The Uk Diabetes Problem Health And Social Care Essay

I have done the nursing occupation in my back place state Nepal and now I am making the attention helper for aged people in attention place. Most of the occupants are enduring from different diseases, such as diabetes, dementedness.In my unit most of occupant are suffered from diabetes. In my state Nepal I have seen many patients of diabetes, from where I got the more cognition about the diabetes. Not merely UK people but besides whole universe people is enduring from the diabetes. Many research are conducted on this instance, diabetes affects six per centum of the universe ‘s population and its prevalence is duplicating every coevals.There are presently over two and half million people diabetes in UK and there are more than half a million people with diabetes who have the status and do n't cognize it. Harmonizing to diabetes UK statistics show that over 80 % of people diagnosed with type2 diabetes and corpulence. Diabetes patient spend an norm of & A ; lb ; 4500 yearly on costs for handling their diseases in the universe. The cost of diabetes to the national wellness service stands at about & amp ; lb ; 1 million per hr and is increasing quickly a new study indicates ( www.diabetes.co.uk ) .Diabetes 29/04/2011 ) histories for about a ten percent of NHS budget each twelvemonth a entire exceeding & A ; lb ; 9 billion. The complications of diabetes are legion and deathly and include amputation, bosom disease kidney failure and sightlessness, the study highlights the facts that eight out of 10 people with diabetes dices of bosom disease and stroke.Goverment is passing tonss of money and has committed to guaranting there is greater focal point on speed uping the gait of betterment in diabetes attention. Increasing the diabetes patients evidently affect the system and economic system position of the state because alternatively of utilizing money in productive work, concern and building authorities is paying for diabetes which is straight influences the state. HEALTH Wellbeing AND QUALITY OF LIFE It is really complicated and difficult to specify wellness, there are 100s of positions from different writer and different organisations.As we know all of the accept the definition of universe wellness organisation, wellness is a complete, physical mental and societal well- being and non simply the absence of disease and frailty which means wellness is in relationship with different factors like single, physical, societal physiological, emotional, environmental and cultural it means wellness is non merely absence of disease. Person may go ailment with his mental and societal position and his milieus. Health is really of import factor in human life as we know the stating wellness is wealth. Same like wellness wellbeing is besides the of import factor of healthy and affluent life. Actually well-being is being healthy felicity, free from emphasis, mentally, physically, socially and emotionally. Health and wellbeing are the most of import constituents of healthy life. These are the constituent which determines the quality of life. Along with wellness and well-being quality of life is really of import which play large function in life of single. Quality of life denotes how the person is? His day-to-day life activities, his or her wellbeing. This is the term which determines populating status, installations, possibilities, security, satisfaction, income, employment, nutrient, instruction, quality wellness services, hygiene, public assistance and support. It is different from everyone. The chief thing determine quality of life is our ability to bask all that life has to offer for cases, the ability to walk, talk and experience all contributes to our all quality of life. ( journal.diabetes.org volume 30/04/2011 ) Diabetess During our life clip we know is likely to diabetes mellitus, better known as diabetes.Diabetes is found when the sugar in our blood is excessively high. It happens when something goes incorrect with the manner our organic structure uses the nutrient we eat. Our organic structure breaks down nutrient into sugar, fat, and protein. Our organic structure uses sugar for energy. A endocrine called insulin helps our organic structure turn sugar into energy. Insulin is made in the pancreas, which is located near our tummy. When we eat, our pancreas supposed to do the right sum of insulin to travel the sugar from our blood into our organic structure ‘s cells. When we have diabetes, we have no insulin or non adequate insulin, or our organic structure does non react to the insulin it makes. The sugar stays in our blood. When excessively much sugar builds up in our blood and reaches a certain degree we have DIABETES. Diabetes is serious, womb-to-tomb unwellness. It can do bosom and blood v as diseases, sightlessness, kidney failure, nervus harm, dentition and gum jobs, and toe, pes or leg amputations. ( www.handsonhealth-sc.org Idaho 1119 ) . If we can non command diabetes can perplex gestation, and birth defects are more common in babes born to adult females who have it. Understanding digestion and insulin Most of the nutrient we eat is broke down into glucose, it is the signifier of the sugar in the blood.it is the chief fuel for the organic structure. After digestion procedure, glucose base on ballss into the blood stream, where it is used by cells for growing and energy. For glucose to acquire into the cells insulin must be present. Insulin is a endocrine produced by the pancreas, pancreas is the big secretory organ behind tummy, people with diabetes do non do insulin, or they can non utilize insulin decently, or both. This causes glucose to construct up in the blood alternatively of traveling into the cells. As a consequence people with the status frequently feel ; thirsty, hungry tired.

The Joy Luck Club

joyHigh-context Cultures and Low-context Cultures The Joy Luck Club  explores the clash between Chinese culture and American culture. One way of understanding the difference is to look at communication in these cultures. Chinese culture can be classified as a high-context culture and American culture as a low-context culture. First I will define these terms, then explain the significance of these two categories, and finally apply them to The Joy Luck Club. * Culture  is the way of living which a group of people has developed and transmitsfrom one generation to the next.It includes concepts, skills, habits of thinking and acting, arts, institutions, ways of relating to the world, and agreement on what is significant and necessary to know. Race, ethnicity, class, and gender are cultural creations; they derive their meanings from the culture. * Context  is the whole situation, background, or environment connected to an event, a situation, or an individual. * A  high-context cult ure  is a culture in which the individual has internalized meaning and information, so that little is explicitly stated in written or spoken messages.In conversation, the listener knows what is meant; because the speaker and listener share the same knowledge and assumptions, the listener can piece together the speaker's meaning. China is a high-context culture. * A  low-context culture  is one in which information and meanings are explicitly stated in the message or communication. Individuals in a low-context culture expect explanations when statements or situations are unclear, as they often are. Information and meaning are not internalized by the individual but are derived from context, e. . , from the situation or an event. The United States is a low-context culture. High-context Cultures In a high-context culture, the individual acquires cultural information and meaning from obedience to authority, through observation and by imitation. To acquire knowledge in this way and to internalize it, children must be carefully trained. High-context cultures are highly stable and slow to change, for they are rooted in the past; one example is the Chinese practice of ancestor worship. They are also unified and cohesive cultures.In such cultures, the individual must know what is meant at the covert or unexpressed level; the individual is supposed to know and to react appropriately. Others are expected to understand without explanation or specific details. Explanations are insulting, as if the speaker regards the listener as not knowledgeable or socialized enough to understand. To members of a low-context culture, speakers in a high-context culture seem to talk around a subject and never to get to the point. The bonds among people are very strong in a high-context culture.People in authority are personally and literally responsible for the actions of subordinates, whether in government, in business, or in the family. (In the U. S. , on the other hand, the general practice is to find a â€Å"fall guy† or scapegoat who takes the blame for those with more power and status. ) In a high-context culture, the forms (conventional ways of behaving) are important; the individual who does not observe the forms is perceived negatively; the negative judgments for an individual's bad behavior may extend to the entire family.In embarrassing or awkward situations, people act as though nothing happened. Individuality, minor disagreements, and personality clashes are ignored, so that no action has to be taken. Taking action tends to be taken seriously, because once started an action must generally be completed. Individuals can't stop an action because they change their minds, because they develop another interest, because unforeseen consequences arise, or because something better comes along.Consequently there is greater caution or even reluctance to initiate an undertaking or to give a promise. Chinese parents may overlook a child's behavior, because they expect that the strong family tradition, which is based on ancestors, will cause the child ultimately to behave properly. The Clash of Low-context and High-context Cultures in  The Joy Luck Club In a low-context culture, as Edward T. Hall explains, â€Å"Most of the information must be in the transmitted message in order to make up for what is missing in the context (both internal and external). In a low-context culture change is rapid and easy; bonds between people are looser; action is undertaken easily and can be changed or stopped once initiated. The mothers in  The Joy Luck Club  expect their daughters to obey their elders and so learn by obedience, by observation and by imitation, as they did in China. Their elders did not explain. Because the mothers internalized values and knowledge, they seem to assume that knowledge is innate and that it is present in their daughters and only has to be brought out or activated.The internalization is so psychologically complete and so much a part of the mothers' identities that they speak of it as physical. Am-mei, for instance, sees in her mother â€Å"my own true nature. What was beneath my skin. Inside my bones† (p. 40); to her, connection to her mother or filial respect is â€Å"so deep it is in your bones† (p. 41). But in this country, the mothers' warnings, instructions, and example are not supported by the context of American culture, and so their daughters do not understand. They resent and misinterpret their mothers' alien Chinese ways and beliefs.Similarly, the mothers do not understand why they do not have the kind of relationships with their daughters that they had with their mothers in China. The Joy Luck mothers were so close to their own mothers that they saw themselves as continuations of their mothers, like stairs. The communication problems that arise when one speaker is from a high-context culture and the other is from a low-context culture can be seen in the conversations of June and Suyuen, â€Å"My mother and I never really understood one another.We translated each other's meanings and I seemed to hear less than what was said, while my mother heard more† (p. 27). June looks for meaning in what is stated and does not understand that her mother omits important information because she assumes her daughter knows it and can infer it; her mother, on the other hand, looks for meaning in what has not been stated and so adds to what has been stated explicitly and comes up with meanings that surprise her daughter.The difficulties of growing up in a family from a high-context culture and living in a low-context culture appear in other Asian-American writers. The narrator of Maxine Hong Kingston's  The Woman Warrior  is unable to decide whether figures she sees are real persons or ghosts, whether stories she is told are true or fiction, what the meaning of those stories is, why she is told the stories, and whether an event really happens or is imagi ned. The Talk Story One way of maintaining and instructing children in traditional ways which Chinese immigrants adopted is the traditional Chinese talk story.According to Linda Ching Sledge, the talk story â€Å"served to redefine an embattled immigrant culture by providing its members immediate, ceremonial access to ancient lore†; it also â€Å"retained the structure of Chinese oral wisdom (parables, proverbs, formulaic description, heroic biography, casuistical dialogue). † In the talk-story the narrator expects the listener to grasp the point, which is often not stated (unlike the Western  Aesop's Fables). Tan adopts the Chinese talk story in the mothers' warning stories to their daughters.The talk story serves another function in this novel; E. D. Huntley explains, Talk story enables women who have been socialized into silence for most of their lives–the  Joy Luck  mothers, for instance–to reconfigure the events of those lives into acceptable p ublic utterances: painful experiences are recast in the language of folk tale; cautionary reminders become gnomic phrases; real life takes on the contours of myth. More significantly, the act of performing talk story allows the storyteller to retain a comfortable distance between herself and her audience.Thus, the storyteller manages in some fashion to maintain the silence to which she is accustomed, as well as to speak out and share with others the important stories that have shaped her into the person that she is. An issue for both mothers and daughters is finding a voice, that is, finding a way to express the essential self. Themes in  The Joy Luck Club Identity. The stories tell of events which shape the identities of the mothers and daughters and give direction to their lives.Though David Denby is speaking of the movie, his description applies equally well to the novel, â€Å"each story centers on a moment of creation or self-destruction in a woman's life, the moment when he r identity becomes fixed forever. † The mothers do not question their identities, having come from a stable culture into which their families were integrated. Their daughters, however, are confused about their identities. Communication between American daughters and Chinese mothers.The mothers see their duty as encouraging and, if necessary, pushing their daughters to succeed; therefore, they feel they have a right to share in their success (the Chinese view). The daughters see the mothers as trying to live through them and thereby preventing them from developing as separate individuals and from leading independent lives (the American view). The link of the Chinese mothers and Chinese daughters. The Chinese mothers form a continuity with their mothers in China, a connection which they want to establish with their American daughters.Love, loss, and redemption. Throughout there exists what David Gates calls a â€Å"ferocious love between mother and daughter† both in China and in this country. But the women also suffer loss, which ranges from separation to abandonment to rejection, in the mother-daughter relationship and in the male-female relationship. Sometimes the loss is overcome and the love re-established. Connection of the past and the present. The mothers' past lives in China affect their daughters' lives in this country, just as the daughters' childhood experiences affect their identities and adult lives.Power of language. Without proficiency in a common language, the Chinese mothers and American daughters cannot communicate. St. Clair cannot communicate with his wife, and so he changes her name and her birth date, taking away her identity as a tiger. Lena St. Clair mistranslates for her father and for her mother. Also, words have great power. Expectation and reality. The mothers have great hopes for their daughters; their expectations for their daughters include not just success but also freedom.They do not want their daughters' lives to be determined by a rigid society and convention, as in an arranged marriage, and made unhappy as theirs were. The American reality fulfilled their expectations in unanticipated and unacceptable ways. Another way of expressing this theme is The American Dream and its fulfillment. Chinese culture versus American culture. This conflict appears throughout the novel, from the struggles of the mothers and daughters to Lena St. Clair's Chinese eyes and American appearance and Lindo Jong's Chinese face and her American face.

Happy moment in my life Essay

Social networks are becoming increasingly important in higher education as the format of course delivery changes to include hybrid and online models, and as the social network offers students a way to stay in touch, creating face-to-face like conversations and other interactions away from the physical classroom. From this perspective, social networks are particularly important for adult learners who often have complex, busy schedules that may not enable them to participate in face-to-face events at their institutions of choice, or may prohibit them from participating during â€Å"regular† classroom hours. Online social media participation can happen anytime, anywhere, and fills the need of adult or distance (or both) students to feel connected to their classmates, their instructors, and their institutions. My experience teaching both face-to-face and online courses with and without the use of social networks has shown me how valuable they can be to overall student engagement. In both cases, before turning to using a social network (in my case, Yammer) as a web course space, I tried using other formats for student engagement such as blogs, wikis, and forums. I found that the â€Å"chatty† nature of social networks made a big difference in the kind of student participation I saw and the length, depth, and consistency of student-to-student and group-to-group (many-to-many) interactions that occurred in my courses. Read more: Essay About  Happiest Moments in Life Social networks most closely resemble what happens in face-to-face discussions, and therefore resulted in the students feeling more committed, engaged, and known to each other and the course, as well as (potentially) to the institution. Other factors contributing to the increased engagement with the use of social networks are: (1) The low learning curve: Most people are familiar with Facebook, and can therefore easily adopt any similar social network without feeling burdened by having to learn anything new; (2) Familiar faces: The use of a photograph alongside the students and professors or administrators postings goes a long way to heighten a sense of familiarity. Often I found students knew each other and me from the social network so well that when we finally met in person, it felt very familiar; (

Conoco phillips Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Conoco phillips - Essay Example Furthermore the company is vertically integrated and is actively engaged in operations from upstream (oil exploration and production) to downstream (oil refining and marketing). From its vast operations base ConocoPhillips has seen its revenues steadily increase over the past few years as shown in Figure 1 below: The energy industry – in particular oil – has been experiencing slow growth which has led to intense competition among the existing companies. Also, due to its capital intensive nature and the limited options of converting existing equipment to other use implies that even where a company is facing difficult times, there are high exit barriers to overcome. Probably the only viable alternative for companies in this industry is to merge or acquire others so as to derive economies of scale. Nevertheless, in spite of the intense competitive rivalry, ConocoPhillips and its competitors are in an industry with minimal threat of new entrants to either its upstream business – which requires huge investment in equipment, research and technology, and strategic sites – or its downstream business – that requires huge investment in distribution, logistics and marketing. The fact that the major players (ConocoPhillips, ExxonMobil and BP) are vertically integrated increases the barriers to entry further. Another great advantage of the vertical integration to these three major players is that it gives them great bargaining power over both their suppliers and buyers. However, the latter may be significantly better placed than the former in the sense that oil is now considered a commodity. This means that oil products from BP or ConocoPhillips of ExxonMobil do not significantly differ thus the buyer has some leverage to seek lower prices and better contract terms (â€Å"The Industry Handbook: The Oil Services Industry†). Finally, although renewable energy sources have

Response to Rothstein and Jacobsens The Goals of Education Essay

Response to Rothstein and Jacobsens The Goals of Education - Essay Example History instruction was thought to teach students good judgment, enabling them to learn from prior generations’ mistakes and successes and inspiring them to develop such character traits as honesty, integrity, and compassion.†(Rothstein, et.al.) Benjamin Franklin also highlighted the importance of teaching history and â€Å"in 1749 [he] proposed that Pennsylvania establish a public school that should, he said, place as much emphasis on physical as on intellectual fitness because â€Å"exercise invigorates the soul as well as the body.† (Rothstein, et. al.)George Washington went a step further. He argued that â€Å"goals for public schools were also political and moral.†(Rothstein, et. al.) The suggestions of Thomas Jefferson were purely political. He â€Å"most often linked with education in the public mind, thought universal public education needed primarily to prepare voters to exercise wise judgment.†(Rothstein, et.al.) So, the perspective about education changed, as time rolled by and change in the political leadership of the country. I am reminded of the parable of four visually challenged (blind) persons in argument about the shape of the elephant. One had the feel of its long tail and argued that the shape of the elephant is long. The second one, who touched one of its legs, said the shape is like the tree. The third one touched its trunk and said the shaped is like a rubber hose. The fourth one had the feel of the ear and said that the shape is like a giant leaf. An eye surgeon, who listened to their conversation, took them to his dispensary, operated upon their eyes and he was able to restore the eyesight. When he showed them the elephant, they realized that their judgment was wrong. Similar is position of the politicians, sociologists, academicians and the bureaucrats, when they tender opinions and try to frame the policy on the system of education that needs to be adopted in America. None has the comprehensive outlo ok about the genuine needs of the students in a multicultural, multi-ethnic society that suffered from the bane of racism for more than two centuries. The goal of education needs to be man making. Within this broad goal, all other subsidiary yet important goals are integrated. According to the authors, reading scores alone will not go to mold an individual into a responsible citizen with abilities in the area of work ethic, physical and mental health, social skills and appreciation of the arts and literature. I am in broad agreement with the observation of the authors. The schools need to accept the challenges in these areas to enable the students to pursue their diverse goals and a new accountability system needs to be formulated. I also agree with the well-researched conclusions of the authors. The social, economic and cultural life is impacted by the materialistic civilization. With women opting out for full time jobs in a big way and with less or no time at their disposal to dev ote to their home and children, the other influencing source to mold the character of students is the school environment. Proper conditions need to be created for the school administration and the teachers, by providing them with incentives to enable them to accept the challenges with a sense of responsibility. After churning the literature on educational initiatives over the past two hundred and fifty years, the authors have listed eight important outcomes that emerge, when the educational system is poised on the brink of change. Those are: â€Å"Basic academic skills and knowledge, Critical thinking and problem solving, Appreciation of the arts and literature, Preparation for skilled employment, Social skills and work ethic,

Assessing Popper's critique of Marx's historicism as well as limited Essay - 1

Assessing Popper's critique of Marx's historicism as well as limited defense of one or more of one or more of Marx's doctrines - Essay Example According to Popper, the main Marxist doctrines that contributed to the failure by the Australian social democrats to prevent the rise of fascism and the eventual collapse of parliamentary democracy is the Marxist historical doctrine of pseudo-scientific historical materialism. Popper was particularly traumatized by the failure of the democratic parties in Austria to prevent the takeover of Austrian politics by fascism between the 1920s and the 1930s. Popper argued that the communist economic system, which were manifested through fatal ambiguity, passivity and vanguardist politics, and social engineering contributed to the collapse of the parliamentary democracy. In addition, Popper attributed economic historicism and communism to the decline of the Austrian social democracy and the rise of fascism. For example, according to Popper, economic historicism based on Marxist doctrines encouraged the skeptism of the socialist on their ability to reverse historical trends and this significantly weakened their resolve to fight fascism (Hacohen 328). Finally Popper suggested that Marxism led to Austrian social democracy into a dead end by creating real problems that tended to displace another. The social democracy, which Marx promoted, failed to demonstrate feasible economic alternative that reflected market capitalism and totalitarian command economy according to Karl Popper (. The Marx’s ideologies that were inherent in the Austrian socialism committed the country into grave errors. For example, he suggested that Marxism not only failed to provide the Austrian and German socialists with guidelines of sharing political power with the non-socialists thereby resulting in disastrous consequences to their struggle against fascism (Hacohen 327). According to Popper, some of the defensible Marxist doctrines included Marxists critique of psychologism as well as Marx arguments of the autonomy of sociology and

SOCIALIZATION ASSIGNMENT Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

SOCIALIZATION ASSIGNMENT - Essay Example Recent political upheavals have proved this point. Dictatorship has eventually failed – be it Germany or Libya, people rebelled against such oppression and domination and finally the new government form is a democracy. Freedom of the common man is of extreme importance. This is because society is governed by the culture, values, beliefs and traditions which are followed by persons residing in a particular area or region. Many art and art forms, religions, constitutional and civil rights and laws followed in a particular country are based depending on the culture and norms akin to a particular society. However, modernization in the twentieth century is widely regarded as a westernized system which has increasingly impacted the non – western society. The third world countries have started going for what the people regard as ethically better culture followed by the westerners. Take the case of English. The popularity of this language has spread so much that it is now among one of the official languages in most nations. To conclude, economic changes have spurred a change in the values, beliefs, traditions and rituals that people followed. There is a direct connection between economic development and systematic changes. People hailing from an economically advanced nation are more flexible to changes and their values reflect a change. These people are more tolerant, rational, participatory and trustworthy (Inglehart & Baker 19 –

Problem Solving Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Problem Solving - Assignment Example This can be achieved through the formation of labor organizations, which would look into the grievances and welfare of workers (Hill and Jones 359). It would also be necessary to ensure that Apple and Foxconn’s recruitment and selection practices of their employees are reviewed. They should ensure that they hire people of integrity who must be able to ethically carryout their duties. A clear policy guideline should be formulated with laws being set to safeguard the rights of employees. A question of conjecture If the solution to this situation is to ensure transparency prevails, how can pressure offer this solution? It is apparent that Apple pays extraordinary attention to their publicity and social image. In this regard, if pressure is something to go by, it can be argued that Apple will continue exhibiting these problems as long as there is no pressure. Besides, can pressure be the best solution for long-term solution to these problems? It is like arguing that a government f aced with problems in delivering to its citizens can only be corrected by its citizens pressuring it. Of course, it is one of the solutions, and, which tends to offer short-term ones. What needs to be done is to ensure that accountability is insisted. The most important thing is to ensure that every person is accountable for his or her deeds (Hill and Jones 360). The government should, for example, ensure that all organizations adhere to set laws that safeguard employees. A question of value Can the option of the government of china protecting freedom and rights of workers by establishing a real work union be a solution to these problems? If the government can reform its own auditing practices, there would be an efficient monitoring of human rights and labor violations in factories. It is, therefore, true to argue that reforming auditing practice would allow workers air their grievances and that they would have an effective, collective voice in determining matters related to their w orking conditions. When workers are unable to add their voices in the decision making, most of their problems go unattended. It would, therefore, be necessary if workers are allowed to join labor unions, and above all, be incorporated in the decision making process, especially on matters concerning wages and working conditions (Hill and Jones 359). A question of policy What are current policies regarding workers wages and working conditions? It is apparent that there are no adequate policies in china that look into issues of factory workers. FLA Chief Executive Officer argued that there were no conclusive remarks from the president of FLA on the working conditions of young workers that come from rural areas to work in the industries. This means that the rights of these young workers in china can not be guaranteed. It would be vital that the government come up with statutes that would cater for the rights of workers in industries. Perhaps, the issue of inserting pressure by the publi c on government should be considered ideal in this situation. Industries and other organizations operating in a country that does not have well defined workers rights would tend to take advantage of this fact to exploit their workers. Nevertheless, this goes beyond inserting pressure on the government. It is the responsibility of its citizens to ensure that they vote in leaders of integrity into power. Leaders that would be concerned about workers issues. Conclusion

Motivation Bulletin Board Post Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Motivation Bulletin Board Post - Assignment Example The driven-reduction theory can apply to my guilt over leaving my homework too late, or the stress of knowing how much I have been putting off and how much I will have to do to catch up. Regardless of which, these feelings increase as I put off what I have to do, and what should have been done days ago. Not wanting to feel guilty or stressed, I feel the need to actually do the tasks to deplete these feelings. The less that I want to experience these feelings, the more I get done in regard to school and homework. The longer I can put off experiencing these emotions, the more willing I am to get work done. The optimal arousal theory relates to the success that I want to feel as a student. When I have my work done and I am feeling good about where I am with school, then I have reached my optimal level. I become inspired to do my best so that I may inherently feel that I have indeed done the best of my abilities. It is a wonderful feeling of accomplishment when I focus hours on end to finish my work, and actually finish my work. The incentive theory, in regards to my school situation, allows me to reward myself for getting good grades on tests or homework, or for completing projects well before they are due. When I offer myself an award prior to my doing something, I feel more eager to complete the task and obtain that treat. Once I realized that I was more anxious to get something done knowing that something better was waiting for me, I would focus more on the task at hand. Such rewards would vary from simply taking a break or going out to the movies with friends. I would treat myself for a job well

W6 A566 Automated Collaborative & Expert Knowledge Management Systems Essay

W6 A566 Automated Collaborative & Expert Knowledge Management Systems - Essay Example se perspectives include: A focus on information communication technology support for the knowledge management life cycle and for certain organizational instruments which are implemented as part of a knowledge management initiative. The second perspective is a focus on the proposed analogy between human and organizational information processing, learning, and memory. The third perspective is a review of a set of functions that are part of knowledge management system as offered on the market. The fourth perspective is the extensions and the integration of existing software tools, such as intranet solutions, document management systems, workflow management systems, groupware, and communications systems (Maier 2007). According to Jawadekar (2011), knowledge management system is the process of managing knowledge in an organization in steps, starting with identification, validation, creation, acquisition, codification and transfer and measurement. It also involves the creation of intellect ual capital and converting some into intellectual property in order to meet the set business strategies and implementation. The purpose of knowledge management system is to support decision-making personnel and stake holders in the organization with the online ready access to the organization’s knowledge resources. It has development and management phases (Jawadekar 2011).The knowledge management system design has two components: knowledge development and knowledge management. The system is dynamic because knowledge varies from time to time and improves with the application in business. The phases of change and improvement are known as cycles. The definition of knowledge management system extends further to include the integration of knowledge in business operations and decision-making systems. Integration is happens through business rules, and formulae that are involved the decision-making framework. The KM life cycles provide basis for the definition of application areas from

Moving and Handling of Clients Essay Example for Free

Moving and Handling of Clients Essay Most of the reported accidents are reported under RIDDOR- which is Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations. Accidents that cause injuries to backs, including hands, arms and feet. These accidents can occur wherever people work, in residential establishments, day centres, in peoples own homes, on farms, building sites, hospitals, shops and while making deliveries. The major cause of injuries is poor manual handling of goods. They account for 34% of all accidents at work; as a result, the government has introduced legislation regarding correct manual handling. The training for safe moving and handling allows me not just at work but in my private life to protect myself and others from serious and painful injuries. Risk assessments are carried out to help the employer find out what actions should be taken to comply with their duties under the Health and Safety Act. The Health and Safety Act 1974 lists the general duties for employers/ employee’s suppliers and others involved in the supply of goods and provision of services through work. What cases creates the risk, takes the responsibilities. Work forces also have responsibilities for their own manual handling. Organisations must provide machinery and equipment which are of safe use when transporting materials. Employees must have relevant information, instruction training and supervision with regards to lifting techniques. Every place of work should be kept in safe conditions, as an employee, we have a duty to care to comply with the rules, co-operate with employers and the use of any equipment and procedures for safety, informing our employer if there are any hazardous handling activities in our work. When moving and handling, acute and chronic injuries may occur, like the spine, the neck and lower back are the most mobile but could also get damaged. Slipped discs caused by twisting, joint strain, muscular tension. When assessing our work, we have to look at the load, the individual, the task or job and the environment. The maximum load that can be lifted is 25KG. Picking items up at our feet and put at chest level is 10KG and at arms length to head height is 5KG. The risk can be reduced if the correct equipment and method of lifting is undertaken. To reduce the risk, remove sharp edges, provide protective clothing, use gloves before starting to lift. We must think about the age, size, physical fitness, checking health conditions. Examples, heart, breathing and bad back. Major points of lifting  are to stop and think placing feet apart adopting good posture, don’t jerk or move the feet. The safety of the service users and care workers is paramount and care workers should take an active part in risk assessment. The Health and Safety fitness of each care worker should be frequently reviewed so that any problems can be dealt with quickly. This is as I already know as one of my responsibilities under the Health and Safety at Work Act, the safety of both service user and me is paramount and care workers all should take an active part in risk assessment.

Meaning Behind Aussie Battler Essay Example for Free

Meaning Behind Aussie Battler Essay The film industry determines the way we view our films. Australian films often backup the idea of the ‘Aussie battler/hero’. A battler/hero is known as someone who fights for what they believe in, their country, their heritage, their family, friends, dignity and pride. A battler’s job is to protect and hold onto what they are fighting for, whether it is for the good or for the bad. The Aussie Battler is known for being a working class citizen who commits there heart and soul into their work, land, culture and family. Many Australian films explore the concept of ‘Overcoming Adversity’ and explore into the idea of the ‘Aussie Battler/hero’. Wonderful examples of films that directly look into this idea of the ‘Aussie Battler/hero’, is Ned Kelly (2003) and The Castle (1997). Ned Kelly is a film based in the 70’s/80s about a group of young men, Ned Kelly (Heath Ledger), Joseph Byrne (Orlando Bloom), Dan Kelly (Laurence Kinlan) and Steve Hart (Philip Barantini), also known as ‘the Kelly gang’, fighting to preserve their heritage and remain true to their family. The director of Ned Kelly ‘Gregor Jordan’ has contributed the idea of how overcoming adversity can be problematic and difficult, but can also change society. The Castle a film directed by Rob Sitch is about a man, Darryl Kerrigan (Michael Caton) facing the authority because he believes in fighting for his right to not lose everything he has worked for, for unnecessary government requests. The film industry determines the way people view films. Australian films often backup the idea of the Aussie Battler. An Aussie battler is referred to as someone who fights for what they believe in, their country their heritage, family, friends, dignity and pride. A battlers job is to protect and hold onto what they believe is worth fighting for, whether is is for good or bad. The Aussie battler is known to be a working class citizen who commits their sweat, blood and time into their work, land, culture and family. Many Australian films explore into the concept of overcoming adversity, and look deeply into the understanding the idea of the Aussie battler. Wonderful examples of films that directly look into this concept of the Aussie Battler’ is Ned Kelly (2003) and The Castle (1997). Ned Kelly is a Film based in 1880s about a group of men (Ned Kelly (Heath Ledger), Joseph Byrne (Orlando Bloom), Dan Kelly (Laurence Kinlan) and Steve Hart (Philip Barantini), also known as The Kelly Gang. The gang’s objective is to fight, preserve their heritage and change how the authority treats the Irish. The director of Ned Kelly, Gregor Jordan has contributed the idea of how overcoming diversity can be problematic and difficult, but can also change society’s views and ways. The Castle, a film directed by Rob Sitch, is about a man, Darryl Kerrigan (Michael Caton) facing the authority because he believes in fighting for his right to not lose something that is a big part of his life and something he has worked for his whole life. The events that arise in both films revolving around the characters, reiterate this idea of ‘Over coming Adversity’ and the ‘Aussie Battler/hero’ is emerged through a variety of techniques incorporated from their respective directors. In the first scene of Ned Kelly he is portrayed as a great contribution to society by saving his class mates life from drowning in a river. He received a green hero’s sash. Another scene that also really shows Ned as a battler is where he is chasing one of the authorities through the bushes. Ned shoots the authority multiple times and once he finally stops Ned tells him ‘he would not have shot if he hadn’t kept running’; he also tried to stop him from bleeding but in the end couldn’t and was forced to put a bullet through his heart. A scene where Ned’s image is turned around is where he steals the horse and gets caught from the authority; Ned loses it and threatens the authority which then lands him in jail and from this point on Ned falls into the role of ‘The Aussie Battler’. Ned Kelly belongs to an Irish heritage that immigrated to Australia for a better life, but not realizing what laid ahead for them they were pushed low down in society and struggled to keep an income. The Kelly’s were given a piece of land by the selectors where they were allowed to grow their own crops, producing their own food and founder animals for income. The authorities in Ned Kelly were self-centred and, self-indulged. The way the authority treated the Irish was different to how they treated their own. That’s where the Kelly Gang and the authority differed. Ned was pleasant to everyone he came across, he didn’t chose to harm them, gave them respect and the rights they deserved wether they were his own people or not. The events that arise in both films revolving around the two main character ‘Ned Kelly’ and ‘Darryl Kerrigan’, reiterate this idea of ‘overcoming adversity’ and the ‘Aussie battler’ is emerged through a variety of different techniques that have been incorporated by their respective directors’. In a scene towards the start of the film that shows Ned as a battler is where he is hunting a policeman through the bush lands because he ran. Ned finally guns down the policeman and finds the man lying on the ground in immense pain. Ned tells the policeman ‘he would not have shot him if he had not run’. This scene shows the battler side of Ned because further on in this scene Ned is forced to kill the policeman because there was nothing he could do to save him. The Castle is a classic Australian film the stereotypes the Aussie image but also conveys the message that Australians are tough and fight for right. The Kerrigan family is an admirable representation of the average Australian family. They are tight-knit, willing to help and passionate about sticking together as a family. There is a scene that particularly shows off the characteristics of a battler/ fighter within the castle. This scene is were Darryl is at his court hearing. When the Jury goes on break, Darryl sends out his message to his lawyer who then uses what he says in his debate. By Darryl really expression his true emotions, they win. Darryl Kerrigan resembles the typical Australian father. Although his family isn’t well off and don’t particularly live in a great spot (beside an airport), its home, it all comes from the heart. Darryl is a battler; he supports everyone’s opinions but in the end makes his decisions based upon his beliefs. He doesn’t particularly have a high status in society with him working as a tow truck driver but still manages to stay positive because he doesn’t care what people think of him, he’s a proud Australian. He works and fights for the things he needs and can appeal to ones emotions. He uses his power to battle against the bad to win the good. The directors of both Ned Kelly and The Castle have incorporated a variety of different cinematic techniques that make both films memorable in their own manner. Techniques that come under the branch are Setting, Dialogue, and Costuming, Camera angles and movement and sound. Ned Kelly desires the affect for its audience to become entangled within the films story line and to do this the film must include a range of different and somewhat unusual techniques to gather attention. The setting for Ned Kelly is rather stereotypical to the era the film is set in. Most scenes where the Kelly gang do major work is set on the authority’s side. This is the brighter, more classic, rich side, whereas most other scenes such as fighting and war is done in the bushlands, outback where the Kelly’s feel safe and indulged in their own culture. The lighting in Ned Kelly is very much so leaned to low key lighting. If you notice high key lighting comes into play when the Kelly’s are in the authority’s territory and low key lighting for the rest. The dialogue used in Ned Kelly is very traditional and formal. The authority take on a different role in there dialogue as they used different words, words that come off more offensive and cruel. Costuming is also another very outmoded label. The Kelly’s customarily wore old, scrawny, filthy unwashed clothes. They also were mostly seen in dark long pants and jackets, not a lot of skin was shown which contributed to the aspects of low key lighting. The outcast side of people had scrawny hair, beards and were dressed in dirty clothing. Whereas the upper-class side were dressed in clean cut, brighter coloured clothing that resembled there place in society. In both Ned Kelly and the Castle similar camera angles and movements were used. High Angles where used to show power i. e. the authority standing over Ned making him look weaker and more vulnerable. Particularly towards the start of both films you notice low angles and high angles being used to show authority, but as the films progressed you start to notice the change in angles and where the cameras are positioned. Throughout both films you will notice an establishing shot being used at the start of most scenes followed by either a close up or mid shot, depending wether the scene was to include dialogue where then they would need a close up or just a mid-shot. There were many cuts during dialogue which also showed great importance in what the characters were saying. The castle resembled typical Australian dress standards for that time (Flannelettes, Jeans and bowl cuts). The Authority seemed to be dressed in smart clothing the reminded you of control and responsibility. Dialogue in The Castle was stereotypically an Australian accent. The slang, the way the words are slurred and how the pronunciations of words are carried out. The authority defiantly takes on another type of channel of communication, they talk more proper, formal and tend to shorten their words to sound like they aren’t slurring. The setting in the castle is bright and cheerful. It creates a friendly environment that also shows a real Australian household. They do this by creating a rundown house, not much money and living right next to an airport. The lighting the frames this film is high key. Even when darkness controls the time of the scene light still manages to be the key element to the shots. Both films show and encourage messages about Australia in two completely different but similar ways. Ned Kelly shows a message that stealing is wrong and fighting is not the answer, but fighting for what you believe in, fighting for the right to not let others contradict your life is ok. On the other hand the message about The Castle is exactly the same but carried out differently. The castle shows the fact that Australians are not very materialistic and in general are quite simplistic and positive. Both films also conveyed the message that family is important and supporting that idea of love and trust is what makes life worth living for. Ned Kelly chose reveal the idea of using violence, crime and death to portray its message, whereas The Castle did not. The Castle showed its message through family values, gratitude and reverence. Both of these films had the authority against them, they stuck together and became united as one. By the end of both films we were left with the feeling of knowing and understanding how both families’ fought together. If one was going down they were all going down. What was also so great about these two films is that we could watch them grow from battlers into heroes. Ultimately both films were devised to create a sense of understanding about the Australian culture. For certain message and concepts to be conveyed a range of different techniques had to be used, from characterization, to cinematography. The plots direction leaded to the audience grasping different emotions and challenged the audience to experience a film unlike most modern productions.

Cell Phone Industry

Cell Phone Industry INTRODUCTION The purpose of this study is to explain the innovation and evaluate the innovations benefits in a particular industry. The subject of my assignment is the company of Research In Motion (RIM) and RIMs product which is called Blackberry in cell phones industry. All industries need to creative new products or improve their products to satisfy the costumers. By this reason innovation is very important issue in todays competitive business world. The RIM produce innovate the e-mail wireless system and in this point Blackberries are one of the best smart phones in cell phones sector. This assignment also makes some estimates about Blackberry and its position in the cell phones sector. THE HÄ °STORY OF CELL PHONES INDUSTRY In the past centuries, nowadays communication technology was only a dream. Cell phones, internet chat, e-mail were very extreme machines or system for the people. However depend on the improving of communication technology all these dreams has been becoming real. (M. Woods 2005). During the 1940s, the radio technology was developed and this was constituted the first step of cell phones history. The beginning of cell phones was based on the innovation of radio communication which was used especially in taxi caps, police cars and other means of transportations to provide two ways communicate one to another or communicate only the central base. And also individual radios help to improving cell phone communication technology with patching into a phone line via live operator to make a phone call. Swedish police used the first official mobile phone in 1946. There was a link between telephone network and the new technology and the new system was very different from two way radio system. But it was not sufficient enough, only 6 phone calls were done before the battery was finished. The modern cell phones technology was created by the same time with creation of hexagonal cells in 1947. Moreover the development of cell phone technologies naturally has been following the improving of technologies and first electronics cell phone developed during the 1960s. The problem of these cell phones is; the user had to stay one cell area because cell areas which were serviced by a base station were unable to hand off cellular phone calls from one base station to another. While you could make a phone call, you werent able to continue the call after you reached a set range. This problem was solved by A. E. Joel in 1970, call handoff system was built up and this system provides the user carrying on the phone call from one place to another without switching off the phone. Following decades the cell phones technologies continue the improving. The cell phones can be classified with three groups; first, second and third generations. First Generation Cell Phones: In 1983, the first portable cell phone was presented to world by Motorola and the name of this product was Motorola DynaTAC 8000X. The cost of research to improve the cell phone was over 100 million dollars and it took about 15 years to prepare it for market. It looked like brick and it weighed about 28 ounces. Until the beginning of the 1990s the popularity of cell phones increase due to innovations in cellular networks. However, most common style of using was in car like a car phone because of its dimension. Second Generation Cell Phones: During the 1990s, due to new system such as GSM,IS-136 and IS-95 cell phones skipped the second generation (2G). The new digital mobile phones started to use in the United State in 1990 and in Europe by 1991. 2G mobile phones enabled to get network signal faster, the quality of calls was better and the amount of dropped calls decrease by the digital system. The size of 2G phones absolutely smaller than the â€Å"brick† phones which were produced former decade. 2G phones were usually in the range of 100 to 200 grams; in addition, most of them did not need large batteries. With these innovations also provided remarkable increase the amount of cell phone user. Third Generation Cell Phones: The most common name of third generation is 3G and these phones available today. Only few years after 2G, 3G phones were improved. Due to many innovations in technology and services, standards for 3G are usually different depending on the network. Todays cell phones are not only using for handle text messages and such contacts book. The new cell phones include GPS, Wi-Fi connectivity and motion sensors. These phones are able to get the e-mails, connect the computers and provide the videophone. According to Andy Jones, head of information security research at British Telecommunications, â€Å"Mobile phones are becoming a bigger part of our lives†. â€Å"RESEARCH IN MOTION† AND BLACKBERRY The History of Research in Motion: In 1984, a pair of engineering students, one each from the Universities of Waterloo and of Windsor found the Research in Motion. The technology of RIM created the most common Blackberry mobile communication tool. RIM was the first wireless data technology developer in North America and created several wireless products, including wireless Point-of-Sale devices, radio modems, and the first two-way messaging pager. In 1998, the small portable wireless handheld was produced by RIM and the name of the machine was RIM 950. RIM 950 handled e-mails contacts and calendaring with a fitted QWERTY keyboard. The first Blackberry two-way was produced in 1999 but the opportunity of pushing e-mail and SMS was allowed on the world in 2002 with 5810. Businesses soon saw the power of the QWERTY keypad handsets as an office tool, and havent looked back since, with the first colour models in 2003 and first packing Wi-Fi in 2004. Today, the Blackberry phone is one of the leading cell phones in the market and the popularity of the Blackberry has been increasing day by day. The user of Blackberry phones take significantly advantages, especially business who needs an advanced phone to communicate with their office when staying outside. The blackberry earned the many professionals confidence by the way of answering their needs. Also business world not only one market which Blackberry sold, many people interest in using smart phones to connect internet or GPS, take and share photos with the phone. INNOVATION According to management expert Peter Drucker, innovation is change that creates a new dimension of performance. One of the most important things is creativity for innovation. The foundation of innovation is new ideas and new criteria and also personal success. The source of creativity is statement of new ideas and new solutions. In addition, innovation get agreement from the others to be successful and the idea of innovation influence the other people ideas. All industries need innovation every time to improve their influence areas and to reach their target. Customers always have some future expectations and organizations want to answer these demands with new innovations. To make a successful innovation, recognize and estimate the new opportunities is playing significant role. Creativity involves transformation such as dramatic change in form, structure, process, appearance or character of a person, a product, or an environment. In other words, creativity involves the making change f rom present situation to future for greater returns. Form creativity new life begins in business world. (Marci Segal 2003). The results of innovation are hard to measure. It is so complicated to understand. There are many sorts of dimension that include a diversity of activities. The main point of innovation is about product, it should be new. Moreover it may also be a new process of production, alternatives of a cheaper material, include improvement for this issue and uncovered product, open for the improvement and have a easy way to developed more innovations. The transformation process to provide technological and economic consideration from innovation is also complex. (R. Landau, N. Rosenberg 1986). INNOVATION OF BLACKBERRY The innovation of Blackberry maybe creates a question about is it radical innovation or a step-change innovation. Although the e-mails are sent by computer, it is significant to note that blackberry provide an opportunity to send and receive e-mails while moving or out of office. Also the size of blackberry is very small it is exactly a smart phone and obtains important advantages to users. As a result, blackberry is a radical innovation for those corporate executives, government officials and emergency driven professionals for whom doing business has changed. Jim Balsillie, Co-CEO state an opinion about importance of time. If the blackberry had represented earlier, it may not have been very popular because e-mails did not use very common. â€Å"It was the right time for us to do that because the offering and the market opportunity and the value proposition and uniqueness stood on its own merit. We did it at the time and we certainly have no regrets. It appears, in hindsight, to have been a very wise strategy,† he says. The benefits of blackberry against laptop and the mobile phone are a little bit complicated. The position of Blackberry lie between laptop and mobile phone in other words the value of Blackberry is in the middle of these two devices. However the security of data being directly erasable if the Blackberry is lost and the management of sophisticated images are more than for the laptop and mobile phone. Moreover, time is very important in todays competitive business world. Blackberry considers using time more efficiently with providing business to check e-mails and complete their transaction out of the office without computer. (Swastik Nigam 2007). It is certain that Blackberry is one of the most powerful devices which bring the wireless technology to daily life use. The person who is carrying this extreme machine will never become out of contact. The Research In Motion (RIM), the producer of Blackberry, after the first device which called Interactive Pagers hit the market in the summer of 1998 has been becoming of a phenomena in market. THE REPORT OF RIM AND FUTURE EXPECTATÄ °ONS As I mentioned before the first RIM product hit the market at 1998. After that producing Blackberries models was followed this improvement. In a short time, Blackberry have came a popular and also RIM sales have increased sharply. The RIM started to sell the Blackberry firstly in USA and after a time period the Blackberry spread all over the world. 2009 Market 2008 Market Company Shares Sales (%) Shares Sales (%) Nokia 14,911.2 42,1 14,588.6 45,1 Research in Motion 7,233.6 19,9 4,311.8 13,3 Apple 3,938.8 10,8 1,725.3 5,3 HTC 1,957.3 5,4 1,276.9 4 Fujitsu 1,387 3,8 1,317.5 4,1 Others 6,896.4 18,8 9,094.8 28,1 The table above indicates that the smart phone sales increased from first quarter of 2008 to first quarter of 2009. Garther analysts illustrate the significant success in Research in Motion and Apple sales. â€Å"Much of the smart phone growth during the first quarter of 2009 was driven by touch screen products, both in midtier and high-end devices,† said Roberta Cozza, principal analyst at Gartner, based in Egham, UK. Touch screen is not only one reason for this increasing, people all over the world wants mobile e-mail, music service and also internet from their phone with depending on the technological development in smart phone industry. (Stamford, Conn., May 20, 2009) Comparison with Apple: The major competitor of Research in Motion is Apple iPhone. The cost of latest version Blackberry smart phone, which is called Blackberry Storm, has a higher production cost than iPhone 3G. According to iSuppli, a research firm in electronics market, one unit of Blackberry Storm cost is $ 202.89 although an iPhone cost is $174.33. Despite the cost difference and popularity of Apples best-selling device, RIM still tops the league of smart phone sales. RIM said that it shipped 4.4 million Blackberry handsets in the fourth quarter alone, bumping up total numbers to about 14 million for the 2008 fiscal year, and more than doubling sales of 6.4 million for fiscal 2007. By comparison, Apple has said that it sold 2.3 million iPhones in the three months to December 29, and a total of about 4 million in the six months since the devices US launch. Blackberry accounted for 41 per cent of all smart phones sold in the US in the fourth quarter, compared with the iPhones 28 per cent share, according to the Reading-based researcher Canalys. With this successful year RIM recently started targeting to become a leader in consumer market. The RIMs chief executive Jim Balsilie added that despite of the global credit crunch they goals the increase the revenue and they will make more profit from the Blackberry sells. (Times Online, April 03, 2008). The Blackberry producer Research in Motion declared that they beat the analysts expectations in forth quarter of 2009. RIM made a $ 518.3 million profit in the forth quarter and a 26 percent increase from the same period last year. The revenue for the forth quarter of 2009 was $ 3.46bn, up 84 percent from a year ago. According to co-chief executive at RIM Jim Balsillie, the company is very happy about their success of Blackberry products sales in forth quarter of 2009. (Tom Young Computing, 03 April 2009). Future Plans of Research in Motion: Additionally, RIM also has some future plans to improve their products and reach their target. The company wants to add some new facilities to Blackberry. The company will add application of Java and Adobe Reader to provide the costumer better smart phone especially in internet world. With these applications consumers, who are using the Blackberry could access all information easily. The format of data will not be a problem for the Blackberrys owners. The most effective innovation might be occur in the future is; RIM thinking to do a deal with T-mobile to provide costumers better service. Although the credit crunch, according to co-chief of RIM they will try to not lose their market position and continue the improvement of their products. CONCLUSION Today, Research In Motion Limiteds Blackberry is the leading product of representing wireless e-mail for the smart phone. The Blackberry are sold across North America and Europe and nowadays it is taken root the Asia Pacific. The Blackberry is a big innovation for the cell phone industry by provides the easiest way to connect e-mail with wireless to the costumers. As far I am concerned that innovation should include some new ideas and creativity. Although wireless technology was being used by computers, the RIMs Blackberry meets the wireless to the smart phones at first time. Now, all smart phones user expects from the phones to connect internet and want to check their e-mail while buying a new one. RIM was founded in 1984 by two engineering student. The firm started to produce Blackberry in 1998 and sharply became popular in the smart phones market. Also RIMs Blackberry has some competitor in todays rivalry market such as Nokia and iPhone but the target of company is to become a leader in this sector. These days, the RIM is looking for new innovations to improve the Blackberry. All industries need to develop and create new innovation to answer costumers expectations. Following the improvement in technology products has been becoming more and better and if an organization wants to reach top or to increase the sales, they innovate new products. References 1. Michael Woods. â€Å"The History Of Communication†, Lerner Publication, First Edition 2005 2. http://www.tech-faq.com/history-of-cell-phones.shtml 3. http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg20427301.100-the-pocket-spy-will-your-smartphone-rat-you-out.html?full=true 4. http://www.brighthub.com/office/collaboration/articles/8041.aspx 5. http://experts.thelink.co.uk/2008/12/19/a-brief-history-of-blackberry/ 6. Kathryn Vercillo. â€Å"History of Major Blackberry Models from RIM 96†, available at: http://hubpages.com/hub/History-of-Major-Blackberry-Models-from-RIM 7. Marci Segal. â€Å"Quick Guide to the Four Temperaments and Creativity: A Psychological Understanding of Innovation†, Telos Publication, 2003. 8. Ralph Landau, Nathan Rosenberg, National Academy of Engineering. â€Å"The Positive sum strategy: harnessing technology for economic growth†, Conference publication, 1986. 9. Swastik Nigam, â€Å"Understanding New Product Innovation: Research in Motions Blackberry† ,available at: http://insightory.com/view/231//understanding_new_product_innovation:_research_in_motion%27s_blackberry 10. http://www.businessweek.com/innovate/content/apr2008/id2008044_416784.htm 11. Tom Young Computing, â€Å"Blackberry maker sees strong profit growth†, 03 April 2009, available at: http://www.computing.co.uk/computing/news/2239782/blackberry-maker-sees-strong 12. Stamford, Con., â€Å"Gartner Says Worldwide Mobile Phone Sales Declined 8.6 Per Cent and Smartphones Grew 12.7 Per Cent in First Quarter of 2009†, available at: http://www.gartner.com/it/page.jsp?id=985912 13. http://laptopcom.blogspot.com/2009/01/apple-iphones-are-less-costly-to.htm 14. http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/telecoms/article3676963.ece

Gloria Naylors Mama Day Essay -- Gloria Naylor Mama Day

Gloria Naylor's Mama Day In 1988 Gloria Naylor wrote the novel Mama Day in hopes to show the world that one can either accept the hand they are dealt and make it come out to the advantage of themselves and others, or one can hide from their pain and live a life scared of what may come in the future. Mama Day is set on an island off the coast of South Carolina and Georgia that is inhabited by the descendants of a slave population. The main characters in the novel; Ophelia, Abigail and Miranda, also called Mama Day, all experienced a lot of pain in their lives; it is how they chose to deal with their experiences that sets them apart from each other. Abigail Day is an older member of the Willow Springs' community, sister to Miranda, and grandmother to Cocoa. Instead of embracing the pain Abigail experienced through out her life and turning it into something positive for herself and others, she tried to change the past, and that only left her with more pain. Abigail was the middle child of three sisters. When Peace her younger sister fell in a well, their father and mother became distant with each other and in the end her mother threw herself off a cliff because she could not deal with the pain. When talking about her mother Miranda says, â€Å"Mother hardly cooked at all. And later she didn’t eat much. Later she didn’t do nothing but sit in that rocker†¦ Too much sorrow†¦much too much. And I was too young to give [her] peace. Even Abigail tried and failed†(243). When Abigail was younger her father carved wood and â€Å"Abigail, [tried] to form with flesh what her daddy couldn’t form from wood†(262). Her whole childhood was spent trying to make up for her sister’s death. After her mother’s death, Abigail still tried to giv... ...nted it to. Mama Day tells Bernice, â€Å"Folks say I can do things that most can’t do. Whether that’s true or not, I am willing to help you†(87). Mama Day devised a plan to help Bernice keep her body busy and her mind off of getting pregnant. All the people of Willow Springs admired the weight that Bernice put on and the strength she was developing. When these tactics did not work Mama Day promised to go to the Other Place and help Bernice in a way that Bernice would have to keep a secret forever. Mama Day was the wisest of the three women. She realized that there had been a lot of pain in her life and her family’s history, but she took the pain and turned it into something positive for herself and those around her. She didn’t try to change it like Abigail or ignore it like Cocoa. She embraced it, and helped to change the lives of many people because of it.

Psychological Properties Of Ya Essay -- essays research papers

Beyond Boredom: Studies on the physical and psychological properties of yawning The act of yawning has been observed in all vertebrates, and occurs in humans as early as minutes after birth, so it must have some definitive physiological purpose. Until recently, most scientists believed yawning was a respiratory function, triggered by a surplus of carbon dioxide in the bloodstream. In the past decade, however, studies have suggested that yawning acts as a mediator of activity and arousal levels. The evaluation that follows will examine three such studies and the evidence they contribute to this hypothesis.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The first study (1) examined the connection between yawning and activity on a physical level. Previous research had drawn loose ties between arousal and yawning; for example, one study showed that yawning in rats increased with the presence of a penile erection. To show that arousal increases with the onset of a yawn, the authors of this study designed a correlational experiment to measure changes in physical indicators of arousal before, during, and after yawning. They predicted that signs of arousal would increase when the yawn started. A mixed-gender group of 30 college students participated in three 15-minute laboratory trials which measured skin conductance and heart rate, two physical correlates of arousal. In each trial, subjects pressed a button when they felt a yawn coming on, and equipment in a nearby room took readings from sensors attached to their fingertips. The first trial measured skin conductance, the second trial measured heart rate, and the third trial used an electromyogram with electrodes attached to the subjects’ masseter muscles to verify that they were yawning when they said they were. Each subject was alone in a room for the course of all three trials. In addition, a control group of 20 students were tested for skin conductance and heart rate while intentionally performing different physical aspects of yawning, such as opening the mouth wide and taking deep breaths. All results were analyzed using a Friedman ANOVA test. The results of the experiment partailly concur with the authors’ prediction. In the experimental group, it was found that skin conductance values during and after the first yawn were significantly higher than before the yawn. For each subsequent yawn, the differen... ...n of yawning serves the extremely important purpose of helping the most sensitive region of the body maintain proper blood pressure. In addition, evolutionary biologists have proposed that yawning has become such a frequent and important part of animal physiology because it serves a protective purpose. In some situations that lack the necessary external stimulation, low arousal could threaten an animal’s life. According to this theory, yawning has evolved as a guard against inattentiveness by inducing arousal in certain situations. A modern example of this is driving; stimulation is low, yet failure to pay attention is extremely dangerous. Based on the evidence presented by the three studies evaluated, some general conclusions about the nature of yawning can be drawn. Apparently yawning serves as both a mechanism to induce arousal and an indicator of an increase in activity levels. In addition, the common notion that yawning is associated with sleep depravation has been debunked. However, the study of yawns is a relatively new field of research for the psychological and scientific community, and more research is necessary to determine the exact purpose of its existence.

Aristotle’s Definition of Friend :: essays research papers

Friendship is undoubtedly one of the most important elements in the books of Aristotle’s ethical principles. Aristotle takes the idea of friendship to a serious degree. He categorizes them into three groups or types of friendships. This report will attempt to define each type of friendship as well as identify the role of friendship in a society. Aristotle considers friendship to be a necessity to live. He claims that no individual would chose to live without friends even if the individual had all of the other good things in life. He also describes friendship as a virtue and as just. Given the above statements on friendship, it is safe to say that Aristotle felt that friendship is something that every human must have in order to reach a peaceful state of mind. It has all of the qualities of good as long as both parties of a friendship are considered good. Therefore, the role of friendship in a society is to promote goodness between all parties involved in it. As previously mentioned, Aristotle has identified three different types of friendships. The first is friendship based on utility. This is a friendship in which both parties become involved with each other for their own personal benefit. An example would be a working relationship with an individual. These are people who do not spend much time together, possibly because they do not like each other, and therefore feel no need to associate with one another unless they are mutually useful. They take pleasure from each other’s company just for their own sake. Aristotle uses the elderly and foreigners as examples of friendships based on utility. The second type of friendship is a friendship based on pleasure. This friendship is made between two people that wish to gain pleasure from one another. Aristotle uses the young as an example here. Friendship between the young is grounded on pleasure because the lives of the young are regulated by their feelings, and their main interest is in their own pleasure and the opportunity of the moment. They are quick to create and destroy friendships because their affection changes as fast as the things that please them do. Aristotle felt that this sort of pleasure changes rapidly. The young also have a tendency to fall in love, thus creating an erotic friendship which is swayed by the feelings and based on pleasure. Finally, we have what is considered the by Aristotle as the perfect friendship.

Doubt and the Acquisition of Knowledge Essay

Is doubt of any value in acquiring facts and knowledge? There are a number of approaches to tackling this question. If we were to look at various religious philosophies such as the teachings of Hinduism, Buddha and Christ, the disadvantages of doubt can be ascertained. The Bible says that there is a proper time for everything under the sun: â€Å"Every activity and every purpose has its proper time† (Ecclesiastes 3:17) This statement has bearing on the question as to the role doubt can play in acquiring knowledge. It implies that there is a proper time for doubt. I feel that one such time is when doubt serves as a driving force towards acquiring knowledge. Doubt certainly can be a stumbling block in acquiring knowledge and using it. Doubt can make an individual leery and hesitant. Yet, like most aspects of life, doubt can have both positive and negative effects on anything, including the process of learning and acquiring knowledge. While doubt can make one skeptical, it can also serve as a driving force to motivate a person to find the truth. In the opening quote, Dr. Bartus points out that insecurity and uncertainty can have value. Elsewhere in his book, he says that false assumptions and self-delusions are our greatest obstacles to solving problems (p. 107). This idea has bearing on the role of doubt in acquiring knowledge. Certainly, doubt can be an obstacle to acquiring knowledge, but when doubt causes a person to examine (or re-examine) his or her assumptions and discover his or her self-delusions, then doubt has served a valuable service that can lead to a search for answers and knowledge. While doubt can make people closed minded, I feel that doubt can drive people to ask probing questions that increase one’s knowledge when they pursue the answers to their questions. Columbus and Magellan doubted that the world was flat. They resolved to prove their point by sailing around the world to India. Even though the world is round, these explorers took a great chance. There was no guarantee that one could sail from Europe to India even if they were correct about a round world. They had no idea as to what dangers might lay ahead. There could have been scorching deserts, impassable jungles, large continents covered by marshland, hostile people, man eating animals, bitter cold or any one of an infinite number of unknown dangers. Whatever they encountered would have confirmed or refuted their doubts and added to the knowledge of the time. So, doubt can definitely assist one in acquiring knowledge. Attempting to answer questions that arise from doubt can cause/create insecurity. It takes courage to face the uncertainties that arise when challenging and facing your doubts and the unknown, but the reward gained in pursuit of the challenge can be worthwhile and valuable Ultimately, I must conclude that doubt can serve as both an asset and a hindrance in acquiring knowledge, but those who are willing to face their doubts may find their efforts rewarding. In the end, perhaps doubt leads to questions that bring about the acquisition of knowledge. I would like to think that is the best outcome and reward from doubt. We do not progress by being perfect. We progress by making mistakes and correcting them, and we do not acquire knowledge without doubt, but by having doubts and resolving them. Perhaps that is as it should be. The uncertainty and insecurity of doubt propels us forward towards greater knowledge.

Creative Deviance: Bucking the Hierarchy? Essay

1. I believe it is possible for an organization to deliberately create an â€Å"anti-hierarchy† to encourage employees to engage in more acts of creative deviance. All things being equal, the broad span of control leads to efficient organization while a narrow span of control results in hierarchical organization. However, span of control can be affected by some factors, such as abilities of the managers and employees, jobs complexity. Encouraging creative deviance is about executing on the innovation opportunities. There are five steps I think a company could take to encourage creative deviance. Firstly, encouraging innovation is the most important step to have creative deviance. Secondly, when you make mistakes while you are innovating, you are better admit the problems as soon as possible and keep going on with improving your other innovations. Thirdly, creating a wonderful environment for your employees that could fosters innovation. Fourthly, trying to give your employees enough time and space to think innovatively so that they might have creative deviance.Last but not least, company that are less centralized would have a greater amount of autonomy, which may motivate employees to attain creative deviance. 2. The dangers of an approach that encourage creative deviance are: problems would not be seen as signs of failure, or even as issues that should be resolved before moving on to the next stage of development; misplaced enthusiasm can lead to an unrealistically tight development timetable; and lenient review procedures. Furthermore, there are dangers in listening too closely to existing consumers, who might just ask for an improvement to an existing product or service rather than imagining a new way of doing something. In addition, if the companies cannot kill projects and products that are doomed to fail, the company will be in a danger. If creative deviance is the duel in your company’s growth engine, creative deviance gone badly can derail the whole train before it ever gets to the hill. Much less up it. 3. A company like Apple id able to be creative with strongly hierarchical structure is  because the key to Apple’s success is not as it appears its hierarchal structure. Instead of that, the key to Apple’s success is having strong cross-functional teams. Different from other companies with traditional â€Å"assembly line† type of development, Apple adopts parallel production in which are having all the groups including design, manufacturing, engineering and sales to meet continuously through the product-development cycle. Then, they hold brainstorming sessions, trading idea sessions and solutions sessions. Strategizing over the most pressing issues, and generally keeping the conversation open to a diverse group of perspectives. Although the process is noisy and involves far more open-ended and contentious meetings than traditional production cycles, the result is Apple’s success. However, the other companies find hierarchy limiting is because they keep doing the traditional â€Å"assembly line† type of development which is the designers start the process by designing the product and its basic features, and then the developers take a look at the design and shrink it down to what is possible. The manufacturers then figure out how to produce large quantities of this product taking out more parts and features along the way, and then the marketing and sales people figure out how to sell it. Bu the time the product goes to market, there is no creative deviance appear. 4. I believe that Apple’s success has been entirely dependent upon Steven Job’s role as a head of the hierarchy. Without the contribution from Jobs, Apple would not prosper as we can see today. Under this unique leadership style, employees are willing to work had and try their best to dedicate for their consistent goal. However, the potential liabilities of a company that is connected to the decision-making of a single individual is if the decision-maker is not visionary enough, the whole company will ruin by him or her. The fundamental errors in the leader’s perceptions can lead to a failed vision. Common problems include an inability to detect important changes in markets, for example, competitive. Technological, or consumer needs; a failure to accurately assess and obtain the necessary resources for the vision’s accomplishment; and a misreading or exaggerated sense of the needs of markets or constituents. Therefore, it is so important to select a wise l eader who always has a clear vision, experience, and all the possible problems and situations have to be taken into account before making the decision.

Nursing Leadership/Management Role in Budgets Essay

Budgeting refers to a detailed financial plan for carrying out the activities an organization wants to accomplish between a certain amount of time to ensure that quality and cost-effective services are provided to their patients (Stafford, 2007). Many nurse managers/leaders cringe at the word â€Å"budget† due to the lack of training and support for that position and in many cases they are left on their own to get up to speed on all the business aspects for their department within the organization (Clarke, 2006). With the various types of budgets healthcare organizations use to monitor their financial status, it is essential for the nurse manager/leader to take initiative to understand these budget types since they are the closest to the patients and know exactly what is needed to provide quality of care for their unit. Types of Budgets The operating budget is a financial plan for the day-to-day activities of the organization and departments over a one-year period (Stafford, 2007). The expected revenues and expenses generated from these daily operations, given a specified volume of patients, are stated here. Each nursing unit is considered a cost center within the organization, with its own specific budget for personnel and supplies. The personnel budget, being the largest part of the operating budget, consists of multiple factors such as the average daily census, patient acuity, personnel required relating to full-time equivalents (FTEs), as well as productive and non-productive hours. The supplies include medical and office supplies, minor equipment, orientation and training, and travel expenses. Although budgets are based on assumptions, using the previous year’s expenses for personnel and supplies, helps the nurse manager/leader to accurately predict the next year’s budget. Lastly, the revenue budget is the final component of the operating budget which projects the income the organization will receive for providing care. Although nurse managers/leaders may not be involved in developing the revenue budget, having knowledge about it is essential for great decision-making. Another type of budget is the capital expenditure budget, which reflects expenses related to the purchase of major capital items (Stafford, 2007). Capital items are those that have a useful life of more than one year and must exceed a cost level specified by the organization such as $1000. If the item is below this cost, it is considered a routine operating cost. Capital items have a depreciated value, meaning that each year a portion of its’ cost is allocated to the operating budget as an expense and therefore is subtracted from the revenue. Healthcare organizations usually set aside a fixed amount of money for capital expenditures each year for items such as safety requirements, building renovations, and large equipment purchases such as monitors or x-ray machines. Nurse managers/leaders may not have authorization to purchase capital items within their budget but it is their responsibility to notify upper management within the organization the need for specific capital items and the reasoning behind it. Lastly, the cash budget, is the operating plan for monthly cash receipts and dispursements (Stafford, 2007). Organizational survival depends on paying bills on time to keep good standings amongst vendors. Although the nurse manager/leader may not be fully involved in preparing cash budgets either, it is helpful to know and nderstand when constraints on spending are necessary. Leadership/Management Role Nurse managers/leaders are challenged daily to be as cost-effective as possible and to do this, preparation is the key (Foley, 2005). The operating budget is the budget most nurse managers/leaders are responsible for and spend most of their time in managing their personnel and supplies (Stafford, 2007). Gathering information and planning for the average daily census, FTEs, patient acuity, etc†¦ is essential for developing their budgets and understanding the variances, the difference between the projected and the actual budget. Although a nurse manager/leader cannot control all variances, some can be controlled which is where the nurse manager/leader must step in to prevent these variances in the future. Another important role the nurse manager/leader plays is in collaborating with the nursing staff the budget for the unit as well as involving staff with budget monitoring activities to help foster the relationship between cost and the mission to deliver quality patient care for the organization (Stafford, 2007). Appropriate communication is the key, according to Brennan et al. (2008) to understand the financial aspect of the organization. Looking beyond numbers cannot be accomplished while sitting in the office and looking at spreadsheets. Regular, frequent, and focused conversations between staff and nursing executives are important for nurse managers to collaborate with to fully understand the budget (Clarke, 2006). If nurse managers/leaders do not learn to defend and negotiate their budgets, the finance departments within the organization will continue to drive the budget process and the quality of care for patients may be effected since they do not have the insight of the unit and patient’s needs as nurse managers/leaders do. Conclusion Nurse managers/leaders tackle countless responsibilities on a daily basis. Mastering the budget for their unit and for the organization is still one responsibility that needs work. Taking initiative and collaborating with all key personnel the budget plan for the unit is essentialfor nurse managers/leaders in creating an understanding amongst the unit as it relates to cost and patient care. Preparation continues to be the most important aspect of a successful budget process and involves nurse managers/leaders in collecting the appropriate data as well as monitoring, evaluating, and communicating any variances (Foley, 2005). Organizations are more effective and efficient at providing services when budgets are thoughtfully prepared and adhered to throughout the budget period.

Children’s literature Essay

Reading is one of the most important lifelong activities. Young children are connected with reading and books long before they actually know how to read. It starts when a child has the first book in his hand or when parents read to him from a book. It is a wonderful way for young children to spend time together with their parents. The interaction that is going on between a child and parent when they are reading together has some important components. One of them is predictability—as these activities usually occur on a regular schedule and follow a regular pattern of steps. Playfulness is evident as these activities are done for fun. Language is used to construct meaning and share ideas. The child gets opportunities to lead the activity, the parent is modeling language and reading behavior and together they develop their own jargon for many ideas. In this way parents intuitively use the â€Å"lab method† to teach their children about language, print, and books (Daniels, 1994, p. 37). A child understands that a book is connected with something pleasant for him and his important adults, something that makes them feel good. He understands the meaning of the word for an object long before he can say this word. Later he starts to understand that there are pictures and words in books and that they have some meaning. This is first step in developing reading abilities and love towards books. The joy of reading and love of books is crucial for each child’s development it is measured not only in school success but also in meaningful social interactions. This has been a decade of technological advances. From iPods to electronic readers children are bombarded with electrical images and stimulations. But the surprising truth is that even with all the advances in electronics and gadgetry, reading to children and having them read is still one of the most important skills to give a child. Reading to a child can promote a child’s cerebral and emotional development. While any positive interaction between parent and child is helpful, reading is always a sure fire way to gain a positive foothold into a child’s life. Books open doors to new ideas, cultures and concepts. By reading to young children a parent helps instill a love of books in children and helps them want to read more. The internet is a great learning resource for children as well as adults but a good reading ability should come first and foremost. Without a strong reading capability a child is unable to use the internet to its full potential. The Parent’s Role in Fostering a Love of Reading A parent is a partner in the life of his or her child. Parents can instill a love of books and delight in wordplay, develop pre-reading skills and help children become accomplished independent readers. Listed below are several ways to incorporate a joy of reading in a child. †¢ Read to the child every day. Start as early as possible. Books on tape can also be utilized. †¢ Sing nursery rhymes and children’s songs. †¢ As early as possible help the children obtain a library card. †¢ Treat books as though they are special. †¢ Give books at Christmas, birthdays and as rewards. †¢ Let the child make picture books by cutting out pictures from magazines or pictures they colored and glue them into homemade books. †¢ Make sure the child sees the parent reading. It doesn’t have to be a book; reading newspapers, magazines, or even the back of a cereal box can provide an example. When reading aloud, read with expression and excitement. †¢ Give the child opportunities to write even if it is unreadable. †¢ Let the child tell a story that the parent writes down. When it is completed let the child illustrate the story. †¢ Let the child pick the story for story time. †¢ Let the child help parents cook following a recipe card or cookbook. Books Help Children Develop Vital Language Skills Reading is an important skill that needs to be developed in children. Not only is it necessary for survival in the world of schools and (later on) universities, but in adult life as well. The ability to learn about new subjects and find helpful information on anything from health problems and consumer protection to more academic research into science or the arts depends on the ability to read. The more children read, the better they become at reading. It’s as simple as that. The more enjoyable the things they read are, the more they’ll stick with them and develop the reading skills that they’ll need for full access to information in their adult lives. Reading should be viewed as a pleasurable activity – as a source of entertaining tales and useful and interesting factual information. The more young children are read to, the greater their interest in mastering reading. Reading out loud exposes children to proper grammar and phrasing. It enhances the development of their spoken language skills, their ability to express themselves verbally. Reading, by way of books, magazines or websites, exposes kids to new vocabulary. Even when they don’t understand every new word, they absorb something from the context that may deepen their understanding of it the next time the word is encountered. When parents read aloud to children, the children also hear correct pronunciation as they see the words on the page, even if they can’t yet read the words on their own. Reading Can Open Up New Worlds and Enrich Children’s Lives As mentioned above, reading opens doors – doors to factual information about any subject on earth, practical or theoretical. Given the wealth of available resources such as Internet, libraries, schools and bookstores, if children can read well and if they see reading as a source of information, then for the rest of their lives they will have access to all of the accumulated knowledge of mankind, access to all of the great minds and ideas of the past and present. It truly is magic ! Through books, children can also learn about people and places from other parts of the world, improving their understanding of and concern for all of humanity. This, in turn, contributes towards our sense that we truly live in a â€Å"global village† and may help us bring about a more peaceful future for everyone. This can happen through nonfiction but, perhaps even more importantly, reading novels that are set in other places and time periods can give children a deeper understanding of others through identification with individual characters and their plights. Through stories and novels children can vicariously try out new experiences and test new ideas, with no negative consequences in their real lives. They can meet characters who they’ll enjoy returning to for comforting and satisfying visits when they reread a cherished book or discover a sequel. Books also give kids the opportunity to flex their critical thinking skills in such areas as problem solving, the concepts of cause and effect, conflict resolution, and acceptance of responsibility for one’s actions. Mysteries allow children to follow clues to their logical conclusions and to try to outguess the author. Even for very young children, a simple story with a repetitive refrain or a simple mystery to solve gives a confidence boost. Children can predict the patterns and successfully solve the riddles. Children are influenced by and imitate the world around them. While a steady diet of violent cartoons may have a detrimental effect on children’s development, carefully chosen stories and books can have a positive influence on children, sensitizing them to the needs of others. For example, books can encourage children to be more cooperative, to share with others, to be kind to animals, or to respect the natural environment. Reading Can Enhance Children’s Social Skills  Although reading is thought of as the quintessential solitary activity, in certain circumstances reading can be a socializing activity. For example, a parent or grandparent reading a story aloud, whether from a traditional printed book or from an ebook, can be a great opportunity for adult and child to share some quiet, relaxed quality time together away from the rush and stresses of the business of daily living. They share a few minutes of precious time, plus they share the ideas that are contained in the story. In addition, older children can be encouraged to read aloud to younger ones as a means of enhancing their relationship. At school or at a library story hour, books can bring children together and can be part of a positive shared experience. For some preschoolers this may be their primary opportunity to socialize and to learn how to behave around other children or how to sit quietly for a group activity. Make the most of this experience by encouraging children to talk about what they’ve read or heard. Reading Can Improve Hand-Eye Coordination  It may sound funny, but ebooks can be a way for children to improve their fine motor skills and their hand-eye coordination, as they click around a childfriendly website or click the backward and forward buttons of online story pages. They may also be picking up valuable computer skills that they’ll need in school and later in life. Reading Can Provide Children with Plenty of Good, Clean Fun I’ve saved the most important point for last. Reading can provide children with endless hours of fun and entertainment. All of the pragmatic reasons above aren’t at all necessary to justify reading’s place in children’s lives. Stories can free up imaginations and open up exciting new worlds of fantasy or reality. They allow children to dream and may give them a good start on the road to viewing reading as a lifelong source of pleasure; so read to your young children every day. Inspire your older children to read. Give them access to plenty of reading material that they’ll enjoy and discuss it with them. Sample everything – traditional printed books and ebooks on Internet, classic children’s novels and fairy tales, as well as more modern stories. If a child wants to hear the same story over and over again, don’t worry about it. Children take comfort from the familiarity and predictability of a beloved story that they know by heart. There’s no harm in that. Reread old favorites and, at the same time, introduce your children to new stories. Your child’s mind and heart have room for both. So Reading Really Does Matter After All There are so many ways in which reading continues to be both a vital skill for children to master, and an important source of knowledge and pleasure that can last a lifetime. Nurture it in your children. Make the most of all the resources that are available and waiting for you: printed books, online books, magazines and so forth. Encourage follow-up activities involving creative writing skills and the arts, as well, so that your children can reflect upon or expand on what they’ve absorbed and, at the same time, develop their own creativity. As you help your kids appreciate the magic of reading, you’ll find that there’s a whole wonderful world full of children’s literature out there that you  can enjoy too.