Fire Disaster Recovery Plan free essay sample

The views discussed in this paper are as part of a study of high-rise fire which broke out in a bank in Los Angeles in the year 1988. This paper critically examines the extent of damaged caused, recovery from fire and effective planning behind it. Extent of damage caused by fire Fire disaster, when it comes, no matter how small or wide-spread, causes enormous amount of damage. Most of such damage is not recoverable and can include both loss of life and property. The fire which broke out in headquarters of First Interstate Bank led to a very dramatic and tragic situation. The fire had spread floor after the floor destroying computers and trading-room securities. The trading room, where high value transactions (amounting close of billions of dollars) were handled daily, was destroyed beyond any recognizition. The personal computer systems, workstations, mini-computers and microcomputers could not withstand gigantic temperatures of 2,000 Fahrenheit and got burnt to full. We will write a custom essay sample on Fire Disaster Recovery Plan or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page The banks security vault, which was stationed at a height of 11th floor, also got dismantled because of severe water damage. The ground floor of the building was the house of main downtown branch of Los Angeles and the entire floor was devastated due to water damages. Two thousand employees of the bank had to be moved out the building immediately and relocated to another place as soon as possible to start recovery of business. The telephone systems stood non-functional within minutes of breaking of fire. When the communication ceased, it created lot of other issues in the whole recovery process too. Although, First Interstate bank was saved from the brutality of life loss, yet it had to incur a lot of destitution of data and property at the data center. How did the bank recover from fire? The bank had been concerned about two main issues when a disaster may strike. First was safety of lives of people and second was creating an immunity jacket for safety and rejuvenation of all business functions. To deal with these two issues, bank had been working on a robust plan to conquer the situation and stabilize itself. It had created two plans: An Emergency Preparedness Plan and A Business Resumption Plan. When the fire broke out in the building on 4th May, the bank first made sure that the life safety issues are to be resolved. It quickly evacuated the office building, which was occupied by more than 2000 professionals. Two years back, the bank had formed a consulting team of six professionals to take care of Business Resumption Plan with utmost priority. This team helped other personnel in the bank to develop their own resumption plan as per their own and the respective teams needs. What to cover while resumption, how to do it, the recovery sites, people involved, dependencies, recovery scenarios, all critical business functions and cases were group together to come up with backup and recovery milestones. Over a period of two years, professionals worked closely with each other and employed specialized tools and applications to ensure security of data in case of disasters. The bank created a hot site for data processing apart from their main California office. Many scenarios were formulated and their responses customized as needed. Logistics is a critical concern in this regard and the bank had well predicted the need for it. It had intelligently identified a secondary level option to almost everything which is needed to rebuild a corporation and bring back its operations in place. The banks high management was very active in deploying respective staff members, their friends and emergency team with the right directions at the right time. Proper planning and execution helped the bank to come back its operations the very next day after the fire broke out which was commendable in itself. Value of an effective disaster recovery plan Disaster recovery is basically a set of processes followed in order to resume a business after a disruptive event. Anything small or big can cause a halt in business operations from a small computer virus to terrorist attacks or natural calamities. Top management of many companies tend to ignore a disaster as an unlikely event. But an adversity can come anytime and prior planning is very much needed to deal with it and overcome it. Planning is needed to ensure continuity in business so that the business keeps on making money, not only in events of big troubles, but also in the event of small interruptions like staff members sickness or departure from the company, management break-ups, supply chain problems etc. Depending upon the size of the company and scope of its work, disaster recovery plans are formalized. The most important aspect is how will the employees communicate, how and to where relocate the employees and how can the employee continue doing their jobs. It is not just the people who require more attention while re-establishment, many other elements in the company like physical hardware, company belongings, IT software and servers, all must find their place in recovery plan. Business, security, engineering, IT, administration, finance leaders should work together to make sure that nothing gets missed out. Leaders must identify people who can be held accountable for declaring a disaster and mitigate its pre and post effects. Management also should develop a soft corner at these testing times. For example, in case of natural disasters like earthquakes or hurricanes, employees may be dealing with more pressing concerns than getting back to work. Big companies also employ latest technology as part of their disaster recovery plans. Following are few examples: 1. Cloud computing 2. Mobile computing 3. Social Networking 4. Virtualization 5. Local mirrors of systems 6. Power surge protectors 7. Fire prevention/mitigation systems 8. Use of Anti-virus software 9. Robust Data backup Conclusion Disaster recovery is as much a part of a business as is any other. A cost-effective plan to deal with untimely interruption at work can save billions of dollars, lives and disturbances. Any disaster recovery plan should be well coordinated among various functions of a business, well thought after, well rehearsed and properly followed when needed to gain advantage out of it. References 1. Toigo, Jon William 2002, Disaster Recovery Planning: Preparing for the Unthinkable, 3rd Edition. Prentice Hall. 2. Slater, Derek. Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery Planning: The Basics Concord Monitor 2/22/10,Web. 13 Dec 2013. Available from 3. Disaster Recovery. 22 May 2013. Available from

Using the Spanish Preposition Durante

Using the Spanish Preposition Durante The Spanish preposition durante has roughly the same meaning as the English during and is thus used in indicating what happens in durations of time. However, it is not used in exactly the same way as its English equivalent, and it is often better translated by the preposition for rather than by during. Durante is used most similarly to during when it takes a singular object: Durante febrero, las condiciones de sequà ­a empeoraron. During February, drought conditions got worse.El nivel del mar ha subido entre 10 y 20 cm durante el siglo XX. The sea level rose between 10 and 20 centimeters during the 20th century.Se recomienda la utilizacià ³n de gafas del sol durante el tiempo del tratamiento. The use of sunglasses is recommended during the time of treatment. Unlike the English word, durante is freely used with plural periods of time: Durante aà ±os ha ocupado la atencià ³n de nuestros medios de noticias. For years it has had the attention of our news media.Mantenerse en esta posicià ³n durante cuatro segundos. Stay in this position for four seconds.Durante muchos siglos los antisemitas odiaban la religià ³n de los judà ­os. For many centuries, anti-Semites hated the Jewish religion. When speaking of past events, the preterite progressive verb form (the progressive form using the preterite of estar) is used to indicate that something happened during the entire period of time. Thus Estuve estudiando durante los tres meses would be used to say, I studied for the full three months. But Estudià © durante los tres meses would mean only that I studied at some point during the three months.

Reflective Learning Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Reflective Learning - Term Paper Example They represent a learning cycle, repeated innumerable times in an individual’s life. According to Kolb, the learning can start anywhere in the cycle but is most efficient if the full circle is completed. Here is an example of the learning cycle: someone has a negotiation about his salary with his superior. His idea of negotiation is that you have to be firm, show confidence and no weakness to your negotiation partner. So he slams down an offer, but it ends badly. His superior rejects. After this experience, he observes others to see if other strategies can work better. It can be direct observations, but also movies, or memories that he hasn’t reflected over before. In the step of abstract conceptualization, he discusses with others and maybe read something on the subject. He tries new strategies in everyday situations, and evaluates them in new reflective observation. When it’s time for a new discussion about the salary, he has a lot better understanding and new methods to reach the result he wants. It is off course also possible that this person goes through a learning cycle with only three of the steps: he acts, observes, and tries a new action. Another possibility is that he never realizes the opportunity for learning, and just leaves the first experience cursing his boss. Another central concept from Kolb is that of learning styles. The theory is that every person has two dominant of the four concepts above, that make up their learning style. Since four combinations are possible, there are four major learning styles. They are accommodating, diverging, converging and assimilation. Accommodating learners are intuitive, practical and experimental. Diverging learners gather information, use various viewpoints and are imaginative and artistic. Converging learners are problem-solvers and use a technical and practical approach. Assimilation learners are analytical and use reason and logic in their approach. There are also other ways to express

Evaluation of a Business Code of Ethics Research Paper - 4

Evaluation of a Business Code of Ethics - Research Paper Example The bank is engaged in commercial banking and related services, as defined in the Banking companies’ ordinance 1962, operating through various branches in Pakistan, Bahrain, Bangladesh & Afghanistan, with the registered office at B.A Building, I.I. Chundrigar, Karachi. â€Å"To develop & deliver the most innovative products, manage customer experience, deliver quality services that contributes to brand strength, establishes a competitive advantage and enhances profitability, thus providing value to the stakeholders of the bank†. There are various opinions on ethics because it is not a constricted subject and thus there are various theories. Although none of these can be regarded as incorrect but each one has its merits and demerits (Collins, 2009, 120). Below are examples of commonly used ethical systems: Relative Value Theory: accepts the need for evolution of moral codes. This theory gives room for different cultures, races, religions and sects by realizing that any particular act can be regarded as ethical in one society whereas the same act can be considered as immoral in another. Absolute Value Theory: in contrast believes in one set of moral rules that stay consistent in every situation. Since this concept is very rigid thus is mostly applied on international truths e.g. murder by one person of another stays unacceptable irrespective of any society, religion or sect. Deontological Approach (non-consequentialist): suggests that any action will be judged as â€Å"right or wrong† on the basis of the moral behind the action. Thus the outcome or consequence of the action bears little importance. Teleological Approach (consequentialist): pays heed on the results of the actions rather than the motivation for the action. Thus two different opinions can be formed that whether the action is good for oneself (egoist) or if it is good for the society (utilitarian). If we look at the code of ethics of Bank Alfalah Limited it is visible that they are based on

1. To what extent could the United States between 1776 and 1865 be Essay

1. To what extent could the United States between 1776 and 1865 be described as a house divided against itself - Essay Example Slavery resistance began when people started to deny support, overturn the already established orders and more importantly challenging them. Slavery significantly contributed to division among the US citizen (Lowance 45). Political representation was another cause of the division among the Free States and Slave state. Politicians between the Free states and slave states were concerned about power balance in the Senate. The politicians were appealing that every state should be represented by two members of state and more importantly, there should be an equal number of free states and slave states. Resistance became violent when the population of Free States became more than that of slave states in the House of Representatives (Farmer 213). Abolitionist movements were also a contributing factor to the division Americans. In the year 1830, individuals who wanted to see various institutions abolished within the US started becoming more influential and strident. These individuals claimed they preferred obedience to higher law over having obedience to a constitution. When the constitution was passed, it made some explicit mention of slavery. It allowed slaves to be counted as a third of a person. This activity was meant to determine the representation, as well as the population in the House of Representatives. This Act was not supported by everybody especially individuals residing in slave states. The resistance turned out to be more severe in effort to bring more slave states. For instance, resisters sought after to make Missouri a slave state. Instead of making the region a slave state, a Missouri compromise was developed. Missouri Compromise was as federal law that regulated slavery in the western US territories. The law, passed in 1820 restricted slavery in the north region in the former Louisiana Territory. The only areas that were allowed to conduct slavery were the boundary of Missouri State (Lowance

Gender Gap between Boys and Girls in Education

Gender Gap between Boys and Girls in Education There has been a lot of work done on boys and girls achievement in schools: narrowing down the gap. In 1960 young boys were 21 times more likely to attend university than girls. It can be suggested that the changing world is having an impact on boys achievement in terms of boys attainment in schools and that of girls success in schools. It was suggested that the equal pay act and that of the sex discrimination act (1970) changed the emphases of education policy and that can be noted as a key period of history that changed the objectives of girls in terms of careers and attainment. Girls had to achieve higher marks in their 11 plus examination than boys. Elwood J et al (1998, p.5) states that 11 plus examination à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ children used to be selected for secondary schooling, were deliberately skewed so that girls had t achieve better results than boys. The period 1950-1960 found the reasons behind this was because boys matured later than girls which would not have been fair to l eave out boys from attending grammar schools. But in 1990 their was concern over boys achievement in schools. It has been suggested that in societies such as the UK the socialisation process as it operated at least up to the 1970s meant that many parents socialised their daughters to show dependence, obedience, conformity and domesticity whereas boys were encouraged to be dominant, competitive and self-reliant. Also when young children saw their parents acting out traditional gender roles many would perceive these roles as natural and inevitable leading girls and boys to imagine their futures as fulltime housewives and mothers and as fulltime paid employees respectively. In schools teachers praised girls for feminine qualities and boys for masculine qualities; boys and girls were encouraged to opt for traditional male and female subjects and then for traditional male and female careers. Furthermore in certain sections of the mass media [and especially perhaps in teenage magazines] girls were encouraged to recognize the all importance of finding Mr. Right and settling down to a life of blissf ul domesticity in their traditional housewife-mother roles. Cole (2006, p.26) suggests that even before children go to school their parents will treat a boy and girl very different. Even in society throughout history this has occurred. A lot of research has gone into this; your gender is an issue from the minute you are born. Automatically society will say how a girl will behave and how a boy will behave. If it is a boy, oh hes like that because hes a boy and boys always take longer to grasp it. Girls, even in the late 1960s were more likely than boys to gain 5 or more GCE Ordinary Level pass grades. From the 1960s to the 1980s the percentages of girls and boys gaining 5 or more GCE Ordinary Level pass grades gradually increased but the so-called gender gap in educational attainment increased especially once the GCSE was introduced primarily because girls have maintained their traditional higher attainment levels in Arts and Humanities subjects but also reduced [and in some years overturned] the traditional attainment gaps in favour of boys in Mathematics and Science subjects. The GCSE was introduced in 1988 and from then onwards the female- male gender difference in educational achievement at GCSE level widened as differences between the [ higher] female pass rates and the male pass rates in Arts and Humanities widened and females narrowed or sometimes reversed the traditional higher male pass rates in Mathematics and science subjects. It has been claimed that the relative improvement of female educational achievements can be explained partly by the nature of the new GCSE courses .This has been disputed, however, on the grounds that several factors have contributed to these trends. By the late 1980s females were more likely than males to gain two or more Advanced Level passes and during the course of the 1990s they also became more likely to gain 3 or more A level passes. Females also soon became more likely than males to gain A grades in almost all Advanced Level subjects Nevertheless gender differences in examination performance at Advanced level are smaller than at GCSE level. In 2007-2008 69.3% of girls and 60.1% of boys achieved 5 or more GCSE Grade A*-C passes; 51.3% of girls and 42.0% of boys achieved 5 or more GCSE Grade A*-C passes including English and Maths. The gender difference in examination success varies considerably from subject to subject. For example girls in 2007-2008 girls outperformed boys by 14% in English, 16% in Design and Technology, 9% in Modern Foreign Languages, 17% in Art and Design and 12 % in English Literature but by only 1% in Mathematics, 2% in Core Sciences, 1% in Chemistry and 2% in Classical Studies. Although the data are not presented here Girls are now more likely to gain A* and A grades in most but not all   GCSE subjects. Other areas the research will focus on are schools too feminised, advantage for girls but disadvantage for boys. Hutchings (2002) states the phrase feminisation is used simply to refer to the fact that there are more female teachers than male, especially in the primary sector. (Biddulph, 1997 cited in Skelton et el, 2007) state that the current situation is often presented as one which is detrimental to the educational experiences and opportunities of boys with the implication that boys do better when taught by men teachers. (Skelton et el, 2007) suggest that Another use of the phrase feminisation of schools is in relation to the idea that the predominance of females has led to the delivery of the curriculum, assessment practices and the management and organisation of the classroom becoming more feminine in nature. Female teachers are more lenient on boys than male teachers also male teachers can be role models for pupils which will enable the child to be motivated to learn and succe ed in education. Role models it is argued that there are more positive role models for young girls than there are for young boys in terms of encouraging them to do well at school. Issues within the classroom the findings of  Becky Francis (2000) argues girls are improving more rapidly than boys , this is to be explained   primarily in terms of the processes affecting the social construction of femininity and masculinity. In relation to the social construction of femininity, she argues that many girls of middle school and secondary school age aim to construct feminine identities which emphasise the importance of maturity and a relatively quiet and orderly approach to school life. Girls certainly do take considerable interest in their appearance and may choose to rebel quietly by talking at the back of the class or feigning lack of interest but , according to Francis, not in a way which will detract from their school studies. Their femininity is constructed in such a way that if they choose to behave sensibly and work hard this, if anything, adds to their femininity. Findings have suggested that it is vital to keep the subjects taught in curriculum interesting for children to learn about in class. This may enable children to be motivated to learn and gets rid of the label of boringness of lessons. Jackson (2006, p.127) states that if students find the curriculum boring, it provides little incentive for them to counter the uncool to work discourse. Continued existence of laddish, macho anti- school subculture- these are groups of pupils in schools who have different norms and values to the rest of the school. Subcultures can be anti school where pupils are rude to teachers, dont do homework, truant and get into fights. Some sociologists argue that boys are much more likely to be in these groups and to think that education is a waste of time and that it is not macho to do well at school. Subcultures can also be pro school where pupils are very committed to school, they do all their work on time, or early, they are always on time for lessons and n ever truant. It is argued that girls are more likely to be in these subcultures than boys. Methods of assessment have been identified particularly frequently as a key factor in this bias against boys. An increased amount of assessed coursework has been suggested to explain boys doing less well at GCSE and A levels, with the argument being that boys do less well at coursework because of their preferred learning styles (Skelton et al, 2007). Girls do less well at sudden death exams (timed exams previously unseen by the candidate) which rely on last-minute revision and require self-confidence. This latter form of assessment has been argued to favour boys, and was the basis for O level exams (the exams that preceded GCSEs in Britain). Bleach, 1998, cited in Skelton et al, 2007 In fact, however, girls results were already improving before the GCSE assessment model was introduced. And further, Arnot et al. (1999) discuss how a reduction in the coursework component in public examinations in the 1990s did little to alter the pattern of gender achievement (Skelton et al, 2007). Another issue could be masculinity peer pressure from friends Jackson (2006, p.74) states that the uncool to work this statement is suggesting that if boys work hard at school they will not be cool. (Jackson, 2006, p.84) Those who seem to be most disadvantaged as a result of the discourse are those who attempt to balance academic work and popularity but can not manage to do both successfully. This is a powerful predictor in a lot of schools, this is seen as social status of pupils needs to be popular and be part of a group. A lot of pupils will feel being unpopular is not as good as anything else. Also it will lead to negative impact. Both girls and boys have to act as they are chilled, relaxed, laid back when it comes to the academic side of work. As the relative rate of female educational improvement increased it came to be argued that this might be explained to some extent by biological factors. Experiments investigating the brain activities of male and female babies suggested that differences in the structures of female and male brains respectively may mean that females have genetically determined linguistic advantages which would explain females especial facility with language based subjects. It was also suggested that girls earlier maturity means that they can concentrate more effectively and are better organised especially in relation to course work. This was considered to be a significant point because the relative improvement in female GCSE results was associated especially with the introduction of coursework-based assessments which had been absent from the GCE Ordinary Level examinations which the GCSE replaced. However in relation to these theories it should be noted that male-female differences in Advanced level lan guage examination results are small, that the relationships between physical and intellectual maturity are uncertain and that gender differences in examination results cannot be explained only by the presence or absence of coursework. Other factors that may affect attainment are different learning styles, both boys and girls learn differently, but we need to be careful we do not stereotype on gender. When looking at the gender debate it has been suggested by Coffield (2004) that consideration to learning styles is important when establishing the link as to why there is a gap between boys and girls due to peer pressure for the boys what their friends may think if they achieved well in school, the way boys are assessed in schools for instance boys do better in exams than coursework. Examples of these could be boys would prefer to learn kinaesthetically by doing things such as experiments or activities and girls would learn well visually by seeing. Interest in learning styles has grown rapidly in recent years and perceived differences in the learning styles of boys and girls are one of the most frequently expressed explanations for the gender gap in achievement. This argument is also based on the presumption that if boys are naturally different to girls because of their biological make-up, then it follows that they will have different approaches to learning (Noble and Bradford, 2000; Gurian, 2002). Studies have shown that the vast majority of boys and girls prioritise a teachers individual ability as a teacher, and their level of care for their students, rather than a teachers gender. Skelton et al (2009), Francis et al (2008). Boys to better in maths than girls research by Hargreaves et al into pupils stereotypical attitudes to mathematics and English has shown that stereotypes succeed among pupils, with most believing that maths is a boys subject where boys do better, and English a girls subject where girls do better. DfES (2007, p. 3) Boys outperform girls in Maths at Key Stage 2, and continue to outnumber girls at higher level maths. But there is a large gender gap favouring girls in English. On the other hand girls do better in English than boys On the other hand women do better on reading comprehension and vocabulary than men do. APA report state that some verbal tasks show substantial mean differences favouring females. Whitepaper on gender differences in achievement Social class and ethnicity according to Cole (2006, p.29) states that Gender is not the strongest predictor of attainment. Social class attainment gap at key stage 4 is three times as wide as gender gap. DfES (2007, p.3) Analysis of the attainment data shows that other factors or a combination of factors, such as ethnicity and social class, have a greater bearing on educational achievement than gender considered on its own. Gender differences in educational achievement are far smaller than social class differences in educational achievement. Students of both sexes who are eligible for free school meals are far less likely than students of both sexes ineligible to be successful at both levels of the education system. Some ethnic differences in educational achievement are also greater than gender differences in educational achievement. Statistics on the gender gap between boys and girls Attainment at each end of the distribution of grades also varies by gender. Girls are more likely than boys to gain an A* grade at GCSE. Boys are a little more likely to gain a G grade at GCSE or to gain no GCSEs at all. The largest gender differences (a female advantage of more than ten percentage points on those gaining an A*-C GCSE) are for the Humanities, the Arts and Languages. Smaller gender differences (a female advantage of five percentage points or less) tend to be in Science and Maths subjects. Some of these achievement patterns have been relatively stable over six decades of exam results, particularly in English Language and Literature, French, Art and Design and Religious Studies. There have been changing patterns over the years. In Maths, there has been a shift from a male advantage averaging 4 percentage points prior to 1991 to a slim female advantage of 1-2 percentage points in recent years. In Geography, there has be en a widening of the gap in girls favour, and in History, there has been variation but with girls now doing much better than boys. This research will explore possible solutions we can use to solve this gap such as single sex schools which may help girls to speak out. Times online (2004) Girls in mixed classrooms refrain from speaking up and answering questions. Another way of solving the gender gap is by having single sex classes in mixed schools so that teachers can meet different learning styles for boys. Research has shown that girls obtain better results in single sex schools in comparison to mixed schools Curtis (2009). Odone (2004) conversely, that boys do not want to study foreign languages or shine in English literature in case they are mocked as poofs. Garner (2008) Differences in how male and female brains work mean single-sex schooling will make a comeback leading head mistress in the Independent. However the disadvantages of sex schools Blair (2006) Girls schools feature highly in the league tables because they are highly selective, their children come from particular social backgrounds and they hav e excellent teachers. BBC News (2006) While both single-sex and co-education have passionate advocates, half a century of research has so far revealed no striking or consistent differences one way or the other. Odone (2004) Children, will inhabit a mixed society later, so let them start young, with mixed classes. Younger et al (2005, p.89) found that boys and girls may feel more at ease in single sex classes, feel more able to interact with learning and feel free to show interest in the lesson without inhibition. It was felt that there can be positive effects on achievement for boys in modern languages and girls in science and maths. (Dcfs (2007) Methodology The methods that will be used to gather research for this project will be as follows: the use of books to get information on issues affecting gender differences in achievement at schools and what theorist have already found around this agenda. The internet will be useful for this research project because you can research recent and up to date statistical information on the gender gap and get government published on this debate. Journals will be useful for the research project to collect recent data and changes in the debate around boys and girls achievement in schools and narrowing down the gap. These methods of researching are called secondary research. Secondary research is the use of material, which has been researched by someone else. The different research methods for secondary research are as follows: technology based research is to do with researching from the computer to get your information, which has a lot of benefits such as the internet provides online libraries; e-books, journals and encyclopaedias such as infed. The main electronic databases that will be used for this research are as follows education research complete, education online and SwetsWise. The key read that will be used will be based on gender differences and achievement in school also how the search found a number of journals, but some were irrelevant, to the research topic. Search engines help you through the mass of information on the internet two most popular search engines are Bing, google advanced search and google scholar also on the internet you can search for newspaper articles. However web sources may not always be reliable so researchers need to find out how accurate the information there are number of ways to assess the accuracy of the sites. According to Walliman and Buckler (2008, p.92) compare the data with other sources and is it biased many use the web to promote ideas. The reasons for choosing to do the research project as a desk study were as follows: to find out what has already been researched in this field and arguments that have already been produced around this agenda. However the reasons for not choosing the fieldwork approach method were because it will be time consuming and availability of schools to carry out the research is limited and difficult to get a place in schools to do observations. The advantages of the desk study approach are as follows; able to collect, understand and interpret data also to limit costs such as travelling costs. The disadvantages of desk study may be the availability of books from the library In contrast the advantages of the interview approach (structure and unstructured) advantages of structured interviews are time management can be controlled, results are simple to gather and the questions are securely set in advance. the disadvantages of structured interviews are there might be other questions to ask and you cant develop on questions. The advantages of unstructured interviews are there is a lot of time, you can develop questions and it is a relaxed method. Disadvantages of the interview approach are as follows: The disadvantages of unstructured interviews are the interview can simply be a chat, not all the participants are asked the same questions and only some of the questions are asked. Indirect observation is when a participant gets their information from viewing from far. Direct observation is when a participant obtains information by combining with the circumstances they are watching. Advantages of the observation approach (direct and indirect) the advantages of observations are actions can be seen in the normal surroundings and observations can both be direct or indirect. Disadvantages of the observation approach (direct and indirect) the disadvantages of observations are they are lengthy and not consistent. Qualitative vs. quantitative Analysis There was clear evidence that in the era of the 11+ pass marks were set higher for girls than for boys so as to prevent girls from taking a disproportionate share of Grammar School places. From the early 1950s until the late 1960s girls were less likely than boys to be entered for GCE Ordinary Level examinations. In any case in the 1950s and early 1960s many pupils left school at age 15 having taken no official national examinations. The candidate pass rate in GCE O Level examinations was higher for girls than for boys from the early 50s to the late 1960s so that despite the higher entry rates for males the percentages of male and female school leavers actually passing 5 or more GCE O levels were fairly similar although females did usually outperform males by 1-2% each year. This overall statistic masked the facts that girls outperformed boys by considerable margins in Arts and Humanities subjects and that boys usually outperformed girls but by smaller margins in Mathematics and Scie nce subjects. In order to analyse the relative educational improvement from the 1980s onwards we must distinguish between factors accelerating the rate of female improvement and factors restricting the rate of male improvement. Females and males educational achievements have improved but the rate of female improvement has been faster and this widened the female-male achievement gap especially at GCSE level. Remember, however, that gender, social class and ethnicity are interconnected. Girls are more successful than boys in all ethnic groups but middle class boys are still more educationally successful than working class girls in all ethnic groups. Gender differences in educational achievement are smaller than social class differences in educational achievement and some ethnic differences in educational achievement. Research has shown that Of the 71,286 girls who sat GCSEs in single-sex schools over the three-year period, on average all did better than predicted on the basis of their end of primary SATS results. By comparison, of the 647,942 who took exams in mixed-sex schools, 20% did worse than expected. This means that girls in single sex schools can be expected to do better in their school, in comparison to girls in mixed schools. Studies have shown that girls in mixed sex classes tend to refrain from speaking up and boys dont want to study English to avoid being mocked as poofs', therefore single sex schools would help to resolve this issue as they will remove this pressure between the genders and allow both boys and girls to participate freely. Also Single sex schools will benefit students as male and female brains work differently. Girls can relate to emotions more and are seen as caring and talkative they can sit and talk about emotions whereas boys are more likely to do practical things instead of talking of emotions, hence why boys fail in English. So perhaps, as this leading head mistress, quoted in the Independent suggests, single sex classes need to be implemented to meet the learning strategies of the different sexes. Mainly English and foreign languages is where I believe that pupils need a gender based curriculum as was suggested by the DFES (2007) report it remarks that of the core subjects, the gender gap is widest in English; overall, the differences in language and literacy skills are given as the main cause of the gender gap in attainment. It is suggested that there is around 10% children leaving education with 5 Cs and above girls since 1968 have been slowly achieving better than boys according to Dcfs report into gender. It is a step towards the well researched idea that genders learn differently therefore it is possible to suggest that gender specific learning amongst boys and girls will close the statistical gap of attainment. Although the dfes report suggest that is no substantial evidence to back this up I believe that children will benefit from this approach. Another issue that I found is that boys tend to do better on spatial skills; they find mathematics and science more interesting to learn about. But on the other hand girls to better on verbal, comprehension and vocabulary skills than boys do. This table shows the gap in 1989 was just 6% but 10yrs later it had increased to 10%. It is suggested by S. Ball (2008) that this gap is an overall statistic and not subject specific he suggests that in 2004 the deviations of this gap was just 1% and that in some subjects boys achieve better results than girls therefore it is not valid to say that all boys or all girls achieve less in GCSE levels Conclusions In conclusion doing this research project on boys and girls achievement in schools and narrowing down the gap. The research found that there is not as big as a gap as people thought. The main factors that affect boys achievement are peer pressure and schools too feminised. The research also found that single sex schools and classes do not make that much difference but it found that girls have more confidence to participate in class discussion. In conclusion, the history of the gender gap shows that the gender gap itself has always been present in education, but was hidden by the advantage given to boys in 1960s, and it was often harder for girls to progress into further education, since it was not expected of them, therefore affecting the gender gap in the sense that there were lower numbers of girls then boys progressing. Over the years boys have improved and so have girls, maintaining the gender gap but showing that boys are adapting to the changes and are working harder to keep up. The gender differences in boys and girls does show that they learn in different ways, and these differences are, now more then ever, taken into account in teaching methods, lesson planning and assessment methods, and there is evidence showing that Boys are fighting back at A levels, with their results improving more rapidly than girls (BBC, 2004),however, it is important to recognise that there are girls and boys who wont fit into these gendered patterns and therefore focus should still be placed on the individual and not the biologically predisposed expectations, (Phoenix, 2004, pg 34). We could also conclude that this improvement could be the first sign that boys are now realising they will have to fight to maintain their place in the workforce, as history shows women have been seen as servants to the state (Steedman, 1 985, cited in Arnot and Ghaill, 2006, pg 19). This oppression of women, like other cases where parts of society have been repressed (e.g. repression of the afro-Caribbean population), resulted in women fighting or rebelling for their place in society, which is not something the male population has had to do. Therefore acting as a source of motivation for women to make sure they are treated as equals and to progress in life, where as men have missed out on this and until recently, have lacked the motivation to fight for their place. Now men are in a place of competition with women and are now beginning to see that its not particularly clever to under-achieve (BBC, 2004).

Analysis of Spike Lees Do the Right Thing Essay -- Spike Lees Do the

Director and actor Spike Lee presents his "truth" about race relations in his movie Do the Right Thing. The film exhibits the spectacle of black discrimination and racial altercations. Through serious, angry, and loud sounds, Lee stays true to the ethnicity of his characters, all of which reflect their own individualism. Lee uses insulting diction and intense scenes to show how severe racism can lead to violence. The biases reflected through Do the Right Thing model those of today which has kept society in a constant feud for so long. In Oprah Winfrey's dynamic episode, "The Color of Fear", Mr. Mun Wah projects his strong opinion when he states, " . . . that racism is still going on today, that we've got to stop to hear the anguish and the pain that goes with that and then we'll survive." (3) People do not realize the severity of their own words. In the scenes of the movie that emphasize the shocking reality of failed interracial communication, racial stereotyping, trust or l ack of trust, and acrimonious violence mirror the current concerns about race in America as reflected in "The Color Of Fear." The disturbing scene where different nationalities badger their opinions on each other shows poor communication and horrible stereotyping. Pino's Italian slang, Mookies black talk, and Korean obscenities are all mixed together to show how communication grows impossible among different ethnic groups. Spike Lee is trying to show how nonsense language results in a snowball effect which worsens any situation. Lorene Cary states her view on this situation when she comments, "We need more of them, not less; more words . . . What I do want is language: fighting words, love poems, elegance, dissonance, dissing, signifying, alarms, whistles, scholarly texts, political oratory, the works. Without it, we're dead."("As plain as Black and White") Maybe these "fighting words" unlock the truth about the communication plague, spreading throughout history. Leonard P. Zakin once said, " . . . it's all about conversation, not dialogue."("Scaling the Walls of Hatred") Like the characters in Do the Rig ht Thing, present day people can scream at each other all they want and will not get anywhere because outcry is not conversation. Conversation is talking, explaining, discussing, informing, and most definitely listening. Many people do not think twice when a racial slur ... ... trust, and wrongful violence that reflects the existing concerns about racism in America. The intense language and strong gestures enhance the film creating a realistic view for the audience. The actors in "The Color of Fear" and Spike Lee's characters both realize a problem exist, although do not know where to start to fix it. Peter Jennings pinpoints: " . . . There are many valid points of view, many belief systems, . . . bias and prejudice and truth and reality and myth are all mixed together . . . we're all biased in some way . . . You know, I used to think there was something called 'truth'. But after I spent seven years in the Middle East, I learned that there are truths about everything in life."(ABC Classroom Connection, Fall, 1993) Racism did not start with just one person nor one truth. Neither will racism end with one person or truth. I believe it takes a contribution of people, the American nation, to commit willingly. We need to listen and learn, talk and share, and understand the truths that each individual owns. Spike Lee's movie comes across as a brilliant and powerful illustration of how America's condescending behavior impairs our racial society.

Electronic Health Records and Our Government Essay

Electronic Health Records involvement in health care reform is at the main focus of lowering the cost to make care more affordable and improvement in the quality of care patients receive. The transition to electronic health records for the last couple years have been driven by offered incentives through the government. As the time pass by the popularity of electronic health record system increase more and more. EHR Systems involvement with government health care reforms in 2010 Financial incentives were aligned to encourage the adoption of EHR. To further support the transition to EHR funds were also provided to train health care professionals on how to us EHR in a meaningful manner. The incentives decline every year until 2015 when it will then be mandatory. After the deadline of 2015 not being in compliance will result in being penalized financially. In order to receive the incentives there are very specific guidelines and requirements that must be fulfilled. Some examples of requirements are EHR systems that record BMI (body mass index), patient demographics, as well as 40% of prescriptions must be submitted electronically. EHR Systems involvement with government health care reforms in 2011 The reporting year begins for eligible professions on January 1st. Medicare EMR incentive program registration began in January 3rd. In April Attestation began. In May Payments began. July 3rd was the last day for eligible hospitals to begin their 90 day reporting period to demonstrate meaningful use for the Medicare EMR incentive program. September 30th was the last day of reporting year ends for eligible hospitals. October 1st was the last day for eligible professionals to begin their 90 day reporting period for calendar year 2011. December 31st the reporting year ends for  eligible professions. Out of 57% of office based physicians that were using HER systems only 34% met the criteria to receive incentives. (CDC) EHR Systems involvement with government health care reforms in 2013 According to the CDC By this time fifty percent of doctors and eighty percent of hospitals were receiving incentives for using EHR meaningfully. Before the encouragement of transitioning to EHR by presi dent Obama only seventeen percent of physicians were using it. (U.S. Department of Health & Human Services) It was predicted by the congressional budget office that â€Å"the federal government will be saving close to twelve billion by converting to electronic health records†.(U.S. Department of Health & Human Services) WORKS CITED Hsiao, Chun-ju, and Esther Hing. â€Å"Electronic Health Record Systems and Intent to Apply for Meaningful Use Incentives Among Office-based Physician Practices.† Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 07 Mar. 2012. Web. 11 Sept. 2014. HHS. â€Å"News.† Doctors and Hospitals’ Use of Health IT More than Doubles since 2012. U.S. Department of Health &Humanservices, n.d. Web. 11 Sept. 2014. Pear, Robert. â€Å"Standards Issued for Electronic Health Records.† THE NEW YORK TIMES. NEW YORK TIMES COMPANY, 13 July 2010. Web.Schiling, Brian. â€Å"Quality Matters.† The Federal Government Has Put Billions into Promoting Electronic Health Record Use: How Is It Going? THE Comonwealth Fund, n.d. Web. 11 Sept. 2014. Feris, Nancy. â€Å"Electronic Health Record Standards.† Health Affairs. Project Hope, n.d. Web. 11 Sept. 2014.

Elementary School and Josh Wilson Eng

Elementary School and Josh Wilson Eng Elementary School and Josh Wilson Eng- 111 Essay Josh Wilson ENG-111 24 August 2013 I Believe in Acceptance As a child, I always saw my sister as a normal person. We played, and laughed. She was only a year older than me. She was not only my sister; but she was my playmate, my partner in crime, and most importantly my best friend. However, I was too young to know just how special she was. When I started elementary school, I started to notice how different my sister was. She didn’t look like the other kids, and she didn’t act like the other kids. I would see her from time to time within the hallways of our small elementary school. Her class was small, and the kids looked and acted different than everyone else. This is when I became curious to why my sister was different. My sister has Down’s syndrome, which is a congenital disorder arising from a chromosome defect, causing intellectual impairment and physical abnormalities. Once I was in middle school I learned about Down’s syndrome. I learned about its effects, and why people are born with this disorder. Down syndrome is a genetic condition in which a person has 47 chromosomes instead of the usual 46. According to the National Down’s Syndrome Society, one in every 691 babies born in the United States are born with Down’s syndrome. There never was a time in my life where I have disowned my sister, or was embarrassed to be with her in public. Instead of being mad at God for her disability, I embraced it. I helped my mother out when she needed me, and I

Essay on Sociology 1001

Essay on Sociology 1001 Essay on Sociology 1001 SOC 1001: Introduction to Sociology What is sociology? Systematic study of human social life How people act in groups & because of groups How individuals affect society and how society affects individuals Ways our thoughts and actions are partly due to our culture& socialization NOT inner workings of the mind isolation Why do sociology? agency = the ability of people to act in the social world. How does one do sociology? 1. Develop your â€Å"sociological imagination† 2. Build on useful ideas & prior research 3. Use appropriate methods 1. Sociological Imagination (C. Wright Mills) â€Å"A quality of mind† that does three things: 1. Helps us see relationship between man/ biography/ self & society/ history/ world 2. Distinguishes between personal troubles & public issues Troubles: caused by individual flaws or bad luck  · From the perspective of an individual. e.g., â€Å"Sarah doesn’t have any comfortable shoes.† Issues: caused by broader cultural factors  · When there is a pattern to the personal troubles then it’s a public issue, especially if the pattern follows socially important boundaries, like gender  · e.g., â€Å"Women’s fashionable shoes are rarely comfortable.† 3. Gives us awareness of the social structures (constraints) that affect our lives Society = Any relatively self-contained and self sufficient group of human beings who are united by social relationships. There are distinct boundaries Social structure = The organized patterns in social relationships and in social institutions that together constitute society. 2. Build on prior work to answer Big Questions What is the relationship between social structure and human agency? How is society held together? How is order maintained? What causes social change? Influential Theorists: Emile Durkheim Key Theories: Functionalism society is an integrated whole , each part contributes to its proper functioning each piece depends on others â€Å"social facts† = things that exist outside of us and constrain us Each social institution has functions (religions, families, education systems†¦) They function together as a system in balance If you disturb one institution, then other institutions have to change to restore balance (Society’s system is still adjusting to past changes) Influential Theorists: Karl Marx Key Theories: Conflict theory Saw tension and conflict as inherent aspects of capitalist society People in power created the current system. Current system serves the powerful Conflict about change is inevitable (defend/change) Influential Theorists: Max Weber (VEH-burr) concept of verstehen, seeing things from others point of view. Argued: we can’t separate ourselves from what we study Influential Theorists: W.E.B. DuBois Double Consciousness – viewing yourself through the eyes of others Focused on the role of history and experience in how you interpret the world Key Theories: Symbolic Interaction (founders incl Weber & DuBois) symbols (words, body language, what we wear, †¦) communicate meaning When we interact, we exchange & interpret symbols micro-level interactions (and, importantly, our interpretations of them) are fundamental building blocks of society and also reveal societal constraints & meanings social change comes through change in symbols and their meanings 3. How can we test the theories? This is a social science, but there’s debate about how well this can work a) Social facts are facts vs. b) We interpret what we see through our personal filters Ways of gathering sociological data Quantitative: count things & look for patterns (e.g., surveys, controlled experiments, content analysis of interviews or interactions) Qualitative: put yourself in their shoes

Choose one of from Core and Periphery, Migration and Climate Change, Essay

Choose one of from Core and Periphery, Migration and Climate Change, GMOs, Traditional Foods and Indigenous Sovereignty - Essay Example The most recent type of climate change is global warming, mainly caused by human activities such as burning of fossil fuels, cutting down of trees among other activities. When human beings burn fossil fuels, greenhouse gases such as carbon, sulphur among other gases are emitted. When released, greenhouse gases retain heat in the atmosphere, which causes rising temperatures that in turn results to glaciers and ice caps to melt. When glaciers and ice caps melt, sea level rises and flooding among other effects follows. A recent study by the International Red Cross indicates that recently, most refugees are due to environmental factor rather than, political factors. On the other hand, the United Nations High Commission for refugees (UNHCR) stated that, in 2009approximately thirty-six million people were displaced due to natural disaster, for example, tsunamis and volcanoes (NatGeo 6). Bangladesh is an Asian country that suffers from climatic refugees, especially due to floods. In 2007, Bangladesh reported having flood victims that suffered loss of property and turned to the Government and humanitarian assistance for relief food in Gangachara center. Apart from loss of property from the floods and cyclone, four thousand five hundred people lost their lives and approximately two million people were left homeless. The rate of migration is very high as reported by the Friendship NGO executive director, Runa Khan. He also stated that most of the migration is internal, that is, from the affected areas to the riparian islands covering at least 3.5 million climate migrants (Karim 20-22). This map shows the most affected place in Bangladesh. This country suffers from frequent tropical cyclones due to its unique funnel shape and location. Khulna is one of the most cyclone-affected areas in the country, especially due to its location near the northern part of the Bay of Bengal. This specific part in Bangladesh affects thousands of people when cyclones and

To what extent does your workplace conform with the requirements of a Essay

To what extent does your workplace conform with the requirements of a learning organisation - Essay Example The organisation mainly works around the parameter that sustainable living must be promoted and that science and technology should be harnessed in the most effective way in order to achieve this purpose. I believe that DERM, my organisation, is a learning organisation. I will explain in this paper why this is so. In order to demonstrate that the Department of Environment and Resource Management is a learning organisation, it is necessary to provide some form of benchmark or standards that would set clear requirements and criteria to credibly assess DERM’s organisational capability in the context of the learning organisation concept. For this purpose I have collated some authoritative insights from experts and academics. What is a Learning Organisation? According to Forest, a learning organisation is one that purposely applies its resources towards â€Å"the acquisition of knowledge about itself and its environment† and is continually expanding its capacity to meet prese nt and future challenges with increasing sophistication and success. (p391) Central to this definition is the idea that the organisation can learn and not some individual employees or groups of employees, the management, and so forth. The organisation is recognized to have the capability to acquire knowledge and use it for its own good. Another interesting insight that adds dimension to the learning organisation concept is the variable of change or the concept of organisational change as suggested by many academics. For instance, Caldwell (2006) stressed that learning organisation is a model of a team approach to change agency and organisational change because it views organisations â€Å"not as highly formalized hierarchical structures, but as macro-systems and micro-processes of learning and knowledge creation that give primacy to leadership and change agency at all levels.† (p155) The organisation in the entire process is characterized by all employees who work together as a whole – cooperating, coordinating and collaborating – acquiring knowledge and applying them for common organisational goals. This point of view has been supported by Rosell (1995) who explained that a learning organisation is able to adapt over time to changing conditions in a way that is productive to itself and its members by having the so-called â€Å"distributive intelligence†, which calls for horizontal information flow and less vertical decision making. (p83) Senge (2006), one of those credited to have brought the learning organisation concept to mainstream attention, talked about the role that people/employees play in this framework. According to him, the learning organisation is a place â€Å"where people continually expand their capacity to create the results they truly desire, where new and expansive patterns of thinking are nurtured, where collective aspiration is set free and where people are continually learning how to learn together.† (p3 ) Lunenberg and Ornstein (2007) summed up the five disciplines posited by Senge that collectively create the learning organisation. These are: Personal mastery: the process of personal commitment, vision, excellence, and lifelong learning. Shared vision: Sharing an image of the future one want to realize together. Team learning: The process of learning collectively. Mental models: the ingrained assumption that influence personal and