Green Building Technology Essay

1. Introduction Would there be a technology that can benefit nature and human beings at the same time? Conventional belief over the use of technology is that nature is sacrificed and used up for the sake of human beings. However, technology is not simply about efficiency anymore, and its associated grounds are expanding. Concern over environment is one of the most prominent ones, and ‘Green building technology’ falls under it. Green building technology aims to create environmentally responsible buildings or housings throughout its life span, while using the resources available efficiently. It involves the whole process of building certain structure, covering the processes of design, construction, operation, maintenance, renovation and deconstruction (EPA). In short, it is construction technology that tries to optimize environmental sustainability and efficiency while not giving up the necessary qualities of living spaces. Idea of Green building arose as OPEC oil embargo occurred in year 1973 with an Initial goal of reducing its fossil fuel usage. This being a motive, further researches was done by different groups and green building came into housing trend (Marble Institute) After that, there had been increased attention and development of green building technology. People are more interested in looking for environmentally friendly housings and many governments are promoting it through different kinds of green construction standards. Yet, is this technology really giving us substantial benefit in our daily lives? What kind of benefits, in specific, is it providing? What would be the processes of achieving such impacts? Even though this technology does not have a long history, it is already causing changes in reducing energy and resource usages; economic and social benefits are in rise too. Green building has substantial positive effect in both environment and economy, with potential for better outcomes in the future. This can be supported by numerous facts and application of technology. Specific applications of controlling energy usage leads to outright reducing of resources used in construction, which in bigger ground, leads to overall change of human society. 2. Functions in Resource Conservation 2.1 Background The need to conserve natural resources arose from several natural changes in climate. First major change was the global increase of temperature, which also caused devastating natural disasters. (Figure 1) For example, this diagram from NASA’s investigation implies that until the point of 1990s, at least there were below-zero global temperature anomaly. But it has exceeded the point of 0 degrees Celsius since then, reaching higher points. This caused problems like shifting natural characteristics for some countries (i.e. gaining more tropical climate, while the area doesn’t fall under tropical area) and extreme weathers like heat waves leading to hundreds of casualties (IPCC). Stanford researchers predicts summers will keep getting hotter for the next 20 years (Rust,2011) Additional problems of high energy dependencies and its consequences are not negligible too. Oil prices have doubled since 10 years ago with annual increase of 25% between 2004 and 2008 (Bauer, 2010). For countries who import their energy resources, reducing the energy usage and saving money is a big concern. High dependency in energy usage often causes crisis in some special crisis situations. It could be financial, political, or literally natural disaster. While so, housing alone takes up major portion of total energy usage. According to United States’ Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), it accounted for 38.9 percent of total U.S. energy consumption in 2005. In year 2006 it took 72 percent of total U.S. electricity consumption and this number will rise to 75% by 2025. So it can be seen how change in managing housings can lead to positive changes (EPA). Green building technology tackles against these problems with many different technologies, adopting them appropriately for each aspects of energy conservation. While so, 2 examples that directly fight against specific aspects are brought up here. 2.2 Heat Control Firstly, it has been said that the heating and cooling process of a household heavily uses electricity and causes substantial carbon emission. Following are statistics stated by EPA: †¢ The average household spends at least $2,000 a year on energy bills — over half of which goes to heating and cooling. †¢ Out of the total energy consumption in an average household, 50% goes to space heating, 27% to run appliances, 19% to heat water and 4% goes to air conditioning. The numbers are self-explanatory; heating and cooling alone is a big part of whole energy consumption. Temperature control technology for green building enables reducing such consumption and carbon emission. During summer the sun light directly enters through houses through windows or hits the surfaces of outer building and heats up the whole construction. Four factors affect heat accumulation in a home: solar heat gain, internal heat gain, air leakage, and temperature difference. To solve these problems, approaches such as using shades, changing color of outer building, change of roof structure, reducing internal heat generating sources (ex. Electronic equipment), and better use of spaces for air ventilation are used. Today’s buildings also use machine controlled ventilation system or, manual adjustment of ventilation openings to control the heat (Bauer, 2010). On the other hand, during winter it is important to keep and gain every possible heat. A simple method like building the houses facing towards south or optimizing use of sunlight would be the most well-known methods. Additionally, methods of ‘loading up’ the heat into the building are also used, which is using methods like using atria or double faà §ade- dual dimensioned surfaces like windows or wall surfaces- which can support the heat insulation by 20% (Bauer, 2010). As a particular example, window films are proven to be effective in solar radiation cut, reducing the heat level entering a house. The benefit of windows films is clear; it reflects the sun radiation that causes heat and let the room keep cool with less efforts, in terms of both cost and energy usage. This means less air conditioning is used and less energy is consumed. It is proposed by Solar Gard ®, that â€Å"Not only do Solar Gard’s architectural solar control window films help cut energy expenditures by up to 30%, its Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) scientifically proves that Solar Gard and Panorama ® solar control window films have a net positive environmental impact worldwide (Solar Gard). These are specific effects of window film proposed by them; 1. One square meter of a low-e wood window, the type with the smallest carbon footprint, has a carbon cost of 253 kilograms. The carbon cost of Solar Gard window film is less than one kilogram per square meter. 2. Solar Gard window film saves 1001 times more GHG emissions from entering the atmosphere than is used and/or created during its manufacture. 3. Solar Gard window film installed between 2007 and 2008 saved 3.6 million tons of CO2 from entering the atmosphere; this is equivalent to the carbon output of 16,350 American families (with four people). This particular products’ such effects can be expected from other window films too. In short, all these heat controlling technologies serve to reduce the electricity usage with additional energy conserving effects of reduced carbon emissions. 2.3 Emission Control Speaking of carbon emissions, there are specific uses of materials that combats them. In United States, housing alone takes 38 percent of the total carbon dioxide emissions (EPA). Carbon dioxide emission is one of the well-known factors that are blamed for the global warming. The famous Kyoto Protocol was established in order to limit this and also to achieve better results with global warming around the world. Choice of materials for constructions is thus carefully chosen from the planning stage, since once used in the process of construction, it is hard to replace them afterwards. Different sorts of materials has different amount of carbon emissions, and in green building that is considered as major criteria. Other aspects of renewability and sustainability are also considered carefully when material is picked. One specific example of such effort would be use of wood for floorings. Wood has its advantage as a building material from its characteristics of low embodied energy, low carbon impact, low pollution emission, and sustainability. Low embodied energy means it takes less efforts and resources in order to get it. Wood, since it has minimal energy processing during harvesting, has relatively lower embodied energy than those like steels, concrete, aluminum, plastic. In terms of carbon impact, it has lower carbon emission than most of other construction materials. Compared to other artificial or metal types or materials, it shows significantly lower level of carbon emission just as shown in figure 2. Figure 2 Basically, this is the most important characteristic of wood usage for green building, and it is listed as the followings in the website of The Solid Wood Flooring Company: * For every tonne of CO2 a tree absorbs from the atmosphere nearly  ¾ of a tonne of oxygen is produced * Over 83% of the timber supplied in the UK is certified to be sustainable * Using wood instead of other building materials saves an average of 0.9 tonnes of CO2 per cubic metre. * An ‘EUR’ wooden pallet stores around 29kg of CO2 taken from the atmosphere during the growth of the tree While metals and other fossil-based materials are not renewable resources, wood can be maintained forever if carefully used. It has to be accompanied by careful forestry planning, but it is definitely one resource that can be continuously re-grown. 3. Impacts 3.1 Social Impacts With all the features that efficiently use the natural energy and resources, green building technology also supports well-being of tenants in the buildings. It typically contributes to improve employees’ and students’ health, comfort and productivity. Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ)—one of the criteria of the U.S Green Building Council’s LEED-H rating system—evaluates the subtle issue that influences people’s status of mind and body in a space. It has been scientifically proven by related study that people tend to be more productive and contribute better performance in environment with better ventilation and proper temperature control (Abdou, 2006). Figure 3 Just as shown in figure 3, improved working or living condition leads to better work performances. The study sponsored in part by commercial real estate giant Cushman & Wakefield, reported 30 percent fewer sick days among one company’s employees, and discovered a 10 percent increase in net revenue per employee in another company, after each office moved to LEED-certified buildings. Schools operating in green buildings also demonstrate higher test scores and heightened academic enthusiasm among students (Abdou, 2006) Plus, nature friendly methods and materials used in green buildings proved to ease sicknesses that could occur in daily lives of tenants. It is believed to contribute widely to respiratory problems, allergies, nausea, headaches, and skin rashes. With much emphasis on ventilation, non-toxic, low emitting materials and cutting use of air conditioning, green buildings indeed create healthier and more comfortable living environments, which keep people away from ‘Sick Building Syndromes’ (Fisk, 2002). In summary, all these benefits retrieved from applying green building technology can lead to wholesome social benefit of people, by promoting health initiatives and pleasurable living spaces. Hence it further goes on to the bigger scale of expanding economic ground, by improving productivity and economic activity of the users of this technology. 3.2 Economic Impacts Green buildings are so much more cost effective compared to conventional buildings. According to the USGBC’s LEED rating system, green buildings tend to be 25-30% more energy efficient and more likely to generate the renewable resource on-site. Due to its cost effectiveness, energy saving and easy maintenance, green buildings outperform non-green buildings in the resale market. Basically a newly–constructed green building will perform 10.9% better than its original construction value. Prospective buyers who realize the utility and maintenance cost and are more concerned about the sustainable design of the building will be attracted towards it. Though there is a common perception that green buildings cost a heavy premium over normal buildings, the cost of green design has dropped in the last few years as the number of green buildings has risen. Hence buildings both residential and commercial with sustainable design component continue retaining a high property value in th e retailing market (McGraw Hill Construction, 2010). By continuing to grow in different ground of constructions from the usual ones, green building technology is opening new opportunities for more economic activities with its prospects. As consumers and suppliers become more interested in such technology, it carries much potential for better outcomes. 4. Future Prospects Then would these outcomes continue to exist in the upcoming future too? Green building is getting on the line of popularity within the general public who are becoming more aware of environmental conservation. Governments are encouraging it with various policies and incentives with brandings. It does seem like there are some positive prospects for green building technology to continue to grow in the future. There are supple amounts of factors encouraging such potentials. Regarding the future upcoming green building designs, buildings such as Zero-Energy Buildings are being explored. Zero-energy building (ZEB) is the designation given to buildings that have zero net energy consumption and zero carbon emissions annually. These buildings harvest energy produced on-site to meet their own energy needs. In addition to this, ideas of green schools are also being developed. Certified Green Schools are growing rapidly as part the LEED System. This trend will accelerate as understanding of the health and educational benefits of green schools grow (Yudelson, 2010). On the other hand, research efforts for further protection of environment are encouraging the future growth too. Awareness of the coming global crisis in fresh water supply leads building designers and managers to take further steps to reduce water consumption to increase sustainability. This will be done in buildings through the use of more conservation-oriented fixtures, rainwater recovery systems and innovative new water technologies. Lifecycle Analysis (LCA) examines the impact of materials and will allow architects to determine what products are more sustainable and what combination of products can produce the most environmentally friendly results (GEP, 2011). In 2011, the annual Image Power Global Green Brands Study polled more than 9,000 people in 8 countries (USA, UK, China, Brazil, India, Germany, France and Australia) to analyze consumers’ perception of green products. All participating countries, either developed or developing, indicated that they were quite willing to open up their wallets and pay a bit more for green options in real estate. Most of the informants showed great interest to the green buildings. To be precise, 60% of the surveyed consumers globally intend to extend their green choices more and more to items in the real estate, energy and technology sectors (Longsworth, 2011). By 2013 overall global green building market, both residential and commercial, may more than double in its scale from approximately $36-$49 billion to $96-$140 billion. When looking solely at the commercial and institutional real estate development markets, the green building market is projected to grow from its current occupation of 10-12% of the market to 20-25% (GreenBuildings.com). The future market trends are predicted to continue to grow with certain incentives and initiatives. One of them would be green building technology being encouraged to be used in government sectors. Government offices will need to be transformed into green buildings because of regulatory requirements in many countries. Such need will be the key growth area for green building market. Cash incentives for developers will play a major role in this too. Singapore, Australia, Hong Kong and Japan have developed strong support system and incentives for green building developers, designers and owners. Seeing benefits from such incentives, more experts will enter into green building area, stimulating its growth (Frost&Sullivan, 2009). 5. Conclusion Green building, regardless its short history, has achieved a lot in a short term. Its variety of technologies gave rise of new solutions for using less energy yet enjoying more nature friendly benefits, and as it get popular, economic and social benefits arose. Specific technologies that have been discussed were temperature control technologies and choice of building materials. Such direct outcomes lead green building’s positive impacts to be applied on overall human society and economy. From the current outcomes of green building technology and its rising popularity, it seems to have good prospects for the future growth too. There are different factors of future designs and economic incentives encouraging this trend, and so further growth followed by more positive impacts can be expected. These all consequently support the idea; green building has substantial positive effect in both environment and economy, with potential for even better outcomes in the future. Still, there are problems and limitations of green building technology that we have to consider about for the moment. It is a new born technology and yet to be fully developed. Hence full green buildings that incorporate much of the technology are prone to be accused for its high costs as mentioned before and also its insufficient development of efficiency are often pointed at as something unworthy of further developments. Nevertheless, its future potentials cannot be abandoned simply because of its current limitations. Since the initial goal of green building is to reduce human use of natural resources and promote sustainability, current green building technology should be pushed on for further developments that can solve problems at the moment and so forth move on to achieve its goal in an even better way. Besides, its potentials are sufficient to predict better efficiency and profound benefits for our society. Hence green building technology should be acknowledged for its supportive impacts on environment not only for the current moment, but also for the upcoming future that will aid human beings to continue to live on without exhausting the natural resources.

An Analysis of the Australian Curriculum

Introduction With the introduction of the Australian National Curriculum into all education systems across the country, many questions and debates have occurred in reference to its effectiveness. From the often perceived conflicting curriculum definitions to the unfortunate failures of past attempts of curriculum implementation, every member of the community has an opinion on this significant shift in the way Australia thinks of its children’s education (Rudd, 2007).The Australian Curriculum however, has attempted to provide answers to these misgivings and societal concern, from an easy to use website interface, transparent developmental process and state/ territory inclusion of common educational individualities. The Australian Curriculums development has been that of promise and hopeful success (Brady & Kennedy, 2010).The Australian Curriculum should make it easier for teachers to incorporate community and student centred learning opportunities within the classroom, whilst a llowing for additional time and streamlining of assessment procedures, due to a short and precise teacher focused curriculum document. Therefore the current Australian Curriculum process is the best opportunity for the development and implementation of a world class curriculum that enables Australia’s future leaders to compete in a globalised world (MCEETYA, 2008; Shelly & Gunther & Gunther, 2012). Definition of curriculumDefinitions of curriculum are numerous and often believed to be conflicting. This can be especially so when delineated by the intended purpose of the curriculum as well as individual bias from specific stakeholders. Wiles (2005) lists varying definitions for four common curriculum purposes; curriculum as a plan, as subject matter, as an experience and as an outcome (appendix 1). Upon analysing these purpose related definitions it could be argued that each different definition ultimately alters the detail of what can be generally deciphered as a common intent , with individual stakeholder inclusions of specific content.Hutchins (as cited in Wiles, 2005) (appendix 1), when defining curriculum as a subject matter explains that curriculum should consist of grammar, logic, mathematics and the greatest books of the western world. In contrast Bestor (as cited in Wiles, 2005) includes the study of grammar, literature and writing, mathematics and the ‘mother tongue’ as the basis for his definition. As a result both academics can be seen to desire the same thing, extensive discipline based study; however have both included individualities perceived important to themselves.In order to define its intent, the Australian Curriculum has attempted to simplify the term curriculum through an explanation of purpose and intent. The Australian Curriculum Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA) (2012a) simply define the Australian Curriculum as â€Å"†¦ what all students should learn as they progress through school †¦ † [as a ] â€Å"†¦ foundation for their future learning, growth and active participation in the Australian Community† (para. 2). Through the defining of the curriculums purpose, the Australian Curriculum encompasses such academic inclusions of definition as noted by Wiles (2005) within its structure.As subject matter, the Australian Curriculum has included a discipline-based method of curriculum encompassing twelve learning areas with nationally significant individualities, through the incorporation of ‘Cross Curricular Priorities’. As a plan the Australian Curriculum has included ‘General Capabilities’ that ensure student future success with identified essential skills such as information and computer technology capability, ethics and intercultural understanding; amongst others (ACARA, 2012b) (appendix 2).Thus, the Australian Curriculum has defined itself as an individual curriculum idea through the incorporation of multiple intents within its structur e. Development of the Australian Curriculum and curriculum models related to this development Since as early as 1980, numerous attempts at the development of a National Curriculum with varying levels of support and enacted implementation have been made (Brady & Kennedy, 2010).The Australian political structure and the level of authority the federal government has over state/territory and independent organisations over educational policy, may have been a contributing factor for this lack of committed development and intended eventual nationwide implementation (Marsh, 2010). Learning from previous governments’ attempts implementing a national curriculum, the federal government from 2009, enacted a series of shaping reforms, with the aim of successfully gaining support and legal authority over the implementation of a national curriculum (Marsh, 2010).The request for state/territory appointed representatives, statements of open consultation in development, through to what Brady a nd Kennedy (2010) refer to as ‘hard policy’, including the establishment of ACARA as a statutory body over all manner of educational policy and the linking of funding repercussions to the implementation of the Australian Curriculum (Schools Assistance Bill, National Education Agreement) has led to all educational organisations agreeing to the use of the impending curriculum documents.Brady and Kennedy (2010) state that no single form of curriculum model is commonly used by developers, therefore using specific components of different models and designing a process that works for the organisation or individuals intent. As such the Australian Curriculum developers have appeared to take such an approach. With the foundation of a Naturalistic model of development, including the use of discussion, interaction and negotiation of developers and stakeholders, the Australian Curriculum developers have additionally used a fundamental aspect of an Objectives model of development (B rady & Kennedy, 2010).The use of defined standards or content descriptions (Objectives model) as depicted by the national curriculum has been incorporated both after initial targeted discussion between stakeholders and before final consultation prior to publication (ACARA, 2008). As a consequence the important developmental principles of curriculum development as described by Marsh (2010) that all decision making in the development of an Australian Curriculum is transparent whilst alleviating societies concern over a discipline-based curriculum was met by the initial and ongoing consultation being undertaken.Structure of the Australian Curriculum The Australian Curriculum has been published on the Internet in order to allow maximum flexibility in viewing and the organisation of content. As such the interface is user friendly and easy to understand. The Australian Curriculum is currently broken down to cover four subject areas with an additional eight areas to follow from 2013 (ACARA , 2012a; MCEETYA, 2008). Each subject area is broken down into year levels encompassing Foundation to year ten (with eventual inclusion of years eleven and twelve).In order to differentiate different subject sub topics; strands and sub strands have been developed to allow focus of content descriptions (statements of required student learning). English for example covers three interrelated strands; language, literacy and literature, with content descriptions grouped into sub strands, which enable the visual identification of development of knowledge, understanding and skills (ACARA, 2012f). Content descriptions are then listed, which describe the required learning that students must be exposed to within each subject, strand and sub strand.The content descriptions provide detailed information of learning opportunities, cross curriculum opportunities and a glossary of terms. Additionally digital resource information is also available that relates to each relevant content description. A wealth of information for educators, parents and the general community is available on the internet for the Australian Curriculum, including student work samples of content description attainment, which may negate any uncertainty surrounding student expected learning and eventual assessment practices the curriculum requires.Complimenting the subject areas and included content descriptions are cross curriculum priorities. ACARA (2012e) states that these priorities of, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander history and culture, Asia and Australia’s engagement with Asia and sustainability, will enable student relevance and address the issues that the students will face throughout their lives. The opportunities for inclusion of cross curricular priorities are embedded within the subjects curriculum documents where appropriate, however with differing levels of relevance for individual subjects (ACARA, 2012e).The Melbourne Declaration (MCEETYA, 2008), incorporated a set of seven ge neral capabilities that were deemed important for student future success by acting as a foundation for current and future learning. Student capabilities include literacy, numeracy, information and communication technology competence, critical and creative thinking, ethical behaviour, personal and social competence and intercultural understanding (ACARA, 2012b).Again it is seen that these basic capabilities will enable student success in a globalised workforce by enabling competiveness through the inclusion of 21st century needs of today’s students. Australian Curriculum in relation to the needs of 21st Century learners In the Federal governments’ educational reform document, The Melbourne Declaration (MCEETYA, 2008), the diverse needs of 21st Century students were acknowledged and a series of objectives established. The world is becoming ever more globalised with international mobility and competitiveness at the forefront (MCEETYA, 2008; Shelly et al, 2012).Therefore t he Australian Curriculum set to include a series of â€Å"general capabilities† (ACARA, 2012b) that would enable student future success by acting as a foundation of current and future learning. In addition, the inclusion of Information and computer technology (ICT) as a cross-subject enhancement tool, in order to address the needs of students of a digital age has also been included. The Melbourne Declaration (MCEETYA, 2008) defines ICT as â€Å"essential in all 21st Century occupations† (p. 5).Within the realm of ICT as a learning tool, educators are able to create authentic and meaningful learning opportunities across all subjects, as well as allowing the successful inclusion of differing learning styles of students through the use of digital resources such as podcasts, speech to text applications and web resources, amongst many others (Shelly et al, 2012). The Australian Curriculum provides these opportunities throughout and are indicated were appropriate throughout the content descriptions.The Australian Curriculum has set to include all students regardless of gender, race, socio-economic status and language ability the opportunity to succeed with the Australian Curriculum and provide them the best chance to be successful contributors to society (ACARA, 2012d). Teachers are able to make professional judgements on how to teach and assess the knowledge required to be learnt (ACARA, 2012d). Teachers are provided the flexibility to adjust the delivery of content to the needs of individual students to allow for maximum learning successes.Comparison of Australian Curriculum to local (state) and international models Prior to the publication of the Australian Curriculum in English, Mathematics, history and science, the Northern Territory was using a curriculum document titled Northern Territory Curriculum Framework (NTCF). The NTCF is vastly different in design to that produced by ACARA due to the NTCF being an outcome based curriculum model compared to the Australian Curriculums assessment of student achievement against explicit learning area achievement standards (NTCF, 2012).Similarities do exist between both the NTCF and Australian Curriculum incorporating a set of desired student personal attributes called EsseNTial Learnings in the NTCF document and General Capabilities within the Australian Curriculum documents. Both the NTCF and Australian Curriculums goals in the development of these personal development outcomes were to prepare students to be valuable members of the community and successfully contribute in a competitive globalised world (ACARA, 2012b; NTCF, 2012).The similarities in curriculum content continue through to the structure of subject content and related standards and outcomes of achievement. The Australian Curriculum content description for Mathematics – Foundation – Statistics and Probability, states that â€Å"[students] answer yes or no to questions to collect information† (ACARA, 20 12c). In contrast, the NTCF outcome for Mathematics – Chance and Data, Key Growth Point two for foundation, states â€Å"learners use everyday language to state opinions on the possibility of a given event occurring† (NTCF, 2012).Although the similarities in content within both the Australian Curriculum and Northern Territory Curriculum Framework are many, the difference in detail and length of the documents is significant. As noted by Kevin Rudd in the document titled New Directions for our schools (Rudd, 2007), state and territory curriculum organisations tend to develop curriculum documents that are far to detailed than necessary. This is especially evident when comparing the NTCF’s Australian Curriculum document implemented in semester two 2012.A quick glance clearly indicates the substantial difference as the original NTCF mathematics document consists of 130 pages compared to that of the NTCFs Australian Curriculum implemented document totalling six pages for transition to year ten levels (Appendix 3 – further comparison of current NTCF and NTCF Australian Curriculum documents). Thus the simplification of the documents may lead to teacher instructional enhancement and clearer levels of required attainment, enhancing student success working with the curriculum.Conclusion The Australian Curriculum is an extensive yet precise document detailing what is essential for student learning to enable success in the future. The Australian Curriculum has invented itself as a transparent holistic educational document with a clear purpose and intent. Additionally, the Australian Curriculum has learnt from the errors of past attempts at a national curriculum and incorporated soft and hard policy (Brady & Kennedy, 2010) that enforces the use and implementation of the document nationally.By incorporating an online presence with a thoughtful inclusion of student needs for success in the 21st century through the development of cross curricular pr iorities and general capabilities, the Australian Curriculum is enabling student success in a soon to be Asian dominated globalised world (MCEETYA, 2008). The Australian Curriculum has incorporated what is deemed significant throughout Australia’s diverse individual curriculums and indeed created a document that shares a common intent for education specifically with the Northern Territory Curriculum Framework.The Australian Curriculum is at the precipice of complete national implementation. Only time will tell if it is successful in its attempts at creating a world class curriculum for Australia’s leaders of tomorrow (MCEETYA, 2008). References Australian Curriculum and Assessment Reporting Authority (ACARA) (2008, July 17). Professor Barry McGaw AO, welcome address, Queensland Consultation Forum [Streaming video]. Retrieved from http://www. acara. edu. au/news_media/vodcasts . html Australian Curriculum and Assessment Reporting Authority (ACARA) (2012a).Overview. Retr ieved from http://www. australiancurriculum. edu. au/Curriculum/Overview Australian Curriculum and Assessment Reporting Authority (ACARA) (2012b). General capabilities in the Australian Curriculum. Retrieved from http://www. australiancurriculum. edu. au/File/85028d2c-d680-402b-84c7- 9fdd00ecac82. Australian Curriculum and Assessment Reporting Authority (ACARA) (2012c). Foundation to Year 10 Curriculum (Mathematics). Retrieved from http://www. australiancurriculum . edu. au/Mathematics/Curriculum/F-10Australian Curriculum and Assessment Reporting Authority (ACARA) (2012d). Diversity of learners. Retrieved from http://www. australiancurriculum. edu. au/Mathematics/ Diversity-of-learners Australian Curriculum and Assessment Reporting Authority (ACARA) (2012e). Cross Curriculum priorities. Retrieved from http://www. australiancurriculum. edu. au/CrossCurriculumPriorities Australian Curriculum and Assessment Reporting Authority (ACARA) (2012f). Content Structure (English). Retrieved fro m http://www. australiancurriculum. edu. au/English/ Content-structure Brady, L. & Kennedy, K. (2010). Curriculum Construction (4th ed). Frenchs Forest, NSW: Pearson. Marsh, C. (2010). Becoming a teacher: Knowledge, Skills and Issues (5th ed). Frenchs Forest, NSW: Pearson. McMillan, J. (2010). Classroom Assessment: Principles and Practise for Effective Standards- Based Instruction. Boston, USA: Pearson Education. Ministerial Council on Education, Employment, Training and Youth Affairs (MCEETYA) (2008). Melbourne Declaration on Educational Goals for Young Australians. Melbourne, Australia: MCEETYA. Northern Territory Curriculum Framework (NTCF). 2012). Retrieved from http://www. det. nt. gov. au/teachers-educators/curriculum-ntbos Rudd. , K, & Smith. , S. (2007). New Directions for our schools. Canberra, Australia: Australian Labour Party. Shelly, G. , & Gunther, G. , & Gunther, R. (2012). Teachers discovering computers: Integrating technology in a connected world (7th ed). Boston, U SA: Cengage. Wiles, J. (2005). Curriculum essentials: a resource for educators (2nd ed). Boston, USA: Pearson. Appendix 1 Wiles (2005) definitions of curriculum: Curriculum as Subject MatterThe Curriculum should consist of permanent studies-the rules of grammar, reading, rhetoric and logic, mathematics and, at the secondary level, the greatest books of the western World (Robert Hutchins) The Curriculum must consist essentially of disciplined study in five areas: command of the mother tongue and systematic study of grammar, literature and writing, mathematics, the sciences, history and foreign language. (Arthur Bestor) The Curriculum should consist entirely of knowledge that comes from the disciplines (Philip Phenix) A Curriculum is a written document. George Beauchamp) Curriculum as a Plan The Curriculum is a planned program of learning opportunities to achieve broad educational goals and related objectives. (William Alexander) The Curriculum is all the learning of students that is planned by and directed by the school to attain its educational goals. (Ralph Tyler) The Curriculum is (a set of) planned and guided learning experiences for the learners’ continuous and wilful growth†¦ (Daniel and Laura Tanner) A Curriculum is a plan for learning. (Hilda Taba)Curriculum as an Experience A Curriculum is those experiences set up by the school for the purpose of disciplining students and youth in group ways of thinking and acting. (B. O. Smith, William Stanley, and Harlan Shores) The Curriculum is generally considered to be all the experiences that learners have under the auspices of the school. (Ronald Doll) The Curriculum is that series of things students and youth must do and experience. (Franklin Bobbitt) The Curriculum is the life and program of the school†¦ n enterprise in guided living. (Harold Rugg) Curriculum as an Outcome The Curriculum is a planned learning outcome for which the school is responsible (James Popham and Henry Baker) The Curri culum is a structured set of learning outcomes (objectives) resulting from instruction. (k. Howell, S. Fox, and K. Morehead) Appendix 1 Curriculum is concerned not with what students will do in the learning situation, but with what they will learn as a consequence of what they do. Curriculum is concerned with results. (Maurice Johnson) Appendix 2General Capabilities of the Australian Curriculum (ACARA, 2012b) Retrieved from http://www. australiancurriculum. edu. au/File/85028d2c-d680-402b-84c7-9fdd00ecac82 Appendix 3 Comparison of Northern Territory Curriculum Framework (NTCF) and NTCF Australian Curriculum document. Figure 1: Demonstrates the amount of additional detail the NTCF document includes, in comparison to the NTCFs new Australian Curriculum document implemented in July 2012 (Note: NTCF does not have an independent History Curriculum) (ACARA, 2012; NTCF, 2012)

Anna Hazare’s Movement Against Corruption

A new landmark in the history of independent India, a new path paved by the veteran anti- corruption campaigner Anna Hazare. His struggle against corruption was a gentle reminder of Mahatma Gandhi’s Satyagraha. His fast-unto death, the five day fast has shown the world what Gandhism means in today’s world. The power of Gandhiji’s non violence will never cease to exist in the ages to come. While in Libya and Yemen there is bloodshed for freedom, where people are waging war against one another during the crisis, here in India, a respected social activist Anna Hazare is waging a peaceful, non violent war against corruption. His urge to free India of the greatest evil, corruption, commends appreciation. This fight against corruption staged at Jantar Mantar was not a one- man show. People from different parts of the country gave their support to Anna Hazare. The greatest merit of this non violent struggle was that no political party was involved in it. Anna Hazare and his supporters were not influenced by any political party. There was only one flag waving high in the sky and in our minds, the Indian National Flag. The fast ended on a very positive note when the idea of Jan Lokpal Bill was accepted by the Government of India. According to the Jan Lokpal Bill, there will be a separate body to investigate and curb the ugly face of India†¦. CORRUPTION; where people have the right to raise their voice against corrupt politicians. Moreover the CBI will be seen as an independent body, free of any other external influence. Now that the bill is going to be sanctioned, a very important question arises†¦. Can all the Indians touch their heart and say with confidence that the Jan Lokpal Bill will eradicate corruption Maybe to an extent but I don’t think it will erase corruption completely in a vast country like India. The Jan Lokpal Bill may have loopholes like the Right to Information Act, an Act passed due to the thrust laid by Anna Hazare. According to the right to information act, the citizens of India have the right to get information on any matter concerning the country, but recently an incident occurred which clearly reflects the loopholes in it. A citizen of India lodged a complaint about the illegal wealth possessed by the former chief justice of India, K. G Balakrishnan. Even today complete information about the wealth of this most corrupted chief justice of India is not known to the public. Why? Is it beyond the Right to Information Act? Similar loopholes are likely to be there in the Lokpal bill also. It is sure that as time passes some illegal and illogical rule will come whereby the citizens cannot use this bill against the Prime Minister, Chief justice and so on thus restric ting its use. The new committee formed to frame the bill must take in the interest of all sections of the population. It should be taken care that the bill will be unbiased and does not favour any person; be it the president or prime minister. Further it should be accompanied by other reformation, yes, reformation from the grass root level. Recently when assembly elections were held in Kerala, crores of rupees were spent by each candidate of the 140 constituencies for campaigning. Where did this money come from? If it is the contribution made by big industrialists and so on, then those candidates when elected should serve their interests. In Tamil Nadu, people are given free T. Vs and laptops. Where did this money come from? All these are different manifestations of corruption. A very effective way to end corruption is to reduce the money power in elections. Crores of rupees are deposited as black money by many influential people abroad. This unaccounted money should be brought back and if it is done, this black money alone can provide the necessary funds required for the construction of metros in a ll the states of India. These reformations if enforced can provide that extra impetus needed to curb corruption along with the Lokpal bill. The Lokpal bill is cent percent legitimate and it upholds the spirit of the constitution because its main aim is to create a corruption- free India. If by any chance it is against any article of the constitution, it is better to amend the constitution rather than the bill because of its most noble cause. The 2G spectrum case, Adharsh Bhavan Colony, commonwealth games are the different issues which we have been hearing in the last few months which has made India a laughing stock in the comity of nations. Let us use the Jan Lokpal bill wisely, sealing its loopholes and see the ultimate result. Let us hope for the best.

Managing International Business Enterprises Essay

Managing International Business Enterprises - Essay Example According to Wooten (2011) marketing managers need to effectively communicate the unique linguistic preferences up front to the translation companies so that the translation does not dilute the brand. The important thing in translation is to retain the original key brand message and tone as closely as is possible. The article proposes that companies need to work with professional linguistic translators whose native language is the target language. This article’s key message is concise and well-illustrated. Maintaining a brand’s image and meaning once a company decides to go global is both a product management and promotional strategy issue. Central to this move into the international market is the role of marketing managers. Marketing managers need to closely work with language service providers so as to effectively convey their brand messages. This will also call for flexibility and foresight since the translated names should also cater for brand growth. An example o f this is Coca-Cola’s translation â€Å"K’o K’ou K’o Le† was coined several decades ago yet its literal meaning â€Å"happiness in the mouth† is very much applicable to its present day â€Å"Open Happiness† campaign.

The trend of agricultural expansion in the US South and its relation Research Paper

The trend of agricultural expansion in the US South and its relation to the slave movement from 1850 to 1860 - Research Paper Example This is critical since the agricultural items help individuals to acquire the energy that allows them to perform productively. The products especially cotton helps in improving trade and production of clothes that are basic needs (Mudlak 989). This means that agriculture contributed to the wellbeing of individuals in the southern state in the early years of 1860s in the United States. Agriculture is the economic backbone of a nation making it fundamental to embrace creative and innovative ideals. This enhances quality, quantity and effective processing of the produce to allow consumers to attain value. It is also critical to ensure that the agricultural produce exudes great nutritional value to boost an individual’s wellbeing. Nations that seek to develop vibrant economies as apparent in economic growth, expansion, developing an appropriate work force and healthy setting should upgrade agricultural practices. They should adopt the conventional farming practices that are technological driven. This increases the magnitude and quality of agricultural produce as evident in early days of 1860s in US. Poor understanding on how agricultural practices were enhanced in the southern part of US impedes growth in several settings. Poor knowledge has affected food safety and production of crops. Lack of knowledge hinders production of quality agricultural products with appropriate nutritional content (Boyer 2). This study equips various stakeholders with information on the expansion trends of agricultural production in the southern part of US in the period between 1850s - 1860s, and its relationship with slavery. The research allows people to understand the significance of agriculture to the economy and societal process. This is critical because agriculture contributes to food security, job creation, interdependence and development of effective health standards from 1860s. It played

Identify and Discuss an Example of Discriminatory Practice in a care Essay

Identify and Discuss an Example of Discriminatory Practice in a care home for elderly people - Essay Example So we embarked on a journey to look for one of such institution. Finally we bumped into one of the Care home which seemed to have very sophisticated facilities; just what we had wanted. We later learnt that this institution demands a client must a pensioner. As it turned out, my grandfather was not a pensioner. And the obvious happened; we were turned away. There was no room for negotiations. What was bad about this incident was that my grandfather was denied a room without adequate explanation of the policy or giving us as a chance to negotiate terms of payment. They could have let us explain how we were going to raise the amount. This institution only seems to protect its interests and the expense of particular protected characteristics. The idea was that the pension can act a security in the event a client is unable to settle the arrears. This policy encourages discrimination of in the facility. The management had simply stereotyped my family. They had claimed that incidences of relatives bringing the elderly clients to the institution and disappearing without pay have increased. Therefore, they discriminated my grandfather on that basis. The aforesaid incident, though hard to notice, is a form of discrimination in the care homes for the elderly. This act was indirect discrimination. Here, the policy of pension applies to all the clients that report for admission. Every elderly person, no matter the age and race, must prove he or she is a pensioner. In essence, all the elderly clients fall in the pool of comparison. Technically, it creates an impression of equality since the policy applies to all. However, it is blatant this policy has disadvantaged a certain group of clients. The policy does not consider the protected characteristics of those who are not in the pension list. Even though it is common knowledge that not all the elderly had been employed by the government, the institution has failed

TEDSBOX Packaging and the benefits in the Food and Beverage Industry Essay

TEDSBOX Packaging and the benefits in the Food and Beverage Industry - Essay Example The main component of the packaging system is creating a controlled environment. Temperatures form the most significant component of CCPs. As such, with the packaging system, temperatures are controlled to ensure that the contents are transported at a favorable environment. The food and beverage industry is a beneficiary of the new system. The process of food and beverage production is a cyclical process. It commences from production to packaging, distribution, and consumption. In an instance whereby food products are transported but reach the customer while stale, the products are not fit for consumption. With the TEDSBOX, the environmental deviation systems are put on track to ensure that the cycle is efficient. If the entire food and beverage consignment reaches the consumer in the desired quality, the production process is considered as efficient; hence, maximizing sales. Tracking the environmental deviation system is a new technology that ensures that the production to consumption process is complete with minimal wastage. As such, the new packaging eliminates the chancing that distributors relied on to bridge the products from producers to consumers. Distributors can control the environment in which they transport different food and beverage products; hence, reducing the risk of contamination and obsolescence (Perishable Goods Shipping Problems). Bryan, F. (1992). Hazard analysis critical control point evaluations: A guide to identifying hazards and assessing risks associated with food preparation and storage. Geneva: World Health

Main factors of seismic vulnerability of buildings and how the Essay

Main factors of seismic vulnerability of buildings and how the assessment of the vulnerability of buildings could be used for as - Essay Example 1.3. Large Settlements in Seismic Areas There is a large population that lives in seismic vulnerable areas and the buildings there are more prone to earthquakes because of aging and lack of maintenance. 1.4. Non-Engineered Constructions Non-engineered construction is very much prone to seismic vulnerability as the buildings will not have good engineering techniques that would save them from seismic waves. 2. Seismic Vulnerability Assessment can be used for assessing the seismic impacts in an urban area. Urban area consists mainly of those buildings that are vulnerable to earthquakes and hence are damaged or poorly maintained. For example, a lot of urban area damaged â€Å"occurred in vulnerable houses in every earthquake experienced by Italy in the post-war period, and particularly during the Friuli and the Irpinia earthquakes† (Cozzi, Menoni, Pergalani & Petrini 2003:4). The vulnerability assessment of seismic activity in urban areas and the application of proper solutions to counter these damaging activities can be helpful in reducing the causalities and destruction (Agrawal & Chourasia 2008) and economic loss caused by future earthquakes, according to Vicente et al. (2010).

Synthesis Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Synthesis - Research Paper Example The Serpent of Paradise was written by Edward Abbey. And in this work he focuses on his experience like a park ranger in the south-eastern Utah’s Arches National Monument. The most important themes of Edward Abbey are- exploitation’s of pristine environment by the tourists and People’s kinship towards the animals. The Themes Present in the Works: â€Å"The deliverance considered as the engaging, suspenseful, full of fast-paced mystery and beautiful prose describing the natural environment that will soon be destroyed by a power company’s dam† (Cusatis p.110). The main theme of Deliverance is that of the survival in the nature against its overpowering odds. And the main themes that are present in the Serpents of Paradise are- exploitation’s of pristine environment by the tourists and People’s kinship towards the animals. Some of the other themes as present in the Most Dangerous game are; Arrogance: Rainsford, an arrogant animal hunter an d he have no pain or fear. And Zaroff, another arrogant hunter and he feel that in order to entertain himself, he should hunt humans. Violence: It relates to the behavior of characters towards each other and also towards the surrounding animals. Degradation of man: â€Å"The final and most prevalent theme is the Degradation of Man† (Marin p.5). It deals with the degradation of man from being a mere animal hunter to being a hunter of man and the changes from being hunter to that of a murderer. The Common Themes in these Works: While comparing the works of The Deliverance, The Serpents of Paradise and The Most Dangerous Game; we can find a common theme which is present in all these works i.e., the attitude of humans towards the nature. Man’s struggle and survival in the wilderness. All these works focus on this particular theme and the author portrays this theme with various incidents In Deliverance, James Dickey represents the theme in such a way that before the journey starts, the three among the four travellers does not have any experience in the journey through the forest. Lewis Medlock who is one among the four is a survivalist and seasoned outdoorsmen who really plans the journey and guides the group. The centerpiece of the novel is that of the sexual assault and the attack by two mountaineers in the river bank and which leads to a sequence of murder. During the journey they faced a lot of conflicts from the nature and from men. And they struggled a lot to overcome these difficulties that is, during their canoe ride they confronted with the Rough River and also they confronted a conflict with the two hillbillies. Even though one among the four died and they tried to have a struggle with the local men in the wood and they were able to escape from it. All these incidents show that man struggles for survival and they all learn an experience from this journey. In the beginning of the story, Ed was lacking the knowledge about the nature and after facing all the difficulties through the journey, their attitude toward the journey have changed a lot and they consider nature as more powerful and as a result they opinioned that respect should be given to the nature. In the Serpents of Paradise by Edward Abbey, he is viewing the Arches national park as wilderness. This work gives the

Determination of Density Essay Example for Free

Determination of Density Essay Purpose: To determine the densities of aluminum and zinc cylinders Density is the relationship between the mass of an object and its volume. Sometimes density can be easy to sense. If two objects have exactly the same shape and size, the denser one may feel heavier. If their densities are close together, it can be hard to tell the difference. It gets really tough if you are dealing with materials that have very different sizes or very different shapes. The only way to decide the density of an object is to measure its mass and its volume, then divide. Ex. Density= Mass/Volume Procedure: For Aluminum: 1. Weigh the aluminum cylinders individually on the analytical balance to the nearest 0.0001g and record the weights 2. With a vernier caliper, measure the diameter of each cylinder to the nearest 0.01cm and record 3. Again, using the vernier caliper, measure the length of each cylinder to the nearest 0.01cm and record 4. Compute the volume of each cylinder by using the formula V= (3.14d2h)/4 For Zinc: 1. Weigh the zinc cylinders individually on the top loading balance to the nearest 0.01g, and record the weights 2. Place enough water in a 100mL graduated cylinder to cover the object. Record the volume of water to the nearest 0.1mL by reading the bottom of the meniscus 3. Place the zinc cylinder in the graduated cylinder. Read the new volume and determine the volume for each piece of zinc Data: Density of Zinc Mass#1 104.0168gVolume#1 18mLDensity#1 5.7780g/cm3 Mass#2 92.8178gVolume#2 15mLDensity#2 6.1876g/cm3 Mass#3 72.2115gVolume#3 10mLDensity#3 7.2215g/cm3 Mass#4 55.3077gVolume#4 9mLDensity#4 6.1453g/cm3 Mass#5 35.2653gVolume#5 7mLDensity#5 5.0379g/cm3 Average Density 6.079g/cm3 Density of Aluminum Mass#1 26.48gVolume#1 6.28mLDensity#1 4.22g/cm3 Mass#2 21.50gVolume#2 5.01mLDensity#2 4.30g/cm3 Mass#3 17.58gVolume#3 4.14mLDensity#3 4.25g/cm3 Mass#4 13.10gVolume#4 2.92mLDensity#4 4.48g/cm3 Mass#5 8.68gVolume#5 2.04mLDensity#5 4.25g/cm3 Diameter = 1.025cm Average Density 4.29g/cm3 Conclusions: The densities of both objects were successfully determined. The average density of the aluminum cylinders was 4.29g/cm3, and the density of the zinc cylinders was 6.079g/cm3. Both of these values seem reasonable, and the zinc seems to be slightly heavier than the aluminum. The density of the zinc cylinders was found using the volume by displacement method, and the volume of the aluminum cylinders was found by the formula method V= (3.14d2h)/4. Problems with the equipment may have possibly introduced error into the measurements. The 100mL graduated cylinder used to find the volume of the zinc cylinders was only marked in 10mL increments, requiring estimation for levels in between. The volume of the aluminum cylinders required the use of the vernier caliper to measure the diameter and the length of each cylinder. Improper use of the vernier caliper may have altered the measurements received for the aluminum cylinders. The error introduced by these problems was slight, however, and the calculated densities for both objects are probably quite reliable.

Analysis of the Use of Clinical Audits in Healthcare

Analysis of the Use of Clinical Audits in Healthcare Introduction The quality of health care system is important to patients and the Government. High level of quality patient care is the ultimate aim in current health care practices. Service providers wish to deliver quality health care. Patients are the appropriate authority to determine whether the experience of health care is good. Effectiveness of care pertains to treatment and support and helps us to judge whether staffs are, doing the right thing in a right way to achieve best clinical outcomes (Patel, 2010).Audit of services is therefore very important to ensure that the clinical practices are adhered to set professional standards and criteria. On the other hand health services are focusing on new information and knowledge for advanced clinical practice. Research is focused on this area in order to develop new practices and standards in health care system. Researches make changes to health care system by advancement of knowledge and practice. The aim of this paper is to identify the difference between audit and research and analyzing the benefits and limitations of audit. An overview of clinical audit. Audit derived from a Latin word, which means an official inspection of an organizations official accounts, by an independent body (Esposito Canton, 2014). Clinical audit is measuring the quality of patient care provided against a set well defines standards (Yorston Wormald, 2010). It gives staff a systemic way of looking into their practice and making improvements (Bennadi et al, 2014). Pioneer of clinical audit is Florence Nightingale whose work was searching reasons for high mortality in hospitals in 1850s. As per her assessment she reinforced cleanliness resulted in a drastic reduction in mortality rate. (Bennadi et al, 2010). Clinical audit Vs research Clinical audit and clinical research are entirely two different domains (Yorston Wormald, 2010). Clinical audit and research involves some common components. Hence, there is a great deal of controversy (Bennadi et al, 2014) in both terms. Audit compares the current clinical practice against well-defined standard/criteria, while research aims to define the characteristics of good practice on an unknown land (Esposito Canton, 2014). Audit focused on evaluating the existing practice; rather than discovering new information. Research is proven to be a larger scale study that aims at establishing new practices or procedures to carry out a particular task in a different method. The focus of research is further development of existing practice. However, audit is monitoring a task to determine whether a particular task has undertaken as per set standards or criteria. Audits check the quality of the task or procedure (Bennadi et al, 2014). Audit is generally undertaken on a local basis; how ever it is not limited to. (Hughes, 2005). Research aims to obtain new knowledge and to fill in any knowledge gaps. Research focuses on defining questions, making inclusion and exclusion criterias for people or problems to address and any developing clinical interventions or outcomes. Research methods for data collection and analysis that is applied are suitable to the topics for research (Strauss and Sackett, 1998, Hughes, 2005). Audit focuses on evaluating and analyzing the existing ones, not developing new practices (Difference between audit and research, 2014). But, research is aimed at developing new procedures to carry out in a more effective ways of carrying out. The focus on research is invention of new and further development of the old. The aim of an audit is to determine whether the standards and procedures are being followed and whether a task is completed properly. The aim of research is to add onto a body of research and to increase the amount of knowledge and learning available on a specific subject matter (Difference between audit and research, 2014). Also, unlike audits that measure tasks and procedures against a set out standard, research aims to test the hypothesis that is established by the researcher when beginning their experiments (Twycross Shorten 2014). Research considered as a broader field in the field of health. Research requires lot of education and training. Researchers undergo research education and training as a part of their university programme of study to gain the foundation to conduct a research (Hughes, 2005). In contrast, audit emphasized on areas, which needs improvement. Audit can undertake by anyone who is interested in a particular field and few receive education and training (Nettleton and Ireland, 2000). As per Hughess review, researchers involved in audit may benefit from approaches and techniques used to implement findings that could potentially serve to fill the research-practice gap. Equally, those involved in audit will benefit from sampling techniques in research that can help to improve generalisability. Some similarities are identified between audit and research despite their differences. Audit and research starts with a question, require data to answer questions, and systematic approach (Twycross Shorten 2014), also both needs an investigator (Abbasi Heath, 2005). Difference between clinical audit and research is showed in the below table, which was adapted from Bennadi et al, 2014 and Twycross Shorten 2014. Clinical audit Research 1 Audit uses comparison of current clinical practice Research uses experimental methods such as randomised control trials. 2 Uses simple descriptive statistics to describe current practice standards. Uses a range of statistics to make inferences. 3 Audit relates to a particular area of attention. Research can be generalized to other populations. 4 Audit measures how well current practices are carried out against clinical policies and procedures. Research provided evidences for clinical policies and procedures. 5 It is practice based. Research is theory based practice. 6 Ongoing process of quality assurance. One- off study. 7 No involvement of placebo treatment. May involve placebo treatment. 8 No changes involved in treatments of patients. Changes in treatment process. 9 Ethical approval is not required. Requires ethical approval. Benefits of clinical audit Audit conducted against set standards (Patel, 2010, Hughes, 2005) in a cyclic (Tsaloglidou, 2009, Hughes, 2005) process to ensure tasks carried out correctly. At the end of audit cycle auditors are able to address the areas of improvement and give feedback to the personnel who are involved in that particular task. Reaudit should carry out after an agreed period of implementing changes (Bennadi et al, 2014). Regular auditing alerts the health care professional the shortfall (Patel, 2010) in health care delivery system. Also helps us to find out whether staffs are practicing as per standards set by the organization to achieve therapeutic (Patel, 2010) patient care, identifies the factors causing failure to make improvements (Yorston Wormald, 2010). Therefore, organization can take actions to improve the area. Every time an audit cycle is completed there should be further improvement in patient care (Yorston and Wormald, 2010). Audit and feedback often used in health care setting to improve health care professional performance. Discrepancies in health care practices against set standards are highlighted in clinical audit that helps to identify the practices needed to improve for quality care (Esposito Canton, 2014). Tsaloglidou explains that the key for quality assurance and consistent delivery of high quality health services is the appropriate organization of the health center environment. The benefits of audit are apparent for health care professionals as it reduces frustration, reduces organizational and clinical error, improves communications between professionals and secures effective medical defense through risk avoidance (Tsaloglidou, 2009). An audit is not only a tool for monitoring change in clinical practice, but also an educational tool (Tsaloglidou, 2009). As the improvement of health care is a cost-effective procedure, audit is revealed to be a very useful tool in management Limitations of clinical audit Educational and training issue has a huge impact on carrying out an effective audit. Audit should not consider as a light work. It does require knowledge, experience and skills to perform effectively because auditing required to choose appropriate question, analytical method and to be undertaken in a sensitive (Hughes, 2010) way. In general, audit tends to be an activity that be undertaken by anyone without proper training and analytical skills with an aim to improve clinical practice. Nevertheless, it is very important for the staff member who will take on to implement the audit cycle to have proper training, supervision and protected time (Mercel et al, 2006). Bowie et al identified that lack of protected time to conduct a clinical audit is a major disadvantage for health care professional. They have to do it within their own allocated clinical time. Therefore, it can potentially affect direct patient care when allocating clinical time for auditing. It is not possible to justify leaving wards understaffed and underfunded to undertake audit unless instant results are attained (Esposito Canton, 2014, Ellis et al, 2000, Hughes 2005). Subsequently it causes additional workload on key staff members when undertaking an audit (Collis, 2006, Johnston et al, 2000). Lack of support from management to make audit related improvements and changes with the view of providing quality patient care. Inadequate organizational monitoring of auditing activities and progress is a barrier to make changes in patient care. It can lead to frustration and distress on auditors (Bowie et al, 2012, Hughes, 2005). Indirect situational factors influence the success of auditing such as lack of time and resources, lack of supervision, lack of support from management, conflict within multidisciplinary team, negative attitudes associated with audit process ((Travaglia Debono, 2009, Hughes, 2005). A systematic review of Cochrane study of 140 studies tested the effectiveness of clinical audit outcome against other methods of study such as meetings and distribution of printed materials. Results were variable. Audit outcome ranges from negative outcome to very positive effect. When the audit was effective, results range from small to moderate. Moreover, the study concluded that effectiveness of audit is likely greater, when baseline adherence to recommended practice is low. Therefore, there is no clear scientific evidence to support the real effectiveness of clinical audit (Esposito Canton, 2014, Ivers et al, 2014). Conclusion In general, clinical audit considered as an effective and cost effective method for continuous quality improvement even though there are numerous limitations. Therefore, it is important to pay more attention to clinicians having trouble in auditing and to determine what recommendations are made to make the audit more effective. In order to overcome the difficulties of audit, auditors need to be clear about the areas of clinical practice audited. In addition, it is very important to know the difference between audit and research to avoid inappropriate data collection while conducting an audit. Clearly, audit and research serve two distinctive purposes. References Abbasi, K., Heath, A. (2005). Ethics review of research and audit, BMJ, 330(7489), 431-432. doi: 10.1136/bmj.330.7489.431 Bennadi, D., Konekeri, V., Kshetrimayum, N., Sibyl, S., Reddy, V. (2014). Clinical audit a literature review, Journal of international dental and medical research, 7 (2), 49-55.Retrieved from http://www.ektodermaldisplazi.com/journal.htm. Difference between audit and research (2014), Audit vs research, retrieved from http://www.differencebetween.com/difference-between-audit-and-vs-research/ Esposito, P., Canton, A.D. (2014). Clinical audit, a valuable tool to improve quality of care: General methodology and applications in nephrology, World journal of nephrology, 3(4), 249-255. doi: 10.5527/wjn.v3.i4.249. Hughes, R. (2005). Is audit research? The relationships between clinical audit and social research, International Journal of Health Care Quality Assurance, 18(4), 289-299. doi: 10.1108/09526860510602550. Mercel, S.W., Sevar, K., Sadutshan, T.D. (2006). Using clinical audit to improve the quality of obstetric care at the Tibetan Delek Hospital in North India: a logitudinal study. Quality health care, 3(4), 1-4. doi:: 10.1186/1742-4755-3-4 Nettleton, J. Ireland, A. (2000). Junior doctors views on clinical audit. Has anything changed?, International Journal of Health Care Quality Assurance,13(6), 245-53. Retrieved from careers.bmj.com/careers/advice/Quality improvement. Patel, S. ( 2010).Iidentifying best practice principles of audit in health care, Nursing standard, 24 (32), 40-48. Retrieved from journals.rcni.com/doi/pdfplus/10.7748/ns2011.01.25.19.51.c8271. Travaglia, J., Debono,D. ( 2009) Clinical audit: a comprehensive review of the literature, Centre for Clinical Governance Research, University of New South Wales, Sydney Australia . Retrieved from http://health.gov.ie/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/literature_review_clinical_audit.pdf Tsaloglidou, A. (2009). Does audit improve the quality of care, International journal of caring sciences, 2(2), 65- 72. Retrieved from http://www.internationaljournalofcaringsciences.org Twycross, A., Shorten, A. (2014). Service evaluation, audit and research: what is the difference?, Evid Based Nursing , 17(3), 65-67. doi:10.1136/eb-2014-101871 Yorston, D., Wormald, R. (2010). Clinical auditing to improve patient outcomes, Community eye health journal, 23(74), 48-49. Retrieved from www.cehjournal.org/article/clinical-auditing-to-improve-patient-outcomes.

Gasoline Dependence Essays -- Environment, Carbon Emissions

For over 100 years, the automobile industry has relied on gasoline as its main source of fuel. Gasoline is a colorless, highly flammable substance used in internal combustion engines. It is a fossil fuel made from crude oil, a natural gas formed from the remains of ancient plants and animals (Webster‘s Dictionary). Gasoline has positively influenced our way of life by providing convenient, on demand transportation. It has created a global economy that moves people and goods faster and more easily than ever imagined (Povey 12). Although a seemingly perfect substance, it has unprecedented flaws. The tremendous political, environmental, and economic problems resultant from the excessive use of gasoline leads to the conclusion that the automobile industry should not continue to rely on this source of fuel. Environmental Risks When the problems with gasoline use are considered, the catastrophic environmental effects are the primary concern. Automobile use consumes 70 percent of the United States oil supply and is responsible for one-third of the nation’s carbon emissions (Lovins 173). This results in pollution, global warming, and health problems for the people, plants, and animals. The search for alternative fuel is powered by the increasingly evident environmental problems and long-term health of the planet (Povey 17). Fortunately, reducing emissions globally is predicted to have a positive effect and offset previous harms (Backer). As years pass and demand for gasoline increases, it is inevitable that the world’s oil supply will not last forever. This idea is made increasingly clear by evidence of peaking. Peak production is the point in time when about one-half of the world’s oil supply will be gone. Oil production in a given ... ...Africa, simply to ensure a steady supply of oil for America. Finding an alternative fuel would be much safer, and much less expensive. Alternative fuels also do not fund a war against America. By paying for such large amounts of oil, America is funding both sides of the Islamic war; Middle East countries use American money to fight (Hobson). Alternative fuels allow America to keep to themselves and avoid conflict. Gasoline is thought to be a helpful substance to all countries worldwide. However, the negative effects are far greater than the positive. A diversity of clean fuels is vital for the political, environmental, and economic health of America. Although gasoline is a product depended on by the United States of America and many other countries, the negative effects are unbearable, dangerous, and unnecessary due to the opportunity to use alternative fuels.

Technology - The Use of Holograms as a Teaching Tool :: Exploratory Essays Research Papers

The Use of Holograms as a Teaching Tool "Wake up honey, you are going to be late for school if you don't hurry!" my mom shouted from the kitchen. "Do I have to go?" I moaned. "Yes, now hurry" she said. "Fine!" I yelled, as I stormed out the door. Once I got to the school, I hurried my way to U.S. History and took my seat. I was doing my usual day dreaming, before I actually realized what the rest of the class was discussing. I was thinking about what I was going to do after school or what basketball practice was going to be like. All of the sudden, the teacher threw a book on the desk; I snapped out of it immediately but the scene of the plain classroom wasn't the same. Everything the teacher was talking about in class was appearing in the classroom. It was like being able to walk around in history. I sat back in amazement and wondered if this virtual reality was actually true. It was unbelievable how people interacted with each other and how real it seemed. Although I wasn't really interested in the topic we were on, I immediately wanted to learn more about it because of all the graphics. It was so easy for me to learn everything that we were talking about because it appeared right in front of me. Then I thought to myself, Is it possible for holograms to teach our class or could we use them to explore lands and planets that are unknown? Could we possibly learn from these virtual worlds about how the real world works? It was almost as if I was living on the inside of the computer. It seemed as though mechanical systems would wear out, and if these holograms were properly designed, they could last hundreds of years. Then I debated whether or not this was possible or if I was still dreaming. This virtual world was beyond belief. It reminded me of scenes from Star Trek when the transporting device with the laser beam was used to relocate someone's body form from one place to another. It seemed as though the Civil War soldiers were real and were just carrying on with their everyday lives in the war. In the back of my head, I wanted to believe that they were just images, but it was hard for me to because they appeared so life like.

Using Caffeine is a Sin Against God :: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints

Using Caffeine is a Sin Against God One of the most widely misunderstood commandments in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is the Word of Wisdom.   The question that seems to trouble many members of the church is whether or not caffeine is part of the Word of Wisdom.   In this paper, we will find that as members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, we cannot drink caffeinated beverages and say that we keep the Word of Wisdom.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   President Hinckley asked and answered a question in General Conference on October 4th of 1997. "Are we moving to mainstream America as some observers believe? In this, I fear we are." The comment came due to the increasing amount of shopping that is being done on sundays in LDS communities, and the increasing amount of disobedience to the Word of Wisdom. His tone was one of concern and love.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   We have a great responsibility to be an example of virtuous thought and deed. We have been blessed exceedingly with knowledge, that combined with wisdom will give us understanding. Why then, as a whole, do we seem to be regressing and becoming more like the world, as our Prophet has stated, instead of like the savior of all mankind, even Jesus Christ.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   We have been counseled heretofore by prophets of old, "to seek learning, even by study, and by faith". We have an obligation to search the scriptures and to learn what the Lord is teaching us and warning us of. We must go forward with faith, and not backward. We must come unto the Lord, and not expect the Lord to come unto us.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Of   the many dangers in this world, the greatest danger that we have is an uninformed citizenry. Being informed is an obligation that each of us has to ourselves. Brigham Young said that "Education is the ability to think clearly, to act well in the days work, and to appreciate life".   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   By this definition, and after knowing the effects of caffeine upon the human body, I have come to the conclusion that drinking caffeine is a sign of a lack of respect for oneself, and of an unappreciative attitude toward the life that each of us has been blessed with. Furthermore, it shows of either our inability, or unwillingness to learn to think clearly.

Strength and Weaknesses of Ontological Argument

The Ontological Argument was, and still is, a hot-topic for debate among philosophers; many famous philosophers have published criticisms of the theory including Immanuel Kant and St. Thomas Aquinas. This obviously raises questions regarding whether or not this argument works.While there is no clear-cut answer to these questions, I personally believe that the negatives of this argument outweigh the positives, thereby making it a weak argument. The first published criticism of Anselm’s Ontological Argument was from Gaunilo in his book In Behalf of the Fool (making reference to the fool in the book of psalms who didn’t believe in God).While Gaunilo was a firm believer in God (and was in fact a monk), he disagreed strongly with Anselm’s method for proving his existence. His problem is with the strand of Anselm’s argument which is put forward in Chapter Two of Proslogion.While Anselm claimed that the God, who is defined as perfect, must exist because an existe nt God is better than a non-existent God meaning that if he didn’t exist, he wouldn’t be perfect and therefore, wouldn’t be God, Gaunilo applied this logic to the example of a Perfect Island.If the perfect Island didn’t exist in the real world, it would be a contradiction to call it the perfect Island. By this logic, the perfect Island must exist seeing as if it didn’t exist, it wouldn’t be perfect1. We obviously know that the Perfect Island does not in fact exist and, by Gaunilo’s reasoning, Anselm’s argument doesn’t work; if it doesn’t work with parallel arguments, it doesn’t work in the example of God. This criticism is very astute and, therefore, severely weakens the argument and its effectiveness.However, Anselm directly responded to his contemporary Gaunilo’s criticism in an attempt to defend his argument and its ideals. Firstly, Anselm pointed out the fact the example of the Island (or any oth er examples for that matter) do not work because it, unlike God, is contingent and not at all necessary; its existence relies on the Earth and the Sea and it would have been entirely possible for it never to have existed. God, however, must exist and depends on the existence of nothing else.Moreover, Anselm goes on to say that the perfect Island is impossible to define; will it become more perfect as it gets bigger? God, however, is specifically defined by Anselm allowing the Ontological Argument to be applicable to him.This response deals with the criticism well and manages to re-strengthen the Ontological Argument to some degree. Another philosopher who disagreed with Anselm’s Ontological Argument was St. Thomas Aquinas. Again, he believed in God but disagreed with Anselm’s argument proving his existence.Aquinas raises questions about God’s self-evident existence. He claims that things can be self-evident in two ways: in itself and both in itself and to us; ev en though something may exist self-evidently in itself, this self-evidence may not be known to us as humans and therefore, its existence would not be self-evident to us.This is exactly what Aquinas proposes God to be. God is self-evident in himself because he is his own essence. However, seeing as this essence is unknown to us (as we do not know enough about him), the statement ‘God exists’ is not self-evident to us.This, again, is another criticism which holds weight against the Ontological Argument, highlighting a glaring weakness in its logic. A third philosopher who published a criticism on the Ontological Argument (though in this case it was directed towards Descartes’ version of the argument which was published several centuries after Anselm’s in 1641) was Pierre Gassendi. In Descartes’ version of the Ontological Argument published in his Meditations, he claimed that God was entirely perfect and, as a result, must possess every possible perfec tion – including the perfection of existence.Gassendi believed that this logic didn’t work because if a thing doesn’t exist, it is neither perfect nor imperfect; it merely doesn’t exist. Therefore, if God doesn’t exist, this logic could not possibly be applied to him in an attempt to prove his existence.Descartes published a response to this criticism. In this response, he claimed that God could not be compared to anything else, proposing that ‘the relationship and essence is manifestly quite different in the case of God from what it is in the case of a triangle’; it is a part of God’s essence to exist.While this does respond directly to Gassendi’s criticism, it does not particularly strengthen the argument seeing as Descartes gives no reason as to why God’s existence is a part of his essence; he merely states that it is true. Yet another philosopher who published a criticism of the Ontological Argument was Immanue l Kant.Kant (who was an atheist) published a book called A Critique of Pure Reason in which he attempted to contradict both Descartes’ and Anselm’s versions of the Ontological Argument in two different ways.In his first argument, Kant begins by hypothetically accepting that existing is indeed a defining predicate of God (which both Descartes and Anselm claim it is). He then goes on to argue that, even if this were true, there would be no contradiction in altogether rejecting the concept of God.For example, you may understand that having a single horn on its head is a defining predicate of a unicorn. However, this does not mean that it would be contradictory to not believe in unicorns or magical horses with horns.By this logic, you could also claim that you agree that if God did indeed exist, he would necessarily exist but that you do not believe in God or his necessity without contradicting yourself. In Kant’s second argument, he attacks the Ontological Argument at its base by claiming that ‘existing’ could not possibly be considered as a defining predicate as it does nothing to change the definition of the being in question; two people – one of whom believes in unicorns and one who doesn’t – would most likely share the same idea of what a unicorn is.While these two people would disagree on whether or not unicorns were real, they would not disagree on what a unicorn was. Therefore, it is impossible to say that existing is a defining predicate of God because it adds nothing to the definition of God.Overall, therefore, while the Ontological Argument is by all means a sound theory to some degree, the criticisms which highlight so many of the argument’s weaknesses show how the theory is weaker than in it is strong.

Lloyd Georgewin Essay

The stage direction ‘with a sense of her childhood, her babyhood and the years’ describes the great sense of loss Eddie feels as he has cared and loved her all her life. Beatrice remains faithful to Eddie throughout although she is frustrated, ‘When am I gonna be a wife again, Eddie? ‘ she tells him, desperate from him to forget about Catherine and go back to caring for her. Beatrice’s love for Eddie is one of the strongest in the play, she wants desperately for Eddie to pay her the attention she deserves as a loving wife. Eddies obsessive behaviour towards Catherine puts great strain on his marriage ‘I want my respect’ he says when Beatrice tries to confront him, Eddie is angry and shouts at her for complaining about him being so strict with Catherine. Beatrice is struggling to keep her marriage intact, but she cannot understand the love Eddie feels towards Catherine. I believe Eddie loves his wife dearly but his love for Catherine takes priority when Rodolfo comes on the scene, which leads him to mistreat Beatrice. I cannot help feeling sorry for her as she is forced into a situation that was not her doing. It seems her love for Eddie is unrequited. Eddie’s hatred for Rodolfo is fuelled by his jealousy for the love and attention Catherine bestows upon him, ‘I’m telling ya the guy ain’t right’ he says trying to justify his hatred. Nobody believes Eddie’s comments about Rodolfo and everyone but Eddie can see through to his jealousy. It isn’t right for a man of Eddie’s age to be obsessed with his young niece, but nobody understands the depth and passion of Eddie’s love, which drives him to keep Catherine at any cost. Eddie’s obsessive love compels him to see Mr Alfieri, family friend and lawyer ‘He ain’t right Mr Alfieri’ Eddie pleads, but it is obvious he has no jurisdiction within he law. The fact Eddie has gone to see Alfieri shows the power of his love towards Catherine and his desperation to have her for himself. Love is the main driving force behind all the characters actions, ‘the truth is not as bad as blood Eddie’ Beatrice tells him trying to quell his anger and hatred. Beatrice believes that love is not a worthy enough cause for the use of violence. It is Eddie’s deep love that drives him to use all force necessary to have what he believes to be his Catherine. This unfaltering love to the bitter end is misunderstood by Marco ‘He degraded my brother. My blood. ‘ Marco says; he cannot see why Eddie turned him and Rodolfo into the police. But it is obvious to the reader that it was Eddies’ love that compelled his actions and not his hatred for Marco and his brother. Eddies’ love finally leads him to his death ‘You lied about me Marco’ Eddie cries before lunging at him. This is Eddies last desperate attempt to win back his dignity. Eddies’ love has driven him to a point where he has no other option but to follow his feelings to the end. The fate of Eddie Carbone is a tragic one as his obsessive feelings towards Catherine took control of him and his actions that followed he could not help. I believe the story is a testament to the power of love and how once it has infected someone in a certain way; they are powerless to stop it. Emlyn Roberts Pluto10X Show preview only The above preview is unformatted text This student written piece of work is one of many that can be found in our GCSE Arthur Miller section.

Misuse of Mobile Phones Essay

Mobile or cell phones have revolutionized our lives since many years. In past people had to wait for days or even weeks to get reply to their letters. Then with time and technological advancements things started getting easier with the invention of telephone and then finally it got a lot easier with the introduction of cell phones. Cell phones provide us the opportunity to converse, figure out and access content. Mobile phones have redefined connectivity and communication. But high-end mobile phones have also turned out to be handy devices for criminals, anti-social elements and even activists. Mobile phones have their uses and misuses. Uses: The ability to talk wirelessly and all across the world is one of the major uses of cell phones. Cell phones have surfaced as the main communication gadgets for millions of countryside, distant and undersized areas in many developing countries where it is quite hard to build widespread fixed-line as well as other landline phone infrastructures. One can use cell phones in many disaster circumstances and emergencies to get helpful and apt help. Some of the mobile phones have special features like maps etc. If you are new somewhere and have lost your way you can get help using your cell phone. There are number of applications like calculator, torch, calendar etc in almost every cell phone. One can get help from these applications whenever needed. You can call or chat with your friends or family members for hours with the introduction of a number of worthy packages for you to avail. Thus by spending less money you can talk for longer time period. These packages are worthy enough as compared to wired or landline phone charges. Misuses: On one side if cell phones are the best sources to get instant help in the hour of need there are some drawbacks of this gadget. It is a fact that parents allow their kids use mobile phones at an early age. But it is only to make sure about their safety and security which is needed since we live in an unsecured society. However, unfortunately many times it has been observed that these children do not make use of it in a proper manner. They spend hours talking to their friends, not for good purposes but to gossip and thus waste their time. They prefer indoor games like those in the mobiles rather than the outdoor games. This can impact negatively on their  minds physical fitness. The law made by the governments of many countries was much appreciated by a large number of people according to which it is restricted to the children to buy a SIM card until they reach the age of eighteen. Majority of parents are thankful to their government for taking this effective step. Some of the common misuses of mobile phones are cameras loaded on majority of mobile phones can be used to take pictures of women and innocent children; these pictures are then usually morphed, maneuvered and circulated on the Internet and can be used for any negative purpose. Texting can also be used to misuse or track people. Cell phones have been known to be used by corrupt elements, burglars and criminals can plan out a number of criminal schemes, scamming plans and other illegal activities. Thus cell phones if on one side a blessing then on the other side they can create disasters in our lives and society. It is advisable to make use of mobile phones for positive and useful purposes and not for negative activities.

Reservation in India Essay

Reservation policy fails to achieve its purpose of giving equal opportunity to everyone because of lack of infrastructure in the rural areas of the country where the proportion of backward classes is significant. A number of people living in some remote areas in Orissa, M. P. or Bihar are not even aware of these policies. They are deprived of even primary education and basic employment which make them more backward financially. It fails to establish which causes disequilibrium in the status of the states. The total reservation quota stands at 49% in many states of India and this includes the SCs, STs and OBCs. The trend seems to have shifted to reverse discrimination rather than more affirmative action. Some backward class’s elite have gained political and economic clout based on this reservation. However a majority of the backward classes is not living any differently than before because their subsistence is meagre and rural lifestyles do not provide them with any of the benefits. The worst thing is that many are not even aware of these policies, especially in the interior parts of the nation. Thus a distinct economic class system exists within the backward classes. Mostly undeserving people have gained the advantages and the deserving ones are still without any significant positive change in their plight. It is interesting to note that the constitutional provisions regarding reser ­vations which explicitly single out certain castes for special preferential treatment contradicts the documents prohibition on discrimination based on caste, race and other such other criteria. Besides, despite the creation of commissions to monitor the implementation of reservation policy by the centre the constitution gives great liberties to the individual states to determine the quantity and limits of reservation which often lead to exploitation. In reality there is no abolishment of caste system. Instead the disparity increases because of antagonistic attitude on both sides. The member of lower class strongly feel that they do not have sufficient reservation and  the members of upper classes feel that inspite of their hard work and merits they do not have the same opportunities. Despite constitutional prohibitions and laws, violence and injustices against untouchables continue even today, particularly in rural areas. The other minorities are demanding reserved representation too, which would ultimately lead to a situation where the seat left for the majority would not be proportional to their population. Thus the whole purpose of providing equal opportunity gets defeated. The caste system and discrimination have persisted in spite of the reservation quota. The reservation policy has brought a climate of antagonism between people belonging to different castes. Regional political parties have sprung with an agenda to promote casteism for their partisan gains. Reservation has become an electoral tool nowadays. Reservation policy has also bluntly promoted caste over intellect and hard work. As a result we are producing substandard engineers, doctors, bureaucrats and other professionals under the present reservation policy. The policy just does not stop at such opportunity. It promotes incompetent people and promotes these people over deserving and qualified individuals. The reservation policy has started to divide India’s future generations at a very small age. Children not belonging to a reserved category have to work twice as hard compared to a kid with a reserved future with already much better financial means. May be the reservations policy has double crossed as we see today are mostly held by the upper class people because they have been thought to excel since childhood to the lack a reserved future and opportunities. If we continue to bring people in our colleges, filling our jobs and promoting the decision making positions based on the caste, soon we would be only country with the least number of competent people. We need a policy which really helps people deprived of education and means of better life. Reserving a certain percentage of seats in the higher education and jobs in the high ranks of the government is not going to help to solve problems of 85% of total backward castes population. The above picture clearly shows that the reservation policies in the last 64 years have failed for what they meant to do. It is time to try new approach to abolish reservation because merit and efficiency are in great danger. At this point of time the abolition of the reservation quota and a better system of affirmative action would be beneficial to the whole nation. We can propose that (1) Further policies or entreaties for any kind of reservation need to be discarded and disconnected. (2) There is need for a slow but a steady removal of reservation quotas. (3) Development of more and better infrastructure in the rural areas to remove disparities is necessary. Education and knowledge in a modern society would lead to removal of some, if not all, discrepancies in treatment of people based on caste, culture and religion. (4) We could also develop a system to find the neediest economically backward classes to work for that upliftment of backward classes. (5) For already entered categories (in employment) we could make the promotions of the jobs merit based. There have been improvements due to the reservation policies, which can not be denied at any cost. But it is not easy to pinpoint as to now much of these improvements can be credited to reservations and how much might have occurred without them as a result of government’s general development policies and economic growth. It can be concluded that reservation policy and its persistence is likely to increase the caste gap rather than help decrease it. The bitter truth is  that these policies will never help reach the long cherished goal of equality. So here comes a need for serious consideration for the reservation policy in India, especially when it comes to educational institution and employment. Let us stop it. We can not pay for our faults for long. Part XVI of the constitution deals with special provisions for certain classes, viz. Scheduled castes and Scheduled Tribes. However the constitution does not specify the persons who fall in these two categories but leaves it to be determined by the President of India. Some of the important measures made by the constitution for this purpose include. (a) Reservation of seats for SCs and STs in the Lok Sabha and State Legislatures on the basis of their population. (b) Bestowal of certain special powers on the State Governments to impose some special restrictions on the right of SCs and STs to protect their interests. (c) Provisions of special grants by the centre to the state for meeting the cost of scheme of welfare designed for the scheduled tribes and raising the level of the administration in scheduled areas. (d) Appointment of a National Commission for Scheduled Castes and Tribes by the President. It is the duty of the Commission to investigate the matters relating to safeguards for SCs and STs and to submit necessary report to the President. That report is laid before each House of Parliament. (e) To pay special attention to the educational and economic interests of the weaker sections of society to prevent their exploitation. Backward Classes—besides special provisions for the SCs and STs, The Constitution has made separate provisions for the improvement of all. Backward classes are not defined in the constitution but since it comes in addition to the terms STs and SCs. We may conclude that there are other backward classes as well. Article 340 provides for the appointment of  commission to investigate the conditions of backward classes. Two Backward class commissions were set up under Article 340 after the constitution was adopted. The Kakkasaheb Kelkar commission, appointed in 1953 submitted its report in 1955 and used four criteria for identifying other Backward Classes (OBCs) (1) Low social position in the traditional hierarchy of Hindu Society. (2) Lack of educational progress among majority of a particular caste/ community. (3) Inadequate representation in trade, commerce and industry. (4) Inadequate representation in Government, The commission used the first criterion to relate with social backwardness. The report was considered too vague and impractical. The centre’s next initiative come in 1978 when the Janta Government appointed a commission under B.P. Mandal to find out how many backward classes there were in the country. The report of this commission which identified 3743 backward class was shelved till 1990 when the V.P. Singh Government brought out the order for 27% reservation in central services for other backward classes. Now, the air is now thick with the sense of dejavu which we experienced in early 90s. In one swift the present UPA Government again raised the bogey of reservation thereby again dividing India. Besides imposing a quota in cnetral universities and institutes it is also pushing companies for a job quota in the private sector. The Common Minimum Programme promises reservations for OBC in higher educational institutes. In fact it speaks of being very sensitive to the issue of affirmative action including reservations in the Private sector. It is sheer politics. The desperation is reflection of the fact that the Congress is unable to reinvent itself in its quest for a majority. Neither BJP nor Congress can boast of social diversity that is necessary to represent the plurality of India. The country’s two largest parties are controlled by upper caste. The Congress believes it can alter its state of irrelevance in over 200 Lok Sabha seats by wooing back Dalits and OBCs. Instead of giving reservations, scholars say, we must take a series of sequential steps ranging from education to vocational training to financing enterprises though some parties prefer quick fix solutions. The Congress is one of them. It has taken diagnosis of a physician and approached a quack for prescription. Our population is 1.02 billion and the SC/ST population is around 240 million (24 crore). Let us have a look at some telling figures about reservations. (1) The number of OBC MPs sitting in Parliament is 110. (2) 12 Chief Ministers of the states belong to OBC in present. (3) The literacy rate of SCs is 37.82% (4) 79.88% of high school drop out are from Scheduled Castes. (5) 1 lakh estimated number of Government jobs under quota lies vacant across the country. (6) 6% class I Central Government jobs are held by Scheduled castes and Scheduled Tribes. (7) 89% class I Central Government jobs are held by others who constitute only 25% of the population.