Medical Ethics Abortion Essay

Most moral issues in medicine and healthcare will instigate lively debate, but no subject seems to inflame tempers more than the question of abortion. The gulf between pro-life and pro-choice can be an uncompromising stance of deeply held beliefs and principles. On the one hand, there is the claim that the foetus is a human being with the same right to life as any other human being, and abortion is therefore nothing less than murder. On the other hand, it is argued that a woman has a right to choose what happens within her own body, and is therefore justified in deciding to have her foetus removed if she so wishes. Even a liberal view is problematic; these tend to take the view that it is permissible for an abortion to take place before a certain stage in the foetuses development, but not beyond that given point. Such an arbitrary perspective does seem difficult to quantify; how can anyone determine the criteria that would navigate a decision that finds termination acceptable today but morally reprehensible tomorrow? It is sometimes argued that the foetus reaches personhood well before birth. â€Å"By the tenth week, for example, it already has a face, arms and legs, fingers and toes; it has internal organs, and brain activity is detectable.†[1] But does this undermine a woman’s right to self determination—can it still be reasonable for her to choose abortion, given its level of development? We shall explore this question; not from the perspective of whether the foetus is human, but from the premise â€Å"that the woman’s rights over her body are more important than the life of the person or part person in her womb.†[2] A Woman’s Right to Self-Defence Judith Jarvis Thomson presents the following hypothesis:[3] a woman becomes pregnant and then learns that she has a cardiac condition that will cause her death if the pregnancy continues. Let us grant the foetus personhood, with a right to life. Obviously the mother too has a right to life, so how can we decide who’s right to life is greater? A way of answering this question could be to say that an abortion is an act of aggression with the sole intention to kill. Whereas to do nothing would not be an attempt by anyone to murder the mother, rather to just let her die. The passivity of the latter could be seen as morally preferable than directly killing an innocent person. Thomson argues that â€Å"It cannot seriously be said that†¦she must sit passively by and wait for her death.†[4] There are two people involved, both are innocent, but one is endangering the life of the other. Thomson believes that in this scenario a woman is entitled to defend herself against the threat posed by the unborn baby, even if ultimately this will cause its death. I feel Thomson is correct in her appraisal. If an impartial judgement was sought by an individual as to whose life has greater worth; the foetus or the woman, they might not feel able to choose—both lives could be seen to hold equal value. But there is nothing objective about the woman’s situation—her life is endangered. If a person threatens my life—even if they are not conscious of their actions—I have a right to kill them, if that is the only course of action I can take to repel the attack. The scenario becomes less clear when we consider if a woman holds the same right to defend herself if the continuation of her pregnancy causes her serious health problems that are not terminal. Again, I would assess the situation in terms of an attack. Do I have a right to kill an assailant if he attempts to wound me? The answer, I think, is dependent upon degree—the injury that would be inflicted. It seems reasonable that the degree of retaliation should be proportional to the severity of the attack. Similarly, a woman has the right to terminate her pregnancy if its continuation instigates a degree of illness that is severe enough to warrant that decision. The problem then is quantifying such comparatives. It might seem reasonable to nominate the woman involved as the person best qualified to make that decision, but shouldn’t such judgments emanate from an objective source? After all, should I be able to ‘take the law into my own hands’ and choose whatever reprisal I thought necessary against my attacker? A Woman’s Right to Ownership A woman holds ownership of her own body; therefore she may abort her foetus if that is what she chooses â€Å"it is in a very real sense her own—to dispose of as she wishes.†[5] Professor Thomson analogises: it is not that the woman and foetus are like two tenants occupying a small house that has been mistakenly rented to both of them—the mother owns the house.[6] But not all claims of ownership hold an automatic right to dispose of their property. John Harris gives an example[7] suppose I own a life-saving drug, and have nothing planned for its use other than placing it on my shelf. If I meet a person who was dependent on that drug otherwise they will die, I would not be morally entitled to withhold the drug—it would be wrong of me to exercise that right. What Harris is expressing is that a woman may have the right to do what she wishes to her own body, but it would be wrong of her to exercise that right. The question then is; does the value of ownership of your body take precedence over the value of the foetus? Property is sometimes commandeered during war, and this action is usually justified because national security is thought to take priority over an individual’s right to ownership.[8] Another compelling, and I think decisive, argument comes from Mary Anne Warren. She states that ownership does not give me a right to kill an innocent person on my property, furthermore, it is also immoral to banish a person from my property; if by doing so they will undoubtedly perish.[9] If one does not accept that a foetus is a human being, then the woman may have it removed from her body, similarly to having a kidney stone taken out. But if the foetus is believed to be a person, then I do not think any argument of ownership can hold up against the soundness of the given examples. A Foetuses Right to its Mothers Body Can a woman’s right to choose abortion take priority over the foetuses right to life? Professor Thomson argues that â€Å"†¦a right to life does not guarantee having either a right to be given the use of or a right to be allowed continued use of another person’s body—even if one needs it for life.†[10] Thomson goes on to give an example[11], that if she was terminally ill, and the only thing that would save her life was the touch of Henry Fonda’s cool hand on her fevered brow, she would have no right to expect him to travel to her side and assist her in this way. No doubt, Thomson adds; that it would be frightfully nice of him, but she holds no right against him that he should do so. An obvious criticism is to argue that a woman has a special responsibility to her foetus, simply because she is its mother—a responsibility that ‘Henry Fonda’ does not owe, so the analogy, is rendered useless. But Thomson postulates that â€Å"we do not have any such ‘special responsibility’ for a person unless we have assumed it, explicitly or implicitly.†[12] Thomson therefore argues that if a pregnancy is unwanted, and the woman holds no emotional bond to the foetus, there is no attachment and so no responsibility. A possible dispute to Thomson’s idea is to suggest that the ‘special responsibility’ is bonded through genes rather then emotion. If a child is born and the mother abandons it, her culpability is held through their ‘mother and baby relationship’ rather then what the mother ‘thinks’ of her baby. Another argument that can give claim by the foetus to its mother’s body is one of contract.[13] It could be said that by voluntarily engaging in sexual intercourse a woman—even if using contraception—risks the chance of pregnancy. By understanding the possible consequences of her actions, she must be seen as responsible for the existence of the foetus, because no method of contraception is known to be infallible. Since the woman is accountable for bringing the foetus into the world (albeit in her womb) she assumes an obligation to continue to provide nourishment for its survival. Michael Tooley offers an example that he believes analogises this argument[14] there is a pleasurable act that I practice. But by engaging in it, it can have the unfortunate risk of destroying someone’s food supply. This will not cause the person any problem, as long as I continue to make such provisions, even though it causes me immense trouble and expense. Tooley says that he arranges things so that the probability of the ‘pleasurable act’ having such an effect is as small as possible (contraception). But he says that if things do go wrong, he is still responsible for the person needing food, and therefore obligated to supplying the food needed. Tooley believes that once we engage in an activity that can potentially create a child, then we assume responsibility for its needs, even if bringing that child into existence was accidental and precautions were taken to prevent that outcome. Professor Thomson offers her own powerful analogy in contrast to the above view: If the room is stuffy, and I therefore open a window to air it, and a burglar climbs in, it would be absurd to say, â€Å"Ah, now he can stay, she’s given him a right to the use of her house—for she is partially responsible for his presence there, having voluntarily done what enabled him to get in, in full knowledge that there are such things as burglars, and that burglars burgle.† It would be still more absurd to say this if I had had bars installed outside my windows, precisely to prevent burglars from getting in, and a burglar got in only because of a defect in the bars.[15] Abortion, Due to Rape As already stated, most views against abortion base their position from the value they place on the foetuses life. Even so, in the case where pregnancy had occurred through rape, most opponents of abortion would believe that there would be sufficient justification for termination. Obviously, there is something paradoxical about this—if the foetus is valuable because it is human, it is obviously no less human because its mother had been raped. So how can some opponents of abortion hold such contradictory ideas? Janet Radcliffe Richards’ explains that when a woman is forced to continue pregnancy until childbirth, â€Å"†¦the child is being used as an instrument of punishment to the mother, and that talk of the sanctity of life is being used to disguise the fact.†[16] The only thing that a woman that wants to abort for reasons of accidental pregnancy has done differently, is to of engaged willingly to sex—and that is what she is being punished for.[17] Richards’ offers an interesting approach to the apparent inconsistency stated, although I don’t find its supposition altogether convincing. I think the ‘double-standards’ described, portray an individual that holds only a relative opinion to the value of life that is held by the foetus. That is, the foetus is human, with rights, but not as human and not as much rights as an adult human being. And this is how I feel critics of abortion consider priority to women in rape cases. A Father’s Right To what degree, if any, does the father’s opinion count on whether his unborn child should die at the hands of the mother? After all, the foetus is very much a part of him—sharing his genetic make-up. It is noted by John Harris[18] that a man is not entitled to violate a woman for the purpose of impregnating her—that is rape—so then it follows that he must not violate her by forcing his wishes for a pregnancy to continue until birth. The counter argument is that by agreeing to sex, a woman has tacitly agreed to carry the man’s child. Ultimately the woman’s opinion must take priority over the man’s—because she has to carry the foetus, but, once a foetus is formed, one can have a degree of sympathy for the man’s situation. If copulation had taken place for the purpose of impregnation, then why should the man suffer a feeling of loss just because his partner changes her mind? Where contraception is used, his argument may be weakened—they did not intend parenthood. But if both were planning for a baby, is it fare that once that child exists, the mother can take it away from its father, even though he has done no wrong? A Right to Death If a pregnancy is terminated during its early stages, the foetus will undoubtedly die. But if an abortion takes place later in pregnancy, and by some miracle survives, the mother has no â€Å"right to secure the death of the unborn child.†[19] If the baby was still unwanted, the â€Å"woman may be utterly devastated by the thought of a child, a bit of herself, put out for adoption and never seen or heard of again†[20] but she can only demand her separation from it; she may not order its execution. I guess there would be few opponents to this assertion; but it is interesting to understand why. If a person accepts the permissibility of abortion, how is it so different to kill a child that survives its attempted termination? Presumably the foetus has acquired rights that it didn’t hold inside the womb, or perhaps the woman loses her rights during that transition. It seems strange that location should alter the foetuses perspective so drastically—after all, it is the same being. It could be argued that it is independence that qualifies the foetus for its right to live. When it no longer needs its mother for survival, and is not ‘reliant’ upon her in any way, she loses the right to decide its fate. Professor Thomson’s explanation is somewhat different; she too agrees that there is no justification for a woman to order the death of a foetus that lives following an abortion, but her reasoning is not dependent upon any acquisition or loss of rights. Thomson argues that a termination is just the right for a woman to detach the foetus from her body. This is not an act of murder (even though its death is inevitable during its infancy) but an entitlement to liberation, whatever its outcome.[21] Professor Thomson presents an account that would be reasonable if the act of abortion was purely an attempt of separation. But in fact the procedure used is an attempt, not only to detach and remove the foetus, but to kill it.[22] If the abortionist fails in this task, then Thomson allows the baby a right to live. But as the method of termination is designed for the foetus to die, I believe it renders Thomson’s point unsound. Conclusion Professor Thomson concedes that â€Å"It would be indecent in the woman to request an abortion, and indecent in a doctor to perform it, if she is in her seventh month, and wants the abortion just to avoid the nuisance of postponing a trip abroad.†[23] So, even staunch defendants of feminist ethics feel compelled to consider the foetuses interests once its development reaches a mature stage. It could be argued that the foetus has become a baby, and abortion is therefore tantamount to infanticide. I believe that anyone can exercise their right to self-defence if their life is threatened, and a woman can use her prerogative against the unborn baby at any stage of its development without recrimination. However, I feel that a woman’s right to expel her foetus for any other reason has only relative justification. Relative: because a woman’s rights to abort become less valid as the foetus develops. There is, in my opinion, a necessary correlation between foetal development and a woman’s right to termination. A woman may exercise her choice without compromise during early pregnancy, because the foetus is nothing more then potential, but justification becomes less palatable as potential becomes actualised. Can a woman really hold the same rights to ‘choose what happens within her own body’ when the foetus is twenty five weeks old, as she did when it was ten weeks old? As previously mentioned, arbitrarily choosing a point in the foetuses life and exclaiming ‘before this point the thing is not a person, after this point it is a person,’ does appear contrived. But its comparison with ‘before this point a woman can choose, after this point she can’t; does seem vindicated against less satisfactory views. The purpose of this essay was to assess a case for abortion that was not dependent on the foetuses right to life, but instead to appreciate a woman’s right to choose. I don’t believe that either position can be considered without respecting the rights of the other. Therefore, in my opinion; a woman holds considerable rights; but they are only relative to the foetuses level of development. BIBLIOGRAPHY Dwyer, Susan, The Problem of Abortion. London: Wadsworth Publishing Company, 1997 Glover, Jonathan, Causing Death and Saving Lives. London: Penguin Books, 1997 Harris, John, The Value of Life. London: Routledge, 1985 Info on Abortion â€Å"Abortion†, Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopaedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abortion#Other_means_of_ abortion Richards, Janet, The Sceptical Feminist. Harmondsworth: Pelican, 1982 Sherwin, Susan, No Longer Patient. Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 1992 Thomson, Judith, â€Å"A Defence of Abortion†, Philosophy and Public Affairs, Vol. 1, No. 1, 1971: pp. 47-66 Tooley, Michael, Abortion and Infanticide. London: Oxford University Press, 1983 Warren, Marry Anne, â€Å"On the Moral and Legal Status of Abortion†, The Monist, 1973

The Effects of Modern Technology on the Study Habits of Students

The Effects of Modern Technology on the Study Habits of Students By Jon Ireland, eHow Contributor With advances in technology, student study habits have dramatically changed. It's affected the way classes are taught, students learn theories and the way information is presented. Gone are the days of slaving over books in the library and scribbling down notes on paper. Resources †¢The Internet allows students to access virtually all information that is publicly available from the comfort of their homes. There is no need to travel or even go to a library.Books are scanned in to the Internet, museums have work available online, and academic journals can also be sourced. Speed †¢Students can now gain access to information in far quicker ways. Once a resource has been found they can quickly search the entire document by typing in a key word, rather than having to look in a book's index. Mathematical calculations can also be performed on special programs, while graphs can be plott ed instantly. †¢Sponsored Links oEducation Research Read & research full-text articles from this journal and many more. www. Questia. com/EducationSharing †¢Information can now be shared between staff and students in far more efficient ways. Schools can set up online portals where students can download necessary files, or alternatively send them by email. Students can then print them out as required. The role of professors has changed; they are no longer the dispensers of information but instead facilitate learning by providing guidelines and recommended resources. Typing †¢Students are increasingly choosing to type notes rather than write them. Laptops are portable, inexpensive and have good battery life.Even math formulas can be typed using certain programs. PowerPoint can be used to present information, avoiding the need to change overhead projector sheets. Flexibility †¢Studying has become far more flexible, meaning students can choose to learn and present in formation in their own ways. Those who prefer visual learning can choose to watch documentaries available on the Internet, while others can download books to read. Disruption †¢Although it's easier to access more information, it's also easier to become distracted from work when using technology; a theory known as DAD (divided attention disorder).With the temptation to check your bank balance, speak to someone online or download a song available at the click of a button; getting on with an essay or doing some important reading can be difficult. Read more: The Effects of Modern Technology on the Study Habits of Students | eHow. com http://www. ehow. com/info_7922962_effects-technology-study-habits-students. html#ixzz2R5dBhRa7 http://www. ehow. com/info_7922962_effects-technology-study-habits-students. html

Ohmmeter

Resistance Measurement ENE 240 Electrical and Electronic Measurement (2/2008) Class 8, January 14, 2009 Werapon Chiracharit, Ph. D. , ENE, KMUTT werapon. [email  protected] ac. th 1 Analogue Ohmmeter †¢ Permanent-magnet moving-coil (Galvanometer, ? ? I ) with a total resistance Rg †¢ Series type ohmmeter with battery E †¢ Resistance R to be measured †¢ Rz to be zero-ohm-adjusted Rz R E + – Rg 2 1 Zero-Ohm Adjustment †¢ Short circuit at the terminals 0? Resistance reading is zero, R = 0 †¢ Adjust Rz for a full-scale current reading E = Ifsd (Rz + Rg) Ifsd = E / (Rz + Rg) †¢ E and Rg are constant †¢ Change Rz (change Ifsd) for multirange 3 Zero-Ohm Adjustment (Cont’d) †¢ for the series type ohmmeter E = I (R + Rz + Rg) I = E / (R + Rz + Rg) †¢ R increased, I decreased, ? decreased †¢ Relationship between I and R is non-linear, it means a non-linear resistance scale. †¢ Rz and Rg are small, then for high resista nces, the scale points are very close together! 4 2 Shunt Type Ohmmeter †¢ When R = ? (open circuit), R1 is adjusted for a full-scale reading. E = Ifsd (R1 + Rg) Ifsd = E / (R1 + Rg) R1 R Ig IR Rg E 5 I Shunt Type Ohmmeter (Cont’d) †¢ When R is connected, the current passing through the meter is reduced by shunt resistor. 1/Rparallel = 1/R + 1/Rg Rparallel = RRg / (R + Rg) and E = I (R1 + Rparallel) = I (R1 + RRg/(R + Rg)) = I (R1R + R1Rg + RRg) / (R + Rg) = I (R1Rg + R(R1 + Rg)) / (R + Rg) 6 3 Shunt Type Ohmmeter (Cont’d) †¢ The current I is divided into 2 parts. IgRg = IRR Ig = I – IR = I – IgRg/R therefore Ig = E(R + Rg)/(R1Rg + R(R1 + Rg)) – IgRg/R Ig(1+Rg/R) = E(R + Rg)/(R1Rg + R(R1 + Rg)) Ig(R+Rg)/R = E(R + Rg)/(R1Rg + R(R1 + Rg)) Ig = ER / (R1Rg + R(R1 + Rg)) †¢ Meter reading depends on the value of R, though R is a low resistance. 7 Series Ohmmeter Shunt Ohmmeter 8 4 Bridge Method †¢ Bridge methods are used for measurement of resistance, capacitance, inductance, etc. †¢ e. g. the network will be balanced when the detector reading becomes zero. Component Being Measured Bridge Network Detector 9 Wheatstone Bridge †¢ DC supply, Vs †¢ Output voltage, Vo B R1 I1 A I2 R3 D + Vs – R4 10 R2 Vo C 5 Wheatstone Bridge (Cont’d) †¢ When Vo = 0, the potential at B must equal to the potential at D I1R1 = I2R3 I1R2 = I2R4 Hence I1R1 = I2R3 = (I1R2/R4) R3 R1/R2 = R3/R4 †¢ The balance condition is independent of Vs 11 Wheatstone Bridge (Cont’d) †¢ R2 and R4 are known-fixed resistances. †¢ R3 can be adjusted to give the zero potential difference condition. †¢ R1 is the input resistance to be measured. A R1 Adjust R3 B Vo = 0 G B D Wheatstone Bridge 12 6 Wheatstone Bridge (Cont’d) †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ Change in R1, change R3 Precision about 1 ? to 1 M? Accuracy is up to the known resistors. Sensitivity of the null detector Error comes from changes in resistances by changes in temperatures. 13 Wheatstone Bridge (Cont’d) †¢ If no galvanometer at the output, VAB = Vs R1/(R1+R2) VAD = Vs R3/(R3+R4) Thus, Vo = VAB – VAD Vo = Vs ( R1/(R1+R2) – R3/(R3+R4) ) †¢ The relationship between Vo and R1 is non-linear 14 7 Wheatstone Bridge (Cont’d) †¢ A change R1 to R1+? R1 gives a change Vo to Vo+? Vo Vo+? Vo=Vs((R1+? R1)/((R1+? R1)+R2) – R3/(R3+R4)) Then (Vo+? Vo)–Vo = Vs R1+? R1 – R3 R1+? R1+R2 R3+R4 –Vs R1 – R3 R1+R2 R3+R4 = Vs R1+? R1 – R1 R1+? R1+R2 R1+R2 15 Wheatstone Bridge (Cont’d) †¢ If small changes ? R1 >R3 and Rs1//R3 to Rs1 avoid the leakage effect †¢ Rs2 may affect the R3 R4 detector sensitivity 24 12 Bridge Compensation †¢ The resistance of long leads will be affected by changes in temperatures †¢ To avoid this, 3 leads are required to connect to the coils †¢ They are all the same length and resistance 25 Bridge Compensation (Cont’d) †¢ Any changes in lead resistance will affect all 3 leads equally and occur in 2 arms of bridge and will cancel out. 3 R1 1 2 R3 Vs Vo R4 26 R2 13

Membrane filtration (expriment) Lab Report Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Membrane filtration (expriment) - Lab Report Example As potable water is procured from surface sources such as rivers, streams and lakes, bacteriological examination is crucial to determine the safety of drinking water. Presence of Enterococcus faecalis, Escherichia coli, Enterobacter aerogens and Proteus mirabilis in water sample was estimated using membrane filtration followed by incubation of the membrane filter in appropriate growth media to examine the determine the presence of pathogenic micro-organism. The motive to perform this study was to determine the presence of unknown organism(s) present in the provided samples. The study encompasses classification of bacteria based on their bio-chemical reactions, pH levels and osmoregulation. Identification and classification of bacteria from the sample is pragmatic as presence of any pathogenic micro-organism could be deleterious to health. Identification of bacteria provides line of treatment. The three preliminary steps for the analysis procedure comprise principal isolation, stainin g and biochemical reactions as the samples may contain diverse microorganism belonging to different species. Hypothesis to be tested: (1) Fecal coliform count of surface water samples differ according to their location. (2) Fecal coliform count of surface water samples do not differ according to their location. Introduction Microbes are indispensible module of our environment. They are associated in a variety of ways with everything we use in our everyday lives (Fratamico, 2005). They are found to be associated with the food that we eat, the clothes we wear/make use of and water we drink/utilize. They may perhaps influence the quality of our lives and transmit numerous diseases (Fratamico, 2005). It is therefore essential to understand the microbes linked with the commodities used in everyday life. Water free from disease-producing microorganisms and chemical substances deleterious to health is called potable water. Water contaminated with either domestic or industrial wastes is cal led non-potable or polluted water. The objectives of primary concern in providing potable water are freedom from harmful microorganisms and from undesirable chemicals. Water appearing clean or free from peculiarities of odor and taste could be contaminated. In such conditions special procedures are required to determine its sanitary quality. Inspection of water sample involves the inspection of the source of raw water and the conditions that may influence its quality. Changes related to population, types of industry and the method of sewage disposal are imperative. Practically, periodic and comprehensive sanitary surveys are necessary. However, potability can be determined only by chemical and bacteriological laboratory tests (Pelczar, 1993). Pathogens that gain entry into the water body include protozoan such as Giardia and Cryptosporidium, bacteria such as Campylobacter, Salmonella and Shigella and virus associated with water contamination are Hepatitis A virus and Norwalk virus. However, water is tested for the fecal contamination. As coliforms are discharged through feces the water sample containing fecal matter comprises pathogenic organisms as well. Essentially water sources such as wells, reservoirs, and storage tanks are routinely tested for water safety (Case Study Exercise 29: Measure of Water Quality: Membrane Filtration Method). Lifestyle modifications and

Microeconomics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Microeconomics - Essay Example Another major barrier blocking a firm’s entry into a new market is the raising of sufficient capital to buy necessary products or technology. While this barrier is clearly industry specific, it can surface in terms of financing to buy the business itself, or in start-up costs that are necessary to purchase machines, technology, or patents that will permit full organizational operation. Another barrier is the nature of predatory pricing. This functions when the established firm is able to sell products for prices wherein they take a loss for a period of time as a means of putting the competing firm out of business. Another major barrier for entry in a market is the nature of exclusive relationships with suppliers. In these instance, the established firm is able to sign deals wherein the supplier is only able to sell products to the established firm; in-effect making it impossible for new firms to enter the market 2. The demand curve for a purely monopolistic firm differs from t he demand curve for competitive firm in significant ways (Krugman 2005). One of the important concepts to recognize in these regards is the nature of market power. Market power is understood as the ability of a business or firm to raise prices above the marginal cost level and still retain customers. In firms experiencing a purely competitive market environment, the market power is non-existent. In these situations, then, the demand curve for purely competitive firms is a horizontal line. This reflects the nature of market prices as static due to market conditions of pure competition that ensure the market prices don’t rise about the level of marginal costs. Conversely, the demand curve for a firm in a market experiencing pure monopoly is entirely different. In a purely monopolistic market the firm experiences no competition from outside firms. In these regards, the nature of the market is not based on supply and demand, but is constituted by the monopoly itself. In these sit uations, the firm has close to complete power; yet, the firm is still bounded by the price consumers are willing to pay for the product. In pure monopolistic situations, the demand curve is the exact equivalent of the price the firm establishes. This is because consumer demand will decrease with the increased price, yet it is entirely determined by this element, as there are no outside competitive factors. 3. When considering the nature of productive efficiencies and allocative efficiencies, it’s clear that there are a number of notable differences (‘Productive vs Allocative Efficiency’). In firms or markets that promote productive efficiency measures, the major goal is to produce goods or services for the lowest cost that is possible. In achieving optimal productive efficiency the firm is implementing all of its inputs and workforce to ultimate efficiency measures as a means of driving down product prices to the lowest possible level. Productive efficiency is di fferentiated from allocative efficiency. Allocative efficiency is concerned with the allocation of resources throughout society. Allocative efficiency recognizes that not all goods that are produced can be utilized by society, so that in overproducing goods can negatively affect efficiency levels. The primary difference between these types of efficiency then is the nature of the end goal; with

Job Satisfaction Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 22500 words

Job Satisfaction - Essay Example Employee satisfaction is the most important factor for the successful operation of companies nowadays. When the employees are satisfied, it improves the performance and productivity of the company and contributes towards the profitability. On the other hand, low job satisfaction has negative results such as increasing cost, decreasing profits and customer dissatisfaction. In order to be successful companies need to concentrate on increasing employee’s satisfaction so that employees’ retention rate can be increased. Past studies have shown that employees’ satisfaction can be increased by the following: †¢ a sense of engagement and decision-making responsibilities †¢ use of skill and abilities †¢ opportunities to advance †¢ opportunities to learn new skills †¢ positive communicative relationships with supervisors, and †¢ good pay and training. Job satisfaction has been defined by Locke as â€Å"the pleasurable or positive emotional state that results from an employee's job or experience associated with the job†. Moreover as discussed in, job satisfaction is â€Å"the fulfilment and gratification that comes from work†, it is not really the money or the benefits received but the positive feelings experienced from accomplishing tasks. Every job holds the potential to provide certain levels of satisfaction related to individual employees. Job satisfaction is an important factor especially in high risk environment like oil and gas in terms of the potential hazard towards the safety of an employee.

Accounting Theory Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 2

Accounting Theory - Essay Example Critical theorist says that disclosing social responsibility information could be a waste if not accompanied by major changes in how the society is structured. A critical perspective on accounting is focused on providing a medium for the increasing number of accounting practitioners and researchers who understands that the traditional practices and theories are not suitable for the problems arising in the current environment. Critical accounting research scrutinizes how individuals react to the different accounting disclosures. Critical perspective can be described as a research that focuses on the function of accounting in maintaining the advantaged positions of those in authority and undermining the authority of those with no capital. Critical perspective emphasizes on questioning whether certain approaches of accounting should be applied. Some accounting studies have actively advocated for the critical theory of accounting. The strongest known advocates have been Richard Laughlin and Jane Broadbent. In this theory, accounting is viewed as a social science as it demonstrates a more critically oriented method. Critical accounting theory a cknowledges the human aspect instead of claiming the intellectual status. Critical perspectives of accounting take a broad variety of stances from highly conventional to extremely radical with an aim of improving the accounting practices. This theory also makes the accountants understand more on social, economic and political impacts of their practice. A critical perspective of accounting is said to be cultural conscious and aware of the significance of the history. Languages are made in the societies, and the effect of culture is vital to understanding a language. With this understanding, there is a realization that societies are regulated by conventions and rules. Therefore, it is important to find out how individuals interpret conventions and rules (Broadbent &

My Ethical System and Its Justification Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

My Ethical System and Its Justification - Essay Example Divine command is a system where actions are made in accordance with those of a higher being, God, who is all-knowing. In this paper, I describe the ethical system which I ascribe to. Personal Ethical System My ethical system is one by which I live and use to decide which actions are moral or ‘good’. In my opinion, what is good is what allows my conscience to be clear and also what results in the greater overall good. My ethical system can be said to be an adaptation of the utilitarian and virtue ethics. The utilitarian ethical system attempts to maintain a balance between pleasure and pain, and in fact, rules that all actions should result in overall good (Rainbow, 2011). According to Rainbow, (2011), in case the moral consequences of alternative actions are not great, the utilitarian theory does not consider the choice a moral issue. While I ascribe to generally acting for good, the utilitarian theory sometimes does not help in distinguishing certain situations which i n themselves are wrong, but do result in good. An example is ‘robbing the rich, to help the poor’; an act which is morally wrong, because while the rich man may not be significantly affected by the crime, it offers enormous relief to the poor. My theory therefore differs from the utilitarian theory, in that, virtue ethics does cater for such occasions where the ‘right thing’ to do is a matter of great debate. Virtue ethics emphasize the building of personal character, without focus on external opinions (IEP, 2011). I therefore employ virtue ethics where my actions are based on what I feel is most in line with my disposition of what is right according to my assessment of the situation. In applying virtue ethics, one is encouraged to cultivate virtues resulting in the greater good of one’s soul and results in happiness. In this way, I view the combination of virtue ethics and utilitarianism as a comprehensive effort towards the happiness of humanity. J ustification of my ethical system My adaptation of utilitarianism and virtue ethics works very well and has assisted me in making many critical decisions. Utilitarianism considers what results in the greater good and then acts accordingly to promote this. Utilitarianism is most applicable in circumstances where the consequences of an action result in starkly different outcomes, where a decision has a significant impact on the individual and the society. However, it may be difficult to apply in circumstances where there is a thin line between right and wrong, and either action does not make a significant impact on the individual or the society. In such cases, utilitarianism may not regard such a decision as an ethical dilemma, which may be argued to propagate immorality as one may justify even a wrong action. These cases in daily living are very numerous, and use of utilitarianism alone may be insufficient. I therefore apply virtue ethics to be able to cover the loopholes which may b e present the utilitarian theory. Virtue ethics involves making decisions based on what brings about the greater development of the person (Annas, 2011). This means that any decisions made must also reinforce my personal disposition of what is right. My decisions should result in greater achievement of virtue and progression towards achieving individual thriving,

Ethics at work Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Ethics at work - Essay Example In respond to the welling of public anxiety, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) held three open meetings in different cities to importune community views and start the procedure of establishing an original narrow course for government support of GM foods . who attended the FDA gathering detained in Washington, D.C., and here I will effort to sum up the issues concerned and elucidate the U.S. Government's nearby position in adaptable GM food. The term GM foods or GMOs (genetically-modified organisms) is the majority usually used to pass on to crop plant life shaped for person or animal expenditure by the newest molecular biology techniques. These undergrowths have been customized in the laboratory to improve preferred character such as enlarged battle to herbicides or better dietetic contented. The enrichment of beloved behavior has usually been undertaken during proliferation, excluding conformist plant procreation methods can be very time overwhelming and are frequently not extremely precise. Genetic commerce, on the further hand, can generate plants with the precise preferred trait very speedily and with immense correctness. For example, place geneticists can cut off a genetic material liable for dearth lenience and place in that gene into a diverse plant. The latest genetically-modified plant will increase dearth easiness as well. Not only can genes be transferred from one plant to one more, but genes from non-plant organisms also can be used. The finest notorious instance of this is the employ of B.t. genes in corn and other crops. For two revealing overviews of several of the techniques concerned in creating GM foods. How did the US Company respond The Governments around the globe are solid at labor to establish a narrow procedure to check the belongings of and endorse latest varieties of GM plants. Yet depending on the political, social and economic atmosphere within a district or country, dissimilar governments are responding in diverse ways. In Japan, the Ministry of Health has proclaimed that healthiness testing of GM foods will be obligatory. At present, testing of GM foods is unpaid. Japanese supermarkets are donation equally GM foods and original foods, and clientele are opening to explain a burly favorite for original fruits and vegetables (Turner L 2004,947-948). India's government has not yet proclaimed a strategy on GM foods since no GM crops are mature in India and no harvest are commercially obtainable in supermarkets yet. India is, though, extremely helpful of transgenic plant study. It is exceedingly probable that India will choose that the reimbursement of GM foods overshadow the risks since Indian farming will require approve radical latest events to thwart the country's prevalent poverty and nourish its explosion inhabitants. Various states in Brazil have barred GM crops completely, and its farmers, though, have resorted to smuggling GM soybean seeds into the country since they dread financial damage if

Learning Theories Essay Example for Free

Learning Theories Essay Lev Vygotsky, born in the U. S. S. R. in 1896, is responsible for the social development theory of learning. He proposed that social interaction profoundly influences cognitive development. Vygotsky’s key point is his belief that biological and cultural development do not occur in isolation. Vygotsky approached development differently from Piaget. Piaget believed that cognitive development consists of four main periods of cognitive growth: sensory motor, preoperational, concrete operations, and formal operations. Piaget’s theory suggests that development has an endpoint in goal. Vygotsky, in contrast, believed that development is a process that should be analyzed, instead of a product to be obtained. Marcy P. Driscoll stated (as cited in Riddle, 1999) that â€Å"Vygotsky believes the development process that begins at birth and continues until death is too complex to be defined by stages†. The major theme of Vygotsky’s theoretical framework is that social interaction plays a fundamental role in the development of cognition. Vygoysky states: â€Å"Every function in the child’s cultural development appears twice: first, on the social level, and later, on the individual level; first between people (interpsychological) and then inside the child (intrapsychological) (Funderstanding, 2001). This applies equally to voluntary attention, to logical memory, and to formation of concepts. All the higher functions originate as actual relationships between individuals. A second aspect of Vygotsky’s theory is the idea that the potential for cognitive development is limited to a certain time span that he calls the â€Å"zone of proximal development† (ZPD). Vygotsky believed that this life long process of development was dependent on social interaction and that social learning actually leads to cognitive development (Kearsley, 1998). Vygotsky describes it as â€Å"the distance between the actual development level as determined by independent problem solving and the level of potential development as determined through Learning Theories 3 problem solving under adult guidance or in collaboration with more capable peers† (Funderstanding, 2001). In other words, a student can perform a task under adult guidance or with peer collaboration that could not be achieved alone. The Zone of Proximal Development bridges the gap between what is known and what can be known. Vygotsky claimed that learning occurred in this zone. Therefore, Vygotsky focused on the connections between people and the cultural context in which they act and interact in shared experiences. According to Vygotsky, humans use tools that develop from a culture, such as speech and writing, to mediate their social environments. Initially, Children develop these tools to serve solely as social functions, ways to communicate needs. Vygotsky believed that the internalization of these tools led to higher thinking skills (Riddle, 1999). When Piaget observed young children participating in egocentric speech in their preoperational stage, he believed it was a phase that disappeared once the child reached the stage of concrete operations. Driscoll states (as cited in Riddle, 1999) â€Å"in contrast, Vygotsky viewed this egocentric speech as a transition from social speech to internalized thought†. Thus, Vygotsky believed that thought and language could not exist without each other. Vygotsky’s theory was an attempt to explain consciousness as the end product of socialization. For example, in the learning of language, our first vocal noises with friends or adults are for the purpose of communication, but once mastered they become internalized and allow â€Å"inner speech†. Traditionally, schools have not promoted environments in which the students play an active role in their education and in the education of their friends. Vygotsky’s theory, however, requires the teacher and students to play untraditional roles as they collaborate with each other. Instead of a teacher dictating the lessons to students and later evaluate them, a teacher should collaborate with her students in order to create meaningful ways that students can make their own evaluation. Learning then becomes a reciprocal experience for the students and the teacher. Learning Theories 4. The physical classroom, based on Vygotsky’s theory, would provide clustered desks or tables and work space for peer instruction, collaboration, and small group instruction. Like the environment, the instructional design of material would be structured to promote and encourage student interaction and collaboration. Thus, the classroom becomes a community of learning. Because Vygotsky asserts that cognitive change occurs within the Zone of Proximal development, instruction would be designed to reach a developmental level that is just above the student’s current developmental level. Vygotsky proclaims, â€Å"learning which is oriented toward developmental levels that have already been reached is ineffective from the view point of the child’s overall development. It does not aim for a new stage of the developmental process, but rather lags behind this process† (Social Development, 1996). Appropriation is necessary for cognitive development within the zone of proximal development. Individuals participating in peer collaboration or guided teacher instruction must share the same focus in order to access the zone. Samuel J. Hausfather states (as cited in Riddle, 1999), â€Å"joint attention and shared problem solving is needed to create a process of cognitive, social, and emotional interchange†. Furthermore, it is essential that the partners be on different developmental levels. In addition, the partner that is on the higher level needs to be aware of his partner’s lower level. If this does not occur, or if one partner continually dominates, the interaction is less successful. Scaffolding and reciprocal teaching are effective strategies to access the zone. Scaffolding requires the teacher to provide students the opportunity to extend the current skills and knowledge. Hausfather reports (as cited in Riddle, 1999) â€Å"the teacher must engage students’ interests, simplify tasks so they are manageable, and motivate students to pursue the instructional goal. In addition, the teacher must look for discrepancies between students’ efforts and the solution, control for frustration and risk, and model an idealized version of the act†. Learning Theories 5 Reciprocal teaching allows for the creation of a dialogue between students and teachers. This two-way communication becomes an instructional strategy by encouraging students to go beyond answering and discussing questions. A study (as cited in Riddle, 1999) demonstrated the Vygotskian approach with reciprocal teaching methods in their successful program to teach reading strategies. The teacher and students alternated turns leading small group discussions on reading. After modeling four reading strategies, students began to assume the teaching role. Results of this study showed significant gains over other instructional strategies. Cognitively Guided Instruction is another strategy to implement Vygotsky’s theory. This strategy involves the teacher and students exploring math problems and then sharing their different problem solving strategies in an open dialogue (Riddle, 1999). Vygotsky’s social development theory challenges traditional teaching methods. Historically, schools have been organized around recitation teaching. According to Hausfather, (as cited in Riddle, 1999) â€Å"the teacher disseminates knowledge to be memorized by the students, who in turn, recite the information back to the teacher†. However, the studies described above offer empirical evidence that learning, based on the social development theory, facilitates cognitive development over other instructional strategies (Riddle, 1999). School structure does not reflect the rapid changes that society is experiencing. Opportunities for social interaction have greatly increased with the introduction and integration of computer technology. Therefore, the social context for learning is transforming as well. Learning relationships can now be formed from distances through cyberspace, whereas collaboration and peer instruction was once only possible in shared physical space (Bacalarski, 1994). Computer technology is a cultural tool that students can use to mediate and internalize their learning. According to Kathryn Crawford (as cited in Riddle, 1999) â€Å"recent research suggest changing the Learning Theories 6 learning contexts with technology is a powerful learning activity†. If schools continue to resist structural change, students will not be as prepared as they should be for the world. Lev Vygotsky lived during the Russian Revolution, a time of great change in his culture. His theory was that biological and cognitive development does not happen apart from each other. These two developments sustain and grow from each other. This is when learning takes place. Because of this theory, his environment of change was a great influence in his own cognitive processes. Learning Theories 7 References Bacalarski, M. C. , (1994). Vygotsky’s Developmental Theories and the Adulthood of Computer Mediated Communication: a Comparison and an Illumination. Retrieved November 7, 2003 from http://psych. hanover. edu/vygotsky/bacalar. html. Funderstanding, (2001). Vygotsky and Social Cognition. Retrieved November 7, 2003 from http://www. funderstanding. com/vygotsky. cfm. Kearsley, G. , (1998). Social Development (Vygotsky). Retrieved November 9, 2003 from http://members. aol. com/daidpeal/vygotsky. html. Riddle, E. M. , (1999). Lev Vygotsky’s Social Development Theory. Retrieved November 7, 2003 from www. kihd. gmu. edu/immersion/knowledgebase/theorists/constructivism/vygotsky.

Factors that contribute to quality of life

Factors that contribute to quality of life A report by Garavan, Winder and McGee (2001) Health and Social Services for Older People, Consulting Older People on Health and Social Services: A Survey of Use, Experiences and Needs concluded within its findings that older women viewed that they had a low quality of life. Stuart-Hamilton (2000) states that an element within the ageing concept is that men for varying reasons die at a greater rate than women after the age of 70 and that therefore it could be concluded that the ageing experience could be a longer process for women. The elderly population in Ireland is increasing in that according to Connell Pringle (2004) the projected population of older women in 2021 is expected to be between 375,000 and 389,000 which would indicate a rise of over 50 per cent from that in 2002. Ageing can be defined as the process of progressive change in the biological, psychological and social structure of individuals à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦aged 60 or over (Stein and Moritz, 1999;4). According to Greenstein (2006) social research is abstract in general in that the concepts are not easily measured because of the subjectivity of the topics and that a way of gaining a vague measure within the research is to ask the participants their level of satisfaction or dis-satisfaction in relation to the sub-themes. Ageing has a direct biological decline and because of this quality of life has been regarded to be directly linked by the health of the person versus ill-health. But health being defined by the World Health Organisation cited in (Bond and Corner, 2004:2) as a state of complete physical, mental and social wellbeing have resulted in the concept that quality of life is much more complex and varied depending on other factors rather than being traditionally associated solely with health (Bond and Corner, 2004). Definition of Quality of Life Quality of life is not scientifically measureable in that it is very subjective to the individual depending on their experiences of ageing and that the terms well-being and life satisfaction are often used as a means of gaining an insight into the degree a person views that they are experiencing quality of life (Vincent, Phillipson and Downs, 2006). Research has shown that quality of life is subjective to the person, Abrams (1973) cited in (Bond and Corner, 2004:4) defines quality of life as the degree of satisfaction or dissatisfaction felt by people with various aspects of their lives. This literature review will act as a base for a thesis that will explore the views of older women in Cavan as to the factors that contribute to quality of life. The definition of what is quality of life is not easily determined and many authors offer different domains as the priority but in fact the priority will be subjective to what the individual older person measures as the most important aspect to them (Nay and Garratt, 2009). There has been much focus on what is quality of life in recent years in terms of social policies that have in turn directed service provision and providing care that is impacting positively on a persons quality of life according to Vincent et al (2006). Quality of life according to Nay and Garratt (2009) typically measures general health, physical, cognitive, sexual and emotional functioning while also measuring the happiness of the person but it is subjective to the person in that what one person views as important may differ from another person. Factors such as employment, social networks, social activities, self-identity, financial security and cognitive and physical function are considered to impact on quality of life (Renwick et al (2003) cited in Nay and Garratt, 2009). Also that quality of life in relation to older people is often used as an assessment measure of whether a service is supporting the needs of its clients in that it is not just a measure of quantity of life but that the life has quality within it so that the outcomes of supports or services are impacting positively on quality of life (Nay and Garratt, 2009). That measurement of quality of life is sometimes measured within one domain such as general health while others measure cover several domains. But in general the largest measurement of quality of life is the concept that it is directly connected to the health of the person and their satisfaction regarding their health (Nay and Garratt, 2009). Therefore Health Related Quality of Life is a term that is often used by service providers as a directive for their care provision (Nay and Garratt, 2009:352). Focusing quality of life within the domains of general health can create what is called the disability paradox in that older people rather than viewing their decline in health as an indicator of low quality of life that the expectation of inevitable physical and health decline has resulted in other factors such as social networks and their overall well-being as the domains used to measure their view of quality of life and that it is presumptuous to view that general health is the sole measure of quality of life (Carr and Higginson, (2001) cited in Nay and Garratt, 2009:353). According to Vincent et al (2006) people will view health, social networks and standard of living as important factors within their lives but that the importance of the factors will vary as the person proceeds along their life course. Research sources have shown the complexity in defining the key factors within quality of life and the initial reading by the researcher highlighted that the many elements could be loosely grouped within three sub-themes in relation to quality of life: (1) physical factors general health and physical mobility, (2) economic factors income, and standard of living and (3) social structure factors social networks, cultural environment but further reading has emphasised that even though these concepts are applicable that expanding them further will allow greater exploration and description. In that according to Stuart-Hamilton (2000) that focusing on a narrow of domains could result in some domains appearing more important within the research than they possibly are. That domains such as health, income, and environment have an impact on a persons life satisfaction in general and are all inter-related but that the personality of the person will also impact on the how they measure their life satisfaction (Stuart-Hamilton, 2000). Walker (2005) suggests that as quality of life has no distinct key factors that most research focuses on health, environment, employment and relationships. That the environment has within it the physical, social, cultural and economic elements that can either enhance or reduce quality of life. Health has within it general health and the physical, mental and emotional health of the person. Employment covers income and can be related to the wealth of the person. The key concepts with regard to quality of life as suggested by Hughes (1990) cited in Bond and Corner (2004) are: (1) Physical environmental factors which include quality of accommodation, access to public services such as shops, transport and other public services such as libraries and other leisure outlets. (2) Social environmental factors which include family members, social networks, the level of support obtainable from family and social networks and the levels of leisure activities that the person is involved in. (3) Socio-economic factors which include the general standard of living, the income available to the person and other means of wealth. (4) Cultural factors which include the age, class, gender and religious leaning of the person. (5) Health factors which include general health, mental well-being of the person and physical mobility. (6) Personality factors which include whether the person is an optimist or pessimist, will all impact on the subjectivity by the person on their measure of life satisfaction. (7) Autonomy factors which include the degree that a person has the capability to make their own decisions. (8) Satisfaction subjective to the individual the level of satisfaction over all the areas of their life that they judge as important. There is no definitive on what factors contribute to quality of life, therefore (Arnold (1991); McDowell Newell (1996) cited in Nay and Garratt 2009:355) suggest that the measurement of quality of life should include objective indices such as economic circumstances and housing, those that measure subjective aspects such as morale, happiness and life satisfaction and those that contain both objective and subjective components, such as health related quality of life But according to Bond and Corner (2004) the subjective and objective aspects are interrelated an illustration of this being in that the objective element of health related quality of life could be subjectively not important to the older person who as of yet has not experienced any health issues that they view as impacting on their quality of life. There is a view according to Stuart-Hamilton (2000) within society that the busier the life of an older person the more quality of life that they have. That the subjective measure of life satisfaction can be directly linked to the activities that an older person participates in that give a meaning to their life can be directly linked to one of the theories of ageing Activity Theory (Bond and Corner, 2004). That an indicator of life satisfaction can be the degree that an older person maintains activities within their community, in that the more activities indicate higher levels of life satisfaction. Bond and Corner (2004) disagree and agree with elements of this theory in that they state that although social networks and activities can maintain and support physical and mental health such as reducing depression that ageing has a biological element that can impact on health and reduces an older persons social network as confidantes become ill or eventually die and that it is wrong to e xpect an older person to engage in levels of activities to the degree that they did when they were much younger. Stuart-Hamilton (2000) suggests the concept that engaging in activities for the sake of them does not allow the older person the ability to make their own choices and that within the provision of services for older people that by assuming that any activity is better than none could be directly linked to the application of Disengagement theory whereby it is believed that the older person accepts that death is eventual and therefore prepares for death by choosing to dis-engage from society and that also it has a function of reinforcing the expected process of ageing in Western Society. Personality: And its link to health: One element within a persons personality is that it will relate to their choices with regard to their lifestyle such as diet, exercise all which can aid the life expectancy of a person but what if the persons personality has within it a negative outlook will this impact on how they view the ageing process and the biological decline and that rather than trying to improve their physical well-being by a healthier lifestyle that they approach death and illness as unavoidable and then reduce their activities and disengage from society (Stuart-Hamilton, 2000). Link between psychological well-being and personality and health: Research has shown a link between physical well-being and mental well-being in that according to Whitbourne (1987) cited in Stuart-Hamilton (2000) people that exercised and had levels of what they measured as physical well-being had a general feeling of overall well-being but therefore could it be said that people that have a poor physical well-being are more less satisfied with life (Stuart-Hamilton, 2000). Personality: Preference for lifestyle link: That the personality of a person whether they are an introvert or extrovert will also impact on the lifestyle they choose in that if they are an introvert it will probably follow that as they are older that they will not seek out social activities (Stuart-Hamilton, 2000). Disengagement theory Cumming and Henry, (1961) as cited in Stuart-Hamilton, (2000) suggest that as people get older that they automatically start to disengage from society in degrees as if in preparation for death and this is also supported by society in that the structures have come to expect this disengagement. This disengagement according to Stuart-Hamilton (2000) can be as a result of many factors such as illness, loss of family members, low income that does not provide for activities and also their personality type in that what if they are introvert or extrovert and that disengagement theory has been criticised for the overall image that older people are cutting ties with society in preparation for inevitable death. According to Maddox (1970) cited in Stuart-Hamilton, (2000) this disengagement may simply be a an aspect of the persons personality and that it is not an element of ageing at all. Merriman (1984) cited in Stuart-Hamilton (2000) also criticises disengagement theory an d states that ageing policies within many countries encourage that older people have an high profile within their community. Activity theory was proposed as a way of combating disengagement theory according to Stuart-Hamilton (2000) in that it was proposed that the more activities that an older person engaged in the better their life satisfaction. But this does not allow for choices for the older person and what if their personality is such that enforced activities is wrong (Stuart-Hamilton, 2000). Issues related to measuring Quality of Life There are issues relating to the measurement of quality of life in that the domains are both subjective and objective. The objective indices, such as economic circumstances and housing; those that measure purely subjective aspects, such as morale, happiness, and life satisfaction; and those that contain both objective and subjective components, such as Health Related Quality of Life measures (Arnold, (1991) cited in Nay and Garratt, 2009:355). Vincent et al (2006) agrees that there are both objective and subjective domains but unlike Nay and Garratt (2009) attributes social factors within the objective domains by stating that the number of social networks that a person has is objectively measureable but that the quality of these social networks is a subjective element. Likewise Vincent et al (2006) states that health although measureable in terms of whether an illness was present and therefore objectively measureable that the domain is also subjective in that the importance of health to quality of life will depend on what the individual views health to be. The view by Vincent et al (2006) that the meaning of what is health is subjectively defined by the individual is illustrated by the disability paradox as per (Carr and Higginson, (2001) cited in Nay and Garratt, 2009:353). In that older people rather than viewing their decline in health as an indicator of low quality of life in that the expectation of inevitable physical and health decline have resulted in other factors such as social networks as the domains used to measure their view of quality of life and that it is therefore presumptuous to view that general health is the sole measure of quality of life (Nay and Garratt, 2009). Anderson Bury (1988) cited in Vincent et al (2006) state that people can adjust to illness and develop coping skills so that the illness no longer factors as a significant domain to the person and this would therefore affect the measurement of health within quality of life research. Health and physical functioning as an objective measure in the domains of quality of life are mentioned continually and can in its simplest form according to Nay and Garratt (2009) be that if a person has a condition or range of illnesses be considered to have a low quality of life. But what if the adjustments suggested by Anderson Bury (1988) cited in Vincent et al (2006) were accommodations such as medication or lifestyle changes and were to adjust how the illness impacts on the person could it then be considered that although the health status remains the same but that the accommodations have resulted in the meaning of what is health to not be defined by illness or physical functioning. Therefore in relation to this research the aim is to explore the subjectivity of what the participant views as health and if any accommodations have impacted on the meaning of what is health. Economic factors such as standard of living are objectively measured according to Nay and Garratt (2009) in that income can be an indicator of a standard of living but according to Vincent et al (2006) this objective measure has to be balanced by the subjective measure of what is the expectation of a standard of living and according to Stuart Hamilton (2000) will be directly linked to past experiences of standard of living in that if a person has in the past had a particular standard of living the subjective measure will be linked to whether the same standard of living was expected by the person or not. Therefore in relation to this research with regard to economic factors as a domain within quality of life previous standard of living and expectations of standard of living as an older person and direct experience will be explored. According to Vincent et al (2006) quality of life has no scientific measurement that can define the exact objective degree of quality of life because there are so many variations of what is quality of life. That the experience of life may support or contradict what the objective measure describes as quality of life. Qualitative and Quantitative Methods: Quantitative methods are often the means of gaining information regarding what is quality of life but using quantitative methods will not allow for the subjectivity of individual experiences and their views on quality of life. That using structured questionnaires still conform to the researchers view of quality of life and does not allow for the exploration of the views of the older person. That these approaches do not allow for the symbolic nature and meaning of life to the individual (Vincent et al, 2006:158). Taking the view that as the person proceeds along the life course that their view of life will remain the same. Stuart Hamilton (2000) suggests that the life course Another challenge in relation to measuring quality of life and with particular reference to older people is that there can be such differences between each person in that as they age the experience in relation to physical, social, emotional, sexual and cognitive functioning is not as homogenous an experience and that these differing experiences will impact on what factors are key to quality of life (Stewart et al (1996) cited in Nay and Garratt, 2009). The setting that the older person lives within will impact greatly on the factors that are viewed as contributors to quality of life in that if a person is living within a residential unit that this group orientated setting will have different routines and rules in comparison to an older person living within community in general, and that for those within a residential setting that research has shown that dignity, self-determination and participation and accommodation of resident needs were considered to be the factors that impacted on quality of life (Nay and Garratt, 2009:357). That measurement of quality of life needs to consider the domains that are considered contributors within quality of life and that how the research is conducted in that the way that questions are asked can create a bias. As already stated biological decline is a natural aspect of ageing therefore if an indicator of quality of life were to be considered the level of physical functioning it would be inappropriate to ask the participant if they were physically able to do as much and for as long as they used to when they were younger and that this would not be a realistic indicator of quality of life according to Nay and Garratt, (2009). Measurement tools are World Health Organisation Quality of Life Instrument (whoqol) (Skevington et al 2004), cited in Nay and Garratt, 2009. Conclusion This literature review has explored the concept of quality of life and that the factors that are considered to contribute to quality of life are varied and can contain subjective and objective components and that older people in order to measure quality of life should not be viewed as a homogenous group.

The Twin Track Approach In Sports Physical Education Essay

The Twin Track Approach In Sports Physical Education Essay With the profile of sport in England so high, and in light of the successful Olympic bid for 2012, the opportunity for participation in sport in this country has risen dramatically. The government recognises this opportunity and has always tried to link its self to sporting success, to help promote patriotism, social values and education. The game plan is a strategy for delivering the governments sport and physical activity objects. With the government setting an ambitious task of: increasing sport and physical activity. With the target of achieving 70% of the population participating in 30 minutes of moderate exercise, five times per week. (Sport development.info Oct 2009) The twin track approach in this country is designed to increase the number of people participating in sport on a regular basis. The assumption being that more people participating means the need for more modern facilities, with better coaches which will lead to more medals at elite levels and the country hosting more mega events. This report will show how the national governing body of gymnastics is tackling the challenge that the government has set them at grass-roots and elite levels of performance, as well as hosting mega events. British gymnastics British gymnastics is the UK governing body for gymnastics it is dedicated to developing levels and quality across a range of discipline. British gymnastics is a non profit organisation. Hundreds of thousands of young gymnasts enjoy the sport in school, recreational sessions at leisure centres and at British gymnastic registered clubs that complete the path way from beginner to Olympian. British gymnastics works along side, English gymnastics, sport England, sport UK, lottery funded and many more. (British gymnastics Oct 2009) Grass roots Gymnastics is a foundation sport, this is because it develops, speed, co-ordination, balance and agility. These physical qualities are inherent in most sports, for this reason all British children would benefit from this and most do in their first eight years. Participating in gymnastics from an early age, will acquire physical literacy, which is the foundation for a lifelong participation in physical activity and for a successful performance at elite level of sport. (Gymnastics England Oct 2009) National school games The new key stage 1 and 2 competitions, incorporates body management, floor and vault exercises to develop a young persons core skills. This not only strengthens the first tier of the gymnastics pathways but also: encourages partnerships to engage in gymnastics, strengthens school club links, encourages talent identification, standardises competition in schools, encourages an appropriate competitive environment is set, ensures an increase in the number of children accessing gymnastic competitions, provides a foundation for other sports, nurtures each young persons confidence to continue with an active life style. England gymnastics is working towards creating a single structure for gymnastic competitions in schools. England gymnastics have created an accessible standardised local gymnastic competition for beginners. The programme aims to provide safe enjoyment that will improve learning and lead to a lifelong participation in physical activity. (England gymnastics Nov 2009) The UK school games The UK school games is used to bring a change in the content, structure and presentation of competitive sporting opportunities for young people whilst promoting the work underway in each home nation to improve sport and physical education. The show case opportunity provided by this event offers opportunity to promote and secure change within existing competitive structures. It is used to involve more young people in volunteering in sport, create first class child protection and for identifying young sporting talent. Gymnasts competing in the games have developed through the talent development programmes and will hope to go on to represent their country at international level. The British gymnastics association is working with the schools association to implement national school completion framework to establish development pathways. (Gymnastics England Oct 2009) Schools that register with the British Gymnastic Association (BGA) are allowed to register their details and record levels and nature of participation in gymnastics in a school setting. Registration is free and schools receive the following benefits, e-news featuring profiles of gymnasts, expert ideas for warm ups, competition and judging advice, case studies, and success stories from other schools. Information about: professional development. Free preview resources. Access to: British gymnastics recourses. (British gymnastics Oct 2009) Government announces grassroots grants 2008 Grass root grants aim to make a real difference by working with small local community groups, with an annual income below  £20,000 this could be for new kit, coaching new volunteers, or simply just a lick of paint in the sports hall. Local regional and national businesses are invited through investing in the schemes innovative endowment match challenge, the first of its kind in England. The government has set aside a pot of  £50 million from which it will match endowment investments from businesses, this offers businesses the chance to support and contribute in the communities they operate. (British gymnastics Oct 2009) A commitment to sport The present government has been committed to the development of sport in school since 2000. The launch of the strategy a sporting future for all in 2000 included the following provision, funding for primary schools to provide facilities for pupils and the wider community, the establishment by 2003 of 110 specialist sports colleges, the appointment of 600 sports school co-ordinators and the development of more after school sport provision. Further allocations in funding in 2002 were followed in 2004 by an announcement that a further  £500 million was to invest in school sport for, the completion of the network 400 sports colleges, improving the quality of coaching provision, improving links between schools and sports clubs and training and developing PE/sports teachers skills. (Teaching experience Oct 2009) Development British gymnastics provides British gymnastics registered clubs with information to support their development. It identifies key areas that can help strengthen the club structure and philosophy programmes that can ensure the best environment is available for the gymnasts. (British gymnastics Nov 2009) Gym mark The introduction of sport Englands club mark has encouraged British gymnastics to adopt its own criteria to enable gymnastics clubs to work towards nationally recognised accreditation. Gym mark is British gymnastics club accreditation scheme that recognises a quality club. Gym mark addresses issues such as equality and child protection, which gives confidence to parents choosing a club for their children. Gym mark provides an excellent template for continuing club development, especially its junior structure. Gym mark also gives help and advice in developing skills for everyone including coaches, officials and volunteers. Clubs will be listed with relevant sports directory which will help attract new members and raise clubs profile. (British gymnastics Oct 2009) Coaching British gymnastics has a coach education programme in place to ensure enough fully qualified coaches provide the highest quality of coaching at all levels from grass roots to elite gymnasts to realise their full potential. British gymnastics is approved by the qualification and curriculum authority (QCA) as an awarding body for official gymnastic qualifications in the UK. (British gymnastics Oct 2009) English gymnastics has just been awarded a three year grant of  £2.14 million from Sport England to provide high quality coaches in its clubs throughout England. Clubs and other regional associations have come together and raised  £1.8 million to match the funding and maximise the benefits of the programme. (English gymnastics Nov 2009) Surveys Between March and May this year 45 funded sports including gymnastics were surveyed to measure levels of satisfaction in the individual sport. Over the next four years Sport England will be working with these sports to help improve quality of sporting provision to people in England. (Sport England Oct 2009) Gymnastics and movement for people with disabilities Gymnastics for people with disabilities is an adaptation of main stream gymnastics covering all aspects and can be recreational or lead to competitive opportunities; British gymnastics have been developing a programme for disabled gymnasts starting with motor skills for those with more severe mobility problems, and leading on to a foundation programme for the more able gymnasts. The disability groups can be split into four major areas; learning, physical, hearing and visual impairment. Currently a motor activity programme is being developed which will provide a frame work through which even the most profoundly disabled gymnasts can participate. A competitive programme has been established in artistic, tramp lining, rhythmic, acrobatic and aerobic gymnastics. (English gymnastics Nov 2009) Mega events With the government saying that hosting mega events, will heighten the profile of the sport, which in turn will increase participation, which will lead to better athletes and more medals. Britain has already got the 2012 Olympics, but in October 2009 the artistic world gymnastics championships were held in London for the first time, the championships brought together elite gymnasts from China, France, Korea, Croatia, Japan, USA, Romania, Poland, Spain, Germany, Ukraine, Great Britain, and many more counties, (world gymnastics 2009) The event was a great success for team GB as Beth Tweddle just four days after falling from her favoured uneven bars, won gold on the floor, having become Britains first ever world champion in 2006 on the un even bars Tweddle, became only the 5th woman in history to claim world titles in both events. Beth said I had to prove to myself that I was one of the best on the floor, it is the best feeling in the world. (Daily mail web site 2009) Winning medals Olympic and paralympic sport has come a long way in recent times, it typically takes athletes around eight years to reach their peak once their talent has been identified and nurtured, this involves lots of support from coaches, doctors to bio-chemists. Nothing is left to chance from the food they eat to the kit and apparatus they use. UK sport is dedicated to the delivery of medal success at the worlds biggest events, mainly the Olympic and paralympic games. They are set to invest  £10 million in the next four years in gymnastics to help gymnasts get the best coaching, kit and equipment available. (UK sport) Plans for success After winning 5 medals at the European artistic championships, British gymnastics plans to step up things for success at London 2012, by further developing sport, science and medical services within their elite programme. Louise Fawcett will join the English Institute of sport as head of sport, science and medicine for British gymnastics, co-ordinating support services for the world class funded Olympic performance programme. Fawcett says having worked with high performance sport for many years, having the opportunities to co-ordinate support services for such an exciting Olympic sport is a great challenge. (British gymnastics Nov 2009) Summary With the 2012 Olympics round the corner, and the success of the world artistic championships, the profile of gymnastics in England will never have been so high, thousands of young gymnasts at their local clubs will be hoping that they can go on and become the next Beth Tweddle or Daniel Keating. Schools are doing there up most to ensure that everyone takes part both on a recreational and elite level. Now British gymnastics has introduced its disabled classes it means that everyone can take part. British gymnastics working alongside English gymnastics and sport England means the future of our counties gymnasts is very bright, and with the  £10 million pound being invested in our gymnasts of the next four years the chance of more medal success has never been so great.

Essay --

Nuclear Weapons and Foreign Policy is a good example of the general mindset during the Cold War. Kissinger explains the nuclear dilemma and how much the nuclear age differs from past war problems. He also goes into depths about the problems with American foreign policy and offers several opinions on how it can be changed. At certain times, the book begins to read more as a Kissinger manual on how to fix foreign policy and becomes less of an analysis of nuclear weapons and foreign policy. This is most likely attributed to his positions as National Security Advisor and Secretary of State. His central thesis was that the threat of nuclear annihilation was nearly useless as an instrument of foreign policy because it lacked credibility. Instead, he offers that the United States focuses on improving its ability to fight limited wars, and accept that total victory in said wars were not crucial. He spends a great deal of time arguing the benefits of limited warfare, the problems nuclear weap ons bring into military operations, and the politics surrounding both. All said points were analyzed by Kissinger very well; however he fails to address the problem of arms control and the arms race in general. The main argument Kissinger addresses is that limited war was the only avenue of escape from nuclear stalemate with the Soviet Union. He argues that the United States tradition of absolute victory in war had led them into a dead end of massive retaliation and the threat of all out nuclear war was used to block every move by the Soviets. According to Kissinger, nuclear weapons coincided with the concept of total war. This leads to situations where the will to fight is crippled. He advocates a return to limited warfare similar to that of the Nap... ...ome above the military’s quickness to respond. During war militaries do not have the ability to define the difference between tactical victories and political goals. In a limited nuclear war, it is the political element which decides the length and breath of the military effort. Such was the nature of the task Henry Kissinger undertook during the heyday of the Cold War. Overall Henry Kissinger offered explanation to the problems foreign policy faced because of nuclear weapons during the Cold War. He believed that deterrence and limited warfare was the best solution to these problems. Today it would not seem like as big of deal, but at the time this was a very controversial viewpoint. I argue that Kissinger could have touched more on the arms race and other threatening regions, such as China. All in all, I enjoyed his viewpoint on a very conflicted time in history.

SUV’s - Harmful to the Environment and Hazardous to their Owners Healt

SUV’s - Harmful to the Environment and Hazardous to their Owners' Health   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Sport utility vehicles, better known as SUV’s, propose a hazard to other drivers on the road as well as their occupants. In addition to being unsafe they are also harmful to the environment. In the past six years SUV’s have become the most popular vehicle on the roads in America and today they account for nearly fifty percent of all new vehicle sales. The annual sales of SUV’s are currently on the rise as lower gas prices sweep across the nation. The combination of the SUV’s hazardous nature and their rising sales makes for a very dangerous situation. Sport Utility Vehicles are harmful to the environment, hazardous to those occupying them, and create a hazard to other drivers on the road.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  SUV’s are engineered from the same platforms that are used to create trucks and most of the time they share the same engine and components. Instead of having a bed like a truck, which is very light, they have an enclosed area for more seats or a cargo compartment, which is very heavy. The added weight forces the engine to combust more gas in order to be able to provide adequate power to move the added weight. This is the reason that SUV’s get worse gas mileage than their truck counterparts. Even an SUV that comes with a small engine will get bad gas mileage because it has to struggle and keep the RPM’s high in order to move the vehicle. Higher RPM’s equals more gas consumption. The emissions that SUV’s put...

Effects of Early Marriage Essay

This chapter consist of Introduction, Background of the Study, Conceptual Framework, Statement of the Problem, Hypothesis, Significance of the Study, Scope and Limitations of the Study and Definition of Terms. Introduction Marriage is considered as one of the greatest part of a couple’s life. Things that shall be cherish and treasure by a wedded partners. Considering the new, civilized and liberated nation, it was well known in this country that early marriage is considered as a controversial subject matter. Early marriage affects the person involved in it in many psychological and social ways. There were possibilities that the couple who were married at their young age struggles in facing the hardships and difficulties of life without learning and knowing what a married life was. It is considerable that this wedded couple were not yet ready to face the difficulties of what married life was. Background of the Study Early marriage or child marriage refers to a marriage wherein the persons involved were not on their exact ages of a marriageable couple, it is frequently and often before puberty. In some cases only one marriage-partner is a child and they were usually females. And in some worst cases the females were actually pregnant that they consider marriage as a solution. At some point the females involved in early marriage were already physically and psychologically abuse by the time they were engage on that early marriage. In this study the researchers wanted to inform any other people that this issue early marriage is a serious case that people shall know. The researchers involved themselves to people who were actually married at their young ages, people who were not yet married and people who were engaged about the topic. EVALUATION SHEET Name: _____________ Age: ___Gender: ________ Classification: (please check) Student: ___ Wife: ___ Husband: ___ Directions: Check the box which correspond your answer. 1.Do you prefer to be married at a young age? YesNo 2.On what age you wanted to be married? ______________ 3.Do you already have a husband/wife? YesNo 4.Are you officially married? YesNo 5.What age did you married your partner? ______________ 6.Are you forced to marry your partner? Yes No 7.Are you prepared to have a family? Yes No 8.Have you been abuse by your partner? YesNo 9.What abusive acts have you experience from your partner? ___________________________________ Conceptual Framework The conceptual framework of this study was represented in a form of a schematic diagram: IV DV Frame I Frame II Frame I: Independent variable wherein it consists of early marriage or child marriage. Frame II: Dependent variables wherein it consist of the causes of why people engage themselves to early marriage or child marriage. It consist of dependent variables that will cause a person to be married at a young age. Statement of the Problem Who will be badly affected by early marriage? Hypothesis The researchers came upon the hypothesis that the women or females involve in early marriage were the ones that will suffer from the effects of early marriage. Early marriage This study was made to inform and to give about early marriage and its effects to the partners involved. Future Researchers This study can be use as a source of data and information for future related researches. Scope and Limitations This is a study that has limited data and information about early marriage. The data gathered in this study came and evaluated from (20) wedded housewives (20) wedded husbands (5) single female student/s (5) single male student/s. Thus the process and preparation on this study must be carefully discussed for the others to be informed well. This study is not intended to bother or harm other person involved in a family that was engaged in an early marriage like their child/children thus this study was made to just inform those people what early marriage really was. This study used evaluation sheets to evaluate what really were the effects of early marriage in a couple, in a student. Definition of Terms Early marriage/child marriage: it is a matrimony wherein it is given to those children even though they were not in their marriageable ages.

Social Inequality in the Modern Era

Social Inequality in the Early Modern Era Throughout history, there has been an extreme discrimination against different groups of people. Women have been disrespected just because of what their religion’s holy book says. The Pope had the authority over state, not the monarch. The color of your skin has even determined your rank in society. Even though this was more in the early modern era, it still happens today. People have had to work their way to gain rights. Examples of social inequality in the modern era are the separation of church and state, rights of women, and the social construction of race.According to the Bible, the woman was created mainly as a mate for man, not the other way around. Women are incapable of making decisions, thus they are inferior to men. This is the same for Islam because in the Koran it says, â€Å"The men are made responsible for the women, since God endowed them with certain equalities, and made them the bread earners†. Also in Islam, t he role of the women is to manage the household, take care of the expenses, teach their children, and help with the agriculture. And women are expected 100% to do so of these things.Since the purpose of religion is to bring order and people something to believe in, this is what is expected in society. In the Great Chain of Being, the family is divided into ranks. The father is at the tops of the family, the mother being the second. Even in the Enlightenment this idea is passed through Jean-Jacques Rousseau that a women’s education is secondary to men. In the early modern era, the church was clearly over the monarch. Before the Protestant reformation, everybody got their ideas from the Pope.Since most people could not read, the Pope was basically running the country, with the monarch having little power. Martin Luther argued that â€Å"each man can be his own Priest† and that everybody is in fact equal with each other. The Pope should no longer have authority over anybo dy because what he is doing is wrong. The Catholic Church still tried to support their argument by saying the Church’s interpretation of the Bible is final, but some still converted to Lutheranism. Some monarchs tried to withhold the power of the church.Queen Elizabeth abolished the Catholic Church, and created the Anglican Church giving her more power and abolishing the Pope. In the social construction of race, whites are above everybody. The only reason why they are the superior race is because they have created the social construction of race. This dates back to when the Europeans first discovered the new world inhabited by Native Americans. They thought the Native Americans as natural-born slaves. Juan Gines de Sepulveda argued that Native Americans are â€Å"slaves by nature, uncivilized, barbarian, and inhuman†.Aristotle even thought that indigenous people were not human. When the Native American population died down, Europeans started to discriminate blacks. In the paternal order, whites were at the top, the house servants were in the middle, and the field slaves were on the bottom. This was based on skin color because most likely the house servants were biracial. It was seen that this order was â€Å"ordained by god† and this was for the slaves own safety because they are like children. The slave master was like the father, to provide for the slaves while the slaves work for him.Whites often thought the slaves as stupid, just because they were not brought up the same way as them. In conclusion, the origins of social inequality came from the beginning of time: when the Europeans first landed in the New World trying to discover new land. Instead they found Native Americans and completely judged them by their looks. During the time when the Catholic Church was over the state and the monarch had no power. Even with the rights of women, social inequality was there. These were factors for the inequality of the modern era.

Multiple Intelligences by Howard Gardner

‘Multiple intelligences’ is a theory first created by Howard Gardner.   They describe eight different ways that people can be smart without falling into the traditional description of what people think of as smart.   It is good to know what one’s own intelligences are, and to know the intelligences of one’s students in a teaching situation, because everyone learns differently. The multiple intelligences were first described in the early 1990s by Howard Gardner, a psychologist who was interested in the ways that people learned.   He noted that most traditional intelligence tests looked at visual/spatial ability, mathematical/logical ability, and verbal ability.   However, Gardner was convinced that people did not have to have these abilities to be smart. He saw that people were ‘talented’ in music, sports, or even in their ability to be reflective or relate to others.   Whereas most people considered these abilities ‘extra’ or ‘talents,’ they did not consider them as intelligences.   Gardner disagreed. Gardner felt that people were considered smart in seven different ways (the eighth intelligence was added later).   The original intelligences were visual/spatial, logical/mathematical, interpersonal, intrapersonal, musical, bodily/kinesthetic, and linguistic.   The eighth intelligence is naturalistic. Visual/spatial intelligence deals with the ability to understand pictures and objects in two and three dimensional space.   Someone with this strength is good at art, reading maps, and related visual abilities. Logical/mathematical is about the ability to reason and work with numbers.   People with this intelligence are good at math, logic puzzles, and other forms of reasoning. Interpersonal deals with the ability to relate to others.   People with this intelligence are good at making friends, winning people over (like in politics or leadership situations), and understanding others. Intrapersonal deals with one’s ability to understand oneself.   People with this ability are usually reflective and introspective, and may keep journals.   They continually try to understand themselves better and to improve themselves based on their reflection. Musical is exactly what it sounds like, the ability to understand music.   These people are often musicians, and find understanding and hearing patterns in music easy, and find learning instruments easy as well.   They are ‘gifted’ in the field of learning music. Bodily/kinesthetic refers to being good at physical motion and coordination.   These people are good at sports, hand-eye coordination, and other physical pursuits.   They find motion easy, and may be basketball players, dancers, and gymnasts (or other athletes). Linguistic is the ability to understand languages.   These people often find it easy to learn and understand foreign languages.   They also enjoy reading, writing, and relating in written fashion. Naturalistic intelligence, which was added later, is about understanding nature.   People will be interested in nature, find it easy to understand the way plants and animals live and function, and are soothed by being in nature. All of these intelligences are equally important in Gardner’s model.   Also, everyone has more than one of these intelligences and may, to some degree, have all of them.   Each person has two or three real strengths; some have more or less.   Some people are very strongly intelligent in only one area while others may have four or five that are all fairly strong. Knowing what a person’s strengths are will determine how they learn.   A person who is kinesthetic tends to be very hands-on, and to want to try things.   A person who is musical may learn by using songs or chants.   A person who is linguistic may want to read when learning.   It is important to know a person’s preference for learning so that whenever possible, classroom activities can be geared towards as many students as possible. After completing the inventory, I have discovered that I have intrapersonal strength, logical strength, interpersonal strength, and kinesthetic strength.   In these areas, I scored far higher than I did in other areas.   My scores were section 1-4, section 2=6 section 3=8 section 4=7 section 5=8 section 6=8 section 7=4 section 8=10 section 9=2.   This analysis sheds light on my strengths and weaknesses, and I can use this knowledge to learn in the ways that make sense to me.   This can also help teachers to understand their students.   Multiple intelligences are a good way to assess and understand students.