Research proposal Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Research Proposal Example Gulf areas in general, and Saudi Arabia in particular, are oil rich regions with the economy being driven by the large oil producing organizations. The required financial support for the SMEs, in order to strengthen their capability to further contribute towards the progress of Saudi Arabia’s economy, is however somewhat lacking. This is despite the fact that SMEs have evidently exhibited great developmental potential. The current research aims to determine the role that SMEs play in the development of Saudi Arabia; as well as to identify any governmental and other business organizations’ support provided towards sustaining continued operations and growth of SMEs in the region. This paper be presented with a brief overview of studies and researches previously conducted on the subject through a literature review of SMEs, in general; the financial support of the government for SMEs in Saudi Arabia; and the role that SMEs play towards the development of the country. The ne xt section would focus on the research questions and methodology, which would identify the required method which would achieve responding to the main concerns identified within the discourse. Likewise, any limitation to the study would be presented; prior to delving into the ethical considerations, as required. Finally, the time scales which detail the tasks and time frames for the specific research portions would be detailed in the last section. 2.0 Literature Review There have been several studies conducted on the subject that aimed to determine the role of SMEs, in general; and SMEs within the Saudi Arabia region. Their definitions would be explored, including financial support and development role in the economy of Saudi Arabia. 2.1 Small and Medium Enterprises Though SMEs exist all over the world and in large numbers, there is still no concrete definition for SMEs due to various practical reasons. Fu (2011) suggested that defining SMEs differs from country to country and are ba sed upon different variables such as number of employees, revenue, nature of trade etc. (Fu, 2011). Normally, the number of employees for SMEs are defined at less than or equal to fifty for relatively small organizations whereas for medium organizations, the upper limit of number of employees is normally between 100 to 250 (Capitas, 2013). Thus, SMEs were clearly classified according to the number of employees, as well as the amount of sales revenues generated within a stipulated time frame. Within Saudi Arabia, various organizations define SMEs according to different criteria and are followed by different organizations. There are two important criteria used in defining SMEs within Saudi Arabia. One criteria followed by the SME Development Center is to have less than or equal to 20 employees for small organizations and 21-100 employees for medium organizations. However, Shalaby (2004) concentrated on suggesting that different criterion is being followed by Saudi Industrial Developme nt Fun, and it defines SMEs based upon the revenue criteria

The use of Computers at Somerfields Supermarket in Cheadle Essay Example for Free

The use of Computers at Somerfields Supermarket in Cheadle Essay Each store in the Somerfields chain uses a computer to keep track of transactions (purchases) throughout the day. The system uses real time processing so that at any time the manager of the store can check exactly how much stock there is in the shop. For example, when someone purchases something the item is passed over a bar code scanner, which records the items code number. This item is then immediately deducted from the stock held in a database. If real time processing was not used then the manager would not know how much stock he had in until the end of the day. Of course not all stock is sold. Sometimes items are damaged, or wasted (eg. they go past their sell date). In these cases the stock still needs to be deducted from the database but needs to be classified as waste so that a purchase is not recorded. Staff use a portable electronic wand to scan the bar codes of these items. The wand uses radio waves to send its data to the main computer. They also use these wands to do manual stock takes (this is used to verify that the stock held in the computer database is correct). Every night the stores main computer connects to the Somerfield main frame computer. The main frame is a very powerful computer which connects to every computer in each of the Somerfield supermarkets. This computer will check the stock in each store and then automatically order new stock if it is needed. It will also change prices of stock, update the store on special offers and what to do to promote the offers etc. Somerfield also use an Intranet to keep its staff informed about promotions, special deals, changes to policy etc. The supermarket chain uses EFTPOS (electronic funds transfer at point of sale) so that customers can use credit and debit cards. The store prefers this method of payment to cash because there is less need for security, and also most people today shop only with cards and dont use cash. The biggest problem with using all of these systems is user error e.g. not scanning all items on a stock take, forgetting to record wastage etc. Another difficulty is how to monitor short life materials or complex materials like meat (remember meat is cut before it is sold and is not always sold at the same weight). Loyalty card Some large shops such as supermarkets have introduced loyalty cards. Tesco was the first to start the ball rolling in 1995 with its Tesco Clubcard. Customers apply for a card giving their name, address, e-mail and various other personal details. In return, they are issued with a Loyalty card that resembles a credit card in size and appearance. The loyalty card contains the customer membership number. The card is swiped when the customer buys something and details of their purchases are stored on the computer system. The customer is usually rewarded with discounts or vouchers, typically 1p for every à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½1.00 spent. On first glance, this would only seem to benefit the customer as the entire scheme is free of charge. However, supermarkets also benefit in other ways. The loyalty card allows the supermarket to build up a very accurate picture of the owners purchasing habits. Say for example, a new gardening magazine has come on to the market and the store wants to let potential customers know about it. The loyalty card database can be used to identify customers who regularly buy other gardening magazines. A mailing list is generated and hopefully the new magazine finds many new customers. Another way the card can be used is to understand where customers come from in the local area, because the database contains names and addresses. If there appears to be a gap in the locality, then it helps work out if it is worth building a new store to cover that area. So you can see the supermarket also benefits from running the scheme. The use of ICT in supermarkets has brought about many benefits for the company. Some of them are listed below: There is much less chance of human error when performing calculations and handling money. Everything takes place much more quickly and efficiently. The price of an item can be altered at any time simply by entering the new price against its barcode on the computer database. There is no need to price goods individually so some staffing costs are reduced. Less paperwork needs to be stored and information can be retrieved more easily. Better stock control means that the manager knows which products are selling well and those that are doing poorly. The computer system will automatically re-order new stock just in time to prevent the shop selling out. This means that fresher goods are always on display and reduces the amount of money tied up in stock. On the right you can see a photograph of the stores computer system. Note the use of two mini computers for back up. If one fails the other automatically takes over. On the bottom left you can see the back-up power supplies for use in the event of a power failure. The cabinet to the right houses a modem, connecting the store s computer to the head office computer via telephone lines. The centre units are bar code label printers.

Product and Process Evaluation of Huxley 3D Printer

Product and Process Evaluation of Huxley 3D Printer Product development for quality Ademola Adewoye Quality engineering, product and process evaluation Huxley 3D Printer Quality Gurus’; coursework Abstrat This article refers to a coursework of product development for quality to which answers are provided for questions as related to product development for quality coursework1. This report is dived into two: part A consists of question and answers for Huxley 3D printer and part B comprising quality gurus’ analyses. Aims To extend the masters’ student’s ability to apply design methodology and assessment techniques associated with quality engineering in broad context of managing the engineering and design process. Objectives The core objectives employed include the following. Teaming to assemble 3D Huxley printer Understanding and evaluating the design defect with comparative analyses Understanding quality, quality development, and quality design fundamentals. exploring the quality gurus philosophers Learning about quality operation and management Scope of the study This article is limited to answers to product development for quality coursework and evaluation of quality gurus; titled quality engineering, product and process evaluation. Significant of the study In context of technical skills, I had learnt new technical skills e.g. assemblage of disassemble machine as one worked upon; the 3D Huxley printer. I also worked with external experienced students in modelling and printing of different parts. The experience and knowledge gained is never quantified hence this study is significant to helping students developing a practical technical skills. Chapter one Part A 1.0 brief introduction A Huxley 3D printer is a robust three dimensional rapid prototyping machine developed by Erik Debruijn and other and named after a biologist Thomas henry Huxley. It is a mechatronic machine consisting of mechanical components such as timing belt, nuts, bolts, bearings, extruder, x, y and z axis frames and electrical component such as electric motor, microprocessor, and converter. This machine is controlled by a firmware and a host software configured to convert a 3D design from any CAD related software into a physical design called rapid prototype printing. This 3D printer are flexible, fast, trendy and easy to use. Chapter two 2.0 Assemble the Huxley 3D printer using the supplier online instruction and once complete demonstrate the machine as a working systems. 2.0 Answer The 3D Huxley printed was assembled by my group and was functionally demonstrated. 3.0 Compare the following aspect of your completed machine with one completed another machine built by your peer groups. Report on what do you observe to be the factors affecting the following; Individual component quality System consistency when compared to other completed ‘Huxley 3D printers’ Ambiguity and opportunity for error in the instruction set 3.0 Answer The following observations were made in comparison with other peer groups in terms of quality. Coupling or assemblage accuracy and orientation are factors that affects the output of the printout in terms of quality as was observed during testing of peer A and peer B machine. One peer machine produce better surface finish than the other observed to be as a result of poor orientation of vertical and horizontal frame parts. The plastic frames were also observed not properly fillet with no allowance which bars performance and quality of printing. Electronic components such as the electric motor positioning was observed not labelled and diagrammatized. Generally, the individual components of the ‘Huxley 3D printer’ was affected by lack of surface finish and inaccurate labelling. The following observations were made in comparison with other peer in term of system consistency All the electric component e.g. electric motor provided the was observed consistent in both peers Major mechanical components such as bearings, x-y-z rods, axis-belt drive, pulley and shaft, provided by supplier was observed consistent. All major frame components Generally, the factors which affects systems consistency are labelling and specifications. Mechanical components parts such as nut were not threaded with precision; Part was observed to be excess. The following was observed a major factors responsible for systems ambiguity and opportunity for error in comparison with other peers. Too many component parts Part dimensional inaccuracy Poor labelling Too many axes Poor surface finish of parts. 4.0 Based on your observations suggest how the quality of the system as well the user experience could be improved. 4.0 Answers Based on my experience gained and observations made during the course of the study I suggest the following for system quality improvement. parts should be simplified to improve design optimisation Nozzle could be modified to lower dimension of 0.3mm or less for high quality surface finish Increase the number of extruder to differentiate support materials from printing material when printing or prototyping complex design. Improve the slice setting Increase speed Accurate parts labelling for easy and better assemblage. Frame rigidity could be supported by other methods of joining e.g. riveting to provide frame structure a solid rigidity. Post treatment (rework) of Huxley 3D printer parts could help to ensuring part are produced to standards e.g. uniform dimensions of frame rods, bolt and nuts. Thermoplastic mini-spool (printing material holder) should be inclusive in design parts to store sufficient amount of filament when the machine in operation. The x-carriage mounted fan should be designed in two parts for effective and speedy cooling of printing parts. An additional nuttraps in substitute of self-tapping screw with metal screw should be used for the carriage for better quality finish. In regards to user experience the expressions below are suggested; More practical sessions should be allocated to students offering this module to facilitate their real know-how technical skills of the subject matter. The assembly of the machine should be individual with group analyses, suggestion and assessment to ensure an independent knowledge transfer. Exhibition, seminar should be held and best student compensated to motivate students to go extra-ordinary. Part B Discus your personal experience for this project making specific reference to ethos captured by the terms; ‘zero defect’ as used by Philip Crosby ‘Fitness for purpose’ as used by Joe Juran ‘constant improvement’ as advocated by Bill Conway Answer The quality guru Philip Cosby defines quality with his four principles of quality management as follows; ‘quality is conformance to requirements, ‘defect prevention is preferable to quality inspection’, ‘quality is measured in monetary terms’ and ‘Zero Defect (ZD) as quality standard’ as main focus as concerned this article. The need of technological advancement and commercialization of 3D printing for all is observed a genuine requirement for 3D development but substandard finished parts, poor labelling and other defects observed during the machine assembly in the course of the practical study was as a results of a ‘no zero defect’. This factor of no zero defect with the Huxley 3D printer can be blamed on management. Perhaps, its worker are not motivated and recognised accordingly toward a personal interest in their job and or lacks production procedures where for every final parts produced requires an inspection to ensuring quality. The lack of ‘no zero defect’ was clearly observed in the bolts and nuts, frame rod, and thermoplastics frame parts. furthermore, since Huxley produces large volume of components part (mass production) they should adopt the principle of ‘zero defect’ primarily focusing on preventive methodology; zero defect’ of its worker towards a constant, cautious, and right attitude of work within its organization to ensuring quality at every level of production. This methodology if adopted will impact great benefits to the company’s general growth, brand recognition and improved their profit maximisation. The American-Romanian quality guru; Joseph Moses an advocator of quality and total quality management defines quality in term of fitness for purpose as ‘evaluation of how well a product perfumes’ for its intended use’. Since the primary function of the Huxley 3D printer is to print 3D designs preconceived from any computer aided design software (CAD) and as observed during the course of the study, it perform this function to satisfactory printing various component parts; simple and complex it can then be established that the fitness for purpose postulated by Joseph Moses is satisfied hence Huxley would need to fine-tune and improve on its current standards for quality with fitness of purpose because â€Å"without standard there is no logical basis for making a decision in taking actions† (Philip 2008) to provide its teaming customers with not just a 3D printing machine but one that can stand global competitive market in quality and functions. Although, it is assumed that Huxley already adopt this methodology in its production and quality management structures but it would do the company more benefit fine-tuning to achieving a more global qualitative product. William Bill Conway advocates for continuous improvement in product development for quality; a concept that put the American ford company into world breaking record in operational effectiveness. Huxley 3D printer was made an open source on the internet to serves as empowering tool for product improvement, the need to train and retrain its staff is another way a strategy to continuous improvement of product for quality. A company growth depends on the ability of its management strengths for a consistent improvement which further translate to efficiency and effectiveness in operations. It is conceived that Huxley Company applied this methodology via internet open source with continuous research as well. In this way, a substantial improvement on the component parts of the worked on Huxley 3D printer has been updated and new model are produced. With maintaining this methodology and exploring other related method constants product improvement can be sustained with enormous benefits. References Roberts, T. (2014): product development for quality EEB_7_877 [lecture note] quality gurus, Huxley 3D printer, LR-313, London South Bank University, 25th March, 2014. Available from http//:www.blackboard.ac.uk Wikipedia article (2014) online [accessed 28th 04, 2014] available from: http:// www.reprapro.com Google image (2014) online [accessed 30th, 2014] available from: http//www.google.com/image google article (2014) online [accessed 4th, 2014] available from: http//www.google.com

Omnipotence And St. Thomas Aquinas :: essays research papers

Omnipotence and St. Thomas Aquinas Omnipotence literally means the ability to do all things, or to have absolute power. This quality seems to be generally accepted as an intrinsic characteristic of the Judaeo-Christian god, as it says in Luke I. 37, "...there is nothing that God cannot do.". Certain objections can be raised to attributing this characteristic to god however, in-so-far as this characteristic seems to conflict with other accepted attributes of god. In The Summa Theologica St. Thomas Aquinas addresses some of these objections, the most telling of which can be restated as: (I) To sin is an action, however god is unable to sin. Therefore god cannot be omnipotent. (ii) The greatest act possible of god is his practice of "sparing and having mercy". There are actions judged to be much greater however, such as creating a world. Therefore god is not omnipotent. (iii) If god is omnipotent, then everything is possible and nothing is impossible. If this is true however, things which are necessary (things which cannot possibly not exist) are no longer so. This is impossible - therefore god cannot be omnipotent. Aquinas begins his rebuttals by defining what is encompassed by the characteristic of divine omnipotence. He explains that god is able to all things which are "possible absolutely", which he defines as all things which can be logically expressed without the predicate being in conflict with the subject - i.e. god is capable of all things which do not involve a contradiction in terms. This does not imply any defect in the power of god, Aquinas goes on to say, because impossible things by definition have "no aspect of possibility", moreover, it is absurd to expect divine omnipotence to encompass the logically impossible. (I) Aquinas answers the first objection as follows. He explains that "...to sin is to fall short of perfect action; hence to be able to sin is to be able to fall short in action..." which he attests is contrary to the meaning of divine omnipotence. (ii) In answering the second objection Aquinas points out, "It is not

Outline the key principles of Neoliberalism and its actual and prospective contribution to wealth and welfare in developing societies

Outline the key principles of Neoliberalism and its actual and prospective contribution to wealth and welfare in developing societies. Counter-revolution was seen as a new vision of growth when it first comes out. In the mid 80s, the development if counter revolution was supported by the Western media and government aid agencies, also by some very influential international organisation, e. g. the World Bank Counter revolutionaries see themselves a better interpretation than the development economics. The development economy identify the problem of the developing countries in various way, it imply dual economics, labour surplus, low level equilibrium trap, unbalance growth, vicious cycle of poverty, big push industrialisation, foreign exchange bottlenecks and unequal exchange rate. However, counter revolutionaries claim the orthodox economics was unrealistic because of it assumption on people behaviour and technology implication in the industry. Also, it's said to be irrelevant, since it's main concern is with the allocative efficiency of given resources. These weakness means the development economics cannot address the problem of the growth aspect, neither it could deal with the problems of poverty and the distribution of income. Some counter revolutionaries believe that, the 3rd world exists only as a kind of collective psychological delusion. It's important to see how the counter revolutionaries interpret their view to the 3rd world to understand its policy concept. And their views on 3rd world derive from its continuing political engagement with the struggle against socialism. They also stress that the 3rd world had a kind of 3rd worldism, which contains an anti-west attitude. They seen the west as exploiters who exploits the benefits from the already poor 3rd world, and in some cases, they are right, and these attitude and facts alleged crypto socialist policies of 3rd world government. Counter-revolution was an abrasive now approach. When looking at the policy of the counter-revolution, we ought to see how it views the 3rd world problem, and what solutions do can the counter-revolution offers. According to the counter revolutionaries, the main problem of the 3dr world countries is their over-extended public sector, which cause the problems limitation through government intervention and central planning. For an economics to be efficient, there needs to be the existence of the market and incentives. However, they are being filters through government policies and agencies. Also, counter revolutionaries seen physical investment is only one of the determinants for the growth in the development. Human development such as education and building of infrastructure are as important as physical investment, and it should not be place as a less important government objective than physical investment. The economics policies of government and the distortion they induce re now the major focus of the analysis of the development policy. The clear induction we can see here is that, unnecessary government intervention will endanger the benefits of the market, and the relatively unimportance of human development policy, which will hinder the process of development. These are the main components of the counter-revolution's new vision of growth. Why would be the public sector being the problem? We can see from an example. If there's a public electricity corporation which is making a loss, the government decide to make up the loss by subsidise it using the tax revenue, the end result will be little incentives for the management to minimise cost. Cost minimisation is essential for n efficient market and the process of cost minimising is difficult and time consuming, and it's unlikely to take place without some pressure or incentives. If the government removes that pressure, public enterprise tends to become complacent and high cost. As a monopoly, the public sector is said to be fail to respond adequately to consumers preferences by insulate itself from the consumer demand. Also, many 3rd leaders may wish to strengthen their political power by influencing the economic performance, thus the country's development prospect. This means that when an economic decision was made, it's on the benefit for the politicians, not to the economy. And these are the factor causes other problem in the 3rd world countries, such as problem on foreign trade and industry, distortion of key prices (e. g. exchange rate) in the economy, which in turns causes balance of payment problems. The other main issue arise for counter revolutionaries are the practice for trade and aid policy. There are a few anomalies highlighted by counter-revolution. Some counter revolutionaries' claims that official aid has a regressive impact on world income distribution. It's theoretically possible according to Bauer, ‘many tax payer in the donor cities are far poorer then many people in the 3rd world countries where, moreover, aid often benefits the prosperous rather than the needy. ‘ Sometime, the aid is aimed to relief poverty in the recipient country, but the recipient country may resist it since they feel such attempts infringe its sovereignty. E. g. , local farmers will suffer income lost if food aid was given to people free of charge, no one will spend money on the domestic food products. Thus, the donor's citizens could have been taxed for the benefits of an unfriendly state. These are the major anomalies concern the counter revolutionaries on the ground of aid giving. Also, when aid is given to a 3rd world country which already had a over extended public sector, the government will tends to use the aid to support that public sector, which they can still claims that the aid had been used on the development of the economy. In this case, aid has help to boom the unproductive public sector beyond what it would have been in the absence of aid. The counter-revolution views conclude that, aid should therefore be given to the private sector. One of the anomalies emphasized by the counter-revolution is that the giving of aid merely relief poverty in the 3rd world, it might even worsening it. In the opinion of the counter revolutionaries, aid should be abolished. However, for political reason, this is very unlikely will be the case. So counter revolutionaries advocates that, aid should be reduce in size, also, it should be use as reward for policy reforms. Policy reforms which shows development of the economy as well as living standard of the people and the moving towards socialism. The counter revolutionaries also have its view on trade. Counter-revolution has always opposed controls over foreign trade. At international level, the counter-revolution's opposition to ‘ management trade' has been expressed through its critics to the International Commodity Agreements (ICA). ICAs are internationally negotiated schemes of intervention in the markets for exports of primary products. Counter revolutionaries oppose ICA because of its failure to alleviate the poverty in the 3rd world countries. Little suggests that ‘ The increase political management of trade is unlikely to help the poor or the poorest states'. Counter revolutionaries suggest that the 3rd world countries are minimally involved with production for export because they tends to be remote, isolated and lacking the skills to forge the effective links with their surrounding society. However, in the reality, the arguments of the counter- revolutionaries do not entirely hold up. About the point of 3rd world countries lack of share in export, we can actually see that, in 1982, one third of the 3rd world countries had export that accounted for 20% or more of third domestic product. Further more, on average, 60% of the export of the 3rd world countries was of fuels, minerals or other primary commodities. And for the counter- revolutionaries' negative opinion on aids, in the case of India, Bangladesh and South Korea, aid merely creates what the counter- revolutionaries sees as dirigiste syndrome. When counter- revolution is implemented across Africa, it had failed in nearly all situations, per capita income down 10% over the period. They were not prepared for high-level market openness. In Philippines and Sri Lanka, there were mix results, but certainly not successful, causing economic growth fell, increase in poverty and unemployment. The most successful case of the counter-revolution policy is in South Korea, where it achieve falling inflation rate, GNP growth and income distribution improved, current account deficit narrowed and social welfare improved. But the success can be achieve only because they were not only looking at the macroeconomic in nature, but also consider social welfare. The unhelpfulness of the counter- revolution comes from its particularly strong preconception of the actions that need to be taken to promote development. That preconception is that development problems are problems of resources allocation. It has also been attacked for its simplistic accounts of the nature of ‘real' markets in many developing countries and for their one – dimensional accounts of what motivates apparently isolated economic actors. Some policies and theories do have some merits, but they need to be accompanying by other policy to make it effective.

Government and Media in Cuba Essay

In between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean lies the island of Cuba. It is a small island with a total land area of 110,860 square km, yet it is so powerful enough to catch the attention of United States and to strengthen its security measures. The country was first ruled by the Spanish government and its history was marked by revolutions and uprising. Finally, in 1902, through the intervention of the US government, Cuba achieved its independence from the Spanish rule. However, the proclamation of independence did not end the uprising and rebellious activities because the country was not freed from leadership of corruption and military-rule. The real independence, as recognized and celebrated by Cubans, was achieved when Fidel Castro took office. Fidel Castro was the leader of rebel army that has been fighting the corrupt government and established a communist form of government. At present, Cuba is under the rule of Castro and the state remains to be a communist government having three branches namely; the chief of state, legislative and judiciary. General Raul Castro currently holds the chief of state which is comprised of Council of State and Council of Ministers (â€Å"The World Factbook†). On the economic aspect, the embargo that has been imposed upon the country has not yet been lifted. Currently, Venezuela is the main partner of the country and the main source of its petroleum needs. The living standard also remained low as a result of the embargo and discontinuance of foreign aids from several countries (â€Å"The World Factbook†). However, it has agricultural, trading, industrial and manufacturing enterprises where it sources out its economic and financial needs. As of July of the present year, the country is occupied by an estimate of 11,451,652 people having different racial descent including Africans, Spanish, Westerns and Asians (â€Å"The World Factbook†). Despite changes that have been introduced in the country, there are still issues that have been bothering the nation and even its citizens. Through its communist form of government, many activities were hardly exercised by the citizens because of government suppression. The most suppressed and monitored activity is the expression of one’s thoughts and ideas. The right to express one’s self is being curtailed by the government especially when it contains ideas that are against the government. The role of media is to protect the government as it is founded only to voice out words that the government desires to hear. In contrary to the role played by media in many countries, the Cuban media does not serve as the voice and protector of the people from the government but as an ally of the state. The treatment of the media people is also despicable in the eyes of the international community and of the journalists themselves. Hence, this paper will present the relationship of the media and government as well as the role it plays in the country. Concomitant to that is the life of journalists under the communist government of Cuba. Role of Media Media has been recognized as indispensable tool in communication. Mass media, as defined, is â€Å"the technological means of sending information, ideas, opinion, etc. through the mass communication device to a diverse audience† (â€Å"Impact of Media on Culture†). Various means used by mass media in transmitting information effectively and swiftly includes television, radio, newspapers, magazines, and internet. Notably, internet has been the most preferred and ideal means of mass media because of its ability of reaching a wider audience and is laxly monitored. In addition, internet is most preferred because it does not require profession to enable any individual to express his or her ideas. Among other nations, mass media is recognized as the fourth department of the government because of the role it plays in the political and social aspect. The mass media usually fills in the gap between the government and the people. It voices out the sentiments or thoughts of the people to the government while it also brings to the people the sentiments and plans of the government for the country. In some instances, mass media becomes a watchdog against government abuses and activities that are definitely out of reason. Furthermore, mass media has continually become the source of information about things, persons, places, and events, among others. Due to the indispensable role of mass media in the society, it need to be free and not controlled by any person or agency nor can be regulated by the government. Instead, it should be free in order to properly carry out its objective. Apart from that, it should not be controlled to ensure its impartiality and neutral role. Historical Background of Media in Cuba The epoch of mass media in Cuba can be traced back during the Spanish regime. The history also of the country’s press has undergone five periods (Browning). The Colonial period which stated from 1723 to 1868 is recognized as the first period. During that period, the first newspaper entitled Gazeta de la Habana was released in 1782 and become the nation’s publication (Browning). In 1790, the newspaper was followed by the very first magazine entitled Papel Periodico de la Habana (Browning). Both were regulated by the Spanish government but enjoyed less restriction because of the French Revolution affecting the government power of Spain over Cuba. The second period began in 1869 when Independence was first craved for and ended in 1902. The period is also called the Independence Revolution (Browning). During that period, press was given full freedom purposely to win the support of the reformists. Eventually periodicals containing ideas about reform began to evolve which includes El Cubano Libre, Estrella Solitaria, El Mambi, and El Boletin de la Guerra (Browning). Notably, during the second period, more revolutionaries were inspired to fight for their independence through the influence of Jose Marti who writes in several newspapers such as Patria, La Nacion, and New York Sun (Browning). The second period was marked by independent exercise of expression through publications that is direct, immediate and constant (Browning). The third period started when called the Republican period which started from 1902 and ended in 1930. The third period was ruled under the dictatorship of Gerardo Machado (Browning). During his era, freedom of expression was enjoyed by journalists. Newspapers, publications and other dailies thrived in the city of Cuba, Havana. This period was also marked by prosperity because political parties sponsored lots of publications and added to the benefit of the country’s economy. However, the exercise of the freedom was shaken by the plan of Machado to assimilate and provide government subsidies in exchange for support in 1928 (Browning). The following years was marked by economic downturn and political unrest that further led to the end of freedom enjoyed by the Cuban journalists. The fourth period started after Machado was overthrown in 1930 until 1959 (Browning). For 29 years, Batista ruled the nation. During the reign of Batista, the freedom of expression was experiencing threat of extinction. Though, technological innovations in journalism were introduced in the country. Among these includes increased commercial sophistication and steam-powered printing presses (Browning). However, at the latter part of Batista’s reign, the freedom of expression has finally faded because the government took control of the press. The fifth period started when Batista was overthrown by the communist group led by Castro in 1959 and continues at the present era (Browning). Since the beginning of Castro era, the freedom of expression was already curtailed. Eventually, the press and media were finally controlled by the government and journalists were not given freedom to voice out their thoughts against the government. The government’s strict control over media started in 1930. No independent journalists were freed to release publications which have the effect of criticizing the government. During that period, journalists tried to oppose the move of the government but to no avail. Finally, in 1990’s through the introduction of Internet, independent journalists have found new medium to castigate the government’s control of information (Browning). However, the media, private and public, are still under the control of the government. Information dissemination is still suffering strict regulation. Independent journalists also continue to struggle and risk their lives for an independent journalism. It can be observed that since the evolution of media, the government already held control of it. The changes in phases under several governments have made media limited and restricted. Some of the actions that the government had done in curtailing free press and flow of information were censorship and closure of newspapers (Browning). Until now, the freedom of information remains evasive and independence of journalists is still obscure to be enjoyed. Current Status of Media in Cuba In Art. 53 of the 1976 Cuban constitution, freedom of press and expression have been explicitly stated. However, such freedom is subjected to limitations as contained in Art. 62 Art. 5, further, contains that all communication should be controlled by the Communist Party for the benefit of the country (Browning). As an effect, information was regulated and controlled by the government. Journalists were also restrained from publicizing without the knowledge of the state. Apart from that, journalists were arbitrarily imprisoned for exercising their freedom of expression. Mass media in Cuba is definitely not free. In the field of print media, the nation maintains three newspapers which are fully regulated by the government. These nation’s newspapers are Granma, Juventud Rebelde and Trabajadores (Browning). Granma is the official publication of the Communist Party which was founded in 1965 (Browning). Juventud Rebelde usually contains the same youth-oriented stories covered in Granma but in simplified and summarized manner. The Trabajadores, on the other hand, is more politically inclined publication as it contains Marxist principles (Browning). Notably, Granma’s circulation has widened in some other parts of the world through the power of internet. The website is called Digital Granma Internacional (Browning). It is also noteworthy that during the recognition of the press, the Union de Periodistas de Cuba (Union of Cuban Journalists) was founded in July 15, 1963 (Browning). It is a nongovernment organization which engages the membership of professional journalists in order to work in distinguished media in the country. However, such organization has already been controlled by the government and its constitution also dictates that editorial line of journalists must follow that of government. On this era of technological innovations, independent journalists found internet as a means of voicing out their cries and redress against the Cuban government. However, the control of the government in curtailing unwanted information has also reached the World Wide Web and several independent journalists have been imprisoned for such exercise of expression. It is noteworthy that 21 journalists have been recorded to have been imprisoned after a closed-door trial (â€Å"Attacks on the Press in 2008†). Among the journalists that suffered the harshness of the state is Yoani Sanchez, 33-year old blogger (â€Å"Attacks on the Press in 2008†). Sanchez, at first, found freedom through her blog called Generation Y which contained observations about hurricane devastation, politically motivated arrest, and food shortages (â€Å"Attacks on the Press in 2008†). Her blog has been read abroad but has also been made known by the government. Thereafter, her passport was confiscated and was not allowed to leave the country. Today, state authorities has started to regulate internet cafes to track down individuals with the purpose of publishing dissent against the government through internet. Another independent journalist that has experienced the government’s cruelty is Victor Rolando Arroyo (â€Å"Cuban Journalist in Second Week of Hunger Strike†). Arroyo, who writes in Union de Periodistas y Escritores de Cuba, was arrested during the fight for independence press in March 2003 (â€Å"Cuban Journalist in Second Week of Hunger Strike†). He caught the world’s attention when he took hunger strike for almost two weeks because of the maltreatment and indecent treatment of prisoners like him.

Environmental Protection and Conservation Research Paper Example

Environmental Protection and Conservation Research Paper Example Environmental Protection and Conservation Paper Environmental Protection and Conservation Paper Environmental Protection and Conservation of the Ecosystem We, the human beings, are living in a polluted environment, and It Is getting worse day by day. There is nothing else to blame but ourselves. We are suffering from our own negligence. God has given us everything we need but all we do Is to ruin HIS beautiful creation. If we do not want to see the future to suffer, It Is not yet too late to act. By Just doing the simple ways, we can help protect the environment. Every one of us has a responsibility. God has given us free will to do whatever we want, but It does not mean that we forget about our environment. The blue sky, the sun shining, and the vehicles we ride on every day everything we encounter Is part of our environment. We think of the environment as the trees, sky, (Yean, and everything natural. When in fact, everything we see around us is environment. We may not realize it yet, but the environment is screaming for our help. There are many things we can do to prevent the destruction of our nature. Just think of the animals, the plants, and the humans what will happen to them if we just sit down and do nothing? If all of us participate in preserving our environment, our future will be better. Imagine that there will be no waste around us, and sickness due to environmental issues; how wonderful, isnt it? If this eventually happens, all of us will be benefited. On the other hand, there are plenty of environmental organizations our country has implemented. Our government is systematic on having this laws and organizations showing that our country is aware on environmental issues. But, it does not stop there. We cannot Just give the responsibility to the government. As a civilized society, all of us have concern. We can contribute as a community. Indeed, there are no considerations on who to participate. Whether you are rich or poor, you can make a difference. In result, we are not only helping the environment but also the people around us. Our environment provides us material things we need; like papers from trees, medicines from plants, and many more. Therefore, we must return something more as the environment has given us. Though, the question Is: how can we protect the environment? This Is a question which Is easy to say but seems Like hard for us to do. We all want to protect our environment, but we are too busy or too lazy to do so. One of the simplest ways Is to throw your litters at the right place. You can also separate them from biodegradable to non-beleaguered, so that others can use It as a recycled material as well. By doing this, you are contributing to the environment. However, we can also conserve water by saving it. According to research, water will be scarce in 2025. So, if we are having bath or washing dishes, let us make sure that the amount of water will be enough for us to use and not wasting it. We do not want to lose water in early years. Our generation has multiple technologies at present. Indeed, all human beings are using technology every day. Television, cellophane, oven, refrigerator, computers all f these are examples of technology. Hence, it is important to unplug or turn off these appliances if necessary. As a result, we are conserving energy and making ourselves free from radiation. Additionally, expose ourselves from recycling. Recycling has a big impact on the environment. If there is a material or clothes we do not use anymore, we may recycle and do creative things for it. Otherwise, we may give or donate it to persons who need or lack of those things. Good things happen for people who give and support. More importantly, coordinate with the community, neighbors, or families in planting Reese. Trees have many contributions on our lives. We may want to replace the trees that have been used for our needs. By planting trees, not only we, the human beings will be benefited, but also the animals in our environment. There are many ways in protecting and conserving our environment. Therefore, we must encourage and reach out to other people. As a result, their perspective and point of views will be changed. Simple and little things mean a lot. Moreover, all of us can make a difference. The more we are concerned and environmentally conscious, the more peaceful mind and happier lives well have.

A Review of Software Tools for Quantitative Data Analysis

A Review of Software Tools for Quantitative Data Analysis If youre a   sociology student or budding social scientist and have started to work with quantitative (statistical) data, analytic software will be very useful to you. These programs force researchers to organize and clean her data and offer pre-programmed commands that allow everything from very basic to quite advanced forms of statistical analysis. They even offer useful visualizations that will be useful as you seek to interpret your data, and that you may wish to use when presenting it to others. There are many programs on the market, but unfortunately, they are quite expensive to purchase. The good news for students and faculty is that most universities have licenses for at least one program which students and professors can use. In addition, most programs offer a free, pared-down version of the full software package which will often suffice. Heres a review of the three main programs that quantitative social scientists use. Statistical Package forSocial Science (SPSS) SPSS is the most popular quantitative analysis software program used by social scientists. Made and sold by IBM, it is comprehensive, flexible, and can be used with almost any type of data file. However, its especially useful for analyzing large-scale survey data. It can be used to generate tabulated reports, charts, and plots of distributions and trends, as well as generate descriptive statistics such as means, medians, modes and frequencies in addition to more complex statistical analyses like regression models. SPSS provides a user interface that makes it easy and intuitive for all levels of users. With menus and dialogue boxes, you can perform analyses without having to write command syntax, like in other programs. It is also simple and easy to enter and edit data directly into the program. There are a few drawbacks, however, which might not make it the best program for some researchers. For example, there is a limit on the number of cases you can analyze. It is also difficult to account for weights, strata and group effects with SPSS. STATA STATA is an interactive data analysis program that runs on a variety of platforms. It can be used for both simple and complex statistical analyses. STATA uses a point-and-click interface as well as command syntax, which makes it easy to use. STATA also make it simple to generate graphs and plots of data and results. Analysis in STATA is centered around four windows: the command window, review window, result window and variable window. Analysis commands are entered into the command window and the review window records those commands. The variables window lists the variables that are available in the current data set along with the variable labels, and the results appear in the results window. SAS SAS, short for Statistical Analysis System, is also used by many businesses; in addition to statistical analysis, it also allows programmers to perform report writing, graphics, business planning, forecasting, quality improvement, project management and more. SAS is a great program for the intermediate and advanced user because it is very powerful; it can be used with extremely large datasets and can perform complex and advanced analyses. SAS is good for analyses that require you to take into account weights, strata or groups. Unlike SPSS and STATA, SAS is run largely by programming syntax rather than point-and-click menus, so some knowledge of the programming language is required.

International business Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

International business - Essay Example Apart from this, on the basis of the analysis, with varied tools, certain recommendations are also provided to the management of the organisation. It is essential in order to enhance the productivity and the prosperity of Scholz & Friends. Moreover, it would also enhance the brand association and distinctiveness among other evident players in the market. Table of Contents 1 Abstract 2 3 Introduction 4 Analysis 5 Overview of Scholz & Friends 5 Analysis of China Market 6 Market Overview 6 Trend Analysis 7 PESTLE Analysis 7 Porter’s Five Forces Analysis 10 SWOT Analysis of China Market 12 Recommendation 14 Conclusion 14 References 15 Bibliography 19 Appendices 20 Introduction The rapid pace of globalisation and industrialisation enhanced global affiliation among various intercontinental regions resulting in reduction of trade barriers leading to upgradation of international business. Moreover, globalisation also enhanced the economic growth of the varied developed and developing countries along with improvement in business activities due to free trade opportunities (Wang, n.d.). International business is referred to industrial or mercantile dealings that take place among two or more areas, countries or nations beyond political periphery. International business includes exports and imports activities as numerous products and/or services are transferred from one region to the other. The prime objective of an organisation to undergo global business is to enhance its market share along with its corporate image. The other key aim of international business is to augment organisational productivity and profitability (Wang, n.d.). Subsequently, international business helps an organisation to extend its credibility and identity all over the globe in order to enhance its reputation. Hence, enhancement of international business amplified the need of promotional activities resulting in wider scope for advertising agencies. An advertising agency mainly deals in service industry which attempts to create and to promote inventive ideas and thoughts such as Scholz & Friends. The prime objective of any advertising agency is to encourage and to convince consumers regarding commercial offerings. Advertising agencies like Scholz & Friends also attempts to reassure employees or shareholders about the success of any organisation (Scholz & Friends Group GmbH, 2010). The report mainly focuses on varied features and importance of Scholz & Friends in a brief way. Along with this, it also highlights varied attributes of international business and a detailed analysis of Scholz & Friends is also shown with the help of diverse techniques such as PESTLE analysis, Porter’s five forces analysis and SWOT analysis. In addition, various recommendations are also provided in order to enhance the growth and the development of Scholz & Friends. Analysis Overview of Scholz & Friends Scholz & Friends is one of the reputed advertising agency groups in Europe. It was esta blished in the year 1981 with an alliance of 48 friends. The head office of Scholz & Friends is situated in the region of Berlin of Germany (Scholz & Friends Group GmbH, 2010). The company i.e. Scholz & Friends was originated in Hamburg by Jurgen Scholz and many others so it was named such. It is known as one of the most imaginative agencies of Germany and hence is ranked, number one by trade journal Horizont. Due to high brand image and

Ordinary Courage Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

Ordinary Courage - Essay Example The army was originally created on June 14, 1775, and most of the Continental Army was disbanded on November 3, 1783 after the treaty of Paris. A small residual force continued at West Point and some other frontier outposts, until Congress created the United States Army by their resolution of June 3, 1784. Joseph Plumb Martin truly and personally understood how difficult the soldier’s life was. After joining the militia himself in 1776 at 16 years old Joseph Plumb Martin served in the Continental Army, and in 1830 wrote a memoir which presented a truthful portrait of war, about the traversing of the mid-Atlantic colonies, from Connecticut over to Pennsylvania and down through Delaware with his compatriots, and describing what the war was like from the point of view of an ordinary person. Joseph Plumb Martin (1760-1850), it should be noted, was a mere Private in the army, and his account does not involve the usual heroes of the Revolution. Joseph Plumb Martin’s opinion of the leadership of the Continental Army is somewhat negative, in that he did not feel the leaders held very idealistic concepts concerning the war. However he tells that he respected them in that he found them to be brave and courageous, as he thought everyone who had participation in (that) war was; that it was their strength and perseverance which held the men strong. So although he did believe they were a quintessential part in the leading, fighting, and success of the war, I believe that he also somewhat felt negatively towards them. Martin felt that they were â€Å"†¦very austere†¦and kept us constantly employed day and night; there was no chance of escaping from†¦their†¦vigilance.† (p.24). Martin describes of the suffering that was experienced by himself and his fellow men, as he names ‘Fatigue, hunger, and cold’ as constant companions to these raggedy soldiers. He also recalls that whenever the leaves and

Understanding of the importance of literary techniques Essay - 1

Understanding of the importance of literary techniques - Essay Example Robert Browning is a master craftsman when it comes to the use of dramatic monologues in his poems. The Dramatic monologue is defined as â€Å"a literary, usually verse composition in which a speaker reveals his or her character, often in relation to a critical situation or event, in a monologue addressed to the reader or to a presumed listener† (Dramatic Monologue-Definition of Dramatic Monologue). Browning’s "My Last Duchess" possesses all these criteria of a dramatic monologue. The speaker in the poem is not the poet himself. In fact, Browning’s speaker in the poem represents a ‘psychological portrait of a powerful Renaissance aristocrat’ (Duke Ferrara) and the poem very well draws, in the minds of the readers, the image of a submissive presumed listener who pays heed to the Duke’s narration of the failings and imperfections of his late wife (My Last Duchess: Introduction). However, the reader can perceive from the dramatic monologue that t he so-called imperfections of the dutches are nothing but expressions of her virtues and her courtesy towards her servants. The very opening lines of the poem are quite suggestive. The lines, â€Å"Thats my last duchess painted on the wall, / Looking as if she were alive† clearly demonstrates the presence of an unseen audience or listener and the reader understands that the duchess is no longer alive. Similarly, towards the end of the poem, when the Duke states that â€Å"This grew; I gave commands;/Then all smiles stopped together† the reader grasps that it was he who ordered her murder. The actual character of the Duke is thus revealed through the dramatic monologue even when the listener remains absolutely silent. Thus, the poem’s elements of soliloquy (as there is only one speaker) and its dramatic, and lyrical qualities make it a perfect example for dramatic monologue and it is the effective use of dramatic monologue that offer new dimension to the theme an d treatment of

5 Anthropology Questions At a Page each Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

5 Anthropology Questions At a Page each - Essay Example Therefore, the women who believe in God strongly as the sole provider of the child would voluntarily accept to bear other children. This might be contrary to their ability to take care of the children. New findings have revealed that contemporary women are concerned with the number of children they bear; depending on the responsibility one has (Joralemon 25). Therefore, in using the findings, to improve the quality of the birthing experience for women, they should be advised to give birth to the number of children that they can raise well. When comparing two medical systems, for instance, the American Medical System and the Canadian Medical system, there are specific issues, which the researcher would study. First, the quality of medical care offered at each system is probably the most important issue central to the study (Joralemon 45). The researcher would base his/her recommendations on the number of patients under each system and the morbidity and mortality rates. Essentially, this would give a reflection on the quality of health care that the system guarantees. Secondly, the efficiency with which each system is managed or medical duties executed are also examined, to give an overview of the differences in the method that each uses (Joralemon 52). Also, the nature of responsibility is studied to establish the way the medical staff attends to the patients under each system (Joralemon 59). This criterion of study would help the researcher to know the best medical system and the reasons for this. In studying each medical system, the following steps have to be followed; first, setting of objectives, then methodology of study is clarified. This is followed by data collection and presentation, analysis and making recommendations. The barriers that the researcher is likely to face include lack of corporation from the medical staff,

Ethics principles Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Ethics principles - Essay Example Moral theorists and ethicist offer different views on this subject but they all agree that choices and actions do exemplify our social values and more importantly our code of conduct. This brings us to some very interesting questions such as how does ethics relate to code of conduct and social responsibility. In today's world, a growing population of the working class Americans is taking greater interest in ethics and values. Most individuals link bad ethics with a person's character. Many are of the view that a few "bad apples" can spoil the social environment for the rest of the nation. Speaking of ethics, an individual who has a strong ethical background should be able to act within a code of conduct which is not just acceptable but commendable. It is from this code of conduct (that ones ethical values dictate) that the importance of social responsibility arises. Ethics is a set of moral principles and values that we use to decide on questions regarding what is right and wrong and it is these principles that are put to the test when we make choices that affect not only individuals around us but society as whole. Most people believe that ethics is something that we learn over time and are not just born with.

Franchisees are an important source of innovation Article

Franchisees are an important source of innovation - Article Example Next, it contemplates on how innovation has become a complex question and tries to explain it through the various models of innovation. Lastly, the various sources through which a franchising organization can practice innovation have been discussed. The franchising organization is one in which the franchisee has purchased the rights to use the business methods, ideas and values that the franchisor has built for his company, organization, product or shop. It is like a person sells his business philosophy to another. The franchisee usually opens up the franchise in some other geographical location than the one where the original brand exists. This actually lays the foundation for the franchisee to use innovation within the franchise. When the franchise will be in a different geographical location, the customers who will be coming to that franchise will be totally different, culture-wise, social-wise, and behavioural-wise. Thus, to bring changes within the franchise system would become easy. Examples of franchises are McDonalds (the food industry), Benetton (the clothing industry), the Starbucks (the food industry), television shows like Pop Idol, Who Wants to be a Millionaire (the media industry), Body Shop (the cosmetics industry), Onebiz Group (consultancy franchisee) and others. Therefore, be it be any industry, the franchising option is available to all and sundry. This is because franchising is a form of business beneficial to both the franchisee and the franchisor. The franchisee-franchisor relationship is complex, yet it is made up of basic components. Some of the basics of the brands of the franchisor need to be the same, so as to not eliminate the essence of the original brand. The various rights that the franchisee gets are that he can distribute the products of the franchisor, use the same techniques which they use to produce the products or market them. Moreover, even trademarks and patents are shared, since the franchisee becomes a representative of the franchisors product in some other geographical region. But when it comes to the invaluable intangible goods like trademarks and patents, the franchisee has to pay a certain amount of monthly fees for using them. This fee is separate from the fees that has to be paid for such rights in the first place. (Cox, 2007) Training is also one of the major things which the franchisor makes available to the franchisee as part of the rights that he gets. The franchisee-franchisor agreements will co ntinue for minimum five years and maximum thirty years, after which the agreement will have to be renewed, if felt suitable by both the parties. In cases where the franchisee does misuse of the rights granted to him by the franchisor, the agreement has such clauses through which it can be easily terminated, for the benefit of the franchisor. INNOVATION In a world of intense competition, where companies are going global and where numerous companies are making strenuous efforts to get the attention of the consumer, it is immensely important to differentiate oneself from the rest so as to become noticeable. Consumers are the one who decide the brand or the company which is the market leader. It is the sales of the product which will ultimately make a product gain market share and then declare itself as the market leader, chosen by the customers themselves. For this purpose, it is extremely essential to get inside the minds of the consumer so as to

5 Anthropology Questions At a Page each Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

5 Anthropology Questions At a Page each - Essay Example Therefore, the women who believe in God strongly as the sole provider of the child would voluntarily accept to bear other children. This might be contrary to their ability to take care of the children. New findings have revealed that contemporary women are concerned with the number of children they bear; depending on the responsibility one has (Joralemon 25). Therefore, in using the findings, to improve the quality of the birthing experience for women, they should be advised to give birth to the number of children that they can raise well. When comparing two medical systems, for instance, the American Medical System and the Canadian Medical system, there are specific issues, which the researcher would study. First, the quality of medical care offered at each system is probably the most important issue central to the study (Joralemon 45). The researcher would base his/her recommendations on the number of patients under each system and the morbidity and mortality rates. Essentially, this would give a reflection on the quality of health care that the system guarantees. Secondly, the efficiency with which each system is managed or medical duties executed are also examined, to give an overview of the differences in the method that each uses (Joralemon 52). Also, the nature of responsibility is studied to establish the way the medical staff attends to the patients under each system (Joralemon 59). This criterion of study would help the researcher to know the best medical system and the reasons for this. In studying each medical system, the following steps have to be followed; first, setting of objectives, then methodology of study is clarified. This is followed by data collection and presentation, analysis and making recommendations. The barriers that the researcher is likely to face include lack of corporation from the medical staff,

Franchisees are an important source of innovation Article

Franchisees are an important source of innovation - Article Example Next, it contemplates on how innovation has become a complex question and tries to explain it through the various models of innovation. Lastly, the various sources through which a franchising organization can practice innovation have been discussed. The franchising organization is one in which the franchisee has purchased the rights to use the business methods, ideas and values that the franchisor has built for his company, organization, product or shop. It is like a person sells his business philosophy to another. The franchisee usually opens up the franchise in some other geographical location than the one where the original brand exists. This actually lays the foundation for the franchisee to use innovation within the franchise. When the franchise will be in a different geographical location, the customers who will be coming to that franchise will be totally different, culture-wise, social-wise, and behavioural-wise. Thus, to bring changes within the franchise system would become easy. Examples of franchises are McDonalds (the food industry), Benetton (the clothing industry), the Starbucks (the food industry), television shows like Pop Idol, Who Wants to be a Millionaire (the media industry), Body Shop (the cosmetics industry), Onebiz Group (consultancy franchisee) and others. Therefore, be it be any industry, the franchising option is available to all and sundry. This is because franchising is a form of business beneficial to both the franchisee and the franchisor. The franchisee-franchisor relationship is complex, yet it is made up of basic components. Some of the basics of the brands of the franchisor need to be the same, so as to not eliminate the essence of the original brand. The various rights that the franchisee gets are that he can distribute the products of the franchisor, use the same techniques which they use to produce the products or market them. Moreover, even trademarks and patents are shared, since the franchisee becomes a representative of the franchisors product in some other geographical region. But when it comes to the invaluable intangible goods like trademarks and patents, the franchisee has to pay a certain amount of monthly fees for using them. This fee is separate from the fees that has to be paid for such rights in the first place. (Cox, 2007) Training is also one of the major things which the franchisor makes available to the franchisee as part of the rights that he gets. The franchisee-franchisor agreements will co ntinue for minimum five years and maximum thirty years, after which the agreement will have to be renewed, if felt suitable by both the parties. In cases where the franchisee does misuse of the rights granted to him by the franchisor, the agreement has such clauses through which it can be easily terminated, for the benefit of the franchisor. INNOVATION In a world of intense competition, where companies are going global and where numerous companies are making strenuous efforts to get the attention of the consumer, it is immensely important to differentiate oneself from the rest so as to become noticeable. Consumers are the one who decide the brand or the company which is the market leader. It is the sales of the product which will ultimately make a product gain market share and then declare itself as the market leader, chosen by the customers themselves. For this purpose, it is extremely essential to get inside the minds of the consumer so as to

The problem and its background Essay Example for Free

The problem and its background Essay Education is the process of learning and knowing, which is unending. It is so significant in the lives of every people living in this world and it would not be an exaggeration to say that the existence of human being is fruitless without this. Education helps us to gain knowledge, think scholarly and apply knowledge into logical action for us to cope up with the problems, issues and challenges that our country is encountering in this present time, hence it is a holistic process and it continues through our life. The Philippines is facing various problems including high unemployment and low economic rate and at the same time the Educational System in the Philippines. Thus, the government is trying their best to improve the quality of education because they believe it is one of the solutions to solve this problem that is why Department of Education tries new strategies to improve the quality of education delivered to the students. The Department of Education had done so many surveys and reports so that they will be able to deal with the needs of the people and society. In 1925, the Monroe Survey was passed to Department of Education stated that the secondary education cannot prepare students for life that is why they suggested students to have training in agriculture, commerce and industry. In 1930, the Prosser Survey was passed to recommend improving vocational education such as 7thgrade shop work, provincial schools, and practical arts training in the regular high schools, home economics, p lacement work, gardening, and agricultural education. In 1970, the Presidential Commission to Survey Philippine Education (PCSPE) suggested the implementation of 11-year program to improve the state of education in our country. They recommended the program to have a compulsory 6 years for elementary education and 5 years for secondary education or for high school. In 1991, the Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM) Report (1991) was passed  suggested if one year would be added to our education program, it would either be 7 years for elementary and 4 years for secondary education or 6 years for elementary and 5 years for secondary education. This report supported the survey of Presidential Commission to Survey Philippine Education (PCSPE). In 2000, the Presidential Commission on Educational Reforms suggested the establishment of one year pre-baccalaureate system. In 2008, Presidential Task Force on Education discussed our education program should add two more years that other countries are implementing it and because of this discussion the K-12 Education Program was formed. In 2012, the government is now implementing this program offered to Grade 1 and Junior High School Students. K to 12 means Kind ergarten and the 12 years of elementary and secondary education. This model involves Kindergarten, six years of elementary education, four years of junior high school (Grades 7 to 10) and two years of senior high school (Grades 11 to 12). The two years of senior high school intend to provide time for students to consolidate acquired academic skills and competencies (DepEd, 2010). The study was designed for readers to cope up with the current issue and to have a clearer understanding on the implemented K-12 Education Program. This study is important for readers to have a knowledge why the DepEd implemented this program and to compare it with the previous program consisting of 10 years. Fortunately the researchers have come up with this study because this is the latest issue and many editors and writers argue about the effectiveness of K-12 on the newspapers and magazines. This study intends to know the Awareness, Knowledge and Attitude of the parents of Pedro E. Diaz towards the K+12 program Implemented by the Department of Education recently. Background of the Study Nowadays Philippines is considered as one of the countries that has already low standard of education. Lack of budget and resources are the primary reasons on why the education system in our country was considered poor. Among other reason why a group of public school teachers remains critical of K+12. Due to this phenomena DepEd pursued a program that is believed to put the Philippines’ education system to higher grounds the K+12. The K+12 Program covers kindergarten and 12 years of basic education (six years of primary education, four years of junior high school, and two years of seniorhigh school [SHS]) to provide sufficient time for mastery of concepts and skills, develop lifelong learners, and prepare graduates for tertiary education, middle-level skills development, employment, and entrepreneurship. (Retrieved from discussion paper on the enhanced k+12 basic education program.pdf) The K+12 curriculum aims to enable every child â€Å"to achieve mastery of core competenci es and skills† and develop tracks based on the student’s interests and competencies. The focus of K+12 is twofold: curriculum enhancement and transition management. With the K-6-4-2 model, the 2 years for senior high school is aimed to giving the student time to strengthen competencies and academic skills. The curriculum will also provide specializations in the following: science and technology, music and arts, agriculture and fisheries, sports, business and entrepreneurship, etc, depending on the occupation or career that they intend to pursue. These two years will build on skills that are essential to their chosen field. DepEd is preparing a carefully sequenced implementation plan to ensure smooth transition with the least disruption in the current program. (Retrieved from discussion paper on the enhanced k+12 basic education program.pdf) Every graduate of the enhanced K+12 basic education program is an empowered individual who has learned, through a program that is rooted on sound educational principles and geared towards excellence, the foundations for learning throughout life, the competence to engage in work and be productive, the ability to coexist in fruitful harmony with local and global communities, the capability to engage in autonomous critical thinking, and the capacity to transform others and one’s self. (Retrieved from discussion paper on the enhanced k+12 basic education program.pdf) The adoption of the program is in response to the need to improve the competitiveness of our country’s graduates as the ten-year basic education cycle is seen as inadequate for work and higher education. In fact, overseas Filipino workers are not automatically recognized as professionals in other countries that view the ten-year education program as insufficient. The Philippines is the only country in Asia and is one of only three countries in the world with a ten-year basic education cycle. (Retrieved from Official Gazette of the Republic of the Philippines.htm) The K+12 education system is the public education system that most of us are familiar with today. Comprised of thirteen grades, kindergarten through 12th, the K+12 education system refersto all school system in the Philippines. It is difficult to pinpoint the exact history of education, as educa tion has been occurring in some from for centuries in all parts of the world. For the purposes of this article, we will explore the history of K+12 education system we know today as it applies primarily to the Philippines. Also, we would like to know the sides of the parents who are financing their children’s education. And in accordance to this the researchers expect that by the end of the study they could produce an instrument for the awareness of people in this K+12 project. Thus, this study gives importance on education, specifically on the part of mostly parents regarding on their awareness, knowledge and attitude on the k+12 program of the Department of Education. Theoretical Framework This study entitled â€Å"A Study on the Level of Awareness, Knowledge and the Attitude of the Parents of Pedro E. Diaz High School on the K+12 Program of the Department of Education† will be using Input Process Output. Input Process and Output Model is defined as the graphical representation of all the factors that make up a process. An input-process-output diagram includes all of the materials and information required for the process, details of the process itself, and descriptions of all products and by-products resulting from the process. Elements of Input Process and Output Model * Input- The information, ideas, and resources used. * Process- Actions taken upon/using input * Output- Results of the processing. Input Process Output Model Conceptual Framework This study entitled â€Å"A Study on the Level of Awareness, Knowledge and the Attitudes of the parents of Pedro E. Diaz High School on the k+12 Program of the Department of Education† will aims to quantify the Awareness, knowledge and attitudes of the respondents. Moreover, in order to have a deeper indulgent in this study the researchers logically applied the study on the Model – Input Process and Output Model. To meet the researchers objectives cited here, a step-by-step procedure would be first considered: First is the Input Element. The Input of this study are the following: Demographic Profile of the respondents, Respondent’s Socio-Economic Profile, Level of Respondent’s Awareness, Respondent’s Knowledge, Attitude(s) of the respondent and the relationship of the respondent’s Educational Background, Family Background and Socio-Economic Profile to their Identified Attitude(s) regarding on the k+12 Program of DepEd. These Inputs would be process, in the process. Second is the Process Element. This element or the process element processes the said input(s) of this study. In the process the researchers will conduct survey and analyze the collected data in order to come up a reliable and productive result. The last one is the Output Element. The output of the study would come from the processed data. The outcome of the processed data would be the Awareness, Knowledge and Attitude of the respondents. Application of IPO – Input Output Process Mode Statement of the Problem The researchers designed this paper to know the Awareness, Knowledge and Attitudes of the Parents of Pedro E. Diaz High School regarding on the K+12 Program of the Department of Education. The main problem of this study will focus on in the question: What are the level of awareness, Knowledge and the Attitude of the parents of Pedro E. Diaz High School on k+12 Program of the Department of Education? Objectives of the Study General Objective: To know the level of awareness, Knowledge and the attitude of the parents of Pedro E. Diaz High School on the k+12 program of DedEd. Specific Objectives: 1. To lay down the Demographic Profile of the respondents, in terms of their: a) Respondent’s Profile a1) Name a2) Age a3) Gender a4) Civil Status b) Respondent’s Educational Background b1) Elementary Graduate b2) High School Graduate b3) College Undergraduate b4) College Graduate 2. To know the respondent’s Socio-Economic Profile; in terms of their: a) Monthly income of parent(s) a1) 5000-10000a2)10001-15000 a3)15001-20000a4) 20001-25000 b) Respondent’s State of work or source(s) of Income: b1) Employmentb2) Business Owner 3. To determine the Level of Respondent’s Awareness regarding on the K+12 Program of the Department of Education. 4. To know the Respondent’s Knowledge on the K+12 Program of DepEd. 5. To identify the Attitude(s) of the respondent toward K+12 Program of DepEd. Hypotheses: 1. The researchers hypothesized that most of the respondents are married and ages 45-55 years and most of them are college undergraduates. 2. The researchers hypothesized that most of the respondents are unemployed since on the first hypothesis of the researchers is that most the respondents are college undergraduates so that they weren’t able to have a work whether Private or Government. 3. The researchers also hypothesized that most of the respondents of this study are living on apartment type or boarding house as their nature of occupancy since it is really hard to have or to own house and lot especially in commercial or in urban places. 4. The researchers hypothesized that most of the respondents have monthly income which ranges from P5000-10000 because most of them are college undergraduates. Even though they’re belonged on the lower part of the social strata their children are still studying. It is because that Filipinos believed on education that is the only key to success. 5. The researchers hypothesized that most of the respondents are aware on the K+12 program of the Department of Education due to the easy access on the information from TV, Radio, Internet or Newspapers. 6. The researchers hypothesized that a big number of respondents are insufficient on the knowledge about the k+12 Program of the Department of Education though there is an easy access to information that information is inadequate to give knowledge on the part of the respondents, the researchers believed that face-to-face communication is better than mediated means. 7. The researchers hypothesized that a great number of respondents are unfavoured on the k+12 program of DepEd because the researchers believed that the respondent’s capability such on financial state on the sudden implementation of this program is not enough. Significance of the Study K to 12 Curriculum is an innovative education system. This area of education has a dominance over the usual educational systems as it puts more weight on thinking and reaching own self-explanatory conclusions. To the Readers This study is primarily for the concern of the readers especially the parents who will shoulder most of the saddles of this new education program. But parents should be motivated of what this K to 12 education plan could offer to their children’s future. This is important because parents play a major role in providing for their child’s allowances, supplies and other fees in school. Add to that, the support and effort of teaching and guiding their children. Since K to 12 offers a more balanced approach to learning that will enable children to acquire and master lifelong learning skills, therefore, K to 12 graduates will have higher earning potential since they will be more competent and skilled compared to graduates of the current 10-year system. Aside from the parents, it will be the students who will benefit a lot from this new education system. Students will be free to pursue their passion. They will be given enough attention and will be given the chance to choose ele ctives that will suit their needs. Students will be more equipped, enriched and ready enough to face reality – the career world. To the Researchers As researchers, we get to be aware of the advantages of this program on how it can help and improve the quality of life of the country as a whole. Through having this research, it can change your wrong intuition about K to 12. And this will serve as a future reference. To the Educators Educators will also take a big part on this program. They will be playing bigger roles towards the students. Primary need of teacher education programs is to design and implement powerful uses of technology that will provide the students with more effective and challenging experiences. Educators would undergo different seminars and programs in relation with the K to 12 education system. It will help teachers to be more equipped in teaching and it will be a professional development tool that boosts their confidence to integrate the latest technology in the classroom. To the Filipinos Once this new program succeeds, it is best hoped that Filipino students would be more literate, capable, and competitive to be able to find jobs more easily and contribute to the countrys pride as well as the countrys economy. The Philippine education system will be at par with international standards. K+12 will facilitate mutual recognition of Filipino graduates and professionals in other countries. Lastly, a better educated society provides a sound foundation for long-term socio-economic development. The Enhanced K+12 Basic Education system will contribute to the development of emotionally and intellectually mature individuals capable of pursuing productive employment or entrepreneurship or higher education disciplines. To the Department of Education This would be a great assist on the institution with the data and results that would be gathered and prepared by the researchers, the Department of Education would have an information based material that will be useful in developing the said program. Scope and Limitations The researchers limit the study on the level of awareness, knowledge and the attitude(s) of the Parents of Pedro E. Diaz High School about K+12 education program. This study looked into the discernment of parents regarding the issue of K+12, as well scrutinizes the benefits they assumed to be develop from this issue. The researchers limited its study into 50 respondents via random sampling technique. Only parents from Grade 7 students of Pedro E. Diaz High School were involved. The study will be conducted from the month of July to the month of October year 2012-2013. Definition of Terms *Attitude- it is a manner, disposition, feeling, position, etc., with regard to a person or thing; tendency or orientation, especially of the mind: a negative attitude; group attitudes. Position or posture of the body appropriate to or expressive of an action, emotion, etc.: a threatening attitude; a relaxed attitude. (Retrieved from www.attitude.org.nz/) Awareness -is the state or ability to perceive, to feel, or to be conscious of events, objects, or sensory patterns. In this level of consciousness, sense data can be confirmed by an observer without necessarily implying understanding. More broadly, it is the state or quality of being aware of something. In biological psychology, awareness is defined as a humans or an animals perception and cognitive reaction to a condition or event. (Retrieve from en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Awareness) * Curriculum-In formal education, a curriculum is the set of courses, and their content, offered at a school or university. As an idea, curriculum came fr om the Latin word for race course, referring to the course of deeds and experiences through which children grow to become mature adults. A curriculum may also refer to a defined and prescribed course of studies, which students must fulfil in order to pass a certain level of education. (Retrieved from www.ibe.unesco.org) * Dominance-superior development of one side of the body, the power or right to give orders or make decisions. (Retrieved from dictionary.reference.com) * K+12-are a designation for the sum of primary and secondary education. It is used in the United States, Canada, Philippines and Australia. P–12 is also occasionally used in Australia. The expression is a shortening of Kindergarten (K) for 4–6-year-olds through twelfth grade (12) for 16–19-year-olds, the first and last grades of free education in these countries. (Retrieved from wikipedia.org) Knowledge- it is Human faculty resulting from interpreted information; understanding that germinates from combination of data, information, experience, and individual interpretation. A information that changes something or somebody—either by becoming grounds for actions, or by making an individual (or an institution) capable of different or more effective action. ( Retrieved from www.businessdictionary.com/definition/knowledge.html#ixzz21sSOrnbY) * Motivation- is a process that elicits, controls, and sustains certain behaviours. Motivation is a group phenomenon that affects the nature of an individuals behaviour, the strength of the behaviour, and the persistence of the behaviour. (Retrieved from dictionary.reference.com) Chapter 2 REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE AND STUDIES This chapter includes some related literature and studies of foreign and local researchers which are presented in the following paragraphs. Foreign Literature Regarding knowledge, Palmer (1998) emphasized that people should acquire appropriate range of knowledge, understanding, and concepts about the environment so that critical judgment can be achieved. Further, experiences and reflection in the environment should be allowed to refine â€Å"environmentally focused skills, further relevant knowledge, and development of appropriate attitudes and environmental awareness† (p.146). Orr (1992) reflected upon the concept of forming attitudes in order to build on ecological literacy. This ecological literacy should not be interpreted as the knowledge of facts and concepts only, but â€Å"the knowledge necessary to comprehend interrelatedness, and an attitude of care or stewardship† (p.92). Therefore â€Å"knowledge, the attitude of caring, and a practical competence are the basis of an ecological literacy† (Orr, 1990, p.51). Madsen (1996) emphasized the concept that awareness is the ultimate driving force that stimulates know ledge. The acknowledgement that an environmental problem exists entails being more cognizant of the facts about the state of the environment. â€Å"This degree of environmental awareness involves a personal commitment to work to solv/e environmental problems† (p.72). He emphasized the power behind the awareness factor by categorizing three levels of awareness as: basic belief of an environmental problem, factual and scientific knowledge, and a commitment to solve environmental problems. Athman and Monroe (2000) stated that awareness and knowledge of environmental processes and systems play an important role in EE. However, these are not the only factors affecting the behavior outcome. Behavior is what people do, whether it is environmentally appropriate or inappropriate (Hernandez Monroe, 2000).Behavior in general is supported by knowledgeand attitude but there is not a direct cause-and-effect progression from knowledge to attitude to behaviour (Monroe, Day, Grieser, 2000). Awareness was studied along with environmental knowledge and concern by Hausbeck, Milbrath and Enright (1992).In this study the authors concluded that awareness and concern scores were significantly higher than knowledge levels.They linked this result with the fact that a primary source of environmental information is electronic media (NEETF, 1998, p.14), where as awareness and concern can be picked up with little substantive knowledge (p.31). Some predictors of environmentalism using the NEP 2000 instrument were: age, education, and political ideology (Dunlap, Van Liere, Mertig, Jones, 2000). Rovira (2000) concluded in an evaluation of parents, that environmental consciousness might be influenced by social factors such as social position, age, and level of education. The awareness, knowledge, and attitude of the parents can de influenced with the socio-economic and educational factors. Morrone, Mancl, Carr (2001) included socioeconomic status (SES) as one of four factors in a stud y related to ecological knowledge. Respondents from low SES did not perceive environmental threats as seriously as did other respondents. Low SES respondents also rated themselves as more informed about the environment than did students and minorities. â€Å"Parents play a vital role in the development and education of their children. Parents and families have the primary responsibility for the development of their children’s character, with the support of their school and community. In addition, research clearly indicates that good schools become better schools when there is a strong connection with parents as part of the learning community. Thus, parents play an important role within the school community, but also through the attitudes they help to shape, and the direct supports they provide to their children.† The researchers want to conclude that the knowledge, awareness and attitude of parents can have an impact on the acceptance of K+12 Education system that our government has now implemented. Local Literature The researchers would want to focus now about K+12. It has long been a popular notion that any attempt to lengthen the required number of years in basic education will be faced with a howl of protests, particularly from parents who will bear the brunt of additional expenses and students who will have to spend more years in school. I’m really searching to actively engage them towards a consensus because it would be pointless to come up with the program that is good objectively but is not acceptable to people. â€Å"So I always feel it’s important that we engage people. I think it’s a matter of explaining to them, but also engaging them because I’ve gotten some very good inputs and suggestions from people. So I think our task is to respond to their concerns and anxieties. K+12 program pg 9 K+12 aren’t meant to be the pill that cures the illness that pervades Philippine education. The most obvious component is the additional two years that will be added to the basic education cycle (that and the inclusion of universal kindergarten). For President Aquino, k+12 will give public schoolchildren â€Å"an even chance at succeeding.† In the long run, it is the education initiative that supposed to open doors for economic advancement to young Filipinos. This envisioned becoming one of the Aquino administration’s most significant accomplishments towards producing a highly-skilled and educated citizenry and building a more robust economy. If substantial improvements in the quality of public basic education can be introduced through k+12 the department argues, our country’s gross Domestic product can increase by 2 percent. It has also been pointed out that k+12 can help spur the entrepreneurial climate in the country. Ultimately, therefore, K+12 hopes to go beyond lengthening the basic education cycle. It hopes to empower our students, allowing them to complete more effectively for jobs abroad, have their academic credentials recognized automatically in other countries without the benefit of tertiary e ducation. Among the 115 Unesco member-states, the Philippines os said to be one of only three countries (the other two being Djibouti and Angola) that maintains a 10-year pre-university education system. Proponents argue that shifting to a 12-year basic education cycle will give more time for teachers to teach a subject and for students to absorb what is being taught in school. The introduction of k+12 is thus envisioned to help solve some of the most pressing problems facing Basic education: low achievement test scores, a congested curriculum, and the inadequate preparation of high school students for work and college. Deped has pointed out that our 10-year basic education system produces graduates below the age of 18, which means they are too young to either enter the labor force or start a business on their own. K=+12 program pg.11 By 2020, the Philippines will join the APEC Trade Regime. Before these two events happen, we have to prepare our graduates to be globally competitive. There are no other alternatives but to align our degree programs with those of other countries.† This is the main reason that the members of the Presidential Task Force for Education (PTFE), particularly CHED, are rushing the addition of at least one more and even two more years to our education cycle. All other countries in the world have 15 or 16 years of education from Grade 1 to undergraduate graduation. The Philippines has the shortest education cycle in the world (only 10 years of public basic education and usually only 4 years of undergraduate education, for a total of 14). European countries have 12 years of basic education and 3 years of undergraduate education. The United States and Asia-Pacific countries have 12 years of basic education and 4 years of undergraduate education. (Myanmar is an exception because it has only 11 years of basic education before 4 years of undergraduate education. India is also an exception, because it has only 3 years of undergraduate education after 12 years of basic education.) Mutual recognition of qualifications and degrees will be undertaken by ASEAN countries and the rest of the Asia-Pacific region. Thus, HEIs [Higher Education Institutions] must prepare for it now. The qualifications of our graduates must be improved to meet our development goals. Isagani R. Cruz pg.103 A good example of how equivalencies work is the Washington Accord (1989), an international agreement that specifies that a professional engineer must have gone to school for at least 16 years if she or he wants to practise in another country. With on ly 10 years of public basic education and even with 5 years of engineering, we are still one year short. Another often-cited international agreement is the Bologna Accord (1999), which specifies that professional accountants, pharmacists, physical therapists, and so on should have at least 3 years of undergraduate education in addition to 12 years of basic education. Again, our 14-year education cycle is one year short. In fact, since most Filipinos want to live and work abroad anyway, there is no reason to think that ensuring employment abroad through equivalent local education will be met with resistance. The answer is simple: students and parents cannot afford the extra year of food, clothing, shelter, and lost income. Isagani R. Cruz pg.104-105 Fortunately,we have a Philippine best practice to guide us in this matter of length versus content. When De La Salle University shifted from a semestral to a trimestral system in 1981, teachers had to rethink their syllabi. It was not just a matter of teaching 18 weeks’ worth of material in 14 weeks. That would have been not just impossible, but pedagogically unsound. The expected learning competencies per subject, and therefore the entire curriculum, had to be revised. It is, therefore, not just a matter of saying that there should be a Grade 7 or a Fifth or Sixth Year High School or a Pre-University Year in college. Just as important as the decision on when to add the missing year or years is the decision on how to change the entire curriculum to make it rational and effective. Isagani R. Cruz pg.108-109 It is also clear that we cannot add the missing year to elementary school, because we would have to wait 7 years for a Grade 1 student to finish Grade 7, 4 more years to finish high school, and 4 more years to finish college. Isagani R. Cruz pg.111 CHED wants to solve a problem (the lack of years) of basic education through higher education. That, of course, seems inappropriate, because CHED is not supposed to worry about basic education. The second thing is to understand that the extra year should focus on subjects that will prepare the student for college work (â€Å"college† as defined by Harvard and Oxford). Isagani R. Cruz pg.112-113 The Presidential Task Force for Education (PTFE) has hit upon the correct solution to this mismatch. It recommends that we should not expect everybody to go to college. The PTFE recommends that high school graduates be streamed into either college or technical-vocational (tech-voc) programs. For tech-voc, our current ten-year basic education cycle is enough. With some improvements to be brought about by moving some college General Education Curriculum (GEC) subjects down to high school, the public school system should be able to prepare students to go into a tech-voc program that may take anywhere from one to three years. Everybody goes through six years of elementary school and four years of high school (plus preschool and kinder garten, where feasible). This is the DepEd cycle as we now have it. After high school, everybody takes an exam. Those that pass the exam may go to the university stream. Those that do not pass the exam may go to the polytechnic stream (polytechnic sounds much better than tech-voc). The Final Report of the Presidential Task Force for Education (PTFE) contains several recommendations to reform our educationalsystem. Many of these recommendations are not new, but were widely discussed and agreed upon in earlier surveys, such as the Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM, 1992) and the Presidential Commission on Educational Reform (PCER, 2000). (Isagani R. Cruz pg.114-115) There are numerous questions concerning the issues and problems existing in the Philippine Educational System as to how we can resolve it the best way we could to attain that kind of quality of education we have been searching and longing for. Where do we begin and how do we respond to such? Public schools are the building blocks of our societies. They can be considered our foundational instruments. Although these venues of learning play significant roles, they are unable to provide the best they can, due to their numerous flaws. As I’ve gone through different readings and researches, questions were arising in my mind as to what solutions are applicable in addressing the problems about the quality of education, affo rdability, budget, mismatch, integration of sex education in the curriculum, R.A. 9710 (Magna Carta for Women) and other concerns which are somehow related to it. I will always stand for what I believe in according to my observations that we have good guidelines and policies on education but what is lacking is the ability to implement such in accordance to the needs of every school, majority of which belong to the public education system. Generally, Philippine Education aims to provide quality and free education both for the elementary and secondary public schools but again this have not been observed and understood well causing it to be a burden most especially to the students and parents. www.essays.se//Local+literature+about+educ Foreign Studies The researchers would want to focus on the outcomes of the K-12 education system to other countries. In fall 2005, 757,116 students wereenrolled in grades K-12 in Colorado’s public schools, ranking 22nd in the country in terms of total state K-12 public school enrollment (NEA 2005). Researcher Tom Mortenson of Postsecondary Education Opportunity calculates a ninth-grade student’s â€Å"chance for college† by age 19 in each state and nationwide by combining high school graduation rates with rates of student college-going. In Colorado in 2004, a ninth-grader had a 42.2% chance for college by age 19. Nationwide, the chance for college is just 38.1% Colorado ranks 15th on this indicator. Of the peer states used in this report, only Minnesota ranks higher, with a chance for college of 54.6% (Mortenson, 2006).In 2002, 57.3% of high school graduates in Colorado continued directly on to post-secondary education. This is slightly higher than the national average of 56.6%. In a study conducted for the Department of Local Affairs, researchers convened directors of Colorado’s regional Workforce Investment Boards. These officials reported difficulty finding qualified applicants for both entry-level and skilled positions, and concerns about a lack of basic skills in the workforce (Blansett and Gershwin, 2005). According to the conclusion of Learning Together: Assessing Colorado’s K-12 Education System conducted by Center for Education Policy Analysis at the Graduate School of Public Affairs and University of Colorado at Denver And Health Sciences Center, Colorado could and should be doing better in educating K-12 students. Notably, t heir state’s struggles with educating traditionally at-risk students has resulted in student achievement and high school graduation gaps that are among the largest in the country. If they were to make substantial progress on closing these gaps, their achievement statistics would quickly rise to the top. Many of their peer states face greater challenges than they do in terms of state-wide poverty and diverse student populations, yet they have managed to find greater success with closing gaps. Until Colorado finds the collective will, the leadership, and the resources to solve this problem, they will continue to be average when they could be outstanding. Local Studies The 1987 Philippine Constitution puts special premium on education and accords it with the highest budgetary priority. Article XIV, Section 1, in particular, explicitly provides: â€Å"The State shall protect and promote the right of all citizens to quality education at all levels.† Article XIV, Section 5(5) clearly mandates the State to â€Å"assign the highest budgetary priority for education.† However, despite these constitutional guarantees, current performance indicators showed a dismal picture of the quality of education in the country. Participation rates have worsened; dropout rates remain high and the Philippines continue to perform poorly in both national and international assessment tests (Policy Brief, 2011). As a response to this issue, the DepEd is pushing for the passage of a law that will implement the so-called K to 12 program, which will institutionalize pre-school and add two more years of high school in the country’s basic education cycle. However, in light of the tight fiscal situation and the mounting demands coming from all other sectors, the increasing cost of living and the additional burden that this measure will entail particularly for households, it is important to determine whether K to 12 is a viable and critical program that needs to be pursued (Ibid, 2011). Philippine Business for Education (PBEd), a group of top businessmen who are pushing for education reforms, welcomed government’s strong resolve to finally put in place a decades-old proposal for a K+12 basic education cycle. â€Å"The K+12 gives to the masses the extra years of schooling that for many years has only been available in private elite education institutions. Studies have shown that every additional year of schooling improves the income potential of a student as she/he enters the world of work† (Malipot, 2010). The government wants to improve the quality of education not only for private education institutions but also for the public education institutions in the Philippines and as a result of that, the country will have higher employment rate. However, the problem that can arise from the implementation of K+12 education system is the acceptance of the parents. It has long been a popular notion that any attempt to lengthen the required number of years in basic education will be faced with a howl of protests, particularly from parents who will bear the brunt of additional expenses and students who will have to spend more years in school (Educator Magazine, 2011). The government is trying different strategies on how the parents will have awareness and knowledge on the K+12 Education Program. â€Å"[Former DepEd Secretary] Br. Andrew Gonzalez used to say, ‘I’m really searching to actively engage them towards a consensus because it would be pointless to come up with a program that is good objectively but is not acceptable to people. There should be political will, but it’s not like we ram things down people’s throats. You have to win them over, you have to explain-that’s a very long process† (Ibid, 2011). Luistro qualifies. â€Å"So I always feel it’s important that we engage people. I think itâ €™s a matter of explaining to them, but also engaging them because I’m gotten some very good inputs and suggestions from people. So I think our task is to respond to their concerns and anxieties† (Ibid, 2011). After two months of regional consultations, Education Secretary Armin Luistro revealed that the proposal was able to get support from 1,274 out of 1,417 participants or 77 percent in the 17 regions. Among the stakeholders, DepEd found that the most supportive group is the students. The program got 100 percent support from Regions IVA, IVB, V, VII, VIII, XI, and XIII (Caraga).But Luistro admitted that there are still many sentiments against it. Stakeholders in Region IX, for example, presented a lot of concerns and reservations. Out of 45 attendees, only six or 13 percent showed support to the program. In the NCR, the K+12 Education program was able to get support from 67 out of the 94 participants or a grade of 71 percent (Malipot, 2011). CHAPTER 3 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY This chapter presents the research design, sample and sampling technique, instrumentation and statistical treatment of the data used in the development of this study; the most convenient and precise methods were used that enabled the researchers to obtained functional information. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHOD For this study â€Å"A Study on the Level of Awareness, Knowledge and the Attitudes of the parents of Pedro E. Diaz High School on the k+12 Program of the Department of Education†, the researchers used Quantitative approach. In Quantitative research, the process is formal, objective and systematic in which numerical data are utilized to obtain information about the world. Moreover, this study is descriptive in the manner of interpreting the data. As pointed by John W. Best, in descriptive research, the variables and procedure are described as accurately and completely as possible so that the study can be replicated by other research. Thus, the researchers used the Quantitative Descriptive Approach and Design since it lent itself to the identification of the actual conditions relative to the K+12 curriculum and the relationship of the respondents with the recurring situation. The research method used in this study was Survey Questionnaire Method. Survey Questionnaire method ac cording to Cruz et.al. (2011) is a set of questions, which is intended for the problem to be answered by the respondents. This is usually accompanied by clear and concise directions, which are sent to the respondent by mail or hand carried. This method is relatively simple and inexpensive for it requires small staff to handle it. A standard set of questions can be prepared and the respondents may feel a greater sense of freedom to express views and opinions because their identities are not known. For this study the parents of Pedro E. Diaz an answer the questionnaire with privacy at their own convenience. Sample and Sampling Technique For this study, the group used probability technique specifically the random sampling in deriving or in determining the sample of this study. In random sampling, this is done by getting a certain percentage of the population to be included in the study. In this research 25 % of the total population is used. In relation to this study, the parents of Grade 7 students, randomly selected, from Pedro E. Diaz High School were the Study sample. Research Instrumentation The instrument that was used in this study to gather pertinent data needed in this study is survey questionnaire. The survey questionnaire was developed by the researcher anchored with the research objectives. The items were organized based on the Level of Awareness, Knowledge and the Attitudes of the parents of Pedro E. Diaz High School on the k+12 Program. The survey questionnaire consists of the following: Demographic Profile, Respondent’s Socio-Economic Profile, Level of respondent’s Awareness on k+12, Respondent’s Knowledge on K+12 and Attitude(s) of Respondent on K+12. Data Gathering Procedure The researchers asked permission to administer the questionnaire checklist from the school authorities concerned which included the Principal of Pedro E. Diaz High School. After the approval of the authorities concerned, the researchers distributed personally the questionnaire to 50 parents on July 2012. The questionnaire checklists were therefore administered to all 50 parents. The retrieval of the instrument was through one week after the questionnaires have been distributed. With the fully cooperation extended to the researchers by the teachers the 100% of the distributed instrument was retrieved. Statistical Treatment of Data The researchers used the random sampling technique to the get respondents. The 25 % of the population is used, thus: Population = 200 parents Population x 25 % = 50 respondents The data was obtained was tallied and tabulated. Tables and figures were used to illustrate the data gathered for presentation, interpretation and analysis. All data obtained from the responses to the questionnaire-checklist were collected and tabulated after which they are statistically treated using this percentage and weighted are on rank order. Chapter 4 PRESENTATION, ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION OF DATA This chapter shows analyzed and interpreted tables of the information gathered. 1. Demographic Profile Table 1.1 Age (Class)| Frequency| Percentage| 29-32| 2| 4%| 33-36| 7| 14%| 37-40| 5| 10%| 41-44| 12| 24%| 45-48| 12| 24%| 49-52| 9| 18%| 53-56| 1| 2%| 57-61| 2| 4%| | Total=50| Total:100%| The respondents’ percentage of ages 41 to 44 is 24 %, same with ages 45 to 48. The least percentage is 4 % which falls on the respondents aging 57 – 61. Table 1.2 Gender| Frequency| Percentage| Female| 42| 84%| Male| 8| 16%| | Total=50| Total:100%| There are 42 females which is 84 % of the respondents, wherein there are 8 males which is 16 % of the respondents. Table 1.3 Civil Status| Frequency| Percentage| Separated| 3| 6%| Widowed| 2| 4%| Married| 44| 88%| Single| 1| 8%| | Total=50| Total:100%| The 88 % of the population is married. The least percentage is 8 % which belongs to single respondents. Table 1.4 Respondent’s Educational Background| Frequency| Percentage| Elementary Graduate| 3| 6%| High School Graduate| 32| 64%| College Graduate| 12| 24%| Others: (College Undergraduate)| 3| 6%| | Total=50| Total:100%| The table shows the educational background of the respondents. 64 % of the respondents graduated from High School, 6 % is Elementary graduate same with College Graduate. 2. Respondent’s Socio-Economic Profile Table 2.1 Respondent’s Monthly Income| Frequency| Percentage| 5,000- 10,000| 30| 60%| 10,001-15,000| 11| 22%| 15,001-20,000| 3| 6%| 20,001-25,000| 6| 12%| | Total=50| Total:100%| The table shows the respondents’ monthly income. The 60 % of the respondents have an income ranging from 5,000 to10, 000. The 22 % has an income ranging from 10,001 to 15, 000. The least 6 % has an income ranging from 20,001 to 25,000. Table 2.2 Respondent’s Source of Income| Frequency| Percentage| Employment| 41| 82%| Own Business| 9| 18%| | Total=50| Total:100%| The table shows the respondents’ sources of income. The 82 % of the respondents are employed privately while the 18 % of the respondents have their own business. 3. Level of respondent’s Awareness on k+12 Table 3.1 Respondent’s Awareness| Frequency| Percentage| Yes| 38| 76%| No| 12| 24%| | Total=50| Total:100%| The table shows the level of awareness of the respondents. The 76 % of the respondents are aware of the K+12 Program while 24 % of the respondents do not know exactly the program. If Yes, Table 3.2 In Media| Frequency| Percentage| Radio| 8| 21.67%| Newspaper| 9| 24.17%| TV| 13| 33.33%| Internet| 4| 10.83%| Others:| 4| 10.83%| | Total=38 | Total:100%| The table shows where the aware respondents acquired the information. 33.33 % of the respondents get the information from television; 24.17 % get the information from newspaper; 21.67 % from radio; 10.83 % from internet and 10.83% get the information from other ways. Table 3.3 Awareness of Respondent’s on Additional 2 years in Basic Education| Frequency| Percentage| Yes| 39| 78%| No| 11| 22%| | Total=50| Total:100%| The table shows the awareness of respondents on the additional 2 years in the basic education. The 78 % of the respondents are aware of the additional years while 22 % of the respondents are not aware of the additional years. Table 3.4 Awareness of Respondent’s on Required Kindergarten on Education | Frequency| Percentage| Yes| 40| 80%| No| 10| 20%| | Total=50| Total:100%| The table shows the awareness of the respondents on required kindergarten on the education. The 80 % of the respondents are aware of the required kindergarten while 20 % of the respondents are not. 4. Respondent’s Knowledge on K+12 Table 4.1 Respondent’s Knowledge on Required Junior and Senior High School before Entering College| Frequency| Percentage| Yes| 32| 64%| No| 18| 36%| | Total=50| Total:100%| The table shows the respondents’ knowledge on required Junior and Senior High School before entering college. The 64 % of the respondents know about the required years while 36 % of the respondents do not. If yes, Table 4.2 Respondent’s Knowledge on technical and minor course in Senior High School| Frequency| Percentage| Yes| 26| 81.25| No| 6| 18.75| | Total=32| Total:100%| The table shows the respondents’ knowledge on technical and minor courses in Senior High School. The 81.25 % of the respondents know about the courses while 18.75 % of the respondents do not. 5. Attitude(s) of Respondent on K+12 Table 5.1 Respondent’s Attitude on K+12| Frequency| Percentage| Yes | 35| 70%| No| 15| 30%| | Total=50| Total:100%| The table shows the respondents’ attitude on K+12 Program. The 70 % of the respondents agreed on the Program while 30 % of the respondents do not. Table 5.2 Degree of Favorableness| Frequency| Percentage| Strongly Agree| 7| 14%| Agree| 26| 52%| Neutral| 17| 34%| | Total=50| Total:100%| The table shows the degree of favourableness of the respondents who agreed on the K+12 Program. The 52 % of the respondents agree on the said program while 14 % f the respondents strongly agreed and 17 % of the respondents are neutral. CHAPTER 5 CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS This chapter shows the conclusions and recommendations of the researchers. Conclusions After doing the survey to the selected respondents, the researchers arrived at the following conclusions: 1. Most of the respondents are aware of the K+12 Program regardless of their educational background. 2. The main source of the information to the program is through television and many from the respondents are aware of the additional 2 years to the basic education curriculum. 3. Most of the family of the respondents is having an income that is not enough to sustain and support the additional years for education. Recommendations: The researchers recommended the following: 1. The respondents for the future researches should be more than on this previous study. 2. The respondents must be categorized properly to get a reliable information from Filipino families. 3. The survey should be improved in scope and in reliability. 4. A longer duration of study is commended to achieve more accurate results. BIBLIOGRAPHY Athman, J., Monroe, M. (2000). Elements of effective environmental education programs. Retrieved July 27, 2012 from Recreational Boating Fishing Foundation: http://www.rbff.org/educational/reports.cfm Blansett, S.P. and M.C. Gershwin. (2005). â€Å"Developing a Statewide Work Readiness Credential in Colorado: A Preliminary Assessment.† Report to the Colorado Workforce Development Council. Denver CO: Colorado Department of Local Affairs. Center for Education Policy Analysis, Graduate School of Public Affairs,University of Colorado at Denver and Health Sciences Center. (2006). Learning Together: Assessing Colorado’s K-12 Education System. Denver CO: Colorado Department of Local Affairs. Colinares, Nilo E. (2010). 21st Century trends, issues and challenges in Philippine Education keynote speeches/public policy statements/opinionated pronouncements by CHED.Philippines. Dunlap, R., Van Liere, K., Mertig, A., Jones, R. (2000). Measuring endorsement of the new ecological paradigm: a revised NEP scale. Journal of Social Issues, 56, 425-442. Hausbeck, K., Milbrath, L., Enright, S. (1992). Environmental knowledge, awareness and concern among 11th grade students: New York state. The Journal of Environmental Education, 24, 27-34. Hernandez, O., Monroe, M. (2000). Thinking about behavior. In B. Day M. Monroe (Eds.), Environmental education communication for a sustainable world. Handbook for international practitioners. (pp. 17-22).Washington, DC: Academy for Educational Development. Cruz, I. (2010). Education Reform in the Philippines. Century trends, issues and challenges in Philippine Education keynote speeches/public policy stateme nts/opinionated pronouncements by CHED. Madsen, P. (1996). What can universities and professional schools do to save the environment? In J. B. Callicott and F. J. da Rocha (Eds.), Earth Summit Ethics: toward a reconstructive postmodern philosophy of environmental education. (pp. 71-91). NY: Albany State University of New York Press. Malipot, I. (2010). K+12 Program Supported, Manila Bulletin. (pp.8) Malipot, I. (2010). Are you ready for K+12, Manila Bulletin. (pp.8) Monroe, M., Day, B., Grieser, M. (2000). GreenCOM weaves four strands. In B. Day M. Monroe (Eds.), Environmental education communication for a sustainable world. Handbook for international practitioners. (pp. 3-6).Washington, DC: Academy for Educational Development. Morrone, M., Mancl, K., Carr, K. (2001). Development of a metric to test group differences in ecological knowledge as one component of environmental literacy. The Journal of Environmental Education, 32, 33-42. Mortenson, T. (2006). â€Å"Chance for College by Age 19 by State, 2004.† Postsecondary Education Opportunity, no. 169. Oskaloosa, IA: The Mortenson Research Seminar on Public Policy Analysis of Opportunity for Postsecondary Education. National Education Association. (2005). â€Å"Rankings and Estimates: Rankings of the States 2004 and Estimates of School Statistics 2005.† Washington DC: Author. NEETF (1998). The national report card on environmental knowledge, attitudes and behaviors: the seventh annual survey of adult Americans. National Environmental Education and Training Foundation. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED433214) Ontario Ministry of Education. (2010). Parents in partnership: A parent engagement policy for Ontario schools (draft).Toronto: Author. Orr, D. (1992). Ecological literacy. Education and the transition to a postmodern world. Albany, NY: State University of New York Press. Palmer, J. (1998). Environmental education in the 21st century: theory, practice, progress and promise. New York: Routledge. Rovira, M. (2000). Evaluating environmental education programs: some issues and problems. Environmental Education Research, 6, 143-155. Senate Economic Planning Office. (2001). K to 12: The Key to Quality Education?. Philippines: SEPO Policy Brief. Teves, G., Nilo, A. Valarao,C. (2011). K+12 in Focus. Educator Magazine. (pp. 8-25)