Essay - 765 Words

There are a few speculations about what would happen should Canadas population grow up to 100 million. Although that is quite a substantial increase from the approximate 36 million were currently at today; I personally dont believe that the construction methods for residential areas will change. When it comes to the building of houses its all about speed and cost; Which is why I believe well continue to stick with the basic wood framed construction a majority of our houses are built with. The one way I could see housing change is if people continue to migrate to the hotspots in Canada such as Toronto, Vancouver and Montreal. Then well start to see more Non-combustible and fire resistant buildings built majorly out of steel and†¦show more content†¦Its estimated that hempcrete will absorb 110kg of CO2 per cubic meter, which in large scale projects has the potential to draw tonnes of CO2 out of the atmosphere. There are a few ways the increase in population can become beneficial. Personally with the population flux it can lead to the expansion of business and offer up a huge number of job possibilities in a world where its tough to find work. In corporate/commercially it again allows for the introduction and expansion of industrial buildings and higher job opportunities. The advantages it has on the government would be economic growth. With a higher number of people it combines all great minds working together to lead to more innovations. Environmentally you will start to see the increase in non-renewable resources used and with this issue will arise the investigation into renewable resources to accommodate and even start to replace fossil fuels with things such as nuclear or solar energy. Finally with fire protection; having the continuous growing population were going to have to ensure that all precautions are taken to reduce the risk of fire. This could lead to new codes and regulations like mandatory sprinklers in all residential homes, making a huge difference down the road. However with these advantages there comes some disadvantages as well. In the same way as the introduction leads to new job possibilities it also leads to more competitors over the same job. If Im not as qualified it will complicate myShow MoreRelatedWhat Is an Essay?1440 Words   |  6 PagesBuscemi Essay #3 Rough Draft An essay is a creative written piece in which the author uses different styles such as diction, tone, pathos, ethos or logos to communicate a message to the reader using either a personal experience, filled with morals and parables, or a informative text filled with educational terms. Educational terms could mean the usage of complicated and elevated words or simply information you would get in schools. Some authors, such as Cynthia Ozick, claim that an essay has noRead Morenarrative essay1321 Words   |  6 PagesNarrative Essay A Brief Guide to Writing Narrative Essays Narrative writing tells a story. In essays the narrative writing could also be considered reflection or an exploration of the author s values told as a story. The author may remember his or her past, or a memorable person or event from that past, or even observe the present. When you re writing a narrative essay, loosen up. After all, you re basically just telling a story to someone, something you probably do every day in casual conversationRead MoreApplication Essay : A Process Essay770 Words   |  4 Pagesassign an essay. The entire class lets out a groan that could be heard from miles away, however this doesn’t phase your professor. The essay is assigned: a process essay. Now what? What is a process essay? How do you go about writing one? How do you get the A you so desperately need? This paper will discuss everything one needs to know in order to write the perfect process essay such as the definition of a process essay, how to construct it, and how to use proper transitions to make the essay flow. Read MoreEssay763 Words   |  4 PagesCan’t be Built on Soccer Fever† and â€Å"Na Na Na Na, Hey Hey, Goodbye† In Jonathan Zimmerman’s essay â€Å"African National Identities Can’t Be Built on Soccer Fever† he describes how soccer brings the people of Africa together. He talks about the unity of Africans and how much soccer is a part of their lives. He also describes the underlying reason of why soccer is so heavily pushed. The perspective in the essay â€Å"Na Na Na Na, Hey Hey, Goodbye† Tim Bowling discusses his passion for hockey and his hate forRead MoreThe Colonel Essay1320 Words   |  6 PagesIn the essay, The Colonel, Michael Hogan illustrates the importance of the influential sport of tennis. Hogan writes about how tennis changed his life from an early age. 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The North American Free Trade Agreement Essay - 1420 Words

During the most recent race for the White House we heard very little of substance from both parties, but one thing both parties seem to agree on is that free trade has been bad for the U.S. worker. One candidate proclaimed that the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) has cost the United States hundreds of thousands of jobs and another distanced herself from free trade agreements all together. It has been over twenty years since the implementation of the North American Free Trade Agreement and many have criticized it as a bad deal for the U.S. It can be shown that NAFTA was not the major cause of job loss in the United States, but that it is beneficial for the United States, Canada, and Mexico and could be even more advantageous for all countries in the Americas. The North American Free Trade Agreement is a concord between the United States, Canada, and Mexico that promotes free trade between the three nations. (â€Å"North American Free Trade Agreement†) This agreement provided the eventual elimination of tariffs and nontariff barriers between the three countries and was signed by President George H. W. Bush, a Republican; it was also championed by his successor President Bill Clinton, a Democrat. (â€Å"North American Free Trade Agreement†) During the most recent U.S. presidential campaign the Republican candidate, Donald Trump, lambasted our current president, Barak Obama, and past presidents in regards to free trade agreements that the United States had signed. Mr.Show MoreRelatedNorth American Free Trade Agreement Essay1398 Words   |  6 Pages North American Free Trade Agreement During the most recent race for the White House we heard very little of substance from both parties, but one thing both parties seem to agree on is that free trade has been bad for the U.S. worker. One candidate proclaimed that the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) has cost the United States hundreds of thousands of jobs and another distanced herself from free trade agreements all together. It has been over twenty years since the implementation ofRead MoreThe North American Free Trade Agreement1711 Words   |  7 PagesThis paper will discuss four components of the North American Free Trade Agreement: Background, events, pros and cons. Upon the research, you will discover four online articles to provide more detail and examples. This research will indicate how it was developed and the reasoning on why it would benefit the nation. Also, it will provide events that occur after the agreement was signed by congress and the recession the countries experience during the e arly 2000s. There will be a chart locatedRead MoreThe North American Free Trade Agreement1036 Words   |  5 PagesThe North American Free Trade Agreement also referred to as NAFTA produced results on January 1, 1994. A trade agreement was made between each of the three of nations of North America. The United States, Canada, and Mexico. The Canadian Prime Minister, Brian Mulroney, the Mexican President, Carlos Salinas de Gortari, and previous U.S. President George H. Shrub initiated the agreement. Connections between the nations were at that point on great terms, particularly between The United States and CanadaRead MoreThe North American Free Trade Agreement Essay1863 Words   |  8 PagesThe North American Free Trade Agreement, or NAFTA, is an accordance between the United States, Mexico, and Canada that was put into effect in January 1994. This agreement was unprecedented because it integrated three countries that were at extremely different levels of economic development. It changed the economic relationship between North American countries and encouraged trade and investment among the three countries to grow considerably. The purpose of the creation of the North American FreeRead MoreThe North American Free Trade Agreement Essay1356 Words   |  6 PagesThe North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) is an agreement negotiated by three countries; Canada, Mexico, and the United States. The main purpose of NAFTA is essentially to reduce trade barriers in order to promote international commerce, and open up different industries to trade, in particular textiles, agriculture, and automobile sectors. The introduction of NAFTA completely transformed North American economic relations and led to unparalleled cooperation between the U.S. Canada and MexicoRead MoreThe North American Free Trade Agreement1486 Words   |  6 PagesThe North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), an agreement signed by three countries in creating rules in trade in North America. NAFTA, when being presented, was described as genuine for helping Mexico and Canada. But was NAFTA really helpings those counties or really just helping N orth America? Initially North America was being genuine about NAFTA when talking to Mexico and Canada but in reality the NAFTA caused some uneven development as the years went by. I have two stories thatRead MoreThe North American Free Trade Agreement1804 Words   |  8 Pagesunderstanding the elements of trade blocs that enable open markets between member nations while also decreasing the cost of conducting business within a country is essential in making strategic logistical decisions. The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) has provided one such trade bloc that encompasses the countries of the United States, Mexico, and Canada. Since the inception of NAFTA in 1994, significant financial results have been achieved regarding increases in trade revenue and increases inRead MoreThe North American Free Trade Agreement1018 Words   |  5 PagesThe North American Free Trade Agreement, known as NAFTA, is a trilateral trade agreement between Canada, the United States, and Mexico. Signed January 1, 1994, NAFTA’s main purpose was to reduce trading costs, increase business investments, and help the United States be more competitive in the g lobal marketplace. The agreement would eliminate all tariffs on half of all U.S. goods shipping to Mexico and introduce new regulations to encourage cross-border investments. According to President Bush, tradeRead MoreThe North American Free Trade Agreement920 Words   |  4 PagesThe North American Free Trade Agreement (NATFA) shoved the American worker down a flight of stairs in the name of Globalization NAFTA or a bill similar had been floating around Washington since 1979 a year before Reagan took office. NAFTA truly went no where for over a decade. The â€Å"North American Accord† was first proposed by the Reagan and the GOP were always in favor of passage but, it was the Progressive wing, along with many other pro-union members in the Democratic party who held NAFTA atRead MoreThe North American Free Trade Agreement2468 Words   |  10 Pages1.1 Introduction The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) was is the biggest free trade region in the globe, creating economic development and helping to raise the living standard for the citizens of all three member states. By strengthening the policies and procedures governing trade and investment, the NAFTA has indicated to be a solid foundation for developing Canada’s prosperity and has set an important example of the advantages of trade liberalization for the rest of the globe. Two decades

Drama in English National Curriculum Free Essays

string(62) " are acknowledged within the National Curriculum for English\." The aim of this report is to understand where Drama stands in education within England at present. It searches for its’ mention within the National Curriculum and interprets what this means for the teaching of the subject. It looks at primary and secondary schools’ current trends towards Drama as a discrete subject, and argues the benefits and disadvantages of it having its’ own subject heading within the National Curriculum. We will write a custom essay sample on Drama in English National Curriculum or any similar topic only for you Order Now The evidence will be evaluated and a conclusion formulated. 1. Drama in the National Curriculum. The National Curriculum website provides the most up to date information on how Drama is placed within the curriculum. At first glance Drama is absent but mention of it can be located, mainly within the subject of English. [See Appendix One for a description of the requirements and activities for Key Stages (KS) 1 2. (National Curriculum, 2011a)]. Whilst there are aims and objectives published for KS1 2, at KS3 4 there is mention of selected playwrights as subjects to be studied and the expectation that at least one Shakespearean play will be explored in depth at each stage (National Curriculum, 2011b c). References to the use of Drama appear under Literature [See Appendix Two] (National Curriculum, 2011d). For England the Teachernet (Teachernet, 2011), DFES Drama Objectives (DFES, 2011) and QCDA (QCDA, 2011) resources have been/are being decommissioned with edited highlights appearing in the National Archive. In fact most of the Government resources advocated by the Initial Teacher Education website for English are no more (ITE, 2011a). The Department of Education website is replacing it, but the only suitable material found for Drama is an item for the Speaking and Listening element at KS1 2 dated 2004 (Department of Education, 2011). In Ireland drama is within the ‘arts’ sector, alongside visual arts and music. The strand is â€Å"Drama to explore feelings, knowledge and ideas, leading to understanding.† They expect that when this subject is taught correctly it can help children at a young age to understand/relate and deal with life situations that can occur (Irish Curriculum, 2011). Whilst Drama is placed firmly in Arts Education as a trio with the visual and aural mediums, there is little support to be found in their Curriculum Planner as well (NCCA, 2011). Compare this to 52 resources for Drama in the Scottish Curriculum (Scottish Curriculum Resources for Drama, 2011). In Northern Ireland Drama is mentioned in Language Literacy and has its own subject within The Arts and resources are well provided (N. Ireland Resources, 2011). At KS1 2 the statutory subjects that all pupils must study are art and design, design and technology, English, geography, history, information and communication technology (ICT), mathematics, music, physical education and science. Religious education must also be provided at KS 1 and 2 (National Curriculum, 2011e), although there is a non-statutory program of study. From the National Curriculum (2011e) for Religious Education there are the following two points: 1). Explore how religious beliefs and ideas can be expressed through the arts and communicate their responses. 2). Using art and design, music, dance and drama to develop their creative talents and imagination. Art and design does not mention drama until KS 2 as follows from the National Curriculum (2011f): Exploring a range of starting points for practical work [for example, themselves, their experiences, images, stories, drama, music, natural and made objects and environments] Yet making puppet theatres, and also creating atmosphere in sounds, lighting, backdrops and costumes for full size plays would make the subject more fun whilst defining a practical purpose for the work. Drama in a similar way should be a fertile ground for scenery and special effects within Design and Technology yet it is not mentioned at all (National Curriculum, 2011g 2011h). Music and Physical Education in a similar vein have a relationship to Drama through Dance but there is no credit for it. History could conceivably use period dramas to illustrate points and the appreciation of accuracy in the texts and writers’ bias would then be covered in Drama. Stenhouse (1981, p.29) is against the idea that Drama is for teaching other subjects in the curriculum and rejects the imagined realities of Drama for the authenticated realities of pure history. ICT could provide a multi-media back drop similar to that of exhibition trade stands and modern performances that use computerised effects and giant screens. When the National Curriculum was being formulated teachers were vocal in their disapproval of the many curriculum subjects being loaded into the National Curriculum, such that subjects were curtailed following Music and Art (Baldwin, 2011). As the (NCCCE, 1999, p.75) report states ‘†¦there are more than ten subjects in the world.† It also notes that Dance is not found with sport, games and athletics after education and that Drama is not just verbal. (NACCCE, 1999, p.76) points out that of all the countries in the QCA/NFER INCA archive, England was unique in having 10 discrete subjects from KS 1-4. â€Å"When the National Curriculum was introduced, specialist drama practitioners eagerly awaited the National Curriculum for Drama. They are still waiting.† (Baldwin, 2011). 1.1 Drama as part of English in the National Curriculum. One of the ongoing debates about the nature of English centres around its relationship [sic] the creative arts. â€Å"Is English an Arts based, creative discipline, or a much more functional, competency led subject?†, and â€Å"Is Drama itself an Arts based discipline or a method of education, a form of learning?† (ITE, 2011b) The role of drama in the curriculum remains in practice very much in doubt. It is believed that future employers have been unhappy with general educational standards of school leavers. A contributionary factor to this low estimation (for the subject) has been the political shift from a liberal view (of the centrality of aesthetic and artisticexperience in education) towards a more vocationally – orientated view in which the secondary curriculum is seen rather as a feeder of commercial, industrial and post-industrial requirements as they have been immerging in recent years. (Morton, 1984, p.56). The Arts Council England (2003, p.6) explains that all pupils’ minimum statutory entitlements for the study of Drama are acknowledged within the National Curriculum for English. You read "Drama in English National Curriculum" in category "Essay examples" According to Ashcroft Palacio (1995, p. 196), â€Å"The national curriculum firmly places drama within the English domain.† Neelands (2008, p.1) refers to the National Curriculum as the English Model where, â€Å"Drama was first introduced into the secondary curriculum through the English curriculum and timetable†. He amusingly cites the fact that Shakespeare was English to explain how we arrived at this unique position, which has not been followed elsewhere in the world except maybe Wales (Welsh Curriculum KS 1 (2008) Welsh Curriculum KS 2-4 (2008) where Drama is mentioned within English and to a lesser extent Welsh. Drama as a subject in its’ own right is not present in the primary curriculum, but as a part of English or R.E, or furnishing other areas and cross curricular themes. Even though Drama is absent from the curriculum for primary schools, it is still present through the activities and lessons which are taught using drama, â€Å"†¦many primary schools already include drama in their curriculum, without realizing that the activities the children are involved in are actually drama.† (Arts on the move, 2010). For High School teachers, it can be a problem for them to know what to expect of pupils entering KS 3, this is because of the lack of continuity in Drama across all the Primary Schools, therefore only an educated guess can be made on the pupils’ prior drama experiences. Neelands (2004, p.9) offers 6 points of common reference which can be found in Appendix Three. According to Neelands (2008, p.2) statistics show that, †¦many schools in England do offer drama as a separate timetabled subject in Key Stage 3 and this makes drama the only ‘subject’ in the English system which is ‘unregulated’ in terms of a nationally agreed curriculum beyond the references to speaking and listening in the Orders for English†. So only at KS 3 do some pupils get the opportunity to take Drama as a separate subject but it is still an unofficial one. Whilst this offers a complete freedom in how the subject is taught and presented [see Neelands (2004, p.5) for three different approaches at secondary level], it also means there is little in the way of a safety net for its practitioners that standards, assessments, guidelines and official support can provide. So it would appear that Drama has become a Cinderella subject that is busy working in the shadows whilst the Ugly Sisters of English and Religious Education take all the credit. 1.2 How we got to where we are now. â€Å"Most of what young people know of the world, they know through representations of it.† (Neelands, 2008, p.9), suggesting that schools have a moral obligation to help shape the citizenship of their stundents. â€Å"There is little time allotted in the daily routine for drama in early childhood education settings, due to the pressure that many teachers feel to cover too many materials in too little time.† (Jones and Reynolds, 1992, p.7). This suggests that head teachers and teachers are forced to focus their concentration and resources on the subjects the ‘really matter’ For example, those subjects that are recorded as National statistics, showing how many A* – C students have obtained; in particular on Maths, English and Science. Drama being mentioned in the curriculum saw a mixed reaction. Some celebrated the â€Å"fact† that Drama would now have to be taught. Others were quick to point out that there was a fundamental flaw here. There were few trained Drama teachers left. The reality has been, that hardly any Drama is happening (in Primary) despite the fact that it is deemed statutory. (Baldwin, 2011). Yet Neelands (2008, p.1) states that, â€Å"In the English education system, all students in the 5-16 age range have an entitlement to drama within the National Curriculum Orders for English.† Baldwin (2011) the president of the International Drama/Theatre Education Association provides a background to how Drama fell from grace, how a timely reaction to the rigid curriculum being built subject by subject stopped it being included at the eleventh hour and then, as it was no longer a subject, support for it fell away. Practitioners were left high and dry, as Drama was no longer part of Ofsted unless a fee was paid to assess it, which in one case ended up being marked as a ‘Satisfactory’ P.E. lesson. Dearing tried to soften the curriculum but then came the constraints of the National Literacy Strategy which concentrated on reading and writing for the ‘Literacy Hour’ at the expense of speaking and listening. However Winston Tandy (2001, p.75-86) in the ir chapter entitled ‘Drama and literacy’ provide some ideas for including Drama within the hour. Then at Secondary level we find a carte blanche where anything goes with Drama either as a separate subject taught by a Drama specialist or as a continuing addition within English or as another entity, which perhaps suits the more pronounced different streams of ability. Neelands (2004, p.5-6) noticed that the various sources of national guidance for Drama, for example the specific references to Drama in the Programs of Study for English showed a general agreement for the aims and objectives for Drama, such as: Drama as personal, social and moral education Drama as English Drama as a subject in its own right. As stated earlier he cites three very different secondary schools each illustrating one of these points as their individual approach to Drama. The demands of a nationally prescribed curriculum put considerable pressure on teachers to â€Å"fit everything in†; each subject has it own expectations and makes its own particular demands. Finding the time for Drama, however highly you and your class may value it in its own right, can be difficult- the more so if we are going to give the Drama time to develop, deepen the children’s involvement and understanding, and reach a satisfactory conclusion. (Winston Tandy, 2001, p.54) Ashcroft Palacio (1997, p.6) infer that longer serving teachers will find the prescribed nature of the National Curriculum and all its revisions to be a bone of contention. On the other hand – The lack of core guidance for Drama, the parallel development of Drama within English with its development as a discrete Arts subject, together with the diversity of models of curriculum and assessment to be found in schools make it a particularly problematic area of English teaching for trainees. (ITE, 2011c) Especially as: School Drama Co-ordinators disappeared almost overnight, as did LEA Drama Advisers and advisory teachers. Drama courses became few and far between, relying more and more on professional organisations, which were and are run voluntarily, by increasingly stretched full time teachers and lecturers. (Baldwin, 2011). CHAPTER TWO – ARGUMENTS FOR DRAMA BEING A DESCRETE SUBJECT â€Å"As part of a broad and balanced curriculum, drama has a significant contribution to make† (Winston Tandy, 2001, p.73). â€Å"Drama, more than any other subject in the curriculum, mirrors life as it is lived and experienced† (Winston, 2004, p.18). Please see Appendix Five for some positive results Winston (2004) notes as being seen in children’s writing due to their involvement with Drama.â€Å"At least a national agreement provides some external, relatively objective and visible materials to discuss† (Neelands, 2004, p.6). However, the absence of a nationally agreed framework for Drama gives two points of concern; The individual Drama teacher has no external framework to follow, therefore the success of the Drama class is completely at the mercy of the ability or lack thereof of the teacher; How Drama is perceived at the school may well be based on the head teachers’ predilections and prejudices. To illustrate this point I found at X High School, where the author has experienced Drama via a teaching training day placement, it was noticeable that Drama is thought of as a high priority subject. This was thanks to the Head realising that in a catchment area of high poverty Drama provided interest and expression for children that found reading and writing difficult. The school used Drama also as a marketing tool to promote itself to the wider community and its governors. It held annual Drama productions, school assemblies were punctuated with Drama in the form of funny sketches or more serious pieces designed to entertain and inform, it supported fundraising activities etc. Drama here is a timetabled subject throughout all the year groups, and is offered as an A-level subject. As Ashcroft Palacio (1995, p. 196) advocate, â€Å"Primary school pupils can develop through drama an extensive range of language uses, including the majority of those referred to in the national curriculum.† â€Å"†¦drama is a social process of making meaning†¦the framework and method of drama provides a unique context for developing a sense of identity and productiveness.† (Morton, 1984, p.37). â€Å"All Our Futures† had already clearly recognised the importance of Drama, both as a creative teaching and learning medium and as the most powerful pupil motivator: â€Å"OFSTED data on pupil response to learning indicates drama to be at the very top in motivating learning† (NACCCE, 1999, p.77). Drama in education can help pupils learn and understand whatever is required, in ways that are emotionally, aesthetically and cognitively connected and meaningful to children who are natural dramatic players.† CHAPTER THREE – ARGUMENTS AGAINST DRAMA BEING A DESCRETE SUBJECT â€Å"†¦drama is a process that cannot be divided into a series of discrete and accessible outcomes in the kind of way that curriculum theorists have managed to do with many other subjects in the curriculum† (Young, 1981, p.94). Baldwin (2011) states: Trainees are likely to encounter a diverse range of arrangements for drama within schools. In the absence of national orders and a statutory subject framework, schools are free to design their own local variations of a drama curriculum based on the specific value given to drama in a particular school. Cynics were heard to mutter, that with an assessment driven curriculum emerging, process based drama would be too problematic for SCAA (as it was then) to deal with. Assessment in Drama has always been tricky as so much goes on cognitively and emotionally during the Drama process that is not easy or even possible to assess. It is noted that this argument appears amongst many professionals, but no suggestions as to what criteria could be used is suggested. Is this because they believe there is to be none. Baldwin, (2011) continues. â€Å"Assessment records were being revealed as lists of statements of attainment tick boxes and needed to be based on easily observable, extrinsic outcomes† suggesting that Drama specialists were not sure they wanted such a meaningful and aesthetic art form measured and graded in this way.. Neelaands appears to contradict his issues by stating The local curriculum can be based on a highly idiosyncratic and ideologically motivated selection. What is taught may be left to the whim of an individual teacher and may reflect personal prejudices and interests rather that the breadth of depth of study which is a pupil’s entitlement (Neelands, 2004, p.6). Yet according to Neelands on the Initial Teacher Education website (ITE, 2011d), The non-statutory Framework drama objectives might usefully form the basis of the programme of study for drama at KS3. However, these specific objectives are unlikely to be considered sufficient as core objectives for drama as a discrete subject because they do not cover physical, visual, design and technical aspects of drama. This suggests that although the concerns of Patrice Baldwin are relevant, the concerns of the ITE is that without a defined structure and specific objectives, the importance of Drama could be overlooked. This point of view is rejected by Way (1967, p.12) who points out, â€Å"If we make drama another subject, then we make another ‘progressive straight line’ – in fact many straight lines, one for infants, one for juniors, and so on through the different age groups.† Again, because of its ‘uniqueness’ there is a concern over how Drama can be ‘measured’ i.e. marked. Way (1967, p.3) wrote, â€Å"Education is concerned with individuals; drama is concerned within the individuality of individuals, with the uniqueness of each human essence. Indeed this is one of the reasons for its intangibility and its immeasurability.† As Drama is not in the National Curriculum as its own subject, it might be seen as unimportant. With the pressures on schools to be ranked via league tables on the core subjects of English, Maths and Science, it is perhaps not surprising that schools focus on these subjects to the detriment of all else. However, the subject still has its own written examinations and an external examiner is called in to mark performances. It is therefore unclear as to the reasons behind why the subject is deemed by some to be difficult to assess. CONCLUSION â€Å"Ultimately, drama is a valuable tool, but first the tool itself must be fashioned.† (Way, 1967, p.7). There appears to be a divide in international practice over whether Drama should be used across the curriculum or as a subject within its own right and/or as part of the arts agenda. There were those who thought that if assessment was going to be the name of the game, then drama could and should be made to fit, in order to ensure its place in the new curriculum. And there were those who breathed a sigh of relief that drama did not fit and had been left outside the new curriculum, where at least it would allow a greater freedom of practice and content, within the broader curriculum (Baldwin, 2011). Therefore, unless the individual schools value Drama, and encourage Drama teacher training, the concern is that the level of teaching Drama will not be sufficient to add any value to teaching within the school as a whole. According to Ashcroft and Palacio (1995, p.203) there are two types of Drama within the National Curriculum spectrum, one being performance based activities, such as assemblies and school plays, and the other being educational Drama, which involves children in the active creation and exploration of situations based on fact or fiction. â€Å"†¦it is regarded by many teachers as a learning method rather than a subject area because it can be employed to deliver many aspects of the curriculum very effectively.† (Ashcroft and Palacio, 1995, p.204). Art is useful, not because it is true but because it is truly edifying. It is because drama – as – art functions in this way that a dramatic work cannot be explained, paraphrased or deconstructed into essays. Like any other art form, drama is unique and non – convertible†¦ it resists crassly utilitarian efforts to corral it into the service of geography, history or management training as much as it refuses to be the acquiescent servant of personal, social, or political education. In a secular age, the usefulness of drama lies in its ability to articulate meaning in particular direct and accessible ways so that we, in turn, can make better sense of the world in which we live. For these reasons, drama is an indispensible part of the arts curriculum. (Hornbrook, 1991, p.40-41). Whilst we cannot expect the commitment of the National Theatre at every Primary School (Turner et al., 2004) they offer a model of best practice that can be used within the subject of Drama to really bring out the confidence and intellect of young children and this should be the ultimate goal whether Drama is housed within English or is a subject in its own right. Does this then mean that drama is yet another subject that has to be fitted into an already overcrowded curriculumNo. Drama is not another subject; theatre might be, with its ground work in history and its study of playwrights and their works but not drama. Drama is as intangible as personality itself, and is concerned with developing people. Indeed, it is as necessary to discard educational conventions as to disregard theatre conventions (Way, 1967, p.7). The arguments will rage on but only the will of the government can make a difference to the position Drama as a subject or non-subject is in. The conclusion drawn from all the evidence in this report is that Drama should be included as a subject in its own right in the National Curriculum, but not as the curriculum currently stands. There appears to be insufficient structure and no definitive way that the success of pupils taking Drama can be measured. To try and ‘fit’ it into the current curriculum could restrict its usefulness as a holistic well being tool for the personal growth of pupils. How could this be measured in academic termsThere could be pupils who come alive as actors and give wonderful performances, but cannot translate this successfully into a written piece of work. How does one measure personal growthHow can we mark a student who has grown in confidence, can express themselves better than before the introduction of the Drama lesson, and interacts well wi th other students in the classWhereas before the use of Drama they may have been antagonistic, dealing with personal issues which had no voice except in eruptions of violent behaviour. One can set tests to measure the knowledge of the literacy greats, the search for meaning in the works of the playwrights but should this lie here or within the realms of English Literature, such that it cannot be used as a mark of success or failure for Drama students. The conclusion gathered is that this testing should be left within the English subject, thus allowing students of Drama more freedom to express themselves through this wonderful medium. It has been shown that Drama is a useful tool in the understanding of other subjects, but it should first be enjoyed and understood in its own right. The greatest problem for Drama being included in its own right in the National Curriculum appears to be the way the success of subjects are currently judged. There does not appear to be current procedures that can fairly measure the true success and positive impact Drama can have on a student’s life. For example with a Mathematics exam there is a definite right answer with marks available for showing your workings out, but what is the ‘right’ answer in Drama? The division between the teaching professionals as to the inclusion or not of Drama in the National Curriculum can be understood after researching and investigating this question. The concerns are that the importance of Drama within the schools is currently dependant on the will of the head teacher and the ability, passion and commitment of the Drama staff. Drama teachers’ experiencing schools who class Drama as a ‘fill-in’ subject and not that important will have experienced first hand the argument that Drama should be included. It could be very demoralising to the Drama teacher who feels that their work, however committed they are, maybe seen as unimportant. However those Drama teachers experiencing and enjoying a school that appreciates Drama and uses it throughout school life for example in assemblies, community gatherings and the annual school performance may enjoy the freedom of the subject not being included in the National Curriculum, as they do not feel threatened about the validity of their teaching skills. There appears to be no straightforward conclusion over Drama’s inclusion in the National Curriculum, however it must be pointed out that other parts of the British Isles make Drama a subject in its own right and provide excellent support for it. Perhaps there are lessons to be learned from the way they have gone about this by an exchange of ideas on best practice. For example what criteria are they using to measure Drama’s success as a subject; are more or less students choosing Drama as a subject at Secondary level; has its status had a positive or negative effect on the teachersWithout knowing the answers to these questions and many more besides we cannot hold these countries up as shining examples. There needs to be a way of trying to take the best from the arguments for and against Drama’s inclusion in the National Curriculum. For example this research has shown that most of the Drama professionals feel that both the subject and they benefit from its inclusion to put them on a level playing field with other subjects. They believe that they may be taken more seriously and have more support from training being given. The concern of its inclusion appears to be that it could stifle the very creativity and freedom of expression some professionals believe Drama should be. They all appear to agree that Drama cannot be measured in academic terms as easily as other subjects as no ‘marks’ are awarded for students personal development. Therefore after research and investigation into this question, the final conclusion is that Drama should be included in the National Curriculum as a discrete subject but only after the creation of relevant success criteria is added. Once there is an acceptable measurement formula in place Drama would then benefit from inclusion. As it stands at present there does not appear to be sufficient steps in place to recognise Drama students’ success. Bibliography Ashcroft, K Palacio, D. (1997). Introduction to the Primary School Curriculum. in Ashcroft, K. Palacio, D. (eds.) Implementing the Primary Curriculum: A Teacher’s Guide. London: RoutledgeFalmer, pp2-17. Ashcroft, K. Palacio, D. (1995). The primary teacher’s guide to the new national curriculum. The Falmer Press Arts Council England, (2003). Drama in Schools. 2nd Ed. London: ACE. Arts on the move, (2010). Drama in the Primary School [online]. London: Artsonthemove. [Accessed 13 April 2011]. Available at: . Baldwin, P. (2011). Drama-coming out of the wings[online]. London: PatriceBaldwin. [Accessed 01 April 2011]. Available at: . Barbour, A. (2007). Dramatic Play and Imagination. [online]. California: Aplaceofourown. [Accessed 10 April 2011]. Available at: . Department of Education, (2004). Speaking, Listening, Learning: working with children in Key Stages 1 and 2 Professional Development Materials. [online]. London: DfES. [Accessed 10 April 2011]. Available at: . DFES, (2011). Drama Objectives. [online]. London: DfES. [Attempted Access 14 April 2011]. Unavailable at: . Hornbrook, D. (1991). Education in Drama; Casting the Dramatic Curriculum, London; Falmer Press. Irish Curriculum, (2011). Primary School Curriculum. [online]. Dublin: NCCA. [Accessed 10 April 2011]. Available at: . ITE, (2011a). Drama: Secondary Resources. [online]. [Accessed 14 April 2011]. Available at:. ITE, (2011b). Drama: Secondary Research: Literature and Drama. [online]. [Accessed 14 April 2011]. Available at: . ITE, (2011c). Drama: Secondary – Drama as a discrete subject. [online]. [Accessed 14 April 2011]. Available at:. ITE, (2011d). Drama: Secondary. [online]. [Accessed 14 April 2011]. Available at:. Jones, E. Reynolds, G., (1992). The Play’s The Thing: Teachers’ Roles in Children’s Play. New York: Teachers College Press. Morton, D. (1984). Drama for capability. Banbury: Kemble Press Ltd. NACCCE, (1999). All Our Futures: Creativity, Culture and Education. Report to the Secretaries of State for Education Employment and for Culture, Media Sport. [online]. [Accessed 08 April 2011]. Available at: . National Curriculum, (2011a). KS 1 2 Requirements. [online]. [Accessed 09 April 2011]. Available at: . National Curriculum, (2011b). KS 3 Programme of Study. [online]. [Accessed 09 April 2011]. Available at: . National Curriculum, (2011c). KS 4 Programme of Study. [online]. [Accessed 09 April 2011]. Available at: . National Curriculum, (2011d). KS 1 English. [online]. [Accessed 09 April 2011]. Available at: . National Curriculum, (2011e). KS 1 Religious Education. [online]. [Accessed 09 April 2011]. Available at: . National Curriculum, (2011f). KS 2 Art Design. [online]. [Accessed 09 April 2011]. Available at: . National Curriculum, (2011g). KS 1 Design Technology. [online]. [Accessed 09 April 2011]. Available at: . National Curriculum, (2011h). KS 2 Design Technology. [online]. [Accessed 09 April 2011]. Available at: . http://eprints.ioe.ac.uk/2995/1/Turner2004Childrenengaging.pdf National Theatre NCCA, (2011). Irish Curriculum Planning. [online]. [Accessed 10 April 2011]. Available at: . Neelands, J. (2008). Drama; The subject that dare not speak its name. Institute of Education, Warwick: University of Warwick. Neelands, J. (2004). 2nd Ed. Beginning Drama 11-14. London: David Fulton Books. N. Ireland Resources (2011). Northern Ireland Drama Resources. [online]. [Accessed 10 April 2011]. Available at: . QCDA, (2011). Qualifiactions Curriculum Development Agency. [online]. [Accessed 12 April 2011]. Available at: . Scottish Curriculum Resources for Drama, (2011). Scottish Resources for Drama. [online]. [Accessed 09 April 2011]. Available at: . Stenhouse, L. (1981). Drama as a Discipline of Thinking. In Norman, J. (Ed.). Drama in Education: A Curriculum for Change. Banbury: Kemble Press. Teachernet (2011). Teachernet. [online]. [Accessed 09 April 2011]. Available at: . Treviglas, (2011). Expressive Performing Arts. [online]. [Accessed 09 April 2011]. Available at: Turner, H.; Mayall, B.; Dickinson, R.; Clark, A.; Hood, S.; Samuels, J. Wiggins, M. (2004). An evaluation of the National Theatre’s drama work in primary schools 2002-2004. Social Science Research Unit, Institute of Education, London: University of London. Way, B. (1967). Development through Drama. Harlow: Longman. Welsh Curriculum KS1 (2008). KS 1 Curriculum for Wales. [online]. [Accessed 09 April 2011]. Available at: . Welsh Curriculum KS2-4 (2008). KS 2-4 Curriculum for Wales. [online]. [Accessed 09 April 2011]. Available at: . Winston, J. (2004). Drama and English at the Heart of the Curriculum: Primary and Middle Years. London: David Fulton. Winston, J. Tandy, M. (2001) Beginning Drama 4-11. 2nd Ed. London: David Fulton Young, M. (1981). Drama and the Politics of Educational Change. In Norman, J. (Ed.). Drama in Education: A Curriculum for Change. Banbury: Kemble Press How to cite Drama in English National Curriculum, Essay examples

Anthem Essay Contest Example For Students

Anthem Essay Contest Prometheus, the hero in this novel, has struggled to freehimself from the collectivist world that he lives in. His victory was possible bybreaking a lot of the rules. He realized from the beginning that he wasnt likeall the other children at the home of the infants and at the home of thestudents. When he became a street sweeper, he was so sad. He wanted toprogress and become smarter at the home of the scholars, but since he wasdifferent he was not sent there. Prometheus knows he is different. It is madeaware to him in the home of the infants. It is stated in the book Anthem, and of all the children that year, we were locked in the cellar most often. Everything about him was different, he was too tall, and too smart andeverything he thought was different. He was made an outcast by thiscollectivist society because he was different and in a collective worldeveryone is supposed to be the same and work for their brothers and followall the rules. When he was in the home of the students he really tried to fit inbut it didnt work. His teachers knew he acted differently because he askedtoo many questions. Sometimes he fooled his teachers, but even then he wasstill an outcast because of his appearance. Prometheus says , We are six feettall, and this is a burden, for there are not many men who are six feet tall. Prometheus breaks rules from the beginning of his life in the home of theinfants he fought with his brothers and in the home of the students he was toosmart. He wondered things so he asked a lot of questions and that wasforbidden. When Prometheus found the tunnel he must have known that wasa sin because International 4-8818 told him that, It is forbidden. Before hecould have not known what he was doing then realized after. The first senteceof the book Anthem is, It is a sin to write this. His whole life is a sin.

Landscape Ecology Essay Example

Landscape Ecology

Production Management †Engineers Point of View Case Study

Production Management – Engineers Point of View Case Study Introduction Every company must have a mission statement. A mission statement shows direction of the company. Moreover, it ensures that objectives of the company align with its mission. This paper will explore Toyota’s mission statement. It will also investigate if its strategies are aligned with the mission statement.Advertising We will write a custom case study sample on Production Management – Engineer’s Point of View: Case Study specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Mission statement A Mission statement provides direction for a company. This is essential in defining its objectives as well as strategies. Toyota is an automobile manufacturing company. Its mission statement is to move people in a better way. Precisely, it has a global mission. Its mission states â€Å"Toyota will lead the way to the future of mobility, enriching lives around the world with the safest and most responsible ways of moving people.† Current strategies The company has established numerous strategies to pursue its Global mission, these include: Commitment to quality Respect for planet Constant innovation The company has utilized these strategies with a view to reaching its mission statement. Discussion Toyota has presence all over the world. In fact, the company has continued to provide affordable quality automobiles to its range of customers. Moreover, it has implemented flexible structures that enable it to reach out to different groups of customers. For instance, the company has introduced Toyota certified used automobiles for its low-income customers. The first strategy employed by Toyota is to commit to quality. Toyota has an operation segment that designs and supplies quality automobile to its customers. Toyota conducts quality assessment on its products to ensure compliance with the latest regulation on safety and quality. Moreover, the company has employed mechanisms to communicate with their customers and dealers with a view to ensuring quality of automobiles. Recent recall of specific brands of Toyota automobiles is an evidence of commitment to quality, even after sales.Advertising Looking for case study on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More This strategy has ensured that Toyota command the world’s market in volume of sales. This strategy therefore goes a long way in strengthening its mission statement of moving people in a better way.  The second strategy is to commit to constant innovation. The world is ever changing with various technological advances aimed at making life easy, being explored. Toyota has committed its finances in research and development to improving and innovating new technologies for better automobiles. In essence, the company spends on research and development for innovation with a view to improving ways of moving people. This strategy aligns with the companyâ₠¬â„¢s mission since it aims to give people better technology that moves them in a better way. The third strategy is to commit to respect for planet. The planet is faced with increasing challenges with regard to its conservation. Issues such as global warming, among others, have put pressure in companies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Toyota is committed to this initiative. In fact, the company has proved this by manufacturing environment friendly automobiles. Moreover, it has made steps to contribute to environmental conservation efforts through participation and contribution. This shows that the company values its community and aims to move them in a better way as confirmed in the mission statement. Conclusion Toyota has a mission aimed at bettering the movement of its customers. This has enabled them to establish mission friendly strategies namely, commitment to innovation, quality and the planet. Toyota is therefore committed to its mission statement through the strategies e mployed above.

Sociology of Childhood and Youth Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Sociology of Childhood and Youth - Essay Example The role of social changes to the youth and the adulthood was very important in the post 1970s period. The sector which was more affected by the social changes during this period was the employment. It should be noticed that the standardisation of employment was an achievement of the post 1945 period which was characterized by high growth. However, the globalisation (which followed that period and is constantly developing until today) has led to the deregulation of the labour market and as a result to the collapse of standard (and of teenage) employment (Burgess & Campbell, 1998:15). It should be noticed though that the youth transition of the post 1970s period involved to more elements than employment, like family and education. The results of relevant studies have shown that there is also a differentiation regarding the gender and the social ‘classification’ as well as the general environment of the young people. Under these terms, the main question is not whether the youth transition is faulty or not but if the environment of young people has the necessary willing to understand the constantly changing social conditions and to cooperate with them in order to achieve a more integrated adaptation in the society. The content of social change has been examined by an important number of researchers. The relevant studies have shown that ‘individualisation’ is the most important of its elements. Individualisation has been explained as ‘a process that relates to the disintegration of traditional structures in people’s lives so the inherited recipes for living and role stereotypes fail to function’. Moreover, according to this view ‘there are no historical models for the conduct of life’ .

The Most Common Strategy Mistakes Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The Most Common Strategy Mistakes - Assignment Example He asserts that strategy is formulated while keeping customers in mind and so the value proposition is created, but this only serves the demand side of the strategy. He believes that organizations need to take into consideration the supply side of the strategy in order to be more effective and they should take both sides of the strategies to cover all grounds. Another mistake that organizations make is the overvaluation of their strengths. He believes that organizations are biased towards identification of strengths and they develop their strategies accordingly. He asserts that an organization’s strength may be best customer service, but this strength can be attained by any organization. He believes that strengths of one organization should be different from the strengths of another organization and other organizations should not be able to obtain the same strengths as one organization already has. 2. There are several barriers due to which managers fail to devise an effective strategy. Porter asserts that various obstacles are created due to covert biases that are invested in a particular business, the way the organizations are structured and the way decisions are made. For example: managers fail to obtain the accurate data required for making any form of decisions because of internal issues and conflict within the organization and there may be cases where those who are performing well are undervalued and those who are not putting in too much effort are simply sitting and absorbing all the rewards. Another issue is that managers have failed to accept and count upon differentiation strategies and they rather believe in having a huge customer base. Due to this they fail to enhance their value proposition and only focus on serving to serve. Barriers to creation of effective strategy even exist in the external environment of an organization; Porter claims that there are

The role of international law and human rights in the cold war and the Essay

The role of international law and human rights in the cold war and the post cold war eras - Essay Example Countries sign agreements that bind them to follow certain regulations and standards that they set. It is divided in to public and private or conflict international laws. The public international laws entail things like the maritime laws, United Nations and Geneva conferences. The private international law simply tries to come up with where and how a case can be handled. On the other hand, human rights are said to be freedom that every individual has a right to experience. Examples of rights are: right to life, education, culture, work, freedom of expression and civil rights. Every nation has its own rights clearly set and understood by its people. International human rights are practiced in all the nations (David, pp. 3-20). International law and human rights are very vital tools that have played a major role in protecting individuals from subjection to torture and abuse. Very many countries have joined in the practice of international law and human rights but some remain stubborn. During the cold war and post cold war era, individuals are seen to believe that the two fields will become better. Implementation of the laws has not been easy either and to reach to perfection is expected to take time. During the cold war era, the human rights and international laws were not given very much attention. This was so because human right laws were considered as a forceful intervention. During the era, citizens of various countries were experiencing suffering due to lack of human rights to protect them. The constant subjection to suffering led to the formation of institutions that work internationally like the United Nations. Further more, the Geneva conferences led to the formation of the international laws. To date, many nations have become members of the United Nation and its main agenda is to protect individuals internationally from torture that comes from civil war and poor governance (David,

Corporate Social Responsibilty In Mauritius Management Essay

Corporate Social Responsibilty In Mauritius Management Essay The European Commission defined Corporate Social Responsibility as a concept whereby companies integrate social and environmental concerns in their business operations and in their interaction with their stakeholders on a voluntary basis. In other words, it concerns actions by companies over and above their legal obligations towards society and the environment. According to the European Commission certain regulatory measures can create a more conducive environment for organisations to voluntarily meet their social responsibility. Similarly, the National Empowerment Foundation (NEF) defines Corporate Social Responsibility as the concept whereby companies act to balance their own economic growth with the sustainable social and environmental development of the country. An organisation that is highly involved in CSR is one that goes beyond the legal compliance and actively practices positive impacts on the local communities and the environment. In fact, there is not a standard definition of Corporate Social Responsibility as it is varies according to various countries and cultures. Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) has become an important issue over the last two decades. Lawyers, practitioners, economists, and civil society have contributed to defining, developing, and analysing the content, nature and implementation of CSR (P. R.Waagstein, 2011). CSR has been practiced by companies all over the world for many years as shown by many researchers. At the beginning, it was more for staff well-being. For instance, during the industrial revolution and age, factories provided different facilities for the community surrounding them in order to make use of their labour. Over the past few years, both businesses and academic researchers have shown increasing interest and enthusiasm for Corporate Social Responsibility. For instance, research done has suggested that CSR may be an efficient tool to improve the legitimacy of companies amongst their stakeholders as per Handelman and Arnold (1999), and to develop positive social responsibility images, according to Sen and Bhattacharya (2001). PROBLEM STATEMENT The term CSR has, over years, been coined to allow the economic development of a country to participate in the socio-economic development. By being responsible for society, the same industries were allowed to give back, in a responsible way, to people working for them and purchasing their goods and services. Amongst the different levels of society, the emergence of need for different categories arose, for example, handicapped people, abandoned children, out laws, the elderly and street people. Thus, Corporate Social Responsibility became a term used for catering to all categories of humans and their wellness in the society. At the onset, Corporate Social Responsibility was a voluntary initiative for companies to act socially responsible. However, over the years, especially in the new millennium, since complete improvement was not totally visible around the world, the United Nations proposed some Millennium Development Goals to improve the general conditions of living. One of their main goals was to eradicate absolute poverty in developing countries and underdeveloped countries. Indeed, the United Nations Millennium Campaign, started in 2002, supports and inspires people from all four corners of the world to get involved and take actions in supporting the Millennium Development Goals. As stated, the main challenges and major concerns of the International community is to eradicate absolute poverty, but this can only be done by the combined efforts of all governments, civil society organisations and the private sector. As mentioned by the United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon the goals are ambitious but feasible and, together with the comprehensive United Nations development agenda, set the course for the worlds efforts to alleviate extreme poverty by 2015. The Government of Mauritius has established a policy with the objective of mandating registered companies to pay 2% of their book profit towards programmes that contribute to the social and environmental development of the country. In Mauritius, CSR has been formulated in the year 2008, when then the Minister of Finance decided that companies should reinvest 2% of their book profit towards societal development. To date, CSR has been practiced by companies for years and one of the main issues that arose recently is how to regulate it. Should it be a legal norm, ethical norm or social norm? This question can be further elaborated: Should CSR be regulated through state regulation, code of conduct or self-regulation? Should it be regulated in a voluntary way or should it be an obligation to corporations? Another question that arises is whether it is the role of the private sector to take care or to look after the society, or whether it is the role of the government to do so, since all companies are paying tax and the main objective of a company is to maximise profits. In addition, on a different perspective, another question emerges: should an organisation only focus on maximising profits or should its role as a so cially responsible organisation also include looking after its society and the community? Matten and Moon (2008) offers a broad interpretation, arguing that it should be perceived both as a social imperative and social consequence of business success. Accordingly, two forms of CSR, implicit and explicit, have been introduced. Implicit CSR is embedded in various relationships among business, society and government within the political system. It is represented by strong values, norms and rules or regulations which require corporations to address stakeholder issues. It is important to note that politics and organisations are interrelated and interdependent as they need each other to accomplish their social responsibility in an effective and efficient way. A textbook example in Mauritius would be the Compagnie Mauricienne de Textile (CMT) that has donated Rs 25m to the government for the new project of building a high tech school for vulnerable and deprived children. 1.3 AIM AND OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY The aim of this research is to determine the importance of voluntary or mandatory CSR for the overall socio-economic development of the country. In this context, the specific objectives are to: To assess the local opinion of CSR drivers and whether it is better as a mandatory or voluntary practice. This will provide a course of action for the new Ministry of Social Integration and Economic Empowerment. To provide for modifications in the local way of practicing CSR and to be able to answer queries of International organisations on eradication of poverty. To make recommendations so as to meet the targets set by United Nations and the Millennium Development Goals project, and to showcase Mauritius as a success example in Africa. 1.4 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE RESEARCH In fact, Corporate Social Responsibility is mandatory in Mauritius and this research primarily focuses on determining the opinions, points of view and the experiences of companies that are actively engaged in CSR. Further assessment will be made as to whether they prefer a voluntary or mandatory implementation and determining whether the local way of practicing CSR has benefitted society and provided improvements in the current way local companies are practicing CSR. In addition, it analyses the need for mandatory Corporate Social Responsibility in Mauritius and determines whether the government should keep it mandatory or voluntary or both. It further develops the idea of whether voluntary CSR should be modified to some other form to cater to the needs of the Mauritian society. It also gives a comprehensive overview of findings and conclusions that will allow the local CSR Committee and Government to review and improve its CSR policies for the country. 1.5 RESEARCH QUESTIONS Based on the above research objectives of the study, the following research questions have been formulated: How organisations define Corporate Social Responsibility? Awareness of local CSR guidelines and what their opinions are and suggestions on the CSR guidelines? What problems they encounter while implementing CSR practices? How can the CSR Committee help in implementing CSR activities? How businesses perceive Corporate Social Responsibility as a mandatory practice in Mauritius. Should it be voluntary or mandatory? 1.6 STRUCTURE OF THE DISSERTATION Chapter 1 Introduction This chapter provides an overview of the topic research on Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), and sets out the problem statement of the study, outlining the objectives of the research and highlighting the research questions. Chapter 2 Literature Review This chapter reviews the literature relevant to the topic. It provides past reviews carried out by different researchers on Corporate Social Responsibility in various countries around the world. It also provides a description of CSR implementation in Mauritius and the similarities and contrasts that exist among the different countries. Chapter 3 Methodology The methodology chapter outlines the methods and techniques used to conduct the study, namely the research approach, design and strategy used. Information about the target population including the sample size and sampling method is given along with details about the interview questionnaire. Chapter 4 Analysis and Findings This chapter presents the data analysis and research findings. The source of data has been derived mainly from interviews that have been carried out. Further, discussions are based on the findings of this study. Chapter 5 Recommendations and Conclusions In this final chapter, appropriate recommendations will be made and the chapter will end with a concluding paragraph including the possibility for further or future research. CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 INTRODUCTION This chapter presents an overview of the literature relevant to Corporate Social Responsibility. It provides a review of the past studies carried out by different researchers. The idea of social responsibility emerged in the United States at the beginning of the 20th century. Carroll (1989) states three critical turning points in the evolution of social responsibility: The Entrepreneurial Era Businessmen in America were building industrial empires and were abusing their power, being found guilty of antisocial and anticompetitive practices. Such practices included tax evasion and other unethical business practices. This caused frustration among the public who voiced their objections, causing the government to enforce laws whereby business had a role to play in society beyond profit maximisation. The Depression era of 1929- 1930s The economy of United States was dominated by large organisations and the government passed laws to protect investors and smaller businesses. In addition, the social responsibility of organisations was more clearly defined. (iii)The Social Era of 1960s This era was characterised by social turmoil in the United States. The Government looked closely at organisational practices and it was clearly defined to whom the organisation was responsible and who in an organisation was responsible for the organisational practices. Bowen (1953) the pioneering advocate of CSR, described Corporate Social Responsibility in terms of the obligations of businessmen to pursue those policies, to make those decisions, or to follow those lines of action which are desirable in terms of objectives and values of our society. (Social Responsibilities of Businessmen, 1953). The emphasis was laid on peoples conscience rather on the company itself. This alteration in focus was provoked by a number of factors such as the managerial revolution and the mounting hostility of people experiencing social problems. The obligations were further elaborated upon, going beyond economic and legal implications by including the employee, the community welfare and the political and educational needs of society (McGuire, 1963). This gave rise to the modern concept of corporate citizenship (Maignan, Ferrell, and Hult, 1999). The Committee for Economic Development (1971) viewed CSR as the service of a wide range of human values to improve the quality of life. The managerial role in changing societal expectations has also been articulated by the Committee. On one hand, Manne Wallich (1972) mentioned that businesses should not spoil society but should provide solutions through voluntary assumption of obligations. On the other hand, Caroll (1979) summarised the discussion by providing the following definition: social responsibility of business encompasses the economic, legal, ethical and discretionary expectations that society has of organisations at a given point in time. Figure 1 Carrolls classic pyramid (Carroll, 1991) Carrolls CSR Pyramid covers the whole perspective of what society can expect from a company, economically as well as socially. This theory can be used to identify a companys CSR activities and how they use CSR as a strategy. It will further explain and recognise the connection between a companys CSR activities and its stakeholders. Carrolls CSR Pyramid can be used as a tool to clarify the different kinds of responsibilities that a company has to fulfil in order to achieve legitimacy from its surrounding society and stakeholders. 2.1 Definition of Corporate Social Responsibility Various organisations have viewed CSR in different ways, although there are considerable common opinions between them. According to Mallen Baker (2004), CSR is about how companies manage the business processes to produce an overall positive impact on society. Lord Holmes and Richard Watts (2000), in their publications Making Good Business Sense, defined CSR as: Corporate Social Responsibility is the continuing commitment by business to behave ethically and contribute to economic development while improving the quality of life of the workforce and their families as well as of the local community and society at large. This publication also provides some evidence of the different perceptions of what this should mean to a number of different societies across the world. It respects cultural differences and finds the business opportunities in building the skills of employees, the community and the government through CSR. Corporate Social Responsibility Developing Countries and Overseas Experiences In the year 2000 , the Millennium Development Goals set the challenge of Corporate Social responsibility in developing countries in view of eradicating poverty, hunger, providing better education to children, equal opportunities for women and a healthier environment (UN, 2006: 3). Unfortunately, in many developing countries these global aspirations have remained unaccomplished. (Visser et al., 2007) viewed CSR in developing countries as the formal and informal ways in which business makes a contribution to improving the governance, social, ethical, labour and environmental conditions of the developing countries in which they operate, while remaining sensitive to prevailing religious, historical and cultural contexts. According to a survey done by Welford (2005) in Asia, research showed that countries such as Hong Kong, Malaysia and Thailand where indicative of having less prevalent CSR activities. Malaysia is considered as the weakest in terms of CSR performance, with Thailand being relatively strong on external aspects (such as child labour and ethics) and Hong Kong being generally better on internal aspects (such as non-discrimination and equal opportunities). It was determined through a review done on CSR literature (Visser et al, 2006) that only 12 out of 53 countries in Africa have publications in CSR journals and that 57% of published articles focus on South Africa with 16% focusing on Nigeria. On one hand, CSR in the United States has been defined mainly in terms of a philanthropic model. Most companies focus on making and maximising profits and only contribute to charitable activities in an effort to benefit from tax concessions, contributing a certain share of the profits to charitable institutions. They believe that receiving any benefits from charitable sharing would tarnish the reputation of the company. On the other hand, the Canadian Governments perception of CSR is generally understood to be the way a company achieves a balance or integration of economic, environmental and social imperatives while at the same time addressing shareholder and stakeholder expectations. According to Cecil (2008), disclosure of CSR in the United States does not currently exist and is therefore unregulated as a required framework. In fact, various models and categories of reporting do exist under the umbrella of CSR, such as environmental reports, social reports and sustainability reports. Therefore the CSR report is separate from the annual report and represents non-financial qualitative and quantitative data. In contrast to other developed countries, Corporate Social Responsibility in the United States is not forcefully imposed. Companies in the United States participate in CSR based on their own moral and social values, allowing them to apply the triple-bottom-line approach voluntarily. In comparison, the laws of Mauritius state that it is mandatory for profit bearing organisations to pay the government 2% of their annual book profit as a CSR contribution. While companies in the United States have no mandatory obligation towards CSR, they widely exploit the CSR programme as a means of increasing their public image and corporate reputation. Given the fact that CSR in the United States is non-mandatory, companies can define and interpret their views of social responsibility within the context of own their company. Having this freedom has allowed them to better measure and promote CSR activities in comparison to their International counterparts. It is interesting to note that although companies in the United States are very explicit in their public statements with relation to their commitment to corporate responsibility, the lack of precise definition has led to confusion in terminology. A wide range of terms for CSR now exists, such as social responsibility, community investment and corporate citizenship. Each company tends to define them differently, yet having little understanding of what they actually mean, whether that is philanthropic giving, raw material sourcing or employment practices. Mauritius in comparison, although less developed than the United States, has a well-defined CSR programme as the mandatory enforcement of social responsibility has led to a single, precise and distinct perception thereof. The Government of the United Kingdom interprets CSR as the contribution a business makes to their sustainable development goals in terms of how they account for economic, social and environmental impacts. According to I. Pearson, Minister of the state UK, the world is experiencing major economic challenges and the issue of Corporate Responsibility must remain high on business and political agendas. He states that most successful companies have always been the most responsible. Business leaders recognise that Corporate Responsibility makes good business sense and it attracts the best talent, earns the trust of customers and the community and acts as a powerful investment for long-term sustainability. However, just like the United States, and in contrast to Mauritius, CSR is voluntary in the United Kingdom. The Government of the United Kingdom has adopted the voluntary approach as they believe it will motivate and encourage Corporate Social Responsibility through best practice guidance, and where appropriate, regulation and fiscal incentives. In the United Kingdom, CSR is viewed as a voluntary activity that should address both competitive and social interests. Mauritius does not share this approach and even encourages companies to contribute above the legal requirement to benefit the community and environment, invest in education and to help eradicate poverty. The question of whether or not CSR should be considered mandatory emerges when we consider that countries like the United States and the United Kingdom have no such legal compliance obligations. Why would a country like Mauritius, being a small island in the Indian Ocean, apply CSR as compulsory, especially considering that Mauritius is only the second country in the world where CSR is mandatory? NRE (Nouvelles Regulations Economique) law introduced in France in 2001 requires that all publicly listed French companies disclose information to their stakeholders pertaining to social and environmental impacts on their activities, together with their annual reports. There is no requirement for any specific constraints to be included with regards to their standards, thresholds or any other regulatory requirements. Although the law has been introduced, it should be considered as a soft law since the disclosed information is not regulated and there are no clear rules with regards to non-compliance. The legal responsibility is to report on social and environment impacts but without the requirement for certification of the disclosed information. In addition, the law does not clearly outline possible sanctions that may be imposed in cases of non-compliance or falsification of information. According to the research presented by L. Drusch and A.Lioui (2010) there has been a rapid growth in Corporate Social Responsibility in France over the last decade. This growth can be measured by the increase in the number of French companies that are listed in the Socially Responsible Investment (SRI) index in France as well as the listing of French companies in International CSR rankings, such as the 100 Most Sustainable Corporations in the World listing. Like the United States, CSR in France is based on the triple-bottom-line approach and is aimed at improving social, economic or environmental aspects in society beyond financial motivation. In addition, the United States does provide CSR reporting to some extent although not regulated and submitted in a separate report to the annual statements. In July 2007, Indonesia enforced a mandatory regulation regarding corporate social responsibility, being the first country in the world to do so. Based on the research done by Rosser et al (2008), Indonesia promotes CSR to local small and medium enterprises as a way to reach US and European markets. As compared to Mauritius, where the obligation is to pay 2% of the book profit, Indonesia has imposed a 3-5% obligation to be paid to the government. According to empirical data, the CSR law in Indonesia requires revision and improvement due to misinterpretations thereof, as well as lack of a precise definition. The law created a fierce debate and was heavily challenged as being nothing more than a philanthropy tax that was detrimental for business. Those challenging the law argue that there is no need to regulate CSR as sectorial rules have already been defined and introduced to regulate corporate responsibilities, such as the Environmental Law, Labour Law and Investment Law. The law is very unclear with regards to the governments expectations and has no clear definition of CSR. Unlike France, the law in Indonesia does stipulate penalties for non-compliance. Grafstrà ¶m et al (2008) identified that over the past three decades, the term CSR has been extensively debated by companies and in academic circles across the globe with a common goal: to identify a definition of CSR that all and sundry can collectively agree upon. Kemp et al (2001) observed that companies were hesitant to divulge their actual CSR activities due to the confusion that the term has produced over the past years. It was found that companies are reluctant to publish their activities for fear of reprisal by the media and NGOs should their approach be erroneous. Carroll (1998) found that companies often interpret regulations incorrectly and that laws often create a hindrance rather than improving economic performance. Although Mauritius followed Indonesias stance on mandatory CSR, being only the second country in the world to do so, the differences between the two countries can be easily identified. When the law was introduced, Indonesia faced fierce disapproval and the mandatory requirement is still an on-going debate. It remains mostly a disorganised and misunderstood concept whereas Mauritius appears to have a clearly understanding of what CSR actually entails as opposed to simply being a governmental tax requirement. The introduction of CSR into the Mauritian business environment was done so with a clear understanding on the benefits to business success, reputation and the social impact that such contributions would make on the island. Many are of the opinion that even if CSR was not mandatory in Mauritius, most organisations would still voluntarily contributing to CSR as a good business practice. Like Indonesia, India faced strong criticism when trying to impose mandatory CSR obligations in 2011. Their intention was to make it mandatory for companies to contribute at least 2% of net profits to the government. In July 2011 the Indian government backed down and made CSR contributions voluntary by recasting it as responsible business and issuing a set of guidelines for companies released on July 8th 2011 by the then Union Minister of Corporate Affairs, Mr. Murli Deora. The debate surrounding the mandatory CSR in India continues and the government has requested that companies keep records of their CSR spending in order to disclose to their stakeholders. The Companies Bill 2009 contains many provisions but none more debated than CSR. Salman Khurshid (the current Union minister for law) and Deoras predecessor, initially a mandatory CSR enthusiast, swayed his views that if CSR contributions were publicised, they would create competitiveness between organisations that in turn would encourage contributions. The Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce Industry (FICCI) suggested tax concessions to companies who reached voluntary targets. The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), a rival of the Indian Chambers, felt that mandatory corporate responsibility would be counterproductive, arguing that companies may resort to camouflaging activities to meet such regulations, particularly during recessionary periods and economic downturns. Indias philanthropic community does not support mandatory CSR. According to research, the CEO of the NGO Give India viewed this as a crazy idea. He believed that once CSR is made mandatory, people will find ways and means to get out of it. The rules would be so vague that the reporting would be even vaguer. The CEO and co-founder of the Dasra foundation agreed. He was not in favour of mandatory CSR. He felt that when you make things mandatory, the chance of them not being done would be greater. Philanthropist Rohini Nilekani strongly opposed mandatory CSR believing that it was just outsourcing of governance. She felt that if wanted, the corporations should be taxed and the money put into social programs but that CSR should not be dictated. Corporate giants, TATA and BIRLA, have practiced Corporate Social Responsibility actively, decades before the term CSR became popular in India. Even still, CSR remains misunderstood in the Indian Development Sector. Only a few private and public companies apply CSR and those that do tend to have International shareholding from countries where CSR is considered a business best practice. India attempted to follow in the footsteps of Indonesia and Mauritius by imposing mandatory CSR regulations, the only other country to have actively considered such enforcement. It seems evident from the various researchers and the review of the various approaches and overseas experiences that there is a marked difference in the concept and interpretation of CSR world-wide. Mauritian Context In Mauritius, private organisations are reputed to have an extended culture and tradition of CSR, principally in terms of voluntary social engagement in the communities where they operate and in the society at large. They have participated and contributed over the years to the social and environmental development of the country. Previous survey reports published by the Mauritius Employers Fund (MEF) in 2006 and 2008 indicate that Mauritian businesses in their large majority believe that their role in society extends beyond wealth generation and that pursuing economic interests needs to be balanced with social and environmental responsibility. Indeed, Mauritian enterprises have been engaged in both internal and external CSR, driven mainly by ethical considerations, employee motivation, company reputation and brand positioning. They have also taken into consideration benefits of employees and engaged in external CSR initiatives by contributing and supporting social and community relate d activities. The MEF Surveys have also shown that CSR has followed a rather philanthropic approach, characterised by informal activities, unrelated to business operations and strategy. The recent economic and financial crisis has led to a rise in the level of involvement of governments in the operation of the business sector across the world. There is also an emerging debate in the Corporate Social Responsibility literature with regards to the role of the state in the business relationship. Despite the efforts made by government and International agencies, the global poverty problem is worsening day by day. Thus, the contribution of organisations to Corporate Social Responsibility for the creation of a better society is rising. Corporate Social Responsibility Mandatory in Mauritius According to Y.Ramtohul (Sept 2011), on one hand, in Mauritius, all companies such as those holding a Category 1 Global Business Licence under the Financial Services Act, banks in Mauritius whose income is derived from banking transactions with non-resident or corporation holding a global business license under the financial, IRS companies as mentioned in the investment promotion ( Real Estate Development Scheme) Regulations 2007, as well as any non-resident societe , a trust or a trustee of a unit trust scheme are exempted from mandatory obligation from contributing to the CSR fund. On the other hand , all other companies incorporated and registered at the Registrar of Companies of Mauritius have to contribute 2% of their annual book profits to the CSR fund as provided by the S 50L of the Income Tax of Mauritius ( Act 16 1995). According to the S 50L of the same Act the 2 % that goes to the CSR fund shall be used to either implement an approved programme by a company, an approved programme under the National Empowerment Foundation or to finance an approved NGO. It is the responsibility of the CSR committee to review these programmes or NGOs to be financed as set up under the S 50 L section of the Income Tax in order to have a better control and transparency about the investment made. It is also interesting to understand that if, in respect to a year, the amount paid out to the CSR fund is less than 2% then the difference shall be remitted as an income and will be taxed at the end of the financial year. Statutory Requirements As from July 2009, companies in Mauritius therefore have the legal obligation to contri

The Dangers of Teen Sleep Deprivation: Benefits of Adopting Later Star

â€Å"Bueller?†¦Bueller?† The monotone history teacher appearing in the popular 1980’s film â€Å"Ferris Bueller’s Day Off,† proceeds to take role-call in his morning history class: a positively lethargic group of students, comically struggling to stay awake. As the teacher monotonously pronounces each name on the attendance list, one student gives a deadpan stare, mouth slightly agape and eyes drooping, while another student can’t beat the fatigue and sleeps with his head on his desk as a trickle of drool escapes his mouth. While this comic scene takes place on a Hollywood set, it is not far removed from many classroom situations across the country as Aarthi Belani, a high school student from Minnesota, notes about the 7:20 a.m. chemistry class she took her junior year. â€Å"It was an ungodly hour to be studying chemistry,† she recalls with a shiver; â€Å"In the first period, 75 percent of the kids would have their heads down o n their desk at one time or another† (Bettelheim 4). Students in high schools from Maine to California find it equally grueling to stay awake during their morning classes since more and more schools choose to open their doors at the crack of dawn, many around 7:30 a.m. and some as early as 7:05 a.m. Dr. James B. Maas, a sleep expert and psychology professor at Cornell University, found that on average, 20 percent of high school students are so fatigued that they sleep at some point during the school day each week (Crombie 2). That’s a lot of beat kids in this country, a fact which has countless sleep experts, lawmakers, parents and teachers alarmed by the groggy state of America’s youth. High schools in this country simply start too early. Teenagers are being forced to ignore their bodies’ natural sleep/wake patterns in... ...000928.html Kunzelman, Michael. â€Å"Drive under way to start school later for students.† The Daily News Transcript. 21 Oct. 2013. 13 Nov. 2013. http://www.dailynewstranscript.com Moore, Ann. â€Å"Sleep Deprivation Common Among Teens.† talk about sleep. 12 Oct. 2013. 12 Nov. 2013. http://www.talkaboutsleep.com/sleepdisorders/childrensdisorders_teens-sleep-deprivation Ruechel, Al. â€Å"Early Start Time Stinks.† Glenn Beck.com 30 May 2013. 13 Nov. 2013. http://www.glennbeck.com/al/05-03-02-al.shtml â€Å"Sleep experts to teens: Please, get your zzz’s.† CNN.com 29 Sep. 2000. 13 Nov. 2013. http://www.cnn.com/2013/HEALTH/children/09/28/sleepy.teens.01/ â€Å"Study: Many high school students don’t get enough sleep; performance suffers.† Health & Medicine Week 19 May 2013: 58. Academic Universe: Document. Lexis-Nexis. 13 Nov. 2013 http://web.lexis-nexis.com/universe/document

Massage Therapy

Annotated Bibliography and Critique: Massage Therapy September 19th, 2012 Introduction The alternative therapy I chose to research was Massage therapy. The Oxford Dictionary of Psychology defines massage therapy as â€Å"manual manipulation of soft tissue to promote physical and mental health and well-being. Forms of massage therapy can be traced back to ancient Chinese, Egyptian, Greek, Roman, Hindu, and Japanese civilizations† (â€Å"massage therapy†, 2008).I chose to do this topic for my annotated bibliography because I am interested in learning more about the benefits of massage and to understand ways of healing pain and discomfort through touch and manual manipulation. I believe that massage therapy is not only helpful in the relief of pain and discomfort but also helps in the emotional maintenance of romantic relationships. Article One Ho, Y. , Lee, R. , Chow, C. , & Pang, M. (2010). Impact of massage therapy on motor outcomes in very low-birthweight infants: Rand omized controlled pilot study.Pediatricsinternational, 52, 378-385. The purpose of this randomized trial was to â€Å"investigate the efficacy of massage therapy on stable preterm VLBW infants in promoting motor development, weight gain, and earlier discharge from the hospital† (Ho et al. , 2010, p. 378). Ho et al. suggest that â€Å"it is generally accepted that infants at 32 weeks gestational age and beyond may benefit from massage therapy† (Ho et al. , 2010, p. 378). This was a randomized controlled intervention pilot trial that studied infants whose gestational age was between 25 and 34 weeks with VLBW.Two types of massage interventions were performed on separate groups of infants for 15 minutes in duration. One intervention being 5 minutes of massage therapy with tactile stimulation in the first and third phases and physical activity phase in the second phase and the other therapy (sham treatment) consisted of gentle still touch producing no indentation in the ski n. Each treatment was done an hour after feedings. Daily caloric intake was recorded as well as bodyweight before intervention, at 36 weeks PCA, and after intervention.The results of this study were shown to be that out of the 24 infants that were involved, the â€Å"infants with poor initial motor performance had significantly more improvement in motor outcomes and shorter length of hospital stay following massage therapy than sham treatment† (Ho et al. , 2010, p. 381) Article One Critique Strengths of this article were the thorough explanation of the therapies done with the infants. This allows for easy replication of the study should anyone try and implement these types of massage therapies in hospital NICU’s.This article also outlined implications for future research suggesting that a large sample size would be beneficial for another study to have more accurate results. The author’s use and interpretation of the evidence lead to the same conclusion as was gi ven in the conclusion. Appropriate methods to gather evidence was used and measurements were done at appropriate growth stages. I believe that the results of this study were congruent with what the conclusion stated in the end.Shortcomings of this article are stated within the article saying that â€Å"the effect of massage on preterm infants’ motor developmental outcomes thus remains uncertain, and a study with a more rigorous study design is warranted† (Ho et al. , 2010, p. 378). Excluding certain infants from the study I believe was also a short coming in this article. They limited infants that had maternal drug addictions, congenital abnormalities, and genetic disorders. This was a limitation to this study because it didn’t allow for results to show if massage therapy could benefit these types of conditions in newborns.Limiting infants such as ones with congenital abnormalities may have allowed the results to show better growth in the overall group. For futu re studies infants with conditions such as congenital abnormalities or maternal drug addiction could be included as a third subgroup for testing of massage therapy to see if the benefits of this alternative therapy aids in their growth and development. Article Two Munk, N. , Kruger, T. , & Zanjani, F. (2011). Massage therapy usage and reported health in older adults.The Journal of Alternative and Complimentary Medicine, 17(7), 609- 616. A randomized study was done to examine the impact of massage therapy in older adults with persistent pain compared to persistent pain clients who have not sought out the use of alternative therapies such as massage therapy. This article suggests that â€Å"high rates of persistent and acute pain have been reported by users of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) including recipients of massage therapy (MT), with pain being the primary reason some adults utilize CAM treatments† (Munk et al. 2011, p. 609). Participants of this study were 60 – 92years from Lexington, Kentucky either from 500 randomly selected Feyette County voters or from surveys given out at massage therapy clinics. Surveys and questions were dispersed to each participant and answers were recorded. The results of this study were â€Å"mean annual income and years of education were significantly higher for those who utilized MT in the past year compared to those who did not indicate MT usage in the past year† (Munk et al. , 2011, p. 611).Furthermore, â€Å"participants who utilized MT in the past year had significantly higher incomes, more years of education, and greater cumulative CAM usage than those who did not report massage usage† (Munk et al. , 2011, p. 612). Article Two Critique The strengths of this article were that it suggested future studies to look into things such as policy change that would help with older adults being able to afford massage therapy or be covered under their benefits. Another strength of this artic le was that it lists its limitations, allowing future studies to build off of the limitations they had and continue with the study.Shortcomings of this article were that it didn’t talk much about the positives that older adults experience from massage therapy. I would have found it more beneficial to understand how older adults benefited from massage therapy in regards to their persistent pain. Another shortcoming of this article, as stated on page 609, is that â€Å"due to the limited existence of evidence-based studies, the benefits of MT are not well understood for older adults, especially in regards to pain† (Munk et al. , 2011, p. 609).As well, a wider variety of patients could be used to see how different types of people or conditions could benefit from massage therapy. This article was limited to only the Kentucky population rather than a wider variety of people. With this study being centered around a survey and data analysis I feel that surveys could have been sent out worldwide to get a better understanding of massage therapy and its benefits on a wide variety of conditions. More shortcomings were that there was no real measure of pain or how long it lasted for in the participants.This makes me wonder about the authors’ conclusion of massage therapy being â€Å"associated with self-report of less limitation due to physical or emotional issues† (Munk et al. , 2011, p. 614). The last short coming of this article was that there was no actual controlled massage therapy taking place, rather it was just assumed through self reports that massage therapy aided in the management of persistent pain. Article Three Sefton, J. , Yarar, C. , Berry, J. , & Pascoe, D. (2010). Therapeutic massage of the neck and shoulders produces changes in peripheral blood flow when assessed with dynamic infrared thermography.The Journal of Alternative and Complimentary Medicine, 16(7), 723-732. The objective of this repeated-measures crossover experimen tal design study was to â€Å"determine the effect of therapeutic massage on peripheral blood flow (Yarar et al. , 2010, p. 723). It is suggested that â€Å"MT may improve circulation to damaged or painful tissues, and thereby improve the delivery of metabolic fuels and gas in addition to accelerated waste removal†( Yarar et al. , 2010, p. 724). â€Å"Thus, massage treatment may improve tissue function and potentiate tissue repair by removing barriers to healing processes† (Yarar et al. 2010, p. 724). 17 volunteers were chosen for this study. â€Å"Using a blinded, randomized crossover design, each subject completed the control (C), light touch (LT) and massage (MT) conditions on 3 separate days, at least 1 week apart† (Yarar et al. , 2010, p. 724). The participants were then scanned by dynamic infrared thermography (DIRT) and anterior, posterior and lateral thermal images were taken. â€Å"The key finding of this investigation was that the MT condition produc ed significantly higher skin temperatures when compared to the control condition in five zones† (Yarar et al. , 2010, p. 27). â€Å"Importantly, significant changes were found in zones 9 and 13, areas adjacent to the massaged areas that did not receive massage treatment† (Yarar et al. , 2010, p. 727-728). â€Å"These results suggest that a 20-minute MT protocol can increase skin temperature and peripheral blood perfusion to both the areas receiving massage treatment as well as areas adjacent to the treatment† (Yarar et al. , 2010, p. 728). â€Å"The second key finding in this investigation was that the LT condition did not differ significantly from the C condition† (Yarar et al. , 2010, p. 728). Article Three CritiqueThe strengths and shortcomings of this article were that it was, to me, very difficult to read with the abbreviations throughout. There was only one method used for measuring the temperature of the skin following massage treatment after a few different methods were mentioned in the beginning. The strengths were that it outlined the changes in every zone after treatment, making it clear what areas benefited from treatment. Much time was taken into the discussion part to better understand the results that came of this study. The graphs on pages 729 and 730 are a great way of showing readers the different affects each treatment had on the zones.The use of DIRT to measure the surface temperature without touching the skin was beneficial to this study because it does not require direct touch to the skin. This allows for accurate results because contact with the skin could possibly increase temperature readings. However, I think further study into other methods of taking temperature could have been done to have more options and a wider variety of results. Different variety of massage therapies, such as relaxation massage versus deep tissue massage, could bring about different results as well. Perhaps with deep tissue massage ar terial blood flow would be encouraged throughout the body.The final shortcoming of this article I thought to be the small sample size of 17 participants. However, results were rather accurate due to each participant experiencing each of the 3 treatment types. Application to health care I believe these articles are all applicable to health care because each one is related to a type of condition or illness that could benefit from massage therapy. Low birth weight infants are born every day and finding an alternative therapy to helping with growth and development would help in reducing medical costs and helps in shortening hospital stays for the families affected.Aging adults are often affected by persistent pain from ware on their bones and joints. As an alternative of using harsh prescription medications, massage therapy would help with medical costs as well as lessen the complications and undesirable side effects that come with taking pills all the time. And lastly, massage therapy being used to help with peripheral blood flow to areas that may have little to no circulation can help with lessoning the chance of DVTs, decrease medical costs and improve healing time. ConclusionIn conclusion, massage therapy is effective in helping low birth weight babies with gaining weight and having shorter hospital stays as well as improvement in management of persistent pain and increase in peripheral blood flow. More studies could be done in regards to other positive effects that massage therapy has such as, mental and emotional health and well being. The articles reviewed in this annotated bibliography showed that very low-birth weight infants can benefit from massage in regards to promoting motor development and weight gain.Massage therapy in older adults experiencing persistent pain, according to self reported findings, improves limitation due to physical or emotional issues. And therapeutic massage helps with increased surface temperature aiding in peripheral blood flow . References Ho, Y. , Lee, R. , Chow, C. , & Pang, M. (2010). Impact of massage therapy on motor outcomes in very low-birthweight infants: Randomized controlled pilot study. Pediatrics international, 52, 378-385. Massage therapy. (2008). In A. Colman (Ed. ), A Dictionary of Psychology (3rd ed. ). Retrieved from http://library. troyal. ca:2139/view/10. 1093/acref/9780199534067. 001. 0001/acref- 9780199534067-e-9168? rskey=9C7gUq&result=1&q=massage%20therapy Munk, N. , Kruger, T. , & Zanjani, F. (2011). Massage therapy usage and reported health in older adults. The Journal of Alternative and Complimentary Medicine, 17(7), 609-616. Sefton, J. , Yarar, C. , Berry, J. , & Pascoe, D. (2010). Therapeutic massage of the neck and shoulders produces changes in peripheral blood flow when assessed with dynamic infrared thermography. The Journal of Alternative and Complimentary Medicine, 16(7), 723-732.