre-paid service revenue as Deferred Revenue on the balance sheet. Week 5 Internet The internet has completely changed the way companies communicate and market to their prospects. Home improvement businesses in the U. S report that the ways they have traditionally generated leads (i. . yellows pages, direct mail, print media, tv and radio) aren’t working like they use to. In fact, 85% of all products and service inquiries now start online and 97% of U. S internet users gather shopping information online and of those more than half characterize their behavior as ‘Shop Online, Purchase Offline. ’ The convenience of online shopping and the ability to make price comparisons on the internet has completely changed retail trends in the p ast decades. Even though most people tend to shop for building materials by visiting physical locations, still Home Depot cannot ignore e-commerce because people increasing buy items of nearly any kind online. Home depot being the largest home improvement retailer is expanding in the online channel aggressively and targeting it as a major growth opportunity. Home depot made it’s biggest e-commerce investment over the last two years since it started internet sales in 2001. According to research, 45% 0f the 9. million consumers who visited Home Depot’s website on average in any given week said their next step was a trip to a Home Depot store, which translates to about 225 customers a day per location. However, e-commerce for the home improvement industry is an underleveraged opportunity. A lot of people think of home Depot as a place you go on a Saturday, or when you do window treatment or carpeting. As such, they can do a better job online for things like branded power tools and repl enishable items and also offer delivering services for those items. Home Depot’s operating cost will decrease if customers interacted through the use of the internet due to the folllowing: †¢ Online customers are used to doing their own shopping without any salesperson assistance; therefore the cost of the salesperson would be eliminated as such. †¢ The range of products that can be offered through the website can be far greater than what one could find at Home Depot’s location, thereby giving customers a clear reason to prefer the internet. These are all advantages that Home Depot can benefit from as a result of the internet. As with the advantages, there are also disadvantages (issues) that Home Depot needs to put into consideration and work diligently to address them. The foremost of these issues are lack of site maintenance and lack of integration between the e-commerce site and the corporate back-office systems. As such, Home Depot must work through these issues in detail in order to arrive at the true cost-benefit for an e-commerce.

Joseph McCarthy and McCarthyism essays

Joseph McCarthy and McCarthyism essays ï » ¿Joseph McCarthy became a United States Senator for the State of Wisconsin, in January of 1947. After losing popularity within the Senate, McCarthy utilized a speech in Wheeling, West Virginia to announce a communist plot that he had discovered within the United States Government. Given the situation with the Soviet Union and the Cold War, his accusations brought him to prominence, as he became the leader of the McCarthyism movement that swept the nation. McCarthyism ruined many lives, from government officials to actors, until the unsubstantiated accusations were investigated and found to be false. The author of this paper will focus on the effects McCarthyism had throughout the country, while exploring its methods and outcomes. This paper will also illustrate that Senator McCarthy initiated this witch-hunt in order to expand his own power within the Senate, while utilizing that influence in the campaigns of fellow Republicans and securing a second term for himself as well. Joseph Raymond McCarthy Was born on November 14, 1908 in Grand Chute, Wisconsin. He graduated with a Law degree from Marquette University in 1935. In 1942, after a relatively brief career as a lawyer and judge, McCarthy joined the United States Marine Corps. He believed that distinguished military service in the Marines would be a benefit for his upcoming political career. McCarthy saw limited action during World War II and was discharged after thirty months of service.1 During his last few months on active duty, McCarthy unsuccessfully ran for a Senate position in Wisconsin. When that failed, he returned to his position as a circuit court judge, with the hopes of better preparing himself for a Senate campaign in 1946. While campaigning for the Republican Senate nomination, McCarthy consistently smeared current three-term Senator Robert M. La Follette Jr. McCarthy utilized his brief stint in the military as an advantage over La Follette, who had not enlisted ...

100 Whimsical Words

100 Whimsical Words 100 Whimsical Words 100 Whimsical Words By Mark Nichol The English language can be maddening to native speakers and learners alike, but is also delightfully rich, especially for those who seek to convey a lighthearted tone in their writing. Here are 100 words it’s difficult to employ without smiling. Though their meanings may be obscure, they each present a challenge I mean an opportunity for you to paint a vivid word picture. Imbue your musings with mirth by incorporating these terms: absquatulate: to flee, abscond abstemious: restrained in consumption of food and alcohol balderdash: nonsense ballyhoo: commotion, hype bindle stiff: hobo bodacious: remarkable, voluptuous borborygmus: sound of intestinal gas cahoots (in the expression â€Å"in cahoots with†): scheming callipygian: possessing a shapely derriere cantankerous: irritating, difficult carbuncle: pustule caterwaul: to wail or protest noisily cattywampus: in disarray cockamamie (also cockamamie): ridiculous comeuppance: just deserts concupiscent: possessed of erotic desire copacetic (also copasetic, copesetic): satisfactory curmudgeon: ill-tempered (and often old) person debauchery: sensual gratification doohickey: gadget or attachment effluvium: unpleasant smell factotum: all-around servant or attendant farrago: confused mixture festoon: to decorate; dangling decorative chains finagle: to trick fisticuffs: fighting with fists flabbergasted: dumbfounded flagitious: villainous flibbertigibbet: flighty person flummoxed: confused foible: fault folderol: nonsense foofaraw: flash, frills fusty: moldy, musty, old-fashioned gallimaufry: mixture, jumble gallivant: to jaunt or carouse gobbledygook: nonsense, indecipherable writing haberdasher: men’s clothier; provider of sundries harridan: shrewish woman higgledy-piggledy: in a disorganized or confused manner high jinks (also hijinks): boisterous antics hodgepodge: mixture, jumble hokum: nonsense hoodwink: to deceive hoosegow: jail hornswoggle: to dupe or hoax hortatory: advisory hullabaloo: uproar ignoramus: dunce imbroglio: confused predicament jackanapes: impudent or mischievous person jiggery-pokery: deceit kerfuffle: disturbance lackadaisical: bereft of energy or enthusiasm loggerheads (in the expression â€Å"at loggerheads†): quarrelsome lollygag: to meander, delay loquacious: talkative louche: disreputable lugubrious: mournful, dismal malarkey (also malarky): nonsense maleficence: evil mendacious: deceptive oaf: clumsy or stupid person obfuscate: confuse, obscure obloquy: condemning or abusive language, or the state of being subject to such obsequious: flattering orotund: sonorous, or pompous osculate: to kiss paroxysm: convulsion or outburst peccadillo: minor offense periwinkle: light purplish blue; creeping plant; aquatic snail perspicacious: astute pettifogger: quibbler; disreputable lawyer poltroon: cowardly, coward prognosticate: to predict pusillanimous: cowardly raffish: vulgar ragamuffin: dirty, disheveled person rambunctious: unruly resplendent: brilliantly glowing ribaldry: crude or coarse behavior rigmarole (also rigamarole): confused talk; complicated procedure ruckus: disturbance scalawag: scamp scofflaw: lawbreaker shenanigans: tricks or mischief skedaddle: flee skulduggery: devious behavior spiffy: stylish squelch: to suppress or silence; act of silencing; sucking sound subterfuge: deception, or deceptive ploy supercilious: haughty swashbuckler: cocky adventurer; story about the same sylph: lithe woman tatterdemalion: raggedly dressed person; looking disreputable or decayed termagant: shrewish woman whirligig: whirling toy; merry-go-round; dizzying course of events widdershins (also withershins): counterclockwise, contrary willy-nilly: by force, haphazardly Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Comparative Forms of Adjectives75 Idioms and Expressions That Include â€Å"Break†Captain vs. Master

Globalization Monster essays

Globalization Monster essays Globalization is not a trend or a fad. It is an international system which replaced the Cold War system and, like its predecessor has its own rules and logic that now influence the politics, economics and environment of virtually every country in the world. It is important to explain the meaning of The Lexus and the Olive Tree. The Lexus refers to technological advancement and growth, where the Olive Tree refers to traditional roots and culture. We see a clear message throughout the book that the ideal country should find the perfect balance between the Lexus and the Olive Tree. However, some countries have trouble finding that balance. Although I agree with Thomas Friedmans ideas throughout this great book, I find the chapter Demolition Man to have the most truth in it. I strongly agree with Thomas Friedmans belief that the most important filter to global capitalism is the ability to glocalize. Friedman defines healthy glocalization as, the ability of a culture, when it encounters other strong cultures, to absorb influences that naturally fit into and can enrich that culture. It should resist those things that are truly alien and to compartmentalize those things that, while different, can nevertheless be enjoyed and celebrated as different. Judaism is a classic example of a religious culture that has absorbed influences from many different countries over generations, without ever losing its core identity. As Friedman explains in his book, The whole purpose of glocalizing is to be able to assimilate aspects of globalization into your country and culture in a way that adds to your growth and diversity, without overwhelming it. The Jewish nation has been exposed to many foreign nations, yet only absorbed the best qualities of each nation. Greek logic was melded into biblical and rabbinic learning, while Greek celebrations of the body didnt influence the Jews. A countrys indigenous cult...

Why is the UK the TOP Destination for Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) Essay

Why is the UK the TOP Destination for Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in the European Union - Essay Example The United States yet maintains to be the forerunner amongst the investors into the UK alongside Germany, Japan, India and France. The recently published World Investment Report, nowadays by the â€Å"UNCTAD† (Green 2011) illustrates that the UK is one of the most favored nations for FDI in European Union and third globally. According to the report published by UNCTAD, the stock of FDI in the United Kingdom is $US 1,086 billion of FDI stock. This report strengthens the position of the UK as one of the most attractive business destinations of the world. Susan Haird, acting CEO of UK Trade & Investment talking about this report said that this report strengthens the attractiveness of UK’s Foreign Direct Investment. Significant potential future Foreign Direct Investment gains are likely from further incorporation, particularly subsequent successful liberalization of services organizations. The long-term FDI cost of withdrawal would be significant. EU Impact on UK FDI: UK ha s been capable to attract comparatively more FDI than a number of other European financial systems as a consequence of market incorporation. As a percentage of GDP the UK also catch the attentions of more FDI than the United State. UK Trade & Investment has played a significant role in promoting UK as an attractive FDI location to the overseas investors and to come them to the UK for investment. â€Å"Worldwide, most FDI is between Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries. The USA accounts for just under a quarter of global FDI, outward and inward† (Milne 1999). Worldwide, the United Kingdom is the second largest outward depositor and the third largest receiver of inward investment. In the year of1998 and 1999 outward British Foreign Direct Investment was alike in value to outward United State Foreign Direct Investment. The UK, with stretchy labor marketplaces and a tradition of physically powerful incorporation into worldwide FDI flows would be well-placed to catch the attention of an important share of future FDI flows, mainly in high- efficiency knowledge- rigorous businesses. The World Investment Report demonstrates that, the UK has outperformed a declining European marketplace, the share of UK’s FDI stock enlarged â€Å"while the overall stock of FDI in Europe declined to $7,614 billion from $7,951 billion† (UK is Europe’s Top Destination for Foreign Direct Inward Investment 2011) in the year of 2009 and that in the European Union fell to $6,890 from $7,296 in the year of 2009. According to the report, 46% of the investors are faithful to the United Kingdom, which helped attracting repeat business. Now, it is very much necessary for the government of UK to focus more on attracting new shareholders from BRICs. Infrastructure and Technology, quality of life and constant financial environment, customs and language are cited as the key characteristics that made the UK more attractive for the investors . â€Å"The UK attracted 728 FDI projects in 2010, up 7% on 2009, compared with 562 projects in France and 560 in Germany — whose projects rose by 34%, bolstered by its position as the number one location for Chinese investment.† (Destination UK: Sustaining Success in the New Economy 2011). This denotes that since in the year of 2004, the UK has been chosen as the site of choice for around one in five of every investment announcements crossways Europe. Why UK has been Successful in FDI: FDI brings various advantages to the UK financial system such as rising employment and productivity, inspiring competition, and rising efficiency.

Matlab problem Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Matlab problem - Assignment Example The source code done in matlab contains the models to implement the linear regression functions (Martinez & Martinez 39). In the general equation y = a1x + a0, y is replaced by PV, x by indicator and variable a, by aA. This gives the relationship between the X-axis and the Y-axis (Seber and Lee 63). The three expected output results are scattered dots for data output, one line for regression and standard deviation, one line for standard deviation and the third line for regression line of The first step of developing this system involves the identification of the variables to use in the regression analysis. In this program, the two variables identified are PV and Indication of the solar irradiation. The next step is to develop models for linear regression to determine the relationship between the dependent and the independent variable (Chatterjee and Hadi 57). The third step is to develop a matlab source code file containing the model and able to access the source of data to be analysed. The fourth step is to test the program and remove errors. Since the source code has been developed in matlab software, testing is done by executing the linearregression.m script. If any error is found to prevent the output from appearing, necessary correction is done in the source code (Weisberg 49). The range of the y axis was between 5 and 50 while the x axis was set from 4 to 24. The results were successfully displayed as expected and all the three lines were drawn by the program. The standard deviation for the two variables is 2.34. This indicates that the two variables deviated from the actual mean by a difference of about 2.34. The program was successful in implementing the linear regression between the two variables (Groß 42). It revealed that there is a positive correlation between PV output and the indication of solar irradiation. The scatered dots generate the best fit represented by the regression

Business law essay questions Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Business law questions - Essay Example This instrument is promissory note as Elle unconditionally promise to pay Frank a sum of $ 600 on or before six months from the date of writing the note. Nonetheless, this instrument is not negotiable since for an instrument to be negotiable there must be certain conditions, which should be fulfilled. In this case, the instrument does not have a signature hence it is not negotiable. Drawer of a negotiable instrument other than making unconditional promise to pay should signed in order for the document to be binding. Unfortunately, Elle may later on claim that she never wrote the note since her signature does not appear. It is essential for negotiable instruments to have signature of the drawer. 2. Discount Stores, Inc., borrows $5,000 each from EZ Loan Corporation, First National Bank, and Great Products Corporation. Discount uses its "present inventory and any thereafter acquired" to secure the loans from EZ Loan and First National. EZ Loan perfects its interest on April 1, followed by First National on April 5. Discount buys new inventory on April 10 from Great Products and signs a security agreement, giving Great Products a purchase-money security interest in the new inventory. On the same day, Great Products perfects its interest and notifies EZ Loan and First National. Discount takes possession of the new inventory on April 15. On April 20, Discount defaults on all of the loans. Whose security interest has priority? According to the Personal Property Securities Act 1999, the general rule for priority of financing statement as provided for in Section 66 affirms that any perfected security interest within an agreement has the priority or capability over unperfected security interest of the same collateral that has been used in the agreement. On a different perspective, the same Section 66 provides that the party who was able to perfect it first should determine priority experienced between perfected securities interests within common

Sociology of law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Sociology of law - Essay Example Durkheim argued that even subjective phenomena such as suicide are objective social facts; it exists no matter whether an individual chooses to leave that society or not commit suicide himself.2 It is in the same light that Durkheim viewed the existence and functioning of law within a society, and it is this intricate concept which will be the focus of the paper. Durkheim saw beyond law as a mere set of rules and regulations; he primarily expressed law as an assurance of a society’s fundamental values, as the moral values attached to individuals by individuals borne of human dignity. He assigned law the unifying value of society, calling it a ‘glorification†¦of the individual in general†¦sympathy for all that is human’.3 As a form of coercive power in society, law depicts society as a moral unit, and we feel the force of this coercive power when we deviate from it. Yet how can the members of a society co-exist with a set of moral values which are not a sum of its members’ individual values? It is as though Durkheim describes us a blank slates, upon which our entering into society is drawn a set of moral values by this separate entity – does this not undermine any autonomy that we could possess as individuals? How can it be a ‘collective common conscience’?4 Durkheim appears to have been at pains to reconcile the concept of moral values in society with its individual members. He explains that to view law as a culture enables us to thus reconcile these conflicting elements; law viewed as a body of beliefs and practices commonly held within a society causes the common conscience to exist interdependently with its members. The collective conscience is both a product of its individuals and a development of sociological laws as separate from individuals. It is split into two elements, which form it as a singular social phenomenon

PERFORM COMPARISON CONTRAST BETWEEN WORKS BY DFFERENT WRITERS BASED ON Essay

PERFORM COMPARISON CONTRAST BETWEEN WORKS BY DFFERENT WRITERS BASED ON STYLE, SUBJECT MATTER OR THEME - Essay Example The gruesome picture of racism, social discrimination and many other contemporary issues has been depicted by Afro-American authors. Harriet Jacobs, a writer, reformer and abolitionist, was a 19th century Afro-American literary figure (Yale University, 2009) who was also known as the ‘fugitive slave author’ of the American slave narrative Incidents in the Life of A Slave Girl, Written by Herself. Her active involvement in reform movements before, during and after the Civil War, and her own experience of slavery for 29 years helped her sketch her characters poignantly and realistically. Modern day readers and scholars would have been in the darkness about the life and works of Harriet Jacobs unless the revolutionary work of Professor Jean Fagan Yellin who, by dint of extensive research and studies, authored her biography: Harriet Jacobs: A Life. This book received the 2004 Frederick Douglass Book Prize for its immaculate detailing about how Jacob’s literature was s haped by her turbulent life. (Yale University, 2009) Audre Lorde, born in New York City in 1934, is renowned for her poems, essays and novels. She was brought up in Manhattan and was sent to Catholic school where her first poem was published in ‘Seventeen’ magazine. Lorde got her B. A. from Hunter College and Masters in Library Sciences from Columbia University. Her professional career, which began as a librarian in New York public schools, saw many turn of events as she later on got an employment as a writer-in-residence at Tougaloo College in Mississippi. It was here when she discovered an inclination for pedagogy, and at the end of her tenure here in 1968, her first volume of poems ‘The First Cities’ was brought out. She also met her long-term partner Frances Clayton in Tougaloo. (Poets.org, 1997-2009) Born in 1912 to parents one of which was a strict disciplinarian and another

Nursing leadership Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Nursing leadership - Essay Example The head nurse was having trouble with one of her team members because of some issue on tardiness. The team member’s name is Julia who has just recently become a regular registered nurse. There were already three consecutive remarkable reported cases of Julia’s tardiness that caught the head nurse’s attention. There were even some instances when Julia was not able to inform in advance her reliever and that the patient angrily reported there was no one attending to her when in fact it was supposed to be Julia who was assigned to assess her. As a result to these consecutive demerits on Julia’s performance, the head nurse decided to follow up her condition by sending her a notice to explain her recent performance at work. The entire move was properly documented and all documents were filed at the human resource department. As a result, the human resource department conducted the investigation, called the attention of Julia for a personal interview. Julia reasoned out well and the human resource was able to give her one last chance to give her best shot at work. Furthermore, that would also serve as final and initial warning for her because what she did is a major offense according to the company’s policies and procedures based on the approved memorandum of agreement. Analysis In topic 1, the leadership in context discusses that writers in leadership are somehow faced with many questions about what constitutes a strong and positive leader and leadership in general. These people remarkably embarked their principles on existing theories or even new discoveries in leadership that they could incorporate in their assumptions in order to justify the reliability of their own theory of leadership. However, what they essentially do in general is study the complex social interaction of individuals on day to day situations. As a result, leadership has a strong background foundation in fundamental theories linking social, political, economic, personal, ethics and legal constructs. In the above stated case, it is implied that in an organization, there should be proper implementation of policies and procedures especially in giving disciplinary actions to concerned individual. An organization should be able to provide the right disciplinary action or required structure and system in dealing with concerned individuals. This approach remarkably presents the fact that an organization needs to follow certain structure and system and it is through this that the true essence of what leadership is all about is put into practice. Although it helps us to understand leadership when the concept about various aspects such as personal, economic, politics, social, legal, ethics are integrated with it, what is the most important point is to remain close to the fact that leadership is bounded by specific structure and system. In this regard, it is important to point out that existing theories about leadership are essential. Howev er, relying so much on them would just make the whole thing about understanding leadership complicated. From the above case, it is proven that what is essential in understanding leadership may not necessarily require so much understanding about politics, social, and so on. What is needed and essential in

Sociology of law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Sociology of law - Essay Example Durkheim argued that even subjective phenomena such as suicide are objective social facts; it exists no matter whether an individual chooses to leave that society or not commit suicide himself.2 It is in the same light that Durkheim viewed the existence and functioning of law within a society, and it is this intricate concept which will be the focus of the paper. Durkheim saw beyond law as a mere set of rules and regulations; he primarily expressed law as an assurance of a society’s fundamental values, as the moral values attached to individuals by individuals borne of human dignity. He assigned law the unifying value of society, calling it a ‘glorification†¦of the individual in general†¦sympathy for all that is human’.3 As a form of coercive power in society, law depicts society as a moral unit, and we feel the force of this coercive power when we deviate from it. Yet how can the members of a society co-exist with a set of moral values which are not a sum of its members’ individual values? It is as though Durkheim describes us a blank slates, upon which our entering into society is drawn a set of moral values by this separate entity – does this not undermine any autonomy that we could possess as individuals? How can it be a ‘collective common conscience’?4 Durkheim appears to have been at pains to reconcile the concept of moral values in society with its individual members. He explains that to view law as a culture enables us to thus reconcile these conflicting elements; law viewed as a body of beliefs and practices commonly held within a society causes the common conscience to exist interdependently with its members. The collective conscience is both a product of its individuals and a development of sociological laws as separate from individuals. It is split into two elements, which form it as a singular social phenomenon

Nursing leadership Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Nursing leadership - Essay Example The head nurse was having trouble with one of her team members because of some issue on tardiness. The team member’s name is Julia who has just recently become a regular registered nurse. There were already three consecutive remarkable reported cases of Julia’s tardiness that caught the head nurse’s attention. There were even some instances when Julia was not able to inform in advance her reliever and that the patient angrily reported there was no one attending to her when in fact it was supposed to be Julia who was assigned to assess her. As a result to these consecutive demerits on Julia’s performance, the head nurse decided to follow up her condition by sending her a notice to explain her recent performance at work. The entire move was properly documented and all documents were filed at the human resource department. As a result, the human resource department conducted the investigation, called the attention of Julia for a personal interview. Julia reasoned out well and the human resource was able to give her one last chance to give her best shot at work. Furthermore, that would also serve as final and initial warning for her because what she did is a major offense according to the company’s policies and procedures based on the approved memorandum of agreement. Analysis In topic 1, the leadership in context discusses that writers in leadership are somehow faced with many questions about what constitutes a strong and positive leader and leadership in general. These people remarkably embarked their principles on existing theories or even new discoveries in leadership that they could incorporate in their assumptions in order to justify the reliability of their own theory of leadership. However, what they essentially do in general is study the complex social interaction of individuals on day to day situations. As a result, leadership has a strong background foundation in fundamental theories linking social, political, economic, personal, ethics and legal constructs. In the above stated case, it is implied that in an organization, there should be proper implementation of policies and procedures especially in giving disciplinary actions to concerned individual. An organization should be able to provide the right disciplinary action or required structure and system in dealing with concerned individuals. This approach remarkably presents the fact that an organization needs to follow certain structure and system and it is through this that the true essence of what leadership is all about is put into practice. Although it helps us to understand leadership when the concept about various aspects such as personal, economic, politics, social, legal, ethics are integrated with it, what is the most important point is to remain close to the fact that leadership is bounded by specific structure and system. In this regard, it is important to point out that existing theories about leadership are essential. Howev er, relying so much on them would just make the whole thing about understanding leadership complicated. From the above case, it is proven that what is essential in understanding leadership may not necessarily require so much understanding about politics, social, and so on. What is needed and essential in

US School Programs on Obesity Prevention Measures for Children of the 21st Century Essay Example for Free

US School Programs on Obesity Prevention Measures for Children of the 21st Century Essay About one third of American children and 15% of teenagers are overweight or obese. (Obesity, 2009) Many factors contribute to obesity in children including genetics, poor diet, and lack of physical exertion, environment, and uninformed parents. Obesity is an unhealthy accumulation of body fat that threatens the youth of our nation. From the 20th to the 21st century obesity has increased by a factor of four and continues to grow unchecked. Given the nature of our lives and how they have dramatically changed from playing outside to playing video games, from eating homemade food to fast food, and the amount of technology our youth is exposed to currently obesity is at an all-time high. The research will show our nation’s efforts to address the youth of our nation on obesity, causes of obesity, and preventive actions to obesity though school programs. The research will show how obesity is a growing epidemic and what preventive steps can be taken to reduce the number of children affected by obesity. This research study will be limited to children no older than fifteen and focus on the nation’s schools. The research will focus on specific U. S. responses to causes of obesity from society, habitual exposure to food usage by parents, eating habits, and cafeteria programs. With the development of the causes to obesity the research will also show the specific aspects of addressing obesity in children though schools, parents, nutritional education and physical activeness. Research will be conducted in subscription databases, books, journals, and educational institutions based on 21st century data. This study will examine our nation’s preemptive measures in educational awareness, parental awareness, and activity utilization provided by our schools, government agencies, and state officials. Obesity in most cases is correctable by the maintenance of a proper and well-balanced diet consisting of the essential nutrients and the adequate caloric intake necessary to promote growth and sustain the physiological requirements at the various stages of a child’s development. (Pediatric Nutrition, 2009) As children develop there are nutritional needs that must be met and provided for a healthy start to life. Parenting plays a large role in a child’s preventive actions to obesity. The research will address the educational information available to parents and its many sources. Preliminary findings support that our nation is making efforts to educate everyone on the importance of obesity awareness and signs of obesity. The nation develops programs and activity guidelines for schools and strictly enforces their usage based upon an academic value required by the children. The research will show how school programs supporting our children will greatly decrease the likelihood of a child being or becoming obese. Obesity is a national epidemic and if not addressed this issue in will forever dominate and affect our children and their ways of life. Experts from all over the world give time and attention to this ever-growing issue to ensure that our youth who are the future leaders of our world will be healthy and lead active lives. We must make every measure to ensure that our children are given the best opportunities to be healthy by giving them the knowledge and the justification of importance. We as a nation must take the time to educate, inform, practice, and administer healthy choices to our children and to ourselves we will strike a powerful blow to the devastation caused by obesity. The United States school systems are currently engaged in a furious battle against childhood obesity. Childhood obesity is affecting millions of children in America between the ages of 2 and 19 years of age. Obesity is defined as an imbalance between the amount of energy absorbed and energy used, thus resulting in a larger amount of energy coming in than what is being used. The manifestation of this imbalance has many contributing factors that can accumulate or be the direct cause on their own such as genetics, and metabolism. Childhood Obesity is something that we as a nation can change though our school systems. I claim that our schools are the best tools to combat this growing epidemic. Today childhood obesity has public health officials in a state of near panic. About one-fourth of all children from 2 to 5 years old are overweight or obese before they enter kindergarten (Lockhead, 2009). I further claim that our Nation’s school dietary programs must be improved to combat this growing epidemic. Our children are facing life-threating health hazards that must be address. Schools have access to 95% of the children in the United States and this provides a very solid platform for improving the health and awareness within our children. I offer as evidence the recent USDA’s announcement of Team Nutrition Training Grants to improve health of America’s children (USDA, 2010). Team Nutrition is part of the USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service that will improve the schools dietary plans by implementing the principles of the Dietary Guidelines for American and MyPyramid. This is a two year program that will provide education and assistance to staff working in the schools cafeteria’s and lunch rooms. The purpose is to make meals as well as independent meal selections healthier for children. Over the course of the grant, information and education will be provided to parents as well. Parents must help adjust and support healthy eating habits at home. Additional evidence to support my argument comes from Tennessee where a coordinated school health program received praise for dropping obesity by 2% from 2000 to 2006. Budget cuts nearly cost the school this wonderful program, but the state health department was able to provided funding. The program of not selling soda or fruit juice in Tennessee schools increased from 26. 7 percent in 2006 to 74 percent in 2008. And of these schools 64 percent do not sell â€Å"unhealthy items† on school property (McClatchy, 2010). The First Lady Michelle Obama herself also supports and addresses this epidemic on a national scale with her program Let’s Move! addressing Brock Elementary School. First and foremost, were working with all of you to get fresher, more nutritious food into our schools. And we believe that one of the best ways to do this is through the HealthierUS Schools Challenge. This program has spurred schools all across the country to raise their standards and transform their classrooms and cafeterias into healthy eating and learning labs for their students. Thats why weve set a goal of doubling doubling the number of schools that participate in the HealthierUS Schools Challenge by June of 2011. And we want to add an additional one thousand schools in each of the following two years as well. In order to reach that goal, were making it easier for schools to apply by moving our application online, and letting districts apply for all their schools with just one application. Were making it easier for them to succeed by providing better technical assistance and by connecting them with professional chefs through our Chefs Move to Schools program. Already, nearly 1,800 professional chefs have signed up to give nearly 1,300 schools the expert advice they need to meet this challenge. And when schools do succeed, were making that victory just a little bit sweeter, with new cash rewards. And Ill be inviting representatives from each award-winning school to a reception in their honor at the White House. Finally, were working to increase participation in our school lunch program by two million eligible children, and to get another three million kids signed up to start receiving school breakfasts by 2015. Because I think we can all agree that no child in America should be starting school hungry each day. No child should be going without the basic nutrition they need to learn, grow and succeed, in school and in life. But I want to be clear: we cant do any of this unless we pass the Child Nutrition legislation thats before Congress right now. This bi-partisan legislation supports critically-needed investments to help millions of children get the nourishment they need to be healthy. The Senate has already acted. And I hope that the House of Representatives will do the same by the end of the month so that we can get it signed into law. But of course, we all know that healthy eating is only half the battle. Experts recommend that children get at least 60 minutes a day of activity. But we know that many of our kids arent even coming close. Thats why another key component of Lets Move! is to get our kids moving, to find new ways for them to get and stay active and fit. One of the key benchmarks were working to meet is to double the number of children winning the Presidents Active Lifestyle Award. To earn this award, students need to engage in physical activity five days a week, for six weeks. And the idea is for this to become habit-forming. We want to show them how good it feels to be active, so that theyll stick with it long after those six weeks are over. Well be working with afterschool programs and with athletes like Drew Brees and Dominique Dawes to promote this program. And to show everyone how much fun it can be, in the coming weeks, Ill be working to earn an Active Lifestyle Award myself. And I want kids all across the country to join me. Ill be recording my progress online, so if I start falling behind, I hope youll all send me some emails to shame me into getting back on track! So thats some of what were doing to support your work in our schools. And I hope that in the coming months and years, all of you, and schools all across the country will become even more involved in Lets Move!. I hope that more schools will get their kids working toward those Active Lifestyle Awards. Even if you sign up just one class, or just one club, if those kids enjoy it, theyll tell their friends, and soon others will want to join in. I also hope that more school districts will set a goal for themselves of having a certain number of their schools become HealthierUS Schools each year. And I hope that schools will work to help get each other involved as well. Theres no limit on the number of schools that can become HealthierUS Schools. Theres no limit on the number of kids who can get an Active Lifestyle Award. Were all in this together, and everyone can win. So if your school has already met the HealthierUS Schools Challenge, then I hope youll reach out to other schools and help them meet it as well. If youve found an exciting new activity for gym class or a way to get kids to try new foods in the lunchroom, dont keep that a secret share it with other schools, so that their students can benefit too. Thats what were trying to do with our website, Letsmove. gov, where weve posted all kinds of tips, recipes, and information that we wanted to share with folks across this country. In the end, these are the efforts that will make the difference in our kids lives. And all of you are the folks who will determine whether we can solve this problem once and for all. Our First Lady has taken a proactive stance to combat obesity through our schools and has provided incentives and resources to ensure that this epidemic is brought under control. I believe these facts are supportive of the U. S. school programs being present to prevent obesity in our children. These facts show that steps are being taken, however much more awareness to parents and children must be provided given the Nation’s childhood obesity rate. Our schools have been targeted by our government to address our youth we have taken small steps as a nation to address this problem. The evidence shows that programs are being put in place to assist and support the education of children and parents. In conclusion the condition of obesity in our nation is at an all-time high. Our children within the U. S. have a 95% attendance rate to schools. Given that this institution of education is the focal point to which we are able to educate and inform on a mass level it will provide the grounds to combat this epidemic of obesity. Schools can and will be provided the resources necessary to educate and inform both student and parent about the preventive measures to obesity.

The Informal And Formal Carers Health And Social Care Essay

The Informal And Formal Carers Health And Social Care Essay Caring means looking after someone who is old, young or ill. The degree of care differs depending on whether one is young, old or ill but also depends on the individual and his or her requirements. The type of care given may include direct service provision, financial assistance, bureaucratic mediation and emotional support. The difference between Informal and formal care is distinguished by how the above acts of care occur. Informal care is usually voluntary and is offered by the family, neighbors or friends. The carer may be living with the care receiver and hence providing care 24 hours. It can also occur from outside the house hold whereby the carer lives outside the house hold and comes to visit the care-receiver often and complete the tasks assigned like cooking and other house work chores. The informal carers do not receive any financial payments from the care they give and hence are believed to have some kind of employment apart from their caring duties, either part time, ful l time or self employed. It involves support, social interaction and protective supervision. Formal carers act in an agency-client relationship and are paid for the services rendered. They are usually trained and there is an assessment procedure that determines the kind and amount of care that the client will receive from the carer. This is the prime difference between informal and formal care. There is a great need of incorporating informal and formal sectors in the future. This need has been brought about by the fact that studies have shown that informal carers provide 77% of all the care that has enabled people with disabilities and the old to remain at home. (Bittman et al, 2007). Impact of partnership Partnership between the informal and formal carer can occur whereby the home aides provide physical care like dressing, feeding, bathing and taking to the toilet the older people and a visiting nurse from a Medicare-funded home provide medically oriented care. These nurses may also be involved in other activities like teaching the family members on ways of providing the same treatment and care. The Family members may then be involved ion giving oral medicines and injections and caring for the wounds in between the nurse visits. Also the therapists either physical or speech therapists initiate rehabilitation programs for the care receiver and consequently teach the family members how to implement and provide it to the care receiver. Very few studies have been carried out to determine the effects of health of both types of care. Informal care has been examined on the basis of social, psychological and economic effects on the old people and on the family members giving the care. In essence it has been difficult to prove that formal home care services improve the functional status of the people who receive it But there have been recent studies which have shown that informal care given in the household improves the functional status for those being given the care The study carried out was meant to examine the functional status outcomes for care receivers discharged from the hospital with Medicare home healthcare and those discharged without Medicare home healthcare. The study showed that there is an overall deterioration six weeks later between those patients with Medicare home health care and those without. Other studies have shown that patients in fee-for service plans received more home healthcare and had more fu nctional status outcomes than the Medicare patients in HMOs. The conclusion that was suggested was that the higher intensity of home healthcare that those in fee-for -service plans received was what caused the good functional outcome. Nursing services compared to those services given by the home health aides and homemakers are more likely to reduce the likelihood of one being admitted to a nursing home. This therefore reflects nursing as an intensive intervention compared to other services. Caring and Mental health well being to Children Caring is very important and influential in the psychological development of a person. This occurs especially to newborn. Research has shown that major brain development in a child occurs in the first three years of the Childs life. In this period, there is formation of neural networks and hence a one year old child has the maximum number of brain cells that the brain can ever have in the life time of a human being. Hence there is need of caring for the infants to enable maximum and positive development of the brain. A child brain is very sensitive and is influenced by sensory stimulations e.g. listening to conversations, watching, colors, and emotional stimulation e.g. hugging. These factors can change the development of the childs brain. It is therefore important for the adult carers to stimulate the brains of the infant in various playful ways in order to bring the maximum physiological, emotional, social and mental development of the brain of the infant. By having a playful metho d of teaching, the child has a chance of discovering his or her own strengths, the body and the environment. It is imperative for the carer to allow the child to experience by experimenting. This is because lack of playful teaching methods may prevent creativity and the healthy development of the child. The carer should ensure that he or she does not use the instructional teaching method to the young child. This is the kind of method whereby the child is directed or instructed to do things. This method usually makes the child lack self confidence and he may become less clever. This is because the child may take him or herself as incapable, foolish and stupid and will always require the instructional carer to teach him or her all the time. But when the child is allowed by the carer to do and learn things by experiencing, he or she develops a heart full of self confident and he also becomes very knowledgeable. The carer should be one that encourages the child to participate in various activities that will help in the development of childs motor skills and body awareness. These activities may include those that aim at helping the child walk, climb, kick, jump, climb and catch. By doing this the child will have developed better and higher control of the smaller body muscles that coordinate finer movements. Also the carer should encourage the child to participate in other mind involving activities like sketching, painting, sculpting etc The carer should also allow for free reign to fantasy and wild imagination in order to encourage the development of the mind in terms of innovation and creativity. The carer should allow the child to make his or her own story that best suits their personal desires and they should avoid putting more pressure on the child to win any competition or contest. The carer should also not judge the child harshly as this may lead to low self esteem in the child. The child should also be given a chance to narrate his or her own story by the carer. In doing this, the child will be learning creative arts and will also learn how to express him or her self. He or she will also be developing courage of speaking to people. This will also build the confidence level of the child (Simi A., 2010). Caring and Mental health well being of the old The old are very prone to diseases like Schizophrenia. The characteristics of this disease may lead to increased mortality rates and high rates of other medical complications like respiratory and circulatory diseases. There is need to care for the old people because schizophrenia if accompanied with undiagnosed illnesses, lack of access to adequate medical care can lead to inadequate adherence to therapy. Caring for the mentally ill. Caring is important for the mentally sick. There are two kinds of treatment to mental disorders.ie Somatic and psychotherapeutic. Somatic treatment involves the drug and electroconvulsive therapy while psychotherapeutic. Include the treatment that is offered by an individual, a group or a family member. This is the kind of treatment that involves the carer. The carer has the responsibility of ensuring that the sick person gets well through offering him or her Psychotherapy. This is refereed to as talk therapy in that the cure of the person lies within himself. In such a case the carer has the key to the persons health and well being. This is because the cure for such a person can only be facilitated through creating an emphatic and acceptable atmosphere and through this the carer can help the person identify the source of the problem and can now consider the alternatives of dealing with them. The insight and emotional awareness that is gained through the carers talk therapy can lead to the change in attitude and behavior of the person and this can help the person to live a healthier, long and more satisfying life. The carer has a responsibility of creating a relationship that is empathetic and supportive between the care receiver and him or her. This relationship can lead to more open and courageous expression of feelings and hence the carer can be able to help the sick person to healthy living. The relationship that the carer establishes with the sick person is the key to the recovery. Curing of mental illnesses. There are a number of methods that are used to cure mental illness and these include methods like Drug and Electroconvulsive Therapy. There are a number of drugs as well that are used and they are highly effective in treating mental illnesses. These drugs are often prescribed and they are usually categorized in accordance to the disorder e.g. for depression, antidepressants are used. Electroconvulsive therapy is whereby electrodes are used and these are attached to the head and the sick person is sedated. Electrical shocks are delivered into the brain and this induces a brief seizure. This method has been proved the best for treatment of severe depression. After this exposure, the patient usually experiences a temporary memory loss but the method is safe and does not cause other side effects or complications (Carney, 2007). Conclusion Caring is a very important aspect in our society. This is because a lot of people are getting old while others are being born and hence these two groups of people need care. Both informal and formal caring should be partnered to ensure effective service delivery to the patients. The use of psychotherapy is common even to people who do not suffer from mental illnesses. It has been used in a number of conditions even top those people who do not suffer from mental conditions. It has been found to be useful in helping people cope with problems of unemployment, bereavement, marriage problems and chronic illnesses. Both psychotherapy and drug therapy should be used for the treatment of mental illnesses as no one method is effective on its own.