Advance Financial Accounting for Pivotal Role - myassignmenthelp

Question: Discuss about theAdvance Financial Accounting for Pivotal Role. Answer: Introduction In order to derive the picture of overall financial performance of a company at certain point of time, the financial report plays pivotal role. The existence of financial report further depends on the process of financial accounting. One of the accounting techniques involves assessing asset and liabilities at current market price termed as fair value measurement. This is essential to be followed in order to bring forth authentic financial report of a company. However International finance reporting Standard 13 introduces a revised version of fair value accounting (Dvo?kov 2013). This report aims to discuss the concept of new fair value accounting process along with highlighting the underlying assumptions of the IFRS 13 Fair Value Measurement. Concept IFRS 13 is the revised form of the guideline for setting framework of fair value measurement with required disclosure. As per the definition, fair value of asset or liability refers to certain price operative in the market at the day measurement is undertaken. This price is the amount seller of an asset receives or makes payment while transferring any liabilities between market agents. The assumption inherently integrated when conducting the fair value measurement is the assumption about risk. The motive behind IFRS 13 is to make fair value accounting more consistent and compatible. IFRS 13 makes fair value measurements more consistent and comparable through the execution following a hierarchy of fair value (Henderson et al. 2015). In the hierarchy categorisation of the inputs used in valuation techniques are done. The inputs are organised in three levels. Prices quoted in the current markets of assets or liabilities, which are identical gets, the highest priority in the hierarchy. Inputs, which are unobservable receives the lowest position in the hierarchy list of priority. The inputs lying in the level one are active market prices for the asses and/or liabilities, which are identical. It is accessible to agents or entities of market on the date measurement are conducted. Level two includes the inputs in quoted price different than in level one, which are observed directly or indirectly in the market for the asset and liabilities (He, Wong and Young 2012). Inputs, which are unobseravle for the asset and liability, are included in the level three inputs. The objective of this measurement lies in the very definition of it that is to undertake a transaction between market participants that involves selling or transferring liability at the date of measurement prevailing under current condition of the market. Such phenomenon would require determination of following entities: The specific asset or liability is treated as the subject of the measurement The appropriate premise in order to undertake the valuation in measurement The primary market of the asset or liability The appropriate methods of valuation technique applied in the measurement Level 1 inputs are quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities that the entity can access at the measurement date. Level 1 inputs are quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities that the entity can access at te. Assumptions The assumptions underlying the guidance of IFRS 13 are discussed in the following: When pricing an asset or liability is undertaken, it is the entity or market participants take the characteristics of them into account at the measurement date. The condition of the asset, the location of it and restrictions implied on the sell and purchase are major concern here. A transaction is assumed to take place between entities participating in the current market conditions. The transaction under such measurement takes place in the primary market of the liability or asset. While non-existence of such principal markets, the transaction takes place in the markets are profitable for the assets. Fair value measurement undertaken to make valuation of non-financial assets involves the best and maximum use if it. The transfer of the financial or non-financial liability, equity instruments and are made to participants in the market at the measurement date without being subject to any cancellation, settlement or extinguishment of the measurement date. The fair value of liability creates reflection of the non-performance risk and credit risk of entity subject to the risk of non-performance that the asset or liability has intrinsically. Valuation techniques Application of proper valuation techniques are of crucial importance in order to successfully run a fair value measurement. Based on the available and sufficient data, observed inputs are maximised and unobserved inputs use is minimized under such measurement techniques. Some of the widely used techniques are: Market Approach: The information about price and other relevant sources are used in these techniques, which are generated by the market transactions (Horngren et al. 2012). The assets or liabilities might be similar or comparable or even a group of assets and liabilities. Income Approach: In this approach, the cash flows regarding income or expenses incurred in future are transferred into single current amount following discount method. This generally makes reflection of the current market expectation about the cost and gains in the future. Coat Approach: This approach reflects the cost incurred at current market condition to replace the service capability of as asset. It mostly includes the replacement cost at current market price(Card 2016). Based on the requirement single to multiple techniques are applied to conduct fair value measurement. Conclusion From the above discussion, it can be briefed that the revised fair value measurement operating under IFRS 13 includes more efficiency to be followed now on in order to price and make transactions more transparent and effective. References Card, C., 2016. Fair Value Accounting. Christensen, H.B. and Nikolaev, V.V., 2013. Does fair value accounting for non-financial assets pass the market test?.Review of Accounting Studies,18(3), pp.734-775. Dvo?kov, D.A.N.A., 2013. Developments in fair value measurement: some IFRS 13 view.Recent researches in applied economics, pp.151-156. He, X., Wong, T.J. and Young, D., 2012. Challenges for implementation of fair value accounting in emerging markets: Evidence from China.Contemporary Accounting Research,29(2), pp.538-562. Henderson, S., Peirson, G., Herbohn, K. and Howieson, B., 2015.Issues in financial accounting. Pearson Higher Education AU. Horngren, C., Harrison, W., Oliver, S., Best, P., Fraser, D. and Tan, R., 2012.Financial accounting. Pearson Higher Education AU.

Labour Problems in UK Economics

Changing Nature of Employee Relations in the UK Evident from previous research and casual empiricism, there has been increased tension and work strain across many work places, a problem often attributed to pay discipline and flexibility. It has often been perceived that increasing work strain is directly linked to changing working hours and the expected minimum wage.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Labour Problems in UK Economics specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The obvious fact is that work force occupies important part of both economical and psychological needs of the labour contract and its intensification triggers welfare effects on employees. It’s been argued that changing work intensity is likely to have substantive negative figures on productivity change. Work force relations in the UK continue to receive intense criticism for the obvious fact that managers are unable to effectively control their em ployee’s performances in relation to pay, discipline and flexibility. In this paper, I intent to explain the intellectual, moral and policy arguments in relations to labour problems, job regulations and trade unions in attempt to capture the triangular relationships of the three. Labour relations involve both work and employment relations and involves management and employees in coordination with policies of a country, for this instance the UK, dynamics of capital markets and relationship between paid work and work load. In my analysis, I will look are various research ranging from the past, present and the future of labour problems. Labour Problems Many organisations in the UK consider downsizing and restructuring of their work force to be â€Å"a quick fix† to their company’s inefficiencies. This strategy temporary improves the organisation’s output hence demoralizing the surviving employees. Recent studies conducted by Green (2000, p.5) indicate that w ork intensification has increased competitive pressure which is often offloaded to workers. One would assume that work intensification in UK is accompanied by rising real wage which is not the issue here. Job insecurity and work intensification has also been extended to include reward system and the unexpected benefits. With Effort intensification, workers are subjected to longer working hours with large volumes of work in the anticipation of income expansion which is never the case. Here, structural changes including facility employment to measure workers performance, motivation and discipline are inaccurately measured hence unsatisfied employees (Kersley et al 2005).Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Redirecting our focus from work and effort intensification to technical change, there is a strong indication suggesting that technical change is often effort-biased. For example , technique measured by employers on employees’ performances is dominant in most work places which are attributed to decline of union influence. Companies have refused to acknowledge the relationship between company human resource policies and work effort thereby increasing job insecurity. While human resource policies and work force skills have initiated the impact of organisational and technical change, widely seen as efficiency improvement, there is evidence that suggest that the techniques applied are effort-biased. The Standard competitive model of effort determination requires firms to turn up the wages of high effort workers contrary to the UK employment practice (Green 2000, p.7; Burchell Wilkinson 2002, p.10). Today’s technology has provided new techniques that efficiently evaluate both new products and more efficient production process. The new production methods include; Just-In-Time (JIT) and Total Quality Management (TQM). These two techniques have been a pplauded for stimulating the expansion of new information technologies and improving production process. Though their effect is to extract greater work effort, no remuneration package has been negotiated alongside the package to award hard working employees. The techniques have improved the supervision of material flows and allocation of work schedules and enhanced management capacity. In this case, managers have been able to efficiently allocate work hence the rise of call centres in the 20th century. While in the comfort of their office, managers can easily monitor and measure employees output accurately with the advent of new technology. Evidently, increased work flow via technical co-ordination has greatly enhanced external effects, but needless to say, labour saving technologies have failed to liberate those high effort workers (Green 2000, p.9). Guided by the framework of employees needs and the management, basic pay remains the main component of compensations used alongside f ringe benefits, cash incentives as well as some intrinsic and extrinsic reward packages. In this regard, I position my interest in labour problems in work places in relation to pay and performance. Pay represents the most important and critical element in the employment relationship between employers and employees for a number of reasons; 1) it represents a significant part of employers costs and its used to measure performances and competitiveness which determines employees ability to recruit and retain quality labour forces 2).Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Labour Problems in UK Economics specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Pay and performances measures value of services and performances. A great majority of employees become enthusiastic when they start a new job, but their morale sharply decline after their first few months in the company that continues to deteriorate for years afterwards. These findings are b ased on a survey conducted by Gielen et al (2006) in 2001 through 2004 on 52 primary fortunate companies that stipulated that poor policies and procedures provided by managers in managing their work forces greatly increase tension between managers and the managed. Pay and performance are important in work places as they stimulate labour productivity by collecting information about worker’s abilities and efforts that can be used to induce them to apply maximum efforts in executing their duties. Controlling performance is also important as it helps managers screen workers performance and recruit the most able workers. When incentives are in place, employees will be more focused on activities that are more rewarding and ignore those that are not. At-least according to research conducted by Gielen and his colleagues (2006), use of performance-related pay in Netherlands increased by 39% in 2001 from 30% in 1995. Gielen and his colleagues (2006) analysis affirms that pay performanc e increases labour productivity due to the incentive effect in place, balances and provides sustainable economic development. Change of labour market structures In contrast to the emphasis that inefficiencies of labour process is the main source of effort intensification, the change of market structures does not accurately represent the intensification of product market competition, the disassociations of labour unions and the existence of power shifts in work places. Studies conducted by Green (2000, p.15) dispute that work effort has pressured firms to reduce costs and increases work forces resulting to increased pressure on employees and reduced unions legal powers. We understand that unions play a crucial part in ensuring employees welfares in work places are taken into considerations, and their disassociations would have negative impact on the labour force. In the lean mean production, firms are forced to streamline their production and downsize their work force, a strategy tha t reduces payroll costs. While it may seem to work for some Europe countries, it has proven to be ineffective in countries such as the United States as many complain that is does not effectively account for how the increasing wages alongside work intensification relate. Employee oppressions are often associated with greater effort and lower wages (Blyton Turnbull 2004).Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Managers Perspective Managers need to control pay performances so as to achieve equity, efficiency and macro-economic stability. On equity pay determination, managers try to increase wages of lowest pay workers so as protect real wages. While on efficiency aspect, managers try to link wages to productivity, individual performance, and employees’ application of skills to a variety of tasks. And lastly, Gielen et al (2006) argues that high minimum wages could have negative impacts on employment levels that could adversely affect macro-economic stability by increasing inflation levels. Employment contracts The capacity of employers to monitor employees’ conformity against employment contracts has constituted additional consequences in the new productions techniques and management methods. This is to mean that computerisation of workflows, like that experienced in call centres enables managers to effectively allocate work tasks and monitor their executions while measuring employees work rates. The two techniques, TQM and JIT, have enabled managers to easily trace the deficiencies in work quality on individual work stations with the aim of raising efficiency by removing poor practices and eliminating low effort workers. Another model known as the efficiency wage model, credited to reduce supervision, companies implicit ways to improve employees welfares on emphasis on wages and effort intensification should be taken into account. It has also been argued that efficiency wage models increases job loss due to machine replacements in turn reducing wage replacement ratios and market uncertainty. Britain for example has experienced decline in replacement ratios for the last two decades since its implementations (Green 2000, p.18). Previous research conducted by Barham Begum (2005, p. 6) in 2003 estimates that costs associated with employee absence in the U.K totalled to  £11.6 billion excluding indirect costs. The huge numbers of sickness absence overbur dens the management with the cost of managing absences and trainings hence negatively affecting the organisation’s output. Recent research show that employees in the UK were more likely to take sickness leave in the week of financial intermediation followed by other industries such as the health and social work whiles the workforce in the hotel and restaurants experienced low sickness absence leaves. The research also indicated that public sector industries experience lower sickness absence rates compared to the private sector due to the well structure policies put in place. The lower numbers in sickness absence rates in the private sectors may also be attributed to lower provision of sick pay compared to public sectors. Statistics also indicated that employees working lower hours a week are more likely to take sickness absence compared to employees who put in less time (Barham Begum2005, p.10). Pollert and Charlwood (2009, p.343) argue that more generic factors in work plac es are those that are stress induced attributed from abuse and exploitation by employers. Of particular interest, the research continues that low skilled paid and low skilled workers representing the majority of migrant workers were subjected to a number of abuses including dismissal of pregnant women and disabled employees, non-payment of wages, bullying linked to discrimination, maternity denial rights, late or non-payment of wages and non-compliance of national minimum wage and non payment of statutory sick pay among others (Salin 2003, p. 1215: Hoel Beale 2006, p.240) In response to a survey conducted by Green Donna (2004) to measure employee skills levels alongside their performances, it was concluded that different perceptions of the skills used in work places were attributed from qualification held by employees, their problem solving skills and planning skills. Its evident that skills are reasonably a good match between perception of job managers and those of employees and the biasness in the work place exist in a situation where employees may be deemed to posses higher skills compared to their line managers. This theory is consistence with the hypothesis that stipulates that skills are socially constructed, and therefore managers are often the male workers and the females are perceived to be employees and there is often a tendency for the boss to underestimate the skill levels of people working under him. Due to this shortcoming of the labour employment theories, skills have been over the years proven to be a barrier to progress in work places. Such shortcoming may first be attributed from inability to accurately measure employee job skills and pay determinations across different genders. Labour markets should therefore provide accurate measurement of skills in the determination of job description and the associated reward packages. Job skills measurement requires both complexity and sensitivity but even with the understanding of both employee and em ployer perceptions in different settings, experts have not yet discovered better modules in evaluating jobs. Job knowledge often improves with longer acquaintance, and employees in this case have better knowledge of jobs than their line managers hence perception bias (Green Donna 2004, p.65; Noon Hoque 2001). The relationship between the managers and the managed is more problematic. Labour problems are linked to management and policies and practices of managers. The focus on executive management tends to overlook management objectives and often concentrate on activities at managerial level or even in their line of supervision, overlooking the societal and institutional environment. This particular module failed to put into consideration the goals of employment relationships and its dynamics for managing tensions in work places. Today’s employment relationships are often characterised by cooperative motto of ‘win-win’ solution. Conflicts such as strives and abse nteeism have significantly increased in today’s workforce compared to a decade ago. The typical stereotyping of male employees being the bread winners has long been outdated and the distinction between white and blue collar jobs has become distinct (Barham Begum 2005, p.10; Noon Hoque 2001). In this regard, Gielen and his colleagues (2006) analysis highlight the benefits of pay and performance to include; They help an organisation achieve is business objective Enhances employees compensation through improved performance Attract and retain competitive staff Rewards good performance without necessarily increasing labour costs Reduce redundancies in times of economic downturn through flexible compensation packages Orientates organisation performance towards quality and productivity Managers flexible reward packages are able to absorb downturns and reduce labour costs. Pay performances has not been without controversies. First, it has been claimed that cash compensations as m otivation packages have a limited time-span. In this regard, workers have not completed welcomed the strategy due to; Managers’ ability to measure performances and compensation criteria are not adequately understood, accepted or even communicated to employees. Some organisation have inappropriate appraisal systems that contract with objectives of the reward system. Managers fail to provide regular feedback on employee performances Wrong quantum of pay that determines performance criteria Managers inability to provide both intristic and extrinsic rewards criteria Lack of regular evaluation of pay performance scheme Unrealistic goals set by managers (Gielen et al 2006). Trade unions Unions have particularly known to have the utility function that seeks out to improve the welfare of employees. It is assumed that unions in the United Kingdom have more bargaining power and it is for this reason that we assume their association in labour relations would improve the wage bargainin g power. Contrary to that belief, unions bargaining power in the UK have been shocked into weaker stance since the 1980s. Unions wage differentiation has fallen steadily and workers rights have not been attended to effectively. It is for this reason we believe that unions should take a more active role in workers welfare by raising their performance and effort and provide more active voice for workers (Green 2000, p.17). Collective bargaining has stimulated the recognition of fundamental social rights embodies in labour legislation. Change of focus of industrial relations from collective bargaining to labour rights has attempted to address the inequalities and discrimination including those affecting the minority group such as women, reasonably in Britain, with its increased cases of Employment Tribunal cases (Edwards 2003, p.4). System of employee representations has radically fallen over the years due the failing membership of trade unions. Today, there exist only two product of e mployee representation known as the ‘Unite and Unison’, representing over 40 percent of UK membership and also extended its linkages to international borders. Tentative research reported by Green (2000) concluded that unions have transformed their policy orientations and even recruited some employers to represent the gap between their own structures and employee participation. The UK has also incorporated European law such the collective channels independent of the employer, European Works Council and statutory mechanism into its trade union policies to improve the employees’ welfare. But needless to say, employees with work force problems have been turning to private organisations such as the Citizens’ Advice Bureaux and local community group for dispute settlements. One may be deceived to think the transformation of policies and practices of employers may improve labour union policies which is not the case here. The UK labour union international linkages of product markets, product organization and supply chains have proven it difficult to identify owner of capital and companies as employers of labour. And also, since shareholding represent dominant part of ownership; companies have turned it into complicated equity ownership relations making it totally impossible to know what employees or companies own (Green 2000, p.5; Rose 2008). Organisations in the UK are employing maximum efforts in ensuring the achievements of diversity in their workforce are achieved by conceptualization of equity in its legislation. With the British legislation in place, one may assume workers will be treated the same, which is not the case here, race and sex discrimination have continued to be embodied in the symmetrical social problems to the extend that few minority of the social group like the women and BM workers are discriminated against compared to white and male workers. Although the legislation has positively impacted the disadvantaged groups, the effects of past discrimination have been ignored. Another shortcoming of the British legislation is that its application is limited to only few instances. For Example, hardworking employees are only compensated for through extra training and improvement of their current position while concept of equality has not been applied sparingly in different groups such as the male, white and heterosexual norms. The new legislations should recognize and value work group differences (Dickens 2007, p.465). Conclusion Changing economic and social context of employee relations has accelerated labour problems in workforces resulting to poverty, inequality and social exclusions. The UK government continues to seek ways to bridge this gap by reconstructing a concept of citizenship and social inclusion through the implementation of new policies that will attract more people in employment relationship, increase employment rates and prolong working lives. Effective government policies will increase emp loyment opportunities, productivity and competitiveness of work force. Clarke et al (2002, p.6) adds that growth of individualism and consumerism have weaken the collective bargaining at work weakening the appeal of trade unions (Clarke et al 2002; Noon Blyton 2007). List of References Barham, C., Begum, N., 2005, ‘Sickness absence from Work force in the UK’,  labour Market Trends, 149,1-10 Burchell, B., Lapido, D. Wilkinson, F. (eds.) 2002, Job Insecurity and Work  Intensification. Routledge, London. Blyton, P. and Turnbull, P.J. (3rd ed.) 2004, The Dynamics of Employee Relations, Palgrave Macmillan, Basingstoke. Clarke, L., Donnelly, E., Hyman, R., Kelly, J., McKay, S., 2002, ‘What’s the Point of Industrial Relations?’ British Universities Industrial Relations Association., 5, 1-11 Dickens, L. 2007, ‘Thirty years of equality legislation in Britain’, British Journal of  Industrial Relations, 45(3), 463 – 494 Edwards, P. (2nd ed.) 2003, Industrial Relations Theory and Practice, Blackwell, Oxford. Gielen, A., Kerkhofs, J., Jan, O., 2006, ‘Performance Related Pay and Labor Productivity’, Institute of Labor studies, 5455, 1-17 Green, F. 2000, ‘Why has work effort become more intense?’ Industrial Relations  Journal, 43(4), 1-48. Green, F., Donna, J. 2004, ‘Assessing skills and autonomy: the job holder versus the line Manager’, Human Resource Management Journal, 13, no.1, 63-77 Hoel, H. and Beale, D. 2006, ‘Workplace Bullying, psychological perspectives and industrial relations: towards a contextualised and interdisciplinary approach’, British Journal of Industrial Relations, 44 (2), 239 – 262 Kersley, B., Alpin, C., Forth, J., Bryson, A., Bewley, H., Dix, G. and Oxenbridge, S. 2005,’ Inside the Workplace, First Findings from the 2004 Workplace Employment Relations Survey (WERS 2004). Noon, M. and Blyton, P. 2007, The Realties of Work: Experiencing Work and  Employment in Contemporary Society, Palgrave Macmillan, Basingstoke. Noon and Hoque 2001, ‘Ethnic minorities and equal treatment: the impact of gender, equal opportunities policies and trade unions’, National Institute Economic  Review, 176,105 – 116 Rose, E. (3rd Ed.) 2008, Employment Relations, Financial Times Prentice Hall, Harlow. Pollert, A. and Charlwood, A., 2009, ‘The vulnerable worker in Britain and problems at work’. Work, Employment and Society, 23(2), 343 – 362 Salin, D., 2003. ‘Ways of explaining workplace bullying: a review of enabling, motivating and precipitating structures and processes in the work environment’. Human Relations, 56(10), 1213 – 1232. This essay on Labour Problems in UK Economics was written and submitted by user Trinity Osborne to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Origins and Exchanges along the Silk Roads

Origins and Exchanges along the Silk Roads Free Online Research Papers Almost no where in history can one find material and cultural exchange that rivals that which was present on the Silk Roads during their prime years of use. The scale of this exchange was so grand that the routes themselves spanned all the way from China to the Roman Empire, with branches even stretching into the north (Stockwell 14). With so much distance covered, many people of different ethnicities, religions and cultures were incorporated into this massive trade network. The trafficking of goods facilitated interaction between these groups of people, thus fostering cultural exchange as well. Along the Silk Roads, one could find amazing material trade and cultural mingling that connected civilizations thousands of miles apart, affecting those involved in dynamic ways. The exchanges along the Silk Roads gave China a valuable influx of new perspectives and cultures that it had never had access to before. The term â€Å"Silk Roads† was never used by the people who actually traveled the trade routes; it was in fact coined by a German geographer named Von Richthofen in the 19th century. He was the first westerner to realize the significance and interconnectedness of these ancient roads, and felt compelled to name them. He christened them for their most precious Chinese commodity, hence the now common name: the Silk Roads (Sinor 1). Although interactions between the East and West may have occurred on a minute scale previously, it wasn’t until the Northern Silk Road began to develop around 138 B.C.E. that trade really took off. This particular route started at present day Xi’an and traveled through the Western Corridor beyond the Yellow River before reaching Xingjian, Uzbekistan, Iran, and Iraq, where it finally met the western border of the Roman Empire. This route was the most heavily traveled at first, and it was utilized for over a thousand years (Stockwell 14) . A second trade route existed by sea, beginning at the ports of Xuwen and Hepu in southern China. After passing through the Malacca Strait, this course ended in Burma. Sea routes had some advantages over land routes because ships could carry much heavier loads and the trips were often quicker. However, ships had to beware pirate attacks and brutal storms at sea. This path was very significant, for it connected China to Japan, Korea and the Philippines. This sea route was used so often that the Chinese government even set up the Bureau of Merchant Shipping in the 8th century in order to monitor the imports and exports. Appointed officials used their discretion to regulate and tax imports in order to benefit the Chinese economy as well as to prevent the export of illicit materials (Stockwell 14). An important third branch of the Silk Roads existed in southwestern China. This branch sprouted from Chengdu in Sichuan Province and went through Yunnan, Burma, India, Afghanistan, and Russia. Here, it joined the Northern Silk Road at Mary in Turkmenistan. It was along this road that gold, silk, and precious stones were first traded between China, India, Burma, the Middle East, and Africa (Stockwell 15). These three branches of the Silk Roads provided the means for most of the trade that occurred in central Asia during this time period. Although these roads existed, and trade was occurring on a fairly large scale, China remained unaware of their existence. It wasn’t until 139 B.C.E., when the Han Emperor Wu Di sent Zhang Qian to the west, that a Chinese person came upon the Silk Roads. Until this point in time, China remained isolated from the outside world. Zhang’s journey to the west opened new doors for cultural exchange on a massive level that the Chinese had never experienced before. Zhang Qian was sent on a mission to contract an alliance with a nomadic tribe called the Yuezhi, but he failed. He was captured by the Xiongnu, long term enemies of the Chinese. As he roamed about with his captors, Zhang learned much about the lands neighboring China, and after he escaped he continued on his journey. His travels took him as far west as India, and he was amazed at what he found. Zhang Qian discovered merchants selling Chinese goods along these great routes in places that no Chinese person had ever bee n. Once he finally found the Yuezhi, they were not interested in forming an alliance, and upon his return journey, Zhang Qian was once again captured by the Xiongnu. He was eventually able to escape a second time and returned to China after thirteen years of traveling (Foltz 2). Wu Di was captivated by Zhang Qian’s tales of foreign lands and the extensive opportunity for trade. In only a few years, Chinese merchants were regularly following the Silk Roads west, and for nearly twenty years, this trade prospered under Wu Di (3). Once China discovered the Silk Roads’ existence, trade between East and West flourished on a whole new level. China began extensive trade once it first utilized the Silk Roads, but they really became a powerhouse when they took over the eastern portion of the trade routes. In 104 and 102 B.C.E., a Han general led expeditions to the Pamir Mountains to subdue the Ferghana, thus gaining lordship over the area. Those native to the area accepted Chinese rule because Chinese garrisons protected the trade routes from marauding bandits (Ebrey 61). With more control over the Silk Roads, Chinese trade with the West exploded. For the first time, China was right on the forefront of trade. New food substances brought to China by the Silk Roads included walnuts, pomegranates, sesame, and coriander (61). Other imports included dates, saffron powder, pistachio nuts, frankincense, aloes, myrrh, sandalwood, and even glass. China exported iron, spices, lacquer ware and porcelain, but silk was always its most valuable commodity (Stockwell 14). In fact, so much silk was purchased in Rome during the Augustan Age that Roman writers such as Pliny began to protest that Rome was spending far too much money on foreign imports. Some Romans even began to criticize women for their particular preference of silk over other clothes, proclaiming that silk was an immodest and excessive indulgence that would bankrupt the state (15). Without the Silk Roads, China would have remained relatively isolated for a much longer period of time, thus missing out on the beneficial material trade. Trade over the Northern Silk Road reached its greatest height during the Tang Dynasty (618-907 A.D.). The extent of trade that occurred during this time period was enormous; the imperial gardens of the Tang were said to be full of such exotic birds as rare herons, tufted ducks, peacocks, and hunting hawks, while the warehouses were full of ice to store the imported fruit (15). This trade was made possible by the use of the Bactrian camel. With its thick, coarse fur, it could withstand the frigid temperatures often encountered along the Silk Roads, and each camel could carry approximately 500 pounds (Ebrey 61). More than material goods were exchanged via the Silk Roads. Many cultural exchanges occurred as well. The imperial capital at Xi’an experienced a constant flow of foreign merchants, and ethnic minorities from some of these foreigners are still present in China today. These merchants brought with them new perspectives, music, art, and skills, thus enriching and diversifying Chinese culture. In the absence of the Silk Roads, China would have lost out on many significant additions to its culture (Stockwell 15). Another one of the largest cultural exchanges was that of language. It was through spoken language that people from different civilizations communicated their beliefs, ideas, and general viewpoints about the world. Therefore, language provided a vehicle for cultural mingling on a massive scale. An amazing variety of languages were used along the Silk Roads, with the total number soaring around seventeen (Sinor 3). According to Sinor, â€Å"The many multilingual inscriptions to be found in the lands crossed by the Silk Roads testify to the linguistic diversity of the peoples living along them and, at the same time, to the political or religious need to address them in their own tongue (6).† Although there were many people who became multilingual, most tradesmen, lacking the time or skills to learn other languages, made use of interpreters. Interpreters were of high value and paid handsomely for their skills. Many caravans would not travel without several linguists in their com pany (7). Arguably the most important exchange along the Silk Roads was not made in material goods or in language, but in religion, for it is was along the Silk Roads that Buddhism made its way into China. The two major Buddhist schools on the Silk Roads were Dharmaguptakas and Sarvastivadins, but Mahayana Buddhism gained strength in regions such as Khotan, and quickly replaced the others (Foltz 39). Buddhist monks probably reached Khotan on the southern loop of the Silk Roads skirting the Takla Makan desert in the first century, and the king of Khotan sponsored many Buddhist schools (Foltz 48). The kings of this time period recognized that spiritual acceptance would attract a greater number of people and therefore be beneficial for business and trade, so they were extremely tolerant of Buddhism. In the first half of the first century, the Han Dynasty pushed into central Asia in search of the fine horses bred there, and China gained control of the eastern part of the Silk Roads (49). Once the Chinese merchants came into contact with foreign merchants who practiced Buddhism along the Silk Roads, the base for Buddhism in China was born. Soon, central Asian and Chinese monks were translating Buddhist sutras from Sanskrit to Chinese (Ebrey 69). This massive translation spurred the spread of Buddhism throughout East Asia, including Korea and Japan (70). This spread of religion along the Silk Roads shows how, when different civilizations collide, ideas and beliefs are shared, and may even become deeply rooted in the cultures of each group. China today, for example, still has a large Buddhist population. Here, one can see that cultural exchange that occurred thousands of years ago still has an echo in modern times. It is almost inconceivable that thousands of years ago, people were engaging in trade on such a massive level, but the Silk Roads did in fact allow for huge amounts of cross-cultural trade. Of course, material goods were exchanged, but even more importantly, cultures interacted and influenced one another. Languages and religions were spread along with general understandings of other cultures. These amazing trade routes crossed thousands of miles and the huge continent of Asia, uniting civilizations that were worlds apart. The Silk Roads hold great significance for China. It was via these trade routes that China received its first massive flood of new material goods and cultural perspectives, thus breaking its isolation. Ebrey, Patricia Buckley, Anne Walthall, and James B. Palais. Pre-Modern East Asia: To 1800 A Cultural, Social, and Political History. New York: Houghton Mifflin, 2006. Foltz, Richard C. Religions of the Silk Roads: Overland Trade and Cultural Exchange from Antiquity to the Fifteenth Century. New York: St. Martin’s Griffin, 1961. Sinor, Denis. â€Å"Language and Cultural Interchange along the Silk Roads.† Diogenes Fall 1995: 1-12. Stockwell, Foster. Westerners in China: A History of Exploration and Trade, Ancient Times through the Present. London: McFarland, 2003. Research Papers on Origins and Exchanges along the Silk RoadsDefinition of Export QuotasCanaanite Influence on the Early Israelite ReligionQuebec and CanadaAssess the importance of Nationalism 1815-1850 EuropePETSTEL analysis of India19 Century Society: A Deeply Divided EraBringing Democracy to AfricaWhere Wild and West MeetTwilight of the UAWAppeasement Policy Towards the Outbreak of World War 2

Analysis of Robert Hass's Meditation at Lagunitas Essay

Analysis of Robert Hass's Meditation at Lagunitas - Essay Example This research will begin with the statement that Robert Hass is known to have spent much of his life residing in the ‘Lagunitas’, a rural town in Northern California, where beautiful forests, lakes, and green grass thrive and most   importantly, it reserves the spot for the wildly growing blackberries which Hass makes reference to in the poem. Hence, the poet can be imagined to be taking a stride along paths surrounded by the scenic wonders in Lagunitas at which he might have found delight in meditating and composing poems altogether. As Hass speaks of the ‘clown-faced woodpecker’ and the ‘black birch’ in the 5th and 6th lines, the curious reader may readily suppose that these details appear specific as they are in association to the place, in the same way, the author may have held a special regard for Lagunitas being a particular setting. Since the poet is claimed to have sought inclinations with an Oriental school of thinking, the meditation carried out through his poem may be thought to derive influence in part from Hass’s religious endeavor with Buddhism and Hinduism. By the first and second lines, the poet necessitates introducing the piece by alluding that there exists loss as language fails with proper expression in â€Å"the new thinking†. A â€Å"clown- / faced woodpecker probing the dead sculpted trunk / of that black birch† is a metaphor for his quest for a more suitable expression and eloquence. The act of â€Å"probing the dead sculpted trunk† provides an imagery for such theme, justifying the fact that the struggle to find an exact identity with words is as painstaking as it gets in the process. At a point, saying â€Å"a word is an elegy to what it signifies† blends of tragedy with occasional beauty especially as the writer testifies to the truth about his friend’s voice in the 13th line where it possesses â€Å"a thin wire of grief†. This tonal conflict ind icates how at times, poetic potentials may be limited by the approach and narrow scope of language the complexity of which is normally understood on a gradual basis. The General vs. The Particular Hass appears to be utilizing irony in the rather Platonic concept which distinguishes the unique worldly elements and the words that represent a uniform ideal. Such application of Platonic thought supports the first two lines as it vividly depicts the proof that general philosophical ideas can be clear but are practically useless while personal experience counts in developing conveyable philosophical thought. Despite this, the narrator sounds appreciative with â€Å"the luminous clarity of a general idea† even though the intricacy in specifics removes its original essence. Close It is seemingly through the lamenting about â€Å"loss† that words along with the human experiences bound to which as well as the ability to recount them, lose their intended significance. The signifi cance of the Blackberry On the second half of ‘Meditation at Lagunitas’, the poet diverts his path of discourse from the notion of the general to the certain ensuing splendor which bears another subject of particular value. Brought by the transition stating that â€Å"everything dissolves: justice, pine, hair, woman, you and I†, the term ‘woman’ which gets mentioned twice in the 16th line constitutes softness in thought as if Hass chooses to mellow from the former mode of heavy meditation.

Project management Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Project management - Research Paper Example In such cases there may be no time for iterations even if it means compromising on product quality. The adaptive model solves these problems and delivers solution according to the situation. This is an excellent model and would fail only if the project team is incompetent to adapt to the changing objectives. Extreme PMLC model has a high probability of failing at each step because the objectives are not known beforehand and are derived from previous phases. Thus, there is a high chance of going awry. The risks associated with this model can be mitigated by high level of client involvement (Wysocki & Rudd, 2003). Critical path chain method proves to be more efficient than critical path method for project management. Critical chain method helps in reducing the project duration by about 30% generally. It leads to better utilization of resources. The critical and non-critical tasks are both given equal attention in this method. Critical path chain method makes optimum use of buffers which is not done in case of critical path method. It also adds the best practices from PMBOK, Lean and Six Sigma to critical path method. For example, Critical path method if used by Navy would tell the critical path but would give misleading information because a number of days in between are safety days or lags which the navy cannot afford. The same are removed in critical path chain

Dundee Ready Educational Environment Measure Research

Dundee Ready Educational Environment Measure Research Abstract: Background: DREEM (Dundee Ready Educational Environment Measure) is a validated and global tool for assessing educational environment. It can be used to make comparative analysis of educational environment. Our aim is to study medical school students perception of their environment and correlate this with cGPA, gender and year of study. Materials and Method: This cross-sectional study involved students of semesters 5, 7 and 9 of Dow Medical College from August 2013 to August 2014. DREEM questionnaires were provided to participants in written form. Descriptive statistics were used to evaluate mean and SD score for total DREEM and DREEM domains. ANOVA was used to categorize any variation related to three semesters and unpaired t- test was used to classify gender related variances. Results: Total number of respondents was 246 (response rate=82.0%), of which 69(28.04%) were males and 177(71.95%) were females. Total DREEM score was calculated as 110.4/200(55.2%). Maximum score was established in the domain of students’ self-social perception (56.8%) and lowest in domain of students’ perceptions of learning (53.3%). Conclusion: The research shows that students’ perception of their educational environment is slightly more positive than average. It is clear that cGPA does not have an enormous impact on the mind-set of students as commonly perceived. Key Words: Dundee Ready Education Environment Measure, educational environment, cGPA, undergraduate, medical education. Background: The ‘educational environment’ defined as everything that happens within the classroom, campus or university as whole is crucial in determining the success of undergraduate medical education [1]. In 1998, the World Federation for Medical Education highlighted the learning environment as one of the determining factors in the evaluation of medical education programs 2. Medical educators widely agree upon the fact that the effects of the educational environment, both academic and clinical, are important determinants of medical students’ attitude, knowledge and skill 2. The key to the provision of highly motivated, student centered education is precise evaluation of the academic and clinical aspects of a medical institution. For such highly quality and accurate assessment, there is a need of comprehensive and valid tool [3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8]. For decades, researchers have assessed and developed various tools to measure learning environment in primary and secondary education as well as for tertiary education [9, 10, 11]. In health profession, nursing educational system and their perceived environment has been studied comprehensively as well [12, 13, 14, 15]. Educators and researchers have attempted to define and measure the medical education environment as basis for implementing modifications and thus optimizing the educational environment [16, 17, 18, 19]. The most widely used contemporary tool is almost certainly the Dundee Ready Education Environment Measure (DREEM) [20]. The DREEM is a 50-item measure of students perceptions of their learning environment which projects scores on five domains. These five domains are labeled as, students’ perception of learning, perception of course organizers, academic self-perception, perception of atmosphere and social self-perception [21]. DREEM questionnaire, developed by an international Delphi panel, has been applied to several undergraduate courses for health professionals worldwide. It produces global readings and diagnostic analyses which allows quality comparisons to be made in the performance and effectiveness of different medical schools. This instrument has been translated into Spanish, Portuguese, Arabic, Chinese, Dutch Swedish, Norwegian, Malay and Thai and used in several settings including the Middle East, Thailand, Nepal and Nigeria [22, 23,24]. It is currently being utilized in the medical schools of the UK, Canada, Ireland, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Norway, Sweden, Venezuela, the West Indies, Sri Lanka, Oman and the Kingdom Of Saudi Arabia to evaluate the students’ perception and help medical and health schools to recognize their educational priorities and as a result, introduce more effective measures [25, 26, 27, 28, 29 30] Dow Medical College, located in Karachi, is one of the oldest medical schools in Pakistan. In 2003, it became a constituent college of the newly formed Dow University of Health Sciences. Gradual but definitive changes in the teaching strategies are being implemented at Dow Medical College. With the batch of 2009, Dow University of Health Sciences has introduced an integrated modular curriculum. Dow University is the first public sector medical university of Pakistan to have introduced this modern method of education. The curriculum has been developed by a strong team of faculty members of the University and this has greatly enhanced the teaching standards. Moreover, it has proved to greatly impact students’ perception of their learning environment. The course work of five years has been divided into 10 semesters and a semester examination is conducted at the end of the course of 6 months. Modular and midterm examinations are held for regular appraisal of students. The rationale of this study is to evaluate the effect of cGPA on the students’ perception of educational environment at Dow Medical College, and to assess any differences in perception related to gender and year of study using Dundee Ready Education Environment Measure (DREEM). Materials and Methods: This is a cross-sectional study, conducted on the target population of the students of semester 5, 7 9 of Dow Medical College, Karachi from 30th August 2013 to 30th August 2014. The study was approved by the Medical Ethics Committee of Dow University of Health Sciences. DREEM questionnaires were distributed to 246 students of semesters 5, 7 9. DREEM consists of 50 statements, grouped in five domains, relevant to the educational environment. The respondents were asked to read each statement carefully and to respond using a five-point Likert scales ranging from strongly agree to strongly disagree. Each item was scored as follows: 4 for strongly agree, 3 for agree, 2 for uncertain, 1 for disagree and 0 for strongly disagree. The DREEM inventory has a maximum score of 200. It consists of the following domains: Students Perceptions of Learning (12 questions, maximum score: 48) Students Perceptions of Teachers (11 questions, maximum score: 44) Students Academic Self-Perceptions (8 questions, maximum score: 32) Students Perceptions of Atmosphere (12 questions, maximum score: 48) Students Social Self-Perceptions (7 questions, maximum score: 28) It was made sure that the personal identity of the students remained anonymous. It was also explained that the data would not be forwarded to third party. Before distributing the research questionnaire to the students, a thorough explanation was given to them in order to describe the objectives dimensions of the study. Data was analyzed using SPSS version-16.0. Descriptive statistics tool was used to evaluate arithmetic means and standard deviation for total DREEM all five sub-scales. ANOVA was used to categorize any variation related to three semesters and level of significance was taken at â€Å"p Results: Response rate: Response rate was 82% (246/300), distribution of response rate of students in selected semesters in chosen medical school was semester 5: 101 (41.05%); semester 7: 75 (30.48%); semester 9: 70 (28.45%). Male and female students accounted for 69 (28.04%) and 177 (71.95%) for responding samples, respectively. Total DREEM mean score was calculated to be 110.4/200 (55.2%) among all three semesters. Components of Table 1, are: Maximum and minimum scores of DREEM inventory and its five domains, arithmetic mean with standard deviation and percentage of mean score with interpretations. In Table 1, the highest score was recorded in the domain of students’ social self-perceptions (56.8%) and lowest in the of students’ perception of learning domain (53.3%). Table 2 shows the mean scores of DREEM inventory in selected semesters. There has been a significant difference in the perceptions of students of 5th, 7th and 9th semesters regarding environment. Students of 9th semester hold a considerable positive attitude which is exhibited not only by their mean DREEM score but also when viewing all the domains of DREEM individually, with a maximum of 61.4% positivity in the domain of â€Å"Students’ self-social perception† and a minimum of 58.8% in the sub-scale of â€Å"Students’ perception of atmosphere†. Response of 7th semester students’ is somewhat positive as shown by their mean DREEM score of 112/200 (56%), score being highest of 57.8% in the subscale of â€Å"Students’ social self-perceptions† and lowest of 54.3% in â€Å"Students’ perception of teachers† domain. Response of 5th semester students’ in all domains, though not in negative integers, is certainly poor being just 51.35% on the mean DREEM score of 102.7/200. Response rate is maximum in the sub-scale of â€Å"Students’ social self-perceptions† and minimum in â€Å"Students’ perception of learning† These results show that students of all three semesters had maximum positive response as represented by their respective scores in the sub-scale of â€Å"Students’ social self-perception†. This is further explained under the section of discussions. Table 3 describes another objective of this study which is, the effect of cGPA on students’ mind-set regarding academic studies, social life and professors. Using DREEM inventory, it is remarkable to know that cGPA is an insignificant factor from analyzed data. This is suggestive that cGPA is not an accurate representative of academic status of student at the medical college. Table 4 delineates difference in the observation of educational environment among male and female gender. Males were found to be more positive about educational environment with response rate of 58.1% on total DREEM score of 116.2/200 while females had the total DREEM score of 108.1/200 with response rate of 54.1%. Males’ response was substantially more positive in every subscale except â€Å"Students’ academic self-perceptions† domain which was determined as a non-significant factor in this comparison between males and females. Discussion: According to the practical guide of McAleer, a mean score between 50 and 100 indicates probable problems in the learning environment [31]. In medical schools with a traditional curriculum, domain scores are found to be below 120; however, in modern, student-centered curriculums, the mean score is generally improved [32]. The results presented herein revealed a mean score of 110.4/200 (55.2%) for the DREEM five domains. Subscale analysis exhibited maximum in the section of students’ social self-perceptions and lowest in domain of students’ perception of learning. The DREEM score of students of 9th semester was slightly positive than students of 5th and 7th semesters presumably because they did not follow the modular system. Their studies were not fast paced and so they were not over burdened by the course. Since the modular system has specified a limited time span for the completion of each course comprehensively, the high burn out rate was apparent in students of this new, fast paced system. Hence the students of 5th and 7th semesters perceived the milieu more negatively than semester 9 students. Effect of cGPA on students’ academic lives was an important aspect of this study. From the results obtained, it is clear that cGPA did not have an enormous impact on the mind-set of students as commonly anticipated. This could be attributable to a fact that majority of the students at DMC, instead of competing for marks, aimed to compete for practical expertise. From the response given by the students, it also appeared that respondents of this research preferred their semester papers to be more clinically oriented in lieu of constructed on outmoded system which is based rote-learning. Students’ perception of the educational environment has a considerable influence on their performance, motivation and academic accomplishments. The analysis also showed the lowest score in the domain of students’ perception of self-learning. It could be attributable to compact learning time and challenging course. This is a point of concern because students are important stake holders of any educational institution and if they are not satisfied with the perception of self-learning then this matter should be taken into consideration by the concerned authorities with sincerity and wherever necessary, credence should be given to students opinion as well. The analysis explains the DREEM score of male students to be more positive than the female students. One reason of this might be the ratio of female students is much higher than the ratio of male students in medical colleges which may be the cause of a competitive approach to learning amongst girls hence more chances of disappointments and negative opinions about the environment. Conclusion: It is concluded that cGPA does not have an enormous impact on the mind-set of students. In all sub-scales, the DREEM score is slightly more positive than average. Mean DREEM score in all three semesters in Dow Medical College is 110.4/200 (55.2%). Sub-scale analysis revealed maximum score in the domain of students’ social self-perceptions and lowest in domain of students’ perception of learning. Hence, results obtained in study can be astutely used to make reforms in academic curriculum, examination patterns, and to direct tactical improvement in order to make educational environment more interesting and better for students. Competing interests: Authors contributions: Authors information: Acknowledgements: References: [1]. Lokuhetty M, Warnakulasuriya S, Perera R, De Silva H, Wijesinghe H. Students’ perception of the educational environment in a Medical Faculty with an innovative curriculum in Sri Lanka. South-East Asian Journal of Medical Education. 2011;4(1):916. [2]. Hammond S, ORourke M, Kelly M, Bennett D, OFlynn S. A psychometric appraisal of the DREEM. BMC medical education. 2012;12(1):2. [3]. Maida A, Vasquez A, Herskovic V, Calderon J, Jacard M, Pereira A et al. A report on student abuse during medical training. Medical teacher. 2003;25(5):497501. [4]. Snadden D. Editorial: Student health and abuse: what is going on out there? Medical teacher. 2003;25(5):461462. [5]. Kovatz S, Notzer N, Bleiberg I, Shenkman L. Cultural perception of harassment in two groups of medical students: American and Israeli. Medical Teacher. 2004;26(4):349352. [6]. Seabrook M. Clinical students initial reports of the educational climate in a single medical school. Medical education. 2004;38(6):659669. [7]. Seabrook M. Intimidation in medical education: students and teachers perspectives. Studies in Higher Education. 2004;29(1):5974. [8]. Lempp H, Seale C. The hidden curriculum in undergraduate medical education: qualitative study of medical students perceptions of teaching. BMJ. 2004;329(7469):770-3. [9]. Fraser, B. (1982). Development of short forms of several classroom environment scales. Journal of Educational Measurement, 19(3), pp.221227. [10]. Trickett EJ, Moos RH, Press CP. Classroom environment scale: Consulting Psychologists Press; 1987. [11]. Pace CR, Stern GG. An approach to the measurement of psychological characteristics of college environments. Journal of Educational Psychology. 1958;49(5):269. [12]. Chan D. Development of an innovative tool to assess hospital learning environments. Nurse Education Today. 2001;21(8):624-31. [13]. Chan DS. Combining qualitative and quantitative methods in assessing hospital learning environments. International journal of nursing studies. 2001;38(4):447-59. [14]. Chan D. Development of the Clinical Learning Environment Inventory: using the theoretical framework of learning environment studies to assess nursing students perceptions of the hospital as a learning environment. The Journal of nursing education. 2002;41(2):69-75. [15]. Saarikoski M, Leino-Kilpi H. The clinical learning environment and supervision by staff nurses: developing the instrument. International Journal of Nursing Studies. 2002;39(3):259-67. [16]. Rothman A, Ayoade F. The development of a learning environment: a questionnaire for use in curriculum evaluation. Academic Medicine. 1970;45(10):7549. [17]. 5.Marshall R. Measuring the medical school learning environment. Academic Medicine. 1978;53(2):98104. [18]. Feletti G, Clarke R. Review of psychometric features of the medical school learning environment survey. Medical Education. 1981;15(2):9296. [19]. Moore-West M, Harrington D, Mennin S, Kaufman A, Skipper B. Distress and attitudes toward the learning environment: effects of a curriculum innovation. Teaching and Learning in Medicine: An International Journal. 1989;1(3):151157. [20].Roff S, McAleer S, Harden R, Al-Qahtani M, Ahmed A, Deza H et al. Development and validation of the Dundee ready education environment measure (DREEM). Medical Teacher. 1997;19(4):295—299. [21]. Roff S. The Dundee Ready Educational Environment Measure (DREEM)-a generic instrument for measuring students perceptions of undergraduate health professions curricula. Medical Teacher. 2005;27(4):322-5. [22]. Al-Qahtani MFM. Approaches to study and learning environment in medical schools with special reference to the Gulf countries: University of Dundee; 1999. [23]. Pimparyon SMC, S. Pemba, S. Roff, P. Educational environment, student approaches to learning and academic achievement in a Thai nursing school. Medical Teacher. 2000;22(4):359-64. [24]. Roff S, McAleer S, Ifere O, Bhattacharya S. A global diagnostic tool for measuring educational environment: comparing Nigeria and Nepal. Medical teacher. 2001;23(4):378-82. [25]. Till H, Roff S, McAleer S, editors. Identifying the Strengths and Weaknesses of a New Curriculum by Means of the DREEM Inventory. Poster presentation at AMEE Conference, Lisbon; 2002. [26]. Till H. Identifying the perceived weaknesses of a new curriculum by means of the Dundee Ready Education Environment Measure (DREEM) Inventory. Medical teacher. 2004;26(1):39-45. [27]. Zamzuri A, Ali A, Roff S, McAleer S. Students perceptions of the educational environment at dental training college. Malaysian Dent J. 2004;25:15-26. [28]. Bassaw B, Roff S, McAleer S, Roopnarinesingh S, De Lisle J, Teelucksingh S, et al. Students perspectives on the educational environment, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Trinidad. Medical teacher. 2003;25(5):522-6. [29]. Al-Zidgali L. Students’ approaches to studying at the Institute of Health Sciences, Sultanate of Oman. Masters of Medical Education dissertation, University of Dundee. 1999. [30]. Al-hazimi A, Al-hyiani A, Roff S. Perceptions of the educational environment of the medical school in King Abdul Aziz University, Saudi Arabia. Medical teacher. 2004;26(6):570-3. [31]. McAleer S, Roff S: A practical guide to using the Dundee Ready Education Environment Measure (DREEM). Curriculum, Environment, Climate, Quality and Change in Medical Education: a Unifying Perspective. AMEE Education Guide No. 23. Dundee: Association for Medical Education in Europe Edited by Genn JM. 2001, 29-33. [32]. http://www.biomedcentral.com/1472-6920/10/87

Good Girls Gone Bad :: essays research papers

Good Girls Gone Bad   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Bars slammed against the cold metal; the sound of screaming and chaos filled the cell. I could hear a young girl crying in the cell next to mine and it made me sigh with sadness. As a former inmate of the State of Texas women’s prison facility, the echoes of the sounds I heard daily, still remain fresh in the back of my mind. Coming to terms with my sentence and trying to figure out what had landed me there sparked a curios interest. The increasing rate of women in prison and the factors leading them behind bars was clearly becoming more obvious as I spoke and lived with the ladies in white jumpsuits. To prevent and help these women and to also help those who have yet to make their same mistakes we need to better understand and evaluate some causes for their imprisonment. There are three main factors that I believe to be a major contributor to our daughters, mothers and children living behind bars: family status or situation, drug abuse and criminal activit ies.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Family status and situations are important to our daily balance in life. We often depend on and care for those who we are closest to. A woman who had had an unstable or hostile living environment, whether it be rape, incest or molestation, will be more likely to end up living in prison for part or all of her life. Our family or caregiver(s) plays a vital role in determining our future success. If we are brought up with morals and Leslie McEntire Page 2 Respect towards others, we are less likely to want to be involved in criminal activity or drug use. As humans we also like to be hugged and kissed by those who call us their Own. If that affection and love is violated or destroyed all together, there is little chance for a normal recovery without expensive counseling.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Drug abuse was evident in almost every face I saw while at Plane State Jail. Although I was only 25 years old, I was aware of what drug use was doing to our beautiful women. It was written on their faces, scarred on their body and forever etched into their minds and souls. Although deadly and unrewarding consequences emerge from drug use, women continue to use and abuse hundreds of illegal substances. In many cases, women were using drugs because of pressures from their boyfriend. Good Girls Gone Bad :: essays research papers Good Girls Gone Bad   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Bars slammed against the cold metal; the sound of screaming and chaos filled the cell. I could hear a young girl crying in the cell next to mine and it made me sigh with sadness. As a former inmate of the State of Texas women’s prison facility, the echoes of the sounds I heard daily, still remain fresh in the back of my mind. Coming to terms with my sentence and trying to figure out what had landed me there sparked a curios interest. The increasing rate of women in prison and the factors leading them behind bars was clearly becoming more obvious as I spoke and lived with the ladies in white jumpsuits. To prevent and help these women and to also help those who have yet to make their same mistakes we need to better understand and evaluate some causes for their imprisonment. There are three main factors that I believe to be a major contributor to our daughters, mothers and children living behind bars: family status or situation, drug abuse and criminal activit ies.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Family status and situations are important to our daily balance in life. We often depend on and care for those who we are closest to. A woman who had had an unstable or hostile living environment, whether it be rape, incest or molestation, will be more likely to end up living in prison for part or all of her life. Our family or caregiver(s) plays a vital role in determining our future success. If we are brought up with morals and Leslie McEntire Page 2 Respect towards others, we are less likely to want to be involved in criminal activity or drug use. As humans we also like to be hugged and kissed by those who call us their Own. If that affection and love is violated or destroyed all together, there is little chance for a normal recovery without expensive counseling.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Drug abuse was evident in almost every face I saw while at Plane State Jail. Although I was only 25 years old, I was aware of what drug use was doing to our beautiful women. It was written on their faces, scarred on their body and forever etched into their minds and souls. Although deadly and unrewarding consequences emerge from drug use, women continue to use and abuse hundreds of illegal substances. In many cases, women were using drugs because of pressures from their boyfriend.