Assessment of Learning Essay

Assessment for Learning and Pupils with Special Educational Needs The aim of this paper is to provide a summary of the key issues that emerged during the Agency project Assessment in Inclusive Settings in relation to the application of the concept of Assessment for Learning to pupils with special educational needs (SEN). A significant aspect of inclusive assessment in practice that emerged from the on-going discussions with Project Experts was the concept of Assessment for Learning. References to this concept can be found in the majority of project Country Reports on national assessment systems (www.european-agency. org /site/themes/assessment/index. shtml). Within these Country Reports, Assessment for Learning can be seen as a ‘qualitative’ type of assessment procedures. This type of assessment – also referred to as ‘formative’ or ‘on-going’ assessment – is usually carried out in classrooms by class teachers and professionals that work with the class teacher. It usually refers to assessment procedures that inform teachers about pupils’ learning and guides them in planning the next steps in teaching. As a central task within the second phase of the Agency project, a decision was taken to explore in more depth the concept of Assessment for Learning and how this can be applied to assessment in inclusive settings. Two activities were conducted: – A review of available literature considering the concept. This was a short review of English language materials (please see the reference list at the end of this document); – Discussions with all Project Experts. Information from the initial review of available literature was presented to Project Experts as a stimulus for their discussions. This led to the Experts being asked to reflect on the differences between Assessment for Learning (formative, ongoing assessment) and Assessment of Learning (summative assessment) using the following parameters: PARAMETERS PURPOSE GOALS ASSESSMENT FOR LEARNING ASSESSMENT OF LEARNING Supporting Learning Accountability (linked to predetermined standards) Informs teaching and learning Promotes further steps in learning Focuses on improving Develops pupils’ skills of reflection Collection of information about what has been achieved (a record of marks) Compares with  targets that have been pre-established. Focuses on achievement www. european-agency. org 1 PARAMETERS ACTORS WHEN TOOLS ASSESSMENT FOR LEARNING Teachers Pupils Parents Peers Other school professionals On-going ASSESSMENT OF LEARNING Teachers External practitioners At fixed and pre-determined times Discussions, observations, self- Tests, drilling, grading, marking, assessment, peer-assessment, questioning, observation teacher debate, comment-only, dialogue, questioning, feedback, no-grading, portfolio, individual education plan . Adapted from Harlen (2007a) The key difference between Assessment for Learning and Assessment of Learning can be identified as the purpose for which teachers and other professionals gather evidence of learning. Although some tools may be the same (e. g. questioning) the key issues emerging from the feedback provided by Project Experts indicated that it is necessary to keep in mind that: – Assessment for Learning aims at improving learning; Assessment of Learning aims at ensuring accountability (of schools and teachers). – Assessment for Learning explores the potential for learning and indicates the next step to be taken in order to promote learning and focuses upon the dynamics of teaching and learning); Assessment of Learning shows what has been already achieved, memorised and absorbed and provides a snapshot of the current situation. The actors involved in Assessment for Learning are able to provide insights into progress that a pupil has achieved and how the school contributed to this development; the actors involved in Assessment of Learning include professionals who are external to the school situation (e. g. inspectors) and may be required to provide a picture of a school at a particular point in time, but they may not always know the school context and life in the necessary detail to provide insights into pupil learning. Assessment for Learning and Pupils with SEN? The concept of providing feedback to pupils about their learning is the crucial element in understanding the potential difference between the use of the term Assessment for Learning generally by educators – as it is most often used for example within the project Country Reports – and the use of the term within a research context. Overall, Assessment for Learning is concerned with collecting evidence about learning that is used to adapt teaching and plan next steps in learning. Evidence 2 www. european-agency. org about learning is crucial as it indicates if there has been a shift (or not) in a pupil’s learning progress and possibly learning processes. On the basis of such evidence, teachers can formulate targets/goals and are able to provide pupils with feedback about their learning (see Hattie and Timperly, 2007) clearly indicating to a pupil not just what they have learned, but also giving them information on how they may have learned it and how best they can learn in the future. The feedback provided during Assessment for Learning contributes to a pupils’ reflection on their own learning. Within the research literature reviewed for this investigation, Assessment for Learning is often described as involving this form of self-reflection, or more specifically, as a means by which pupils reflect on their own learning as they are engaged in an interactive ‘feedback loop’ with their teachers. The essential aim of employing the ‘feedback loop’ within Assessment for Learning is to promote pupils’ meta-cognition; that is their own understanding of not just what they learn, but how they learn and can learn in the best way. This is clearly presented by the Assessment Reform Group (2002) who describe Assessment for Learning as: †¦ the process of seeking and interpreting evidence for use by learners and their teachers to decide where the learners are in their learning, where they need to go and how best to get there. (Assessment Reform Group, p. 2) Assessment for Learning within this research-based context involves issues of self-reflection and self-assessment that develops a pupils’ own understanding of how learning is taking place and how it can be developed. This is particularly relevant as Assessment for Learning emphasises assessment as a process of meta-cognition (see for example the notion of Assessment as Learning in Western and Northern Canadian Protocol for Collaboration in Education, 2006). These notions, however, are not always the main focus when the concept of Assessment for Learning is used more generally (that is as in the project Country Reports). Meijer (2003) suggests that what is good for pupils with special educational needs is also good for all pupils and this maxim is one that has been considered throughout the entire Agency Assessment project. However, when considering the researchgenerated concept of Assessment for Learning, it has to be recognised that the work has been conducted in relation to pupils without SEN. Within the research work on Assessment for Learning considered in the literature review (Lynn and et al. , 1997; Black and Wiliam, 1998), issues around Assessment for Learning and pupils with SEN are only very marginally dealt with. Consequently, a decision was taken to actively explore within the Agency Assessment project the relevance of the research-based concept of Assessment for Learning for the learning of pupils with SEN along with the possible implications for assessment procedures used by teachers, school managers, parents and even www. european-agency. org 3  pupils themselves. Within the Agency Assessment project discussions therefore, the central question emerged as being is what is good for most pupils also good for pupils with SEN? The discussions with project experts essentially explored if the research concept of Assessment for Learning was valid for pupils with SEN. Two main areas were debated by Project Experts: 1. Does Assessment for Learning mean the same thing for pupils with and without SEN? Are same principles applied? 2. Are there differences in the use of Assessment for Learning for pupils with and without SEN? If so what are these differences for pupils, teachers, school managers and educational practice? Assessment for Learning – a relevant concept The most main outcome emerging from the discussions of the Project Experts is the agreement that Assessment for Learning is a significant element in successful teaching and learning of teaching with all pupils, including those with SEN. In essence, the critical question to ask is not whether Assessment for Learning can be applied to pupils with special educational needs, but rather how it can be applied. However, one potential area of concern was highlighted by project experts in relation to using Assessment for Learning with pupils with the most severe needs. In particular, engaging pupils with profound and multiple learning difficulties in the ‘feedback loop’ was seen as being challenging. However, project experts’ reflections on this potential difficulty can be summed up as follows: †¦ students with profound difficulties do not need different assessment systems, but only different methods/tools of assessment. Assessment for Learning – methods and tools In relation to tools for Assessment for Learning, Project Experts’ feedback indicates that many Assessment for Learning approaches (such as individualised observation, portfolios and diaries) have been extensively used in special needs education settings for some considerable time. In relation to other potential methods and tools it is necessary to underline the fact that Assessment for Learning methods and tools can be used with pupils with SEN providing that they are modified and adjusted (accommodated) to meet the needs of the individual pupil. 4 www. european-agency. org Teacher observation was seen by Project Experts as a main method for gathering Assessment for Learning information. This approach is seen as particularly relevant for pupils with SEN as it may be the only method available to gather information about the learning of pupils who use non- or pre-verbal forms of communication. However, the Project Experts’ inputs suggested that teachers needed to be given more guidance by specialists in order to improve their skills in observation. Specifically, project experts indicated that more guidance should be given to develop more individualised methods of observation of pupils with SEN. Some suggestions included the use of videos as helpful tools to collect evidence of learning for students with profound learning difficulties and to provide teachers with the best opportunities to reflect upon assessment and discuss the evidence with their colleagues. Questioning is often a crucial part of the teacher pupil interaction that occurs in the Assessment for Learning ‘feedback loop’. Project Experts indicated that questioning pupils with SEN is also possible – and necessary – but only: †¦ if the questions are framed in a way that allows pupils to have enough time to answer (the ‘wait time’) and if different stimuli to support questions (e. g. visual versus verbal stimuli) and ways of responding (e. g. eye contact) are considered †¦ In addition, Project Experts also indicated that the portfolio – if complemented with other information, for example the pupil’s IEP or specialist therapeutic programmes – could be a tool for dialogue with other professionals and parents. Finally, Project Experts expressed their view that approaches that encourage selfassessment and particularly self-reflection are tools within Assessment for Learning provided that they are adequately adapted and modified to meet the needs of individual pupils. The reinforcement of self-assessment skills was seen as a crucial goal for pupils with severe learning difficulties whose personal learning targets may often include autonomy and independence. These competences are fundamental skills clearly supported by the development of self-reflection and meta-cognitive skills (Porter et al., 2000). Assessment for Learning – implications for school managers All Project Experts agreed on the important role played by school managers in creating the opportunities for teachers to discuss and reflect on assessment issues and for parents to participate in the process of assessment of their children. There is a need for: †¦ head and deputy school managers [to] monitor planning and assessment †¦ more home/school diaries, informal chats reviews, phone calls. www. european-agency. org 5. School managers are crucial actors for the development of an organisational ethos that recognises pupils’ involvement as fundamental (Porter, Robertson and Hayhoe, 2000). Without respect for pupils’ wishes and a general school philosophy that supports pupil participation, Assessment for Learning is less likely to develop. Overall, as far as school managers are concerned, Project Experts across different Agency countries indicated there is a real need for them to provide all teachers with more formal time to reflect on their use of assessment in order that they can successfully engage in Assessment for Learning processes with pupils. Conclusions All of the contributions from the project experts were unanimous: the concept of Assessment for Learning as currently understood by countries, but – most importantly for this debate – also as described in the research literature is valid for all pupils: including those with SEN. From the discussions held with Project Experts, this proposition can be developed further: Assessment for Learning concerns all pupils and from an inclusive perspective there should not be any need to differentiate between pupils with or without SEN, but rather to differentiate classroom practice to meet all pupils’ requirements. Building on this assertion, four main findings can be highlighted: 1. The same principles of Assessment for Learning apply to pupils with or without SEN. 2. The only difference in Assessment for Learning between pupils with and without special educational needs is essentially in the type of tools and the assessment/ communication methods used by teachers. 3. The only area of concern relating to Assessment for Learning being applied to pupils with SEN relates to the notion of Assessment for Learning as a tool for pupils’ reflection on their own learning (i. e. the interaction between the pupil and teacher during the ‘feedback loop’). For pupils who use alternative forms of communication this feedback process cannot operate in the ‘traditional’ language based way. In this case, a more individualised approach, new assessment tools and a variety of means for teacher/pupil interaction need to be explored and implemented; for example close observation in structured situations which allows teachers to assess pupils’ likes/dislikes and so forth. 4. Many methods and tools of Assessment for Learning have been developed within special needs education settings and could be transferred into mainstream  settings to improve educational provision for all pupils. In summary, Assessment for Learning can and should be applied to all pupils, including those with SEN, providing that the relevant and necessary changes and 6 www. european-agency. org modifications are made in order to ensure the individual pupil’s full participation in the assessment process. It is clear that the discussions relating to the concept of Assessment for Learning within the remit of the Agency Assessment project have only provided a starting point. More detailed examination – research and also the wider dissemination of examples of good practice in applying Assessment for Learning to meet the needs of pupils with SEN – is needed in the future. It is hoped however, that the reflections from project experts as well as their assertion of the usefulness of the concept in supporting the learning processes of all pupils will inform the work and decision making of educational policy makers and practitioners across Europe. For the full text of this paper – including direct quotations from Project Experts relating to the key findings – please go to: http://www. european-agency. org/site/themes/assessment/index. shtml www. european-agency. org 7 References Assessment Reform Group (1999) Assessment for Learning: Beyond the Black Box. Cambridge: University of Cambridge School of Education. Assessment Reform Group (2002) Assessment for Learning: 10 principles. Research-based principles to guide classroom practice. Nuffield Foundation: Electronic source available online at: http://www. qca.org. uk/libraryAssets/media/ 4031_afl_principles. pdf (Last accessed November 2008). Black, P. and William, D. (2002) Inside the Black Box: Raising Standards through Classroom Assessment London: King’s College. Harlen, W. (2007a) Assessment of Learning. London: Sage. Harlen, W. (2007b) The Quality of Learning: assessment alternatives for primary education. (Primary Review Research Survey 3/4). Cambridge: University of Cambridge. Hattie, J. & Timperly, H. (2007) The power of feedback. Review of Educational Research, Vol. 77, N. 1, pp. 81-112. Lynn, S. F. and et al. (1997) ‘Effects of task-focused goals on low-achieving students with and without learning disabilities’ American Educational Research Journal, 34, 513-543. Meijer, C. J. W. (ed. ) (2003) Inclusive Education and Classroom Practices. Middelfart: European Agency for Development in Special Needs Education. Porter, J. , Robertson, C. and Hayhoe, H. (eds. ) (2000) Classroom Assessment for Students with Learning Difficulties/Disabilities. Birmingham: Qualifications & Curriculum Authority. William, D. (2007) Assessment for learning: why, what and how. London: Institute of Education, University of London.William, D. and Leahy, S. (2007) ‘A theoretical foundation for formative assessment’. In J. McMillan, H. (ed. ) Formative Classroom Assessment: Theory into Practice (pp. 29-42). New York: Teachers College Press. Western and Northern Canadian Protocol for Collaboration in Education, (ed. ) (2006) Rethinking Classroom Assessment with Purpose in Mind. Crown Right of the Government of Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, Northwest Territories, Nunavut, Saskatchewan, Yukon Territory: Western and Northern Canadian Protocol for Collaboration in Education. 8 www. european-agency. org.

Nurse Ratched vs. McMurphy… David vs. Goliath Essay

One powerful, one small, this is the base of the biblical story David and Goliath. The story, in which a not so strong hero takes down a strong and powerful leader, is much like McMurphy and Nurse Ratched in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. The match up between McMurphy and Nurse Ratched is a raging and intense one. Through out the novel, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, McMurphy and Nurse Ratched have always had conflict, as well as a sense of never-ending hatred and disagreement towards each other; which as the novel continues, grows stronger and stronger. Undoubtedly, despite the chaos and tension between them, McMurphy gets the better of the match up, thanks to his ability to manipulate people, his bravery, and his popularity. McMurphy’s strong ability of manipulation helps him overcome conflict and in many occasions over power Nurse Ratched. McMurphy’s ability to get others to agree with him and manipulate them gives him the extra advantage against Nurse Ratched. In the novel McMurphy attempts to manipulate the other patients about watching the World Series game. He states, â€Å"This is where you get the edge, don’t you see that? We have to do this – or we’re whipped† (126) to try to convince and encourage the patients to vote against the Nurse Ratched to watch the game, but it was a failed attempt because the voting came out even (20-20). This event shows how McMurphy has a sense of control over the patients, as if he were their president or leader, and how McMurphy having all this power, usually leads him to manipulate for personal gain. Another case that shows McMurphy’s great ability of manipulation is when McMurphy manipulates Chief Bromden to lift the control panel, â€Å"And that arm! That’s the arm of an ex-football-playing Indian if I ever saw one. You know what I think? I think you oughta give this here panel a leetlle heft, just to test how you’re comin’.†(225). After this McMurphy takes bets from the Acutes that it can’t be done. McMurphy, of course, had already hedged his bet by having Chief display his ability to lift the panel previously. This event shows how McMurphy tricks and influences people and patients wheatear it is for the good of the whole or for personal gain. McMurphy’s power to effect people’s decisions and manipulate them gives him a special ability that allows him to, many times, control the people around Nurse Ratched, and consequentially have more power over her. McMurphy, as well as being manipulative, also has another special quality that helps him have the upper hand against Nurse Ratched. This quality is his bravery. McMurphy’s deep bravery allows him to do what others wont, as a result leading to change, whether good or bad. When McMurphy is denied a companion pass with Candy (prostitute) he responds by putting his hand through the glass of the nurses’ station, which he knows is not allowed. This shows how McMurphy is daring and brave enough to so directly challenge and disobey Nurse Ratched. As the plot continues McMurphy starts to â€Å"attack† Nurse Ratched by breaking Washington’s nose, disobeying the rules, and flirting with the student nurses. His frequent â€Å"hits† towards Nurse Ratched is an indirect implementation of McMurphy showing Nurse Ratched that he is not scared nor is he going to give in. Another example of McMurphy’s bravery is when Billy dies and Nurse Ratched blames him for his death, â€Å"First Charles Cheswick and now William Bibbit! I hope you’re finally satisfied. Playing with human lives-gambling with human lives-as if you though yourself to be a God!† In retaliation for her lies and Billy’s death, he tears open her uniform, exposing her breasts to all the ptients. Her sexuality, which is her one weak point, has been exposed; as a result, she is rendered defenseless in front of all the patients. This exposing of her weakness has helped in completing the path that McMurphy has forged, loosening her hold on the patients. She is no longer in complete control of them. This, â€Å"last act of bravery†, demonstrates McMurphy’s ability to face and deal with danger (nurse’s punishments). His bravery encouraged many of the other patients to step up as well. McMurphy’s bravery makes Nurse Ratched’s ultimate power, fear, negligible; thus giving McMurphy an advantage. bibliography: * Kesey, Ken. One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. published 1962: Signet edition 1986, New York.

Compare two different case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Compare two different - Case Study Example The third aspect of similarity is that both rulings are appealed, the absence of personal jurisdiction is challenged and the rulings are reversed. The cases are different in that in Bombliss v. Cornelsen, Bombliss is the plaintiff and Cornelsen, the defendant. In Internet Solutions Corp. v. Marshall, Internet Solutions Corp is the plaintiff and Tabitha Marshall, the defendant. In Internet Solutions Corp. v. Marshall, the final ruling is made in the Florida Supreme Court while Bombliss v. Cornelsen is settled in the Appellate Court of Illinois. In Internet Solutions Corp. v. Marshall, the contention is Fla. Stat. section 48.193(1) (b): whether or not the material posted online on a Florida resident must only have its access restricted to Florida. In the case, Bombliss v. Cornelsen the contention is whether or not the contacts between Cornelsen and Bombliss are adequate to establish personal jurisdiction, and thereby satisfying due process. in the event that Tabitha Marshall had committed the defamation, the court would establish whether the claim the plaintiff pressed for in the court are commensurate with the damages. The court would then make a ruling to the effect that Marshall pays for the damages that the plaintiff, Internet Solutions Corp incurred because of the information she had posted in the website. In the event that Marshall is unable to pay for the damages, Marshall would be subjected to a prison

Songs of andrew lloyd webber Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Songs of andrew lloyd webber - Essay Example 2. Musicals are quite diverse thematically but all of them tell a story. No matter who are the main characters of these stories, they are about human relationships. Such themes as love, friendship, beauty, care or hatred often appear in his musicals. Even if to take Jesus Christ Superstar, The Phantom of the Opera, and Evita to compare, each of these musicals tells a story about human relationships and such themes are very engaging for spectators who find it easier to understand why their favorite character do what they do. 3. Originally, musicals are expected to be perceived as a whole, but they become so popular that people enjoy the songs apart from their original context. Songs by Andrew Lloyd Webber function successfully outside the shows; if one tries to find 10 essential pieces by Andrew Webber most of them will be taken out of different musicals. It happens because most people do not want to understand the lyrics; they simply enjoy the melody and want to listen. 4. The Songs of Andrew Lloyd Webber as staged at the Ellen Eccles theater is a critical piece to discuss because it compiles the most successful hits by Webber in one show. At the same time, it ruins the full story of each hit and it might ruin the charm and the atmosphere of musical experience. People love songs from musicals by Webber so much that almost all of them who can sing believe that they must record at least of of their favorites and upload it on YouTube. However, one needs to remember that video does not render the same amount of emotions and energy compared to live performances. 5. My favorite song by Andrew Lloyd Webber is Phantom of the Opera. I love this song because I grew up with it. It has been popular since I remember myself and I could not resist its strong melody and emotional passages. This is a good example of how one man can change the world by doing good.

Wireless Intrusion Detection Systems Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Wireless Intrusion Detection Systems - Essay Example One of the common wireless intrusion methods is known as ‘Wardriving’. Normally, this is done by using a Windows laptop running Wardriving software, for example NetStumbler, and equipped with an IEEE 802.11b adapter and external aerial. The ‘Wardriver’ moves near the wireless network area expecting to detect IEEE 802.11b signals that have spilled out onto the area around. NetStumbler search for beacon frames from the access points (APs) and processing these beacon frames, it is feasible to resolve the encryption strength, channel, and type of hardware used. The Wardriver may also get other details of the network such as the Service Set Identifier (SSID). Usually, this is done as a hobby and such hobbyists may combine the data with Global Positioning System (GPS) information to generate geographic maps of wireless networks in the area and their configurations. There are different software’s available for Wardriving, basing on the platform used. As a ma tter of fact, active software like NetStumbler, dStumbler, and MiniStumbler transmit probe request frames to extract responses from APs (Wright, 2002). This helps their probability of detecting APs. Another popular intrusion method is the Linux program AirSnort, most commonly used tool for WEP key extraction. Intruder by means of AirSnort would clandestinely gather wireless network traffic of the intended network. AirSnort can find out the WEP key of the network by processing the weak frames collected. There is also possibility of denial-of-service (DoS) attack on the network.

Sociological Systems Theory Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Sociological Systems Theory - Essay Example A relationship is defined, as the interactive existence of more than one occurrence, in which there is a relative linkage marked by logic, concept, structure, or time. In this mode a relationship between occurrences is more than a proposition. For example, management and organization scientists generally define propositions on stating relationships between two or more concepts. An illustration would be the linkage between the efforts carried on R&D and the satisfaction of users of the new product, which was thus developed. When a relationship is defined beyond the propositional boundaries, it would be similar to the chain architecture of propositions, which compose an entire theory. This flow and changeability of variables are characteristics of a process mode, in which occurrences are linked by virtue of conceptual criteria. For instance, a theory of innovation would be explained in the form of a process, where research flows into development, into testing, engineering, and marketing. Processes are to a large extent structural manifestations of theories where propositions may be ordered to form a coherent theory. Underlying the managerial and organizational approaches to problem solving criteria are four methods: (1) parsimony; (2) simplicity; (3) closeness and realism; and (4) balance and equilibrium. Let us examine each criterion inclusive of its limitations and weaknesses. Methodologies Parsimony: With parsimony, the issue is to achieve economy in describing the phenomenon for the purpose of studying, modeling, and data collection. Burton and Obel have suggested, "Parsimonious explanations are a factor in determining the validity of computational models". (Burton R, and B. Obel, 1995) Parsimony becomes a problem when it contributes to capricious modeling in the quest for economy. Variables that may be factors in alternative explanations should be measured and are left outside the research design for reasons beyond the logical linkage. In the transition from theory to modeling, then to experimental design, the quest for parsimony is additive, hence sequentially and deleteriously compress the universe being investigated. (Geisler, 1999) Issues of construct validity are to be considered in non-adherence to parsimony. That is, in defense of economy and elegance it may be said that by clearly defining the phenomenon, the validity of the design increases, but at what price Largely at the expense of a more productive and comprehensive approximation to a more viable representation of the phenomenon, the result is akin to the problem of accuracy versus useful information. Parsimonious qualification of research into the managerial and organizational activities may lead to a slice of the phenomenon that is highly researchable, accurate, and elegant yet of little use as representative of the broader phenomenon. Simplicity The second methodology is the quest for simplicity. As in the case of parsimony, threats to validity are anchored in both the research desi

Managerial accounting and finance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 1

Managerial accounting and finance - Essay Example which requires the depreciable period to begin from when equipment is available for use to the period when it is derecognized (International Accounting Standards  Board 2003), the depreciation in the given case has been accounted for four months. Besides, on the basis of the fact that extra use of production line for two more months would reduce its scrap value, one can analogize that the production line would not be as ‘good’ as a new machine even in four months and thus should be depreciated month-wise. The annual salary of production staff is decomposed into monthly salary given that salary will be paid to them up till the month when they are sacked. [That’s why the union might have negotiated notice payments for the staff as they would be loosing the salaries on the remaining months of the year when they will be sacked]. Committed fixed costs are assumed as those expenses, such as electricity charges, which are incurred on monthly basis and so the annual fixed cost in decomposed into monthly fixed cost and is taken up till the period of production in the industrial unit. Rent expense, committed fixed cost, and salary expense for initial four months and variable cost of initial 500 units is also considered as sunk cost since these costs have been incurred before taking any step with respect to any of the two options. All the incremental figures are incremental in comparison with the figures incurred before considering either of the deal. That is, each of the two deals is analyzed in incremental form as compared to the cost incurred before going for any of these two options; its not like that incremental figures of one deal are expressed as incremental in comparison with the base figures of either deal. Instead the initial figures are expressed as base figures for each of the deals. This is meant to smoothly compare each deal from the initial situation separately and then comparing the incremental results of each. Facing with the severe cost of writing

An Analysis of Fairies as a Literary Device In Medieval Folklore Essay

An Analysis of Fairies as a Literary Device In Medieval Folklore - Essay Example A number of saints holidays (that happened to coincide with older holidays) help to ease the layperson's transition from pagan beliefs into a more Christian view of the world. These beliefs in the old magic evolved into literary devices when incorporated into folk tales, frequently used to either juxtapose the new and old beliefs, to distinguish between the two, to either reconcile them or to show the superiority of the new religion, as Christianity soon became omnipresent in medieval life. These Christian elements came to be exhibited retroactively through romantic tales of chivalry, for what was once an ethos of "might makes right" soon were thought to exemplify such Christian ethics as the mighty defending the weak, or the application of mercy. The reverence of the Virgin Mary developed into a reverence of all women and the notion of courtly love. However, these patterns spread slowly. To examine these elements in an evolutionary, if not exactly chronological, orderone can focus o n such examples as the lais "Bisclavret" and "Yonic" by Marie de France and the J. R. R. Tolkien translations of "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight" and "Sir Orfeo." Marie de France's lais "Bisclavret," or "The Werewolf," approaches the notion of magic through the title character's curse of transforming into a werewolf. A brief summary of the plot describes Bisclavaret's curse, his wife discovering it, and then her subsequent betrayal of her husband in favor of another man which results in Bisclavret being trapped in wolf form. As a wolf, he eventually wins the respect of the king, who allows the wolf to stay at the castle. The wolf is well behaved until he meets is betrayers, at which point his animosity is so great that the court recalls the woman's lost husband. She confesses, Bisclavret is restored and the couple are exiled. In the context of this story, the author holds no implicit distrust of magic: it is viewed as a condition pre-dating the arrival of Christianity (paralleling evils of human nature), and while it proves a cursed inconvenience, it in no way prohibits Bisclavret from acting nobly while in wolf form: "He's never touched anyo ne, / or shown any wickedness, / except to this woman."1 The plot instead focuses on Christian moralizing, i.e. the evils of the wife and knight's betrayal of their lord (thereby breaking the holy covenant of marriage, as wel as the knight's forswearing of fealty to his lord) , and their subsequent punishment. The loophole provided by magic actually provides a more satisfactory retribution than mere Christian conscience would allow, for the Church would undoubtedly promote the notion of mercy, forgiveness and leniency. The couple are allowed this to an extent, as they are merely exiled with no other pronouncement of punishment. But magic allows a more telling retribution: when the wolf attacked the woman, he bit off her nose. Not only is she nose-less for the rest of her life, but several of her daughters were also born without noses, thus continuing the medieval tradition of a flawed character revealing itself in physical defect. While Bisclavret's condition proves the means of his eventual revenge, the father of the title character "Yonec" uses magical transformation for different reasons and with different results. This

What does organizing mean Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

What does organizing mean - Case Study Example The focus is on division, coordination, and control of tasks and the flow of information within the organization" (Erven 1994). Organizing allows the company to manage its resources and introduce effective management practices. Organizing function of management has a great impact on HRM (human resources management) and employee relations. Training is one of the tools used by Body Shop to improve skills and knowledge of employees. Body Shop proposes its employees eternal short courses, and further professional study in order to meet changing conditions and technological innovations. It motivates employees to pursue further education which helps employees to identify their career opportunities and goals. This training and learning is aimed at providing a blend of technical competence, social and human skills, and conceptual ability. This form of training is time and cost consuming. Following Hetman (1992), "managers must foster a culture of change in their departments. They must develop an environment in which workers expect but can cope with frequent and gradual changes in the way things get done and what is expected" (70). Body Shop organize its activities in order create a positive climate and corporate cu lture. Organizing function of management deals with delegation of authority and division of labor. In considering the limits of authority, an obvious limitation is that action conforms with the policies and programs of the company. In many cases, specific limitations are made (e.g. not to take on more staff without the approval of a superior). The reason why a subordinate accepts a superior's decision has been considered by many authorities. One line of thought is that there is an 'area of acceptance' wherein the subordinate is willing to accept the superior's instructions. In Body Shop, the main purpose of delegation is organize labor and introduce effective HR management. One employee cannot exercise all authority in making decisions as the company grows (Foss and Pedersen 2004). There is a limit to the number of persons that a manager can personally supervise. After this limit, the manager delegates authority to subordinates to make decisions. The work is delegated and the superior holds the subordinate accountable. The subordinate is responsible for doing the job; it is the superior's responsibility to see the job is done. "Delegation frees the manager from the tyranny of urgency. Delegation frees the manager to use his or her time on high priority activities" (Erven 1994). In Body Shop, it is upon this discretionary content that people feel the weight of responsibility and this is deemed measurable by finding the maximum period during which a person is relied upon to use his own judgment. The term 'time-span of discretion' therefore refers to the longest period that can pass before a superior makes an effective check on a person's work. Body Shop uses centralization and departmentalization of activities in order to provide effective management of HR. Body Shop groups in each organizational unit activities having a common purpose: sales department, accounting department, HR department, etc. The whole process is controlled by the problems that present themselves and the way the persons involved react to those problems, their value systems and their skills (Foss and Pedersen 2004). Because the concrete problems cannot be anticipated in any detail, and because they would in any event not present

Changes in american family during world war 2 Research Proposal

Changes in american family during world war 2 - Research Proposal Example During this period, President Roosevelt of America advocated that for the greatest level of loyalty from the citizens, both men and women. While joining the army was a career dominated by men, World War 2 saw women join in war to reinforce the army and this became a new change in the family structure; a family where both a husband and wife would be in war and children would be left under the care of their grandparents or under a foster parent. In response to the call of the president, many women were enrolled in the army and they set out to take part in the world war. The entry of women in the war was one of the causes of family instability. Witwoski seems to refer to the massive killing that was witnessed during the war that has been regarded as source of family breakdown by many authors of history. In the event of the war, a good number of army members lost their life and the consequence of this is that many children were orphaned. Coupled with the massive killing that was evidence during this period, many parents lost their lives and children were left homeless and unattended. Resultantly, orphaned children became victims of circumstances and most of them became part of the poverty-stricken population in America. Secondly, one of the most significant implications of the war was that most men went to war leaving behind their wives. In this case, many women had to step in and take the role of men in the family. This saw many women change from home care takers to breadwinners of the family.... Secondly, one of the most significant implications of the war was that most men went to war leaving behind their wives. In this case, many women had to step in and take the role of men in the family. This saw many women change from home care takers to breadwinners of the family. More notably, most of the men killed in the war had to leave their families in disarray. This meant that the women left behind had to become single mothers perhaps for the rest of their lifetime. However, others may have opted to get married again, causing the children to have multiple fathers. While it was a temporary solution to family crisis, this is an issue that brought about a change in the family structure, and America had to appreciate family structures that had not previously been witnessed in this state. Thirdly, this was a period in which the highest order of racism was manifested in the history of America. The Black Americans and the Japanese were among the races that were greatly affected by the sudden surge of racism in this period of war. On the West coast, Americans who had a Japanese descent were discriminate and as the tension of the war heightened they were forced into isolation camps. This was a sensitive matter to the family structure at a period when intermarriage had already penetrated in America. American wives who had married Japanese men were subjected to permanent widowhood and they became a vulnerable part of the society. In addition, Black American experienced a high level of seclusion especially in the job market, and getting a job was not easy in America. If they could get any employment, it would be manual labor and the wage would well below 64 cents (Wheeler 19). Therefore, the Black American families continued to wale in poor health and feeding habits, with

Effect of Texting on Teens Essay Example for Free

Effect of Texting on Teens Essay Cell phones are becoming a modern day necessity, to the point that they are a must have for every teenager and adult. Human beings are growing increasingly attached to these devices, depending on them more and more for their communication with other people, job duties, and other daily activities that they must accomplish. One way that we are taking advantage of cell phone technology at a rapidly growing rate is through the use of text messaging. It seems that anywhere you are likely to see people glued to phones screen, fingers typing away. In schools, malls, and cars we see them. On sidewalks, streets, and in crosswalks we see them, heads down typing away. Sometimes we may be one of those people with our fingers glued to our phones keyboard or touchscreen. Does this really affect our day to day activities? This research paper, against contrary belief, concludes that texting does not affect teenagers adversely. Many people believe that texting affects teenagers in many ways. On the contrary, teenagers believe that they can keep a balance between texting and social interaction. They know when to use text language and when to use regular English (Edutopia). Noting that there are some negative aspects of texting, such as- phone addiction, social awkwardness e.t.c. It has many positive aspects to it also. Many would argue that texting has dampened their children’s ability to interact on a face-to-face level with their peers, but others would argue against that, and say that it allows people more freedom to contact those that they do not see regularly. Many teenagers have cell phones now and that is seen as a blessing and curse by both parents and children. Often, a child will get a cell phone as a means to communicate more easily with their guardians, which gives them some measure of freedom that they hadn’t had before. Teens appreciate that freedom and they also feel a sense of being connected to their parents, since they can be contacted at any time. Parents are thankful that they have that connection. When parents feel that their children are using their phone  too much, they may put restrictions on the usage of phones. This keeps, both the parents and the children happy. With the uprising of technology many are concerned about the social ramifications that texting holds, particularly on younger generations. Between teenagers and their friends â€Å"cell-phone texting has become the preferred channel of basic communication† (Lenhart) and it’s becoming commonplace for children at younger and younger ages to communicate with their friends via text messaging as opposed to phone conversations or even face-to-face. A majority of modern teenagers, defined by the Pew Research Center as ages 12-17, will text their friends at least once a day. A smaller percentage call theirs friends daily and an even smaller number talk to friends face-to-face. Though texting might take some kids away from social interactions, it also opens the door for many other children to communicate with their peers through a way that makes them feel safer. Texting can be a good alternative for children that suffer from: * Social anxiety * Loneliness * Shyness As texting does not looking at the person you are talking to, directly, it boosts confidence of children and helps them to become socially active. â€Å"I think it’s possible to say that the electronic media is helping kids to be in touch much more and for longer. It is also helping lonely children to make more friends and making children feel socially involved† (Hilary Stout) After discussing several points raised above, one major question arises, does texting have any negative effect on literacy of teens? The answer to this question is very debatable, but using two studies, this research paper will prove that texting does not have any negative effect on literacy of teens. The first study, â€Å"The effect of text messaging on 9- and 10-year-old children’s reading, spelling and phonological processing skills† proves that there is no significant evidence that texting was good or bad when the researchers compared the two groups that were tested. However, it did find  that by using texting, children improved their spelling skills when compared to other children in the intervention group. It also found that the number of messages sent and received was positively correlated to lexical retrieval skill. (Wood, C) The second study, â€Å"Txt lang: Texting, textism use and literacy ability in adolescents with and without specific language impairment† Forty-seven typically developed (TD) and 47 adolescents with specific language impairment (SLI), all age 17, were used in the study. The adolescents with SLI had developmental problem in understanding and expressing language that were not related to other developmental disorders, such as mental retardation. The study was conducted by K. Durkin, A.J. Walker, and ContiRamsdent from the School of Psychological Sciences and Health. All adolescent completed tests that included the Wechsler Abbreviated Scale of Intelligence to test for their IO. To test their language ability the CELF-4 was used. Reading was assessed by the Test of Reading Efficiency test. And lastly, to test their reading and spelling abilities, the sub-tests of the Wide Range Achievement Test were used. Evaluation of texting frequency was done by asking how often the participants texted per week and marked on a five–point scale. The participants were also sent a text message asking them what they usually do on Saturdays. After receiving their response, it was coded for structural characteristics, such as number of messages. The study found that the adolescents sent fewer text messages than their typically developed peers. They also responded in lesser amounts. Sixty-eight of the SLI adolescents compared to 87% of the TD adolescents responded. The adolescents with SLI that responded scored higher in reading than the non-senders. The study also found that the senders and non-senders in the TD group were similar in language and literacy.(Durkin, K) Majority of people thought that text messaging would have a negative impact on students writing and literacy, however, the studies analyzed show a different story.If taken as a whole, these studies seem to indicate the opposite of the concern that text messaging is bad for literacy. Both the studies found a positive relationship between reading and spelling. The first study found that those who used texting had better spelling skills, and the number of text messages sent and received was related to the ability to retrieve words from memory. The second study found that those with specific language impairment sent less text messages. This suggests that in order to get into texting, you have to have better reading skills. In the end, these studies don’t support the concerns that texting is harmful to literacy. After scrutinizing the positive and the negative aspects of texting, It is very clear that the positives weigh more than the negatives. texting may not always make teens socially awkward, but can help any children to be socially more active and confident. If the amount of phone usage of children can be regulated to an extent where both the parents and the children are happy, it can be very helpful for the both of them. children can always stay connected with the parents and parents can know the whereabouts of their children. Texting is also very important as it does not disturb a person as much as a phone call would. Teens have to socialize, and phone calls are much more distracting than sending text messages, both for the children and the people around the children. Teens tell us how texting is more efficient, how they don’t have to go through the preamble and niceties of a phone conversation.(Lenhart) It is a very clear from the above discussion, that if texting can be regulated, it helps a lot. children do not feel unsafe while travelling alone as they can text their parents anytime, they do not get disturbed by phone calls, they can contact people they do not see regularly, texting also helps improve spellings, e.t.c. Against popular belief, texting does not harm teens adversely, rather, it helps teens in many ways mentioned above. So, if done in a regulated manner, texting is not bad for teens. Bibliography Internet sites: Hafner, Katie. â€Å"Texting may be taking a toll.† The New York Times, May 26, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/26/health/26teen.html?_r=0 Lambert, Victoria. â€Å"Docs’ fear for text mad teens.† The SUN, November 30, 2010 http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/woman/parenting/3251846/Studies-look-into-risks-and-effects-of-texting-for-children-and-teenagers.html â€Å"Teens, Cell phones and Texting.† pewresearch.org, Pew Research Centre, April 20, 2010 http://pewresearch.org/pubs/1572/teens-cell-phones-text-messages Elyse,Toribio. â€Å"Textings effect on grammar.† NorthJersey.com, August 13, 2012 http://www.northjersey.com/news/business/tech_news/165943756_Texting_s_effect_on_grammar_is_debated.html â€Å"How has texting affected the social life of teens.† Livestrong.com, Livestrong, September 1, 2011 http://www.livestrong.com/article/532976-how-has-texting-affected-the-social-lives-of-teens/ Stout, Hilary. Antisocial Networking? The New Y ork Times 30 Apr. 2010: ST1. Web. 27 Feb. 2012. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/02/fashion/02BEST.html?. Does text messaging harm students’ writing skills, No publisher, edutopia.org http://www.edutopia.org/poll-text-messaging-writing-skills Lenhart, Amanda. Teens, Cell Phones, and Texting. Pew Research Center Publications. Pew Research Center, 20 Apr. 2010. Web. 25 Feb. 2012. http://pewresearch.org/pubs/1572/teenscell-phones-text-messages Studies/ Researches: Wood, C., et al. â€Å" The effect of text messaging on 9- and 10-year-old children’s reading, spelling and phonological processing skills.† Journal of Computer Assisted Learning (Feb. 2011): n. pag. Academic Search Premier. Web. 24 Feb. 2012. Durkin, K., G. Conti-Ramsdent, and A.J. Walker. â€Å" Txt lang: Texting, textism use and literacy abilities in adolescents with and without specific language impairment.† Journal of Computer Assisted Learning (Feb. 2011): n. pag. Academic Search Premier. Web. 23 Feb. 2011

Analysis and Review of Andrew Niccols Film Gattaca Essay Example for Free

Analysis and Review of Andrew Niccols Film Gattaca Essay Man has already landed on the moon, and Sputnik has enabled research on other solar planets. Lives have become healthier, longer, with modern hygiene, sanitation, medicine, and surgery, conquering more physical and mental illnesses by the month. Science has also presented a means of cloning and genetically modifying organisms and food, and shows little to slow it’s pace of evolution. I belonged to a new underclass, no longer determined by social status or the color of your skin. No, we now have discrimination down to a science. Vincent Gattaca, directed by Andrew Niccol, gives a perspective of what the future of discrimination is to evolve into: no longer determined by skin color, gender, or social status, but scientific DNA. The civilization portrayed is a discriminatory one, in which status and quality of lifestyle is determined solely by a DNA profile. Children are created by DNA manipulation to produce an impeccable genetic composition, with parents able to buy whatever traits are deemed fanciable for their child. The movie hypothesizes this as a potential practice in the not too distant future, as one where technology’s influence in everyday life is at peak. True or False? It is impossible for our society to become like the one in the movie, ‘Gattaca’, because we don’t have the technology or the capacity to discriminate that way. This essay will argue false, that it is possible that our society is able to become that of Gattaca (sterile, genetically enhanced, and derogatory) although it’s morality is questionable in regards to pros and cons, due to various reasons such as the development of genetic engineering and IVF babies, as well as examples of genetic discrimination in the past presented. * * Recently scientists have made rapid advances in our knowledge of the human genome, as well as our abilities to modify genes. Nowadays, society is able to determine the gender of their child, just like that of Gattaca. An example of an advanced reproductive technique endorsed by society is the InVitro Fertilization (IVF), in which eggs are fertilized with sperm in test tubes to allow parents to reduce the chance of gen etic disorder in the child – with the world’s first IVF child Louise Brown turning 30 this Friday 25th. Parents are now able to choose the type of sperm that will fertilize an egg, which determines the gender and genes of the baby, and allow Pre-Implantation Genetic Diagnosis (PGD) to screen embryos for potential disease. â€Å"We might see a move towards artificial chromosomes and genetic cassettes that can be inserted at the embryonic stage to correct particular diseases, including Huntington’s†, wrote Prof. Trounsen in the scientific journal nature. One day we may be able to choose cosmetic or desirable characteristics and cure genetic diseases, just like we can modify embryos and undergo surgery to change eye color successfully today. * * Make the child perfect in the test tube, and save money in the future, is a testimonial presented in Gattaca. The current technology of society is quite competent, especially in regards to future development. In essence, genetic engineering may be defined as the manipulation or alteration of the genetic structure of a cell or organis m in medical, industrial, and agricultural fields. It has enabled the successful cloning of Dolly (1996 – 2003) the sheep by Ian Wilmut using a cell from a mammary gland, which is a revolutionary example of the windows opened due to genetic engineering; a hint at what the future could bring. In fact, the successful cloning of many animals (including CC the kitten, Idaho the colt, and Snuppy the dog) will most certainly one day evolve into human gene manipulation at birth; due to this the foundation of Gattaca as humans artificially perfected is theoretically possible. * * * The main character, Vincent (Ethan Hawke) is discriminated against due to his ‘in-valid’ genetic makeup; he doesn’t have a chance in the society of Gattaca because potential employees were not tested for skills or knowledge, rather, their physical and mental possibilities. This form of discrimination refers to treatment or consideration based on genetic status or category, rather than individual merit, and occurs when employers/insurance companies treat people differently because they have a gene ‘mutation’. Many examples in the past depicting this theory include a 1995 survey of people with a known genetic condition in family history found that 22% quoted being denied health insurance due to genetic status, regardless of whether they were already sick. Another case of genetic discrimination is Terri Seargent’s, who, having Alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency, was abruptly fired after her employer received a bill for preventive treatment, despite having consistently referred to her job performance as exemplary. Furthermore, if society didn’t have the capability to discriminate genetically, the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (2008) would need not be introduced. To the question of lacking the capacity to discriminate this way, it is justifiable to conclude that society is capable of such derogatory action. * * In conclusion, the genetically modified world presented in Gattaca is possible due to competent and developing technology in the fields of genetic engineering. Scientific advances like the IVF baby and successful cloning techniques have huge implications for future human reproductive technology: genetic diseases such as Huntington’s could be corrected using artificial chromosomes, and the production of replacement organs from a person’s cells made a reality. In addition, we are also capable of genetic discrimination, as is consistent with Gattacan society.

Do Stocks in VN30 Basket Follow Weak Form?

Do Stocks in VN30 Basket Follow Weak Form? The research question: Do stocks in VN30 basket follow weak form of Efficient Market Hypothesis? PART 1: INTRODUCTION In the investment world, portfolio management refers to actions taken to maximize the return on a portfolio (Investopedia, 2016). Under portfolio management., Efficient Market Hypothesis (EMH) is one of the most important theories that investors should take into consideration if they aim to earn abnormal returns. This hypothesis basically illustrates the relationship between stock price and available information on the stock, which is reflected in three forms including strong form, semi-strong form and weak form. Out of the three patterns, EMH at weak form states that historical prices cannot be used to make predictions about future stock prices. This research paper will examine the weak form EMH in the context of constituent stocks in the VN30 Index an adjusted index of VN-Index (which is the market index of Ho Chi Minh Stock Exchange, Vietnam). PART 2: LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 Random Walk Theory and Efficient Market Hypothesis The origin of stock market efficiency can be traced back to early twentieth century when Bachelier (1900) proposed his idea about Random Walk Hypothesis. This theory affirms that prices of past, present and even the future have no correlation; in other words, security prices tend to follow randomness and therefore are unpredictable. A few studies around this issue were conducted in 1930s; however, the Random Walk Theory was intensively discussed in the 1960s. Bacheliers work was then reinforced with the introduction of Efficient Market Hypothesis (EMH) by Fama (1970). According to this theory, stocks always trade at their intrinsic values, making it impossible for investors to benefit from stock mispricing i.e. purchase undervalued stocks and sell overvalued stocks. As a result, the only way investors can earn a higher return than the market is by engaging in riskier investments. Nowadays, the Random Walk Theory is referred to as the weak form of EMH, stating that stock prices are random and past events have no influence on the current prices. Meanwhile, it is widely known that technical analysis is the science of using historical price patterns to anticipate future price movements. Hence, according to the weak form of EMH, there is no point in applying technical analysis to predict and beat the market. 2.2 Research studies conducted towards Weak form of Efficient Market Hypothesis Many studies have been carried out to investigate the weak form of Efficient Market Hypothesis, some of which fail to support the weak-form efficiency. Srinivasan (2010) examines the validity of random walk hypothesis for two major stock markets in India, i.e. SP CNX NIFTY and SENSEX, using observations from 1st July 1997 to 31st August 2010. The study applied Augmented Dickey-Fuller test and Phillips-Perron test to point out that characteristics of random walk are not present in Indian stock exchanges; hence, weak form efficiency is rejected in the case of Indian markets. As a result, this provides trading opportunities for investors to earn abnormal returns since they can make predictions about future stock prices. Similarly, Singh et al., (2016) tested the Efficient Market Hypothesis in Carbon Efficient Indices of India, the US, Japan and Brazil by using Kolmogrov-Smirnov test, Shapiro-Wilk test, runs test and autocorrelation test. The results from these statistical tests reveal t hat daily  closing stock prices do not follow random walk in all countries under investigation. This is in line with Nwidobie Adesina (2014), who conclude that Nigerian stock exchange is not efficient in weak form by employing the GARCH autoregressive model. This inefficiency, according to Nwidobie Adesina, may be explained by limited information dissemination in the market, high trading and floatation costs, information hoarding and insider trading, as well as poor implementation of investor protection laws in the country. The rejection of weak form efficiency is also found in other emerging markets, evidenced by the studies of Islam, et al. (2005), Srivastava (2010), Bà ¼yà ¼kÃ…Å ¸alvarci Abdioglu (2011), Haroon (2012) and Agbam (2015). Other studies, on the other hand, show evidence of market efficiency in some economies. Andrianto Mirza (2016) used daily stock price data collected from LQ45 Index, Jakarta Islamic Index and Kompas 100 Index during the period 2013-2014 to examine weak form efficiency in Indonesia. The results from runs test and serial correlation test demonstrate that Indonesia stock market follows weak form efficient pattern. Specifically, the following conclusions are drawn from the study: 1) stock price movement is random; 2) there is no correlations between the stock price movement of the present day and previous days. Andrianto Mirza also suggest that investors use fundamental analysis to react quickly for available information, as well as utilize news from digital media to update market conditions. Further evidence supporting the weak form efficiency of capital markets may lie in the findings of Jiang, et al. (2014), who examined WTI crude oil futures prices from 1983 to 2012. Using bootstra pping technique, the academics confirm the efficiency of crude oil futures market, and state that the market is inefficient only in case of turbulent events, such as the oil price crash in 1985, the Gulf war, and the oil price crash in 2008. 2.3 VN-Index, VN30 Index and VN30 stocks 2.3.1 VN-Index VN-Index is the index used to illustrate price fluctuations of company stocks listed on Ho Chi Minh Stock Exchange (HOSE). The problem is that, VN-Index calculation takes into account all shares outstanding, which include free-float shares and restricted shares. Free-float shares are shares freely available for trading in the market (Standard and Poors, 2016). In contrast, restricted shares are not available for public trading as they are closely held by control group, other publicly traded companies or government agencies (Standard and Poors, 2016). As a result, some stocks such as GAS, VNM, MSN, VCB and BID can largely influence VN-Index due to their large number of restricted shares. 2.3.2 VN30 Index and VN30 stocks The VN30 Index (also known as VN30 Equal Weight Index) was first introduced to the market on February 2012, tracking the performance of the top 30 large-cap liquid stocks on the Ho Chi Minh City stock exchange in Vietnam (Phoenix Capital, 2017). This index can overcome the weaknesses of VN-Index in the following manners: Capitalization values of constituent stocks are based on the number of shares freely traded on the market (free-float); Restrict the excessive influence of a particular stock by setting the capitalization weighed limit of 10%; Among more than 300 stocks listed on HOSE categorized into 11 primary industries, stocks in VN30 basket are present in 9 industries. Moreover, stocks in the VN30 basket represent about 80% of HOSE market capitalization and 60% of HOSE market volume (Dao, 2014). From the advantages above, it can be concluded that VN30 Index can represent the Ho Chi Minh market in terms of industries, market capitalization and liquidity. This makes VN30 Index a quite useful investment instrument for index funds. PART 3: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY 3.1 Data Collection This research paper employs the quantitative method to investigate the weak form of Efficient Market Hypothesis in the context of Vietnamese background. The study is based on secondary data, which are daily closing prices of stocks included in the VN30 basket. The data are collected from the database of Bao Viet Securities Company a well-known securities firm in Vietnam. It is noted that the VN30 basket is periodically reviewed and adjusted every six months on January and July (Dao, 2014). Since the introduction of VN30 Index in February 2012, the basket has been reviewed and adjusted totally 10 times. For the purpose of this study, not all 30 stocks in the basket are chosen for analysis. Specifically, the stocks selected must meet the criterion of being consecutively included in the basket for the past five years. Put it another way, if stock A is included in the basket for one period but excluded for the next period, stock A will not be considered as the object of this study. This ensures the continuity of the data and fair treatment for all stocks in the basket. After all, only 16 stocks meet the criterion (see Appendix A for the full list of stocks selected). Their closing prices are then collected for the examined period from 06th February 2012 (the first day of VN30 basket) until 20th January 2017 (the end of the latest reviewed period). 3.2 Method of Analysis The data collected are analysed using IBM SPSS Statistics software version 20. Particularly, three tests are conducted to determine whether stocks selected are at weak-form efficiency, namely runs test, autocorrelation test and Ljung-Box Q statistic. The runs test is a non-parametric test that is designed to find out whether successive price changes are independent. The test is based on the premise that if a series of a data is random, the observed number of runs in the series should be close to the expected number of runs. In this context, the runs test at 5% significance level is used to test the following hypothesis: H1: Stocks in the VN30 basket follows random walk Meanwhile, autocorrelation (or serial correlation) test measures the correlation coefficient between the stock return at current period and its value in the previous period, whether the correlation coefficients are significantly different from zero. In addition, the Ljung-Box Q (LBQ) statistic examines the joint hypothesis that all autocorrelations are simultaneously equal to zero (that is, the data values are random and independent up to a certain number of lags). In this context, the autocorrelation test and Ljung-Box Q statistic (at 5% level of significance) are employed to test the following hypothesis: H2: There is no correlation between stock prices of today and previous days In short, the combination of tests mentioned above help determine whether 16 selected stocks in the VN30 basket follows weak-form efficiency or not. PART 4: ANALYSIS AND PRESENTATION OF FINDINGS 4.1 Results of Runs test Table 1 shows the results of the runs test based on daily closing stock prices of 16 chosen stocks. Table 1: Results of Runs test STB VIC SSI MSN FPT HAG KDC DPM VNM REE VCB Test Valuea 17.27 55.76 21.53 87.14 45.83 19.23 40.97 33.45 113.55 23.14 34.03 Cases 461 605 651 648 560 425 601 759 547 484 698 Cases >= Test Value 727 583 537 540 628 763 587 429 641 704 490 Total Cases 1188 1188 1188 1188 1188 1188 1188 1188 1188 1188 1188 Number of Runs 38 20 41 18 53 8 7 17 12 10 10 Z -32.222 -33.379 -32.139 -33.487 -31.453 -34.042 -34.134 -33.478 -33.840 -33.942 -33.944 Asymp. Sig. (2-tailed) .000 .000 .000 .000 .000 .000 .000 .000 .000 .000 .000 Runs Test BVH HPG PVD CII GMD Test Valuea 47.31 35.31 48.11 22.33 29.84 Cases 637 660 723 627 594 Cases >= Test Value 551 528 465 561 594 Total Cases 1188 1188 1188 1188 1188 Number of Runs 39 8 9 34 43 Z -32.265 -34.071 -33.996 -32.560 -32.044 Asymp. Sig. (2-tailed) .000 .000 .000 .000 .000 a. Mean Source: IBM SPSSs result, 2017 As can be seen from the above table, the actual number of runs is significantly less than the expected number of runs (total cases), which is evidenced by negative Z-values for all chosen stocks. Furthermore, it is observed that the significant values around the mean of all stocks are 0.000 which is below 0.05 (5% level of significance). This indicates that 16 selected stocks do not follow random walk behaviour, resulting in the rejection of the null hypothesis H1 which says stocks in the VN30 basket follows random walk. 4.2 Results of Autocorrelation test The results obtained from autocorrelation test and Ljung-Box Q statistic of 16 chosen stocks are presented in Table 2. Table 2: Results of Autocorrelation test and Ljung-Box Q statistic Source: IBM SPSSs result, 2017 As can be observed from Table 2, significant positive autocorrelation (> 0.8) is detected at all 16 lags for all chosen stocks. It is noted that positive autocorrelation suggests predictability of stock prices in the short term, which provides confirmatory evidence that goes against market efficiency (Bà ¼yà ¼kÃ…Å ¸alvarci Abdioglu, 2011). Moreover, evidence from Ljung-Box Q statistic seems to suggest dependence between current stock price and prices of previous periods. It is noticeable that p-values are all equal to zero for all lags on all 16 stocks. Therefore, the Q statistic fail to support the joint null hypothesis that all autocorrelation coefficients from lag 1 to 16 are equal to zero for the observed stocks. Put it another way, the null hypothesis H2 of absence of autocorrelation is strongly rejected for all lags at 5% significance level. 4.3 Interpretation of findings On the basis of empirical results obtained from runs test, autocorrelation test and Ljung-Box Q statistic, both null hypotheses H1 and H2 are rejected. In other words, it can be concluded that 16 chosen stocks in the VN30 basket show no characteristics of weak-form efficiency. The findings of the current study are consistent with those of Truong et al. (2010), Vo Le (2013) and Do et al. (2014) who found that Vietnamese stock market is inefficient in the weak form. In general, the results of this study contradict the Efficient Market Hypothesis (Fama, 1970) and Random Walk Theory (Bachelier, 1900). As noted in the literature review, empirical studies on the weak form of Efficient Market Hypothesis in emerging markets have been thoroughly examined in recent years, as in cases of capital markets in India, Thailand, Indonesia, Pakistan and Nigeria. Although these studies generate mixed results, most of which suggest that Random Walk characteristic is not a good description of these markets. This study, by investigating a case study in Vietnam, further supports the idea of weak form inefficiency in emerging markets. The rejection of market efficiency in Vietnam have been proven by a number of studies. It seems possible that this inefficiency is due to gaps in Vietnamese financial system. Non-transparency in the disclosure of information, crowding effect and speculation are popular phenomena in Vietnam stock exchanges; thus, stock prices somehow do not reflect companies intrinsic values. These gaps are signals of an underdeveloped financial system (Fry, 1994; Leung, 2009) where asymmetric information, moral hazard and adverse selection are likely to be found (Islam, et al., 2005). As a result, investors are vulnerable to losing a substantial amount of money. Additionally, as Vietnam currently does not have a derivatives market, the investment risk can be more severe for investors. Since weak-form efficiency is not witnessed in this study, one implication of the result is that historical data and patterns may be used to make prediction about future stock prices. In other words, technical analysis might be employed by investors when making investment decisions to help them earn abnormal returns. Furthermore, as this study is based on daily data only, further research can test the Efficient Market Hypothesis by taking into account weekly, fortnightly, monthly, quarterly or yearly data on a longer time horizon. Alternatively, future research studies may investigate the hypothesis in certain industries or different indices in Vietnam. 4.4 Limitations Due to the nature of the research question, there exists some study limitations which can partially affect the results objectivity. First, because of the selection criterion, only 16 out of 30 stocks are chosen for the purpose of the study. Therefore, it is difficult to generalise the findings to the whole VN30 basket since its establishment. Second, precision of data is questionable since some data of closing stock prices are missing in some trading days. As a result, this somehow impacts the accuracy of statistical tests as well as their implications. PART 5: REFLECTION ON THE RESEARCH PROCESS At the beginning of the research process, we realized that portfolio management is a massive area in finance; therefore, narrowing down this topic was critical to our group as it would affect how we could construct individual topics and research questions. However, the familiar topic of each was not in favour of others, which caused conflicts in our discussions. Hence, it was important that we be aware of these conflicts and arrive at a reasonable compromise that is beneficial to the whole group (Hede, 2007; Wu et al., 2013). Eventually, since I had prior experiences of investing in the stock market for three years and had written a dissertation about technical analysis, I received the trust from my fellows when I proposed the topic related to Efficient Market Hypothesis (EMH). On the one hand, I felt happy to have helped my group figure out the appropriate topic. On the other hand, I was a little bit worried as my group members had little exposure to financial markets. In fact, I ac knowledged that having to work on an unfamiliar area could lower their motivation for the research (Boneva, 2008). When it came to work allocation, some serious issues arose as there was no leader in our group. Because most of the workloads were set by oral agreements without any meeting minutes, everyone was usually vague about their responsibilities. Furthermore, our discussions did not work very well because most of them took place through WhatsApp group rather than face-to-face meetings, leading to frequent distractions from social networks. I feel these problems were really time-consuming and slowed down our groupwork performance. If I had been engaged in a similar project again, I would have nominated myself as the group leader so that I could assign workloads clearly and equally for everyone. I would have also suggested face-to-face meetings in order to have direct conversations with members. This should have brought more efficiency to the group in terms of time and contributions. Another issue that obstructed our groupwork productivity was bad time management of my team members. We all had two deadlines for two reports on the same date, but while I devised plans to finish both of which with adequate efforts, my partners fell into the trap of procrastination. Being rushed for two assignments at the same time was definitely not a good idea as it would negatively affect the performances of both (Peper, et al., 2014). To avoid this situation, we should have drawn up a timeline for the whole group so that everyone could effectively devote their time to each assignment. With regards to literature search and data collection phase, some members in the group seemed to be passive in finding articles and sharing ideas to their peers. They neither knew how to write an adequate literature review nor kinds of online sources they could employ. I feel this was partly due to their lack of background in finance and partly because they had never conducted any formal research studies before. Although this annoyed the rest of group members, we understood that this sometimes could be unavoidable in a multicultural group. We tried to give them as many related articles as possible and instructed them about skim and scan technique in order to pick essential readings. In fact, we should have reported the issue to the tutor from the beginning of the research so that those falling behind could receive additional trainings in research skills. In summary, this experience has taught me valuable lessons that are quite useful for me in future career, including how to communicate and collaborate with members in a multinational group, as well as things to do to become a good leader. I have also learnt more about how to improve time management skills, and how to resolve conflicts occurring during group works. Finally, I think I should speak my mind more frequently in the future if it is for the sake of the whole group. References          Agbam, A. S., 2015. Tests of Random Walk and Efficient Market Hypothesis in Developing Economies: Evidence from Nigerian Capital Market. International Journal of Management Sciences, 5(1), pp. 1-53. Andrianto, Y. Mirza , A. R., 2016. A Testing of Efficient Markets Hypothesis in Indonesia Stock Market. Procedia Social and Behavioral Sciences, Volume 219, p. 99-103. Bachelier, L., 1900. Louis Bacheliers Theory of Speculation. 1st ed. Princeton: Princeton University Press. Boneva, D. L., 2008. Effects of Work Ethic and Social Identification on Motivation in Groups. Illinois: ProQuest. Bà ¼yà ¼kÃ…Å ¸alvarci, A. Abdioglu, H., 2011. Testing the weak form efficiency of the Turkish stock market. African Journal of Business Management, 5(34), pp. 13044-13056. Dao, T. B., 2014. VN30 Index: An Overview and Default Probability Analysis. Social Science Research Network (SSRN). Do, T. T. N., Le, T. B. Nguyen, T. T., 2014. Stock market efficiency in emerging markets: Evidence from Vietnamese stock market. s.l., s.n. Fama, E., 1970. Efficient Capital Markets: A Review of Theory and Empirical Work. Journal of Finance, 25(2), pp. 383-417. Fry, M., 1994. Money, Interest, and Banking in Economic Development. 2nd ed. Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins University Press. Haroon, M. A., 2012. Testing the Weak Form Efficiency of Karachi Stock Exchange. Pakistan Journal of Commerce and Social Sciences, 6(2), pp. 297-307. Hede, A., 2007. The shadow group: Towards an explanation of interpersonal conflict in work groups. Journal of Managerial Psychology, 22(1), pp. 25 39. Investopedia, 2016. Portfolio Management. [Online] Available at: http://www.investopedia.com/terms/p/portfoliomanagement.asp[Accessed 15 March 2017]. Islam, S., Watanapalachaikul, S. Clark, C., 2005. Are Emerging Financial Markets Efficient? Some Evidence from the Models of the Thai Stock Market. Melbourne, Centre for Strategic Economic Studies. Jiang, Z.-Q., Xie, W.-J. Zhou, W.-X., 2014. Testing the weak-form efficiency of the WTI crude oil futures market. Physica A: Statistical Mechanics and its Applications, Volume 405, p. 235-244. Leung, S., 2009. Banking and Financial Sector Reforms in Vietnam. Asean Economic Bulletin, 26(1), pp. 44-57. Nwidobie, B. M. Adesina, J. B., 2014. CAPITAL MARKET EFFICIENCY. AN EMPIRICAL TEST OF THE WEAK-FORM IN THE NIGERIAN CAPITAL MARKET. Journal of Advanced Studies in Finance, 2(10), pp. 164-170. Peper, E., Harvey, R., Lin, I.-M. Duvvuri, P., 2014. Increase Productivity, Decrease Procrastination, and Increase Energy. Biofeedback, 42(2), p. 82-87. Phoenix Capital, 2017. VN30 EQUAL WEIGHT TOTAL RETURN INDEX. [Online] Available at: http://www.customindices.spindices.com/indices/custom-indices/vn30-equal-weight-total-return-index[Accessed 18 March 2017]. Singh, R., Leepsa, N. M. Kushwaha, N., 2016. Testing the weak form of efficient market hypothesis in carbon efficient stock indices along with their benchmark indices in select countries. Iranian Journal of Management Studies, 9(3), pp. 627-650. Srinivasan, P., 2010. Testing weak-form efficiency of indian stock markets. Asia Pacific Journal of Research in Business Management, 1(2), pp. 134-140. Srivastava, A., 2010. Are Asian Stock Markets Weak-Form Effcient: An Evidence from India. Asia-Pacifc Business Review, 6(4), pp. 5-11. Standard and Poors, 2016. Float Adjustment Methodology, s.l.: SP Global. Truong, D. L., Lanjouw, G. Lensink, R., 2010. Stock-Market Efficiency in Thin-Trading Markets: The Case of the Vietnamese Stock Market. Applied Economics, 42(27), pp. 3519-3532. Vo, X. V. Le, D. B. T., 2013. Empirical Investigation of Efficient Market Hypothesis in Vietnam Stock Market. Social Science Research Network (SSRN). Wu, K. et al., 2013. Supporting group collaboration in Wiki by increasing the awareness of task conflict. Aslib Proceedings: New Information Perspectives, 65(6), pp. 581 604. Appendix A: List of chosen stocks in the VN30 basket based on the selection criterion No. TICKER COMPANY NAMES 1 STB Sai Gon Thuong Tin Commercial Joint Stock Bank 2 VIC Vingroup Joint Stock Company 3 SSI Sai Gon Securities Incorporation 4 MSN Masan Group Corporation 5 FPT FPT Corporation 6 HAG Hoang Anh Gia Lai Joint Stock Company 7 KDC Kinh Do Corporation 8 DPM PetroVietnam Fertilizer Chemicals Corporation 9 VNM Viet Nam Dairy Products Joint Stock Company 10 REE Refrigeration Electrical Engineering Corporation 11 VCB Bank for Foreign Trade of Vietnam 12

Analysis of a Story in the Newspaper -- Media Publication

Introduction ‘News media investigate, analyze, and report to stakeholder publics on issues and event s that occur around the globe in a twenty-four-hour, 365-day news cycle’ (Richard,2007:98). Because of the way news media works, we know what is happening in the world and we can have ‘connection’ to other places. With new media arising, the information transmission process become even faster. Though new media is getting more prevalent, still, a considerable amount of people rely on one of the traditional news media – newspaper. Facing the competition, the way news reported may change as newspapers ‘need to maintain large circulation figures to stay profitable’ (Bignell 1997:83). This directly affects how news is presented. To make news appeal to readers, information may under ‘design’ as mentioned by Thorne (2008), the function of newspapers in the 21st century is not only ‘referential’, ‘ entertainment has become equally important in the battle to win readers’(P.262). In this paper, a piece of news was taken from WiseNews for analysis. It was an event occupied a large coverage in newspaper and caught lots of public attention – The Manila Hostage Incident. I would like to see how journalist presents the story to their readers through looking at its structure and the use of language. Information Flow In reporting the news, journalist adopts the story-telling approach. ‘Journalists are professional story-teller of our age’ (Bell,1991:147). When reporting an incident. Journalists tend not to simply report the fact in each paragraph without linking the information together. Instead, they tend to make the piece of text into a story. Headline Te headline is considered as ‘an abstract of the abstract’ (Bell, 1991:149)... ...authority. Appraisal elements are used to align readers including concession, modality and appreciation. Echoing Bell (2004), journalists are ‘story teller’. When presenting news to readers, they do not simply report facts but tell a story by the use of certain format and lexical choices. Works Cited Bell, A. (1991). The Language of News Media. UK: Blackwell Publishers Bignell, J. (1997). Media semiotics. New York: Manchester University Press Kessler, L. and MnDonald, D. (1989). Mastering Writing with Substance and Style. USA: Wadsworth, Inc. Martin, J.R. and Rose, D. (2007). Working with Discourse. London: Continuum. Reah, D. (2002). The Language of Newspapers. NY: Routledge Richard, S. (2007). Media Relations. Australia: Oxford University Press. Thorne,S.(2008). Mastering Advanced English Language. Great Britain: Cromwell Press Ltd.

celebrity worship :: essays research papers

Everyone has an entertainer that we follow and like, but when does that like of a person become more than that. Is it possible for a person to become obsessed with an individual you don’t even know? Unfortunately it is, according to an article entitled: A cognitive profile of individuals who tend to worship celebrities, celebrity worship is a form of parasocial interaction in which individuals become obsessed with 1 or more celebrities. This obsession is similar to an erotomanic type of delusional disorder in which the individual believes that another person is passionately in love with them. A group of psychologist wanted to determine if this obsession/worship of celebrities had any common characteristics amongst the individuals. They conducted several test: celebrity attitude scale, intense-personal, and 6 cognitive measures. At the end of these tests they found that people with higher cognitive functioning are better at realizing reality then those with lower functioning.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  I thought that this group of psychologist that conducted this study did a very good job of randomizing the test to minimize the probability of a systematic order effect. As well as making sure that the groups were well divided and used several measures to arrive to their conclusion. Although a sample size of 102 people was used for the testing the group wasn’t chosen by random selection. Also the group itself wasn’t evenly distributed; it contained 81 men with only 21 women. I don’t really understand how they concluded with there test that lower cognitive function was a common trait of celerity worshipers. This statement is too generalized for me; it covers a very large range of people of which not all show obsessive behaviors.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  This study was executed in a good manner but I believe that if they would have increased their selection group (not just a particular group of students) and also balanced out the group sexually them more accurate results.

Charles Darwin Essay -- Biography Biographies

Charles Robert Darwin was a man of many hats. He was a friend, colleague, son, father, husband; but above all, he was a naturalist. Through his dedication and perseverance did he manage to, in less than a generation, establish the theory of evolution as a fact in peoples' minds. In fact, "[t]oday it is almost impossible for us to return, even momentarily, to the pre-Darwinian atmosphere and attitude" (West 323). Darwin formed the basis of his theory during the voyage of the H.M.S. Beagle, on which vessel he was posted as it travelled around the globe. During that five-year span, this young man saw foliage, creatures, cultures that he had never known first-hand before. He was exposed to environments that not many of his contemporaries saw and lived the life that few did. Was his epic journey merely a series of trips to strange and exotic lands, or was Darwin affected by his experiences in more profound ways? Charles Darwin was born on February 12, 1809; the same day that another great man, Abraham Lincoln, was born. He was no child prodigy; he "was considered by all [his] masters and by [his] Father as a very ordinary boy, rather below the common standard in intellect" (Barlow Voyage 28). The one trait in him that stands out in his formative years is a taste for the outdoors; he loved to gather shells, seals, franks, coins, and minerals. The passion for collecting, which leads a man to be a systemic naturalist, a virtuoso, or a miser, was very strong in [him] and was clearly innate, as none of [his] sisters and brother ever had this taste. (Barlow Autobiography 23) He grew up in Shrewsbury, and attended the local grammar-school there. After graduating, he entered Edinburgh University with the intent of studying medicine, but he found anatomy boring a nd his lack of sketching skills hampered him. It was decided between Darwin and his father that he should pursue ecclesiasticalstudies at Cambridge. Those subjects did not enthuse him either, but he discovered a "spontaneous and exceptional interest in natural history" (Moorehead 25). Academically, "he scraped through...with a pass" (Moorehead, 25) but socially, he enjoyed himself greatly, as he had fallen in with a crowd of sportsmen and naturalists. As well, he developed strong ties with his botany and geology teachers, Professors Adam Sedgwick and John Henslow. Henslow was indeed a true friend; he did ... ... bloom; his zeal sharpened his eyes and ears, and opend up his mind to "new ideas, new books, new friends, new observations, new hypotheses, new laws" (Dorsey 79). His spirit of adventure led him to far-off lands where obscure fauna and flora were living and breathing, and not just names in some book. "The discipline of the trip taught him an eternal lesson in good-humoured patience, freedom from selfishness, the habit of acting for himself and making the best of every occurrence" (Dorsey 71). While he eventually found himself to be at odds with the religion that he once wholeheartedly embraced, never did he attempt to derogate people's beliefs; it was with rare and noble calmness with which he expound[ed] his own views, undisturbed by the heats of polemical agitation which those views...excited, and persistently refus[ed] to retort on his antagonists by ridicule, by indignation, or by contempt. (Dorsey 270) So it was through hard work, flexibility and openmindedness that this gr eat man, whom his colleague and friend Wallace termed "the Newton of Natural History" (West 325), came to develop his trademark values of integrity and dedication as he sailed the shores of distant lands.

Health prevention Essay

Health promotion according to World Health Organization, â€Å"Is the process of enabling people to increase control over, and to improve their health. It moves beyond a focus on individual behavior towards a wide range of social and environmental interventions.† In this assignment I have chosen three articles talking about the different health promotions. I will start with my article on teen suicide and primary prevention, then stroke article and secondary prevention and then depression and tertiary prevention. Primary Prevention My first article called, Preliminary Effectiveness of Surviving the Teens Suicide Prevention and Depression Awareness state, â€Å"Currently, suicide ranks as the third leading cause of death among youth ages 15-24 years.† This article talks about schools, since children are in school most of the day, using this time to talk about preventive ways to stop suicide. For this article health care prevention is defined as a way to teach students about increasing awareness and knowledge of suicide intervention, risk factors and warning signs of depression and suicide but to also teach problem solving and coping skills to our teenagers. (King, Strunk & Sorter, 2011) If we put all these together, school nurses and teachers can increase adolescent students to have better self-esteem, self-efficiency, and can increase their coping/problem solving skills and also, communication skills. We can teach the students about dealing with stressors and what good health behaviors are. This program called, â€Å"The Surviving the Teens Suicide Prevention and Depression Awareness Program,† is a school based program that helps with prevention of suicides and was developed by and registered nurse named Catherine Strunk. This school based program was offered by Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center in the Psychiatry Division. This program  is learned more towards kids in the high school setting. The classes are four days and 50 minutes per class. In this class a nurse can teach students and present them with factual information regarding depression, risk factors, suicide warning signs, suicide risk factors, and common myths associated with suicide. (King, Strunk & Sorter, 2011) The program covers so many areas and addresses different things. For instance, mental health, substance abuse, social and school stressors, trauma, grief and loss, just to mention a few. If states would adopt this program, I believe that students would benefit by implementing this program in high schools. It teaches children so many ways to cope in school and the outside world. This program teaches them the necessary skills to get through life and it helps them with self-esteem issues as well. School nurses and teaching staff can come together to help our children out so there will be less suicide attempts among children in this age group. To implement this once we got the program in our schools we would first have to get consent from the parents of our students. If we can teach our children about suicide and the risk factors along with reaching the skills and give them help with self-esteem we can prevent so many kids from attempting or succeeding at suicide. This program would be a major benefit in our school systems today. Secondary Prevention The second article chosen talks about secondary prevention in people who have already suffered one stroke. Emmie Malewezi, who wrote the article titles, Stroke policy and secondary prevention: how well are we adhering to these guidelines stated, â€Å"Recurrent stroke is more likely to be fatal than the first stroke and survivors are more likely to be left with major disability.† Strokes or Transient Ischemic Attracts or TIA for short, are very serious and after a patient has a TIA or major stroke is likely a recurrence of another one will happen within 90 days of the first stroke. (Malewezi, 2011) It is so important for a secondary prevention to start immediately and continue into their long term prevention. There are a few areas that are recommended for secondary prevention in stroke patients. First one is lifestyle modifications or changes. Patients who has had a stroke need to realize the importance of changing their lifestyle with exercise, diet, smoking if they were a smoker, weight, and alcohol  consumption. Nurses and family should be there to support the patient and nurses can help come up with a plan to help with modifying the patient’s lifestyle. â€Å" By increasing physical activity, losing weight, reducing sodium and alcohol intake, people have been shown to reduce systolic blood pressure and thus reducing their risk of stroke,† as stated by Emmie Malewezi. Another standard protocol for secondary prevention is an antiplatelet therapy. It has been shown research that if you use a combination of Aspirin with Dipyridamole will lower the risk of future vascular events then just taking Aspirin by itself. With patients who have Atrial Fibrillation, for example, should be on anticoagulant medication like Warfarin. The problem with Warfarin is the side effect of bleeding. This is why some physicians don’t necessarily want to prescribe it due to the risk of falling and then bleeding out. Lastly, a lipid medication is usually prescribed at discharge because high cholesterol or also called Hyperlipidemia can cause strokes as well. The nursing and Midwifery Council identifies health promotion as an important aspect of nursing practice. (Malewezi, 2011) Nurses are responsible for the role of secondary prevention by making sure they set aside time to sit with the patient and discuss and reinforce lifestyle modifications they are at such high risk for another stroke. In hospitals we now have stroke teams and patients are being seen quicker and discharged faster. This makes it impossible for the nurse to always go over all the secondary prevention needed for that patient. We need to get a plan established to make sure the patient can get all the information they need about their therapy and make sure the patient are aware of their medications, whether the medication is a new one or one they have already been on. Also, nurses need to make sure patients no how to take their medications. Sometimes problems like swallowing issues becomes a problem due to the stroke and we need to make sure the patient isn’t going to have a problems swallowing their medications. Secondary prevention is important for stroke patients and nurses need to understand their role they play so we can prevent another stroke in our patients. Tertiary Prevention Tertiary prevention in the third article talks about the promotion of  recovery and prevention of relapse for depression. This article is called Prevention and Management of Depression in Primary Care and it states, â€Å"Timey recognition of depression is essential to improve patient’s mental health in quality of life.† Depression can happen for so many reasons and some of those reasons are physical illness, financial issues, or even post-partum after child birth. The problem is suicide is a big risk when people become depressed if they are not given the help they need. For the patients who have developed depression and are being treated for it are now at the level of tertiary prevention. Tertiary prevention helps the patients by reducing the effects of the mental health condition on patients function and quality of life. Nurses can do this by giving support and encouragement. It is crucial for the nurses to teach their patients to take their antidepressants daily and to not stop them so relapse of depression doesn’t occur. The other role of the nurse that is vital in tertiary prevention is to make sure they ask their patients if they are becoming hopeless or wishing to hurt themselves by suicide. This is necessary because family history or past attempts of suicide is a big risk factor. If a patient tells a nurse that they have suicidal thoughts the nurse needs to be responsible to see if they have any support like family and friends so they can be taught about watching the patient’s mood, increased negativity, hopelessness or suicidal intent. If family or friends see any of these changes they need to call and get help for the patient. If the patient is at immediate risk the nurse needs to refer them to a mental health facility. Levels of Prevention In closing primary prevention helps healthy patients stay healthy and prevent or develop disease. Secondary prevention are for patients who have already been diagnosed and now needs to be taught how to slow down or stop the progression of a particular disease. While tertiary prevention is about management of a disease like diabetes, stroke, depression, heart disease or even cancer. Nurses play a vital role in each level of prevention to ensure good, quality health to our patients. References Hardy, S. (2013). Prevention and management of depression in primary care. Nursing Standard, 27(26), 51-56. King, K. A., Strunk, C. M., & Sorter, M. T. (2011). Preliminary Effectiveness of Surviving the Teens ® Suicide Prevention and Depression Awareness Program on Adolescents’ Suicidality and Self-Efficacy in Performing Help-Seeking Behaviors. Journal Of School Health, 81(9), 581-590. doi:10.1111/j.1746-1561.2011.00630.x Malewezi, E. (2011). Stroke policy and secondary prevention: how well are we adhering to these guidelines?. British Journal Of Neuroscience Nursing, 7(6), 684-690. World health organization. (2013). Retrieved from http://www.who.int/topics/health_promotion/en/