Acquired Level of Competency of Nurses Essay

Background: Known to be the most effective method to develop professional nurses is through a strong preceptorship program. This research study was aimed to determine the effectiveness of the Preceptorship Program being implemented by Vicente Gullas Memorial Hospital. Method: Questionnaires measuring their competency comprising the Knowledge, Skill and Attitude were used to obtain responses from 67 nurse preceptees. The response rate of the survey was 167.5%. Findings and Conclusion: The Vicente Gullas Memorial Hospital’s Preceptorship Program was effective since it significantly produced 46.27% or 31 out 67 respondents who turned out to be Competent nurses. Moreover, there were 28.36% or 19 out of 67 who were Advanced Beginners and 8.96 or 6 out of 67 who were Proficient Nurses. In general, 83.56% or 56 out of 67 Novice Nurses were able to increase their knowledge, skills and attitude at the end of the program. On the other hand, there was a significant correlation between the Nurse’s Skill and Attitude (r= 0.476; p < 0.05). Nurses who are confident with themselves tend to be more proactive and eager to perform nursing procedures which is why they are always willing to do the tasks being delegated or assigned to them. Contrary to what has mentioned, there was no correlation between the preceptee’s Knowledge and Skill (r= – 0.604) and Knowledge and Attitude (r= -0.149).

CIA-The World Factbook Essay

As a member of the Arab League, an organization, of Arab States founded in 1945, Syria joined the Arab States in the War against Israel in 1948; and since then the two countries have been at war. Despite the defeat of the Arab army in 1948, there was another Arab- Israeli war, June of 1967. Heavy fighting took place between Syria and Israel. A truce was arranged within a few days, but not before Israel had occupied hundreds of square miles of territory in southwestern Syria. Incidentally, before acceding to the United Nations cease-fire, the Israeli forces took over control of the fortified Golan Heights commanding the Sea of Galilee. The strategic, heavily fortified plateau that is the Golan Heights is wary of war. The announcement of the union of the area into Israel in December 1981 added to Syria’s territorial losses. Syria has not accepted detachment of the Golan Heights from the Syrian motherland. As of October 1991, both Syria and Israel have engaged in on -and-off discussions of making peace. The countries have considered asking the U. S. to oversee an accord, which would make it more likely that American peace monitors would be put in place on the Heights. Israel has agreed to withdraw from the Golan, with the implicit understanding that the withdrawal will be total. The two sides have accepted the principle of equality– of â€Å"equality† of security arrangements on and around the Golan. Both countries, for instance, would remove their armed forces from the border region. However, the Syrians demanded that the demilitarization be symmetrical : Israel insisted that it could not pull back as far as Syria, since the Syrians having possession of the Heights would have had enormous topological advantage in the event of a surprise attack. There is an agreement that the Israeli withdrawal would take place gradually. Syria wants it completed in something close to 1 and a half years ,while Israel is asking for three. For the Syrians, the Golan is just a channel of saving grace, since Syria in its history of participation in the Arab- Israeli Wars, it has lost a lot of its territorial land. As of 1997 there have been no major breakthroughs. The Palestine Liberal Organization (PLO) as the name, implies is an independent state of Israel. Again this is about Syria’s membership in the Arab League. There have been repeated failures in tackling the Palestine question. With the emergence of the Palestine guerilla movement, and the PLO-Israeli attacks, Palestine is a constant reminder that inter-Arab unity should be achieved as soon as possible. Because of the PLO situation, the loss of Palestine and the continuing tragedy of the Palestinian people, there is disillusionment and political alienation in Arab country. Large Palestinian refugee groups have formed a an opulent and critical significance in Lebanon and Jordan. The very large Palestinian refugee conglomerate in Syria has been assured of Syrian sympathy for their cause. Although it is obvious that Syria’s compassion is politically rooted. The stark political sympathy that the Syrian government has for the independent state of Israel [which is the PLO] has a significant influence; on the inception of a specific question that this paper asks. How does Syria use terrorism in formulating the country’s foreign and defense policy as it places particular emphasis on its relationship with Israel? This paper uses terrorism as the abject â€Å"welding† channel to unify this study, not only due to the fact that terrorism is a very timely and relevant global political issue but also because terrorism is not a very unlikely strategy (any longer) when it comes to most strategies of defense which belong to Arab nation states. Schmuel Bahr, in his study â€Å"Bashar’s Syria: The Regime and its Strategic Worldview† which appeared in the book â€Å" Comparative Strategy†, begins his research with how, â€Å" The Syrian regime—and to a certain extent modern Syria in a broader sense—is the handwork of Hafez al-Asad. † (353). Bahr also states that, â€Å"His thirty-year autocratic rule (before which he also had wielded considerable influence in the regime of his predecessor) has made distinguishing between the president and the state almost impossible. † (353). Eyal Zisser, on the other hand, writes in the journal article â€Å" Who’s Afraid of Syrian Nationalism? National and State Identity in Syria†, â€Å"Bashshar’s commitment to Arabism required no substantiation. He frequently stressed his loyalty to the Arab nation in public statements and depicted Syria as a fortress of Arabism. † (179). Zisser also reveals the following about the confidence the Syria has on itself as an independent country, â€Å"This state is no longer fragile, but rather is self-confident. † (196). An article (c.2007) devoted to the state of Syria, â€Å" Political Overview† , an article that was part of â€Å"The Syria Review 2007† presents that, â€Å"The U. S. government has labeled Syria a state-sponsor of terrorism. † (67). With regard to Syria’s defense history of utilizing terrorism as a political strategy Zisser writes, â€Å"The Syrian government has taken a generally aggressive stance against insurgent organizations that oppose its rule. Its efforts to suppress insurrection have generally been successful. Militants did manage to bomb a bus in Damascus in 1997, killing 20. † (68). The 2007 â€Å"CIA-The World Factbook—Syria† informs that the current government type of this nation is that of, â€Å" republic under an authoritarian, military-dominated regime. † (series # 02771527). Erik Knudsen in his â€Å"The Syrian-Israeli Political Impasse: A Study in Conflict, War and Mistrust. † , which had been part of the journal â€Å"Diplomacy and Statecraft† discusses the stand of Syria when it comes to its situation with Israel as far as the topic of peace goes—with,â€Å" Furthermore, the Israeli governments point out that Syria has displayed a reluctance to pursue a real and lasting peace. † (213). Finally, however, there appears to be known data which apparently communicates a message which is quite supportive of Syria’s foreign policy when it comes to military and governmental defense in Noriko Sato’s â€Å" On the Horns of the Terrorist Dilemma: Christian Syrians’ Response To Israeli ‘Terrorism’ † in the academic journal â€Å" History and Anthropology† and this known data contains this, â€Å" As related earlier, it is a prevailing understanding among Aleppienes (coming from Alepo, to mean Syrian Christians) that ‘terrorism’ is a byproduct of United States policy and that the Israeli military operations against the Palestinians are conducted in the guise of supporting American policy for combating ‘terrorism’. † (152).

Berkshire Hathaway Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Berkshire Hathaway - Case Study Example Warren Buffett did not overreact in firing Peat Marwick. There was no time that could be given to Peat Marwick to correct the mistakes that were made in their accounts. From the quotes, Berkshire there was no sense in accounting books of Peat Marwick Reverse in 1984 annual report was done to treat sales of stock not as a dividend distribution. The auditors have considered the potential for future transactions in their decision as thy compared the reports with those in 1983. There were many necessities in restating 1983 financial statement to be much considered in 1984. The treatment with proportionate stock redemption enables correction of errors that occurred in previous instances. Handling of the issue would not have been different in today’s context since accounting has not much changed from the time the corrections were made. Principles of accounting used are still recently

Critically assess Renaissance understandings of humankind Essay - 1

Critically assess Renaissance understandings of humankind - Essay Example The aspects of sharp senses, power of reason, and high level of intelligence, as presented under the Oration On the Dignity of Man also seen as the manifesto to the Renaissance, as the aspects that put mankind in a unique category from the rest of the creatures, owing the fact that these characteristics of mankind serves as the bridge between the lower cadre of life which consists of God’s creatures, and the higher cadre consisting of God and all that is in heaven (Mirandola, 1965 p3). Therefore, the concept of hierarchy existed before the middle Ages, according to Plotinus idea of The One the Demiurge, and the Material World, and thus the middle ages just created a more organized theory. However, the most important of all the factors that completely put mankind in a unique position, is the freedom of judgment that mankind was granted by the creator, so that he could be able to differentiate the good and the bad, and based on this judgment, he could then get an opportunity to ascend upwards, from the middle category where he was created to fit, to join the upper cadre of life (Mirandola, 1965 p5). Therefore, Renaissance of humankind is pitched on the concept of happiness, which is derived from freedom, where mankind was given that; â€Å"Liberty of God the father! O great and wonderful happiness of man! It is given to him to have that which he chooses and to be that which he wills† (Mirandola, 1965 p5). Nevertheless, while the concept of freedom and happiness informs Pico’s philosophy of the Renaissance understandings of humankind, there seems to be some form of contradiction in this philosophy. His philosophy points to the fact that man was created with absolute freedom to choose, so that he could become all that he wished to become and have everything that he chose to have. However, the philosophy is later contradicted by upholding the principle that God spoke to man after creation, and told him

Compare and contrast upper-class life in 1800 in Seoul with life in Essay

Compare and contrast upper-class life in 1800 in Seoul with life in the same era in Edo. Be sure to include information on education and leisure activities - Essay Example Seoul grew with time and made great political impact. Among the activities that were embraced in Seoul were sports. The change in socio-political status of this era impacted on the interest in leisure activities as well as the education. Seoul people later embraced activities such as arts, learning the alphabets, painting, and drawings. On the other hand, by 1800’s Edo was ruled by strict customs with the intention of promoting stability. Confucianism prevailed; ensuring that the social boundaries were strictly maintained, as in Seoul (Ebrey et al. 279-288). Unlike in Seoul, the Edo era consisted of four social orders; the samurai, the peasants, the merchants, and the artisans. The peasants produced the food necessary for life, unlike in Seoul where sports were embraced. Artisans produced non-food items while merchants amassed wealth without making goods, and were listed least socially. Before the 18th century, Japan was in isolation and the peasants and the samurai were poor and stagnated. In 1800’s, however, the education status of the people rose as the ban on western books was lifted. Scholars adopted Dutch books and learnt mathematics, medicine, and military science. Like in the Seoul, leisure and arts were embraced as

The Developing Manager Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

The Developing Manager - Assignment Example This therefore means that they are all important, with the main goal being the identification of weaknesses and working on them. The following discussion will focus majorly on managerial skills and leadership characteristics that bring success in the hospitality industry. Question 1.1 Compare and contrast 3 different management styles that are used in an international hotel of your choice For the purpose of this discussion, the Hilton Hotel has been selected for analysis and completion of the assignment. The three main management styles in the hospitality industry are direct authoritative, pacesetters, and democratic affiliative. In the former category, the manager sets very high standards, and ensures that the performance is consistent (Cousins, Foskett, & Gillespie, 2000, 110). They do not tolerate non-performing members. Pacesetters make personal high standards within the organization. They are hard-working and hence motivate the rest of the employees to emulate them. Finally, the democratic affiliative managers ensure they involve others in making decisions, before they can set the standards. All the three are related in the sense that they are aimed at setting high standards within the international hotels. Managerial styles play a significant role in the international hotels (Cousins, Foskett, & Gillespie, 2000, 124). ... Managers understand that they do not have all the answers, hence involve other members. The other comparison is that the managers are the final decision makers. This is especially when the committee fails to agree on which direction should be followed to achieve certain goals. This owes to the fact that the managers have the duty to ensure that the hotels remain functional. They have the right of making any informed decisions, since they will be responsible for failing to act. Thirdly, the three types of managers are the main people behind the mission, vision and goals of the institution. They have articulated them, prompting them to make decisions, and proposals that are in line with what the hotel intends to achieve. For this reason, any activity taking place within the business has to be aligned with the set objectives. Fourthly, the three types of managers have the responsibility of maintaining discipline within the staff members. They reward and punish those who perform exceptio nally, and those who fail to adhere with the rules and regulations respectively. For instance, they may reward employees through promotion, increased wages and salaries, and creating an opportunity for them to add more skills and knowledge. On the other hand, non-compliant employees may be punished through sacking, especially when they are involved in gross misconduct. This is done with an aim of ensuring that all the staff members adhere to the set rules and regulations. This also ensures that the relationship between the customers and the hotel is enhanced. In addition to that, the reputation of the hotel is upheld, which is imperative in a competitive environment. Another major comparison between the three is that the managers set the organization culture. The latter

Life Styles Inventory Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Life Styles Inventory - Case Study Example On a critical evaluation of myself, I find the concept of power dominating other thinking styles. Occasionally, I overwhelmed with the desire to control actions and be in charge. However, this has always posed a number of challenges on my ability to provide directions as a manager. Power has created an unquestionable authority in the organization. The relationship between me and my employees has been impaired and a sense of personal authority and accountability at the department level has been lost. It has discouraged decentralization leaving me with the bulky duty of ever making each and every decision in the organization. However, in contradiction to the descriptions of this thinking style as shown in the lifestyle inventory, I have never witnessed the trait of coercion and intimidation in me. Often, I treat my employees with respect and listen to their opinions with an open-mind even though most of them do not like participating in the decision making process. Again, as opposed to the results description, I am usually patient and tolerant with my employees as long as the job is done as it ought to be. As my results would have it, my back-up thinking style is avoidance. This scale measures my tendency to use defensive strategies of withdrawal (Humphrey 229). This appears to be another true fact though there could be a few variations. Personally, I believe that problems are part of life and the preeminent method of solving issues is not by running away from them. I am capable of doing whatever it takes just to have the problem solved. It does not matter how much risk is involved. As some scholars would put it, there is no one best way of doing something. Similarly, I do not rely on a single way of tackling my problem of choose the easiest way out, instead, I explore more on other avenues that allows me to have my problem solved. This strengthens my ability to fulfill my role as a leader and a director in the organization Avoidance, as a thinking style has made me become more effective in my job as a manager. Normally, the practice of management is usually faced with lots of challenges, but my ability to solve problems has always seen me through the tough huddles in management practice. However, imperfections are part of humans and I do not believe that I have to be right at all times. Therefore, I differ with the description provided in the lifestyle inventory that people with this thinking style purport to always be right. I like being corrected when I make a mistake and accepting liability as a result of my blunders. On the other hand, my lifestyle inventory results indicate low performance on my humanistic-encouragement thinking style. This scale measures my interest to people and ability to care about others (Humphrey 230). Even though this was not the lowest performance recorded, humanistic engagement is an important style in the practice of management. As a manager, I need to be concerned with my employees and make them believe in themselves. They should also appreciate themselves for who they are and be satisfied with what they have. The lack of humanistic-encouragement in me compromises my ability as a manager since a manager needs to be listening and caring about employees. Presence of this trait in me might enhance manager-employee relationship and this has always proven to be one way of motivating employees. Suggestively, one of the things I should do better my humanistic-enc

The housing crisis in the U.S Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

The housing crisis in the U.S - Coursework Example The current economic malaise in US constitutes an intertwined cobweb of factors hat have triggered a downturn in various economic dimensions and dynamics, on national and international scales. The crisis can be blamed on various factors characterizing the last 20 years period. The medium to short term triggers of the crisis can be traced back to 2005 when house prices surged and started dropping in late 2006.The crisis has burst the housing bubble which has even aggravated the current economic situation in the US which according to economists is already tantamount to a recession. The peak of the crisis heightened particularly remarkably in August 2008 with the U.S treasury declaring the collapsing housing financial system as the highly significant threat to the US economy.The raised foreclosure rates in the 2006-2007 period by US homeowners has resulted in a sub prime, mortgage, hedge and various fiscus dimensions even beyond the housing loaning systems. Many economic analyses have b een misguided in their attempt to break down and unravel the cobweb of factors leading to the build up of the economic and housing crisis held as most phenomenal after the great Depression in the 1970s in the US. Many analysts have attributed the collapse of the global financial system to the destabilisation of the mortgage and housing crisis. Salient provenances of the housing crisis which is inalienable from the economic crisis enlists in its core the lack of feasible and clairvoyant regulatory framework for the moderation and stabilisation as well as sustenance of the financial institutions in the US. The ramifications and ripples of the US economic crisis have swept across global landscapes owing to the long criticized financial system devised after the World wars in which the US economy is the heartbeat of global economic paradigm leaving the entire world susceptible to upheavals rocking the US economy. Root causes Steve Latter (2008) has listed the following as the top six causes of the financial crisis in their perceived order of significance. Although the first three are not directly related to the mortgage and housing paradigms the exploration of the housing or mortgage crisis in the US and in the state of Virginia particularly can not be intact without the streamlining of all variables of the multifaceted problem into perspective. 1. Indefinite and inaccurate regulatory edict which permitted financial firms to move to too high ratios of mortgage-backed securities to collateral debt. 2. The lack of substantial focuses on the banking and financial firms' ratio of assets to debt by banking and financial services company regulators. 3. New accounting regulations crafted Sarbanes Oxley (regulation passed after Enron) were too traditionalist resultantly leading to the undervaluation of assets like mortgage- securities. This in turn caused bank debtors to leverage on the bank. 4. Private companies and their leadership made lending decisions out of greed whilst also flouting money lending standards. This was done in the aims of pulling more interest returns by lending to clients who were in Latter's terms "very risky bets". 5. Consumers borrowed what was more that they could afford. The blame on this aspect can be applied on both the borrowers and the lenders although lenders are overly expected to be firm to principle and economic logic when making lending decisions. 6. Miscalculated financial law promulgations which for instance compelled financial institutions like Fannie Mae to avail more loans to lower income clients which amounted high risk money lending. The unraveling US housing financial system has seen the filing for bankruptcy by various mortgage firms like American Home Mortgage (AHM) which is ranked as the US 10th biggest home loan firm.

Critical discussion of verbal and non-verbal communication Essay

Critical discussion of verbal and non-verbal communication - Essay Example Poor communication constantly occurs in hospitals and is believed to be responsible for a majority of hospitals treatment errors that cause death to many patients (Harrison and Hart, 2006). These communication breakdowns are likely to occur at specific points especially when breaking news to patients regarding their health, when doctors are being informed by nurses about patients’ health, when there is a medical emergency that requires quick treatment and during diagnosis and prescription of treatment. Various reasons have been found to lead to these lapses of communication that leads to wrong diagnosis and treatment as well as patients not being informed of their condition properly (Shives, 2008). Poor communication in hospitals has occurred frequently due to a lack of proper hospital policy in place to ensure that there is a basic protocol followed in the general treatment, resulting to nurses using different methods of treating. These errors could occur during discharge pro cedures as well as the report methods used during admission of emergency cases (Minott, 2008), as both nurses and doctors use different standards of measurement in report filling, making prescriptions and document handling, errors of interpretation are likely to occur. ... Hence, a mental model framework is imperative for the comprehension of verbal and non-verbal cues as well as for staff to share meaning and be able to develop common knowledge (Davidson and Blackman, n.d.). Lack of rules for face-to-face or any other verbal communication such as via telephone could also result in communication barriers forming during treatment especially while changing shifts. Different patients will respond differently to the rapport used by medical staff and although it is difficult to find a universal tone of conversation to use in conversation, it must be noted that it can result in patience feeling uncomfortable communicating as well as shutting down due to a feeling of disrespect or prying by the doctor. The use of vague language and unclear syntactic and pragmatics will also result in the misdiagnosis of patients and the inability of fellow staff members comprehending the sincerity of the patients’ illness (Byrne and Byrne 1992; Morrissey and Callaghan, 2011). A differing opinion on what is necessary and what is not is a serious impediment to effective communication between both patient-staff and staff-staff briefing. This is because different opinions have often led to scenarios where vital patient information about welfare is left out as either the patient or the nurses available feel that it is not necessary to explain some details especially if the affected area is very private or if it appears that they are healing and do not want to seem petty. This is more common during oral communication and emergency treatments than when viewing their chart files as different people will have various thoughts on what is important and what is not and information can be forgotten or left out. Infrequent communication by

Freshmen in the University (problem and solution) Essay

Freshmen in the University (problem and solution) - Essay Example This paper discusses some of the potential problems that freshmen experience in universities and offers amicable solutions to the students to help them work their way out of the commonly encountered problems. Problems: Many students have to live on-campus during the university life. Students come from far off places to renowned universities in order to gain high quality education, and have to reside in hostels. They may feel homesickness in the initial days. Some students feel so disturbed because of homesickness that they find it difficult to adjust in the hostel and lave the university. Others, that survive through it may be bullied and threatened by their hostel fellows. With increased freedom that a university has to offer, students normally tend to hangout too much with friends. Bunking is normal. Education becomes a secondary purpose of being in the university, and building the social relations for future needs becomes the primary purpose. The trend, if not controlled in the ve ry first days in university only grows with time until one’s grades start to suffer. Solutions: If a student can not help feeling homesick, and also can not live at home because of its distance from the university, he/she should go for renting a room in the vicinity of the university. Many flats are constructed around universities to serve the very purpose.

The Scope and Definition of Evil Essay Example for Free

The Scope and Definition of Evil Essay The Chinese symbol, Yin Yang, have always amazed me. It has been believed to be a symbol of the balance of the forces of good and evil in the world. It speaks of the coexistence of good and evil; that each cannot overthrow the other or that one cannot subsist without the other. Thus, in the concept of evil and its meaning, it is only proper that good should come with it. But then, if we speak of evil, we are already implicitly speaking of goodness. Consequently, what then is the definition of evil? To what extent does the concept of evil grasp? In the first place, is there really such a thing as evil? Evil has so many definitions in the different contexts that it can invade. In Christian theology, evil is simply that which should not exist at all (Sharpe, 1909). Evil is the summation of all the opposition and negative events and situations that can render suffering to mankind. In popular Christian discussions, evil amounts to one thing, that is, the absence of good. This is somewhat in contrary to the concept that lies within the Yin Yang symbol. In relation to Christianity, other traditional religions claim that evil is an active force that drives anyone into doing acts of violence and any other deed that can jeopardize human life or life itself. Thus, terrorist attacks, torture and murder are some examples of the different forms of evil. In general terms, evil is intentional behavior or stimulation of others resulting to events that demean, dehumanize, harm, destroy or kill innocent people (Zimbardo, 2003, p. 3). It does not only include the very action of violence but also evil is something that urges one to do immoral acts that defame people. Furthermore, evil cannot only reside tangibly; it can also exist in the mind. Thus, evil can be regarded as a group of thoughts in one’s mind that plan to or wish to inflict harm or death to certain people. The nature of evil can be classified into three types. The first of which is physical evil that can cause bodily harm or harm to man’s properties (Sharpe, 1909). It is therefore physically evil to rob someone. It is consequently the same evil to shot someone. One very famous example of this type of evil is the September 11 terrorist attack on World Trade Center twin towers. Another type of evil is called moral evil. As its name implies, it concerns the principles that a person has or a particular society possesses. Moral evil encompasses the deviations and violations from the accepted set of beliefs that a person or an event causes. Such evil is observed in the tradition of cannibalism which is one of the many ancient practices that is condemned by the major religions of the world. In the modern times, an example of moral evil is the view of Christians against contraception. To the Roman Catholic Church, the use of contraception is moral evil. It violates the moral belief that only God can decide when or how one will have a baby. It violates the belief that though there is still is no physical evidence of a life in the tummy of a woman, life can already exist. The third type of evil is known as the metaphysical evil. This evil is very complicated since it does not speak of physical or conceptual evil in the sense that the two former types exist. Metaphysical evil does not involve human beings but rather the environment they live in and the things found in it (Sharpe, 1909). It is related to nature, plants, animals the elements of the world. Surprising as it may seem, we surely have encountered such. Pain, harm or damage inflicted to animals or anything comprising the things found in nature is evil. But it is not the same evil which can be regarded to human since no one can actually define the emotions and feelings, if such exist, of the things and creatures in the environment. Thus, metaphysical evil is only a representation of the evil that can exist in nature. Looking at the different types of evil, we would certainly perceive the relativity of its concept. The evil that a group of persons may consider can be considered good by another society. An act of violence condemned by others may be an act or heroism to some. Hence, there is no real line that separates the good and evil of the world. Who then has the right set of limitations regarding evil? Spinoza pointed out that due to this complication, evil can be judged by everyone according to what his or her conscience dictates (2005, p. 135). If so, then, there is no exact and distinguishing rule between what is evil and what is good. This may sound confusing. In extreme cases, it actually may be simple. If one is choosing between two things in extremes, such as life and death, surely, it will be easy to decide that death is evil and life is good. Nevertheless, if we look into more complex situations wherein the two choices are both good and still have to decide which is better and which one is not, it can be very difficult. In the same manner is when a person is confronted with two evil things where he has to judge the lesser evil. It is thus proper to state that evil is that which is the lesser good. In another explanation of evil, it is discussed as â€Å"knowing better but doing worse† (Zimbardo, 2003, p. 3). This may somehow simplify the issue of judgment. What is evil is what is deemed to be evil by one’s conscience. If a person’s mind speaks of an action as harmful, and yet the person continues to execute such endeavor, it is then considered evil. On the other hand, this opens the possibility that not all violence can be viewed as evil. If the person performing the act is not aware that what he is doing is a form of violence, then it is not evil at all. To be guilty of evil is to deliberately do an act of cruelty knowing it causes pain to other beings. Furthermore, deliberately doing a perceived evil and taking pleasure in it is far worse. Yet, can anyone be considered innocent of evil because of ignorance of it? In a different context, ignorance itself is evil since the idea of evil is that which opposes or negates. Another aspect that can be broadened in the concept of evil is the source from whence it came. In the book, â€Å"Augustine on Evil† by Gillian Evans, evil is asserted to come completely from a person’s will (1994, p. 98). In Christian theology, evil can be the product of Satan, also known as Lucifer, who somehow resolved to build his own empire. It is also believed that Satan’s kingdom is the world. It is therefore justifiable to state that evil can come from man’s will since man is of the world. Nevertheless, evil can also be due to the presence of good. How can one come into such a conclusion? In the earlier discussions, we have defined that evil is the absence of good. It is the counterpart of goodness. Thus, the existence of good can account for the existence of evil. Categorically, one can also say that evil thrive in society because pain and violence is visible. But then, violence and terror are products of evil. In sum, evil can ironically come out of good. Without goodness, evil cannot subsist. To further explain this point, let us take for example the existence of good people. The existence of good persons can attract what we consider evil since unconsciously, by being good, people become prone to abuse which can be a ground for evil actions. According to Alford, evil is an encounter with dread (1997, p. 3). But then, let’s get back to the Chinese symbol, yin yang. Observing it intently, we will see the equal line that differentiates the white from the black. It speaks of balance and justice between the two forces, if there is such a thing as justice between evil and good. For every evil that can transpire there is corresponding equal good that can come out of the situation. Further examination of the symbol will affirm that good cannot be intertwined with evil in a way of blending. There is no such thing as a grey idea of good and evil. If a thing is evil, it will remain evil though much of the modern people claim it to be otherwise. If it is good, then it will forever remain good. No evil can be completely evil because in the process, good will always sprout out. It is true, many of us have experienced evil in our lives but it is seldom realized that the hurts evil can bring to us is countered. With every evil experience, lessons are learned. Without evil, we will never understand and enjoy goodness, just as we won’t understand a smile if we don’t recognized a frown in the first place.

Economic development Essay Example for Free

Economic development Essay Economic development and economic growth are both indicators of the economic position of the country. Economic growth is the growth in gross domestic product and economic development is related to growth in the standard of living and poverty. As you can see economic growth and economic development are not the same thing, economic development is far more than just growth in GDP as it involves indicators that are not purely economically related. However economic growth is an indicator of economic development but there are also several other factors that represent economic development. These indicators are; life expectancy at birth, infant mortality rate, daily calorie supply per capita, adult literacy rate, number of doctors per 1000 people, average years of schooling, availability of clean water, freedom of press, immunisation rates and levels of discrimination. As you can see these are generally not economic indicators but when they are combined they form the economic development figure. There are fifteen barriers to economic development, the first of these being a lack of physical capital. Lack physical capital is a significant barrier to the development of a country for several reasons. There is already a shortage of capital that further leads to less capital being produced; this creates significant problems for developing countries. In these countries the income levels are low leading to low savings and therefore little money for investment in capital. This lack of capital furthers the low productivity therefore the employment remains low. This also leads to a lack of demand for goods and services the low demand means that less needs to be produced therefore less capital needs to be produced. This then forces the country into a cycle of underdevelopment. This consequently creates a barrier for the country to develop. An example of this is in most less developed countries where they are in constant times of war and civil unrest. Their capital is destroyed through war making it difficult for the country to produce more capital. Also, Sierra Leone, the worlds least developed country, as shown by the human development index, has a GDP per capita of US$159 this creates significant problems for the economy and its development. A lack of human capital is the next barrier to development. This barrier is created through a lack of education and training of the population. It also relates to the general heath and wellbeing of the population. If the labour-force are getting sick then they are unable to work and therefore decreasing the labour capital. A current example of this situation is in South Africa. In South Africa the micro-economic impact of AIDS is very serious and is getting worse. Among skilled workers HIV prevalence is expected to peak between a fifth and a quarter percent by the year 2000, which is consequently depleting the number of skilled workers creating the lack of capital development barrier. These problems are also leading to a rise in insurance bills and the costs of health benefits rise. This therefore diverts government savings to pay for health care and as a result the availability of funds for investment will fall. AIDS is predicted to knock 0.3 to 0.4 percent off the annual growth rate. As you can see this is a severe barrier to development in these less developed countries. A strategy to this barrier is human resource development. The next barrier to development is a lack of savings. This also causes low levels of investment due to the low income leading to low savings. This low level of savings is also caused by several other reasons such as; poorly developed financial markets, holding of savings in traditional non-money forms, the purchase of unnecessary luxury items, cheap family labour reducing the incentive to save for investment and the general indebtedness of the population. The low incentive to reinvest profits by businesses also reduces the savings. Budget deficits by the government to make up for the low taxation revenue are also decreasing the amount being saved. When there is a lack of savings caused by any of these causes it forces the need to borrow form overseas that consequently leads to problems with the balance of payments. An example of lack of savings exists in Nigeria. In Nigeria there are severe problems with their currency. These begin with significant fraud problems also the majority of trading is done with cash in which until recently the currency did not exceed the equivalent of 50 cents. The next problem is that they dont believe in banks, the only use of banks is to exchange foreign currencies for tourists, which leads to a lack of funds for investments. Also, Local traders keep all working capital stuffed in coca jars, as they believe business opportunities will disappear in the time it takes to make a withdrawal. Banks do not allow credit due to the fear of not being repaid. All of these factors contribute to a large barrier to development simply due to a lack of savings. This could be solved through improving the financial system. Another barrier to development is a lack of taxation revenue. A lack of taxation creates barriers as it means the government has little finances to use on economic development. The high unemployment, very low-income levels and difficulties in tax collection cause this lack of tax revenue. The government is then forced to collect tax mainly from customs duties, sales taxes and excises. These taxes can prove to be very inflationary and are also regressive. Another problem with these taxes is that they discourage investment and the creation of employment. Nigeria also has a problem with the collection of taxation. Most Nigerians that can afford to avoid paying taxes, as they believe that their money will be flinched by the corrupt government. This creates severe problems for the country, as there is no money for the government to use in investment to promote economic development. Improving the financial system will also help solve this barrier. The next barrier to entry is a lack of infrastructure. Less developed countries rarely have a sufficient supply of necessities such as roads, ports, sewerage, power schools or water- facilities etc. The main reason that this infrastructure is not being made is that the government simply cannot raise the funds to finance them due to their lack of taxation revenue. Another reason maybe that the government has chosen to finance defence spending or if they are in time of war, in which most LCDs are. A lack of infrastructure restricts the free flow of goods and services and reduces the productivity of the labour force that further restricts the economic development of the country. In Africa infrastructure is very underdeveloped compared to the other less developed regions. They have 6 phone lines for every 1000 people compared to the average of 54 for other developing regions. Also their power supply is far less than the average of 300kw per 1000 peoples with 80kw this significantly stops their development. In Nigeria there are serious problems with infrastructure causing business uncertainty. Telephones rarely work and the electric comes in periodic vengeful surges. Nigerian firms, particularly the state-owned ones due to the lack of taxation, devote little effort into maintaining their infrastructure and it therefore ends up breaking down. Reliable firms are so hard to come by that firms barter contacts: well let you share the electricity from our generator if you can help us find spare parts for it. Firms wanting to set up in Nigeria face the problem known locally as BYOI (bring your own infrastructure) this shows how much of a problem infrastructure is in Nigeria. A lack of infrastructure could be solved in many ways such as encouraging enterprise, human resource development or improving the financial system. A lack of entrepreneurs is another barrier to economic development. Enterprise is essential in order for development to occur, as it is one of the key factors to production. In the less developed countries there tens to be a lack of entrepreneurs for several reasons. The first of these is the fact that there is a limited opportunity to make a profit, due to the lack of demand. The next reason is that the businesses not easily financed due to the low level of savings. The lack of infrastructure available also distracts these entrepreneurs. Another reason to the lack of entrepreneurs is that cultural beliefs often place little importance on monetary gain and entrepreneurs are thus given little status. The number of entrepreneurs is also reduced by the lack of education in these countries. The final reason is that it is risky for an entrepreneur due to the political and economic instability. An example of a lack of entrepreneurs is also in Nigeria as it closely relates to the lack of the infrastructure. The lack of infrastructure adds at least 25 percent onto a firms operating costs if it choses to set up in Nigeria, this is a significant deterrent for firms to set up and should be solved if the county wants to achieve economic development. A strategy that could be adopted to help this situation is encouraging enterprise. The next barrier to economic development is a lack of technology. There are several reasons why these less developed countries are not more technologically advanced. The first reason being that most new technology will involve some investment in capital that is lacking in these less developed countries. Also another problem is that the new technology will need skilled labour to operate it but skilled labour is also of shortage in a LCD. The next reason is that companies dont really want to adopt labour saving technology when they already have cheap labour and there are high unemployment rates. The final reason that there is a lack of technology is that new technology is used to facilitate the achievement of economies of scale and the small markets in LCDs reduce the incentive to mass-produce. The governments however, have managed to encourage technology into these LCDs and most currently use modern technology that compliments the labour so workers maintain their jobs. A lot of the modern technology used in these counties is generally used in the foreign owned industries where they mass-produce in order to export to advanced markets. Over population and rapid population growth is another factor that causes a barrier to development. In these less developed countries the birth rates are often five times higher than in the more developed countries. The advances of medicine have also caused a fall in the deaths, which leads to a higher population growth. The growth of these countries is generally around 2 percent and their growth is usually below this figure, which therefore worsens the situation, and the real GNP per capita often falls. In the more advanced countries they generally have population growth of around 0.5 percent and their economic growth will usually be higher than that. This is where the widening gap occurs pushing less developed countries further away from more advanced countries. This high growth of the population also has the effect of increasing the labour force, but as there is little demand for labour the unemployment rate will tend to rise. Also, most of this population is below 15 or above 65 meaning they are unable to contribute o production but still need things such as food, water, clothing and shelter. This creates a problem known as dependency burden making development even harder. Governments in these LDCs fight a tough battle with a rapid growing population and are always trying to slow this rate but they face several problems such as poor education, communication, lack of contraception and cultural attitudes. Africa is currently the fastest growing of all the developing regions with a growth rate of 3 percent over the past decade but with this high growth rate comes several associated problems. Africa has one doctor for every 20,000 people compared to an average 5000 people in developing countries and its infant mortality rate is the highest at 96 per thousand births almost double the developing countries average. Africans also have a life expectancy of 52 years where the average for developing countries is 64. As you can see that the effects of a high population are not beneficial to a developing country. This barrier to development can be solved with the population control strategy. The next barrier to development is inflation. Inflation in these countries is caused by the scare amounts of goods and services relative to the high population consequently causing demand pull inflation. The domestic supply is unable to match the domestic demand. The inflation rates in many of these countries gets above 200 percent compared to that of around 5 percent in most advanced countries. This high inflation has many unwanted effects such as decreased living standards and a reduction in real income, it also tends to redistribute the income from the poor to the wealthy therefore increasing the income inequality that already exists. A high inflation rate also causes the investment of non-productive assets such as antiques or gold, this money is therefore taken out of the economy reducing the funds available for investment. These high inflation rates also cause a reduction in the competitiveness of exporters and import competing firms that therefore leads to an increase in the countries current account deficit. Another effect that inflation will lead to is a falling exchange rate, which if the country has a large foreign debt will make it even harder to pay. Inflation is very high in most of the African countries and causes severe problems to their economy and development progress. Balance of payments problems is also another barrier to development of these less developed countries. The majority of LCDs have problems with their external balance as the little income they do earn is used on imports and used to pay off interest on their foreign debts. As these countries are in deficit they are continually forced to borrow from overseas to finance their payments worsening their current account deficit even more. Many of these countries are also suffering from worsening terms of trade that also decreases their export revenue and thus further worsening their balance of payments. The WTO worldwide reduction of tariffs will help to assist this but government policies need to be implemented to seriously boost export revenue and turn the consumers away from imports. The strategy to help the balance of payments is import replacement. The next barrier to development that LCDs face is a depletion of their natural resources. Many of these countries are highly dependent on one major export to create export revenue, create growth, employment and income and the reduction in the current account deficit. This creates problems as they may deplete natural resources without considering future production. This reduces the potential for further future development and growth. In Mauritius, they have cleared 25 percent of their forests in the last 19 years purely for export. This causes massive environmental effects and also is a serious concern, as when the resources run out the countrys economy will fail to stay afloat. This is the same in many less developed countries including many African counties and their dependency on oil. It can be helped with export development to have a wider range of exports and less dependency on one major export. Another significant barrier to economic development in these less developed countries is corruption and poor administration by the government. Corruption is a very common problem in LDCs. The problem associated with this is that aid and government revenue is not all used in promoting growth, corrupt leaders and government officials take most of it. When a government is corrupt it causes most of their aid to be withdrawn forcing them to reform their political structures. This withdrawal of overseas assistance causes depletions in general living standards of the country. Another problem with these governments is that they know little or nothing about economics. These leads to several problems including poor administration and efficiency these lead to a poor ability to promote development. An example of this is in Nigeria where it has been estimated that in the last twenty years over two billion dollars of oil revenue from the country has been embezzled. This is mainly due to their last dictator who ordered the Nigerian Central Bank to deposit 15 million dollars a day into his own Swiss bank account. This works out to twenty percent of GDP and when you take into consideration that their NFD is over 40 percent of GDP, the country is not left with much money. A strategy that has been put into place for this specific barrier is the refusal to lend money to Nigeria from IMF. Natural disasters are another barrier to development in less developed countries. The effects of natural disasters such as floods or droughts have a much greater impact on less developed countries compared to that of advanced countries. Most LCDs are prone to these natural disasters, which is a significant factor to their underdevelopment. In India they have times of severe droughts and flooding where 80 million people were affected. This has severely decreased their agriculture production and is consequently creating a barrier to their development. There is not much that can be done about natural disasters but do adjust to them and to adopt new ways to cope with them. Another significant factor preventing the development of less developed countries is war and civil unrest. Many LCDs are in constant war and civil unrest, this causes several problems with development. The first of these problems is that entrepreneurs are discouraged by the countries instability also important infrastructure is destroyed and governments spend their little taxation revenue on maintaining order or producing weapons. Economies in war torn countries are unlikely to be operating at full capacity making it hard for development to occur. In Rwanda civil wars in the nineties have claimed the lives of almost 1,000,000 Rwandans. Most of the aid to the country was invested in weaponry and therefore not used in promoting economic development, as it should have been. This is how civil wars can create barriers to development. The only solution to this is to end the wars and focus the spending into promoting economic development. The final barrier to development is a lack of press freedom. Press freedom involves the exchange of ideas, criticism of government and increased awareness of world events and developments. This is something that most LCDs do not have and therefore their economic development is limited. In Mexico the government allowed Televisa to have a monopoly in the television market if they didnt play any anti-government shows and supported the government. In the eighties journalists were killed by the police in Mexico City if they published any anti-government articles. This is serious problem in these less developed countries and is usually the result of government corruption. The first strategy to promote economic development in these less developed countries is export development. This strategy involves assisting those producers who export to overseas markets. An increase in export development will earn foreign exchange and create unemployment and income and also help to solve problems with the balance of payments. The next strategy to promoting development is import replacement. Import replacement involves the shifting of demand away from imports and towards the domestically produced products. This can be done in several ways including the induction of tariffs on imports making them more expensive relative to the domestic product. This also encourages foreign investment as the foreign firms wish to have the same protection. Assisting domestic producers financially is another way of promoting this economic development, by subsidising and offering tax incentives to local producers it will increase their competitiveness with imports by the lower costs of production. However, replacing imports is only a short-term solution and therefore policies promoting long-term development must be applied. Human resource development is the next strategy to development. This development involves improving the size of the labour force and also the skills of the labour force. The labour force can be increased through improved health care and skills can be attained through things such as training and education. In Nigeria the World Bank is currently funding an $80 million project into their education as well as building a better and more consistent water supply. Also In Malaysia education investment has been amongst their highest priorities for decades, they have spent $731 million on improving their education levels to the level they are currently at Another way to promote economic development in these less developed countries is through encouraging enterprise. In most LDCs there is a lack of entrepreneurs, in order to increase the quantity there are several solutions such as improving management and leadership training and tax incentives, subsidies and free loans. Cuba has introduced a group of people called the cuentapropistas, 170,000 entrepreneurs marking the arrival of a new business sector in the islands socialist economy. They account for 8% of the labour force and manage to put food on the table for one in ten Cubans. These new small businesses have been a result of reduced subsidies to state enterprises, increased foreign investment, and introduction of incentives in the agricultural sector and the legalisation of dealings in foreign currency. This has already had positive signs on the Cuban economy with growth in 1998 at 8 percent some 31percent higher than two years previous. Population control is another strategy to economic development. Rapid population growth is unwanted as it creates problems such as inflation and scarcity and therefore more poverty. There are plenty of methods that can be put into place to slow population growth. Some of these methods include maximum children policy such as Chinas one child policy and free supplies of contraception. The Grameen bank is another contributor to helping population control in Bangladesh. The bank issue loans to woman and as part of the conditions to borrowing the money they must agree to have small families. This has proved to be a successful program all across the world and has helped to promote the small-scale development of many less developed countries. The next strategy to promote economic development is increasing the agricultural productivity. Agriculture is usually a major sector in the less developed countries and thus improving its productivity will significantly promote development. Improving the agriculture productivity can be done in many ways. Some of these include merging small farms to create larger more efficient ones and encouraging owner operators to increase the incentive to improve productivity there also several other ways in which these countries can improve their agricultural productivity. With 75 percent of the population living in rural areas, improving the efficiency of Indias agriculture is the key to attaining high growth and reducing poverty. Accelerating rural development and poverty reduction requires cutting spending on input subsidies; investing in rural infrastructure; providing more effective rural services, especially to the poor and socially excluded; improving management of water, forests, and other natural resources; liberalizing the rural economy, including the rural financial system. In the heart of Indias poorest region, the Bihar Plateau Development Project is increasing access to much-needed irrigation and safe drinking water by tribal communities and raising their incomes through the diversification of rural livelihoods. The project aims to reach 4.5 million people through a variety of institutional mechanisms, including water and sanitation committees, water user associations, and income generation schemes, all aiming to transfer skills and enhance peoples capabilities so that the benefits may be sustained once the project ends. This is one way in which India is proving to increase its agricultural produc tivity. Another strategy to promoting economic development is by adopting intermediate technology. If a less developed country invested in new technology it may be forgiving employment possibilities, as most new technology is very labour intensive, this will consequently lead to a fall in employment. As these countries have an abundance of labour it is much easier, cost effective and better for the economy if they use intermediate technology that still requires high levels of labour. An example of this is Fred Hollows, Hollows uses local resources to create employment income and economic growth through the training of people to perform the medical tasks and also employment in the factories where the lens are created. The final strategy to promote economic development is to improve the financial system. In these economies there is a lack of savings and an insufficient financial system, this creates major barriers to development. Thus policies need to be adopted to improve this situation that promote growth and employment without generating high levels of inflation. The World Banks Executive Board approved a $506 million loan to support financial sector adjustment and reform in Colombia. The loan is part of a revised World Bank strategy for Colombia that includes intensified lending to help the country promote peace, ease the impact of the recession on the poor, and rebuild after their earthquake. It is also part of a $1.4 billion package to help bolster Colombias economy. This financial sector adjustment loan reflects the World Banks confidence in Colombias wide-ranging reform strategy, which is critical to its effort to overcome the recession, said Andres Solimano, director of the Banks program i n Colombia. The financing of many of these strategies is usually funded through institutions such as the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund institutions. The World Bank is a major force behind the development of less developed countries as it gives issues discounted loans to most of these countries. Another way that these countries can fund their development is through overseas aid. The are large amounts of money flowing out of the developed countries from governments and other aid organizations as aid into the less developed countries hoping to achieve economic development. For all of these less developed countries to achieve economic development, an effort from all developed countries with aid and advice must be contributed, but until then the world will not have any chance of abolishing poverty. References: IFC Building the private sector in Africa The Economist January 15th 2000 survey Nigeria World bank Rwanda development project The Economist May 27th Aids impact in South Africa World Bank Cubas Cuentapropistas World Bank Indias development The Grameen Bank Economic Development in Bangladesh The Economist May 27th Growth is good The Economist Feb 22nd Televista World Bank press release, 11th June 1998

Autonomy And Independence In Social Care

Autonomy And Independence In Social Care This report will critically explore how far social care legislation and policies have contributed to the autonomy and independence of people with learning disability problems. The report is divided in four main questions that will lead to an advanced understanding of the topic. It begins by defining the word learning disability in social care, followed by an explanation of what the care needs of people with disability problems are. A discussion on why it is necessary to promote the autonomy and independence of disabled people will be followed by a description of related legislations such as disability discrimination act. In analysing the legislation, it will be shown how far it has contributed to the autonomy and independence of people with disability. EXPLAIN WHAT THE CARE NEEDS OF PEOPLE WITH DISABILITY PROBLEMS MAY BE. A definition of learning disability is included in the â€Å"Valuing People† and states that learning disability includes the presence of: â€Å"A significantly reduced ability to understand new or complex information, to learn new skills (impaired intelligence), with a reduced ability to cope independently (impaired social functioning); which started before adulthood, with a lasting effect on development† (DoH 2001). The impact of disability movement on businesses and service provision are major, as adapting to the disabled needs by physical changes, such as ramps, lowered light switches and lowered reception desks and payphones. The impact of the Social Policy of Britain has been impacted very deeply, and has been able to make significant improvement not just to the individuals who have disability but to the general public. (Borsay, 2005) The area of health access is becoming a major concern. This is due to a number of other factors, which include. The increased longevity for people with learning disabilities with the manifestation of different health concerns linked to age. The survival of children with multiple disabilities into adults with complex needs. The recognition of certain conditions linked to specific disabilities such as Alzheimers and Downs syndrome. The progress of deinstitutionalisation is nearly complete and the remaining large institutions/hospitals are closing and the developments of services in the community are faced with challenges. (Swain et al, 2003) Some of these factors were previously identified within the document â€Å"Signpost for Success† DoH (1998) and are again mentioned partly in â€Å"Valuing People† DoH (2001). Also within the White Paper â€Å"Valuing People† is the recognition that people with learning disabilities having higher health needs than the general population (DoH 2001 p6). These health needs are as a result of increased incidence of epilepsy; cerebral palsy prevalence for both of these conditions is thought to be three times higher than the general population (Drake,2002), visual problems, hearing difficulties and increased dental needs. It is recognised that individuals with learning disabilities are sometimes deprived of the best standard of health care service expected by people who do not have learning disabilities (Drake, 2002). In fact despite their higher health needs people with learning disabilities access primary health care less than the general population (Shakespeare, 2003). It is essential that this inequality of care be addressed and unless this is done with the support of the specialist services, and community learning disability nurses in particular, the health-related needs of people with learning disabilities will continue to be overlooked (Oliver et al ,1996). DISCUSS WHY IT IS NECESSARY TO PROMOTE AUTONOMY AND INDEPENDENCE Autonomy refers to the acknowledgement that a patient is an individual who is also allowed to be given basic rights like the right to information, the right to receive care and treatment and the right to confidentiality (Dalley, 1991). When a patient understands clearly the consequences of complying or refusing his treatment which is called the principle of informed consent, should be the main idea in the cares mind when proposing any form of treatment (Dalley, 1991). The fundamental dilemma is that of balancing the individuals autonomy and civil liberty with the need to protect both the individual and the public from perceived risk. In addition, how far should learning disability go in maintaining a function of social control? Swain (2003) believes that when a nurse does not acknowledge their role as an agent of social control, that fuel the publics misconceptions that surround learning disability. The word ‘care is equally misleading its application of caring for; (protect ion/supervision) and caring for; (worry or show concern). From the perspective of people with disabilities, protected or supervised can sound patronising and disempowering. The need for supervisory care undermines the publics ability to see people with impairment as autonomous people. To most people the term ‘care highlights a dependency as do most of the charities set up to support the needs of people with disabilities.(Borsay,2005) Medical services alone are unable to empower a person with a disability to live independently in the community. The provision of the correct equipment and amenities would empower the person to exercise more control over their life. This can only be achieved by the person with the impairment deciding on the level of care that is provided and the equipment required for them to achieve self fulfilment. The Care Standards Act 2000 gives independence but not autonomy and again restricted by financial constraints. We often see fund raising schemes to raise money to purchase wheelchairs for children with multiple sclerosis and spasticity as the specialist equipment gives them the freedom of mobility with out high dependency. This equipment is not available through the welfare system; however we do pay  £3,800+ per week for people to attend drug rehabilitation units to help them regain control of their lives. Swain and Cameron define autonomy as the ability to make knowledgeable preference s regarding care plan and implementation, (Swain et al, 2003). DESCRIBE THE RELEVANT LEGISLATION AND POLICY People with disabilities face discrimination from a flaw or loophole in the very legislation that is set up to protect them from discrimination; by permitting the rights of proprietors and businesses to make only ‘reasonable adjustments to tackle disabling barriers. Due to the ground of finances, conservation and practicality, disabled people are not treated fairly due to impairment (Disability Discrimination Act, 1995). These barriers can be reflecting in the statistics published by the Disability Rights Commission in 2005, suggesting only half of disabled adults at working age are in employment, compared with four out of five non-disabled people in employment. The DDA 1995 was introduced to prevent people with disabilities from being discriminated on their rights to employment, housing and access to facilities or services. The stipulates adjustments required by employers but only for employers who employ 15 people or more and reasonable adjustments made by housing association s to provide access to housing. The word reasonable can be understood or explained in various ways which lives an open door to some private landlords whom can discriminate on the grounds that they can afford to make the adjustments required. Structures of the buildings do not need to be changed and an alternative access can be made. This is already treating disabled people differently on grounds of impairment and putting a price tag on their equality and disempowering people with impairments. (Barnes, 2002) ANALYSE HOW FAR THE LEGISLATION/POLICY OUTLINED CONTRIBUTES TO THE INDIVIDUALS AUTONOMY AND INDEPENDENCE. Only in 1995 it became illegal in Britain to discriminate against disabled people ‘in connection with employment, the provisions of goods, facilities and services and education. The ‘weak and toothless law of 1995, was amended after the Special Educational Needs and Disability Act was implemented in 2001, which made it unlawful for education providers to discriminate against disabled pupils, students and adult learners . The disability Rights commission in addition to other disability agencies are pressing the government to adhere to new plans to address the low expected institutes and systems to be able to provide premium, service for all special needs people. (Oliver, 1996) Before the Disability Discrimination Act, disabled people could legally be refused employment by employers. The disabled people will unreasonably correspond to jobs of lower status and lower salary jobs, as a result of poor foundation schooling and the lack of opportunities that was made available for the disabled, as mentioned earlier. The stigmatism occurred when the disabled were deemed as ‘unemployable and those who were in employment were openly discriminated against, due to the majority opinion. Employers had a stereotypical outlook to the ability and level of productivity of disabled people. The empowerment of the disabled people is an area of mention. The rise of the disability movement has been based on empowerment of themselves, as it has been mainly led by the disabled themselves. This encourages the disabled users of service to denote unity, and to provide the people of the society a view of ‘ability as opposed to ‘disability. The Community Care Act 1996 is a clear example of attempts of increasing the employment for disabled people. This has had many benefits as the government allows local authorities to release funds directly to service users, who purchase their own services and allocate the services to which they assess as being eligible. It empowers the users to assess their own needs and decide which services cater for their specific needs. The amendments to the law suggest that the society as well as the government were failing in providing disabled people with what they required as humans. British society by making necessary adaptations to laws and services automatically give in to the argument that disabled people were not treated equally, were not provided for equally and were not perceived as equal to those without disability. The significance of the acceptance of the disabled people may be more satisfying to them as opposed to the legislations that were amended to provide for needs, although I do not belittle the benefit that came out of the amendments. The way in which they were addressed has also been impacted as they were called â€Å"crippled† which may have been offensive, to the more accepted â€Å"people with disability†. With regards to the social model the government has failed to accomplish their full purpose of providing for all, hence has impacted them by pressuring them into making changes. (Cameron, 2003) The impact of disability movement on businesses and service provision are also major, as adapting to the disabled needs by physical changes, such as ramps, lowered light switches and lowered reception desks and payphones. The impact of the Social Policy of Britain has been impacted very deeply, and has been able to make significant improvement not just to the individuals who have disability but to the general public. Nevertheless, Borsay (2005) argues that there are many areas in the act(DDA) that have loop holes such as education and transport, and this makes it far from comprehensive. The Act talks about the transport requirements but yet it only talks about how the new transport have to meet minimum access standards for disabled people, but it only applies to land base transport. Even areas such as employment are limited, for example, the act does not apply to the armed services and before 2004, and it only covered employers who employ 15 or more people. The act is very weak for example the definition of disability stated in the act is defined narrowly In terms of impairment and is guided by the severity of the impairment rather than by the experience of discrimination. Some impairments and medical conditions have not been covered such as HIV and Aids, despite the fact that they are another source of discrimination. (Drake, 2002) Although there are many strategies to remove or reduce prejudice in society, for disabled people discrimination remains a significant problem at all levels, as discrimination will always occur because of the peoples attitudes and views against a person with a disability in our society. Thus no matter how many acts legislations are in force, discrimination is an ongoing problem in society, as we can not legislate for peoples attitudes in society. The society should work on educating people about a person with a disability and make them more aware that a disabled person is no inferior to any other person hence no discrimination should be made due to a persons disability. Therefore the social model of disability should be in practise, although it is easier said than done to educate all ignorant attitudes in society surrounding disability. It may be argued that only a disabled person is able to comprehend what it is like to be discriminated on the grounds of employment, education and tra nsport. REFERENCES Books Borsay, A. (2005) Disability and Social Policy in Britain since 1750. Hampshire: Palgrave Macmillan. Dalley, G. (1991) Disability Social Policy. London: Policy Studies Institute. Oliver, M. (1996) Understanding disability from theory to practice. Hampshire: Macmillan Press Ltd. Pierson, J., Thomas, M. (2002) Dictionary of Social Work. Glasgow: Harper Collins Shakespeare, T. (2003) The Disability Reader Social Science Perspectives. London: Contiuum. Swain, J., Finkelstein, V, Oliver, M. (1993) Disabling Barriers Enabling Environments. London: Sage Publications. Swain, J., French, S., Cameron, C. (2003) Controversial Issues in a Disabling Society. Buckingham: Open University Press. Journals Barnes, C. (2002) Disability, Politics and Policy in Policy and Politics. Vol 30 No 3. Drake, R.F. (2002) Disabled people, Voluntary Organisations and participation in Policy Making in Policy and Politics. Vol 30 No 3 Websites General Social Care Council. [Online], Available: http://www.gscc.org.uk/Home/ [10th Nov 2006] http://www.opsi.gov.uk/acts/acts1996/1996030.htm http://www.shaw-trust.org.uk/page/6/89/ http://www.direct.gov.uk/DisabledPeople/EducationAndTraining/EducationArticles/fs/en?CONTENT_ID=4001076chk=AftwGD http://www.education-otherwise.org/Links/Samples/FirstContactSampleLetter.htm

Disk Jockeys Essay example -- DJ Music Musical DJs Essays

Disk Jockeys In today’s modern world the DJ has become a musician; the turntable, his instrument. It took fifteen years for this amazing resolution. DJ's have actually been around for years; mixing and scratching however, it did not come along until the late 70's or early 80's (â€Å"Disc Jockey 1†). A lot of people were doing this. But the main front line man was and still is Granmasterflash. Granmasterflash, one of hip-hop's founding fathers and the creator of the Quick Mix. He was the first person to change the arrangements of songs by using duplicate copies of records and manually editing/repeating the climatic part by rubbing the record back and forth (â€Å"Grandmaster Flash†). But now the DJ has changed. The kinds of DJ’s are different, the equipment is different, and the scratching is different. A DJ (disc jockey) takes many forms. The three most common forms are Mobile DJs, Radio DJs, and Club DJs. Mobile DJs generally work parties and special events (i.e.: weddings, birthdays, etc.) on site (â€Å"DJ.net Homepage†). This sort of work usually entails entertaining a wide variety of tastes and age groups, as well as a bit of MC'ing. Radio DJs are the least common. Their task is to make sure there is never any dead air time by filling it with either their words or music. Again, there is a certain appeal that needs to be worked on and being a Mr. Personality is important. The third kind, Club DJs can be found, but are not nearly as prominent at mobile DJs. They have a very specific age group and are expected to play the latest and greatest all the time. This sort of DJing often requires the most technical know-how on mixing since style and uniqueness are critical to establish a name for oneself and the club itself. DJs can make anything from 0 to $50,000 a night. It all depends on how good the DJ gets. In the club scene, when he starts off, find that the DJ will probably only going to get work if he works for free As he gets better, he might start getting in around $50 a night. Once the DJ actually reasonably established in your own town, things can jump up to around $400 a night, then as he gets bigger and better, the sky's the limit for how much you can request (â€Å"Get Rich as a DJ†). All three shares the common goal of providing an entertainment for a wide variety of people through various means, mostly however, through music. A DJ's job is to combine all the... ...the forearm and wrist and then "stab" back and forth. The other way of doing it though is just to use the fingers to move the record back and forth through the needle. It is basically the same; all it is trying to do is improve the speed that the DJ can scratch at. Obviously, through doing this, he would want to make the amount of vinyl passing under the needle as small as possible. Then just find the beat or samples that he is scratching through, and keep it on that try not too spill too far before or after the sample (â€Å"Scratching†) The tear involves a bit more skill than the scratches covered so far. Essentially the movement is the same as a baby scratch but is now split into three. The forward stroke stays the same, but the backwards s split into two; the first half being fast and the second being half the pace. Try to practice just the backward stroke first, so that he can get used to changing the tempo (â€Å"Scratching†) DJing requires a lot of practicing. But once the future DJ gets the basics down. He can mature into a pro DJ. But it will take a lot of time, money, energy, and patience. If the DJ sticks with it, he could become next great pro DJ. The sky is the limit.

The Matrix Essay -- essays research papers

The Matrix In 1999 directors/writers Larry and Andy Wachowski (Bound) made a dark and often disturbing Science Fiction film, The Matrix. With the production expertise of Joel Silver (Commando, Predator, Lethal Weapon series, and Die Hard series), Andrew Mason (The Crow, Dark City) and Barrie M. Osborne (Face/Off, The Fan, Child's Play), The Matrix is sure to be a favorite among Science Fiction movie fans for years to come. The Matrix won the Oscar award in all four categories it was nominated for; Best Sound, Best Sound Affects Editing, Best Visual Effects, and Best Film Editing. More DVD’s of The Matrix were sold then the movie â€Å"The Titanic†. The hard work of choreographer Yuen Wo Ping (Iron Monkey, Fists of Legends) make the fight scenes very much in the Hong Kong style of film-making, including the part where one of the fighters taunts the other, by daring them to be aggressive. The music featuring artists like Rob Zombie, Ministry, Deftones, and Monster Magnet, complement s the mood of the movie remarkably well. The Matrix is filled with the spectacular visual effects of a science fiction masterpiece, and at the same time has the killer fight scenes that are included in a true action movie. â€Å"Have you ever had a dream Neo, that you were so sure was real†¦what if you were unable to awaken from that dream? How would you know the difference from the dream world and the real world?† is one of many powerful quotes spouted out by the mysterious Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne) throughout The Matrix. This particular quote however, is important to the audience because it serves as a life preserver to those who might get lost in the movie’s rather complex plot. It helps establish a common ground with each and every viewer alike in that everybody has had an experience where they couldn’t tell if they were dreaming or not. In this apocalyptic science fiction action movie, Thomas Anderson (Keanu Reeves) is a mild mannered young man, who works as a systems programmer for a respectable software company. In his spare time Anderson assumes the role of Neo, a computer hacker who is guilty of every computer crime for which there exists a law against. Throughout his Anderson has had strange dreams of unreality, but hasn't been able to figure out their true meaning. He believes the only way to find the answer is to consult an all-powerful computer hacker (the fore mentioned ... ...e seen in a human being, as he dodges all of the bullets fired at him except one. The visual effect used to show Neo dodging the bullets in slow motion creates a sort of break dancing look that is astonishing. References to this film have appeared in movies as diverse as Battlefield Earth, Charlie's Angels, Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo, Kung Pow: Enter the Fist, Osmosis Jones, Scary Move, Shrek, and Swordfish; as well as a few commercials and television shows. The Matrix's popularity has even transferred itself to the computer desktop in the form of screensavers, desktop themes, and wallpaper. The movie ends with the destruction of the agents by our hero Neo. He finally realizes that he is truly the chosen one. He actually begins to see the matrix for what it really is, and uses his own powers to defeat the agents. I feel that I may have spoiled much of the movie for you in my description, but I will have you know that the rest is quite worth your while. Hearing about this movie is not enough. As stated by the mysterious Morpheus towards the beginning of the movie, â€Å"One cannot be told what the matrix is, he must see it himself.† This movie is definitely worth taking the time to see.

Chaucers Irony - The Canterbury Tales Essay -- English Literature

Chaucer's Irony - The Canterbury Tales Chaucer's Irony Irony is a vitally important part of The Canterbury Tales, and Chaucer's ingenious use of this literary device does a lot to provide this book with the classic status it enjoys even today. Chaucer has mastered the techniques required to skilfully put his points across and subtle irony and satire is particularly effective in making a point. The Canterbury Tales are well-known as an attack on the Church and its rà ´le in fourteenth century society. With the ambiguity introduced by the naà ¯ve and ignorant "Chaucer the pilgrim", the writer is able to make ironic attacks on characters and what they represent from a whole new angle. The differences in opinion of Chaucer the pilgrim and Chaucer the writer are much more than nuances - the two personas are very often diametrically opposed so as to cause effectual irony. In the Friar's portrait, he is delineated and depicted by riddles of contradictory qualities. Chaucer expertly uses ironic naivetà © to highlight the Friar's lack of moral guilt. When the reader is told that the Friar, "knew the taverns wel in every toun" (l. 240), we can take it to mean that he spends very much time drinking, flirting and socialising in pubs. The Friar is superseded to be a holy man, but we see that he knew the landlords and barmaids much better than the people he has meant to be consoling, praying for and helping out of the vicious circle of poverty. Chaucer the pilgrim explains how impressive the Friar's generous charity is and has respect for the way he marries off young girls with suitable husbands and pays for the ceremony. However, he neglects to mention that the only reason the Friar does this is because he has illegi... ...Of course, Chaucer the pilgrim simply sees this as being elegant and sophisticated. Throughout The General Prologue we see how Chaucer the pilgrim has been swayed and convinced by what the other pilgrims tell him. So much so that he reports qualities that are often the opposite of the true personalities of the characters he is describing. This ambiguity reveals a very clever sort of irony on behalf of the writer - while Chaucer the pilgrim is easily drawn in by their deliberate misrepresentations, it is up to the readers to see how wrong he is and draw their own, more accurate, conclusions. It shows many of the pilgrims to be very different people than those symbolised by the ideal qualities they want others to see. This astute technique is particularly effective in pointing out the hypocrisy and corruption in the Christian Church during Chaucer's time.

Sonance at a Turning Point

CASE SONANCE AT A TURNING POINT I. Introduction: Problem / General Issue Sonance is a company at a crossroads, long established as the leader in high-end home theatre speakers, it is at an inflection point where it needs to decide whether it wants to be a high-end speaker producer served through customized dealer channels, or a mass market audio systems maker. The past decade has seen the rise of a new competitive threat, the demise of its dealer channel and the emergence of a highly informed and selective customer base which have all served to hurt the company’s prospects.In the early 2000s, when price competition prompted Sonance to increase customer variability through retail channels Sonance sacrificed its brand identity. Having no experience in selling its products directly to end customers, Sonance suffered from its own inexperience of appealing to the new market while at the same alienating its established market. While the company made significant investments in R&D, t hese efforts were never backed by a well-thought analysis of distribution strategy or an understanding of the value of each customer channel.What follows is an analysis of Sonance’s current situation and the articulation of a strategy, that if implemented, is designed to re-establish Sonance position as the leader in the in-wall, home theatre speaker market. II. Situation Analysis In trying to capture the opportunities of the growing consumer electronics market, Sonance’s attempt at expanding into retail ultimately backfired with a decline in revenue from $53mm in 2003 to $47mm in 2004 (almost back to the level of 1999).This situation has brought the company to the edge: with limited funds available, Sonance needs to clearly define its product development and distribution strategy. By entering the mass retail market channel in 2000, Sonance eviscerated its historical base of dealer customers, losing roughly 50% of its dealers in a 5 year period. While overall revenues declined by only 19% during this period, the composition of Sonance’s revenue stream has changed from a +90% concentration in Dealers to less than a 50% concentration in Dealers, with the balance spread between Retail and Production Housing.Due to this shift, Sonance is not only perilously exposed to the cyclical flows of retailing, but also is much more sensitive to the overall performance of each customer, as the loss of the Lowe’s account in 2004 resulted in a 37% decline in mass market revenue. Ultimately, the move to retail puts Sonance in a precarious long-term position as its customers have significant buying power as high volume purchasers.In the future it is likely that mass-market retailers will be able to use their purchasing power to drive down the margins Sonance is able to extract on its sales, and ultimately serve to diminish the dealer channel. The decline of the dealer channel increases Sonance’s long-term risk by locking it out of the market fo r luxury home theatre systems. While the move to retail offset $10 million of the $17 million of revenue lost through normal dealer installations between 1999 and 2004, it is unlikely that any of the $6 million of highend home theater system revenue could be recouped through mass market retail.As luxury customers are less price sensitive and look to dealers to customize their entire installation, Sonance’s move towards the retail model at the expense of the dealers will eventually find it locked out of the lucrative and sticky luxury market altogether. Furthermore, Sonance’s dealer base faces further erosion as its main competitor, SpeakerSoft, has taken advantage of Sonance’s wounded dealer channel by undercutting roughly 25% on price and further incenting custom dealers to choose SpeakerCraft speakers over Sonance Original Series speakers in customer projects.This, combined with the alienation from competing with Sonance’s retail offerings serves to fur ther erode Sonance’s dealer channel as dealers choose lower priced competitor offerings. Paradoxically, as Sonance has developed a mass retail channel at the expense of its dealer network, it is deciding whether to push forward with the development of the Architectural Series of speakers. It would be the first and only truly flush-mount trimless speaker, a true niche product appealing to the less cost sensitive high end, luxury market.This product line, with a manufacturing cost 400% higher than the original series and a complex installation process, requires a viable luxury dealer network in order to succeed in the market. Sonance is also exploring the potential of converting the current Sonance-only iPort device into a universal, detachable dock tailored for all home theatre systems. Moving forward on this plan would be a reaffirmation of the retail play the company began in the early 2000s.With an optimistic price tag of $335, Sonance’s strategy of introducing the p roduct via Target, a discount retailer, appears misguided as the device is more expensive than its competition and even an iPod itself. Furthermore, by entering the market of retail iPod accessories, Sonance is looking to go head to head with many other discount brands. The competition and dynamics of this market are unlike that of the custom home theatre market, and it is expected that Sonance will have challenges adapting and efficiently executing within it. III.Evaluate Available Options / Alternatives The primary choice that Sonance has to make is which product to launch at the coming CEDIA EXPO, either the Architectural Series or the detachable iPort, and as a result, which customer base should they focus their attention on. We evaluated the customer lifetime value (CLV) of Sonance’s different customers as of 2004 based on the information provided in the case and our own assumptions (see Exhibit 1 in the Appendix). Our primary assumptions for this analysis are below:  · Original Series Dealers Price per pair of $140 o Retention Rate of 75%, conservative estimate based on change in number of dealers from 2003 to 2004 (600 to 500) o Growth rate of 5%, below growth in consumer spending due to Dealers’ unhappiness with Sonance o Sales per Customer of 300, assuming 15 projects per dealer per year, with an average of 20 speaker pairs per project  · Original Series Production Builders o Price per pair of $90 o Retention Rate of 50%, below Dealers because of competitive bidding structure for larger scale projects vs. ndividual homes through Dealers o Growth rate of 10%, in-line with new home sales growth o Sales per Customer of 960, assuming 80 projects per Production Builder per year, with an average of 12 speaker pairs per project  · Original Series Mass Retail Market o Price per pair of $120 o Retention Rate of 20%, shares shelf space with all competitors’ products, smaller size projects o Growth rate of 10%, in-line with consumer sp ending o Sales per Customer of 83,333, divided BestBuy 2004 sales ($10 million) by average price per pair  · iPort Dealers Price per iPort of $300 o Retention Rate of 75%, equal to Dealers’ Retention Rate of Original Series speakers o Growth rate of 15%, below iPod growth due to high price, but higher growth than other Sonance products o Sales per Customer of 7, assumes 1 / 3 of Dealers’ annual projects will generate a sale Based on this analysis, we chose launching the Architectural Series and refocusing Sonance on the Dealer channel as our first alternative to evaluate. The CLV’s for this alternative are shown in Exhibit 2.We assume the Architectural Series will be a leading product in the market and will earn a high retention rate among ultra high-end dealers of 90%. Sonance would also be able to initially attract 50% of these niche dealers they had in 1999 (75 vs. 150 previously). Sonance would have the choice in this scenario to price the Architectural Se ries at either $875 per pair, based on the advice of their focus group, or $305, based on the internal marketing group’s recommendation.Our assumptions regarding customer mix for this scenario is that Sonance would drop the mass retail market customer to signal they are focused only on the custom and semi-custom installation markets. In addition, Sonance would consider reducing the price of their Original Series Speakers to the Dealers to $90 from $140. This would improve the Dealers’ gross margin to 75%, equal to SpeakerCraft’s, although the margin net of installation costs would still be lower (see Exhibit 2). These assumptions would lead to an increased Retention Rate through the Dealers sales of Original Series Speakers of 85% and a higher growth rate of 10% vs. %. Sonance would also increase their Retention Rate with Dealers for the existing iPort product to 85% in this scenario. The second alternative we evaluated was to launch the Detachable iPort instead of the Architectural Series and to continue to focus on the Mass Market Retail. The CLV’s for this alternative are shown in Exhibit 3. For the Detachable iPort, we assumed a very low Retention Rate of 5% since Sonance would be entering an already crowded market with a product that is priced at a premium to most of the competition.Sales of the iPort would grow at 40%, lower the growth rate of iPod sales since the Detachable iPort would be priced at the high-end of iPod accessories. We the assumed iPort would penetrate 0. 5% of the iPod sales in 2004 of 22. 5 million. The Dealers would likely be unhappy with Sonance in this scenario so we assumed the Retention Rate at the current price of $140 per pair would decline to 65%. If Sonance were to help mend the relationship by reducing the price to $90 per pair, we assumed a Retention Rate of 75%, with no additional growth.The Retention Rate for the existing iPort product sold through the Dealers would be reduced to 65% since the l aunch of the Detachable iPort would be viewed as undermining their efforts and a lack of commitment to custom installation products. In both scenarios, we assumed no change in our assumptions for Production Builders as this is a market based largely on price and the actions of Sonance in other markets will have little effect on their decisions. Recommendation and Implementation PlanBased on our calculations of customer lifetime value (see figure Exhibit 1), it is clear that dealers and production builders are crucial to our sales of the Original Series product and therefore we should continue to sell through these channels. However, the mass retail market is a less appealing channel through which to sell this product; firstly, the CLV of these customers is much lower than the other two, and more importantly, by selling to these customers we are losing the business of dealers, who are far more important clients.Our recommendation is to eliminate the mass retail channel, and to reduce the price of the Original Series speakers to $90 in order to rebuild the dealer channel. Lastly, we recommend launching the Architectural Series speakers at a price point of (or near) $875 to dealers, rather than focusing efforts on bringing the iPort to the mass market. The Architectural Series speakers are unique and innovative, thus we expect that both dealers and their customers will have a higher willingness to pay for this product as compared to competitor’s existing in-wall speakers.Using this price and estimated sales, we expect to break even in 1 year by selling only 23% of projected annual sales (as compared to 66% under marketing’s suggested price of $305 to dealers – see figure Exhibit 5). Although the 65% margin to dealers is smaller than they could make off competing offers, dealers would be earning far more in absolute terms ($1,425 as compared to $245 under the $305 price – see figure Exhibit 4).The choice to launch the Architectural Seri es is strategically wise from both a quantitative and a qualitative standpoint. First, adapting the iPort to the mass market requires more than double the R&D and Marketing expenses than launching the Architectural Series (see figure Exhibit 5). Although the new iPort model would have a lower cost, the sales required to break even in one year are only slightly higher for the Architectural Series (23% vs. 17%).In addition, the iPort model, even as a detached unit, is only comparable to our competitor’s existing products which are sold for less. The Architectural Series, on the other hand, is truly innovative, and can be successfully sold at a much higher price. It would also position the company as an innovator and boost brand perception. By shifting the focus back to dealers through the Architectural Series and away from the mass market, we can appease these important clients and increase sales of other products (for example, the Original Series speakers).