Porters 5 Forces Essay

Five Forces analysis for IT industry Wipro Technologies is a global information technology (IT) services company. It provides custom application design and development, IT consulting, systems integration, technology infrastructure out sourcing, software products and BPO services. Michael Porter’s Five Forces Model looks at five key areas- the threat of entry, the power of buyers, the power of suppliers, the threat of substitutes, and competitive rivalry. Threat of new entrants: New entrant in the market may have an effect on share of older counterparts Threat of substitute: Due to technological advances, Quality constraints or cost effectiveness there can be a threat of the substitute on the industry. Bargaining Power of customer: This is the bargaining power of the customer -one who is consumer of the goods. Bargaining Power of suppliers: This is the bargaining power of the supplier -one who supplies sources that are needed for finished goods. Comparative Rivalry within Industry: It tells about extent of competition in between firms in an industry. Porters Five Forces helps to analyse how these forces act together to cause the company to increase or decrease profitability of the company. The strategy of the company should be to influence these forces to maximise profitability. Hence below is a study of the IT industry and study of profitability in custom application design development, systems integration, technology infrastructure management segments of IT Threats and barriers to entry Economies of scale and Capital Investment Requirements: IT requires very low investment and hence we have hundreds of startups starting every year. While it is easy to invest and start a software company sustaining growth does not come easy. All these start-ups also play in an area where Wipro does not compete like low value projects or in subcontracted work. Hence they are not a threat to the profitability of Wipro. India is the favourite destination for off shoring Information Technology (IT) and IT enabled Services. The Indian IT/ITES industry commands more than 50% of global ITES off shoring market share. The IT/ITES exports are set to cross USD 60 billion by 2010 and Nasscom (The National Association for Software and Services Companies), estimates that the industry will account for USD 63. 7 billion of revenues and direct employment is expected to reach nearly 2. 3 million. The IT industry contributes around 26 per cent of India’s total exports and was around 6. 1 percent of India’s GDP for financial year 2009-2010 (NASSCOM, 2010). 2 Customer switching costs Wipro works across verticals like telecom, BFSI, Media and Communication, Automobiles, Government, Technology, Manufacturing, Energy, Healthcare, Hospitality etc and has several ODC or offshore development centres for nearly all top companies in the world. These offshore development centres have thousands of resources working with multi year projects earning millions of dollars of revenue a year. The cost of shifting or switching even a part of these projects to other companies would involve huge set up, transitioning costs with no guaranteed results. Wipro has quality certifications like Cmmi Level 5, PCMM Level 5,BS9977 etc and new entrants will face a barrier in this regard. Global contracts will not be given to companies with the lack of certification. The lack of security certifications will cause customers to have security related concerns while sending data offshore. 3 Access to distribution channels and technology This poses no difficulty. Many top business unit heads have previously quit from Wipro and spawned off their own company which has grown and sometimes taken a part of the market share of Wipro. Since the industry thrives on knowledge workers when a senior person leave he takes access and knowledge of customer base and customer contacts with him. The Internet is present everywhere and software technology in the era of open source is easily accessible to all. 4 Government Subsidies and policies Current favourable policy by government for new ITES-BPO firms is creating competitive situation for Wipro and other established players in the India IT industry. The reforms have reduced licensing requirements and made foreign technology accessible. The reforms have also removed restrictions on investment and made the process of investment easier. This has tremendously helped the IT industries. The Indian government is actively promoting FDI and investments from NRIs (Non-Resident Indians). FDI can be brought in through the automatic route, based on powers accorded to the Reserve Bank of India. Improvement and reach of telecommunication can aid new entrants into the IT industry. Similary improvements in infrastructure and power sector can also aid new entrants into the IT industry. Recognizing the importance of Venture Capital Funding, the Ministry of Information Technology has set up a National Venture Fund for the Software and IT Industry with a corpus of Rs. 100 crore. The main aim of the venture capital Fund is to provide Venture Capital to start up software professionals and small IT units. Nasscom (most important promoter of the IT/BPO industry) has been playing a crucial role in helping the IT industry achieve the IT and ITES vision and make India far ahead of other players in the field of IT and BPO. But new entrants and start ups can never be in the league of Wipro which adds 20-30 new customers every quarter and earns revenue in the range 0f 50-60 billon USD every quarter. 5 Brand Loyalty Since Wipro is in multi year relationships with most of it’s customers and since the relationship is driven top down from CEO level and exists sometimes with entire IT organisation of the customer, there is a deep brand loyalty that cannot be forsaken. Wipro trades on NYSE and is a well respected global company. Threat of Substitute Price is most often the main differentiator among key players in the software industry quality of service being the same. Indian IT firms like Wipro face stiff competitions from their counterpart in other emerging market like Russia, Brazil, Mexico, Philippines and China. The IT providers in these markets charge competitive rates as compared to Wipro. But Wipro has development centres in China , Philippines so that they can leverage the same advantage. At the same time Wipro attracts a huge pool of resources from the many leading technical institutions across India . These resources are trained to work in many technologies and also are very flexible with respect to work timings. Additionally, the Wipro has been exceptionally quality focused being the first Indian Cmmi Level 5 company with high-skilled pool of knowledge workers with English speaking Hence it has an upper edge over other offshore locations like China, Philippines or Latin American countries 1 Quality/Value proposition While start-ups work like a flash in the pan and sometimes do attract a first time IT outsourcer it is MNCs like IBM and Cognizant which can be identified as substitutes for Wipro. Cognizant with it’s steady and continued growth rate has taken a part of the market share of companies like Wipro. An MNC with a formidable history and background can e work as substitute for Wipro in the software industry due to the differentiation that they bring in terms of delivery models, senior people/leadership in the organisation, R;D focus, steady focus on not yet mature verticals (like healthcare in Cognizant’s case for example) and pumping back money into the business. These MNC bring a better value to the customer and engage the customer at a more strategic level . Buyer’s willingness and relative price/performance of substitute As per a report in Economic Times Emerging near shore rivals, including Ness Technologies of Israel, CPM Braxis of Brazil and Mexico-headquartered Softtek are increasingly becoming attractive for top outsourcing customers such as GE, Citibank and several others seeking to work with local, specialised vendors instead of sending all projects to offshore locations like India. Though Wipro is growing it’s presence in the emerging markets of Latin America, Eastern Europe and Asia, they face stiff competition from these newer rivals. For many customers who already have significant presence in offshore locations like India, it’s a risk diversification, Some customers having 70-80 per cent of their offshore resources in India are realising that they need to look at the third category of suppliers that are local and niche. Over the past two years, companies such as CPM Braxis, EPAM Systems, Ness Technologies, Softtek, Merchants and Spi Global have emerged as stronger rivals for Indian tech firms, especially while bidding for an outsourcing contract being fleshed out by a ‘first-time outsourcer’. Brazilian firm CPM Braxis, for instance, which counts GE, ABN Amro and Whirlpool as clients, reported revenues of around $567 million in 2008. One of the top four Brazilian banks, Bradesco, is also among the biggest customers for the company. While these emerging outsourcing rivals are not yet in the big league of mega, multi-year contracts, they are still able to gain business because of their niche and local market expertise. On an average, these companies are able to win contracts worth $2-5 million in annual contract value. Bargaining power of customer Concentration of buyers and sellers There are a large numbers of playes in the software industry. While India and Indian software companies with demonstrated performance are the lead runners, players across the world and especially from other developing countries like Brazil etc are in the run. Hence the customer has huge bargaining power. 2 Profitability of buyer OF late due to the cut in IT spending, while IT spend of the custome rs may have reduced, the number of players are vying for the same budget. Hence cost advantages become very major and customer drives the billing rates. This is because most of the projects are in maintenance or integration and quality differentiation may not be there among number of players. 3 Switching Costs But for existing projects where switching costs are high , new higher billing rates have been worked on on contract renewal even in the recession period. Also with a tighter monitoring of IT spend of customers and in an effort to distribute the risks customers also rarely give an entire project to one customer often distributing the project to all key players hence igniting rivalry and competition. Forward Integration Many captive companies have leveraged the same advantage as companies like Wipro of resource availability at low costs and have opened their captive centres in India, which acts as an IT wing of their company and develops software for them. Examples are many like Shell , JP Morgan, man international banks, Bosch, Boeing etc. Bargaining power of supplier 1 Concentration of suppliers and demand Since there are a lar ge number of technical institutions campus recruitments bring in thousands of entry level people at low salaries. But at the same time attrition is very high in the software field since with experience resources may move to greener pastures. 2 Profitability of suppliers There is a huge demand for experienced professionals in key skill areas. Companies need to continually invest in resource development and training in upcoming technologies and keep them from leaving the company by attractive remunerations, trips abroad etc. Since many of the suppliers who support the IT service industry -are local and IT industry earning capitalize on the rupee dollar difference . The suppliers are happy to be in engagement with the IT company and are happy with what they are offered though it is a miniscule of what the IT company earns. Example are cab companies. Rivalry or Competition 1 Structure of competition The key players in the IT industry are in intense competition with each other. All the major players like TCS, Infosys etc have the same kind of delivery models, verticals focus, billing rates and also almost the same customer base, geographical presence etc. So most of the competition is around excelling in domain knowledge, gaining thought leadership in technology areas and building customer relationships. But the large players are only a few in number who are clear market leaders. Still Startups concentrate on niche technologies and domains and beat inroads into the IT companies market share. Start-ups thrive on a hire and fire policy where the resources are taken on at the beginning of a project at high salaries and fired after it’s completion. Since there is no service differentiation the customer believes in divide and rule policy where the each key player is given a near equal piece of the pie, pitching one player against the other and igniting intense rivalry. The key to getting good projects is good experienced resources, number of people with a specific skill etc. Hence resource poaching is a common phenomenon. 2 Cost structure of the Industry Companies like Wipro have high overheads owing to it’s size and complex organisation structure. New companies with none of the legacy of Wipro, can come in with niche focus and take a portion of maket share related to R;D, innovation where creativity, technicall prowess is more key than standard processes, certifications etc. So time and again projects are lost to smaller companies who are more nimble and lean and once that happens it can plot the growth story of a new rival in that specific domain for Wipro. Wipro thrives majorly on large offshore multi-year dollar contracts in application maintenance, infrastructure management where skills are not high end. The requirement is to maintain large bench strength to quickly source these projects. This adds to the cost of most key players in the Indian IT scene. 3 Strategic Objectives For the past 5 years Wipro and other key players have had relatively lesser focus on moving up the value chain. All key players are still milking the standard IT services industry demand for maintenance, testing, infra management contracts with global companies in an primarly offshore model. Growth strategies are mainly to expand to newer geographies access the same standard IT services demand. Growth of all key players have been demand driven and more or less uniform. There have been few acquisitions but no aggressive growth stories amongst competing players. It can be concluded that Wipro is a key player in the IT industry and carries on with it’s brand name, sheer size and momentum as also it’s leadership and service quality. But to up the ante key differentiations have to be brought in – which needs to be paradigm shift in the way business is done. Whether the innovation is thru new technologies like cloud computing or whether it is through the review of business models to emerge as a product and/or consulting company where it engages with the customer strategically – change is to be brought in. Else the MNCS like Cognizant, near shore companies like Ness etc may soon catch up or take a part of the pie.

Emerald City

Most people are pursuing a dream. The â€Å"American Dream† is the ideal of freedom and opportunity of achieving success and wealth; the belief that every individual can rise from rags to riches with a little grit, imagination and hard work. A dream could just as well be about personal fulfilment. We might not even need the success and glamour if we meet these personal dreams. Nevertheless we pursue opportunities in desire and expectation of living a better life, a life more glamorous and prosperous than our present. In Emerald City by Jennifer Egan, the main character Rory, an ambitious guy from Chicago, is seeking the â€Å"American Dream†.He has moved to New York in hope of reaching the glitter and success he expects the city to offer. Rory has built up expectations and ideas about New York through reading novels and envisioned the glamorous New York life he might be living even before arriving in the big city. In the beginning of the story Rory appears rather vain a nd irrational. He strives towards fitting into his own idea of the New York jet set, therefore he changes his behaviour: â€Å"†¦But no matter how much Rory ate, he stayed exactly the same. He took up smoking instead, although it burned his throat†1.He is pretending to be someone he is not, believing this change of behaviour will make him successful – â€Å"Fake it till you make it†. To emphasize this, Egan uses the Elmer’s glue as a catalyst to get Rory to reflect on his artificial life: the glue might look more appealing, but it is useless and fake as milk2. In the same manner Rory is misusing himself – he is not true to himself. â€Å"Rory had found this disturbing in a way he still didn’t quite understand†3. On a subconscious level he might be aware of this. Yet, it is not until the end of the story Rory realizes this.As one of the world’s largest cities New York, â€Å"The Big Apple†, is the epitome of a metrop olitan, emanating glory, greatness, opportunities as well as temptations. The immensity and diversity of the city makes the individual seem insignificant. Consequently you tend to get lost in the sea of people, feeling unimportant. New York represents today’s civilization of people trying to fit in. Like Rory and Stacey, everybody is reflecting themselves in other people in hope of being recognized and acknowledged. In addition the role of New York has a great importanceregarding the relationship between Rory and Stacey. â€Å"And it struck him that this was New York: a place that glittered from a distance even when you reached it†4. In this sudden revelation Rory realizes that New York always will be full of temptations and achievable success, and he understands that Stacey for him is the true glittering matter, he has been searching for. â€Å"He searched the dark shopfronts for something, some final thing at the core of everything else, but he found just his own re flection and Stacey’s†5. The relationship between Rory and Stacey seems to be the only deep matter in the story.Rory has the option of choosing one of the successful models. Nevertheless, he chooses Stacey: â€Å"†¦a failing model whom he adored against all reason†6. The narrator is a third-person narrator limited to Rory. As a reader you are not acquainted with Stacey’s feelings for Rory. It is implied that Stacey and Rory do not prioritize getting to know each other deeply. They are both too busy in their search of fulfilling their individual dreams. Yet, this changes in the end where Stacey realizes and accepts that her dream in New York presumably never will come true.Rory believed he had the power to crush Stacey by telling her she was not good enough succeeding as a model: â€Å"†¦ it would take so little, he thought, to crush her†7. But when he tells her this in the end she reveals an inner strength and ability to see new possibilit ies: â€Å"Rory held his breath, watching in alarmed amazement as the slender wand of her body swayed against the yellow sky. She had no trouble balancing [†¦] â€Å"If it doesn’t work†, she said, â€Å"then I’ll see the world some other way†8. Stacey is letting go of her dream, and she is able to see the world from a different angle.She may not know what will happen, but for the first time in the story she is showing heartfelt affection towards Rory: â€Å"She took Rory’s face in her hands and kissed him on the mouth – hard, with the fierce, tender urgency of someone about to board a train†9. This tells the reader that she does have feelings for Rory after all. The title â€Å"Emerald city† could be interpreted in several ways. The reflections in an emerald could represent how the people in New York are mirroring themselves in their unattainable conceptions of what it is like to be successful. That everybody is trying to be someone else, someone more successful.The title could moreover relate to the famous children’s novel â€Å"The wonderful wizard of Oz†, where everyone who enters the beautiful capital â€Å"Emerald City† has to wear green-tinted eyeglasses in order to protect themselves from the glory of the city. The city is not a special city, but the glasses make the city look green, although the city is no greener than every other city. Emerald City would in this allegory be New York, and clarify that New York is like any other big city. This would additionally explain why Rory disappointingly does not feel more successful than other people in New York.In â€Å"Emerald City† Rory and Stacey are pursuing their dreams of making it in New York. It is not until the end they realize that their hopes of succeeding is insignificant, as their dreams of a better life in fact are personal needs of acknowledgement and love. We are taught to believe that being successful will make us feel happier – that is what today’s society tells us. We rarely consider what could happen if our hopes of being successful do not live up to our expectations, if our life of chasing success does not make us happy or if being successful does not make us feel any more special.

Would You Recommend a Friend to Our Hospital

Running head: WOULD YOU RECOMMEND A FRIEND TO OUR HOSPITAL? 1 David M. Dowling Operations Management I Southwestern College 20 January 2011 Week 3 – The Culture & Quality at Arnold Palmer Hospital Running head: WOULD YOU RECOMMENT A FRIEND TO OUR HOSPITAL? 2 Abstract In this paper I will demonstrate the importance of instilling a culture of quality in employees and why it’s essential to establish a concise mission statement, code of ethics, procedures and processes that employees can utilize in order to carry out the hospitals philosophy and mission.I will also show what systems and processes I would set up in a new hospital to achieve a culture of quality in a hospital. The paper will also show some of the processes that the Arnold Palmer Hospital in Orlando, Florida uses to achieve such a high success rate in customer satisfaction. The bottom line of this paper is that it’s easy to claim or make the statement that a hospital provides a quality service. Itâ€⠄¢s another thing to deliver. Learned and established techniques from this text will help an operations manager achieve the desired goal for establishing an environment of quality, excellence and profitability.Running head: WOULD YOU RECOMMEND A FRIEND TO OUR HOSPITAL? 3 INTRODUCTION My Name is Dave Dowling and I am a new employee at the Arnold Palmer Hospital in Orlando, Florida. After graduating from Southwestern College I was looking for a company that I could exercise my new talents as an Operations Management graduate. I was drawn to Arnold Palmer Hospital because of their dynamic structure and their compassion and care for children. First I would like to give you a little background on the Arnold Palmer Hospital and why it is such an appealing place to work. It was founded in 1989, the Arnold Palmer Hospital (A. P. H. is sanctuary of hope and healing for many sick children. It has grown to be one of the largest women’s and children’s hospitals in the United State s. A. P. H. is a top level 1 children’s trauma facility. The hospital provides tangible services such as neonatal and pediatric intensive care services, pediatric oncology and cardiology. It also provides specialized service such as care for high risk pregnancies and maternal intensive care. The hospital is very proud of its new multi building facility that covers 676,000 square feet and houses some of the finest advanced state of the art medical equipment on the market today.This awesome facility houses 2,000 of the most compassionate and dedicated doctors, nurses and administrators found in any hospital in the United States. WOULD YOU RECOMMEND A FRIEND TO OUR HOSPITAL? 4 As part of the management team I was introduced to many of the processes that have been put into place at A. P. H. They have built a culture of quality that is focused on the patient and their family. The mantra at A. P. H. is â€Å"Quality is not just taking care of the patient, but also taking care of t he family†. Why is it important for Arnold Palmer Hospital to get patient assessment of health care quality.Does the patient have the expertise to judge the health care he or she receives? In order to feel the pulse of the hospital and truly be able to assess what services need to be added, deleted or modified. Administrators need to know how patients truly feel about the experience they had at the Arnold Palmer Hospital. A powerful tool that A. P. H. has been using is the comprehensive survey that captures a patient’s honest assessment on their experience. Administrators review the assessments on a daily basis. This tool will allow administrators, doctors, nurses and employees adjust processes to provide patients better services.If patients and families are unhappy about treatment, facilities, parking, finding their way around the hospital, the management and hospital administrators need to know. They need to know on a daily basis. The executive staff level at A. P. H. review assessments as they are loaded into the executive dash board on a daily basis. They look at four quadrants of the hospital operation. Services, Quality, Human Resources and Finances. The results of the survey’s allow corporate officers to move assets, resources , personnel and changes to that functional areas that need the change.The results can help hospitals learn how to treat patients the way they expect to be treated. WOULD YOU RECOMMEND A FRIEND TO OUR HOSPITAL? 5 Addressing the question, Do patients have the expertise to judge the health care he or she receives. According to (Drain, 2010) â€Å"Patients do judge the quality of clinical care they receive. However, they base their judgments on far more than the technical interventions, many of which they are unaware. The sweeping overhaul of the U. S. health care system likely will result in increased patient volumes for hospitals and medical practices.As the nation moves toward value-based purchasing, patient sa tisfaction will become an increasingly important measure of quality. In a 2009 HealthLeaders Media survey, nearly a third of health care executives said that the patient experience was their top priority; another 55% said that it was in their top five. All reported that patient experience would be a priority in five years. In a 2004 study of five clinical conditions, two dimensions of patient-centered care stood out: emotional support and respect for patients’ values, preferences and expressed needs.Simply, put, providing support and involving patients in decision making are associated with better outcomes. Good communication between patients and care providers drives positive patient experiences and compliance, which lead to positive outcomes. Patient satisfaction is not about making patients â€Å"happy†; it is about improving the patient’s experience to facilitate health and medical outcomes. When patients are satisfied, trust is enhanced. When patients trust their physician, they are more likely to disclose information, follow advice and adhere to treatment plans†.It is very difficult to answer this question, regardless if you feel that people have the expertise to judge physicians and hospital on the care they receive or not. One must keep in mind that most people just want to feel that they are receiving the best medical care possible and they want to be informed and feel that they are cared for and have a clear roadmap on what is going on with their treatment. WOULD YOU RECOMMEND A FRIEND TO OUR HOSPITAL? 6 How would you build a culture of quality in an organization such as Arnold Palmer Hospital?As an operations manager I would break down my plan to develop a culture of quality into three categories, management, personnel and facilities. In order to properly take an organization to â€Å"A Culture of Quality† It is important develop a plan at the management level first. The first step is to establish a code of ethics, mission statement and leadership philosophy for management and first line supervisors. Although Arnold Palmer Hospital empowers all employees to make decisions. A foundation of standards needs to be established in writing as a source document for all employees from the top down.This will make it very clear that there is specific behavior that is expected from every employee from the CEO to food service. The next step I would take is to establish a mission for the hospital. The goal is to provide quality health care and make the patient experience as pleasant and comfortable as possible. Establish with every employee that each patient is an individual and must be respected as a person. People and families tend to not be themselves when they are sick. Every employee needs to rise above their own feelings and focus on why they are in the health care business.Establish in the minds of employees that every patient has the right to comprehensive, compassionate family centered health care service. Every patient and family has a right to be heard with the concerns they have about the care they or their family member is receiving. I would establish a patient bill of rights in order to serve as a guideline for employees to follow and understand. Once rules and policy is established I would then implement and put into place the following processes in order to give our employees the means and tools to carry out the desired missions of the hospital board of directors and administrators.WOULD YOU RECOMMEND A FRIEND TO OUR HOSPITAL? 7 The first step is to establish a department that will construct a comprehensive survey the patients can fill out in order to capture what their experience was like at the hospital. I would then have the department establish an executive web site that this department can post reports, flowcharts, checksheets, Scatter Diagrams, cause and effect diagrams and various statistical reports. This will allow leaders at all levels see what patients like and dislike about their experience.This will allow top levels of management properly direct what processes need improvement and change and what assets need to be re-directed to those weak functional areas or processes. In order to ensure that your employees are on board with the hospital philosophy rules and policy must be established to empower employees to make decisions without being promoted to act. And work everyday with the goal of continually striving to improve processes and their specific job duties. I would also establish process improvement teams by department.These are the teams that ensure that data is being captured as problems arise with processes or employees and also reacting to customer surveys and tackle what patients see as a problem. And finally I would establish some type of awards program that would reward employees for making the effort of making our hospital a better place to work and a place the patients feel at ease with getting well. As mentioned in the p rior paragraphs, I would establish a training program that will instill the culture of quality in every employee. Encourage them to own it and live it.To continually strive to improve processes and that there is always room for improvement. I would also instill that communication is key. Ensure that employees understand that keeping customers informed WOULD YOU RECOMMEND A FRIEND TO OUR HOSPITAL? 8 is the number one priority. If you don’t have the answer, you will find someone who has the answer. The facility and equipement is also a very important concern when establishing a culture of quality within your hospital. As an operations manager you must ensure that the hospital has the best quality and up to date state of the art facilities and equipment that you budget will allow.Continually work with doctors, nurses, technicians and staff to ensure that operations is doing everything it can to ensure that processes are properly equipped and that patient rooms, surgical rooms an d all facets of the facility are properly supplied, illuminated, marked, and safe. The bottom line is that you need facilities that are state of the art facilities, processes that provide quality healthcare, programs and measures that capture the patients like and dislike about your hospital. But most of all you need to mentor your employees about all the task that need to be accomplished in order to achieve â€Å"a culture of quality†.Constant analysis and caring employees is what make this happen. What techniques does Arnold Palmer Hospital practice in its drive for quality and continuous improvement? The number one technique that A. P. H. utilizes is their comprehensive surveys. Patient survey capture the customer’s assessment’s of there experience in the hospital. These survey’s will assess customers expectations of the medical services that the hospital is offering. This survey will be in-depth and will ask a wide variety of questions from the qualit y of food, staff, accommodations and medical treatment.The most important question is â€Å"Would you recommend A. P. H. to your friends? † Once the surveys are done they are posted they are posted on the WOULD YOU RECOMMEND A FRIEND TO OUR HOSPITAL? 9 executive Dash Board which allows continuous monitoring of the problems and the measures the hospital staff are taking to correct the problems. It is important for key leadership and senior administrators to review survey each and every day in order to keep their pulse on the climate of the hospital and its patients.The survey asks specific questions such as respect, access, quality of care and medical staff, was the care coordinated, were you given a thorough explanation of your condition and follow on care. This information will assist employee, supervisors and administrators refine processes to improve the quality that is provided to patients. The new measure are pushed down to the individual department levels to ensure chan ges are made were the problems exist. A. P. H. management will also take these assessments and compare the against a national benchmark comparison in order to provide the best health care possible.Data is available on how other hospital might handle a similar issue or chanllenge. As mentioned prior, The A. P. H. executive dashboard is a crucial tool in assessing customers opinions about their experience at A. P. H. In order to truly know were we really stand with customers we must capture extremely accurate information on how our patients and their families fell about the care that we have provided. It doesn’t matter what we think, The only opionion that truly counts is the patients and their family. Another method is benchmarking.Benchmarking in order to ensure that standards are set in order to establish and maintain specific standards in the specific medical services that it will offer its customers. The specific services that they focus on are pediatric and neonatal inten sive care, pediatric oncology, labor and delivery and care for high risk pregnancies. As mentioned prior, the business of caring for people is the business of having highly trained physicians and WOULD YOU RECOMMEND A FRIEND TO OUR HOSPITAL? 10 state of the art equipment. This is your service. If you fail to contiunually update processes and benchmark.You will not survive, patients will simply go to better hospitals. Without benchmarking quality of service could slip causing customer dissatisfaction. Another interesting and unique technique that A. P. H. uses is giving senior leadership cell phone and they can monitor and get directly involved with patients and families if there are significant challenges or patients are unhappy or concerned about the service they are receiving. The senior management has taken call on the most trivial issues. The unique part of this story is they don’t see these small issues as trivial.This is probably why they rank so high nationwide in cust omer satisfaction. The hospital also uses various charts. I will briefly discuss the uses of each. The flow charts & Pareto charts are used to give staff and personnel a quick overview of what is happening in the hospital and nationwide. The Pareto charts also focus on critical items and leave less important issues off. This is a good chart to find out what the major problems are. Benchmarking is critical in showing where opportunities exist for improvement. Develop a fish-bone diagram illustrating the quality variables for a patient who just gave birth at A.P. H. Another tool that can be used by operations managers is cause and affect diagram or fish-bone chart. This can assist department heads such as those who are in charge of a post natal unit in a hospital. This chart can help doctors, pediatricians and pediatric nurses take care of mom and baby in a more efficient manner. It chart will identify potential causes to problems that that may have occurred in the past. Knowing what causes problems will give employees the ability to WOULD YOU RECOMMEND A FRIEND TO OUR HOSPITAL? 11 identify these problems.These charts should be updated as new problems arise and new equipment is introduced to the post labor or neo natal units. Charts like these help us document mistakes and learn from others . Below is a chart I developed to help the nurses and doctors identify potential causes of the most common post natal problems that hinder quality care for mom and baby. Material: Quality rooms designed for post natal patients PATIENTS HAVING TO ENDURE CRAMPED ROOMS COMPLAINTS ABOUT OLD EQUIPMENT AND SUPPLIES Method: Processes & classes to prepare parents to go home SPECIAL DESIGNED ROOMSROOMS THAT ACCOMMODATE MOM & BABY WELL LIGHTED ROOMSBASIC INFANT CARE CLASSE POOR PARENTING SKILLS ACCOMODATIONS FOR LONG TERM STAYSMOMS MEETING MOMS CLASSENO SUPPORT QUALITY MEDICAL SUPPLIESBIG BROTHER BIG SISTER CLASSESKIDS NOT COPINGPARENTAL BREASTFEEDING CLASS NOT UNDERSTANDING EDUCATED P ARENT PREPARED TO TAKE BABY HOME Hospital cant provide care because lack of state of the art equipment NEONATOLOGISTINEXPERIENCEDPEDIATRIC EMERGENCY UNIT PEDIATRIC NURSESLACK OF SPECIAL SKILLSPEDIATRICS INENSIVE CARE UNIT PEDIATRIC SPECIALISTSNICU CANT DEAL WITH NICU UNITSManpower: Quality Doctors, Nurses and specialists Machine: State of the art equipment & Services EMERGENCIESPEDIATRIC INPATIENT UNIT WOULD YOU RECOMMEND A FRIEND TO OUR HOSPITAL? 12 REFERENCES 1. Drain, M. , MA. (2010). How patient satifaction correlates with clinical quality, Retrieved from http://www. pressganey. com/improvinghealthcare /improvingHCBlog/blogPost/10-04-12/How_Patient_Satisfaction_Correlates_With_ Clinical_Quality. aspx

Exam question Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 1

Exam question - Coursework Example p-k encryption is more protected from cryptanalysis than conventional encryption. However, the security of any system depends on key length and the computational work engaged in breaking the cipher. In addition, the p-k encryption has superseded single key encryption. This is unlikely because of the increased processing power required . For conventional encryption, the same key is used for encryption and decryption. This means that it is feasible to develop a cryptographic system that relies on one key for encryption and a different key that is related for decryption. Additionally, these algorithms have the following important characteristics such as it is computationally infeasible to find out the decryption key when provided with only the knowledge of the algorithm and the encryption key. In addition to this some algorithms such as RSA, exhibits the following characteristics: Either of the two related keys can be used for encryption, while the other can also be used for decryption. 2. The implementation of a â€Å"covert channel† is a popular technique for subverting security safeguards. Two approaches to this method involve implementing â€Å"storage† or â€Å"timing† channels. Describe how such channels could be implemented in an actual system, and suggest ways in which the presence of such channels can be detected. Computers originally are made to ease the exchange of information. Latest information technology infrastructure has the central computers main framework ,while others do not develop into a personal computer. Additionally, the information revolve around and is opened in new avenues of IT ( Kim & Solomon, 2012).. This has also opened new possibilities for crimes. The attackers take advantage and use these opportunities to have passwords and therefore have the access to information and create disastrous effects on such networks and computers. For example: The nature of the computers has changed over the recent years..

Week 8 Discussion Questions Math 156 Personal Statement

Week 8 Discussion Questions Math 156 - Personal Statement Example Multiplication or division can be done by using fractional and division forms which have some advantages and disadvantages. Advantages of using fractional and division forms to multiply and divide are: Fractions allow use of small numbers in calculation which makes it easy to do calculations. If the small number is common to both numerator and denominator then it can be used to simplify or cancel both the denominator and numerator and the result is an easily workable fraction. For example, 25/30, a small number such as 5 can be used to cancel the numerator to 5 and the denominator to 6 so that 5/6 is obtained as the simplest fraction. Fraction division involves flipping the numerator and dominator followed by multiplication and simplified by cross multiplication. This makes it easier to work with fractions than decimals. Decimals are also easily workable if converted to fraction or whole numbers. Disadvantages includes cumbersomeness when working with recurring decimals which requires rounding off which in turn affects accuracy of the obtained answer and also some decimals might not be easily changeable to fractions and some fractions might not be easy to divide and simplify. Fourth grade level entails using mixed numbers, calculating probabilities and learning fractions. Knowledge of fractions can be taught using natural solids such as oranges, chocolate bars and guavas just to mention a few. Fraction is made up of two numbers referred to as numerator (top) and denominator (bottom) separated by horizontal line. This concept can be taught using an orange which is divided into several portions. The children should identify the number of portions which are the denominator. Portion(s) taken way are not included in the final number of the remaining portions which forms the numerator. If the orange is divided amongst 4 children, the fraction is  ¼ and if one child eats his/her portion while others await, then the remaining portion is  ¾. In

Issues in Contemporary Business Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Issues in Contemporary Business - Essay Example The way change is implemented and managed in an organization, such practice is known as organization change management.† (McNamara, n.d.) 1.3 Explanation Turner (2011) has explained that organizational change is generally referred to as that transformation through which a company goes as result of change in management, restructure, strategic orientation, development of new goals, merger of acquisition etc. Challenges which result from the events of organizational change have a ripple effect on the whole organization. According to Turner (2011), this happens because business units are completely integrated and therefore a change in one unit has a domino effect on the other units. Effectively managing this procedure is an art upon which a lot of consideration and expertise is provided so as to make it a new area of expertise known as Change Management. The process of change management is evolving due to changes in the preferences of customers, business landscapes, improved proces s and technologies etc. (Organizational Changes, n.d.) 1.4 Factors driving Changes and Innovations in Organizations Some primary drivers behind the process of organizational change include: Inadequate Financial Performance According to Soosay (2005), those companies which do not get able to meet their benchmarks of financial positions are compelled to examine their business processes and objectives. This is the major driver behind the organizational change. If a new competitor enters into the same industry having advanced technology or cheaper labor, companies those were formally ruling the market and enjoying prosperity can find that their market share is cannibalizing. A failure to maintain its position as a major competitor stresses the company to rethink and reformulate the resource disposition and opportunity cost of capital. (Soosay, 2005) Product Life Cycle Mecca (2004) state that when life cycle of a product comes to an end, companies are compelled to cut down the operating cost of production or prepare in order to get exit from the market. At this stage, many companies prefer in getting merged or acquired by larger companies. This leads to structural changes in which a company can either refocus on new business opportunities or maintain its profitability. Strategic Objectives Lloyd (1998) states that if a company prefers to change its strategic objectives then it also leads to change in entire organization for instance if a company plans to shift its focus from customer oriented to product oriented, then new business procedures and processes will be required to assist this re-orientation. This type of change can result in firing redundant staff and enhancing production process. Mergers and Acquisitions According to Govindarajan (2011), significant re-engineering and cost cutting is required when firms plan to consolidate its operations or getting merged with some other company. Significant challenges are developed when the companies integrate. These c hallenges force to streamline the operation of both the companies. (Govindarajan, 2011) New Technology Lloyd (1998) further states that significant driver of organization change can be the adoption of new technology. Consider an example of internet

Strategic human resource management in tourism and hospitality Essay

Strategic human resource management in tourism and hospitality - Essay Example The SHRM approach focuses on long-term HR issues and macro-concerns such as organizational culture, values, commitment, and structure, among other things. In this view, Strategic HRM guides organizational decisions concerning personnel recruitment, training, development, performance management, and appraisal; personnel relations strategies, policies, and practices are also a key concern to SHRM. Unlike the traditional HRM, SHRM is an integrated approach in that its HRM strategies are integrated both with the business strategy and with one another. Strategic HRM plays a very crucial role in the tourism and hospitality industry because it leads to efficiency in service delivery and a multiplicity of competitive advantages for industry players (Baum, 2006). Some of the major challenges facing organizations and managers in the highly competitive tourism and hospitality sector are to do with recruiting, developing and maintaining a committed and competent workforce. To keep the workforce well managed, well-motivated, and focused on providing high-quality products and services to the increasingly demanding and discerning customers is another major concern for organizations and managers in the Tourism and Hospitality industry. ... Other major issues of great concern to long term HRM planning include changes in organizational structure and culture, matching resources to future requirements, development competitive advantages, management of knowledge, and change management. Strategic HRM enables the organizations to meet human capital requirements and to develop process capabilities i.e. the ability achieve outcomes more effectively. The aim of long term HRM is to identify all issues relating to the workforce that affect or they are affected by the strategic direction of the organization (Nickson, 2012); this enables the organization to make remedial interventions beforehand. In this respect, critical concerns of HRM such as choice of top management and formation of healthy human resource relations are crucial to every organization. HRM underscores the need for planning, matching HRM activities, and policies to business strategies; it also underscores the need for organizations to consider utilization of their w orkforce as a strategic source competitive advantage. McDonalds Restaurants SHRM McDonalds is one of the many organizations operating in the tourism and hospitality industry in general and the food industry in particular; McDonalds began in the USA back in the year 1955 with a single restaurant. Since it opened to date, McDonalds has become the world’s largest and fastest growing Quick Service restaurant with over $30 billion worth of sales (Chirantan, 2013). Today, McDonalds operates about 21,000 stores in over 101 countries in the world with plans of expansion in the future by opening an additional 3200 stores (Business2000, n.d). The food industry is a highly competitive sector that requires all players to maintain high standards of service, customer satisfaction, and hygiene.

UPS and Global Marketplace Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

UPS and Global Marketplace - Term Paper Example The globalization has changed the world of logistics. In this paper I will be focusing on one of the largest logistics firm named UPS and will try to highlight on some of the key issues like their competencies, strategic transformations, customer-focused service and eco friendly activities. UPS in brief UPS is a process based firm and it was founded in the year 1907 in Seattle, Washington. It is basically a package delivery company headquartered in Sandy Springs, Georgia, United States. UPS is well known for its brown cars. It also operates its own airline. The essential part of it is that it provides the product as its process. UPS is the leader in freight services as well as in supply chain; in addition to that they are the largest package delivery company in the world. They supply around 3.8 billion packages annually across 200 countries and territories. The company is also the global leader in the logistics segment. UPS provides the most fuel-efficient logistics networks in the world, by mitigating the carbon footprint indirectly. They provide services, expertise, consulting support and also the products to green the supply chains of their own. In the year 2010, each day the company used to deliver more than 15.6 million packages to a minimum of 1.1 million customers per day which represents approximately 2% percent of GDP. They offer high class integrated solutions to mitigate the challenges faced in the globalization (Kumar, 2007, pp.5-11). Globalization and the UPS strike A report published in 1995 says that UPS undergone a signi ficant change in their management and started to follow strategic market management through which they were on the front lines of competition. The company grew from a bicycle delivery service to a digitally coordinated corporation by using several strategies like ensuring maximum flexibility while cutting down the operational cost. It is quite evident that it was just because of the workers’ loyalty and commitment which made the company to stand high but the problems occurred when the higher authority started to enforce rules upon them. The workers found hardly any variation from the company’s stereotype rules. The injury rate in the organization was growing high and the workers didn’t find the place safe enough to work. Due to the implementation of several strategies in the globalization phase the company was getting high returns but still the workers didn’t get any benefit out of that and got frustrated. Hence, due to these several reasons they stand ag ainst the company for a strike in the year 1997 and challenged the globalization (Kumar, 2007, pp.5-11). Some approaches of being global Though the culture of UPS has been tested many times but still it is their core through which the company is standing sky high against the pressures from competitors. They did not mould into pressure even during the worst economic times. They took many initiatives and approached challenges. They created a centralized process group, which is known as Program Management Group-Process Center of Excellence by which they can propose the initiatives after which it is evaluated. After the evaluation it is well approved and then measured. This is an effort to redefine the Strategic Processes of the organization. It also ensures that the processes are documented. It also provides the training in design and process analysis. It is quite evid

Business Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Business Management - Essay Example Its worldwide establishment did not happen immediately, rather, the spread into other areas of the United Kingdom and to other, states happened strategically, and involved serious and efficient planning by the founders and stakeholders of the company. Tesco has its stores in many nations, including the United States, China, Korea, India, and Japan among others. It has established many stores, which exceed 4,811 and a staff of workers of over 472,000. Its operations are on a large surface area that is estimated as 94 sq. feet (St. James Press, 2013). When first established, Jack Cohen established it as a grocery, which was a food retailing store. However, as time went by, the founders found it necessary and efficient to diversify into different markets such as clothing, electronics, and financial services. Tesco Company engages itself in a myriad of market operations, including those of extra stores, metro, hypermarkets, express, superstores and home plus. The company was formed with an aim of providing total satisfaction to its customers in order to build customer loyalty. In building customer loyalty, Tesco Company had in mind an aim of retaining its customers. In that way, Tesco Company was sure of dominating the market in no time since it would have had a huge market share composed of the loyal customers. In its venture of diversifying its operations, Tesco ventured and continues to venture into the provisions of both food and non-food products. Some of the non-food products include clothes, beauty products, health and electronic commodities. Not only does Tesco provide the non-food products mentioned above, but also kitchen equipment, stationery products and home entertainment products. It’s worth noting that Tesco also specializes in the service provision. Some of the services Tesco provides include financial services, website selling and telecom services (Laurin, 1977; Tesco Still Top of the Shops, 2007). Tesco’s location strategy Growth of Tesco has been measured using the profits the company makes yearly. The profits are attributed to the large market share the company has over many nations, which are over 14 in number. The profits are all from both the domestic and foreign Tesco business stores. Tesco Company has the largest market share in United Kingdom compared to the share of other renowned companies. Its market share is 35% of the whole country. Tesco’s growth is attributed to many factors, most of which contributed by the environment in which the market stores, and hypermarkets have been set up. Business environment is divided into two; internal environment and the external environment. The internal environment basically involves the leadership, and management put in place in a business or company. It also includes the employee’s contribution to the organization. Without the presence of hardworking and committed workers, attainment of a company’s targets and achievement of objectives would be challenging. Internal environment is one where the management has influence over. On the other hand, external environment is one that the management of a company has little or no control over. It is divided into micro and macro environments. Basically, external environment of a business is influenced by the location strategy of the firm. Location

3 Iron korean movie summary Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

3 Iron korean movie summary - Essay Example One day, Tae-suk sneaked into a house which had numerous photos of a beautiful model, adorning its walls. In the house he eats, then washes up and does some repairs. During this process Tae-Suk realizes that, he is being watched by the owner of the house who is a woman. The woman is Sun-hwa (Lee Seung-yeaon), and Tae-suk quickly recognizes that she is the model appearing in the photos adorning the walls of the house. With a closer look, Tae-suk realizes that Sun-hwa is badly bruised and suspects that it is all as a result of domestic violence. Tae-suk’s suspicions are confirmed when he returns home later that evening and finds Sun-hwa being slapped around by her husband Min-Kyo (GweonHyeok-ho). This makes Tae-suk angry as he impulsively bursts into the house and grabs a golf-club, and then uses it to beat up Min-kyo. Moments later Tae-suk elopes with Sun-hwa as they ride on his scooter. Sun-hwa silently joins in him in his existence as squatter which eventually blossoms into a love

Aspects and traits of different cultures and how they communicate Essay Example for Free

Aspects and traits of different cultures and how they communicate Essay Culture can be interpreted differently by different people but the general meaning of culture can be defined as people’s way of life which is passed from one generation to another and also shared among other different societies. The world has very many different societies and each of these societies have their own way of life, their beliefs and norms. The activities that people involve themselves in and the beliefs they hold is what normally forms their culture. These cultural beliefs are the ones that distinguish one society from other societies and therefore many societies hold their culture as a very important symbol of identification(Neil). This document discusses the general aspects and traits of different cultures. It also gives a detailed view of how this traits and aspects are communicated within the societies and also across to other societies The aspects of culture generally display the general way of life of most societies in the world. These aspects can be a useful base to compare how different societies in the world live. One of the most prominent aspects of culture is the government structure of the societies and the international relation ships of this society with the outside world. Government within any society refers to the way the people in any society will make their laws and how these laws are enforced to the society. It also brings out the issues of leadership and how it is passed on to others within the society. All the societies in the world have different types of governments and the way one government is run is certainly not the same as the other society. The way laws are made and enforced is also independent among the different societies. For example, the United States of America has its own way of making laws and enforcing them, which is different from the way the African countries or other European countries do it. The procedures that are followed in the US to elect a president are not the same as the procedures that will be followed in Australia, china, or any other country. The international relations between one country and other country are simply not the same. The way the government of UK relates with the government of Canada is not the same way it will relate to a country like Nigeria. The international relations ships are different between one society and other all over the world (Shapiro, p25) . Another important aspect of culture is the economies of the societies and the resources available to them. The resources that are available to one society may not be available to another society. This can be due to different geographical locations which may favor some societies with better resources than others. For example, some societies in the world have natural resources while others do not have any natural resources. The resources available define a society’s way of earning a living. For example some societies especially in the African continent have abundant natural resources and most of them may depend on agriculture for a living. Other countries such as Korea have to import the raw materials for their manufacturing industries. The resources available and the type of management will then define the type of economies the societies will have at the end of the day. The scarcity of resources within the different societies has for example brought about trade and this has formed a major characteristic of culture in the different societies(Benedict,p13). The societies have different spiritual believes and this forms the basis of religion in the different societies. People within the societies have their own believes about the supernatural powers and this has given the society a clear definition of what to worship. For example the different societies in the world have different religions. While some societies believe in Christianity, others believe in Islamic, Hindu, cults among other religions. These beliefs affect the society’s way of life very differently. The way the Islamic religion dictates life is not the same as the Christianity. Their practices and believes are different. The passing of these religions between the societies is also very different. While to some like Islam it is mandatory other societies find it a personal choice and therefore optional (Lull,p22) Literacy and technology is another aspect of culture. This aspect brings out the different ways in which different societies acquire education. For example how they attend school and the type of school curricula that is followed. The education system in most word societies are not the same. The kind of technology that is incorporated in the school programs is very different from one society to another. Some societies such as western societies have more advanced technology than societies in the African context. What is taught in the school curricula is also different from one society to another. This eventually affects the types of societies that are finally brought up in future. Some of the societies are more technologically advanced that other societies in the world(Shapiro, p27) . Community and family life forms another part of the cultural aspect. This gives an approach of how people live and how closely they are related to each other. This also defines the kind of housing that the individuals may live in. Different societies construct their houses differently according to their beliefs. While some societies believe in stone built houses, some societies may construct mud hoses thatched with grass. The shapes and finishing of the houses constructed by the different societies is also different owing to their beliefs. The way the societies are divided for example in terms of race, ethnicity, family among others is also very different. This clearly means that the defined relationships between the family members in the societies are different. For example the way the younger people relate to the elders within the society is different across the world societies. The occasions and how they are celebrated within the societies is also very unique. For example they way the Chinese embrace their culture is not the same as then Indian society(Benedict, p17). The cultural arts and crafts within the societies are diversified. The arts that you will find in America are not the same as the arts in Asia. All the societies in the world have their unique paintings, music, sculptures, and architecture. The way the societies make the pottery, carvings, baskets, mats and others is very different. The kind of music enjoyed by one culture is not the same as the other society. These cultural aspects are known to exist in every society. The only difference is that every society has a unique and independent way of approaching each aspect. Apart from the aspects of culture in the societies, another major characteristic of culture is its traits. All cultures across the different societies have common traits. One of the cultural traits in the society is that culture is learned. All of us are born and raised in different societies. One is not born with the culture of any specific society. Individuals learn the culture of the society they are born in. If a child is born in a different culture from his parents, the child is likely to learn the culture of the second society and not that of his /her parents. Another trait of culture is that it is transmitted from one generation to another. People do not form other cultures when they are born. Instead the older people normally pass the culture in their society to the younger generations within the same society(Neil). This reinforces and maintains culture within the societies. This is because, if a culture is not passed from one generation to the next, it is most likely that that culture will eventually die. The older people therefore normally hold the responsibility of teaching the younger people the beliefs , traditions, values and norms of the society. Culture is dependent on the world of symbols to communicate it from one generation to another. This means that the methods used to pass culture in one society are basically similar as methods used in another society. The symbols that are normally relied upon by the societies are the verbal and non-verbal symbols of communication. Other symbols that may be used to communicate culture include icons and images. Change is another important trait of culture. This means that there is no one culture that is not subject to change. The culture that used to be followed by our great grand parents is not the same culture that we follow today. As times change, people keep changing what they believe in and this eventually changes the culture of the society (Benedict, p18). Change of culture is normally subject to the various changes that occur in our daily lives. For example changes in the education systems, change in technological advancement of the society, discoveries and innovations that may occur as life progresses. All the societies have another important cultural trait of superiority over other cultures. This trait is referred to as ethnocentric. The societies believe that their norms, values and practices are superior and far much better than those of other societies. This trait is a major source of conflict between societies since none of the societies will accept to be put down by another society. This trait helps the individuals within any particular society to feel proud of themselves and portray the positive image of their society. The final cultural trait in the societies is the adaptive nature of culture. As the world advances the changes that come with it must readily be acceptable within the societies. For example most cultures in the past regarded women as a weaker sex and their role in the society was very minimal. As the technological advancement took ground, women have adapted different roles in the society and today they perform the roles that were previously referred as masculine roles. People keep adapting different styles of life as change is adapted within the cultural context of the societies (Neil). Culture is communicated using different methods within the society. Communication of culture is done through various methodologies of learning. Culture itself can be learnt consciously or unconscious. Unconscious methods include observation and practicing of what other people do within your culture. The younger people may for example start dressing, singing and behaving like other people do within their society by just observing and imitating them. The conscious methods include reading about the culture and being taught by the older generation about your culture (Benedict, p23) Culture is taught to the younger generation through proverbs, folktales, myths folklore, art, music, poetry and mass media. Many are the times when our grand parents would tell stories related to our culture. The younger generation is then expected to behave in a manner that suits the lessons they learn from the stories and legends they hear. Everything that we do in our lives, both in the verbal and non-verbal originates from what we learnt in our cultural back ground. Apart from the older generation, culture can also be learnt from other sources such as our families, teachers ,religious organizations and our peer groups. Within the family context, parents hold the sole responsibility of teaching their young ones how to behave in accordance to the society’s value and norms(Lull, p28). They introduce them to the religious education and also the formal education system. What a child starts learning from the beginning of child hood forms a big ground for the cultural beliefs. For example, a child introduced to Islamic faith when very young and has grown believing in it would be very difficult to change and start believing in other religions such as Hindu or Christianity. In the institutions that we grow in, peer groups are likely to result and this forms another source where culture is learnt within the society. One is eager to learn what the other knows that he/she does not know and in this way we find that culture quickly passes to other individuals (Lull, p33). Culture is not only passed within the societies but it is passed to other societies. This has become very common in today’s societies where we find that individuals do not strictly stick to the beliefs in their own society. This has resulted from the effects of globalization that takes place in the present world. Many societies today are very integrated in different aspects of life such as marriage, trade, education among others. With such integration we find that people start dressing like other societies, eating foods similar to other societies, appreciating arts and traditions of other societies among others. People learn about other cultures through adaptation of behaviors and norms of the society at interest. Trade, media, intermarriages and education have become the best mechanisms of passing the cultures from one society to another (Toomey, p10) . In conclusion culture has the same general aspects and traits within the different societies across the world. The only difference is how these characteristics are interpreted in the different world societies. Culture is no longer viewed the same as it used to be in the past. Many individuals today do not know about their culture due to the adaptation of other societal cultures which is often mixed with the native culture. This has given rise to societies with very diverse believes and many cultural conflicts within the society. Works cited Dennis ONeil. (2007). Characteristics of Culture. Available from: http://anthro. palomar. edu/culture/culture_2. htm Harry Lionel Shapir. Aspects of Culture. Ayer Publishing, 1970, p23-56 Lull, J. Media, Communication, Culture: A global approach. New York, Columbia University Press, 1995, p16-34 Ruth Benedict Patterns of Culture. Mariner Books, 2005,p13-44 Ting Toomey, S. Communicating across cultures. New York, Guilford, 1999, p4-18

Of Mice and Men - Character study of Curlys wife Essay Example for Free

Of Mice and Men Character study of Curlys wife Essay The novel Of Mice and Men is set in America and is about two travelling workers who have been chased off one ranch because Lennie, one of the men did not know how to behave himself. Lennie is large, heavy and ponderous and George is small quick, dark, sharp and restless. Another tragedy happens on the ranch like in weed because Lennie used his strength to kill Curleys wife. I can sympathise with Curleys wife although she was a flirt with the other men she was not expecting to be killed by Lennie. We first meet Curleys wife in chapter two. She is described as heavily made up and wears tarty red shoes. She poses her figure outlined in the doorway of the bunkhouse and is always aware that men are looking at her. This makes me think that she is just looking for attention from the men. George shows the reader that he does not like Curleys wife because George tells Lennie that she is jailbait and for Lennie to stay away from her. Lennie sees her as an attractive young lady but she is really just a threat to the men on the ranch. In chapter three there is a big fight involving Curly and Lennie. Curley has not liked Lennie since he was looking at Curleys wife so Curley just lost his rag and started punching Lennie but then Lennie just reached for Curley and just grabbed his hand and started squeezing his hand and his hand crumbled in Lennies hand, George told Curley to tell everybody that he got his hand caught in the machine and that is what he told everyone. This just shows how Curleys wife is acting like a tart and a flirt to get all the men in trouble with Curley.Curley feels insecure because of his wifes behaviour. In chapter 4 Curleys wife was heavily made. I can sympathise with her because all she is trying to do is make some friends on the ranch but every time she tries to talk to someone they all think she is trying to flirt because she is desperate for attention because she has got an unhappy marriage with Curley and that the men think that she is trying to get them in trouble with Curley.I fell sorry for Curleys wife because on the ranch she was all alone. In chapter 5 we learn that Curleys wife had a dream to be in the movies. I do feel sorry for Curleys wife because she could have been in the movies but that was just a pipe dream because now she is stuck on the ranch married to Curley with no friends. Curley and his wife have only been married for two weeks and already they both hate it being together on the ranch. I think Steinbeck is trying to get across to the readers that she has no one in the whole world that cares for her. Her death was brutal and quick, at first lennie was just playing with the pup then he broke its neck and that is what he done to Curleys wife. My final thoughts on Curleys wife is all she was trying to do is make friends on the ranch but she just got pushed out everyone. In chapter six it is hard to feel sympathy for her because she was flirting with the men but she did not deserve to be killed by Lennie. I feel sympathy for Curleys wife although she was a big flirt and she got treated badly by Curley, she did not deserve to be killed. I think Steinbeck included Curleys wife in the story because I think that she makes the story interesting because she is the story.

Sweden Health Social Care System Health And Social Care Essay

Sweden Health Social Care System Health And Social Care Essay Swedens location on a map can be identified neighboring the countries Finland and Norway. Sweden is located in the northern area of the continent of Europe, and adjacent to many bodies of waters. Sweden has a steady population at roughly over 9 million residents. As we are called Americans here in the United States, citizens of Sweden are referred to by their nation as Swedes (Central Intelligence Agency [CIA], 2010).Swedens working culture is very interesting. Swedens government is very gracious towards work benefits for citizens with children. The United States Department of State (2009) reported, parents are entitled to a total of 480 days paid leave at 80% of a government-determined salary cap between birth and childs eighth birthday (people, para. 4.). Religion in Sweden is also a part of societys culture. There are a total of eight main religions to choose from currently within the country, however, Lutheran seems to be the preferred choice, with at least 87% of citizens choosi ng to practice under this religion as their preferred faith (CIA, 2010). Swedens government is built on a monarchy constitutional based system (CIA, 2010). Health care is well structured in Sweden, according to the Health Systems in Transition (2005) the Swedish health care system is organized at three levels: national, regional, and local (Health Systems in Transition [HIT], 2005, p.2). In Sweden, residents are required to have health insurance. The government pays for their citizens health insurance through grants within the state, and taxes (HIT, 2005, p.4) In Sweden, it is not often seen that citizens pay for their own independent insurance. In fact, only 2.3% of the entire country was reported purchasing a private plan in 2003 (HIT, 2005, p.4). There are some flaws within Swedens health care system. Sweden has a shortage of doctors per patient ratio, which can cause some levels of frustrations when needing to see a specialist due to an average of 2.8 physicians available per person (HIT,2005, p.5). After stating the previous facts, the lack of physicians could possibly become a major concern within the country of Sweden; however, occupational therapy shows a great maturity level. According to Council of Occupational Therapist for the European Countries (2009), today in Sweden, OT is well recognized as a practice built on sound scientific foundations (Council of Occupational Therapist for the European Countries [COTEC], 2009, n.p). The amount of Occupational therapist available is positively steady. As of 2009, internationally Sweden is one of the top three leaders in Europe, with over 10,100 registered occupational therapist reported by the COTEC database (Council of Occupational therapist for the European Countries [COTEC], 2009, p.4). With this amount of Occupational therapists available for patient care, this number should be beneficial to carry out the focus and add contributions to this health profession. In Sweden, the life expectancy is extraordinary. A Swede is expected to live an average life of 80 years. Statistics show that women are living longer, averaging 83 years compared to men only estimated at living until an average of 78 years (CIA, 2009). It is clear that the geriatric population is highly valued in Sweden. According to Swedish Institute (2007), Sweden invests more of its gross domestic product in its elderly citizens than any other country in the world (p.1). In Sweden, occupational therapists are sometimes compared to nurses. However, an occupational therapists focuses and concerns for the geriatric population are well understood within its profession. When referring to occupational therapist in Sweden Evertsson Lindqist (2005) stated, they aim to form alliances with neighboring welfare state professions in social services, health-care, and social care of the elderly and disabled (p.266). After searching and reading through numerous research databases concerning occ upational therapy in Sweden, majority of articles found were studies concerning the geriatric or disabled population, it can be understood that Sweden highly values these populations. In Sweden, researchers are trying to move this focus forward by contributing studies towards better interventions for elderly patients within the acute care setting. Researchers think, occupational therapy should be considered a valuable resource in the acute care of elderly persons, facilitating the home situation and with a focus on enabling activity. Further larger studies evaluating occupational therapy interventions in acute care are required (Wressle et al.,2006, p. 209).Sweden understands the need for occupational therapists in this population, researchers stated, we considered it an advantage to use occupational therapists with experience of geriatric wards, as need assessments, assistive devices, discharge-planning, and transfer of information to the next caregiver provide major dignity in ge riatric care (Wressle et al., 2006, p. 208). In Sweden, there are a total of ten institutions offering a degree in occupational therapy. Many programs only provide a chance to receive a bachelors or masters (World Federation of Occupational Therapist [WFOT], 2009). In Sweden, occupational therapists do not have their own theoretical models. Researchers stated, little is known about what theoretical references used in the occupational therapy practice(Haglund, Ekbladh, Thorell Hallberg, 2000, p. 108). Studies are being done to help further therapists understanding of what types of theoretical approaches or models are best when assessing a client. Programs in Sweden reference different countries models and theories in order to educate their therapist (Mulersdorf Ivarson, 2008). In Sweden, occupational therapists strive to be to better by using the most resources available to them as possible, researchers suggest, professional thinking also helps the occupational therapist to explain the treatment to the client, which professio nals in Sweden are obliged to do (Haglund et al., 2000, p.107). It is clear that occupational therapy researchers in Sweden drive the importance of understanding the meaning of their profession in order to help improve as therapist. Researchers state, when occupational therapist approach patients it is important that occupational therapists can differentiate the meaning and content of occupation as used by patients and as used in the context of occupational therapy (Mullersdorf Ivarsson, 2008, p.42). As mentioned previously, Sweden is striving to create a theory of their own, but as of now, therapists admit in a previous study to using the Model of Human Occupation the most (Haglund et al., 2000, p.112). After searching databases, and finding ample amount of studies done with the geriatric and disabled population, it can be understood that research is constantly focused towards them. Occupational therapists think it is important to know how to continue to care for these patients. One particular study declared it is crucial to understand what occupational therapist can do to make these clients participate more in therapy sessions, researcher stated as indicated by the results of this study, knowledge about disabled peoples attitude to rehabilitation and support from the environment is important for the development of rehabilitation services, especially in view of the increasing number of elderly people(Lilja, Bergh, Johansson Nygard, 2003, p.88). Along with treating these clients occupational therapist in Sweden have been known to face ethical issues too. Kassberg Skar (2008) stated results showed that ethical dilemmas were common in the occupational therapists daily work, and many of the ethical situations were related to the work with clients and their relatives, and other healthcare providers(p.206). Some settings need more studies to be done to help improve this professions outlook. In problematic therapy settings, there are limited number of studies evaluating occupational therapy interventions in acute care (Wressle et al. 2006). Besides problems within the acute care setting, researchers understand more studies are needed towards overall rehabilitation methods in order to move the knowledge of the already known forward. Researchers think, Investigation of the significance of variables such as attitudes and perceived gains or risks following from rehabilitation in larger populations of elderly disabled people is another avenue for future research (Lilja et al., 2003, p.91). With the previous statement being mentioned by the researchers, it can be understood that Sweden hopes to branch into more research and expand the focus towards the geriatric populat ion further. After reading all the previous mentioned research, conclusions can be drawn that Swedens occupational therapists are expected to see a growth in their geriatric population care. As a result of many journals published about geriatric and disabled Swedes, it is clear that Swedens main focuses are these two populations. It is understood after studying about occupational therapy in Sweden that, researchers will continue to drive the focus on creating a theory or model that Sweden can call their own in hopes of keeping their occupational therapists advance in this profession. Until that day comes, Sweden will continue to use other countries framework and models to deliver the knowledge needed to make their therapist better.

Ignorance, Greed, and the American Media Essay -- essays research pape

Ignorance, Greed, and the American Media â€Å"God damn it, an entire generation pumping gas, waiting tables... slaves with white collars. Advertising has its taste in cars and clothes, working jobs we hate so we can buy shit we don't need. We're the middle children of history, no purpose or place. We have no Great War. No great depression. Our Great War is a spiritual war†¦ Our great depression is our lives. We've all been raised on television to believe that one day we'd be millionaires, movie gods, and rock stars. But we won't. We're slowly learning that fact. And we're very, VERY PISSED OFF.† This is a quote from the character of Tyler Durden in the 1999 movie Fight Club. This quote is an intricate summary of the current generation of twenty/thirty-something-year-olds. It highlights the fact that this generation was â€Å"raised on television† and one the film’s main themes is how the misuse of media has corrupted the minds of those it influenced beyond repair. And the worst part? It’s all true†¦ The media world today is a strange one. Why are there so few political or current affairs themed programmes on our television screens? Why are the so many American comedies on our screens? Why is it so hard to find a balanced, unbiased news report on the â€Å"war† in Iraq? When John Reith founded the BBC in 1922, as director general, he developed strong ideas about educational and cultural public service responsibilities of a national radio service. He based his ideas on Plato’s philosophy that if you allow the human soul to come into contact with the Good, the True and the Beautiful, the soul will respond. His three aims were to inform, to educate and to entertain. What became of his admirable ideology? Why is it that the main use of media now is seemingly entertainment? Could it be argued that the current misuse of media power is the result of private media ownership? If a businessperson owned a large media empire, would they have any moral concern if their media had a negative effect on society, as long as they were making money? Surely, a government would have a far greater concern for how the generation of tomorrow was affected by the media. If the government were to control the media, couldn’t they mould the current youth into fine and upstanding citizens of the future? But what if the media businessperson somehow gained more influence than the government? What if ... ...Michael (2003) â€Å"Dude, Where’s My Country?† Britain: Penguin Books Gorman, L. & McLean, D. (2003) â€Å"Media and society in the twentieth century: a historical introduction† Britain: Blackwell Publications Films David Fincher (1999) â€Å"Fight Club† US: 20th Century Fox Moore, Michael (2004) â€Å"Fahrenheit 9/11† US: Optimum Releasing Ltd. Websites Stille, Alexander (1999) â€Å"Emperor of the Air† http://www.thenation.com/doc.mhtml%3Fi=19991129&s=stille The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright  © 2004, Columbia University Press â€Å"Ted Turner† http://www.infoplease.com/ce6/people/A0849757.html Shawcross,William (1999) â€Å"Rupert Murdoch† http://www.time.com/time/magazine/intl/article/0,9171,1107991025-33716,00.html Patsuris, Penelope (2001) â€Å"Forbes Face: Rupert Murdoch† http://www.forbes.com/2001/01/02/0102faces.html Gildea, Josh (2004) â€Å"Media coverage of issues not at all fair or balanced† http://www.dailycardinal.com Sterling, C.H. (1993) â€Å"REITH, JOHN C.W.† http://www.museum.tv/archives/etv/index.html Bryan, J. & Zillion, D â€Å"Media Effect: The Psychology of Television† http://www.lucidexperience.com/HypnoPapers/529.html NOTE: All websites were accessed on 2/12/2006

Mark Twain :: essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Samuel Clemens was born and grew up in Hannibal, Missouri. This was the home of his later characters Tom Sawer and Huck Finn. In these books he incorporated such features that really existed in Hannibal; features such as Holidays Hill, Bear Creek and Lover’s Leap. Clemens described the residents of Hannibal as happy and content with the lives they led in their small town.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In his late teens, Clemens left Hannibal on a riverboat to become a printer in St. Louis. He moved up in the ranks of printing and moved to New York and eventually to Washington D.C. Clemens remembered how much fun he had had on the riverboat and how glorious it must have been to be a pilot. He soon decided to move to New Orleans to become a pilot. On the boat, he often heard things like ‘Mark the twain, two fathoms deep’. He liked how the words â€Å"Mark Twain† sounded and in one of his first books, ‘Life on the Mississippi’ about his four years piloting the Spread Eagle along the twisting river, he decided to use the name Mark Twain.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Mark Twain stopped piloting the riverboat in 1861, at the start of the Civil War, to join the Union. He went to war for two weeks and left immediately after being involved in the shooting of a civilian. He said he knew retreating better than it’s inventor did.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  He soon decided to travel 1,700 miles from the Missouri Territory , to the Nevada Territory. He passed through Overland City, Horseshoe City, and many large and small cities in between.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Clemens commented that Salt Lake City was healthy. He said that the city had one doctor who was arrested once a week for lack of work. Virginia City was very lively from all of the gold and silver found near. He commented that the saloons, courts and prisons were busy and there was a whiskey mill every fifteen steps.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Inspired by the vein of silver as wide as a New York City street under Virginia City, Twain decided to go prospecting. Many people went prospecting crazy but Twain thought it must have skipped over him. After not finding any silver, he wrote a book called Roughing It.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Clemens soon went to San Francisco and took a job at the San Francisco Times. From them he got the title of â€Å"The Most Wild Humorist of the Pacific Slope†.

Wolves: An Unwanted Predator Essay example -- Wildlife Animals Gray Wo

Wolves: An Unwanted Predator Vigorous as a predator, affectionate toward its pack, the gray wolf elicits both fear and admiration among humans. This fear, along with ignorance, inspired a movement to eradicate the gray wolf from the lower forty-eight states in the early 1900’s. By the early 1930’s, gray wolf populations had been completely eliminated from the Rocky Mountains (Bangs, et al 147). In 1973, congress passed the Endangered Species Act that protected any wolves that naturally migrated from Canada (Bangs, et al 147). Public opinion began to shift and the value of the wolf on the ecosystem was realized. While the public support for a reintroduction increased, there remained many people who opposed the gray wolf. People living in the proposed restoration areas feared that the gray wolf would threaten both their livelihood and their personal safety. The reintroduction of the gray wolf to the Rocky Mountain Ecosystem should not be carried out because it bends the rules of the endang ered species act, interferes with the wolves’ natural migration back to the ecosystem and introduces a new threat to livestock in the area. The reintroduction of the gray wolf to the Rocky Mountain Ecosystem distorts and disregards the laws of the Endangered Species Act. The Endangered Species Act (ESA) was passed in 1973 to protect endangered species and their necessary habitat (McMurray 52). The purpose of listing a species as threatened or endangered under the ESA is to prevent that species from becoming extinct. The ESA implements recovery plans that stipulate specific regulations and restrictions regarding the threatened species and its habitat (McMurray 52). Under this act, any wolf that migrated to the United States ... ...e up for its past mistakes; rather, Mother Nature will restore the natural balance of her world. Work Cited Bangs, Ed., et al. â€Å"Gray Wolf Restoration in the Northwestern United States.† Endangered Species Update. July-August 2001. v18 i4. pp 147-152. Donnelly, Karen J., â€Å"Canine In the Wild.† World and I. Jan. 1999. v14 i1: pp180+. Li, Jennifer. â€Å"The Wolves May Have Won the Battle, But Not the War: How the West Was Won Under the Northern Rocky Mountain Wolf Recovery Plan†. Environmental Law. Summer 2000. v30 i3. p677-701. McMurray, Ashley. â€Å"Federal Delistings: A Case Study of the Gray Wolf†. Endangered Species Update. May-June 2002. v19 i3. pp 51-53. Richardson, Valerie. â€Å"Decrying Wolves†. National Review. March 20, 1995: pp 28, 29. United States Congress. Endangered Species Act. Washington D.C. 1973.

Philippine Education Essay

The system of education in the Philippines was patterned both from the educational systems of Spain and the United States. However, after the liberation of the Philippines in 1946, the systems have changed radically. The Department of Education (or DepEd) administers the whole educational system, which also includes the allocation of funds utilized for school services and equipment (such as books, school chairs, etc.), recruitment of teachers for all public schools in the Philippines, and the supervision and organization of the school curricula. see more:k to 12 curriculum advantages and disadvantages The former education system of the Philippines is composed of 6 years of elementary education starting at the age of 6 or 7, and 4 years of high school education starting at the age of 12 or 13. In this system, education is not compulsory. However, since June 4, 2012, DepEd started to implement the new K-12 educational system,[3] which includes the new curricula for all schools (see the section). In this system, education is now compulsory. All public and private schools in the Philippines must start classes from a date mandated by the Department of Education (usually every first Monday of June for public schools only), and must end after each school completes the mandated 200-day school calendar of DepEd (usually around the third week of March to the second week of April). The implementation of the K-12 program is â€Å"phased†. The first phase of the implementation will start on SY 2012-2013. During this school year, universal kindergarten will be finally offered, and will now be a part of the compulsory education system; and a new curriculum for Grade 1 and Grade 7 students would be introduced. By SY 2016-2017, Grade 11/Year 5 will be introduced, and Grade 12/Year 6 by SY 2017-2018; with the phased implementation of the new curriculum finished by the SY 2017-2018. Students in 2nd year to 4th year high school this SY 2012-2013 are not included in the program. It is only applicable to students from Kinder to 1st year high school which is now called Grade 7. However, during the new educational cycle, from 2016 to 2018, college enrollment could slow down because of the entrance of the lower-year students to the new educational system. Primary Education Elementary school, sometimes called primary school or grade school (Filipino: paaralang elementarya, sometimes mababang paaralan), is the first part of the educational system, and it includes the first six years of compulsory education (grades 1-6). These grades are further grouped (informally) accordingly into: primary level, which includes the first three grades (grades 1-3), and intermediate level, which includes the last three grades (grades 4-6). The elementary school education covers a smaller but wider than the junior and senior high school because of the spiral approach educational technique. In public schools, the core/major subjects that are introduced starting grade 1 include mathematics, Filipino, and Makabayan (until grade 3, this subject is synonymous to social studies, but also incorporate values education and the fundamentals of political science). English is only introduced after the 2nd semester of grade 1. Science is only introduced starting grade 3. Heograpiya (geography), kasaysayan (history), and sibika (civics) (abbreviated as HEKASI), is only introduced starting grade 4 (similar also to social studies but focuses more on the subjects earlier stated). Minor subjects then include music, arts, physical education, and health (abbreviated as MAPEH). In private schools, subjects in public schools also include those of the public schools, with the additional subjects including: computer education and HELE (stands for home economics and livelihood education; while in Christian schools or in Catholic schools, religious education. International schools also have their own subjects in their own language and culture. From grades 1-3, students will be taught using their mother tongue, meaning the regional languages of the Philippines (also called as dialects) will be used in some subjects (except Filipino and English) as a medium of instruction. It may be incorporated as a separate subject. But from grade 4, Filipino and English as a medium of instruction will then be used. On December 2007, Philippine president Gloria Macapagal Arroyo announced that Spanish is to make a return as a mandatory subject in all Filipino schools starting in 2008 but it didn’t come into effect. DECS Bilingual Policy is for the medium of instruction to be Filipino for: Filipino, Araling Panlipunan, Edukasyong Pangkatawan, Kalusugan at Musika; and English for: English, Science and Technology, Home Economics and Livelihood Education. Article XIV, Section 7 of the 1987 Philippine constitution mandates that regional languages are the auxiliary official languages in the regions and shall serve as auxiliary media of instruction therein. As a result, the language actually used in teaching is often a polyglot of Filipino and English with the regional language as the foundation, or rarely the local language. Filipino is based on Tagalog, so in Tagalog areas (including Manila), Filipino is the foundational language used. Philippine regional languages are used in the provinces in the teaching of Makabayan. International English language schools use English as the foundational language. Chinese schools add two language subjects, such as Min Nan Chinese and Mandarin Chinese and may use English or Chinese as the foundational language. The constitution mandates that Spanish and Arabic shall be promoted on a voluntary and optional basis. Following on this, a few private schools mainly catering to the elite include Spanish in their curriculum. Arabic is taught in Islamic schools. Until 2004, primary students traditionally sat for the National Elementary Achievement Test (NEAT) administered by the Department of Education, Culture and Sports (DECS). It was intended as a measure of a school’s competence, and not as a predictor of student aptitude or success in Secondary school. Hence, the scores obtained by students in the NEAT were not used as a basis for their admission into Secondary school. During 2004, when DECS was officially converted into the Department of Education (DepEd), and also, as a result of some reorganization, the NEAT was changed to National Achievement Test (NAT) by the Department of Education (DepEd). Both the public and private elementary schools take this exam to measure a school’s competency. As of 2006, only private schools have entrance examinations for Secondary school. The DepEd expects over 13. 1 million elementary students to be enrolled in public elementary schools for school year 2009–2010. Though elementary schooling is compulsory, latest official figures show 27. 82% of Filipino elementary-aged children either never attend or never complete elementary schooling, usually due to the absence of any school in their area, education being offered in a language that is foreign to them, or financial distress. In July 2009 DepEd acted to overcome the foreign language problem by ordering all elementary schools to move towards mother-tongue based learning initially. The order allows two alternative three-year bridging plans. Depending on the bridging plan adopted, the Filipino and English languages are to be phased in as the language of instruction for other subjects beginning in the third and fourth grades. Secondary education PSHS Main Campus. Note the disparity between rural and urban education facilities in the Philippines. Secondary school in the Philippines, more commonly known as â€Å"high school† (Filipino: paaralang sekundarya, sometimes mataas na paaralan), consists of four levels largely based on the American schooling system as it was until the advent of the comprehensive high schools in the US in the middle of last century. The Philippine high school system has not moved much from where it was when the Philippines achieved independence from the US in 1946. It still consists of only four levels with each level partially compartmentalized, focusing on a particular theme or content. DepEd specifies a compulsory curriculum for all high schooling, public and private. The first year of high school has five core subjects, Algebra I, Integrated Science, English I, Filipino I, and Philippine History I. Second year has Algebra II, Biology, English II, Filipino II, and Asian History. Third year has Geometry, Trigonometry, Chemistry, Filipino III, and World History and Geography. Fourth year has Calculus, Advanced Algebra, Physics, Filipino IV, Literature, and Economics. Minor subjects may include Health, Music, Arts, Technology and Home Economics, and Physical Education. In selective schools, various languages may be offered as electives, as well as other subjects such as computer programming and literary writing. Chinese schools have language and cultural electives. Preparatory schools usually add some business and accountancy courses, while science high schools have biology, chemistry, and physics at every level. Secondary students used to sit for the National Secondary Achievement Test (NSAT), which was based on the American SAT, and was administered by DepEd. Like its primary school counterpart, NSAT was phased-out after major reorganizations in the education department. Now the National Achievement Test is administered to second year students. Higher education institutions, both public and private, administer their own College Entrance Examinations (CEE). Vocational colleges usually do not have entrance examinations, simply accepting the Form 138 record of studies from high school, and enrolment payment. Reference: http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Education_in_Philippines.