Essay about The Negative Effect of Television on American...

During the 20th century, the literacy rate in America has begun to fall at an alarming rate. A factor contributing to the problems in the literacy rate includes children’s exposure to television which has resulted in a shortened attention span during other activities. Today, children are less active because of technology such as television and video gaming and, as a result more children are suffering from obesity. Television has been in American Society since 1920’s and has gradually been spreading around the world. Television is like a drug in American Society, it is addictive to all ages including children. It has the most effect on children that are young and do not know anything about television. As children grow older they focus†¦show more content†¦This is going to later show up in their life either by having to wear glasses or become obese. It’s going to show up as being obese in their life because as children watch TV they forget everything going around them and will be absorbed in TV. Children will soon withdraw from playing sport and to watching sports because it’s easier for them and takes less effort. Although, television has many consisting of shows with violence and swearing it also has shows that can be education for young children, which may help them in the future. Now a day on television there is too much violence on TV that is causing children to imitate violence from Television into reality. â€Å"The National Institute on Media and the Family says that young children are more vulnerable than adults to media violence because they are more impressionable, have more difficulty distinguishing between fantasy and reality, and learn by observing and imitating.† (Nakaya, SIRS) Due to the lack of understanding reality and fantasy children try to do what they see on TV which will sometimes lead to a problem in the early on a child’s life because they imitate what they like in TV and don’t comprehend that the principles between reality and fantasy aren’t the same. As a result of this children will soon make their own decisions about what is right and what is wrong based on what they see through television. Children will soon differentiate between good and bad on their principle and will notShow MoreRelated The Effects Of Television Essay784 Words   |  4 PagesThe television has been commercially ava ilable in America since the 1930’s. According to the A.C. Nielsen Co., the average American watches more than 4 hours of TV each day. In a sixty-five year lifespan, that person will have spent nine years glued to the tube. This constant attention to programming can cause positive and negative effects. The negative effects on an average American family can be explained psychologically, emotionally, and physically. Television affects the psyche of childrenRead MoreThe Negative Effects Of Television1297 Words   |  6 PagesTelevision has been a means of entertainment, a way to learn new things, a means in which people can explore the world, and learn about other cultures for many years. Children watch television approximately three to four hours a day on average. By their teenage years, they will have watched more television than their time spent in school. The content watched and the excessive time spent in front a TV during early childhood can prove to have negative effects later in their lives. There has to be aRead MoreTelevision Is An Essential Means Of Socialization1258 Words   |  6 PagesThe evolution of television, since it was first discovered in 1927, has undoubtedly changed the principal ways of entertainment, and receiving information. The television, when first discovered, covered only a couple programs like sports and news, with very poor quality. Current day and age, television covers thousands of programs with 3D and hi-definition television pictures with screens as big as 75 inches. Television is an essential means of socialization. If used appropriately, it brings familiesRead MoreThe Effects Of Television On Today s Society1550 Words   |  7 PagesTelevision has greatly evolved since the 1950s, and has become a part of most American households over the years. Today’s society has turned to television for a variety of purposes including; entertainment, intellectual growth, and as a way to stay updated with what is going on in our society. While th ese seem like all positive aspects that have come with the progression of television, there are also negative components that have a direct affect on today’s society. Therefore this paper will discussRead MoreIs Television Making Your Child Smart Enough? Essay1501 Words   |  7 PagesIs television making your child smart enough to read this research paper? Is Sesame Street teaching Little Tommy how to spell â€Å"dog†? When you watch a children s television program you understand most of the content and lessons. Good for you. It’s made for children and you’re an adult. However, are the children able to grasp these lessons and is it affecting their social behaviors? The history of children s programming shows an increase in quality programming and new content for children is constantlyRead More The Negative Impact of Exposing Children to Media Violence Essay1448 Words   |  6 PagesThe Negative Impact of Exposing Children to Media Violence On April 20, 1999 at Columbine High School, 13 people were killed and another 23 were wounded in one of the worst school killing incidents ever (Skeesis). Since the 1980s, overall homicide rates in the U.S. have declined. However, homicide rates for ages 14-17 have increased quite dramatically during this time period (Fox). Among other numerous potential causes, violence in the media may play a role in this increase in youth violenceRead MoreEssay Television and Media - TV Violence is Ruining Children842 Words   |  4 PagesTV Violence is Ruining Children    A young child sits in front of a television watching cartoons while his mother runs around the house doing various chores.   The mother passes the room the child is in and glances at the television each time she passes.   The child is watching Sesame Street.   Then, a half an hour later, Mr. Rogers is on. The mother walks into the room a half an hour later and stops in horror at what is on the television.   Her young son is watching the same station as beforeRead MoreTelevision And Its Effects On Children1673 Words   |  7 PagesTelevision is one of the biggest influences in the lives of most people. People spend hours every day watching television programming, so of course this will affect their behavior. Television is like a window to the modern world. Many people view the programs that are aired on television; they can gain a lot of information and knowledge. Most programming like the National Geographic and Discovery Channels can be used as an educational tools in scho ols and at home to teach our children to learn insteadRead More Television and Censorship - Violence Rating System Needed for TV1130 Words   |  5 Pagesrecognizes the detrimental effects of general television on children, parents and other child advocacy groups dont feel as though there is an adequate rating system. Consequences of ineffective rating systems are that childrens personalities are being negatively affected. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has made legislation to address this issue, but the childrens advocacy community is still dissatisfied. This community includes The National PTA, the American Psychological AssociationRead More Television and Society Essay763 Words   |  4 PagesTelevision and Society In Marie Winn’s Essay â€Å"Television: The Plug In Drug,† she states, â€Å"Television’s contribution to family life has been an equivocal one.† Winn focuses on the issue of televisions influence in the lives of American families. Her emphasis is on the mediums influence on children. Although she makes a strong case for the negative influence of television, she fails to consider all of the benefits television has brought to American families. On its own, the television is neither

Inner Journey and Beniginis Life is Beautiful Essay example

Inner Journey and Beniginis Life is Beautiful All of life is a journey. All Journeys have a beginning and an end. All the outcomes that are associated with journey are the results of the choices that we make in out daily lives, good or bad that have to be lives with. In the Macquarie dictionary journey is defined as: - The exploration into one’s self. It offers growth development through emotional pilgrimage and provides new insights for the mind and spirit. Throughout this essay I will be referring to our prescribed text ‘Life is Beautiful’ by Roberto Benigini, an image about reconciliation†¦show more content†¦Ã¢â‚¬ËœLife is Beautiful’ revolves around four characters: - Guido, Dora, Joshua and Dr Lessing but it mainly revolves around Guido and his inner journey from an innocent, carefree existence to life. Guido character is established right from the beginning, by his cheeky face and his hand and body movement. Then later on in the film Guido is forced to go to war and to fight for his country. Guido is very resourceful and a great opportunist. He is always ready to take advantage of any situation and use it to the benefit his aims at that particular moment. Guido’s inner journey could be seen to be directed by the events that occur in the film. But Guido’s cleverness in using situations for his own end implies that he is an individual who is challenged and inspirited by the situation that he find himself in. For example: - when Dora falls into his arms, when he is crashes into her in the streets and meets her with a friend. In the camp, Guido is not only concerned to protect Joshua, he also tries to reassure Dora that everything is ok by playing her favourite song over the loud speaker Guido also lets Dora hear Joshua’s voice as another reassures that they are both

Social Media Use in the United States Free Essays

string(46) " social media use and health-related factors\." Social Media Use in the United States: Implications for Health Communication Wen-ying Sylvia Chou1,2, PhD, MPH; Yvonne M Hunt1, PhD, MPH; Ellen Burke Beckjord3, PhD, MPH; Richard P Moser4, PhD; Bradford W Hesse2, PhD 1Cancer Prevention Fellowship Program, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD, USA? 2Health Communication and Informatics Research Branch, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD, USA? 3RAND Corporation, Pittsburgh, PA, USA? 4Behavioral Research Program, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD, USACorresponding Author: Wen-ying Sylvia Chou, PhD, MPH National Cancer Institute Health Communication and Informatics Research Branch 6130 Executive Blvd (EPN), 4051A Bethesda, MD 20892-7365 USA Phone: +1 301 435 2842 Fax: +1 301 480 2669 Email: chouws [at] mail. nih. gov ABSTRACT Background: Given the rapid changes in the communication landscape brought about by participative Internet use and social media, it is important to develop a better understanding of these technologies and their impact on health communication. We will write a custom essay sample on Social Media Use in the United States or any similar topic only for you Order Now The first step in this effort is to identify the characteristics of current social media users. Up-to-date reporting of current social media use will help monitor the growth of social media and inform health promotion/communication efforts aiming to effectively utilize social media. Objective: The purpose of the study is to identify the sociodemographic and health-related factors associated with current adult social media users in the United States. Methods: Data came from the 2007 iteration of the Health Information National Trends Study (HINTS, N = 7674).HINTS is a nationally representative cross-sectional survey on health-related communication trends and practices. Survey respondents who reported having accessed the Internet (N = 5078) were asked whether, over the past year, they had (1) participated in an online support group, (2) written in a blog, (3) visited a social networking site. Bivariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were conducted to identify predictors of each type of social media use. Results: Approximately 69% of US adults reported having acces s to the Internet in 2007. Among Internet users, 5% participated in an online support group, 7% reported blogging, and 23% used a social networking site. Multivariate analysis found that younger age was the only significant predictor of blogging and social networking site participation; a statistically significant linear relationship was observed, with younger categories reporting more frequent use. Younger age, poorer subjective health, and a personal cancer experience predicted support group participation. In general, social media are penetrating the US population independent of education, race/ethnicity, or health care access.Conclusions: Recent growth of social media is not uniformly distributed across age groups; therefore, health communication programs utilizing social media must first consider the age of the targeted population to help ensure that messages reach the intended audience. While racial/ethnic and health status–related disparities exist in Internet access, among those with Internet acc ess, these characteristics do not affect social media use. This finding suggests that the new technologies, represented by social media, may be changing the communication pattern throughout the United States. (J Med Internet Res 2009;11(4):e48)? doi:10. 196/jmir. 1249 KEYWORDS Internet; social media; social networking; demography; population surveillance; eHealth, new technologies; health communication |Introduction | From 2005 to 2009, participation in social networking sites more than quadrupled [1]. In the health communication community, there is a widespread assumption that recent advances in Internet technologies (Web 2. 0), particularly the participative Internet (known as social media), have transformed the pattern of communication, including health-related communications [2].For example, social scientists observed that social media have increased individuals’ connectivity and enabled users’ direct participation. This observation is believed to have direct implications for health communication programs, prompting efforts to identify new opportunities of using social media to impact population health [3-6]. While these observations on the impact of social media are important in public health, little of the research in this area has been based on large-scale population data, partly due to the rapidity of technological changes.The key questions that remain unanswered include the following: (1) What is the true reach and impact of social media among the current US population? (2) What are the user characteristics of the different types of social media currently being used? Although market research has previously reported on the overall prevalence of Internet and social media use, with the exception of online support group use, user characteristics of social media have not been comprehensively examined using a nationally representative population sample [7].Developing an empirically based understanding of these behaviors and their implications has become a key priority in current health communication research. Given that key aims of social media research are to monitor its growth and to in form health promotion efforts aiming to utilize new communication technologies, it is important to explore the relationship between social media use and health-related factors. You read "Social Media Use in the United States" in category "Papers" Current research on the relationship between social media and health has produced conflicting results.On the one hand, studies have found that social media may bear health-enhancing potential through several mechanisms. First, the Internet-based social networks may increase perceived social support and interconnectivity among individuals [8,9]. Second, with the increase of user-generated content, information sharing is seen as more democratic and patient controlled, enabling users to exchange health-related information that they need and therefore making the information more patient/consumer-centered [10]. Third, n recent times, public health programs have demonstrated success in adapting social media as a communication platform for health promotion efforts such as smoking cessation and dietary interventions, increasing their reach through cyberspace [3,4,6,11-13]. Yet, indirect and sometimes unintended negative health impacts of social media have also been identified. First, the participatory nature of social media entails an open forum for information exchange, therefore increasing the possibility of wide dissemination of noncredible, and potentially erroneous, health information [14,15].Second, health scientists exploring the issue of the digital divide have found evidence of a double divide. Specifically, those without Internet access (a large portion of whom may be without adequate health care access) are prevented from gaining health information available on the Internet [16-20]. In sum, given the direct and indirect health impacts and the wide range of and divergent results, the current study will offer an opportunity to disentangle aspects of the complex relationship between social media use and health-related factors. The most recent iteration of the Health Information National Trends Survey (HINTS 2007) is an ideal data source to provide an in-depth examination of the prevalence and user characteristics of social media. This nationally representative survey is uniquely positioned to study social media because this new iteration contains specific follow-up questions for all Internet users, allowing us to separately estimate and compare the use of different types of social media.Another distinct advantage of the HINTS 2007 is its inclusion of many health-related questions, enabling us to comprehensively examine the association between social media use and several important health proxies. Our primary research aims are to (1) report on the prevalence of three forms of social media use in 2007: online support group participation, blogging, and social networking site participation; and (2) identify the sociodemographic and health-related predictors of the use of these three forms of social media. Meth ods | Data Source The data for this study were drawn from HINTS 2007, developed by the National Cancer Institute in 2007 with data collected from January 2008 through May 2008. Publicly accessible on the Internet, the HINTS is a biennial national survey of the US civilian noninstitutionalized adult population designed to assess the American public’s use of health- and cancer-related information and to assess other cancer-related knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors.The survey’s primary goal is to inform social scientists and program planners about current health communication usage across populations and to assist in developing effective health communication strategies in an age of rapid communication changes. Comprehensive reports on the conceptual framework and sample design of HINTS are published elsewhere [21,22].Note that while the conceptual framework and most survey content remained consistent across the three iterations of HINTS (2003, 2005, and 2007), the newest iteration (HINTS 2007) contains some changes. Detailed information about HINTS 2007 scope and methodology can be found in a comprehensive report [23]. Specifically, in addition to the inclusion of new survey items (such as items concerning blogging and social networking site participation), a new sampling method was adopted for HINTS 2007 to increase response rates and reduce bias.Two modes were used for data collection: (1) a random digit dial telephone survey, using a computer-assisted telephone interview, of representative samples of US households with land-line telephones (N = 4092); and (2) a pencil-and-paper questionnaire mailed to representative US postal addresses that oversampled for minorities (N = 3582). The us e of the dual sampling frames was a response to the recent dramatic decrease in telephone survey response rates and is a method currently being utilized by other government agencies. Response rates were 24% for the random digit dial survey and 31% for the mail survey. Complete surveys were obtained from 7674 adults. Only Internet users (N = 5078; approximately 68% of the population) were asked about social media use, and they form the sample for the current study. HINTS contained both final sample weights that helped obtain population-level estimates and a set of 50 replicate sampling weights to obtain the correct standard errors; both of these were included in the present analysis. Detailed descriptions of how the sample and replicate weights were calculated can be found in the HINTS 2007 Final Report [23]. Study VariablesWe selected the following sociodemographic variables to be included in the study: age, gender, education, and race/ethnicity. Age was categorized into six groups: 18-24, 25-34, 35-44, 45-54, 55-64, 65 and above. Education was categorized as high school degree or less, some college, or college graduate. Race/ethnicity was coded into one of the following four categories: non-Hispanic white, non-Hispanic black (black/African American), Hispanic, and non-Hispanic other. In addition to the sociodemographic variables, three health-related variables were examined.The first is self-described health status, including overall health and distress level(measured by a summed score of six-item assessment of depressive symptoms borrowed from the National Health Interview Survey, 1997, Adult Core Questionnaire [24]). The second is the respondent’s cancer experience, coded into three categories: (1) having had a personal diagnosis of cancer, (2) having had a family member diagnosed with cancer, or (3) having had no personal experience or family member with cancer.Note that the categories are mutually exclusive: individuals with a personal diagnosis of cancer are automatically categorized as (1) regardless of their status in (2). The final health-related variable is health care access, measu red by whether the respondent reports having a regular health care provider or not. Internet status was measured by response to the following question: â€Å"Do you ever go on-line to access the Internet or World Wide Web, or to send and receive an email? Among Internet users, social media use was assessed by responses to the following three questions: â€Å"In the past 12 months, have you done the following while using the Internet: (1) participated in an on-line support group for people with a similar health or medical issue? (2) wrote in an online diary or blog? (3) visited a social networking site, such as ‘My Space’ or ‘Second Life’? † Data Analysis To accommodate the complex sampling design of HINTS, analyses were conducted using SUDAAN, version 10 (Research Triangle Institute, Research Triangle Park, NC, USA). Missing data (with responses of â€Å"refuse† or â€Å"don’t know†) were recoded as missing for all analyses. Bivariate analyses (chi-square) were conducted to estimate the prevalence of social media use and associations between study variables and each of the three types of social media. To address potential differences in responses due to the dual frames of the 2007 survey, we tested for potential mode differences and found no differential responses by mode to any of the social media use outcomes of interests; thus, a combined sample was used for subsequent analysis.Separate multivariate logistic regression models were conducted to estimate the odds of writing a blog, participating in an online support group, and participating in a social networking site, while including a set of demographic and health-related predictors. Finally, given the overwhelmingly significant contribution of age in all three models, each outcome was tested using age-stratified analyses by running separate models within each of the three age categories of 18-34, 35-54, and 55 and above. |Results |Sample Characteristics In 2007, approximately 69% of the US population reported having access to the Internet. This estimate is consistent with other prevalence estimates of Internet use in the same period [1]. Table 1 displays the weighted sample characteristics of non-Internet users and Internet users. ? | |Table 1. Weighted sample characteristics: proportion of non-Internet and Internet users in each category | |[view this table] | |Bivariate analyses revealed a number of significant differences between Internet users and non-Internet users. Consistent with prior results, non-Internet users were more likely to be ethnic minorities, older, less educated, less healthy, more distressed, and to report a history of a cancer diagnosis. Further, as Table 2 below shows, among Internet users, approximately 27% reported using at least one form of social media.We used chi-square tests to compare those who reported using social media (as defined by individuals who responded â€Å"yes† to at least one of the three questions on social media) to Internet users who reported not using social media. ? | |Table 2. Weighted sample characteristics of Internet users (N = 5078, 68. 54% of US population) who use and do not use social media | |[view this table] | |Among Internet users, use of social media was not uniformly distributed across the age strata. The largest proportion of social media use occurred among Internet users between the ages of 18 and 24 (65%) and decreased thereafter with each subsequent age group. In addition, patterns of social media use varied by race. Non-white Americans who accessed the Internet were more likely to use social media than white Americans. The potentially different user characteristics among different types of social media prompted separate analyses by each type of media.Table 3 summarizes the bivariate associations between each type of social media (not mutually exclusive) and the study variables. ? | |Table 3. Bivariate associations between three types of social media use and study variables: weighted results | |[view this table] | | Among the three forms of social media included in the survey, social networking received the most utilization (23% of Internet users), followed by blogging (7% of Internet users) and, finally, participation in online support groups (5% of Internet users).Blogging and social networking site participation showed the expected inverse linear relationship with age (ie, increased use across decreasing age strata). Partially because of the younger age, users tend to not have personal experience with cancer and not have a regular health care provider. The user characteristic profile of online support group participation was distinct from the other two forms of social media.Use of online support groups was rarely seen in the youngest age group (18-24) and was uniquely associated with several health-related factors, including rating general health as poor and reporting psychological distress. In contrast, blogging and social networking site participation were not associated with measures of self-reported health status. Finally, we found an unexpected education and racial/ethnic breakdown among social networking site users: less-educated individuals and racial/ethnic minorities were more likely to use this form of social media.However, these differences disappeared in subsequent regression analyses (below), suggesting that the differences observed here are likely explained by age. Multivariate Analyses The three separate multivariate regressions estimated the odds of using a particular form of social media in HINTS 2007. Given that gender was not associated with social media use at the bivariate level, we dropped it from the regression models. Table 4 displays the results of the analysis. Among Internet users, online support group participation was predicted by age, education, as well as several health-related factors.Compared with people 65 and over, those aged 25-44 were three to five times more likely to use support groups. Compared with college graduates, those with some college were more likely to use support groups. Moreover, consistent with the bivariate-level observations, those who regarded themselves as less healthy, more distressed, and who had a personal cancer experience were more likely to have used online support groups, confirming that health status is an important determinant of support group participation.In contrast to the model for support group participation, age emerged as the only significant predictor in the models of blogging and social networking site participation. A statistically significant linear effect of age on the two outcome variables was observed (P ;lt; . 001). Among individuals aged 55 and below, we observed a strong linear age effect, with each decreasing age stratum, in the odds of blogging. Participation in social networking sites shared similar user characteristics, except the odds ratios were even larger, with the age effect encompassing every age stratum. In addition, among Internet users, African Americans were more likely than non-Hispanic whites to use a social networking site (OR = 1. 51, 95% CI 1. 01-2. 24). ? | |Table 4. Multivariate logistic regressions of three types of social media use among Internet users | |[view this table] | | Age-Stratified Multivariate AnalysesGiven the central role of age in predicting social media use, and the significant interactions found between age and race/ethnicity, we conducted age-stratified logistic regressions to see whether adjusting for specific age strata would illuminate other important variables associated with social media use. Age was stratified into three categories for multivariate logistic regression models: 18-34 (younger group), 35-54 (middle-age group), 55 and older (older group). In general, the stratified models confirmed age to be the single most important predictor of social media use.Significant predictors within each type are summarized below. Note that all results reported are significant at P ;lt; . 05. Online Support Group In the youngest group, higher education (OR = 6. 33, 95% CI 2. 10-19. 10) and higher distress level (OR = 5. 56, 95% CI 1. 65-18. 76) explained the outcome. Among the middle-age group, female gender (OR = 2. 04, 95% CI 1. 20-3. 46) and higher education (OR = 2. 13, 95% CI 1. 21-5. 12) were significant predictors. In the oldest group, poorer self-reported health (OR = 3. 39, 95% CI 1. 38-8. 4) explained support group use. Blogging In all three age categories, the age-stratified models found no significant predictors of blogging. Social Networking Sites In the middle-age group, having no personal experience with cancer predicted social networking site participation (OR = 0. 39, 95% CI 0. 18-0. 86). For the oldest group, male gender was the sole predictor of social networking site use (OR = 1. 87, 95% CI 1. 28-2. 71). |Discussion |The current study examined sociodemographic and health-related predictors of the use of three forms of social media in an effort to better understand who is accessing and being reached through these emerging communication channels. The results showed that these three forms of social media have distinctly different use patterns and user characteristics, hence different health communication implications. Among the three forms of social media considered in this study, social networking sites by far attract the most users, making them an obvious target for maximizing the reach and impact of health communication and eHealth interventions.Furthermore, with increasing prevalence of personal wireless devices, communication scientists unanimously anticipate the popularity of social networking applications to continue to grow worldwide [2,25-27]. Compared to social networking sites, a much smaller percentage of Internet users reported writing in a blog, suggesting a lower prevalence of blogging. However, reading and commenting on a blog may have been a more reliable measure of blogosphere penetration due to its lower intensity than actively keeping a blog.Moreover, the blogosphere presents a tremendous opportunity for health communication. Particularly so, because bloggers have been observed to act as important communication stakeholders—not only are they information disseminators, but they play a crucial role in directing Internet traffic through opinions and hyperlinks [28]. Online support group participation was the only survey item included in the present study that was assessed throughout the three iterations of HINTS, and the weighted prevalence estimates suggest a minor increase: in 2003 and 2005, 3. % of Internet users had participated in online support groups compared to 4. 6% in 2007. User characteristics of support groups differed from blogging and social networking site participation, suggesting that online support group participation is driven by health status. This disease-focused medium may be gradually replaced by more interactive, patient-directed social networking sites and blogs, such as CaringBridge and Patientslikeme. These forms of social media have the potential to serve the social support and empowerment functions previously identified for online support groups [29].Apart from the patterns described above, the results of the study underscore the extent to which age determines who among US adult Internet users are engaging with social media. In this nationally representative sample, age emerged as the single strongest predictor of both social networking and blogging. In light of these findings, it seems reasonable to conclude that health communication efforts utilizing social media will have the broadest reach and impact when the target population is the younger generation.The relatively low penetration in the older population of 55 and older suggests that it is not yet an opportune time to utilize social media in communication with this age group. While this is true currently, we predict a continuing increase in utilization across all generations and groups in the next few years, and it remains a key health communication priority to continue tracking the sociodemographic trends of social media use to be sure that health communicators leverage these dissemination channels most effectively. Finally, for cancer communication efforts, this study found a igh prevalence of Internet and social media use among individuals with family members who have/had cancer (see Table 1 and Table 2), suggesting the potential effectiveness of social media cancer communication efforts targeting â€Å"secondary audiences,† that is, caregivers, family, and friends of cancer patients. A key finding of this study offers new and important implications for health communication in this digital age: among Internet users, social media are found to penetrate the population regardless of education, race/ethnicity, or health care access.In particular, t he multivariate analyses showed that having access to a regular health care provider did not predict social media use, suggesting that its significance in the bivariate analyses was primarily due to the effect of age. Specifically, younger individuals are less likely to have a regular health care provider. Considering implications of health communication efforts, the results of this study suggest that in the future, social media promise to be a way to reach the target population regardless of socioeconomic and health-related characteristics.If we can enable broader and more equitable Internet access (eg, increasing broadband access or wireless mobile access), thus reducing the digital divide, the potential for impacting the health and health behavior of the general US population through social media is tremendous. Furthermore, the results showed social networking sites are being utilized by African Americans at a higher rate than by non-Hispanic whites.Given the continuing increase in Internet penetration, these findings suggest a potential systematic shift in the communication pattern that transcends the traditional digital divide. Future studies should continue to examine the impact of changing technologies on patterns of health disparities. On the practice side of health communication, social media outlets may represent an excellent opportunity to reach traditionally underserved members of the population. LimitationsThe nature of self-report and the current low survey response rates present two major challenges to the generalizability of the results. First, the accuracy of self-reports of specific Internet usage may be affected by recall bias and respondents’ comprehension of survey items. In spite of this issue, this study’s prevalence estimates on Internet and social media penetration are in agreement with the published literature and are the first to be drawn from a nationally representative sample. One aspect to note is that compared to market surveys such as the Pew and Manhattan Research reports, the HINTS estimates are generally more conservative. This is in part attributable to the higher sampling precision mandated for federal surveys. Second, low response rate being a challenge facing all current survey research, HINTS 2007 attempted to boost response rates and extend coverage (especially to cell phone–only households) by adapting a dual sampling frame.As a result, the addition of the mail survey helped remedy the low response rate, to increase the generalizability of the data. An additional limitation concerns the instrumentation and questions related to blogging and social networking site participation: since neither question asked specifically about health-related use of these technologies, we cannot precisely estimate the prevalence of health-related social media use using HINTS data. Given the growing role of social media in health, future iterations of HINTS may specifically capture health-related social media use [10].As well, the question on blogging does not capture individuals who view and comment on blogs and thus may underestimate the degree to which the American public is engaged with this activity. Finally, with new technologies and social media continuing to evolve rapidly, these data, despite being the most updated national survey data available, may not have been able to capture some emerging social media forms (eg, Twitter and Wikipedia) and rapid changes brought on by the increasing use of personal wireless devices [27].In order to track the public’s use of new media, future research should track different age groups’ social media adoption while identifying new forms of social media. Given that the younger age groups are likely to continue their use of social media, we would expect to see a persistent increase across the middle-age population in the near future. Conclusions With the goal to develop a better understanding of social media use in the current US population, we have reported on the prevalence and user characteristics of three types of social media using the 2007 HINTS survey.While observations and theories about communication changes brought abou t by new technologies abound, little is supported by empirical evidence based on nationally representative data. The findings of this study contribute to the knowledge base to inform future programs aiming to utilize social media. As we have seen, forms of social media present different opportunities for health communication efforts. In particular, social networking sites attract the largest portion of Internet users and are likely to continue to grow, making them an obvious target for maximizing the reach and impact of health communication and eHealth interventions.In addition, recent growth of social media is not uniformly distributed across age groups. New health communication programs aiming to utilize social media must first consider the age of the targeted population. The data also prompt a rethinking of the connection between technologies and health disparities since the findings point to the fact that social media are penetrating individuals of different demographics at the same rate.Opportunities for narrowing the health disparities gap exist through effective use of social media as communication and health promotion platforms. These media will not enable targeted communication messages but may have the capacity to reach a wider audience than traditional media have been able to reach. Finally, while sur veillance research such as the present project is useful for determining the reach of social media, it is less useful for assessing the impact of participation in social media use on health. To assess the multiple levels of social media impact on health, future studies need to bring in diverse disciplines and methods, including intervention studies, longitudinal cohort studies, as well as ethnographic/qualitative observations to examine the effect of the social media–driven changing communication patterns on health. Acknowledgments This project has been funded in whole or in part with federal funds from the National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health. Conflicts of Interest None declared. How to cite Social Media Use in the United States, Papers

Adaptive Challenges Of Cultural Crisis In Nepal †Free Samples

Question: Discuss about the Adaptive Challenges Of Cultural Crisis In Nepal. Answer: Introduction Globalization has been an effective force which has brought significant changes in the past decade. Globalization has practically affected each and every persons in the world in some way or the other. The following report is based on the study of the adaptive challenges of Cultural Crisis in Nepal. The Nepalese are a friendly and curios bunch of people and enjoy providing hospitality to the vast number of visitors that come every year especially to conquer Mount Everest. People are not generally fond of politics and racist class difference and during any casual conversation with the people of Nepal such topics must6 be avoided. The Adaptive Challenge of Cultural Crisis in Nepal Emergence of the Challenge Nepal has been edging closer to a humanitarian crisis and it is believed to be much bigger than the earthquake that rocked the country and destructed its economy badly. The earthquake has damaged closed to 70% of the cultural heritage of the country. The rich cultural art pieces, the temples and the historical sites were all destroyed to a great extent (Satyal et al. 2017). After the devastating earthquakes it was the turn of the Government to clear the destruction and start from the beginning. However as time went by it was found out that most of the countries natural heritage were damaged and devastated to a large extent. It is a difficult task for Nepal to overcome such a deep crisis as because tourism forms the main backbone of Nepals Economy. Globalization Globalization is a potent force and turns every people slaves under its rule. Nepal is totally affected by globalization (Upadhyay 2017). The NGOs, Government institutions, internet, information centers, schools, colleges all are dependent on technological advances of globalization. It dominates the localization which is purely based on the economic profit. Globalization emerged as a hot trend in the 90s and since then it has undergone a major transformation. Using the latest and improved technologies to tackle globalization has been a successful venture which has helped to attract more and more tourists to the country. It has also helped in bringing forth the cultural qualities of Nepal in front of the whole world. Therefore the potential force of globalization lies in the spread of the cultural and social values of the country in the whole world. Challenge being Addressed To ensure sustainability the government must address the issues on an urgent basis. Restoring the sites and the monuments will be the key to the future of the country. The hundreds of Buddhist and Hindu Temples that was the main focal point of the Kathmandu valley were damaged either totally or partially. The government has to restore all these establishments to return to the old and normal ways and receive the same amount of revenue from foreign money exchange (Thapa et al. 2016). The restoration should be done in a proper and scientific way so that in the future there is no possibility of any further damage from such large scale earthquakes. Organizations like Kathmandu Valley Preservation Trust have been appointed by the government to preserve and restore the damaged natural properties of the country. Until now the trust has restored more than 50 such historical sites and buildings and now it has given a keen concentration to restore the Patan Square to its original form. Actions needed to address the challenge As mentioned earlier the government of Nepal has taken some significant steps towards the restoration of the cultural pride of Nepal (Koirala 2017). The appointment of different government sponsored agencies, NGOs, foreign institutions can e said to be a positive effect towards the rebuilding of the country. UNESCO sends an international mission team to assess the damage levels on the international heritage sites of the country. The Kathmandu Valley Preservation Trust has restored a lot many buildings that were damaged totally or partially and has now shifted its attention towards the restoration of the Patan Square. The organization has given special care to restore the monuments in such a way that it can resist the natural calamities like earthquakes easily. International Visitors are also providing huge sums of money to rebuild the monastic community which includes the damaged monasteries and temples. Therefore the organization must ensure that they have a perfect answer to stop a ny sort of destruction activities that may cause damage to the buildings in the near future. Boundaries needed to be crossed Nepal is facing a huge crisis and a large threat looms over the country as because it will be impossible for them to restore cultural heritage without a large scale support from different sources around the world. Just minutes after the earthquake both the Indian Army as well as the Chinese Army were the first to react to the situation and went to Nepal to start rescue operations. It is known to all that India and China are at loggerheads but such a situation established a new regional and social cooperation between the countries. Therefore Nepal must take lessons from this and spread out its arms and embrace any sort of help that can restore its cultural heritage. The authorities must train the farmers of the country to practice sustainable forms of agriculture so that it causes no damage to the land patterns (Chase et al. 2013). The country should also follow global specification standards while reconstructing the different heritage sites. Values needed to be shifted Traditional values about culture must be shifted so that the restoration process becomes much faster. The more the process is the faster it will help the country to attract more tourists. The different institutions and organizations that are involved in the restoration process must make it a point to address the issues so that there is a transparency in the total program (Endsley 2016). Collaboration will also make the business more effective and will help to make sure that the restoration works are done without any flaw. It is the task of the Government of Nepal to develop a strategic build up between all the related parties. Therefore adapting such innovative strategies of shifting the values will help Nepal to cope up with the crisis situation. Role of Technology The collection of digital data in social media like facebook and google has been of huge help for gathering information about the missing persons and other key information after the terrifying earthquakes of Nepal (Endsley 2016). Technology has played a great deal of part while restoring the cultural masterpieces of the country (Lama 2016). Skype, Viver and some other telecom and internet call giants decided to make their service free to help the needy that were affected in Nepal during the earthquake. Apart from this there are other considerations like the construction of the buildings and the maintenance of the cultural heritage of the country. Conclusion The aim of the report was to evaluate the main cultural crisis of Nepal. The researcher had been able to attain the aims and objectives of the report. The discussion of the challenges that the country faces and the ways to tackle them will be of immense help to the organizations that are involved in the restoration projects. The report will also be a valuable source of information for future references. References Bhagat, S., Buddika, H.S., Adhikari, R.K., Shrestha, A., Bajracharya, S., Joshi, R., Singh, J., Maharjan, R. and Wijeyewickrema, A.C., 2017. Damage to Cultural Heritage Structures and Buildings Due to the 2015 Nepal Gorkha Earthquake.Journal of Earthquake Engineering, pp.1-20. () Chase, L.E., Welton-Mitchell, C. and Bhattarai, S., 2013. Solving Tension: coping among Bhutanese refugees in Nepal.International Journal of Migration, Health and Social Care,9(2), pp.71-83. Endsley, T.C., 2016. An Examination Of Cultural Influences On Team Cognition And Information Sharing In Emergency Crisis Management Domains: A Mixed Methodological Approach. Koirala, H.L., 2017. Myth and reality of the eco-crisis in Nepal Himalaya.Geographical Journal of Nepal,10, pp.39-54. Krger, F., Bankoff, G., Cannon, T., Orlowski, B. and Schipper, E.L.F. eds., 2015.Cultures and disasters: understanding cultural framings in disaster risk reduction. Routledge. Lama, A.K., 2016.Understanding Institutional Adaptation to Climate Change: Social Resilience and Adaptive Governance Capacities of the Nature Based Tourism Institutions in the Annapurna Conservation Area, Nepal(Vol. 115). BoDBooks on Demand. Satyal, P., Shrestha, K., Ojha, H., Vira, B. and Adhikari, J., 2017. A new Himalayan crisis? Exploring transformative resilience pathways.Environmental Development. Thapa, B., Scott, C., Wester, P. and Varady, R., 2016. Towards characterizing the adaptive capacity of farmer-managed irrigation systems: learnings from Nepal.Current Opinion in Environmental Sustainability,21, pp.37-44. Upadhyay, P., 2017. Climate Change as Ecological Colonialism: Dilemma of Innocent Victims.Himalayan Journal of Sociology and Anthropology,7, pp.111-140.

Report 1 Essays - Gay Men, , Term Papers, Research Papers

Report 1 On September 18, 2013 received a call at 2:45 PM to respond to a homicide at Horry Georgetown Technical College that a male victim had been shot and killed. I arrived at the scene at 2:46 PM and was notified by the initial responding officer that the victim was dead when he arrived and that nothing had been moved and altered, and that he had set up a perimeter and established a crime scene log when officer Scott arrived on scene he saw nobody leaving the scene. And that a student walking by heard what sounded like gunshots and called the police. The student had just left out of her 12:30 PM class. I relieved Officer Scott of his duties at the scene and verified perimeter and chain of custody was established. On my approach, I noticed the weather outside was overcast. Building 700 was constructed of tan brick on the outside and upon entering the room where the body was found, which was well lit by fluorescent lighting with no signs of a forced entry and the door open made the decision to use black powder to dust for fingerprints at a later time. The victim was lying with his head pointed toward the east wall flat on his back with his right arm extended above his head and with the left arm down beside his waist. The victim was a white male with black hair and brown eyes. The victim was wearing a white tee shirt with red jogging pants that had two stripes running down the side. The victim was wearing a pair of blue, white, gray Nike Air tennis shoes. Victim had no tattoos or scars exposed on arms, face, or neck. The victim had no rings or jewelry on hands, face, and neck. The body showed no signs of decomposition. Victim had four bullet wounds two in the head with one bullet wound being almost in the center of the forehead and the other being in the left temple region. Two bullet wounds to the chest region with one being a little below the chest to the right and the other around middle of the chest to the left. Blood flow pattern of wounds to the chest flowed toward the shoulders. The blood flow pattern of the bullet wounds in the forehead and temple flow downward toward the chin with the pool of blood behind the head suggesting a gunshot wound through with one of the casing able to be seen under the back of the head. They were four bullet casings in the floor one lay to the right of the body, one lay under the victim's head; two lay to the victims left. To the left of the victim observed shoe wear impressions in blood going in the west direction. The shoe wear impressions would need to be photographed. There was high-impact blood spatter on the east wall which is the direction the victims hea d pointed towards. The blood spatter would need to be Mapped and Photographed. Look for drivers license to identify the victim. The scene would need to have photographs taken from an Overall, Midrange, and Close-up range. The scene then would have to be sketched to show layout and orientation of landmarks and evidence. The evidence would have to be documented, collected, and processed. A spiral search of the room and secondary scenes would need to be performed to locate the weapon that was used during the shooting.

Banning On Cloning Is Unjust essays

Banning On Cloning Is Unjust essays On February 24, 1997, the world was shocked and fascinated by the announcement of Ian Wilmut and his colleagues. A press release stated that they had successfully cloned a sheep from a single cell of an adult sheep. Since then, cloning has become one of the most controversial and widely discussed topics. The issue that gets the greatest focus is human cloning, and there has been an onslaught of protests and people lobbying for a ban on it. However, there is a real danger that prohibitions on cloning will open the door to inappropriate restrictions on accepted medical and genetic practices. Therefore, the banning of cloning is unjust. The most popular objection to human cloning is the assumption that science would be playing God if it were to create human clones. This argument refuses to accept the advantage of biological processes and to view the changes of the world. Religious objections were once raised at the prospects of autopsies, anesthesia, artificial insemination, organ transplants, and other acts that seemed to be tampering with divine will. Yet enormous benefits have been gathered by each of these innovations, and they have become a part of human ¡s daily life. The issue of playing God has already arisen when a doctor selects a patient on a waiting list for transplant and leaves others to die, and when the doctor puts their patient under life support whenever they are in coma or they are near death. The moral issue of cloning is similar to the past issue faced by the society such as nuclear energy, recombinant DNA, and the computer encryption. There have always been religious and moral objections to new technologies and changes merely because they are different and unknown to humans. The public not only worries about science playing God, but also fears that the cloned child ¡s autonomy and individuality will be reduced because it will have the same DNA as another person. One of the more eloquently stated fears about the ...

Accounting for Managers

Managers frequently use CVP Analysis and Budgeting to screen business plans by evaluating a firm’s cost structure and sales volume needed to generate profit. Mountain Views Hotel is planning to open a â€Å"Boutique Hotel† accommodation in the Blue Mountains area that runs a Food and Beverage operation serving breakfast as part of the guest experience. Your team is expected to develop a successful business plan including making recommendations for improvement in future years. The Report will be written as if it were being presented to potential investors in the business. Use the Balanced Score Card approach to present key assumptions and justify them by research and analysis undertaken.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Discuss critically key results that would impact on your future decision-making including a fully supported explanation of how you could improve this business by making any changes.  Ã‚  Ã‚   Make recommendations to the proposed investors including ideas for the next steps to progress the business concept. Prepare your analysis as an authentic business report.   The Australian tourism and hotel industry have significant contribution on GDP (Gross Domestic Product) of Australian. As per Price Water cooper house Report of 2009 it is estimated there are 6807 hotels employing almost 188000 people in Australia. The market outlook indicates that the hotel industry has matured because the numbers of hotels have declined over the years and also the income growth of the industry has been minimal.   But the situations are seen improving as the 2015 data suggests that both domestic and international visitors have increased. There has been 8.2% growth in international visitors and 7% growth in domestic visitors (Hall, 1991). In this report a business plan is developed for Mountain View Hotel analyzing the business opportunity of Boutique Hotel in Blue Mountains (Hardiman & Burgin, 2011).   For this purpose the hotel industry of Australia, tourism opportunity in Blue Mountains and the projected financial data of the proposed Boutique hotel are analyzed to develop an effective business plan and also to evaluate the investment decision. The objectives of the â€Å"Mount Boutique Hotel† for first few years are: The mission of Mount Boutique Hotel is to become the preferred choice of customers in Blue Mountain area. Mountain View is a well known hotel chain that is currently running a restaurant in Blue Mountain. It is planning to open a boutique hotel in Blue Mountain. The international and domestic visitors are expected to surge giving a positive outlook for the overall hotel industry. As per the economic forecasts data it is expected that international visitors will grow by 5.3% per annum for next three years. This growth in tourism numbers will have a positive impact on the Australian Hotel Industry. The demands for hotels are expected to grow by 3% per annum in next three years. There is an increasing demand supply disparity in hotel industry as a result it is expected that room rate will grow by 2.9% by 2018 (Anderson, 2006). It can be concluded that Hotel Industry of Australia is looking good and it is the opportune moment to make investment in this sector.   The Blue Mountains is just two hours away from Sydney and it is a perfect holiday destination for anyone looking for a break from hectic life style. The blue Mountain offers spectacular scenic beauties like Three Sisters at Echo point, dinning, shopping, spa, bush walking and other natural attraction (Hudson & Lang, 2002).   It is an ever growing tourist destination with tremendous growth potential. From an hotelier point of view the current market scenario offers an excellent investment opportunity in Blue Mountain. There is a growing optimism in hotel industry because of positive macro economic developments. Being in tune with the overall market sentiment Mount View hotel has decided to start a Boutique Hotel in Blue Mountain. Boutique hotels are much smaller in size but they are stylish and unique further it tries to provide separate experience than that of corporate run hotels (Presbury et. al., 2005). The advantages of a boutique hotel are: The above analysis shows that Mount View hotels decision to open a boutique hotel in Mount View is justified. The aim is to become the best in class boutique hotel in Blue Mountains (Bruner, 1998). It is estimated to have total eighty rooms out of which 30 rooms will be high end deluxe rooms and there will be 50 standard rooms.   The deluxe rooms will include king sized bed, a desk, a mirror and a color television. Further the bathroom of the deluxe room will be of four to five meters with a sink, toilet and shower. The total estimated cost for starting the Boutique hotel is $754800.00. The details are given in the table below. To fund the project a mortgage loan of Rs. 500,000.00 is to be obtained at 8% per annum.   The remaining fund of 254,800.00 is to be provided by Mountain Views hotel. The viability of any business plan is determined by analyzing its projected financial performance.   The business plans are often screened for determining their financial viability by using cost volume profit analysis (Scapens, 1985).   The CVP (Cost Volume Profit) analysis helps in determining the effect that costs and volume has on profit. The Cost Volume Profit (CVP) analysis are often performed to determine the future activity and to provide valuable insight on: There are certain assumptions that are made while performing CVP (Cost Volume Profit) analysis (Drury, 1992), they are: The cost function is a process of dividing the total costs into fixed costs and Variable Costs (Binswanger, 1974). The total cost can only be ascertained after the estimated financial statement is prepared. The projected financial statements are prepared on the basis of certain assumptions and they are: The first step of performing the Cost Volume Profit Analysis is to estimate the cost functions. On the basis of the projected financial statement each cost is determined as either fixed or variable costs.   In the projected financial statement of Mount Boutique Hotel the estimated variable costs is $ 2234605.00 which is $96.49 per unit and the estimated fixed cost is $3153904.00.   The estimated fixed costs include Direct Labor costs of $803,040.00; overhead costs of $1696084.00; selling expenses of $259850.00 and administrative expenses of $394950.00. The estimated variable costs include direct material of $88.49 per unit and over head of $8.00 per unit.   The contribution is calculated by deducting Variable costs from sales. So the contribution margin ratio is that part of the sales that exceeds variable costs (Garrison et. al., 2003). It can be used to pay fixed costs. The contribution margin ratio measures operational efficiency, a higher ratio suggests higher efficiency. In the projected financial statement of Boutique hotel estimated sales is $6995325.00 and estimated variable costs is $2234605.00. The contribution margin comes to $4,460,720.00 that is 66.60% which is very high. It suggests that only 33.40% of total sales cover the variable costs and the remaining 66.6% is used to meet the fixed costs and earn profit. It can be reasonably concluded that any sudden increase in cost will not affect the profitability of the hotel because it has high contribution margin ratio which is a very healthy sign for any business.   The break even sale represents that level of sales where the profit is zero. At this level total sales revenue is equals to total variable costs and the contribution margin is equal to fixed costs (Blocher et. al., 2008). The break even sale is an important level because sales below this level will result in losses and sales above this level will lead to profits. In the projected financial statements of Mount Boutique hotel total fixed costs are $3153904.00 and the variable cost per unit is 192.60 so the break even sale comes to $4733857.83. The total estimated sale is $6695325.00 and the 70.70% of it is Break even sales. This means that business needs to achieve at least 70% of the estimated sales to attain no profit no loss situation otherwise it will make losses. This is a very high percentage and implies that there is a very heavy burden of fixed costs on the business.   It is suggested that business should re estimate its fixed costs structure and try to reduce the Break even sales to 50%.   The hotel should cut down fixed costs by $4399091.00 to attain the targeted break even sales.   The margin of safety is that part of the total sales that is above Breakeven Sales. It is calculated by deducting breakeven sales from total sales. The Margin of safety is a valuable indicator of profitability of an organization (Shih, 1979). It also indicates to the management how reduction of revenue will affect the break even of the organization. The higher the Margin of safety the better it is for the business. Because a low Margin of safety suggests increase in fixed costs, extra discounts or increase in prices by suppliers. So it is important to monitor margin of safety ratios. In the projected financial data of Mount Boutique hotel the total expected sales is $6695325.00 and the break even sales is $4733857.38 so the margin of safety is $1961467.62. The margin of safety ratio comes to 29.30% of total sales. It is suggested that Margin of safety ratio should be improved. It can be done by improving sales or reducing breakeven point.  Ã‚   The Operating Leverage is the analysis of relationship between fixed costs and variable costs. It is calculated by dividing contribution margin by income from operations. The operating leverages are high for companies that have large fixed costs in their total operation costs. A higher operating leverage suggests that every increase in sales will multiply profits when the breakeven point is reached (Lev, 1974). But if breakeven sales are not reached then higher operating leverage will intensify losses. So with high operating leverage a high level of risk is involved. In the estimated financial statement of Mount Boutique hotel the contribution margin is $4460720.00 and Income from operations are $1306816.00 so the operating leverage comes to 3.4 times.   This means that Contribution is 3.4 times more than income from operation so it can be derived that fixed costs are 2.4 times of income from operation which is very high. So it is suggested to take necessary measures to reduce fixe d costs.   The overall projected financial statement of Mount Boutique hotel indicates that it is a high return low risk business opportunity for any investor. The high breakeven sales and low Margin of safety is due to higher fixed costs (Alexander, 2001). The burden of higher fixed costs is due to the amortization of start up costs in initial years as it gets completely amortized then fixed costs will certainly come down thus improving the margin of safety and break even sales figure. The market analysis has shown that it is an opportune moment for any investor to enter into tourism sector. The expected growth figures are very attractive and it is also estimated there will be a shortage of supply as the increase in demand is much higher than that of supply (Jennings, 2001). If the overall macroeconomic views are considered then globally major economies are improving so it is expected that international visitors will surge in coming years. The Mount Boutique hotel will be one of its kinds in Blue Mountains. It will offer a unique experience to its visitors because of its prominent location and customized services. Further the staffs and managements are also experienced and every one of them has a valuable insight in the Hotel industry. In the light of the above analysis it can be concluded with certainty that investment in Mount Boutique will be profitable.   Alexander, C. (2001).  Market models: A guide to financial data analysis. John Wiley & Sons. Anderson, B. A. (2006). Crisis management in the Australian tourism industry: Preparedness, personnel and postscript.  Tourism Management,27(6), 1290-1297. Binswanger, H. P. (1974). A cost function approach to the measurement of elasticities of factor demand and elasticities of substitution.  American Journal of Agricultural Economics,  56(2), 377-386. Blocher, E., Chen, K. H., & Lin, T. W. (2008).  Cost management: A strategic emphasis. McGraw-Hill/Irwin. Bruner, R. F., Eades, K. M., Harris, R. S., & Higgins, R. C. (1998). Best practices in estimating the cost of capital: survey and synthesis.  Financial Practice and Education,  8, 13-28. Drury, C. (1992). Cost-volume-profit analysis. In  Management and Cost Accounting  (pp. 205-235). Springer US. Garrison, R. H., Noreen, E. W., & Brewer, P. C. (2003).  Managerial accounting. New York: McGraw-Hill/Irwin. Hall, C. M. (1991).  Introduction to tourism in Australia: impacts, planning and development. Longman Cheshire. Hardiman, N., & Burgin, S. (2011). Canyoning adventure recreation in the Blue Mountains World Heritage Area (Australia): The canyoners and canyoning trends over the last decade.  Tourism Management,  32(6), 1324-1331. Hudson, S., & Lang, N. (2002). A destination case study of marketing tourism online: Banff, Canada.  Journal of vacation Marketing,  8(2), 155-165. Jennings, G. (2001).  Tourism research. John Wiley and sons Australia, Ltd. Lev, B. (1974). On the association between operating leverage and risk.Journal of financial and quantitative analysis,  9(04), 627-641. Presbury, R., Fitzgerald, A., & Chapman, R. (2005). Impediments to improvements in service quality in luxury hotels.  Managing Service Quality: An International Journal,  15(4), 357-373. Scapens, R. W. (1985). Cost—Volume—Profit Analysis. In  Management Accounting  (pp. 59-74). Macmillan Education UK. Shih, W. (1979). A general decision model for cost-volume-profit analysis under uncertainty.  Accounting Review, 687-706. Accounting for Managers Gola and Costa set for establishing a business of selling fruit juices. The location of the shop is inside Shopping Arcade and nearby a supermarket. Their plan is to provide fresh juices to their customers, earn a significant amount of profits and sell off the same in the future course of time.   They will follow just in time for inventory management. Gola is under the impression that they will be successful in earning profits by controlling their cost as he believes that for running a successful business, only profitability is the foremost criteria. Posta believes that their business will be successful due to their choice of location and due to the eating habits of the people. Since there has been a significant shift in the eating habits, people have become more conscious for their healthy well-being and this was one of the reasons why both the entrepreneurs had propagated such kind of idea of business. As an Aspiring MBA graduate studying accounting for managers and being there friend, I can make them understand and analyse many other aspects apart from profitability and location of business. Since I am specializing in the field of Management and Finance I can help them in some statistical analysis which they are significantly missing on their part. Before setting of the business, it is very important to discuss the kind of industry in which they are supposed to enter a detailed analysis is required to be done right from the point of financial investment to related cost both fixed and fluctuating , expected return in fair terms. It is also relevant that they search for their competitors and analyse their business as for how they are creating an impact in the business environment. The location of the business, which they have decided is quite favourable. However, to achieve the same, both of them have to make a significant investment in terms of leasing. It refers to borrowing the property against paying for its value for a significant period of time. For this, they have to enter into an agreement with the lessor of Shopping Arcade. It is equally important that they understand the terms and conditions of leasing properly and should have a lease term of 5 years so that they can cover all their cost during this period of time (BusinessDictionary.com, 2016). For the purpose of investment, they need to have availability of funds. It is required that they approach a bank who can arrange for their finance. They need to convince the bank regarding their potential profitability of business. For this, they should have the significant backup plan on paper which is able to prove with reasonable estimates and assumptions that their prospective business is a successful plan for the future. It is also important that they should be aware of the cost of capital which will be required in their leasing terms. After arranging the significant amount of loan and arranging the same for the lease the next part is to analyse various types of cost associated with their business. Cost can be divided into fixed and variable component. For example, fixed cost will be the lease amount which is to be spread for the period of 5 years cost. Blending machines, refrigerators, furniture, benches washing up sinks, falls into fixed cost.   Variable cost will be the cost of raw materials like all those fruits which will be purchased on a daily basis. Fixed costs remain the same irrespective of the level of output while variable cost changes as per the level of output. Variable cost can increase or decrease as per the level of production but fixed cost remains the same throughout the level of production (Boundless, 2016).   After analysing all the significant cost, the next component is the break-even analysis. Break even analysis refers to the function where it is required to determine what is required to sell on a monthly or annual basis in order to cover the cost of doing the business. Like, if fixed cost is $2, 00,000 and expected contribution will be $4, break even will be $50,000. This means they will earn profits after covering $50,000(Cleverism, 2016). Setting up of standards and its importance: It is also required to set a standard for sales. This will act as a benchmark for their business as how much is required to earn in order to cross the level of breakeven point and earn a significant share of profit. By setting up standard it can be later compared with the actual sales figure. Like, for first quarter sales expected is $15,000 but actual sales was $18,000. Thus, it is a favourable condition for them as actual has exceeded its standards. With the actual figure and standards, variances can be computed for the future relevance (AllBusiness.com, 2016). The reason behind the setting up of a standard is equivalent to setting up of short term goal which will be quite helpful in achieving a long-term goal for the business. For cost, monthly expected expenditure is $10,000 but actual came to $12,000. Reason for extra $2,000 will be analysed and corrective action to be adopted for the same. Budgeting helps us to identify unnecessary expenditures and in making us adaptable towards the frequent changing financial position of the business. Budgeting ensures that we will have sufficient amount of money in order to meet the requirement of the business. It will be advisable to Gola and Costa that they should understand the essence of budgeting and implement the same for the success of their business. The concept of budgeting will help Gola and Costa immensely. It is an important tool which will control the flow of money in their business. It will also ensure that their business will turn out to be very effective and efficient in the long run ( Mymoneycoach.ca, 2016). One of the main reasons behind the term of the lease is to cover all kind of fixed cost during that period. Since it is the plan of Gola and Costa to sell off their business in future, it is required that their business should run in scientific and profitable manner. For this, they need to understand the relevance of documentation in terms of recording finance, lease papers terms of bank loans etc. The prospective buyer will analyse the business in his own way. Unless and until he finds it’s economically viable, he will not take over the business. Now, economic viability can be analysed by way of proper maintenance of records, lease papers, bank loan’s terms, and conditions etc. He will analyse that whether the said business was profitable or not. Whether the bank loan taken has been paid off and all other statutory dues or complied with or not. Lease papers will also be verified. This needs to be understood by Gola and Costa since the beginning of their business. It is very important that they should keep in mind since the beginning regarding selling off their business in the future course of time. This will drive them more proactively to achieve their short term plan which is in the form of standards. By achieving the short-term standard, they will be able to achieve their ultimate aim, i.e. profitability. Unless and until the business is not profitable, it won't remain attractive for the prospective buyer to take over the same in future.   It is also important that the business gains popularity amongst the consumers. This will help in creating the brand image for Gola and Costa and will it yield in terms of goodwill while selling off the business. Both the buyer and seller will be in a profitable position if a business has developed a brand image of its own in the market. The whole process is beyond the concept of capital investment decisions. It involves the role of management accounting as in terms of setting targets and achieving the same, producing raw materials i.e. inventory management, handling the customers and creating a favourable image in front of them etc. So, apart from having the knowledge of finance, it is equally important that Gola and Costa should be aware regarding management accounting and other important aspects. With the help of the above-stated concept, it will help Gola and Costa to have the efficient and effective setup of business. To conclude, it is required that Gola and Costa should not only rely on the concept of profitability or location of business. They should be quite aware regarding the concept of break-even analysis, an estimate of sales and setting up of targets, different types of cost involved and their implications, importance of budgeting in their business, arrangement of investment with the help of a loan from bank and requirements for selling off their business in future. By following these above concepts of finance and management accounting, they will surely succeed in their attempt for a successful venture (Debitoor.com, 2016). AllBusiness.com. (2016). Creating a Budget and Sales Forecast | AllBusiness.com. [online] Available at: https://www.allbusiness.com/creating-a-budget-and-sales-forecast-977-1.html [Accessed 11 Dec. 2016]. Boundless. (2016). Types of Costs. [online] Available at: https://www.boundless.com/economics/textbooks/boundless-economics-textbook/production-9/production-cost-64/types-of-costs-240-12338/ [Accessed 11 Dec. 2016]. BusinessDictionary.com. (2016). What is a lease? definition and meaning. [online] Available at: https://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/lease.html [Accessed 11 Dec. 2016]. Cleverism. (2016). Break-Even Analysis: What, Why, and How. [online] Available at: https://www.cleverism.com/break-even-analysis/ [Accessed 11 Dec. 2016]. Debitoor.com. (2016). Management accounting - What is management accounting? | Debitoor. [online] Available at: https://debitoor.com/dictionary/management-accounting [Accessed 11 Dec. 2016]. Mymoneycoach.ca. (2016). What is Budgeting and Why is it Important? | My Money Coach. [online] Available at: https://www.mymoneycoach.ca/budgeting/what-is-a-budget-planning-forecasting [Accessed 11 Dec. 2016]. End your doubt 'should I pay someone to do my dissertation by availing dissertation writing services from

Comparing English with Persian Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Comparing English with Persian - Essay Example Being a popular and traditional language, Persian did not remain confined to Iran only; rather, it is spoken and understood in few central Asian states along with Turkey, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India and Bangladesh. It had enjoyed the status of official language of India from the beginning of the Muslim rule under the Sultanates of Delhi till the fall of Mughal Empire in 1857. Additionally, Persian is aptly viewed as the sweet and melodious language (sheereen zubaan) because of the sophistication and tenderness. Sheikh Sa’di, Farrukhi, Omar Khayaam, Behki, Romi, Iqbal and others are most prominent Persian writers and poets. English: English is the most dominant and popular language of contemporary era, and is spoken in almost all countries of the world at large. The main reasons behind its unabated popularity include the many centuries long rule of the British Imperialism over several Asian and African countries, as well as the technological inventions made by the English spea king nations of the world. Hence, English is being taught as a compulsory language in all parts of the globe. Chaucer, Spencer, Shakespeare, Johnson, Milton, Coleridge, Austen, Keats, Emily Bronte and Frost are the most prominent literary figures of English Literature. STRUCTURE OF THE LANGUAGES UNDER ANALYSIS: Since both English and Persian are written in quite a different way, which share least characteristics with each other. It is partially due to the very fact that the former resembles with French, German and Spanish, while the latter share commonalities with Arabic, Urdu and Turkish languages. The basic structure of both these languages has been analysed as following: SYNTAX: Both English and Persian share the same number of subjects in grammar, which are six in both the languages. Since both English and Persian have first person, second person and third person as addressees, both look taking after one another grammatically. ENGLISH PERSONAL PRONOUNS: SUBJECTS, OBJECTS AND POS SESSIVES Singular Subject Object Possessive First Person I Me My, Mine Second Person You You Your, Yours Third Person He/ She/It His/ Her/Its Him/ Her/It Plural Subject Object Possessive First Person We Us Our Second Person You You Your, Yours Third Person They Them Their PERSIAN PERSONAL PRONOUNS: SUBJECTS, OBJECTS AND POSSESSIVES Singular Subject Object Possessive First Person Mann Mann raa addition of the alphabet meem (?) after every object OR addition of Mann after the object Second Person To/Tu To/Tu Tera/shuma Third Person Ou Ou Ou raa Plural Subject Object Possessive First Person Maa Maa Maa raa Second Person Taan/Shumaa Tu Taan shuma Third Person Ou Eeshaan, aanhaa Ou raa In English grammar, singular first person is described as I, my and me, whereas in Persian, the subject is translated as single word mann, while possessive is translated by adding the alphabet meem (?) after the noun related to the first person. Similarly, the first person singular object is translate d as mann or mann raa (i.e. of or related to me). Similarly, while making plural of first person, the subject we is translated as maa, and for object us, the same maa is generally applied. However, in first person possessive, raa is added to maa, making it maa raa. Similarly, second person is written as tu , shuma and tu or shuma raa in place of you, yours and you

Mobile Jacuzzis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Mobile Jacuzzis - Essay Example In addition, the decision to hire is justified because it would reduce the efforts and hustles needed in the course of maintaining it. Besides, this would help to reduce disappointments especially in case the Jacuzzi fails to function when needed. Mobile Jacuzzi always comes with everything set including clean and warm water. On the other hand, since not everybody would afford to buy and install Jacuzzi, hiring one at a time when families want to enjoy would be convenient and less expensive. In another dimension, the demand for mobile Jacuzzi cannot be underestimated because every family would like to have some time to enjoy. In addition, given the fact that mobile Jacuzzi would only come at affordable prices, the need for families to enjoy would grow now and then as long they are able to afford. Mobile Jacuzzi can be argued to be marketable because higher, average, and lower classes can afford to hire it as opposed to buying, installing and maintaining it. To some people especially the rich, mobile Jacuzzi stops from being a luxury to being a want. After a long day of hustles and tiresome activities, mobile Jacuzzi would offer a good opportunity for such people to relax their minds. In addition, mobile Jacuzzi is more convenient especially to people that would want to have a break from the boring environment. They can have it brought to their convenient place where they want to enjoy. In light of this, it can be argued that mobile Jacuzzi is well positioned to contain the value that every person would want to have. For instance, persons with distress and other psychological disorders are believed to have their conditioned relieved whenever they take time to do things that they love. Some people consider taking sometime using mobile Jacuzzi as one of the ways in which they can relieve their distressing issues. Analytically, it is correct to argue that mobile Jacuzzi has all the value attached to it that

Education and Skills Bill Essay Example for Free

Education and Skills Bill Essay The Education and Skills Bill introduces a new duty on young people in England to participate in education or training until the age of 18. The Bill follows the green paper Raising Expectations: staying in education and training, which described the perceived benefits to individuals, the economy and society of young people staying in education or training for longer. Responsibility for support services currently carried out by the Connexions service will be transferred to local education authorities (LEAs). The Bill makes changes relating to adult skills. The Bill also provides for the transfer of the regulatory regime for independent schools in England from the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families to the Chief Inspector of Education, Children’s Services and Skills (the new Ofsted) There are miscellaneous provisions in relation to pupil behaviour, external qualifications, inspection of teacher training, and Schools Forums. Also a framework power is provided for the National Assembly for Wales to legislate in relation to the inspection of pre-16 education and training. The territorial extent of the Bill varies according to the scope of the different provisions. The Bill contains provisions that trigger the Sewel Convention. Christine Gillie Social Policy Section Contributions: Ed Beale, Paul Bolton, Grahame Danby, Susan Hubble, Vincent Keter House of Commons Library. Recent Library Research Papers include: 07/72 07/73 The Governance of Britain Green Paper Child Maintenance and Other Payments Bill Committee Stage Report 07/74 07/75 07/76 07/77 07/78 07/79 07/80 Economic Indicators, November 2007 Channel Tunnel Rail Link (Supplementary Provisions) Bill Unemployment by Constituency, October 2007 The European Communities (Finance) Bill [Bill 2 of 2007-08] Sale of Student Loans Bill Housing and Regeneration Bill [Bill 8 of 2007-08] The EU Reform. Treaty: amendments to the Treaty on European Union 07/81 07/82 07/83 07/84 07/85 07/86 Health and Social Care Bill House of Lords developments since January 2004 Economic Indicators, December 2007 Planning Bill [Bill 11 of 2007-08] Crossrail Bill: Committee Stage Report The Treaty of Lisbon: amendments to the Treaty establishing the European Community 22. 11. 07 03. 12. 07 04. 12. 07 06. 12. 07 06. 12. 07 06. 12. 07 06. 11. 07 09. 11. 07 14. 11. 07 15. 11. 07 15. 11. 07 22. 11. 07 22. 11. 07 26. 10. 07 02. 11. 07 Research Papers are available as PDF files: †¢ to members of the general public on the Parliamentary web site, URL: http://www. parliament. uk †¢ within Parliament to users of the Parliamentary Intranet, URL: http://hcl1. hclibrary. parliament. uk Library Research Papers are compiled for the benefit of Members of Parliament and their personal staff. Authors are available to discuss the contents of these papers with Members and their staff but cannot advise members of the general public. We welcome comments on our papers; these should be sent to the Research Publications Officer, Room 407, 1 Derby Gate, London, SW1A 2DG or e-mailed to [emailprotected] uk ISSN 1368-8456 Summary The Education and Skills Bill was presented in the House of Commons on 28 November 2007. At the same time Explanatory Notes, an Impact Assessment and a Memorandum of Delegated Powers were also published. The Bill, as presented, is in five parts. Some of the provisions are linked to the Government’s policies for reforming 14 to 19 education and improving the learning and skills of young people and adults. Other parts of the Bill are on separate matters particularly relating to the regulation and inspection of independent schools and colleges. Part 1 introduces a new duty on young people in England to participate in education or training until the age of 18, and creates a statutory framework to support and enforce it with new duties on local education authorities (LEAs ), educational providers and employers. The raising of the participation age will be introduced in two stages: to 17 by 2013 and to 18 by 2015. Provision is made for LEAs to enforce the participation duty, if necessary. They may issue attendance notices to young people who refuse to participate. New attendance panels will be created to hear appeals and to monitor the enforcement process. LEAs may also issue parenting contracts or parenting orders to parents of young people who are failing to fulfil the duty to participate. The proposals follow the green paper Raising Expectations: staying in education and training (March 2007), which described the perceived benefits to individuals and society of young people staying in education and training for longer. While there has been wide acceptance of the principle that young people will benefit from participating until they are 18, concern has been expressed about making it compulsory. Part 2 makes provision for the transfer to LEAs of the information, advice and support services for young people currently provided by the Connexions service. This follows proposals in the Youth Matters green paper (July 2005). The funding for the Connexions service will be transferred to LEAs in April 2008. It is intended that LEAs will continue to maintain the Connexions database so as to help them provide the right support services to young people and promote the new duty on young people to participate in education or training. Part 2 also places a duty on LEAs to arrange for the assessment of the education and training needs of a person with a statement of special educational needs (SEN) during their last year of schooling. This takes account of the change in the Bill to raise the participation age. Other provisions in Part 2 include: a requirement for secondary schools to present careers information in an impartial way and to provide careers advice that is in the best interests of the child; an explicit duty on the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) to provide proper facilities for apprenticeships for 16 to 18 year olds, and to make reasonable provision for apprenticeships for those aged 19 and over; a requirement for LEAs to have regard to journey times in preparing their transport policies for students of sixth-form age attending educational establishments; and a requirement for LEAs to co-operate with partners who are responsible for 14 to 19 education and training. Part 3 contains provisions in relation to adult skills. The issue of maintaining a sufficiently skilled workforce to meet the economys needs in the face of growing global competition has become increasing prominent, particularly since the publication of the Leitch Review of Skills in 2006. In its response to the review, the Government set out a range of goals relating to workforce skills for 2020 and outlined how it intended to achieve them. This Bill places duties on the LSC to provide a free entitlement to training for all adults in England aged over 19 up to their first full Level 2 qualification, with a similar entitlement up to Level 3 for those aged 19-25. Provision is also made to enable the sharing of data between relevant departments and the devolved administrations in order to assist in the effective assessment and provision of education and training for those aged 19 and over. Part 4 creates a wider definition of an independent educational institution in England, which includes certain part-time educational provision, to which the regulatory regime for independent schools in England will apply. That regime, currently contained in the Education Act 2002, is restated in Chapter 1 of Part 4. The regulatory framework for ‘independent educational institutions’ is changed so that the Chief Inspector of Education, Children’s Services and Skills (the new Ofsted) and not the Secretary of State is the registration authority. The function of approving non-maintained special schools is also transferred from the Secretary of State to the Chief Inspector. Sixth-form pupils in nonmaintained special schools are given a right to opt out of religious worship. (Pupils in mainstream maintained schools already have this right under the Education and Inspections Act 2006. ) The Bill also seeks to amend section 347 of the Education Act 1996 to remove in England the category of approved independent school for the placement of a child with a statement of SEN, and to remove the requirement for LEAs in England to seek consent to place pupils with statements of SEN in non-approved independent schools. Other changes in Part 4 include the introduction of a new management standard for independent educational institutions, and changes relating to fees for registration and inspection. Part 5 includes miscellaneous provisions in relation to pupil behaviour, the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA) and the approval of external qualifications, the inspection of teacher training, and the constitution of Schools Forums. Also Part 5 creates a framework power for the National A ssembly for Wales to legislate in relation to the inspection of pre-16 education and training. The Bill extends to England and Wales. Many of the provisions apply to England only. A number of new or expanded powers are conferred on Welsh Ministers. (These are set out in table 1 of the Explanatory Notes to the Bill. ) Five clauses that relate to sharing information extend to Scotland and trigger the Sewel Convention. Two clauses relating to the remit of the QCA extend to Northern Ireland. This research paper outlines the key provisions of the Bill, and provides background on them. It is not intended to be a comprehensive account of the clauses. A detailed clause by clause account is given in the Explanatory Notes to the Bill. Library contacts: Christine Gillie : raising the participation age, Connexions service, special educational needs, post-16 transport, regulation and inspection of independent schools, pupil behaviour and attendance and Schools Forums Paul Bolton: statistics on the above Ed Beale : apprenticeships, training and adult skills Grahame Danby: data processing Susan Hubble: financial support for students and external qualifications Vincent Keter: employers and business CONTENTS I Part 1 of the Bill: duty to participate in education or training (England). A. B. Introduction Background 1. History 2. Participation of 16 and 17 year olds in education, employment and training 3. The green paper and the case for change 4. Responses to the green paper C. D. Overview of the proposed system for raising participation 7 7 8 8 8 12 15 20 Suitable provision and enabling young people to participate: the ‘four building blocks’ 23 The Bill 1. Key provisions 2. Comment 31 31 35 38 38 38 40 41 42 43 43 E. II Part 2 of the Bill: Support for participation in education or training: young adults with learning difficulties and young people in England A. Provision of support services (Connexions Service) 1. Background 2. The Bill B. C. D. E. F. Assessments relating to learning difficulties Careers education Apprenticeships Provision of transport for persons of sixth form age: journey times Co-operation as regards provision of 14 to 19 education and training 44 45 45 47 49 III Part 3 of the Bill: Adult Skills A. Background 1. The Leitch Review of Skills 2. Current measures to address adult skills 3. House of Commons Education and Skills Committee report: Post-16 Skills 51 B. The Bill 1. Reaction IV Part 4 of the Bill: regulation and inspection of independent educational provision in England A. Current arrangements for regulation and inspection of independent schools Consultation proposals Response The Bill 53 54 55 55 57 61 63 64 64 65 66 68 69 69 70 B. C. D. V Part 5 of the Bill: miscellaneous provisions A. B. C. D. E. F. Pre-16 education and training: Wales Maintained schools in England: behaviour and attendance External qualifications Inspections of teacher training in England Schools Forums General provisions VI VII Data processing Appendix I: Reaction from specific organisations to the green paper, Raising expectations: staying in education and training 73 Appendix II: relevant documents 85 VIII. RESEARCH PAPER 07/87 I A. Part 1 of the Bill: duty to participate in education or training (England) Introduction In March 2007 the Government’s green paper Raising Expectations: staying in education and training post-16, proposed that the minimum age at w hich young people should leave education or training should be raised to 18. 1 The participation age would be increased in two stages: to age 17 from September 2013, and to 18 from September 2015. The green paper set out a detailed package of measures for consultation. Alongside the green paper the Government published an Initial Regulatory Impact Assessment on the estimated cost of the proposals. 2 (These projections have been reviewed and revised and are now published in the Impact Assessment that accom panies the Education and Skills Bill – see below). In July 2007 the Government published a report of the consultation on the green paper’s proposals. While it noted that there had been wide acceptance of the principle that young people would benefit from continuing to develop their skills formally until they were 18, it also noted that there was concern about making participation compulsory. 3 Also in July 2007, the Government published World Class Skills: Implementing the Leitch Review of Skills in England. 4 This set out the Government’s plans to improve the skills of young people and adults. The Government’s Draft Legislative Programme, published on 11 July 2007, announced that a bill would be introduced to ensure that young people stay in education or training until age 18, and to provide new rights to skills training for adults. 5 In his Fabian Society lecture on 5 November 2007, Ed Balls, the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, described the Government’s proposals, and published a further document From policy to legislation. This explained how the Government intended to proceed, and what aspects of the policy required legislation. 6 Also on 5 November 2007, the Government published its strategy for reducing the proportion of young people not in education, employment or training. 7 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Raising Expectations: staying in education and training post-16, Cm 7065, March 2007: http://www. dfes. gov. uk/consultations/downloadableDocs/6965-DfESRaising%20Expectations%20Green%20Paper. pdf Initial Regulatory Impact Assessment for Raising Expectations: staying in education and training post16, DfES, March 2007: http://www. dfes. gov. uk/consultations/downloadableDocs/RIA%20[FINAL]%20word%20version. pdf Raising Expectations: Consultation Report, DCSF, July 2007: http://www. dfes. gov. uk/consultations/downloadableDocs/Raising%20Expectations%20Consultation%20R eport. pdf http://www. dfes. gov. uk/skillsstrategy/uploads/documents/World%20Class%20Skills%20FINAL. pdf http://www. cabinetoffice. gov.uk/reports/governance. aspx Raising Expectations: Staying in education and training post 16: From policy to legislation, DCSF, November 2007: http://www. dfes. gov. uk/14-19/documents/Raising%20Expectations. pdf Reducing the number of young people not in education, employment or training (NEET) by 2013, DCSF, 5 November 2007: http://www. dfes. gov. uk/14-19/documents/NEET%20%20Strategy. pdf 7 RESEARCH PAPER 07/87 The Education and Skills Bill was presented in the House of Commons on 28 November 2007. 8 Explanatory Notes9, an Impact Assessment10, a Memorandum of Delegated Powers11 and a Short Guide 12 were also published. B. 1. Background History The Education Act 1918 raised the compulsory school leaving age from 12 to 14. It also made provision for all young people to participate in at least part-time education until they were 18 but this provision was not implemented. The end of the First World War was followed by a period of austerity; public expenditure cuts dubbed the ‘Geddes axe’ 13 meant that the aspiration of increasing participation was not achieved. The Education Act 1944 made provision to raise the school leaving age to 16 but this was not implemented until 1972. 14 The 1944 Act also re-enacted the 1918 provision to extend participation at least part-time until the age of 18 but again this was not implemented. The school leaving age has remained at 16 since 1972, although the leaving date was amended in 1997. 15 2. Participation of 16 and 17 year olds in education, employment and training At the end of 2006 around six out of every seven 16 and 17 year olds were provisionally estimated to be in some form of education or training. The large majority were in fulltime education, others were in Government supported Work Based Learning (WBL)16, Employer Funded Training 17 or other types of education and training including part-time courses. The latest data are summarised below: 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 Education and Skills Bill, Bill 12, Session 2007-08: http://www.publications. parliament. uk/pa/cm200708/cmbills/012/08012. i-v. html Education and Skills Bill Explanatory Notes: http://www. publications. parliament. uk/pa/cm200708/cmbills/012/en/index_012. htm Impact Assessment of the Education and Skills Bill, DCSF, 29 November 2009: http://www. dfes. gov. uk/publications/educationandskills/docs/impact_assessment. pdf Memorandum of Delegated Powers, DCSF, 28 November 2007 (an electronic copy was not available at time of writing but a hardcopy was available from the Vote Office) DCSF, Short Guide to the Education and Skills Bill: http://www. dfes. gov. uk/publications/educationandskills/docs/BillNarrative. doc after Sir Eric Geddes who chaired a committee set up to suggest economies SI 1972 No 444 The 1997 change introduced a single school leaving date the last Friday in June in the school year in which a young person reaches age 16: DfES Circular 11/97, School Leaving Date for 16 Year Olds, September 1997 http://www. teachernet. gov. uk/management/atoz/S/schoolleavingdate/index. cfm? code=furt Includes Advanced Apprenticeships, Apprenticeships, Entry to Employment and NVQ Learning. Young people who received training in the previous four weeks, includes non-WBL apprenticeships. 8 RESEARCH PAPER 07/87 Education, employment and training status of 16 and 17 year olds in England, 2006 16 year olds  number % of population 17 year olds number % of population 16 and 17 year olds number % of population Full-time education Work Based Learning Of which also in full-time education Employer Funded Training Other education and training Total education and training Not in any education or training Of which also not in employment Source: 516,900 37,700 1,300 15,000 25,600 593,800 68,400 42,800 78. 1% 5. 7% 0. 2% 2. 3% 3. 9% 89. 7% 10. 4% 6. 5% 428,600 51,600 1,200 26,700 32,000 537,600 122,000 62,700 65. 0% 7. 8% 0. 2% 4. 0% 4. 9% 81. 5% 18. 5% 9. 5% 945,500 89,300 2,500 41,600 57,600 1,131,400 190,400 105,500 71. 5% 6. 8% 0. 2% 3. 1% 4. 4% 85. 6% 14. 4% 8. 0%. Participation in Education, Training and Employment by 16-18 Year Olds in England: 2005 and 2006 and Participation in Education and Training by 16 and 17 Year Olds in each Local Area in England: 2004 and 2005, DCSF Overall participation rates were higher for 16/17 year old females at 88% compared to 83% for males. The gap was nearly 10 percentage points for full-time education participation, but young men were more likely to be in one of the training categories. These figures are based on the academic year age of young people, i. e. their age at the start of the academic year. Therefore 16 year olds are in their first year after the end of compulsory education. The data are estimated as at the end of the calendar year, hence some of these young people will have had their 17th/18th birthdays. Among the one million 16 and 17 year olds in full or part time education in 2006, 426,000 were in further education/specialist colleges, 366,000 were in maintained schools, 130,000 in sixth form colleges and 82,000 in independent schools. The overall number in full-time education has increased by 14% over the last decade; the largest proportionate increases were at sixth form colleges (22%) and at maintained schools (19%). There was relatively little difference in the type of education attended by 16 and 17 year olds. A slightly higher proportion of 17 year olds attended further education colleges at the expense of maintained schools. 18 Trends in participation by broad status are summarised in the table at the end of this section. In the early 1950s (when the school leaving age was 15) fewer than one in five 16 year olds and fewer than one in ten 17 year olds were in full time education in England and Wales. Immediately before the leaving age was increased to 16 (1972) these figures had increased to around one in three 16 year olds and one in six 17 year olds. The 16 year olds’ participation rate reached 50% in the mid 1970s; the 17 year olds’ rate reached this level in the early 1990s. 19 At the end of 2006 78% of 16 year olds and 65% of 17 year olds were in full time education in England. 20 Both were record highs. 18 19 20. DCSF SFR 22/2007, Participation in Education, Training and Employment by 16-18 Year Olds in England: 2005 and 2006 and Participation in Education and Training by 16 and 17 Year Olds in each Local Area in England: 2004 and 2005 Statistics of Education 1962 part one, Ministry of Education; Education and training statistics for the United Kingdom 2006 and earlier, DfES DCSF SFR 22/2007F 9 RESEARCH PAPER 07/87. a. 16 and 17 year olds not in education or training The earlier table showed that there were an estimated 190,000 16 and 17 year olds not in any education or training (NET), 106,000 of whom were not in work and hence not in any education, employment or training (NEET). The NEET rate among 16 and 17 year old males was 9. 5% compared to 6. 4% for females. 16 year olds had a lower NEET rate than 17 year olds (6. 5% v 9. 5%). Around 60% of those in the NEET category were classed as unemployed21, the rest were economically inactive. 22 While there is a particular focus of attention on young people who are not in education, employment or training (the ‘NEETs’), the Bill proposes a duty on those in employment to participate in some training or education – hence it is also relevant for the ‘NETs’. The latest similar sub-national data collected is for the end of 2005. This only looked at education and Work Based Learning (WBL) and showed that the total proportion of 16 and 17 year olds not in either category was lowest in London (16%), the South East (18%) and the South West (18%) and highest in Yorkshire and the Humber (23%) and the East Midlands (21%). 23 More recent data from Connexions, which is not directly comparable, gives NEET rates at the end of 2006 which vary from 5. 6% in the South East and 6. 0% in the South West to 10. 5% in the North East and 9. 2% in Yorkshire and the Humber. 24 b. Trends The table at the end this section summarises trends in NET and NEET rates. These are also illustrated in the charts below. 45% 40% 35% 30% 25% 20% 15% 10% 5% 0% 1985 NET NEET 16 year olds 45% 40% 35% 30% 25% 20% 15% 10% 5% 0% 1985 17 year olds NET NEET 1987 1989 1991 1993 1995 1997 1999 2001 2003 2005 1987 1989 1991 1993 1995 1997 1999 2001 2003 2005 There was a break in the series in 1994 and there have been some recent more minor inconsistencies. However, some trends are clear. The NEET rate among 16 year olds fell in the early 1990s and increased steadily for much of the last decade to a high of 8. 1% in 2005. The provisional fall to 6. 5% in 2006 takes it to its lowest level for almost a decade. The NET rate for 16 year olds fell by a larger amount in the late 1980s and 21 22 23 24 ILO definition of unemployment DCSF SFR 22/2007 ibid. NEET Statistics Quarterly Brief, DCSF 10 RESEARCH PAPER 07/87 early 1990s as there was a general shift from employment and WBL to full-time education. This rate increased from 9. 2% in 1994 to 14. 3% in 2001, but has since fallen to 10. 3% in 2006. The NEET rate among 17 year olds fell by around half between 1984 and 1994 to 7. 7%. This rate has increased more recently to 10. 9% in 2005 before dropping back to 9. 5% in 2006. The NET rate fell from 44% in 1984 to below 20% in 1993 as there was a major shift from employment to full-time education. The scale of this was even greater than that seen among 16 year olds. The level of this rate increased from the late 1990s onwards to almost 22% before falling back to below 18% in 2006. Trends in education, employment and training status of 16 and 17 year olds in England Percentages (a)(b) 1985 Full-time education Work Based Learning Employer Funded Training (c) Other Education and Training Total Education and training Total Not in any education or training Of which also not in employment Notes: 1990 51. 1 19. 1 7. 5 3. 5 79. 7 20. 3 8. 0 1995 65. 6 11. 6 4. 0 4. 3 84. 7 15. 3 6. 7 2000 65. 6 9. 5 3. 7 4. 9 83. 5 16. 5 7. 1 2001 64. 8 8. 4 3. 9 5. 2 82. 1 17. 9 8. 4 2002 65. 4 7. 9 4. 0 5. 2 82. 4 17. 6 8. 2 2003 66. 0 8. 1 4. 1 5. 2 83. 2 16. 8 7. 7 2004 67. 2 7. 9 3. 8 4. 9 83. 6 16. 4 8. 3 2005 2006p 69. 2 7. 4 3. 5 4. 5 84. 5 15. 5 9. 5 71. 5 6. 8 3. 1 4. 4 85. 6 14. 4 8. 0 39. 7 16. 1 9. 2 4. 5 68. 2 31. 8 11. 0 There was a break in the series in 1994 due to changes in the source of further and higher education data. (a) Participation estimates may be slightly underestimated for 16 year olds between 1999 and 2000 and 17 year olds between 2000 and 2001. (b) There is a discontinuity from 2002 onwards whereby participation in additional institutions are included for the first time. This increases the full-time education rate by around 0. 1 points and the any education or training rate by around 0. 4 points (c) Includes other part-time education not included elsewhere and full- or part-time education in independent further or higher education institutions. Source: Participation in Education, Training and Employment by 16-18 Year Olds in England: 2005 and 2006 and Participation in Education and Training by 16 and 17 Year Olds in each Local Area in England: 2004 and 2005, DCSF c. International comparison of enrolment in education 16 year old enrolment rate in secondary education, 2005  100% 90% 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% FRA GRE AUS SWE NOR KOR OST LUX IRE BEL ICE SWI 0% US POL SLO JAP UK ITA POR OECD MEX ESP CZ FIN NED DEN NZ TUR OECD data on enrolment by age look at the actual age of pupils/students, the rates calculated are different from those given earlier. In 2005 94% of 16 year olds and 80% of 17 year olds were in ‘secondary’ 25 education in the UK. The 16 year olds’ rate was three percentage points above the OECD average, the 17 year olds’ rate three points below. The UK’s relative position is shown opposite. Source: Education at a Glance 2007, OECD. Table C2. 3 25 This is based on the assessed academic level using international classification which at their highest level split education into primary, secondary and tertiary. It does not mean these pupils are in secondary schools. 11 GER HUN RESEARCH PAPER 07/87 Although the UK’s participation rate for 16 year olds was above the OECD average it was still below that of most other countries as the average was skewed downwards by much lower levels in Turkey and Mexico. The UK ranked 18th out of 29 states included in the 16 year olds measure and 20th on the 17 year olds rate. 17 year old enrolment rate in secondary education, 2005 100% 90% 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% SLO 0% KOR HUN NOR CZ GER SWE BEL POL FIN JAP OST OECD POR GRE MEX DEN NED TUR AUS ICE SWI ESP FRA LUX IRE NZ US UK Some of the countries ranked Source: Education at a Glance 2007, OECD. Table C2. 3 below the UK have relatively high enrolment rates in non-secondary education, 26 but direct comparisons cannot be made due to a lack of comparable data on enrolment on these types of education in the UK. 27 3. The green paper and the case for change The green paper, Raising Expectations: staying in education and training post-16, described the perceived benefits to individuals and society of young people staying in education and training for longer. 28 It proposed a detailed package of measures for consultation. These were summarised in the DfES press notice launching the green paper: †¢ From 2013, young people should remain in education or training after 16 – this means the first pupils to be affected would be those entering secondary school in September next year. Young people would be required to work towards accredited qualifications at school, in a college, or in â€Å"on the job† training or day release; Apprenticeships will be significantly expanded so that they are available to any qualified young person who wants one; Participation should be full time for young people not in employment for a significant part of the week and part time for those working more than 20 hours a week; Better advice and guidance for young people to enable them to access the provision that’s right for them; A high quality, accurate registration system to keep track of the education options a young person has chosen and to make sure they don’t drop out; Building on the Education Maintenance Allowance we will consider new financial support measures to ensure young people from low income †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ 26 27 28 Tertiary and post-secondary non-tertiary Education at a Glance 2007, OECD. Table C2. 3 Raising Expectations: staying in education and training post-16, Cm 7065, March 2007: http://www. dfes. gov. uk/consultations/downloadableDocs/6965-DfESRaising%20Expectations%20Green%20Paper. pdf 12 ITA RESEARCH PAPER 07/87 backgrounds get the support they need to overcome any barriers to participation. To make sure the right provision is in place the new requirement would not be implemented until 2013 by which time the new Diplomas will be a National Entitlement. This will give young people a choice of A levels, GCSEs, the International Baccalaureate, the new Diplomas, Apprenticeships, and accredited in work training. Young people would be supported to re-engage if they drop out through integrated Youth Support Services. Any enforcement process would be used only as a last resort if a young person refused to re-engage. 29 Chapter 2 of the green paper set out the evidential basis for raising the education and training participation age. This referred to research showing that young people who stay on in education and training after 16 are more likely to gain further qualifications by 18 than those who go into employment without training or drop out altogether. Individuals with qualifications earn more than those without. In addition to higher wages, betterqualified individuals have improved employment prospects and an increased likelihood of receiving workplace training. There are also wider benefits associated with higher qualification levels, such as improved health and better social skills. The green paper noted evidence on the relationship between higher levels of skills and qualifications and economic performance and productivity. It highlighted evidence suggesting that up to one fifth of the UK’s output per hour productivity gap with Germany and an eighth of the gap with France results from the UK’s relatively poor skills. The green paper also noted the wider benefits to society from increased participation. It stated that those who participate are less likely to experience teenage pregnancy, be involved in crime or behave anti-socially. The green paper refers to a study that looked at Offender Index data between 1984 and 2001 which showed that an additional year of compulsory schooling decreases conviction rates for property crime, and that it has also been estimated that compulsory schooling lowers the likelihood of committing crime or going to prison. 30 The green paper went on to outline t e combination of measures taken so far to h encourage increased participation. These include changes to the 14 to 19 curriculum and the introduction of new specialist diplomas with an emphasis on applied and practical learning; changes to the curriculum for 11 to 14 year olds to allow greater flexibility and personalisation of learning; an expansion of work-based learning; from September 2007 a ‘September Guarantee’ of an offer of an appropriate learning place for every young person leaving school at 16; improvements in information, advice and guidance for young people to help them make choices; and financial support through educational maintenance allowances.