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Wednesday, October 30, 2019

Provide a brief critical historical assessment of why and how Essay

Provide a brief critical historical assessment of why and how accounting harmonisation has been achieved internationally - Essay Example Investors can analyse statements from different countries and decide on the nature and magnitude of the similarities and differences (Nobes. 76). Harmonization of accounting standard provides a level playing field globally (Shil, Das and Pramanik, 2009: 195). This level requires standardized accounting structures to facilitate international transactions and cost minimization through foreign payments by providing usable information to the global society. Under the global business scenario, the community needs a common accounting procedure (Shil et al. 2009: 195). The international accounting standards committee that later adopted the word international accounting standard board (ISAB) was formed in 1973. The committee involved sixteen accounting bodies representing nine nations: Canada, Australia, Germany, United Kingdom, Japan, France, Netherlands, United States, and Mexico (Shil et al. 2009: 196). Currently, ISAB has a total of a hundred and fifty-three accounting bodies that represent a hundred and twelve countries. The process of harmonization has undergone a challenging path from inception. One of the critical breakthroughs was the adoption of international accounting standards by the international organization of securities commission on May 2000 for use in stock exchanges in member states (Shil et al. 2009: 196). The European Union used the fourth and seventh council directives to achieve harmonization. Company law harmonization of financial accounting procedures was based on the Article 54(3)(g) of the EC Treaty. The fourth ((78/660/EEC) Council directive of 25th July 1978 required all companies to prepare annual accounts (Com 95, 3). However, this directive did not aim to achieve complete standardization of accounting procedures. The seventh council directive (83/349/EEC) of 13 June 1983 was more interested in consolidated accounts. Companies were required to prepare accounts and parent companies

Monday, October 28, 2019

Healthy Eating Essay Example for Free

Healthy Eating Essay I conducted research on a chosen topic for me to gain my secondary data, I research article on my chosen topic, printed them off and highlighted them in my appendix. I got the articles from books and online websites. I then produced a literature review of my articles. I also had to gain primary information which I got from my observations on 30 children at placement and 30 questionnaires send out to the parents but in order for me to do this I had to send out permission letters but before I was ale to do this I had to created my questionnaire and provision letter. Once I had all my permission letters and questionnaires back (managed to get 20 back), I collated my data and the produced charts by using bar charts, pie charts and tally charts. I was also able to carry out my observations because I had my permission slips and with this information I produced my data using bar charts, pie charts and tally charts. After producing all my charts, I had to analyse and summarise the date and find out the mode, range and median of each chart. I also produced my methodology, put into my appendix example of my questionnaire and permission letters as well as the printed out PowerPoint, say what topic I picked and why, the aims of my topic, what my sample target was and how many, who piloted my questionnaire and how I produced it, the ethical issues throughput my research project and confidentiality. An action plan was produced on each section in my research project by a grid which I filled out the dates of target completion and actual completion date. The last thing I did in my research project was state the strengths and weakness throughout the project, conclude what I have found out and reflect on the whole research project as well as having my bibliography which includes all the article I printed off, highlighted and reviewed. From carrying out this research project I found out that 13 children are healthy and 7 children are unhealthy out of the 20 children aged 4-5 years old. I also found out from my data that 4 year old boys are healthier than girls of that age and 5 year old girls are healthier than boys of that age. Another thing I found out was that 15 parents don’t follow the at well plate when providing their child with food however children are eating a variety of food from different food groups that are recurred for them to have a healthy diet. I also found out that children do eat fruit and the majority of parents don’t struggle to provide their child with a healthy diet as this can be seen in my data. Another thing I found out was that 15 parents don’t follow the at well plate  when providing their child with food. I chose to research the subject healthy eating because I believe it is important to give children a healthy lifestyle to help prevent and reduce their risk of anaemia, cancer, heart disease, diabetes, osteoporosis and obesity in the future. My research will be carried out by observing 30 children at placement between the age of 4-5 years and questionnaires on the parents. In order for me to carry out observations and questionnaires I will need permission from the parents of the children. I will gain permission by writing permission letters to the parents and get the signatures back to say whether they will complete my questionnaire and allow their child to be observed. I will get any secondary data/ literature information on healthy eating from books, articles, pictures and online websites which I use to help me back up my research and results. The type of data that will be used in my project is qualitive and quantitive data. My primary data will be shown by bar charts, pie chart and tally chart. I will select my participants by using every parents and child’s observation and questionnaire in order for me to gain the best information and results possible. The one and most important thing I will need to consider when collecting any data id to make sure it is valid and reliable and I will check whether this is by investigating the source to see if it is relevant. The problems that might arise during this research project maybe the lack of information and relevance of information. The ethical issues that I have to consider are confidentiality; keeping my observations and questionnaire anonymous a the way through my research project, person may withdraw their participants at anytime during my project, some parents may not want to provide the information in the questionnaire and therefore will not take part or want their child to contribute in the observation, remember to value and not judge the participants and allow them all to take part by sticking to equal opportunities and be sensitive to the children and their needs by balancing their rights of needs to protection and participants through applying the Children Act 1989 and 2004 as well as the UNCRC 1989 to this. I found that the strengths of my chosen methodology were that I could have a wide range of the sample target, the person doesn’t feel pressured into answering any questions, it was easy to generate quantitative date and easy to analyse. I found that the weaknesses of my chosen methodology were that not all people could have told the truth when answering the questions, people obtained different interpretations of some questions. When observing the children the strength I found was that it was easy to record down what I wanted to gain my information on and the weakness I found was that not all children were present at the day that I wanted to observe them therefore I had to carry out the observation on a day where all the children were present. I managed to receive back all 30 copies that were sending out to the parents which had all been completed the correct way. I had to stick to confidentiality all the way throughout my research project and in order for me to do this, I kept all my questionnaire and observations anonymous. I kept my questionnaires anonymous. I kept my observations anonymous by not including any child’s name when gaining my information. I recorded my information in bar charts, tally charts and pie charts. The recording methods I used were very useful because I was able to read the information from it need in order for me to gain my results. The figures which show this are that 13 children are healthy and 7 children are not healthy in chart 12. It also shows on chart 29 that only 4 children are unhealthy from the ethnicity groups; 1 child is unhealthy out of the 7 British children, 1 Polish child is unhealthy out of the 3 Polish children, the 1 Spanish child is unhealthy and the 1 Jewish person is unhealthy which meant that the other 16 children all together from each ethnicity group were healthy. This could have an impact on how many children understood what a healthy diet is or what a balanced diet is as seen in chart 13 which shows that 9 children understand what a healthy diet is or what a balanced diet is, 6 ch ildren don’t understand what a healthy diet is or what a balanced diet is, 1 child only know what a healthy diet is, 1 child understand what a healthy diet is or what a balanced diet is sort of, 1 child is only understood some of it and the other one child should do. Another thing that could have an impact on how healthy children are is chart 21, showing that 17 parents do the household shopping and 3 parents don’t therefore could have an outcome in how healthy the children eat because the parents are buying the food that  they will provide for their child to eat and these children could be given healthier food to eat e.g.: fruit and vegetables meaning they are eating a healthy diet. The fact that on 17 more children prefer to drink fizzy drinks to water didn’t have an impact on the majority of the 4-5 year olds having a healthy diet because we can see on chart 21 that 23 parents do the household shopping out of the 30 in the class and therefore these children could be given healthier food to eat e.g.: fruit and vegetables meaning they are eating a healthy diet. From chat 20 we see that 15 children mange to eat 5 fruit and vegetables per day and 5 children don’t eat 5 fruit and vegetable, however they many still mange to have some fruit during the day and this is than seen in chart 9 that 11 children have fruit and vegetable in their lunch boxes and on a daily basis. One thing that influenced the outcome of my research was most of the parents have jobs that enquire them to work with children or to look after peoples health, therefore because parents were doing this in their jobs, they know about why it is important to provide their child with a healthy diet and their children than was being encouraged to eat healthy and had a healthy diet. Another thing that influenced the outcome of my research is that the majority of parents provided their child with freshly cooked food meaning that the children were getting a variety of food to make up the healthy diet. 85% of the children were having a lot of energy during the day which had an influence on the outcome because if children eat a healthy food they are more likely to grow and develop better and don’t feel so sleepily during the day as seen in chart 23 that 16 children don’t feel sleepily during the day. The action plan that is in my appendix helped me complete my project as I was able to record the dates of completion on each section in the project and stick to it. It also helped me to manage my time effectively. I produced a questionnaire that links to my chosen topic healthy eating, where I wrote open-ended questions, yes and no questions and multiple answer questions in order for me to gain the information I want. I numbered each question 1 to 28 because the more questions in my questionnaire would give me more valid data to produce my charts and get reliable results. Once I had my questionnaire produced, a Level3 student in Health and Social Care piloted my questionnaire and found that there were no issues in my questionnaire. I therefore typed up my questionnaire and printed 30 copies for my sample target. I predict that if children aged 4-5 years old eat healthy, we should than find that they are having a healthy diet. If the reason for them having a healthy diet is eating a variety of food and getting the intake of mutations required from different food groups e.g.: fruit and vegetables. I expect to find that if parents provide their children with a healthy diet than they are more likely to eat healthy and have a healthy diet and if parents provide children with an unhealthy diet they are more likely to eat unhealthy and have an unhealthy diet. I expect to find the type of food that children eat on a daily basis to have an effect on how healthy they eat. I predict that if children are involved in helping with any type of preparing of food at home they are more likely to want to eat different kinds of food which means they will than be eating healthy. I expect to find, the ethnicity of children will not have an affect on how healthy they eat. I predict that if children have older siblings they will be influenced by their eating habits and they maybe passed down onto the younger sibling. I expect children who manage to have 5 fruit and vegetables per day will be  seen to have a healthier diet. From carrying out this research project on healthy eating I found out those 13 children are healthy out of the 20 children aged 4-5. I also found out that children do eat fruit and the majority of parents don’t struggle to provide their child with a healthy diet as this can be seen in my data. Another thing I found out was that 15 parents don’t follow the at well plate when providing their child with food however children are eating a variety of food from different food groups that are recurred for them to have a healthy diet. My research findings will help in my practice and support the development of my own practice when working with children and parents because I can be a good role model for the children and encourage the children that are not eating healthy to eat healthier, it gives me a better understanding of why children need to eat healthily and have 5 a day and I can back up my practice with evidence from NHS choices, The British Nutrition Foundation (BNF) and Food Standards Agency and I can also gain knowledge on anything I may not know. The perditions and expectations in my hypothesis about the findings of my research seem to be shown as testable statements because the whole outcome of the project gave me the results which i was hoping to find. Books: Bruce. T and Meggitt (2002) Child Care and Education Third Edition, Italy: Hodder Stoughton Tassoni. P et al (2007) Child care and education 4th edition, London: Heinemann Websites: ETC Network (2011) Healthy Lifestyle for Children [Online] available at: http://everychildhealthy.com/blog/healthy-lifestyle-for-children Accessed on: 18th March 2012 NHS Choices (2011) – 5 A Day and your family [Online] available at: http://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/5ADAY/Pages/Family.aspx Accessed on: 18th March 2012 KidsAndNutrition (2000-2012) How Many Calories Does Your Child Need? [Online] available at: http://www.kidsandnutrition.co.uk/how-many-calories-does-your-child-need.html Accessed on: 12th May 2012 BBC (2012) Nutritional needs in children [Online] available at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/health/treatments/healthy_living/nutrition/life_children.shtml Accessed on: 4th June 2012 Department of heath (2004) – 5 A Day Made Easy: Just Eat More (fruit Veg) [Online] available at: http://www.dh.gov.uk/prod_consum_dh/groups/dh_digitalassets/@dh/@en/documents/digitalasset/dh_4088835.pdf Accessed on: 4th June 2012 British Nutrition Foundation (2009-2012) – Nutrition throughout life: School age children [Online] available at: http://www.nutrition.org.uk/nutritionscience/life/school-children Accessed on: 4th June 2012 Oliver (2008) Jamie’s manifesto (part II) [Online] available at: http://www.jamieoliver.com/news/jamie-s-manifesto-part-ii Accessed on: 15th June 2012 Weight Loss Resources (2000-2012) Good Nutrition for children [Online] available at: http://www.weightlossresources.co.uk/children/nutrition_calorie_needs.htm Accessed on: 4th June 2012

Saturday, October 26, 2019

Teaching Philosophy Statement :: Education Teachers Classroom Essays

Teaching Philosophy Statement There are people in our lives who help shape and mold us to be a unique individual. These people help define who we are and sculpture us in becoming what we want to be. They inspire us to give all we have, and tell us not only to reach for the stars but the moon its self. These people are teachers. As early as grade school there have been teachers that have had positive concerns in my academic learning, and it had an influential effect on me creating a desire to do the same for others. They showed me what it’s like to care, give confidence and support to a student. My 7th grade Social Studies teacher made her classroom feel like time suspended and you were on another planet. She was so knowledgeable and excited about our lesson topics that it motivated me to excel in her class and she gave me a zeal for learning. Teaching is a dream and goal of mine. I want to be helpful in a child’s discovery that learning is power. I want to be a positive influence and an upstanding role model for my students. There are numerous reasons why I want a career as a teacher. The main reasons are: to help a child achieve their full potential, to give support that will strengthen a child’s confidence, and inspire them to fulfill their dreams that help them become productive citizens of society. A teacher can help shape a child's future with praise, challenge, guidance, encouragement, confidence, a smile, and an opportunity to learn and have a positive outlook on life. There is no greater reward than seeing a child's face light up when they realize that they have mastered a task by themselves. When a child feels the full potential they possess within themselves their confidence builds. They are able to see how the future can be if they apply their mind to any task. It’s an honor to help a child mold its future and for me there is no greater goal than being a teacher. I know that from my education classes I can learn from the great thinkers of the past.

Thursday, October 24, 2019

Hindustani classical music Essay

The tradition was born out of a cultural synthesis of several musical traditions: the Vedic chant tradition, dating back to more than three thousand years ago,the ancient Persian tradition of Musiqi-e assil, and various folk traditions prevalent in the region. It is traditional for performers who have reached a distinguished level of achievement to be awarded titles of respect; Hindus are usually referred to as pandit and Muslims as ustad. An aspect of Hindustani music going back to Sufi times is the tradition of religious neutrality: Muslim ustads may sing compositions in praise of Hindu deities, and vice versa. Around the 12th century, Hindustani classical music diverged from what eventually came to be identified as Carnatic classical music. The central notion in both these systems is that of a melodic mode or raga, sung to a rhythmic cycle or tala. The tradition dates back to the ancient Samaveda, (sÄ ma meaning â€Å"ritual chant†), which deals with the norms for chantin g of srutis or hymns such as the Rig Veda. These principles were refined in the musical treatises Natya Shastra, by Bharata (2nd–3rd century CE), and Dattilam (probably 3rd–4th century CE). In medieval times, the melodic systems were fused with ideas from Persian music, particularly through the influence of Sufi composers like Amir Khusro, and later in the Moghul courts. Noted composers such as Tansen flourished, along with religious groups like the Vaishnavites. After the 16th century, the singing styles diversified into different gharanas patronized in different princely courts. Around 1900, Vishnu Narayan Bhatkhande consolidated the musical structures of Hindustani classical music, called ragas, into a number of thaats. Indian classical music has seven basic notes with five interspersed half-notes, resulting in a 12-note scale. Unlike the 12-note scale in Western music, the base frequency of the scale is not fixed, and intertonal gaps (temperament) may also vary; however, with the gradual replacement of the sarangi by the harmonium, an equal tempered scale is increasingly used. The performance is set to a melodic pattern called a raga characterized in part by specific ascent (aroha) and descent (avaroha) sequences, which may not be identical. Other characteristics include â€Å"king† (vadi) and â€Å"queen† (samavadi) notes and characteristic phrases (pakad). In addition each raga has its natural register (ambit) and portamento (meend) rules. Performances are usually marked by considerable improvisation within these norms. History Music was first formalized in India in connection with preserving the sruti texts, primarily the four vedas, which are seen as apaurasheya (meaning â€Å"not created by man†). Not only was the text important, but also the manner in which they had been enunciated by the immortals. Prosody and chanting were thus of great importance, and were enshrined in the two vedangas (bodies of knowledge) called shiksha (pronunciation, chants) and chhandas (prosody); these remained a key part of the brahmanic educational system till modern times. The formal aspects of the chant are delineated in the Samaveda, with certain aspects, e.g. the relation of chanting to meditation, elaborated in the Chandogya Upanishad (ca. 8th century BC). Priests involved in these ritual chants were called samans and a number of ancient musical instruments such as the conch (shankh), lute (veena), flute (bansuri), trumpets and horns were associated with this and later practices of ritual singing. Sanskritic tradition The Samaveda outlined the ritual chants for singing the verses of the Rigveda, particularly for offerings of Soma. It proposed a tonal structure consisting of seven notes, which were named, in descending order, krusht, pratham, dwitiya, tritiya, chaturth, mandra and atiswÄ r. These refer to the notes of a flute, which was the only fixed-frequency instrument. This is why the second note is called pratham (meaning â€Å"first†, i.e., produced when only the first hole is closed). Music is dealt with extensively in the Valmiki Ramayana. Narada is an accomplished musician, as is Ravana; Saraswati with her veena is the goddess of music. Gandharvas are presented as spirits who are musical masters, and the gandharva style looks to music primarily for pleasure, accompanied by the soma rasa. In the Vishnudharmottara Purana, the Naga king Ashvatara asks to know the svaras from Saraswati. The most important text on music in the ancient canon is Bharata’s Natya Shastra, composed a round the 3rd century CE. The Natya Shastra deals with the different modes of music, dance, and drama, and also the emotional responses (rasa) they are expected to evoke. The scale is described in terms of 22 micro-tones, which can be combined in clusters of four, three, or two to form an octave. While the term raga is articulated in the Natya Shastra (where its meaning is more literal, meaning â€Å"colour† or â€Å"mood†), it finds a clearer expression in what is called jati in the Dattilam, a text composed shortly after or around the same time as Natya Shastra. The Dattilam is focused on gandharva music and discusses scales (swara), defining a tonal framework called grama in terms of 22 micro-tonal intervals (sruti[3]) comprising one octave. It also discusses various arrangements of the notes (murchhana), the permutations and combinations of note-sequences (tanas), and alankara or elaboration. Dattilam categorizes melodic structure into 18 groups called jati, which are the fundamental melodic structures similar to the raga. The names of the jatis reflect regional origins, for example andhri and oudichya. Music also finds mention in a number of texts from the Gupta period; Kalidasa mentions several kinds of veena (Parivadini, Vipanchi), as well as percussion instruments (mridang), the flute (vamshi) and conch (shankha). Music also finds mention in Buddhist and Jain texts from the earliest periods of the Christian era. Narada’s Sangita Makarandha treatise, from about 1100 CE, is the earliest text where rules similar to those of current Hindustani classical music can be found. Narada actually names and classifies the system in its earlier form before the Persian influences introduced changes in the system. Jayadeva’s Gita Govinda from the 12th century was perhaps the earliest musical composition sung in the classical tradition called Ashtapadi music. In the 13th century, Sharngadeva composed the Sangita Ratnakara, which has names such as the turushka todi (â€Å"Turkish todi†), revealing an influx of ideas from Islamic culture. This text is the last to be mentioned by both the Carnatic and the Hindustani traditions and is often thought to date the divergence between the two. Medieval period: Persian influence The advent of Islamic rule under the Delhi Sultanate and later the Mughal Empire over northern India caused considerable cultural interchange. Increasingly, musicians received patronage in the courts of the new rulers, who in their turn, started taking increasing interest in local music forms. While the initial generations may have been rooted in cultural traditions outside India, they gradually adopted many aspects from their kingdoms which retained the traditional Hindu culture. This helped spur the fusion of Hindu and Muslim ideas to bring forth new forms of musical synthesis like qawwali and khyal. The most influential musician of the Delhi Sultanate period was Amir Khusrau (1253–1325), sometimes called the father of modern Hindustani classical music.[4] A composer in Persian, Turkish, Arabic, as well as Braj Bhasha, he is credited with systematizing many aspects of Hindustani music, and also introducing several ragas such as Yaman Kalyan, Zeelaf and Sarpada. He created the qawwali genre, which fuses Persian melody and beat on a dhrupad like structure. A number of instruments (such as the sitar and tabla) were also introduced in his time. Amir Khusrau is sometimes credited with the origins of the khyal form, but the record of his compositions do not appear to support this. The compositions by the court musician Sadarang in the court of Muhammad Shah bear a closer affinity to the modern khyal. They suggest that while khyal already existed in some form, Sadarang may have been the father of modern khyal. Much of the musical forms innovated by these pioneers merged with the Hindu tradition, composed in the popular language of the people (as opposed to Sanskrit) in the work of composers like Kabir or Nanak. This can be seen as part of a larger Bhakti tradition, (strongly related to the Vaishnavite movement) which remained influential across several centuries; notable figures include Jayadeva (11th century), Vidyapati (fl. 1375 CE), Chandidas ( 14th–15th century), and Meerabai (1555–1603 CE). As the Mughal Empire came into closer contact with Hindus, especially under Jalal ud-Din Akbar, music and dance also flourished. In particular, the musician Tansen introduced a number of innovations, including ragas and particular compositions. Legend has it that upon his rendition of a night-time raga in the morning, the entire city fell under a hush and clouds gathered in the sky, and that he could light fires by singing the raga â€Å"Deepak†, which is supposed to be composed of notes in high octaves. At the royal house of Gwalior, Raja Mansingh Tomar (1486–1516 CE) also participated in the shift from Sanskrit to the local idiom (Hindi) as the language for classical songs. He himself penned several volumes of compositions on religious and secular themes, and was also responsible for the major compilation, the Mankutuhal (â€Å"Book of Curiosity†), which outlined the major forms of music prevalent at the time. In particular, the musical form known as dhrupad saw considerable development in his court and remained a strong point of the Gwalior gharana for many centuries. After the dissolution of the Mughal empire, the patronage of music continued in smaller princely kingdoms like Lucknow, Patiala, and Banaras, giving rise to the diversity of styles that is today known as gharanas. Many musician families obtained large grants of land which made them self sufficient, at least for a few generations (e.g. the Sham Chaurasia gharana). Meanwhile the Bhakti and Sufi traditions continued to develop and interact with the different gharanas and groups. Modern era Until the late 19th century, Hindustani classical music was imparted on a one-on-one basis through the guru-shishya (â€Å"mentor-protà ©gà ©Ã¢â‚¬ ) tradition. This system had many benefits, but also several drawbacks; in many cases, the shishya had to spend most of his time serving his guru with a hope that the guru might teach him a â€Å"cheez† (piece or nuance) or two. In addition, the system forced the music to be limited to a small subsection of the Indian community. To a large extent it was limited to the palaces and dance halls. It was shunned by the intellectuals, avoided by the educated middle class, and in general looked down upon as a frivolous practice.[5] Then a fortunate turn of events started the renaissance of Hindustani classical music. First, as the power of the maharajahs and nawabs declined in early 20th century, so did their patronage. With the expulsion of Wajid Ali Shah to Calcutta after 1857, the Lucknavi musical tradition came to influence the mus ic of renaissance in Bengal, giving rise to the tradition of Ragpradhan gan around the turn of the century. Also, at the turn of the century, two great stars emerged on the horizon: Vishnu Digambar Paluskar and Vishnu Narayan Bhatkhande. Independent of each other, they spread Hindustani classical music to the masses in general, and the Marathi middle class in particular. These two gentlemen brought classical music to the masses by organizing music conferences, starting schools, teaching music in class-rooms, and devising a standardized grading and testing system, and by standardizing the notation system.[6] Vishnu Digambar Paluskar emerged as a talented musician and organizer despite having been blinded at age 12. His books on music, as well as the Gandharva Mahavidyalaya music school that he opened in Lahore in 1901, helped foster a movement away from the closed gharana system. Paluskar’s contemporary (and occasional rival) Vishnu Narayan Bhatkhande recognized the many rifts that had appeared in the structure of Indian classical music. He undertook extensive research visits to a large number of gharanas, Hindustani as well as Carnatic, collecting and comparing compositions. Between 1909 and 1932, he produced the monumental four-volume work Hindustani Sangeetha Padhathi,[7] which suggested a transcription for Indian music, and described the ma ny traditions in this notation. Finally,mit consolidated the many musical forms of Hindustani classical music into a number of thaats (modes), subsequent to the Melakarta system that reorganized Carnatic tradition in the 17th century. The ragas as they exist today were consolidated in this landmark work, although there are some inconsistencies and ambiguities in Bhatkande’s system. In modern times, the government-run All India Radio, Bangladesh Betar and Radio Pakistan helped to bring the artists to public attention, countering the loss of the patronage system. The first star was Gauhar Jan, whose career was born out of Fred Gaisberg’s first recordings of Indian music in 1902. With the advance of films and other public media, musicians started to make their living through public performances. As India was exposed to Western music, some Western melodies started merging with classical forms, especially in popular music. A number of Gurukuls, such as that of Alauddin Khan at Maihar, flourished. In more modern times, corporate support has also been forthcoming, as at the ITC Sangeet Research Academy. Meanwhile, Hindustani classical music has become popular across the world through the influence of artists such as Ravi Shankar and Ali Akbar Khan. Principles of Hindustani music The rhythmic organization is based on rhythmic patterns called tala. The melodic foundations are called ragas. One possible classification of ragas is into â€Å"melodic modes† or â€Å"parent scales†, known as thaats, under which most ragas can be classified based on the notes they use. Thaats may consist of up to seven scale degrees, or swara. Hindustani musicians name these pitches using a system called Sargam, the equivalent of the Western movable do solfege: Sa (Shadaj) = Do Re (Rishab) = Re Ga (Gandhar) = Mi Ma (Madhyam) = Fa Pa (Pancham) = So Dha (Dhaivat) = La Ni (Nishad) = Ti Sa (Shadaj) = Do Both systems repeat at the octave. The difference between sargam and solfege is that re, ga, ma, dha, and ni can refer to either â€Å"Natural† (shuddha) or altered â€Å"Flat† (komal) or â€Å"Sharp† (tivra) versions of their respective scale degrees. As with movable do solfege, the notes are heard relative to an arbitrary tonic that varies from performance to performance, rather than to fixed frequencies, as on a xylophone. The fine intonational differences between different instances of the same swara are called srutis. The three primary registers of Indian classical music are mandra (lower), madhya (middle) and taar (upper). Since the octave location is not fixed, it is also possible to use provenances in mid-register (such as mandra-madhya or madhya-taar) for certain ragas. A typical rendition of Hindustani raga involves two stages: Alap: a rhythmically free improvisation on the rules for the raga in order to give life to the raga and flesh out its character istics. The alap is followed by a long slow-tempo improvisation in vocal music, or by the jod and jhala in instrumental music. Bandish or Gat: a fixed, melodic composition set in a specific raga, performed with rhythmic accompaniment by a tabla or pakhavaj. There are different ways of systematizing the parts of a composition. For example: Sthaayi: The initial, rondo phrase or line of a fixed, melodic composition. Antara: The first body phrase or line of a fixed, melodic composition. Sanchaari: The third body phrase or line of a fixed, melodic composition, seen more typically in dhrupad bandishes Aabhog: The fourth and concluding body phrase or line of a fixed, melodic composition, seen more typically in Dhrupad bandishes. There are three variations of bandish, regarding tempo: Vilambit bandish: A slow and steady melodic composition, usually in largo to adagio speeds. Madhyalaya bandish: A medium tempo melodic competition, usually set in andante to allegretto speeds. Drut bandish: A fast tempo melodic composition, usually set to allegretto speed or faster. Hindustani classical music is primarily vocal-centric, insofar as the musical forms were designed primarily for vocal performance, and many instruments were designed and evaluated as to how well they emulate the human voice. Types of compositions The major vocal forms or styles associated with Hindustani classical music are dhrupad, khyal, and tarana. Other forms include dhamar, trivat, chaiti, kajari, tappa, tap-khyal, ashtapadis, thumri, dadra, ghazal and bhajan; these are folk or semi-classical or light classical styles, as they often do not adhere to the rigorous rules of classical music. Dhrupad Main article: Dhrupad Dhrupad is an old style of singing, traditionally performed by male singers. It is performed with a tambura and a pakhawaj as instrumental accompaniments. The lyrics, some of which were written in Sanskrit centuries ago, are presently often sung in brajbhasha, a medieval form of North and East Indian languages that was spoken in Eastern India. The rudra veena, an ancient string instrument, is used in instrumental music in dhrupad. Dhrupad music is primarily devotional in theme and content. It contains recitals in praise of particular deities. Dhrupad compositions begin with a relatively long and acyclic alap, where the syllables of the following mantra is recited: â€Å"Om Anant tam Taran Tarini Twam Hari Om Narayan, Anant Hari Om Narayan†. The alap gradually unfolds into more rhythmic jod and jhala sections. These sections are followed by a rendition of bandish, with the pakhawaj as an accompaniment. The great Indian musician Tansen sang in the dhrupad style. A lighter form of dhrupad, called dhamar, is sung primarily during the festival of Holi. Dhrupad was the main form of northern Indian classical music until two centuries ago, when it gave way to the somewhat less austere khyal, a more free-form style of singing. Since losing its main patrons among the royalty in Indian princely states, dhrupad risked becoming extinct in the first half of the twentieth century. However, the efforts by a few proponents from the Dagar family have led to its revival and eventual popularization in India and in the West. Some of the best known vocalists who sing in the Dhrupad style are the members of the Dagar lineage, including the senior Dagar brothers, Nasir Moinuddin and Nasir Aminuddin Dagar; the junior Dagar brothers, Nasir Zahiruddin and Nasir Faiyazuddin Dagar; and Wasifuddin, Fariduddin, and Sayeeduddin Dagar. Other leading exponents include the Gundecha Brothers, who have received training from some of the Dagars. Leading vocalists outside the Dagar lineage include the Mallik family of Darbhanga tradition of musicians; some of the leading exponents of this tradition were Ram Chatur Mallick, Siyaram Tiwari, and Vidur Mallick. A section of dhrupad singers of Delhi Gharana from Mughal emperor Shah Jahan’s court migrated to Bettiah under the patronage of the Bettiah Raj, giving rise to the Bettiah Gharana.[8] Bishnupur Gharana, based in West Bengal, is a key school that has been propagating this style of singing since Mughal times. Khyal Main article: Khyal Khyal is a Hindustani form of vocal music, adopted from medieval Persian music and based on Dhrupad. Khyal, literally meaning â€Å"thought† or â€Å"imagination† in Hindustani, is unusual as it is based on improvising and expressing emotion. A Khyal is a two- to eight-line lyric set to a melody. The lyric is of an emotional account possibly from poetic observation.[clarification needed] Khyals are also popular for depicting the emotions between two lovers, situations of ethological significance in Hinduism and Islam, or other situations evoking intense feelings. Th importance of the Khyal’s content is for the singer to depict, through music in the set raga, the emotional significance of the Khyal. The singer improvises and finds inspiration within the raga to depict the Khyal. The origination of Khyal is controversial, although it is accepted that this style was based on Dhrupad and influenced by Persian music. Many argue that Amir Khusrau created the style in the late 16th century. This form was popularized by Mughal Emperor Mohammad Shah, through his court musicians. Some well-known composers of this period were Sadarang, Adarang, and Manrang. [edit]Tarana Main article: Tarana Another vocal form, taranas are medium- to fast-paced songs that are used to convey a mood of elation and are usually performed towards the end of a concert. They consist of a few lines of poetry with soft syllables or bols set to a tune. The singer uses these few lines as a basis for fast improvisation. The tillana of Carnatic music is based on the tarana, although the former is primarily associated with dance. Tappa Main article: Tappa Tappa is a form of Indian semi-classical vocal music whose specialty is its rolling pace based on fast, subtle, knotty construction. It originated from the folk songs of the camel riders of Punjab and was developed as a form of classical music by Mian Ghulam Nabi Shori or Shori Mian, a court singer for Asaf-Ud-Dowlah, the Nawab of Awadh. â€Å"Nidhubabur Tappa†, or tappas sung by Nidhu Babu were very popular in 18th and 19th-century Bengal. Among the living performers of this style are Laxmanrao Pandit, Shamma Khurana, Manvalkar, Girija Devi, Ishwarchandra Karkare, and Jayant Khot. Thumri Main article: Thumri Thumri is a semi-classical vocal form said to have begun in Uttar Pradesh with the court of Nawab Wajid Ali Shah, (r. 1847–1856). There are three types of thumri: poorab ang, Lucknavi and Punjabi thumri. The lyrics are typically in a proto-Hindi language called Brij Bhasha and are usually romantic. Some recent performers of this genre are Abdul Karim Khan, the brothers Barkat Ali Khan and Bade Ghulam Ali Khan, Begum Akhtar, Girija Devi, Beauty Sharma Barua, Nazakat-Salamat Ali Khan, Prabha Atre, Siddheshwari Devi, and Shobha Gurtu. Ghazal Main article: Ghazal Ghazal is an originally Persian form of poetry. In the Indian sub-continent, Ghazal became the most common form of poetry in the Urdu language and was popularized by classical poets like Mir Taqi Mir, Ghalib, Daagh, Zauq and Sauda amongst the North Indian literary elite. Vocal music set to this mode of poetry is popular with multiple variations across Iran, Afghanistan, Central Asia, Turkey, India, Bangladesh and Pakistan. Ghazal exists in multiple variations, including semi-classical, folk and pop forms. Instrumental music The Royal Musicians of Hindustan circa 1910: Ali Khan, Inayat Khan, Musheraff Khan and Maheboob Khan Although Hindustani music clearly is focused on the vocal performance, instrumental forms have existed since ancient times. In fact, in recent decades, especially outside South Asia, instrumental Hindustani music is more popular than vocal music, partly due to a somewhat different style and faster tempo, and partly because of a language barrier for the lyrics in vocal music. A number of musical instruments are associated with Hindustani classical music. The veena, a string instrument, was traditionally regarded as the most important, but few play it today and it has largely been superseded by its cousins the sitar and the sarod, both of which owe their origin to Persian influences. Other plucked or struck string instruments include the surbahar, sursringar, santoor, and various versions of the slide guitar. Among bowed instruments, the sarangi, esraj and violin are popular. The bansuri, shehnai and harmonium are important wind instruments. In the percussion ensemble, the tabla and the pakhavaj are the most popular. Various other instruments have also been used in varying degrees.

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Community Service Argument Essay

Community Service Argument Green Bay High Schools are being faced with a very controversial issue, which revolves around whether or not community service hours are needed to graduate. High schools are arguing that 24 hours of community service are needed to graduate from their facility of learning, but many frustrated students are voicing protests to this demand. This situation has caused much controversy among the school system and many arguments have risen in support and against this community service issue. Supporters of the community service project argue that if students fulfill their 24 hours of community service in high school they will develop into upstanding pillars of the community. They believe that students will become better aware of what the real world is like by doing community service and giving back to their community. Students will learn valuable life lessons by participating in community service and will feel good about themselves for helping others in need. Protestors have struck back with a very solid argument. They feel that if high school students are forced to do community service they will begin to see it as a punishment and as something that they have to do because it is required instead of something that they want to do because it is the right thing to do. Students will in the future look back at the community service projects that they were forced to do throughout high school and will continue to carry a negative outlook on community service for the entirety of their lifetime. Another idea that the protestors give about this community service issue is time constraints will make it close to impossible for high school students to fill the necessary 24 hours needed to graduate. High school students have an enormous amount of things going on in their lives. They attend school daily for 7 hours, participate in extra-curricular activities, and have part-time jobs. High school students have such a limited amount of time for themselves, as it is that by tacking on another time-consuming project like community service is ridiculous. Supporters argue back that high school students only need to fulfill 24 hours of community service throughout 4 years, that really isn’t asking a whole lot of time commitment. If students budget their time and start the community service when they are a freshman all they need to do is an hour every other week and they will still be done  with a year or so to spare. A final controversial issue that pops up is transportation. The protestors argue that freshman and sophomores in high school do not have their driver’s license, so how are they expected to get to their community service site when their parents or friends are at work or just to busy to give them a ride. Unless the school offers a means of transportation for the students there really is no solution to this problem. The supporters argue that students can find community service projects close to home or if they live in the country find another student to car pool with. Forcing students to complete 24 hours of community service in high school in order to graduate is a very controversial issue. Both sides have solid arguments about why community service should or should not be forced upon students. Community service is a wonderful thing that everyone should be required to do at some point in their life, but are high school students mature and responsible enough to take on community service projects at this stage in their life?

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

Stalin and His Influence on Life in Russia essays

Stalin and His Influence on Life in Russia essays Joseph Stalin ruled the Soviet Union as a virtual dictator between 1928 and 1954. During the first ten years of his rule, Stalin introduced dramatic change to the Soviet Union in the areas of industrialization, agriculture, culture and education. While there were some benefits for both the nation and the people with respect to the consequences of his policies on industrialization and education, the impact of his policies regarding agriculture, and culture was overwhelmingly damaging to the Russian people, and consequently, the nation as a whole. Therefore, it can be said that between 1928 and 1938 Stalin had a largely devastating impact on the people, but a less damaging one on the Soviet Union itself. To a large extent Stalins transformation of the Soviet Union into a strong industrial nation had a positive effect on the nation. This was required as the Soviet Union was 50 to 100 years behind the worlds major industrial powers at that time. Stalins transformation of the Soviet Union into an industrial nation was achieved through the introduction of a series of five year plans designed to develop the Soviet economy. The first Five Year Plan was introduced in 1928. This plan required heavy industry such as coal, steel and oil to triple their output. Light industry including furniture, clothes and shoes needed to double their output. To facilitate this increase, electrical production was to increase sixfold. [Brooman, J 1988. p. 10] The enormity of this unrealistic task meant that The atmosphere of Russia became feverish with effort. [Baker, P, P and Basset, J, J 1988. p. 25] However, by the end of 1932, while failing to meet the required targets, an incredible increase in industrial production was accomplished. The output of oil, for example, increased from 11.7 to 21.4 millions of tonnes, the output of steel increased from 4 to 5.9 millions of tonnes, and the output of coal increased from 35.4 to...

Monday, October 21, 2019

Farther vs. Further

Farther vs. Further Farther vs. Further Farther vs. Further By Mark Nichol Is there any difference between farther and further? Merriam-Webster’s online dictionary notes in a usage discussion that as an adverb, farther and further are used indiscriminately when literal or figurative distance is involved: â€Å"How much farther do we have to go?† â€Å"It’s just a mile further.† â€Å"How much further do you want to take this argument?† â€Å"I’ve taken it farther than I want to already.† However, in adjectival form, a distinction has developed regarding use in these senses: â€Å"My house is the farther of the two.† â€Å"She needs no further introduction.† But dictionaries are descriptive; they describe not how people should use language, but how they do use it. However, language maven (and therefore prescriptive) Bryan A. Garner, in Garner’s Modern English Usage, advises, â€Å"In the best usage, farther refers to physical distances, further to figurative distances,† and I agree: Popular usage demonstrates just that popular usage and the careful writer maintains distinctions that enrich the language. (Write eager when you mean eager, for example, and anxious when you mean anxious.) Farthest and furthest, by extension, should maintain the same distinct meanings; use these forms in favor of the burdensome farthermost and furthermost. Furthering and furtherance are interchangeable noun forms that serve as synonyms for promotion or advocacy; there is no equivalent noun form for farther. Further is also employed as a modifier, as in â€Å"Further, I see no reason to delay the proceedings†; furthermore is a variant. Farther, however, does not fit this role. This Daily Writing Tips post from a former contributor has a somewhat different take; as always, consider what you read here (and there) a springboard (or two) for farther I mean further research to help you make up your mind about how you write. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Misused Words category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:How to Format a US Business LetterRunning Amok or Running Amuck?30 Nautical Expressions

Sunday, October 20, 2019

Education and Schools in Texas

Education and Schools in Texas Every state adheres to a different set of rules and regulations regarding education.  State governments seemingly take varying approaches on almost every education and school related piece of legislation.  Hot issues such as standardized testing, charter schools, teacher certification, and school vouchers are handled differently in each state.  This profile focuses on education and schools in Texas. District/School Information Texas Commissioner of Education: Mike Morath Length of School Year: A minimum of 180 days is required by Texas state law. Number of Public School Districts: There are 1,031 public school districts in Texas. Number of Public Schools: There are 9,317 public schools in Texas.**** Number of Students Served in Public Schools: There are 5,000,470 public school students in Texas.**** Number of Teachers in Public Schools: There are 324,282 public school teachers in Texas.**** Number of Charter Schools: There are 618 charter schools in Texas. Per Pupil Spending: Texas spends $8,837 per pupil in public education. **** Average Class Size: The average class size In Texas is 15.4 students per 1 teacher.**** Percentage of Title I Schools: 79.7% of schools in Texas are Title I Schools.**** Percentage With Individualized Education Programs (IEP): 8.7% of students in Texas are on IEPs.**** Percentage in Limited-English Proficiency Programs: 14.9% of students in Texas are in limited-English Proficient Programs.**** Percentage of Student Eligible for Free/Reduced Lunches: 51.0% of students in Texas schools are eligible for free/reduced lunches.**** Ethnic/Racial Student Breakdown:**** White: 30.5% Black: 12.8% Hispanic: 50.8% Asian: 3.5% Pacific Islander: 0.1% American Indian/Alaskan Native: 0.4% School Assessment Data Graduation Rate: 78.9% of all students entering high school in Texas graduate.** Average ACT/SAT score: Average ACT Composite Score: 20.9*** Average Combined SAT Score: 1432***** 8th grade NAEP assessment scores:**** Math: 284 is the scaled score for 8th grade students in Texas. The U.S. average was 281. Reading: 261 is the scaled score for 8th grade students in Texas. The U.S. average was 264. Percentage of Students Who Attend College After High School: 56.2% of students in Texas go on to attend some level of college.*** Private Schools Number of Private Schools: There are 1,297 private schools in Texas.* Number of Students Served in Private Schools: There are 246,030 private school students in Texas.* Homeschooling Number of Students Served Through Homeschooling: There are an estimated 146,309 students that were homeschooled in Texas in 2015.# Teacher Pay The average teacher pay for the state of Texas was $48,110 in 2013.## The state of Texas has a teacher’s minimum salary schedule. However, some districts may negotiate salaries with their teachers.    *Data courtesy of Education Bug **Data courtesy of ED.gov ***Data courtesy of ACT ****Data courtesy of the National Center for Education Statistics ******Data courtesy of The Commonwealth Foundation #Data courtesy of A2ZHomeschooling.com ##Average salary courtesy of National Center of Education Statistics ###Disclaimer:  The information provided on this page changes frequently.  It will be updated regularly as new information and data becomes available.

Saturday, October 19, 2019

Web Site Publishing Process Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Web Site Publishing Process - Assignment Example They provide a website builder which is really user friendly and useful. In addition to this a lot of free space is provided which is necessary when it comes to building a website. Domain transfer is another important service which just host provides. The website also gives a money back guarantee this also makes the website really genuine. Other facilities include free multiple e-mail accounts so that mails can be tracked and sent from different mail accounts, unlimited My SQL database and a plethora of other exciting offers. Just host is arguably the best hosting website on the internet. â€Å"Every new website begins with an idea – an idea that can potentially become a challenge to construct without a little basic knowledge and understanding of how web hosting and web hosting companies actually work.   The most essential element of any successful website is a reliable web hosting company, one of the most practices methods of sourcing for a reliable host is by frequenting web hosting review sites.† (Just Host Blog) Word Press has given a lot of liberty to the new website publishers; Just host allows the use of Word Press so that it becomes easier for those who have been using Word Press as their publishing platform. Joomla is another platform which a lot of people use and Just Host allows the incorporation of Joomla also. There are a lot of exciting options to choose from this is what makes Just Host the best hosting website. A new user gets free Google and Yahoo advertisement credits which is a great way of attracting traffic and at the end of the day internet is all about traffic, more traffic simply means better results. The control panel provided by Just host is very user friendly and hassle free, to conclude it is very fair to say Just Host is arguably the best web hosting website and it is the best because it offers a lot of exciting features which other hosting websites fail to provide. Whoever is planning to publish a new

Friday, October 18, 2019

Chapter9 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Chapter9 - Essay Example This is by introducing new academic programs or fields of study in its calendar to allow prospecting applicants have a variety to choose from when making applications. This fastens student-lecturer communication and a fast processing of applications from overseas students. Also, offering full scholarships to talented students and grants to the brightest ones can be an alternative to the above modes. A college may build its reputation as a champion of excellence in this manner. This model is mainly used to target low income market segments. The college may introduce short term courses and part time classes to cater for the growing population of individuals who have to juggle between work and school. These courses may also include tuition fees payable in installments during the semester by students. Alternatively, partnering with middle level colleges and opening different campuses can be adopted. These decongest the main campus yet, allow more students access educational products in the satellite campuses. Lowering the tuition fees on some programs to attract more applicants can also be adopted. The two-way stretch is a way of catering for the poor and the rich simultaneously. The college may introduce specific courses offered by highly ranked colleges in its programs, but at lower fees and flexible entry requirements. This attracts students from poor families who have met the minimum requirements to join a highly ranked institution and those from rich families who have failed to meet the minimum requirements set by the other high ranked universities. Alternatively, lowering entry requirements and tuition fees for native students, and have foreign students pay higher rates may seem appropriate. Also, the college may decide to offer partial scholarships to poor students and not to the ones from rich families. This strategy can be used to get rid of unprofitable procedures in an organization. Technology that

Irish bar and restaurant accessibility Assignment

Irish bar and restaurant accessibility - Assignment Example The doors of the entrance are designed in a way that it is light to open and slow to close. This may prevent injuries like crashing your fingers accidentally when closing the door or using a lot of effort to pull the door open. There is sufficient space on the entrance that a large group of people can walk comfortably together without rubbing shoulders. Also on the sides there are beautiful and well trimmed flowers which provide a nice visual site for the visitors. The flowers also provide a nice fragrance which escorts one along the entrance. One thing that I did not like about the entrance is the alternative steps which didn’t have the handrail. The handrail is used to provide support or prevent one from falling on the other side accidentally. Although the stairs are wide, they should have the hand rails which will support the people who are tired. Inside the restaurant there is sufficient space for wheelchair or walking aid for the users to move comfortably between the tabl es and chairs so that they may access all areas of the restaurant. Staffs offer prior arrangement for those requiring additional space at a well-situated location. All goods and services provided at the bar and restaurant follows the principles of dignity, independence, integration and equal opportunity. Customers are served equally to their satisfaction. There are a lot of assistive devices and people within the hotel. The restaurant has employed enough waiters and bar maids who provide quality services to customers.

Thursday, October 17, 2019

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

Brand Management - Essay Example For the marketing program investment, NB is positioned as the best fit for athletes and people who want shoes that represent their fitness goals. NB concentrates on manufacturing shoes with diverse widths because it believes that a large fit enhances footwear performance. The brand is also known for the benefits of comfort, performance, and quality of fits and soles (Ryan 2008). The commodification is manufacturing for quality. NB is involved in international business; it sells products all over the world. Furthermore, employee relations are regarded as satisfactory, because the executive management is dedicated to responding to internal stakeholder needs (Baker 1999). For customer mindset, awareness is high, but not as high as for market leaders, such as Nike and Reebok-Adidas, when sales are considered. See Table 1 for Comparative Data on Major Athletic Footwear and Apparel Companies, 2004. NB also has good associate relations. NB imports finished soles and raw materials from Asian suppliers. The uppers would then be made and connected to soles in the U.S. almost seventy percent of NB’s domestic product is called â€Å"sourced upper.† For sourced-upper shoes, NB will import finished uppers and soles from Asia and will conclude the assembly at the American factories. Three warehouses in Skowhegan and Lawrence hold approximately $9 million (or 4 and half weeks) worth of raw materials inventory (Bowen, Huckman, and Knoop 2002, C-383). It can take 10 to 12 weeks for the shoes to arrive at Lawrence and Ontario (order to deliver lead time) (Bowen et al. 2002, C-383). The lead time has also been lessened, due to the efforts of NB to develop ordering and synchronization processes between the company and the suppliers. The management also strategically located the manufacturing plants near distributors and stores (Bruce, Daly, and Towers 2004; Jin 2004). Table 1: Comparative Data on Major Athletic Footwear and Apparel Companies, 2004 Company Worldwide Sa les Footwear Sales Total Assets Net Income Employees Nike 13,739.7 7,299.7 8,793.6 1,211.6 26,000 Adidas-Salomon 8,057.0 3,384.0 6,015.8 402.3 17,023 Reebok 3,785.3 2,430.3 2,440.6 192.4 9,100 Puma 1,903.3 1,065.8 1,263.1 320.0 3,910 New Balance 1,500.0 NA NA NA 2,600 Fila 955.2 NA NA -85.0 2,300 Vans 330.2 NA NA -30.0 1,890 Source: Bowen, Huckman, and Knoop (2006, C374) The attitudes of the company represent good work ethics and social responsibility. NB actively supports societal marketing. Some of its products use natural materials. NB also energetically donates to charity and other organizations. It has a New Balance Foundation that tackles child obesity, as well as other cultural and environmental concerns (New Balance 2011). Studies also showed that New Balance has loyal customers, because they appreciate the performance of its products and the grassroots marketing approach of the company (Datamonitor 2008). The main marketing promotions of NB are word-of-mouth and PR through de-emphasizing the importance of celebrity endorsements (Datamonitor 2008). Price premiums of NB are pricing for value. New Balance has different prices for its products, but mostly it charges premium pricing for its athletic apparel and footwear. Customers are not that price elastic. NB enjoys a market share of 8 to 12% market share (Bowen et al. 2002, C-384). Expansion success is high, since NB has strong brand equity. Cost savings is also good, because of the strategic supply chain management of NB

Developmental stages of children Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Developmental stages of children - Essay Example To assist in the study of these types of development, various developmental tasks are commonly divided into four primary domains: physical, cognitive, social, and emotional. By defining and applying these domains to the pre-school developmental stage, it is possible to identify activities that may assist the child in successfully achieving the primary goals of this stage. Unsurprisingly, physical development refers to the actual growth of the child's body structure. This includes muscles, bones and organs as well as all motor and sensory development. Motor development is largely dependent on the child's muscle strength and coordination. Actions such as standing, sitting, and running involve the large muscles of the body. Other activities such as speech, vision and the use of hands and fingers require increasing mastery of the smaller muscles of the body. As most people are aware, sensory development refers to the increasing awareness of the five senses: sight, taste, touch, smell and hearing. â€Å"The coordination and integration of perceptual input from these systems are controlled by the central nervous system† (Roditti, 2002, p. 11). Thus, activities that promote physical development will concentrate on preparing the core muscles for greater use and encourage exploration of abilities and senses. A child's cognitive development is also important in understanding these opportunities. Cognitive development takes place through activities such as thought, memory, reasoning, problem-solving and abstract thinking. One of the most difficult cognitive activities is using language because, although speech is technically a motor activity, the use of symbolization and memory in producing meaningful speech is a highly specialized thought process. Comprehending and expressing language is a complex cognitive endeavor that is encouraged as well by the child's social development. Social development refers to the child’s interactions with other people and their involvement in social groups. The earliest social function of a child is the attachment to mother. This attachment then leads to the â€Å"development of relationships with adults and peers, assumption of social roles, adoption of group values and norms, adoption of a moral system, and eventually assuming a productive role in society† (Roditti, 2002, p. 12). All of these also contribute to and are shaped by the child's emotional development. Emotional development refers to the maturing of personal behaviors and characteristics. This can include developing an individual identity and self-esteem along with the ability to enter into mutually fulfilling emotional relationships. Pre-School Physical Development Sensory and motor domain development is perhaps most noticeable during the first year of life when the child is doing the majority of his or her physical growth. This growth begins to slow at about one year of age. There are many things parents worry about at this stage. Fo r example, they may notice that their child has a suddenly decreased appetite at this point or be concerned about the apparently misshapen body as the child begins to walk. However, there is often no cause to be concerned. As the physical growth starts to slow, the body no longer requires such high intake of building blocks. As children begin to walk, their posture appears bow-legged with the belly sticking out and a sharply inward curved back. While

Wednesday, October 16, 2019

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

Brand Management - Essay Example For the marketing program investment, NB is positioned as the best fit for athletes and people who want shoes that represent their fitness goals. NB concentrates on manufacturing shoes with diverse widths because it believes that a large fit enhances footwear performance. The brand is also known for the benefits of comfort, performance, and quality of fits and soles (Ryan 2008). The commodification is manufacturing for quality. NB is involved in international business; it sells products all over the world. Furthermore, employee relations are regarded as satisfactory, because the executive management is dedicated to responding to internal stakeholder needs (Baker 1999). For customer mindset, awareness is high, but not as high as for market leaders, such as Nike and Reebok-Adidas, when sales are considered. See Table 1 for Comparative Data on Major Athletic Footwear and Apparel Companies, 2004. NB also has good associate relations. NB imports finished soles and raw materials from Asian suppliers. The uppers would then be made and connected to soles in the U.S. almost seventy percent of NB’s domestic product is called â€Å"sourced upper.† For sourced-upper shoes, NB will import finished uppers and soles from Asia and will conclude the assembly at the American factories. Three warehouses in Skowhegan and Lawrence hold approximately $9 million (or 4 and half weeks) worth of raw materials inventory (Bowen, Huckman, and Knoop 2002, C-383). It can take 10 to 12 weeks for the shoes to arrive at Lawrence and Ontario (order to deliver lead time) (Bowen et al. 2002, C-383). The lead time has also been lessened, due to the efforts of NB to develop ordering and synchronization processes between the company and the suppliers. The management also strategically located the manufacturing plants near distributors and stores (Bruce, Daly, and Towers 2004; Jin 2004). Table 1: Comparative Data on Major Athletic Footwear and Apparel Companies, 2004 Company Worldwide Sa les Footwear Sales Total Assets Net Income Employees Nike 13,739.7 7,299.7 8,793.6 1,211.6 26,000 Adidas-Salomon 8,057.0 3,384.0 6,015.8 402.3 17,023 Reebok 3,785.3 2,430.3 2,440.6 192.4 9,100 Puma 1,903.3 1,065.8 1,263.1 320.0 3,910 New Balance 1,500.0 NA NA NA 2,600 Fila 955.2 NA NA -85.0 2,300 Vans 330.2 NA NA -30.0 1,890 Source: Bowen, Huckman, and Knoop (2006, C374) The attitudes of the company represent good work ethics and social responsibility. NB actively supports societal marketing. Some of its products use natural materials. NB also energetically donates to charity and other organizations. It has a New Balance Foundation that tackles child obesity, as well as other cultural and environmental concerns (New Balance 2011). Studies also showed that New Balance has loyal customers, because they appreciate the performance of its products and the grassroots marketing approach of the company (Datamonitor 2008). The main marketing promotions of NB are word-of-mouth and PR through de-emphasizing the importance of celebrity endorsements (Datamonitor 2008). Price premiums of NB are pricing for value. New Balance has different prices for its products, but mostly it charges premium pricing for its athletic apparel and footwear. Customers are not that price elastic. NB enjoys a market share of 8 to 12% market share (Bowen et al. 2002, C-384). Expansion success is high, since NB has strong brand equity. Cost savings is also good, because of the strategic supply chain management of NB

Tuesday, October 15, 2019

Answer the question Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Answer the question - Essay Example Joan of Arc inspired the French troops into fighting and taking the initiative instead of always taking defensive positions. It was this aggression that exposed many of England’s tactical tricks and helped France win the war. 15. The Black Death decimated Europe’s population when it struck, changing the fabric of society as people found it more and more necessary to depend on each other as a means of surviving. Many people assumed God was angry with them and began taking up much more penitent and harsh religious practices as a means of attempting to appease God’s wrath by sacrificing their own comfort and joy. Economic conditions changed dramatically as countries once on top of the economic pile fell to the bottom as trade fell off and competitors from other countries entered the market through the development of the guilds. The guilds also changed economic conditions for individual citizens by redefining the full-time worker as being male only. 16. Humanism was a return to the ancient knowledge and philosophy of the Greeks and Romans. They felt that God created the universe and placed people in it to develop and industrialize it through art, science and technology. To achieve this at its highest level, it was necessary to provide instruction in these fields to individuals regardless of their level of society, because all humans were responsible for developing the Earth. This approach differed from later interpretations in that it didn’t put any particular emphasis on the dignity of all human beings and their prominent protective place in nature. 17. Renaissance art reveals a significant shift in thinking as artists moved away from the stiff and directed images of the past to more natural, flowing forms, classically inspired subjects and better techniques to express realism and human emotion in their work. 18. Desiderius Erasmus was a well-known humanist and monk. He brought

Monday, October 14, 2019

What are the relevant facts Essay Example for Free

What are the relevant facts Essay According to this case, Stacy is a new employee of a local CPA firm, who is on probation and asked to perform an advanced level jobs, because this firm has a heavy turnover. There are some morale and organizational problems with this CPA firm, so that a psychologist is brought into assess these problems. Both Stacy and other employees in this firm point out the same management problems, and some employees even have resigned from this firm. Stacy is helping interview candidates for the open accounting positions. What are the ethical issues? Generally, Stacy has a duty of loyalty to the firm when interviewing prospective job candidates. There are laws require that an employee refrain from behaving in a manner that would be contrary to his employer’s interests. But this duty of loyalty is not absolute; it is influenced by the responsibility and trust between employees and employers. Therefore, even Stacy has a duty of loyalty to the firm, he also can judge if employers’ decisions and arrangements are right. He has no duty to provide truthful information to candidates. What are the primary stakeholders? The partners of the CPA firm, Stacy, all other employees of the CPA firm, and prospective employees of the CPA firm, and clients are primary stakeholders. What are the possible alternatives? First, Stacy can resign from this CPA firm, if he thinks he can not do for the firm any more. Second, Stacy can be loyal to the firm and do what he is told to do. Third, he can tell the truth to the candidates about the information of this firm. What are the ethics of the alternatives? First, based on utilitarianism, Stacy should keep loyal to the firm and do not make frank communication with the candidates. Because this is related to his own job, he has to keep him away from being fired. Second, based on rights, candidates have rights to know the true information about the firm, so Stacy should tell them the truth. Third, based on fairness, tell the truth seems to be fair for candidates and him. But he may loss his job because of frank communication. This is an unfair burden for Stacy. What are the practical constraints? If Stacy tells the true information to the candidates and new employees about the problems at the firm, he might be reprimanded again or even be fired. It may also influence him when seeking a future job. What actions should be taken? Stacy may try to adapt the advanced level job by learning more skills, so that he can avoid making the same mistakes again. He can keep loyal to the firm when he is interviewing the candidates, and remind the new hires some problems privately. He can also make suggestions to the CPA firm.

Sunday, October 13, 2019

Priestleys Paradox Communication

Priestleys Paradox Communication Communication is an essential part of everyday life. There are many things which have effect on communication, technology having a very large effect. Through the increase of communication technology, there has been a decrease in the quality of effective communication. While considering the theory of Priestleys Paradox, the lack of interpersonal communication in new forms of technology have significantly affected the quality of communication. Modern technologies decrease the quality of communications through the lack of verbal and non-verbal feedback, the distortion of messages and also the unequal access to forms of these technologies. Verbal and non-verbal elements of interpersonal communication have effectively declined due to technology. The most impacted area of communication in society today is interpersonal communication. Interpersonal communication is referenced as communication between two or more people which try to create and understand meaning (Turner West 2009: 8). Throughout interpersonal communication there can be noise. Noise is anything which can distort or prevent communication (Eunson 2008: 18). Interpersonal communication has many elements which contribute to quality communication. Interpersonal communication requires verbal and non-verbal feedback, which is not given effectively through modern technologies. The quality of effective communication is rapidly decreased with the increase of technology. This type of communication (interpersonal communication) has two main elements, verbal and non-verbal skills. Verbal communication is the use of languages, words, sounds and letters and uses great emphasis on tone and pitch. Modern technology therefore decreases the quality of communication because verbal communication is not always possible. Non-verbal communication is communication through only visual forms. Non-verbal consists of gestures, facial expressions, eye contact and numerous other signals of the human body (Eunson 2008: 260). This non-verbal element of communication however cannot be seen through most technologies so distorts the message to the receiver. Both verbal and non-verbal communication skills assist, distort and block communication between indiv iduals (Eunson 2008: 286). The theory of Priestleys Paradox is most relevant when considering the quality of communication through technologies is declining. Email is an example of modern technology which has an impact of the quality of communication. Through email, the receiver cannot communicate using verbal and non-verbal communication. This distortion is happening with all types of technology and is having affect on the interactions of individuals and creating problems. Without face-to-face verbal and non-verbal interactions the sender is unable to make assumptions on the receivers perceptions of the messages. Some particular new technologies have the ability for messages to be distorted excessively due to the language used. Technology has decreased quality of communication because it can cause misunderstanding through abbreviations that distort messages. This particularly effects our societys younger generation. Generation Y in particularly are media interactionists, not knowing a world without media and technology (Kundanis 2003: 43). An example of technology which is most commonly the source of abbreviation is SMS (short messaging service). Evidently, abbreviations are a weak substitute for body language, oral and tonal expression. These are replaced by using uppercase lettering and quirky symbols (emoticons) which leads to misinterpretation while decoding the message as there is no shared meaning of the context (Danet 2001: 17). The English language is often comprised to become shortened abbreviations and phrases. This language has since blended into the everyday modern society causing the younger generations to be less likely using proper English language. While communicating through technology, the sender and receiver need to have a clear understanding of one anothers abbreviations and context or else the message will be distorted. This may then lead to a breakdown in communication if the receiver is unable to decode the message given (Eunson 2008: 14). This is also evident as there is a digital divide between people with the unequal access to technology. The decrease in quality of communication is due to technology not being equally accessible for our whole society. Priestleys Paradox theory expresses the point that people coming from low -economical societies have a greater quality of communication rather than people coming from a higher-economical society because it is filled with modern communication technologies(Eunson 2008: 5). There is a digital divide between people due to new forms of technology. This causes distortion in communication because of the misunderstanding of messages that are received through modern technology. It is now expected of a person to have knowledge of modern technologies which may not be universally accepted due to the unequal access of technology (Turner West 2009: 105). Modern technology-driven communication is constantly revolving, developing and expanding (Eunson 2008: 4). They are expensive and therefore low income earners would not be able update technologies frequently. The digital divide is not only based on this however, there are many other issues. The accessibility of modern technology is affected by geographical location, income status, culture, education and also age (Mossberger, Tolbert Stansbury 2003: 15-23). This causes the decrease in effective communication and interpersonal communication as everyone does not have the same available technology. New technologies have significantly decreased the quality of effective communication. Ultimately interpersonal communication elements such as verbal and non-verbal skills are not able to be effectively used through modern technologies. This can distort messages in communication just like abbreviations can. Both people participating in the communication need to have similar understanding of the context and language or else the quality of communication will be diminished. The digital divide because of the unequal access of modern technology also has an impact of the quality of communication. Priestleys Paradox theory suggests that the quality of communication is minimised because of new technologies. This theory is most evident in modern communication therefore modern technology has decreased the quality of communication. Words: 1021

Saturday, October 12, 2019

Internet Censorship is Needed Essay -- Argumentative Persuasive Topics

Internet Censorship is Needed During the past forty years, over a thousand studies have been conducted on the effects of film and television violence.   This research concluded that media violence, which includes television and movies, contributes to violence in the real world.   According to The United States Department of Justice (DOJ), one expert concluded, "To argue against it is like arguing against gravity." What have been potential effects of this media violence?   Below are some statistics produced by DOJ Statistics from the United States Department of Justice ("DOJ"): *  Ã‚   2.8 million juveniles were arrested in 1997.   Out of these, there were 2,500 murder arrests and 121,000 arrests for other types of violent crimes *  Ã‚   "Juveniles accounted for 19% of all arrests, 14% of murder arrests, and 17% of all violent crime arrests." - (Senate Committee on the Judiciary, 1999) *  Ã‚   There has been a 49% increase in the number of juvenile violent crime arrests between 1988 and 1997. *  Ã‚   18% of high school students carry weapons on a regular basis. *  Ã‚   9% of ...

Friday, October 11, 2019

Attachment Report Bsc Hon Comp Science (Afrosoft Holdings Limited) Essay

This report serves to provide the reader with a summary of the third year industrial attachment showing the work and research done in the field of software engineering whilst at Afrosoft Holdings (Ltd. ). It also highlights the experience gained during this same time. This is a report on the one-year industrial attachment program held in the third -year of study as part of the 4-year Bachelor Of Science Honors degree in Computer Science program at the National University of Science and Technology (NUST), starting 2nd of July 2012 at Afrosoft Corporation. In the first chapter of this report, an introduction to Afrosoft as a corporation is made, giving the organizational structure of the company, and the company’s product brand. The services provided by the company are also noted in this chapter. The second chapter focuses upon the methodologies settled upon by Afrosoft, and focus is made on the Microsoft Solutions framework which the company uses extensively. The following chapter then gives an insight on the three-tier software architecture that Afrosoft has concentrated upon. A brief discussion of other types of architectures is also given. Technologies used most at the company are discussed next in the fourth chapter. These include technologies used in the past, and technologies being used in newer projects. Following this chapter is one on data access components and Microsoft SQL server, which are used by Afrosoft in almost all of its products. After this is a chapter on the projects that the author participated in at the company, detailing the responsibilities assigned and the technologies learnt from each of them. Beyond that, the remaining chapters discuss what was learnt during the attachment period and an overall outlook on the experience gained. Acknowledgements Great thanks go to all the staff at Afrosoft Corporation, and especially to the Software Development Department. I wish to extend my sincerest gratitude to the noted persons, the Software Development immediate manager Mr. Movement Musasiwa, for your motivation, support, patience and mentoring. Software Developers in the department, Tanyaradzwa Chamarime, Brighton Chaparadza, Gerry Vhera, Edson Jengwa, Joseph Bodzo and Kurai Mombeshora. My learning from you will surely be a cornerstone for my success and achievement in the IT field and in all facets of life, your support and team spirit remains a debt to me . Indeed I owe you my heartfelt gratitude. Thank you team!!! .Also special thanks to my family who always showed their love and support through-out this period. Many thanks are also extended to all fellow students on attachment. I also express gratitude to Mr. K. Sibanda and Mrs. S. S. Dube, my industrial attachment co-ordinaters. Last but not least of all praise and thanks be to God the Almighty for his protection and loving guidance. Thank you all. List of Tables Table 2. 1:Models under Microsoft solutions Framework21 List of Figures Figure 1. 1: Organizational structure5 Figure 1. 2: Product Brand9 Figure 1. 3: Older AfroPACK Products11 Figure 1.

Thursday, October 10, 2019

Report on the Case Study Tata Steel’s Ehtics Essay

Executive Summary The gender balance group was given a case study into Tata’s contribution to ethical business practices and sustainability to investigate into. The ten (10) member group shared the research questions amongst themselves for effective and efficient exercise. The group researched into the general view of ethical business practices as behavioral moral values and principles that determine our conducts in the business world. It went deeper to expanciate that, this ethics is applied in various aspect of the business’ â€Å"life†. These include: production process, employees, customers, shareholders, the government and business competitors. The enforcement of this practice goes beyond the provision of code of corporate ethics. Considering both the public and business perspective of sustainability which goes beyond corporate responsibility to the environmental impact of a business’ operations, Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) provides an accurate tool for analyses than carbon footprint of the user phase. This actually takes the true environmental impact of the product from the ‘cradle to the grave’ into consideration. Though this process may be quiet cumbersome, both the business and the environment enjoy a great deal of benefits. Tata contribution towards ethical and sustainable practices is evident in all its activities. It has been able use LCA to produce light metals for the production of cars thereby reducing the amount of CO2 emission. Introduction Steel is a product that is widely used in almost every area of our modern life. It plays a key role in the world’s infrastructure. Tata Steel first established in India is the second largest steel manufacturing industry in the Europe. Its steel products are widely used in the construction industry, aerospace, rail, packaging etc. Tata Steel’s case study into its ethical and sustainability practice was to be addressed by our group – GROUP 27. The group began a series of meetings immediately after its formation. In other to ensure efficient and timely exercise, different tasks were assigned to members and the group leader was unanimously nominated. The questions involved were segmented and given to each member to research on. Data was then collated from various sources and sent the central pull for the preparation of slides and for subsequent presentation on the stipulated date. This report seeks to establish the sources of information for Tata’s ethical and sustainability practices. Key theoretical issues concerning ethical and how a business could use sustainability practice to compete was also given attention to. Since the research was conducted by a group, individuals’ contribution was assessed towards the works completion. Further, my personal observation in relation to the assignment and the knowledge gained were brought to bear. Conclusion from the study was then drawn to evaluate the success or otherwise of the whole exercise. Sources of Information The information gathered was from two main sources – books and the internet. Much information was gathered from Tata’s website which gave me much insight into the research. This actually provided me with Tata’s history, competitors, huge Corporate Social Responsibilities, business ethics and core values among others. Other websites gave me the information about a holistic view of business ethics and Life Cycle Assessment as well. In addition a couple of reading materials including books and journals augmented to the profound knowledge of the general view of ethical behavior and sustainability. Individual Contribution The research questions ware sub- divided into smaller fragments and each member was assigned a question to research on. Personally I contributed to answering the question of ethical business practices. George Chryssides and John Kaler gave their view as to why businesses should adopt ethical business practices. Materials obtained from the internet suggested that business ethics is applied in all areas of the business including production processes, human resource, shareholders, the community, the government and customers alike. I went further to elaborate on some unethical business practices and what organisations can to do for its enforcement. This gave us much insight to ethical business practices. The outcome was warmly received by members and they profoundly understood the concept and how it was even related to Tata Steel. I was nominated to lead the presentation and the design of the sequence of actions that was to be followed during the presentation was part of my responsibility. On my part, I was to explain what business ethics was, what unethical business practice was and how it could be enforced in an organisation. Theoretical Issues The main objective of the research was to understand business ethical practices, how sustainability could help a business to compete and how Tata Steel had contributed towards such acts. While the objective of any business is to make profits, it should contribute towards the interest of the society by ensuring fair practices. This in effect improve cooperate social responsibility, increase consumer confidence and protect brand values in other to gain competitive advantage. Theoretically, issues concerning ethical business practice and sustainability with particular attention to LCA were of great concern to the research. Ethical business practices are standard behavior of moral values and principles that determine business’ conduct in the business world. Ethical practice takes care of the investor. It is to ensure that the dividends payable to the investor is in safe hands and in good time. Production methods should be environmentally sustainable and everybody involved either directly or indirectly is unduly harmed. Also, it takes into account the health and safety as well as the value of the human capital. Sustainability practice of an organization focuses on the balance between the maximizing shareholders value, honouring the environmental and social responsibilities. For Tata Steel, its sustainability naturally follows its core value of ethics. In all this areas of the challenge, the environmental responsibility happens to be of great concern due to its relationship with the Carbon Footprint. However, findings revealed that LCA provides a more powerful tool to tackling CO2 emission including all phases from production to disposal of material. Even though a holistic LCA is data intensive and time consuming procedure, it enormous benefit ranges from a safer environmental impact, the financial benefit through the knowledge of the resale value at each stage of products life and helps business to gain completive advantage. Research Conclusion From Tata’s case study it was agreed that whereas some businesses do not take ethical issues seriously, Tata steel could be one of the best companies who efficiently and effectively practice business ethics and sustainability. A critical evaluation revealed that the company’s ethical business practice and sustainability is far big thing to write home about. This can be seen in the company’s integrity, understanding of its stakeholders, excellence in business operations, force of unity among employees and corporate responsibility delivered to the society. Personal Observation After researching into the ethical business practices and sustainability using the case study of Tata Steel, some observations were made in relation to the group assignment. Ethical business practices and sustainability has a wider view than I anticipated and has rather broad importance to the business and the society at large. Considering ethical business practices, it was observed that the business has a rather big responsibility to all its stakeholders. It was astonishing to notice that this responsibility is discharged to all those who are directly or indirectly affected by the business. It is somewhat a herculean task for businesses to take care of all its stake holders while maximising shareholders value. However the business enjoys enormous benefits in return of their good deeds. In the light of sustainability, the broader spectrum of LCA was noticed. Though LCA suffers some amount of criticism, a greater number of businesses find it very useful for itself and the environment as well. From Tata’s case study, it became evident that much importance is attached to the whole life cycle than just carbon footprint On a whole, ethical behavior and sustainability in Business operations promote trust and confidence to the consumers and the society in which it operates. These go to promote a good business environment for growth and development opportunities for the company. Knowledge Gained The assignments brought a number of issues to my knowledge. These came from practical activities we undertook and the academic research we embarked on. Practically the effectiveness of division of labour was the first practical knowledge I uncounted. When members were assigned specific task for the presentation, it was surprising to notice that each and every one did what is expected of them making it easier for our preparation. As a team leader, I realised it was always helpful to be a good listener to acknowledge the views of others before making necessary suggestions. This was very crucial since the group encompasses members from different nationals and cultural backgrounds. In the academic wise, the research made me realise that ethical business practice and sustainability go a long way to benefit all the stakeholders involved. In most businesses, the sustainability practice naturally follows its ethical practices. My attention has totally shifted from carbon footprint to the direction of Life Cycle Assessment due to its immense benefits. This powerful tool (where a products environmental impact is assessed considering all the stages of a products life from cradle- to- grave) when implemented by all businesses could contribute immensely to win the war against the climatic change. Impact of Individual Contribution Every member contributed positively to the success of the work. As a group leader, I managed to successfully chair all meetings and made sure specific tasks were timely met. I was to address the issue of ethical business practices. Since I played the leading role in the presentation, the team’s expectation for a good start was met and that encourage the rest of the presentation team to follow suite. The data collection manager successfully gathered all data for the slide preparation. During the presentation, the following action points emanated from my individual contribution: 1. Definition of ethical business practices 2. Areas of ethical business practices 3. Examples of unethical business practices 4. Enforcement of ethical practices Remarks Though the exercise could not be said to enjoy 100% success, one cannot say that it was a failure. The exercise was a bit challenging to the group. Deciding on the times and venue for the various meetings for instance was not easy to be agreed upon. For most instances meetings were held 45mins later than the agreed time. This however did not demoralised us from pursuing our course and we were able to complete the task on time. The effectiveness of our communication tool kept us on our toes and ‘data collection gateway’ was a good thing to wright home about. Text messages, emails and phone calls were put to effective use. Furthermore, every member of the group had an in-depth knowledge of ethical practice and sustainability from the various discussions held. We have learnt how to work together as a team and most importantly how to tolerate others. I personally have profound knowledge of Tata Steel Group’s, ethical practices, sustainability and it’s cooperate social responsibilities. References Chryssides, G.D and Kaler, J.H, Introduction to Business Ethics, Chapman and Hall, London, 1993. Fisher C., Lovel A. (2009). Business Ethics and Values. 3rd ed. England. Pearson Education Limited. 9-17, 338-359 Shaw W.H. Berry V. (2010). Moral Issues in Business11th ed. USA. Wadsworth, Cengage Learning. 370-380 http://www.stonecourses.net/environment/benelca.html http://tatasteelindia.com/corporate/ethics/business-ethics.asp http://www.tata.com/article.aspx?artid=XL+n3uN42cQ= .

Pervasis Case Study

Pervasis Receives Orphan Drug Designation in Europe for Vascugel ® to Prevent Arteriovenous Access Failure in Patients Undergoing Hemodialysis Cell-Based Therapy Aims to Regulate the Body’s Healing Response, Promoting Vascular Repair, Reducing the Need for Repeat Surgical Procedures and Improving Patient Outcomes Cambridge, Mass. , March 1, 2011 — Pervasis Therapeutics, Inc. announced today that the European Commission (EC) has granted Orphan Drug Designation for Vascugel ® for the prevention of hemodialysis vascular access failure in patients with end stage renal disease (ESRD).The designation follows a positive opinion from The Committee for Orphan Medicinal Products (COMP) within the European Medicines Agency (EMA) earlier this year. Vascugel is a novel endothelial cell-based therapy that aims to regulate the body’s healing response following surgical interventions to create vascular access which are necessary for ESRD patients undergoing hemodialysis.By p romoting and enhancing vascular repair, Vascugel reduces the need for repeat surgical interventions and improves overall patient outcomes. ESRD is an advanced and irreversible condition treated mainly by hemodialysis or kidney transplantation. It is estimated that more than 250,000 ESRD patients in the EU receive hemodialysis, a blood purification therapy designed to replace critical kidney functions – such as filtering waste.Orphan Drug Designation by the EC provides regulatory and financial incentives for companies to develop and market therapies that treat a life-threatening or chronically debilitating condition affecting no more than five in 10,000 persons in the European Union (EU). In addition to a 10year period of marketing exclusivity in the EU after product approval, Orphan Drug Designation provides companies with scientific advice and regulatory assistance from the EMA during the product development phase, direct access to centralized marketing authorization, as wel l as reductions in certain fees. We are committed to bringing Vascugel to patients with end stage renal disease who currently must endure serious complications and repeat surgical procedures so they can continue to receive life-saving hemodialysis treatment,† Frederic Chereau, president and chief executive officer of Pervasis. â€Å"Receiving Orphan Drug Designation in the EU is an important step, as it will help to advance the development process, and enhance our ability to deliver our novel cellbased therapeutic approach to address this significant unmet medical need. Vascugel has demonstrated proof of concept in two Phase 2 clinical trials involving patients with ESRD who require a permanent arteriovenous (AV) access in order to undergo hemodialysis. In these trials, Vascugel exhibited an excellent safety profile, and encouraging efficacy trends were observed, including improved duration of patency (or unimpeded blood flow) and a delay in time to first intervention as comp ared to placebo. In 2009, Pervasis received Orphan Drug Designation from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for Vascugel in patients with ESRD. Pervasis announced last month that the FDA had granted Fast Track review status for Vascugel. Last year, Pervasis reached an agreement with the FDA for a Phase 3 clinical trial of Vascugel under the Agency’s Special Protocol Assessment (SPA) procedure, whereby FDA formalized its agreement that the design of the Phase 3 trial was acceptable to support a regulatory submission seeking new drug approval.Failure of Hemodialysis Access Points Leads to Poor Outcomes During hemodialysis, blood is removed from the body, filtered through a dialyzer, or artificial kidney, and then returned to the body. Patients must undergo a surgical intervention to create a vascular access that enables blood to flow from the body to the dialyzer and back to the body. AV fistulae (created by directly joining an artery and vein) and AV grafts (created u sing a synthetic tube to join an artery and vein) are the two primary types of hemodialysis access.Due to an inflammatory cascade triggered by surgical intervention, the vascular access often has difficulty healing, and quickly become unusable or clot rapidly, prompting the need for additional, recurring surgeries to create a new access which can lead to multiple complications. Up to 60 percent of all arteriovenous (AV) grafts require re-intervention after one year. 1, 2 AV access failure is the most common reason for hospitalization among hemodialysis patients and can lead to anemia, infection, weight loss, jaundice, prolonged bleeding, and other serious complications. Vascugel ® – Combating Inflammation and Promoting Healing Pervasis’ novel approach to cell therapy uses adult-differentiated allogeneic endothelial cells (donor endothelial cells with a highly targeted biologic function) embedded in a polymer matrix to enhance the body’s natural healing respons e. The endothelium is the thin layer of cells that lines the interior surface of blood vessels in the body. Endothelial cells are critical to tissue repair and health, and have a well-understood role in regulating many of the body’s healing processes, including those associated with vascular repair.Vascugel, which utilizes Pervasis’ patented endothelial cell-based platform, is placed on the outside of the blood vessel at the AV access site during the surgical intervention to create the access. The endothelial formulation in Vascugel secrete several factors that combat inflammation and promote proper vascular healing, reducing thrombosis (or clotting) and the formation of intimal hyperplasia, or a thickening of the blood vessel wall in response to injury. After approximately four to eight weeks, Vascugel is safely resorbed by the body.Pervasis’ other areas of clinical investigation include improving outcomes in patients with peripheral artery disease (PAD) follow ing surgical procedures such as percutaneous transluminal angioplasties (PTAs) with stenting, the failures of which result in serious complications and a significant increase in medical costs. Earlier this year, Pervasis announced it has also embarked on an oncology development program using its proprietary endothelial cellbased platform to prevent solid tumor growth, cancer recurrence and metastatic disease. About Pervasis Dixon et al.DAC Study Group. Effect of dipyridamole plus aspirin on hemodialysis graft patency. N Engl J Med. 2009; 360: 2191-2201. 2 Hayashi et al. Vascular access for hemodialysis. Nat Clin Pract Nephrol 2006; 2: 504-513 3 Castner D. Recommendations for tracking arteriovenous access complications using a charting-by-exception model. Anna Journal, 1998; 25(4): 393-396. 1 Pervasis Inc. is a clinical stage company that is developing groundbreaking endothelial cellbased therapies designed to regulate the body’s natural healing and repair processes in various critical therapeutic areas.The company has initially focused on developing therapies to improve the outcomes of common vascular interventions, such as arteriovenous access, angioplasties, stent placements, and peripheral and coronary bypass grafts – the failure of which result in serious complications and a significant increase in medical costs. The company’s lead program, Vascugel ®, has demonstrated proof of concept and safety in two Phase 2 clinical trials.Pervasis is also applying its endothelial cell-based platform technology to develop an oncology therapy focused on preventing solid tumor growth, cancer recurrence and metastatic disease, as well as products for inflammatory disease and orthopedic injury. Pervasis is a privately held company with funding from Flagship Ventures, Polaris Venture Partners, Highland Capital Partners and the Richter Family Fund. For more information, please visit www. pervasistx. com. This news release contains certain forward-looki ng statements that involve risks and uncertainties.Such statements are only predictions and the company's actual results may differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements. Factors that may cause such differences include the timing of clinical trials, the risk that products that appeared promising in early research and clinical trials do not demonstrate safety or efficacy in clinical trials and the risk that the company will not obtain approval to market its products. Company Contact: Margaret O’Toole Pervasis Therapeutics, Inc. 617-871-1201 [email  protected] com Media Contact: Liz Falcone Feinstein Kean Healthcare 617-256-6622 liz. [email  protected] com