U.S. Embargo on Cuba Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

U.S. Embargo on Cuba - Term Paper Example In 1906, US again occupied Cuba, and literally governed it by promoting US business interests in this nation. This intervention made historians (Schwab, 1999, preface, p.7) observe that â€Å"in the late 1930s and 1940s, the mafia turned Cuba into an American gambling casino.† When Fulgensio Batista grabbed power in Cuba in 1952, through a military coup, â€Å"US government and corporate investors† enjoyed control over the whole of Cuba’s economy (Schwab, 1999, preface, p.7). In history, evidences abound regarding the US involvement in sustaining and controlling Colonel Batista. Schwab (1999, p.2) pointed to this fact when he said, â€Å"President Franklin. Soon after January 1, 1959, the date on which Cuban revolutionaries seized power from Batista, America announced an embargo against Cuba. That was in October 1960 by which, exports from US to Cuba were prohibited. The US-supported invasion of Bay of Pigs by Cuban exiles in 1961 followed but that attempt was defeated by Cuban army. The succeeding governments of US have stood by the embargo and ultimately, the Clinton administration turned this embargo into codified law through the 1996 Cuban Liberty and Democratic Solidarity Act (Haney and Vanderbush, 2005, p.1). â€Å"Restrictions on travel to and from the island and on the sale of goods and services there, bans on investment in business ventures, constraints on immigration, limits on journalists and scholars going to Cuba† etc. are the major prohibitions enacted (Schwab, 1999, preface, p.11).

Big Time Toymaker V. Chou Essay Example for Free

Big Time Toymaker V. Chou Essay 1. At what point, if ever, did the parties have a contract? I believe that there were two contracts made in this scenario. The first one was the verbal contract that sated that the stipulations of price and the fact that there needed to be a written contract before distributing the product. The email, since it was in writing can also count as a written contract; both parties had knowledge that there would be some sort of written agreement. Chou was in the right to think that the email stating the key terms and agreements counts as a contract. 2. What facts may weigh in favor of or against Chou in terms of the parties’ objective intent to contract? The facts that Chou was in a verbal agreement with BTT will be helpful in proving that they had a preliminary agreement pending a written one. The fact that an email was sent to him with all the key terms, price, time frames and obligations is also helpful in proving that Chou had a valid agreement with BTT. I believe that that email would count as a binding contract since both parties had a promise pending performances. This was a mutual assessment in which there was an offer by BTT and an acceptance by Chou. 3. Does the fact that the parties were communicating by e-mail have any impact on your analysis in Questions 1 and 2 (above)? In a way it does because when I think of an agreement I think of it as a written and signed agreement by both parties. However BTT did not specify in what kind of writing this contract needed to be. They did not specify if there was need to sign, notified or have witnesses for the contract. Email communication between two people describing the key terms of a contract and having both of them acknowledge the key terms to me serves a contract. While there was no signature, it had both parties’ names on it, it could be said that it was an E-signature. Also we have to keep in mind that the terms were also discussed verbally prior to the email being sent. 4. What role does the statute of frauds play in this contract? I believe that this email communication meets the statute of frauds and the fact that it had the named of the people in business counts as a contract. There have been cases were the name at the end of an email counts as a signature, example Stevens v. Publicis, were the publicis won because the name of both parties were in the written emails. In this case both parties names are on the emails and that signaled both parties intent to do business. 5. Could BTT avoid this contract under the doctrine of mistake? Explain. Would either party have any other defenses that would allow the contract to be avoided? I think that BTT might have a chance to void the contract under the doctrine of mistake because they can claim that Chou misunderstood the fact that the emails meant that he was able to go ahead and distribute the product, making it a bi ding contract. However it was clear that the email stated the facts of the contract and BTT did not specify that Chou should in fact continue to draft the contract for both parties to sign. I think that BTT would have a hard time voiding the contract under the doctrine of mistake. I think that fact there was no specification to how the contract would be written leaves a lot of vague results. BTT should have been more specific in their emails saying that Chou should still have to draft a contract agreement and that the email was not enough for the contract. In this scenario BTT would have a ch ance at voiding the contract. 6. Assuming, arguendo, that this e-mail does constitute an agreement, what consideration supports this agreement? The fact that BTT promised distribution rights to Chou pending an agreement counts as consideration. In this case, something of value was put on the line by both parties, entering them into an agreement to exchange mutual performances. In this case there was also a value that we can determine, and that was $25,000 paid to Chou in exchange for exclusive negotiation rights. I think that consideration was present in this agreement, making a valid contract. At the end of the scenario, BTT states that it is not interested in distributing Chou’s new strategy game, Strat. Assuming BTT and Chou have a contract, and BTT has breached the contract by not distributing the game, discuss what remedies might or might not apply. In this scenario the remedies that would apply would be, compensatory damages because in this case Chou suffered a loss of potential profits that he would have made by his new game. It would also repay him as if BTT had not breached the contract. I think that if he could not claim compensatory damages then he would also be able to claim consequential damages because it states that it compensates the non-breaching party for foreseeable indirect loses. It also states that it involves a unique circumstance beyond the contract. In this case the contract BTT made was taken over by someone else who at the end did not want to do business with Chou. Restitution and Liquidated damages do not applied to this because there was no unjust enrichment by BTT due to the breach of contract. BTT and Chou did not agree to any damages ahead of time there fore liquidated damages does not apply.

Intelligent Satire in Voltaires Candide Essay -- Candide essays

Intelligent Satire in Candide      Ã‚   In the story Candide, Voltaire uses the experiences of the character Candide and dialogue between characters to dispute the theory by other philosophers that "Everything is for the best in this best of all possible worlds" (Voltaire). Voltaire believed that the society that he lived in had many flaws, flaws which are illustrated throughout the story. Voltaire uses satire to take aim at the military, religion, and societies' emphasis of physical beauty, to illustrate that we do not live in the best of all possible worlds.    One institution that Voltaire takes aim at in Candide is the institution of the military. Voltaire attacks of the military using dialogue between Candide and Martin as they speak during their passage along the shores of England. On their journey they witness the execution of an admiral in the English army. Martin explains to Candide that this admiral was executed for not killing enough people in a battle with a rival French admiral. With this statement, Voltaire illustrates that the military has lost its sense of duty, becoming a machine of brutality instead of an institution to protect the lives of citizens. The manner in which the execution is carried out further illustrates the flaws within this particular society. Instead of secretly executing the admiral, the military made the admiral's execution a ceremony for the public. With this chapter of Candide, Voltaire creates a satirical and brutal view of the not only the military, but also of the citizens of England who come to watch . In most societies, citizens are appalled by such behavior, but in this instance the citizens are accepting of these actions and even condone the murder. All of these points are illu... ...splay what he considers to be the best of all possible worlds. In the story of Candide's travel to the land of Eldorado, Voltaire creates his view of a perfect society, one in which people are kind to one another, money and jewels have no real value to be exploited, and where government is honest. This section of Candide is different from all others, essentially the only positive section of Candide's travels. After analyzing the work, it seems as if the story was not written as a fictional work, but rather a commentary on the state of society throughout Europe.    Works Cited and Consulted: Frautschi, R.L. Barron's Simplified Approach to Voltaire: Candide. New York: Barron's Educational Series, Inc., 1968. Lowers, James K, ed. "Cliff Notes on Voltaire's Candide". Lincoln: Cliff Notes, Inc. 1995. Voltaire. Candide. New York: Viking Publishers, 1998.

In the Mood for Interior Design

Kathryn Terry Professor Mooney Eng105N 5 March, 2012 In the Mood for Interior Design There are many things that affect one’s mood in the world. Mood seems like something simple that people can change themselves. But, in fact, mood is affected by more than just the people around or how one is feeling. The way a room is designed and laid out and the colors that one picks for the room affect a person’s mood more than most realize. Many aspects of interior design affect people’s moods.The Article, â€Å"Occupation Information,† states that interior designers prepare specifications for interior construction materials, space planning, lighting, finishes, equipment and furnishing. They also develop designs that are appropriate, functional and aesthetically pleasing for others. Reading blueprints, understanding building and fire codes and knowing how to make space accessible to people who are disabled are things interior designers must know. Traditionally, most in terior designers focus on choosing a style, color, and pattern and then selecting appropriate lighting, furnishing, window covering and artwork for the home. Interior designers may work alone as consultants or with a design group† (Occupation Information†). They often visit clients in their homes and offices and they often work on weekends and long hours. Personal requirements for interior designers are being creative, having an artistic flair, being good at problem solving and lateral things and being good at technical drawing and illustration (â€Å"Occupation Information†). April Sanders states that interior designers have know for a long time that room decoration and color affects moods (Sanders). Every room in a house has the ability to affect one’s atmosphere and mood.Anna Starmer says that, â€Å"†¦one’s home can become a haven of mood enhancing spaces to calm the soul and refresh the mind† (Starmer 19). Furnishing, accessories, pa int colors, room arrangements and even scents in a room can affect the mood of the person in the room (Sanders). Shilpa Shah writes that colors are light waves that are reflected and absorbed by all things around a person. â€Å"Color is the language of the universe† (Shah). It can interconnect the heart, body and soul, soothe one’s emotions, spur energy into a person, and protect and raise one’s health and spirit (Shah).Mary Nicholson says that color, without realizing it, can have a larger effect on how one feels both mentally and physically (Nicholson). Leslie Brown says that people cannot believe what their eyes are telling them when it comes to color, nor can they believe what they know to be true (Leslie Brown 12). In the article, â€Å"Feng Shui Colors,† it says that since the beginning of time, color therapy has been used by the ancient Egyptians and the Greeks who assigned specific colors to specific illnesses. One actually does not have to see a color to benefit from it. Blind people can feel the difference in colors by touch† (â€Å"Feng Shui Colors†). Too strong or too much of a color will do no one any favors, particularly if they want a relaxing atmosphere (Brown 12). Every color has a different effect on people’s moods. Red is a warm color that is great for grabbing attention and can increase brain activity and one’s pulse rate. It is great for adding a sense of drama to a space and is also great for creating a party atmosphere (â€Å"Feng Shui Colors†). Red can advance the eye to make a space seem cozier (Leslie Brown 12).It is also associated with fire and passion and can be used to stimulate and intensify emotion. One does however, have to use red sparingly, because it can become overwhelming and make people feel aggressive or moody if they stay in the room too long. Red was preserved as being rough and warm when it was touched by the blind (â€Å"Feng Shui Colors†). Another warm color is orange. Orange is a stimulating color that is often associated with enthusiasm, optimism, and sociability. Orange is a great color when entertaining visitors, for example in a dining room.One wants to avoid using a lot of orange in a bedroom because it can be over stimulating (â€Å"Feng Shui Colors†). When mixed with yellow, orange can have the ability to overcome clutter (Leslie Brown 104). Orange is a color that works well when mixed with other colors as long as the colors do not clash (Leslie Brown 106). Yellow is another color that is in the warm family. Yellow is great for lifting spirits, raising energy levels and decreasing negativity. It is particularly good for encouraging intellectual progress and focusing the mind. Yellow is ull of creative and intellectual energy (â€Å"Feng Shui Colors†). Yellow is one of the most approachable colors, because it is capable of extraordinary variations and because at its deepest and strongest, it never gets d ark. Yellow is a perfect practical color because of its friendliness and versatility (Leslie Brown 99). One does have to be careful when mixing yellow with other colors though. Gray and white are two colors that work very well with yellow (Leslie Brown 97). Green is a cool color. Green is associated with calming and peace, and promotes feelings of safety.It is the strongest of the secondary colors and it acts like a primary. The balancing, restful qualities in greens make for an obvious Feng Shui decorating color choice for living rooms, bedrooms and places of retreat. A soft green bathroom can also be very relaxing. â€Å"It is a very useful color for people who are experimenting wayward teenagers or people who seem out of balance on an emotional level† (â€Å"Feng Shui Colors†). Blue is also a cool color. Blue is one of the easiest and best colors to use because it comes in so many different shades.It is the color of infinity because the sky is blue and the sky goes on forever (Leslie Brown 80). Blue can reduce tension and stress and is useful in calming negative emotions when tempers are running high. It is also associated with effective communication and clear thought and is great for focusing the mind. Blue was perceived as cool and smooth when the blind touched it. Too much blue can be cold and depressing, so one should avoid it if they are prone to moodiness and low mood swings (â€Å"Feng Shui Colors†). Another cool color is purple.Purple was very expensive to create, therefore it is a color of majesty (Leslie Brown 129). Purple is a color linked with activities such as mediation and healing and is known as the psychic color. â€Å"Purple can have a calming and restorative effect in a bedroom as it encourages introspection which is key at night time when your energy needs to be focused inward† (Feng Shui Colors†). When one mixes purple with other colors, it can lose its daunting majesty to become a modern spice for sta rk spaces (Leslie Brown 130). Pink is the ultimate feminine color of love and nurturing.It is a color often presented as a color that one paints a small girl’s room because it is so bold. Pink is not as ditzy as people make it out to be (Leslie Brown123). It is great for creating a sense of calmness and is great for hyperactive children. Someone with sleep difficulties and someone who has just gone through divorce might want to consider painting a room pink (â€Å"Feng Shui Colors†). Pink is a color that was not invented with a clear range (Leslie Brown 133). White and Cream are colors that refresh the mind. Cream is a warm, friendly and rich color (Leslie Brown 58).White is associated with cleanliness and purity and can be useful when one’s senses are overloaded and they need to clear down the emotions (â€Å"Feng Shui Colors†). White’s textures and tones evoke a sense of calmness that people like in homes that are in cities or countries (Leslie B rown 50). One does have to be careful with white because it can be difficult to live with long term (â€Å"Feng Shui Colors†). Black is the total opposite of white and cream. Black can be preserved as being a bold, sexy and an independent color.It can create a sense of magic because it has such great depth to it (â€Å"Feng Shui Colors†). Black can however be a depressing color and referred back to death. The best way to use black is to use on one wall and accent it with bright colors like violet or neutrals. Black combined with gray can make for a great room. It should be avoided in children’s bedrooms, dining rooms and kitchens (Leslie Brown 70). Brown/beige is a color that is as strong and powerful as black but a little more friendly. It is one of the more natural colors similar to green because it is a color common in nature.Brown/beige is a color that is typically known as more of a masculine color, because it has less pink than a cream color. Brown/beige i s a color that puts people at ease and relaxes them. It is often a color used but builders because it is pleasing to the buyers and will usually work well with any color. â€Å"Arts and Crafts houses generally have an affinity with beige and brown schemes because the style made full use of the colors of wood,† (Leslie Brown 64-66). Colors and the placement of furniture together can really affect someone’s mood.Simon Brown writes that Feng Shui is the placement of furniture and the way in which people interact with there environment (Simon Brown). David Kennedy states that it is an ancient Chinese art of improving every aspect of people’s life by creating energy flow and harmony in their environment (Kennedy 1). Feng Shui is a term composed of two Chinese words. Feng is a word that means wind and Shui meaning water (Kennedy 13). Rizwana Mundewadi states that â€Å"Feng Shui works on the principle of balancing the five elements: fire, earth, metal, water and wood ,† (Mundewadi).Balancing those five elements can help lead to prosperity, peace, and harmony in all aspects of life (Mundewadi). The Chinese have known for a very long time that people’s physical surroundings affect every aspect of their inner and outer lives. By rearranging their living and working environments according to ancient Feng Shui principles, many successful individuals now create harmony and happiness in their relationships, increase their prosperity, and reduce patterns of difficulty, stress and failure in their everyday lives.The Chinese have long recognized the distinct relationship between Feng Shui and having a success in life. Most individuals do not realize that their surroundings affect their health, wealth, family life, relationships and even ones destiny (Kennedy 1). â€Å"Feng Shui works on the basis that you have an emotional energy field running through and around your body,† (Simon Brown 8). Whether one is aware of it or not, Feng Shui affects them every moment of every day (Kennedy 11).Everyone’s environment or energy surrounding them can help create an experience that can lead to greater success in life (Simon Brown 8). Although most people do understand that too much clutter can create a feeling of frustration or anxiety, most do not understand that the improper arrangement of the accessories and furniture can also create a stressful and anxiousness feeling. A small table crowded with accessories like photos can irritate someone who is trying to find a place to set their drink down.The location of one’s bed can affect a marriage and the position of a desk can affect one’s attention and work performance, which can perhaps make the difference in someone getting a job promotion or demotion. â€Å"A room that has a couch with its back to a large window or opening can leave a person feeling subconsciously vulnerable as if someone could sneak up on them,† (Sanders). Following all the Feng Shui principles can help living and working environment that can help someone achieve the success and happiness that they deserve (Kennedy 1).There so many things Interior Designers must know in order to create a mood friendly environment for themselves or their clients. All the colors and the Feng Shui technique affect moods in so many different ways. The more they are studied the more that will be discovered about all the affects they have on people’s moods. Knowing how all the different colors affect people’s moods can create a warm and friendly or cool and relaxing environment depending on which colors are chosen. It is a strategy that many people are unaware of that’s important and can be very rewarding.

Bangladesh and Education Essay

Education – a simple word that is one of the major drivers of our planet earth. Through education people get to know who they are, where they came from and where they will be heading in the near future. Education is the spearhead of a society. It is because of proper education that people get to know about the diversity of this unpredictable world. Education forges the lives of those who get it. Education is one of the important factors that affect the quality and the means of leading a prosperous life. Bangladesh was described as one of the poorest countries of this world after the liberation war in 1971. It had gone through harsh phases of floods, droughts, cyclones, famines and other natural calamities and at present one of the world’s most crowded countries still remains well below the poverty line and as a result most of the population is still illiterate. Education still and always will remain an important form of social capital in this world. Education fosters innovation, contributes to the economic growth of a country and also increases the efficiency, effectivity and productivity of all the individuals who get the light of education. The World Bank (WB) approved generous amount of loans in the recent past to promote and improve the education sector of Bangladesh. However, the government and the NGOs are playing an active role in the development process by educating the mass population of Bangladesh and the whole course of action mainly focus their vision on the children and women. In Bangladesh the educational process is so slow and weak that the development process has become sluggish. OBJECTIVE Education system in Bangladesh is three-tiered and highly subsidized and the Bangladesh government operates many education institution in the primary, secondary and higher secondary levels. Through the University Grants Commission, the government funds more than 35 state universities in the tertiary education sector. Bangladesh emphasizes on the education For All (EFA) objectives, Millennium Development Goal (MDG) and the International Declarations. According to the articles 15 and 17 of the Constitution of Bangladesh, every citizen has the right to education and all children between the ages of 6-18 should receive primary and secondary education free of charge. The government should provide the underprivileged children with free books and education free of cost. METHODOLOGY As we are the students of RS, we were unable to go outside to meet with people and conduct interviews with them. So, to gather our information and data, we had to go though different forums, journals, books and different websites. HISTORY OF EDUCATION. From 1971 our education system started officially. At the beginning of the education system in Bangladesh the number of schools and universities were very poor. There were only 6 public universities in 1971. But now the numbers of universities are increasing. Now the numbers of primary schools are near about 76000. The great point system started from 2000 and the JSC and JDC education system was started from 2010. In recent years Bangladesh has adopted various strategies to educate the general people mainly the children. In education sector BRAC’s contribution is bigger. Sir Fazle Hassan Abed founded BRAC School at 1972. In the history of education BRAC played an important role . EDUCATION SYSTEM AFTER LIBERATION After the liberation war of Bangladesh in 1971, the People’s Republic of Bangladesh became an independent nation free to choose its own educational destiny. As Bangladesh was, and still is, a secular state, many forms of education were permitted to co-exist. The formidable British system was, and still is, largely practiced. In fact, presently, the Bangladeshi system of education is divided into three different branches. Students are free to choose anyone of them provided that they have the means. These branches are: The English Medium – English medium schools are mainly private and thus reserved for the wealthy class. After three years of pre-school, students must successfully pass through ten grades to be eligible for writing the Ordinary Level Exams, also called the O-Levels. Then after one more year of studies, students can write the Advanced Level (A-Level) Exams. The Bengali Medium – the Bengali Medium, which is offered by the government. In the Bengali Medium, all the courses are offered in Bengali with the exception of English courses and the Religious course. The tuition fee is minimal compared to English schools but they still vary largely between schools. After three years of pre-school, students in the Bengali medium do five years of primary school. Then they move to high school for grade five to grade ten. At the end of the tenth grade, they appear for their SSC (Secondary School Certificate) exam. Afterwards, they move on to two years of college following which they have to write for the HSC (Higher School Certificate) exam. The Religious Branch – Bangladesh is a very poor country with millions of homeless children. To educate these children, there are religious institutions called â€Å"Madrashas† where these children are sheltered, fed and taught the ways of Islam by priests. These children learn the scripts from the Koran and the regular prayers. Literacy situation in Bangladesh Period Census – The 1974 census defined literacy as the ability to read and write in any language. This definition was in conformity with the UNESCO; one accepted throughout the world. The definition of literacy used in the 1981 census covered only persons of age 5 years and above and included those who could write a letter in any language. The 1991 census also defined literacy as the ability to write a letter in any language but covered persons of age 7 years and above. The effect of change in definition of literate has been reflected in the literacy rates of different census years. Increase in Literacy – Literacy rate among people of all ages rose from 17% in 1961 to 24. 9% in census year 1991. For the 7 years and above age group, the literacy rate increased from 26. 8% in 1974 to 32. 4% in 1991. In all census periods, the literacy rates were higher among the males than among the females. The female literacy rate, however, rose significantly in the 1991 census. It was 16. 4% in 1974 and 25. 5% in 1991. Urban rural variation in literacy rate is also quite evident in all census periods. Literacy rates in urban areas are higher than in rural areas in all census periods. Adult literacy Adult literacy rate for population 15 and above is defined as the ratio between the literate population of the age 15 years and over to the total population of the same age expressed in percentage. This rate for both sexes was 25. 9% in the 1974 census and 29. 2% in the 1981 census. In the 1991 census the rate was 35. 3%. In all census periods, male adult literacy rate was higher than the female. Educated adults come to the urban areas for better employment and education. As a result, the adult literacy level of urban population is much higher than that of their rural counterparts in all census years. However, the gap between urban-rural literacy rate narrowed in 1991, as did the gap between the male and female population. This is due to rural people’s increasing participation in education in recent times. Steps of Bangladesh after Liberation towards development of education The independence of Bangladesh generated a new enthusiasm in both government and private level in efforts to expand literacy and remove illiteracy. The Bangladesh Constitution of 1972 provides the basis for a policy on universal primary education. The policy has three components: establishing a uniform mass oriented and universal system of education; extending free and compulsory education to all children; and relating education to the needs of society and removing illiteracy. Keeping in view the constitutional directives, Bangladesh committed itself to implement the recommendations of – The World Conference on Education for All (1990), The World Summit on Children (1990) and The Summit Declaration on Education for All (1993). Primary Education of Bangladesh Primary education was recognised as the foundation of preparing literate citizens of the country in all national documents, reports of the commissions, and committees on education. But this stage of education got a momentum only after the enactment of the Compulsory Primary Education Law of 1990. Compulsory primary education under this Act was introduced in 1992 in 68 thanas, and all over the country in 1993. Measures such as satellite schools, community schools, and Food for Education Programme were taken up to increase enrolment and decrease dropout. The new primary curriculum based on terminal competencies was implemented in 1992. These steps resulted in some improvements in various efficiency indicators of primary education such as in gross enrolment ratio and the completion rate and raised the participation of girls in primary education. In addition to state intervention, from the second half of 1980’s, the government allowed NGOs to experiment with a variety of delivery mechanisms to cater to the basic educational needs of the disadvantaged population. Role of BRAC BRAC launched its education programme in 1985 with 22 one-room primary schools following non-formal approach. The goal of the BRAC Education Programme is to make a significant contribution to the achievement of education for all in Bangladesh. The BRAC Education Programme is mainly focusing on –  increase access of basic education in unreached and underserved population improve quality in formal education system support the government in achieving Millennium Development Goal 2 – Education for All by 2015 ? In sheer size, BRAC operates the largest private school system in the world: 1. 1 million students (70% of them are girls) are enrolled at present in 37,000 BRAC schools that provide four years of non formal primary education. So far, almost 5 million children have already graduated from primary school and got their basic education from these schools and close to 95% enrol to secondary schools. Education Programme – Primary School Operations Primary Schools Currently running24,398 Current Students0. 75 mil Graduates4. 95 mil Cost per Child per YearUSD 32 Schools for Indigenous Children2,441 Pre-Primary Schools Currently Running13,054 Current Students0. 36 mil Graduates4. 33 mil The Five Year Plan(s) According to the Report of Bangladesh Education Commission of 1974, the number of adult men and women illiterates in the country at the time of independence was 35 million. The Report recommended adoption of non-formal and mass education programmes for them. Accordingly, the First Five-Year Plan (1973-78) launched a massive functional literacy programme through non-formal education and allocated Tk 400 million for this subsector. The Second Five-Year Plan (1980-85) attached high priority to eradication of mass illiteracy. In the Third Five-Year Plan (1985-90) the programme was revived with an allocation of Tk 250 million and a modest target of making 2. 4 million adults literate by June 1990. Information from the office of the Integrated Non-Formal Education (INFE) project (former MEP Office) show that only 27 upazilas were covered in this project out of a target of 71 upazilas. A total of 291,600 adults were made literate in five years. In the Fourth Five-Year Plan (1990-95) Tk 235. 70 million was allocated. During the Plan period MEP was continued as a spillover under the project and total of 367,660 adult illiterates of 11-45 years age were made literate. The programme was implemented in 68 thanas of the country. Moreover, under the aegis of the district administration a programme named Total Literacy Movement (TLM) was started in 1995 in Lalmonirhat and Bhola districts. It was later extended to 15 other districts. Preparatory work is now under way to extend TLM to 22 more districts. The Fifth Five-Year Plan (1997-2002) adopted an ambitious objective to achieve the goal of Education for All (EFA) by the end of Plan period 2002. The major objectives are to increase gross enrolment in primary schools to 110 percent (net 95%) with particular emphasis on enrolment of girls and on increasing completion rate of primary education to at least 75 percent by the year 2002. The Fifth Plan also set up some important objectives of mass education consistent with the overall objectives of achieving the goal of EFA and fulfilling the educational needs of 30 million adult illiterates. These objectives are to increase literacy rate of adults (15 years and above) to 80% by the year 2002, to empower learners with technical skills, entrepreneurial traits and leadership skills, to empower skills related to literacy, numeracy and communication, to reduce gender gap in literacy rates in both rural and urban areas, and to develop continuing education programme for neo-literates. ? BANGLADESH, EDUCATIONAL STATISTICS OF 2005 ? BASIC EDUCATION STATISTICS, 2010 Number of Institution, Enrolment and Teacher in Post-Primary and Primary by management and sex, 2010 Type of SchoolManage. mentInstitutionTeacherStudentIndicators TotalTotalFem. % FemTotalGirl% GirlTSRSPITPI Primary School EducationPublic3767218145510543158. 109885697506116551. 20542625 Private450021995026812834. 157018849347542149. 52351564 Total8267438095717355945. 5616904546853658650. 50442045 Secondary School EducationPrivate187232107804791722. 737240497387315753. 493438711 Public3177231241733. 4322527710651947. 283171123 Total190402180115033423. 097465774397967653. 313439211 College EducationPrivate3068773201626521. 04150516671642347. 601949125 Public2569900231023. 3388910935852340. 3290347339. Total3324872201857521. 302394275107494644. 902772026 Madrasah EducationPublic310400. 0060642313. 8158202135 Private93581077431091110. 132194863116742753. 192023512 TOTAL93611078471091110. 122200927116765853. 052023512 University EducationPublic319163165618. 072629418198831. 18298482296 Private515710170129. 792009394912524. 45353940112 Total8214873335722. 5746388013111328. 26315657181 Technical & Vocational EduPublic251401554213. 501338971799913. 443353316 Private259711286270823. 993140307052122. 46281214 Total284822455461120. 5344792710258122. 90201578 ProfessionalPublic70179548627. 0819120935748. 941127326 Private214312345014. 41508231451628. 561623715 Total284491893619. 03699432387334. 131424617 Teacher EducationPublic90103927526. 47176631005856. 941719612 Private9283025530. 728613243728. 2910949 Total182186953028. 36262761249547. 551414410 All (Post-primary)Public101833247768623. 12155407158467537. 6247152733 Private341034167928020719. 2411514931589360651. 182833812 Total351214500398789319. 5313069002647828149. 572937213 All (Primary + Post-primary)Public3869021470211311752. 6911439768564584049. 35532966 Private7910561629414833524. 0718533780936902750. 55302348 Total11779583099626145231. 46299735481501486750. 09362547 COMPARISON OF EDUCATION AID AND SPENDING OVER THE PERIOD 1980-2008 Figure 5 shows the increasing gap between education aid and government spending. The 1980s illustrate the small gap between aid and spending, which began to increase over time. From 2006 onwards, education aid began to decline and government spending increased. This reflects the relatively low and declining proportion of aid in total education spending. ? TOTAL PRIMARY STUDENT ENROLMENT (1985-2005) Fiscal Year Primary student enrolment (millions) 1985 10. 08 1986 10. 78 1987 11. 26 1988 11. 76 1989 11. 77 1990 12. 34 1991 13. 03 1992 13. 72 1993 14. 2 1994 15. 19 1995 16. 43 1996 17. 07 1997 17. 32 1998 17. 63 1999 19. 61 2000 17. 67 2001 17. 66 2002 17. 56 2003 18. 43 2004 17. 95 2005 16. 23 PRIMARY ENROLMENT Source: Ministry of Education, Bangladesh PROGRESS IN PRIMARY SCHOOL ENROLLMENT RATE SINCE 2000 One of the key EFA goals is to ensure gender parity in education by 2015 – Unlike most South Asian neighboring countries, Bangladesh has already achieved gender parity in primary and secondary education. The GER and NER for girls have increased from 87. 7 percent and 63. 9 percent to about 88. 4 percent and 67. 4 percent respectively within 2000-05. About 16. 2 million students are currently enrolled in primary schools in Bangladesh, of which about 8 million are girls In an effort to promote the education of the poor, the GoB has been engaged over the past ten years into demand side interventions such as the Food for Education Program (FFE) and the primary stipend program. PROGRESS IN ADULT LITERACY RATE SINCE 2000 According to HIES 2005, Bangladesh is estimated to have about 41. 5 million people aged 15 or more who are illiterate. Considering the extent of poverty and the prevailing high illiteracy rate (about 54 percent in 2000), the GoB gives high priority to non-formal education through basic and post-literacy programs and continuing education. The government also recognizes that the literacy and numeracy skills can help improve the income and welfare status of the poor. Literacy and social mobilization programs have contributed to raising the national literacy rate from 45. 6% to 52. 7% between 2000 and 2005. Bangladesh is likely to meet the EFA target of a 50 percent increase in adult literacy by 2015 if the annual growth rate of literacy rate exceeds 4 percent. The literacy and social mobilization programs are likely to have contributed to raising the national literacy rate from 45. 6 percent to 52. 7 percent between 2000 and 2005 (cf. HIES 2000 & 2005). In particular female literacy rate has gone up by almost 9 percentage points compared to male literacy rate which only records a 5 percentage point increase. Furthermore, the number of illiterates aged 15 to 30 has decreased from about 15 million to 11. 8 million between 2000 and 2005. Although Rural areas appear to be still lagging behind urban areas. ? PROGRESS IN PRIMARY COMPLETION RATE SINCE 2000 OVERVIEW OF THE PRIMARY EDUCATION AND ADULT EDUCATION Bangladesh sustains one of the largest primary education systems in the world with as many as 80,401 primary institutions of 10 different kinds namely, GPS, RNGPS, NRNGPS, experimental schools, community schools, kindergartens, NGO schools, ebtedaee madrashas, primary sections of high madrashas, primary sections of high schools. According to the School Survey Report 2008, GPS, RNGPS, Experimental and community schools constitute 75% of the total institutions. These four categories of institutions are providing primary education to 81. 9% of the total primary school enrolled children of over 16. 3 million. The proportions of boys and girls enrolled at the primary level are 49. 3% and 50. 7% respectively. A total of 364494 teachers are engaged in primary teaching in all the ten categories of institutions comprising 40. 4% female and 59. 6% male. The proportion of female teachers in GPS, RNGPS, PTI and community schools is 50. 2%, 32. 2%, 39. 0% and 73. 6% respectively and the pupilteacher ratio is 51. 4, 44. 7, 48. 1 and 43. 35 respectively. NGOs in the country have been making significant contribution to the education sector. About 500 NGOs are currently running 48,855 learning centers for providing primary education to 10,24,495 females and 6,06,802 males in the country (CAMPE, 2007). A total of 518 NGOs have been engaged in education programs of which more than 450 have adult literacy programs integrated into NFE. The NGOs are providing adult education to 1,19,277 females and 26,193 males through 6,574 learning centers (CAMPE, 2007). However, some of the major NGOs in the country offering adult education are BRAC, Proshika, Dhaka Ahsania Mission, FIVDB, Action Aid, Swanirvar Bangladesh. BRAC has been the largest NGO in the country operating the largest non-formal education program. It runs 34000 NFPE schools serving 1. 02 million un-enrolled and drop out children of the marginal families. RELATE WITH MDG The Government of Bangladesh has made commitment in the World Education Forum held at Dakar, Senegal in April 2000, towards achievement of Education for All goals and every citizen by the year 2015. The World Education Forum adopted six major goals for education, two of which also became Millennium Development Goals later in the same year. The Dakar goals covered the attainment of Universal Primary Education (UPE) and gender equality, improving literacy and educational quality, and increasing life-skills and early childhood education programs, and were to be achieved within 15 years (EFA Global Monitoring Report, 2005:28) However, the gender goal was judged to be particularly urgent – requiring the achievement of parity in enrolments for girls and boys at primary and secondary levels by 2005, and of full equality throughout education by 2015. The Millennium declaration of the United Nations adopted on 8 September 2000 by all member states in the millennium Summit gave birth to eight goals to be achieved by 2015 (UN, 2005:3). Besides the eight goals, there are 18 targets and 48 indicators in the MDGs. All these Aaspects are pertinent to combat poverty, hunger, illiteracy, diseases, inequality between man and woman, infant mortality, maternal mortality, environmental degradation and improving global partnership for development. The second Goal has designated universal primary education that emphasizes the implicit objective of equal education for boys and girls alike and to be able to complete a full course of primary schooling. Bangladesh is committed to achieve the MDGs and the goals are included in the countries first Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper. By May 2005, the government developed Unlocking the Potential: National Strategy for Accelerated Poverty Reduction (PRSP). It takes a rights-based approach and identifies four strategic objectives: creating opportunity towards realizing the full potential of children i. e. access to health, nutrition, education, water and sanitation; ensuring the best interests of children in national, social, family and personal situations i. e. empowerment of children; ensuring safety and security at home and in the public space i. e. protection against abuse, exploitation and violence and establishing and protecting children’s rights i. e. social inclusion, decent work and livelihood. PRSP goal is to introduce and strengthen early childhood and pre-school education; introduce a unified and common primary education opportunity for all children; improve quality of primary education; 100% enrolment, and raise all other targets to achieve quality and completion in primary education; increase literacy rate to 80% and expand the scope of NFE beyond the literacy to reach out to the extreme poor and in remote areas (PRSP, 2005:50-51). In summing up the discussion it can be said that Bangladesh has been improving in primary education significantly since independence. Though primary education has been given priority from the emergence of the country but some dramatic changes has been noticed in the 1990s. This decade saw a renewed dedication to the expansion of primary education, and consequently primary education experienced significant enhancement during the period. In 1990, in a major policy direction Bangladesh made commitment to international compliance and as a result WCEFA came into being. Similar major international initiatives were taken in 2000. World Education Forum at Dakar and the UN Millennium conference at New York, fixed various targets and goals, named as MDGs. As a signatory country, Bangladesh is now committed to attain these targets by 2015. Currently primary education in Bangladesh is on target of achieving the second MDGs phase and it is a matter of concern Number of Students Enrolled in Primary Schools and Percentage of Boys and Girls *percentage of boys and girls students in primary schiools (1991-2009) Number of Students % of Students YearTotalBoysGirlsBoysGirls 199112,635,4196,910,0925,725,32754. 745. 3 199213,017,2677,048,5425,968,72554. 245. 8 199314,067,3327,525,8626,541,47053. 546. 5 199415,180,6808,048,1177,132,56353. 047. 0 199517,284,1579,094,4898,189,66852. 647. 4 199617,580,4169,219,3588,361,05852. 447. 6 199718,031,6739,364,8998,666,77451. 948. 1 199818,360,6429,576,9428,783,70052. 247. 8 199917,621,7319,065,0198,556,71251. 448. 6 200017,667,9859,032,6988,635,28751. 148. 9 200117,659,2208,989,7958,669,42551. 049. 0 200217,561,8288,841,6488,720,18050. 349. 7 200318,431,3209,358,7579,072,56350. 849. 2 200417,953,3009,046,4338,906,86750. 449. 6 200516,225,6588,091,2218,134,43749. 8750. 13 200616,385,8478,129,3148,256,53349. 650. 4 200716,312,9078,035,3538,277,55449. 350. 7 200816,001,6057,919,8378,081,76849. 4950. 51 200916,539,3638,241,0268,298,33749. 8350. 17 Statictis of primary schools in Bangladesh(1996-2009) YEARInstitution GPSEXPRNGPSCOMM* SATTHSAPSNGPSKGEb. Mad- rashaHMAPSNGOTotal 1996377105219683275920027593963143494992759-80818 19973771052195291962104212923472154582312850-77685 19983771053196582989282215823177169171732948-79803 199937709531955331072945123026321940640432531478840 200037677531925330613884122021262296371034379276809 2001376715319428326840951576197124773843357417078126 2002376715319428322548231576179224773443357430178363 2003376715319428326048231618167030886581820034586737 20043767154198143218-1283169937456723821444782868 20053767254196823027-135394622816768*832928980401 20063767254199993192-1314114026656726892033882020 20073767254201073186-131497322536726892022981434 20083767254200833263-157196629876744923340882981 20093767255200612991-95981927446744923323081508 GPS- Government Primary School, RNGPS- Registered Non Government Primary School, NGPS- Non Government Primary School, EXP- PTI attached Experimental School, KG- Kinder Garden, HSAPS- High School Attached Primary Schools, HMAPS- High Madrasa Attached Primary School, * SATT – Sattilite Schools which are closed from 2004 . CHALLENGES †¢Quality of teachers : Teacher’s poor academic quality and low competency is a serious problem for student’s educational attainment. Rahman attempted to establish a profile of the primary school teachers by interviewing some 500 teachers. He found that most of the teachers have only the SSC/HSC examination in the third division (Rahman, 1986:32). This poor quality of teacher’s academic competencies results in ineffective teaching. †¢Fund : Lack of funding is a big problem. The government and donors try to invest more in education sector to achieve the goals of education for all. †¢Quality of education : Bangladesh has a significant progress in achieving some goals of education for all but it needs to focus on the quality of education and early childhood development. †¢Coaching centers : some coaching centers are very much expensive. It helps to decrease child’s creativity because students found readymade notes there and they don’t need to work for it. †¢Students politics : when students participate in politics, they can not concentrate their studies. They will very much busy with political activities rather than their study because they are given money to do this. †¢Lack of consistency: Dhaka, Jan 2 (BDNEWS) – Countries leading educationists Monday demanded cancellation of the proposed ‘unified education’, which was postponed earlier, and introduction of a genuine unified education based on equality, and scientific and secular thinking at secondary level. RECOMMENDATION 1. Inclusion of legal education in government’s policy priorities, and to undertake concrete steps to improve its quality. 2. Formation of a Council of Legal Education for overall control, monitoring and supervision of legal education in Bangladesh. The Council will exercise its functions in collaboration with the Bar Council and the University Grants Commission. Necessary law is to be enacted for the formation of the Council, which would also entail amendment of the Bangladesh Legal Practitioners and Bar Council Order 1972, in so far as it concerns legal education. 3. To form legal education committee in the University Grants Commission consisting of the representatives of the law schools, and with this end in view to make necessary amendments in the University Grants Commission Order, 1972 and the relevant rules. 4. Provision for additional vocational course up to one year for law graduates as prequalification for appearing at the bar examination. How this course would be designed and run would be determined by the proposed Council of Legal Education. 5. Rational combination of academic and vocational character of legal education to make sure law graduates acquire knowledge, skill and competency for legal practice as well as law related general services. It is necessary to provide for more practical methods of teaching law i. e. Socratic method, problem method, case study, moot court and mock trial, clinical legal education etc. 6. Promotion of inter-disciplinary approach to curriculum to help students better understand the societal problems. Subjects like national history, economics, political science, sociology, logic etc could be included in the law curriculum. 7. Inclusion of new law courses (subjects) in the curriculum to respond to the needs of modern economy, ICT and globalisation. Subjects such as corporate law, international economic law, e-commerce, intellectual property law, environmental law, medical jurisprudence need to be included. 8. To include in the curriculum separate courses on ADR, legal ethics, research, drafting and conveyancing. 9. Need for emphasising transnational aspects of law to include more subjects on public and private international law and comparative law. 10. To enhance human rights and gender sensibility of legal education. Separate papers on these issues are suggested to be included in the syllabus 11. Narrowing down the gap between college legal education and university legal education by including more subjects in college curriculum and extending its duration. 12. Introduction of clinical legal education which means learning law by providing legal services to the community. Students need to be involved in various ADR activities where they will be exposed to real life situations and get opportunities to apply their knowledge of law as well as be sensitised to the rights of the marginalised sections of the community. 13. Immediate need for massive reforms and overhauling of college legal education by — (a)extension of duration of courses from existing two years to three years with emphasis on practical courses in the final year; (b)introduction of admission tests; (c)limiting number of seats for admission; (d)mandatory appointment of full time teachers; (e)provision for government financial assistance; (f)provision for adequate infrastructural facilities like class-rooms, library, books, computers etc; (g)provision for effective supervision of the colleges. 14. Establishment of government sponsored model law college to set the norms and standards of modern legal education. 15. Evaluation and examination of students by problem oriented questions. 16. Introduction of basic legal education at SSC and HSC levels as a part of general legal awareness, and as a stage of prequalification for higher studies in law. Ministry of Education is to provide necessary directives and frame rules to incorporate fundamentals of law of the land in SSC and HSC curriculum. 17. To preserve the present bilingual character of medium of instruction for law with an emphasis on effective learning of English. 18. To provide for institutional accountability of teachers, and their evaluation by the students. Details of the procedures of accountability and evaluation would need to be worked out. 19. Provision for training of the teachers. 20. Besides legal profession of a lawyer and a judge, to create more diversified professional job opportunities for the law graduates in various government and non-government departments. One of the ways to do it is to create by competitive examination BCS cadre service(legal) for law graduates to perform law related works in various government and autonomous bodies. CONCLUSION Bangladesh’s education system has deeply entrenched links to the English language over many centuries. This has made English the de facto second language. What’s more important though, English is the primary language of trade and commerce here, which makes Bangladesh a very attractive destination for software and IT services off shoring. And now the government also has been taking some steps for the betterment of the educational system of Bangladesh. People are also concerned now unlike the previous dates. The people and the young generations should come forward along with the government on this purpose. We should remember one thing that we need to change for the development.

Essay Sample on School Safety in America

Essay Sample on School Safety in America School safety has become a hot issue that it is being discussed with a lot of emotion. Fear of violence occurring in school has gripped most schools in America and generally the world over. Even then, there are varied responses to perceived increase of school violence. Many schools have responded to the increase in school violence in a variety of ways. To improve safety, many schools have implemented measures such as installation of monitoring security equipment. Everybody in a school community has a responsibility in creating and maintaining safety (Chaddock 2000). Schools are supposed to implement, assess and evaluate means that ensures best practice in order to enhance safety. As I pointed out earlier above, many states have laws requiring schools to carry out self assessment safety measures. According to the Education Commission, best practices can encompass a wide rage of safety objectives (Chaddock 2000). Safety and security are supposed to be clear in their direction, efficient and effective. Schools are supposed to have a comprehensive safety and security procedures, understandable code of ethics of students which should be communicated to students and their parents. Schools are supposed to identify, reduce and protect other schools from students who have tendencies to violent and/or disruptive behaviors. Another objective is to ensure that the school educational facilities together with equipment are secure and are in perfect working condition More often than not, safety is compromised when equipment such as in laboratory are not properly documented and correct procedures followed. It is also important to ensure that schools undertake safety measures when transporting students and staff (Chaddock 2000). If you need a custom essay, research paper, thesis, term paper, dissertation on any discipline feel free to contact our professional custom writing service.

Public Speaking Informative Essays

Public Speaking Informative Essays Public Speaking Informative Essay Public Speaking Informative Essay Essay Topic: Informative Public Speaking Informative Speech Outline SPE 102, January 8th 2009 TITLE: Obtaining a 4 year degree through Burlington County College GENERAL PURPOSE: To inform my audience of different methods they can use to obtain a four year degree through Burlington County College. SPECIFIC PURPOSE: Burlington County College offers many opportunities for advancement whether it is a stepping stone to a 4 year college, an entry into an accredited program through guarantee transfer, or the ever expanding bachelor degree completion program at Burlington County College. INTRODUCTION I attended Rutgers for a year. I was also actively involved in Air Force ROTC (Reserve Officer Training Corps) for those two semesters. I maintained a respectable GPA and made quite a few friends. With that being said, I’m sure some of you are thinking â€Å"well then why is he standing up in front of a class at BCC right now then? † The honest truth is because I was not well informed on the different degree seeking programs offered here at Burlington County College so that’s what I am here to discuss with you today. Burlington County College offers many opportunities for advancement whether it is a stepping stone to a 4 year college, an entry into an accredited program through guarantee transfer, or the ever expanding bachelor degree completion program at the college. If you have the determination, Burlington County College can get you there. BODY I. Some students prefer to use BCC as a stepping stone to four year institutions. 1. There is a significant cost difference when attending a community college and a four year institution. . According to collegeboard. com, the most up to date source on college related material, the average surcharge for full time, out-of-state students tuition at a public four year institution is $10,867 per year. b. According to Burlington County College, the most up to date tuition pricing chart states an in-county student pays $96. 50 per credit hour or the equivalent of $1,351 for full time status, assuming the student is taking 14 credits. c. Without consideration of other fees and expenses related to attending a four year institution, the average student can expect to save an excess of $9,500 a year on credits alone by attending Burlington County College. 2. Many four year degree programs follow a generic outline of four semesters of core classes and four semesters of classes geared towards the appropriate major. a. With this four and four design, students can seamlessly transfer credits and still be on track for the same graduation date of someone that attended the four year institution from the start. . Another reason to consider doing the first four semesters at a community college is the classroom design. A student could expect to have an excess of 300 people in a lecture at a large four year institution where as Burlington County College lectured classes hold a max capacity of around 80 students. 3. Many Students coming out of high school are still undecided on their major or may switch majors during their college c areer. According to Louie Bottaro, an academic advisor for the college of liberal arts at Oregon State University, about 80% of students who start college will switch their major at least once. a. By attending a 2 year institution, a student has the capability to switch their major with little or no impact on future ambitions with regards to graduation. b. By giving a student the opportunity to freely change their major with little impact, they are given a longer opportunity to mature and make career decisions that could affect them for the rest of their lives II. A unique opportunity that some 2 year college’s offer, including Burlington County College, is a program called the guarantee transfer program. This program is designed to place students that meet certain criteria into a particular four year institution for a seamless, uninterrupted flow for obtaining their four year degree. 1. For some students attending college, high school grades may be an issue for admittance into some four year institutions. a. Many accredited four year institutions require a certain standard in which their prospective students must meet. For some, these standards include a particular GPA, or Grade Point Average, in which they may not comply with by the end of their high school career. The guarantee transfer program gives the prospective student the ability to enter a program they may have been previously ineligible for, assuming they meet all criteria for that program. b. By establishing criteria for admittance into these programs, a student is able to clearly establish their baseline and thus set themselves up for success early on. 2. Not only does the program give the student the opportunity to enter programs they may have been previously ineligible for, it gives them the same opportunity to graduate with in the same time frame of a student who attended all four years at the same institution, but for a fraction of the cost. a. As stated earlier, tuition rates amongst community colleges and four year colleges are substantially different. By entering the guaranteed transfer program, a student could expect to save an average of over $19,000 by attending the first two years at a community college. b. In doing so, if a student desired to work they could continue to do so at their current place of employment (assuming they had one). By continuing to work it gives students a couple more years to save so the financial burden isn’t as great. 3. For Some students, the thought of entering college could send them into panic mode. a. By entering a two year institution knowing you have the same opportunities as an individual who entered a four year institution direct out of high school, a two year institution could help with the transition phase from high school to college without the initial huge lifestyle adjustment. b. You know the expectations you have to work towards in order to achieve your goals and in doing so, you can eliminate the interruptions that many students face regarding their first year of college when attending a four year university. III. Another unique opportunity that BCC students have is bachelor degree competition programs at BCC. The bachelor degree completion programs allow students to not only obtain their bachelors degree at BCC but it allows them to do it at a fraction of the cost of attending the particular school in which it is hosted through. 1. Perhaps the best feature in regards to the bachelor degree completion program is the savings the student can expect to see by doing so. These savings come not only in cost per credit hour but these savings can be attributed to other situations as well. a. Many college students are strapped for cash as it is so they tend to find places to save. One of the most expensive luxuries in life is having a place to stay that puts a roof over your head. By attending one of the BCC bachelor’s degree completion programs, a student is usually able to stay within their current living situation whether it is with their parents, guardians, or an apartment they share with friends. b. If a student were to stay on campus at a four year institution, they could expect to pay an average of $7,748 a year on room and board alone according collegeboard. om for the 2008-2009 school year. 2. In saving money with the bachelor’s degree completion program, a student could also expect to save a considerable amount of time in travel. Most bachelor degree completion program centers can be found on either the Mt. Laurel campus or the Willingboro campus. By centrally locating these degree completion centers a student is able to spend considerably much les s time traveling thus allowing for more time studying. 3. By attending one of the bachelor degree programs at BCC, it gives you the opportunity to earn the same degree that an individual would earn that actually attended that school on campus. a. The degree you earn is a degree direct from the college in which you earned it from. It does not note anywhere that the degree was completed at BCC and the certificate holds no less value then one of someone who obtained theirs from attending on that specific college’s campus. b. Along with obtaining the same degree, you have the opportunity to earn it in the same amount of time as someone that would have earned it the CONCLUSION So whether you just need Burlington County College as a stepping stone for your future or you have intentions of utilizing their guarantee transfer or bachelor degree completion program, Burlington County College can help get you there. If I had the opportunity to start all over again, you can guarantee Burlington County College would have been my first stop. Visual aid: Hand Out

The History of Automobile Names

The History of Automobile Names The automobile has gone by several names in the past and still continues to as variations of motor vehicles have been spun off. For example, there is the common car term, but word automobile is often used as well. Then theres truck, jeep, station wagon, bus, van, minivan and hatchback among others. However, it all began with a battle of semantics that pre-dated the word automobile, which was coined at the turn of the 20th century. So what other names for motor vehicles have famous inventors used prior to automobile? One good way to find out is to look at the names that were used in their patent applications. Heres a brief rundown of various car names throughout history: American inventor, engineer and businessman Oliver Evans  applied for a U.S. patent in Philadelphia in 1792 for an invention he called oruktor amphiboles, which translates to â€Å"amphibious digger.† His vehicle was designed to be a steam-powered car that rolled out of his shop in 1804. Initially created for the Philadelphia Board of Health for the purpose of dredging and cleaning docks, the vehicle was capable of moving on both water and land.George Selden, a patent attorney from Rochester, New York, received a patent for something he called a road machine in 1879. Due to existing laws at the time, the patent was pre-dated to 1877. Selden expanded its claims over the years. And by 1895, he had a patent for a three-cylinder motor vehicle. While he never actually produced a car, the patent allowed him to collect royalties from all American car manufacturers. Companies paid Seldens holding company, the Association of Licensed Automotive Manufacturers, for the patent licensing rights to build cars. The fact that Selden hadn’t actually followed through with his idea made the patent questionable to some manufacturers. Henry Ford,  industrialist and founder of the Ford Motor Company, was one of those who took issue with Seldon’s licensing fees and refused to pay it. Selden took Ford to court in 1904, but the judge ordered an automobile built according to the Selden patent. It was an utter failure and Selden’s patent was overturned in 1911. Selden could no longer collect royalties and car manufacturers were free to build their vehicles at lower cost without this added expense.  The  Duryea brothers  patented their motor wagon in 1895. They were bicycle makers who became fascinated with the concept of automobiles and gasoline engines.   "The new mechanical wagon with the awful name automobile has come to stay..."New York Times (1897 article) The New York Times mention of the name â€Å"automobile† was the first public use of the term by the media and eventually helped to popularize the name for motor vehicles. Credit for the name actually goes to a 14th century Italian painter and engineer named Martini. While he never built an automobile, he did draw up plans for a man-powered carriage with four wheels. He came up with the name automobile by combining the Greek word auto meaning self and the Latin word, mobils, which means moving. Put them together and youve got a self-moving vehicle that doesnt need horses to pull it. Other Names for Motor Vehicles Over the Years Of course, the other popular name for an automobile is the car is thought to be derived from Latin word carrus or carrum, which means wheeled vehicle. It can also be a variation of the Middle English term carre, meaning cart. Other possibilities include the Gaulish word karros (a Gallic chariot) or the Brythoic word Karr. These terms originally referred to wheeled horse-drawn vehicles such as a cart, carriage or wagon. Motor car is the standard formal name for cars in British English. There were other early media references to motor vehicles and these included names such as autobaine, autokenetic, autometon, automotor horse, buggyaut, diamote, horseless carriage, mocole, motor carriage, motorig, motor-vique and the oleo locomotive. The word truck may have come from truckle, which means small wheel or pulley. Its derived from the Middle English word trokell from the Latin word trochlea. It may have also come from the the Latin word trochus. The first known usage of truck was in 1611, used in reference to the wheels on ships cannon carriages. The word bus is a shortened version of the Latin word omnibus and van is short for the original word caravan.

Forming an S Corporation in Mississippi Research Paper

Forming an S Corporation in Mississippi - Research Paper Example The S corporations are liable for tax on individual, integrated gains and passive returns (Goldstein & Davidson, 1992). Necessary documentation, filling fees, and filing For an entity to qualify for S corporation status, it must be a domestic corporation with shareholders, defined trust, and estates and should not constitute partnerships, corporations or nonresident foreign shareholders. Furthermore, it should not have more than 100 members, have one kind of stock, and not be an ineligible business entity (McQuown, 2004). In order to become an S corporation, the corporation must submit Form 2553 Election by a Small Business Corporation (PDF format) signed by the owners. The Mississippi S Corporations are for those who focus on the limited liability and the bureaucratic composition of corporations but containing a pass-through taxation of the business earnings (McQuown, 2004). The Mississippi S Corporation is simply a set business that becomes an S Corporation when its shareholders el ect the outstanding tax status with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) by filing an Internal Revenue Service’s Form 2553filed with the Internal Revenue Service (McQuown, 2004). This form is for electing tax categories. This is a mandatory requirement outlined in the state laws of Mississippi and the federal laws. The regulation as a sole entity that is different from its owners recognizes a Mississippi S Corporation. The S corporation owners enjoy partial liability for the arrears, obligations and liabilities accrued by the entity as well as a liability from possible lawful action. Protection of stakeholder individual assets is a key principle that Mississippi business owners want to incorporate. Usually, owners cannot lose more than the level they brought in the corporation. However, if the corporation is liquidated, the owners will not be liable for debts incurred. In case someone sues the concern and is, liable the courts can use the corporation’s asset to fulfill t he judgment. However, if those assets do not satisfy the judgment, the courts will not be able to take owners’ possessions (McQuown, 2004). There are exceptions to owners’ limited liability to keep in mind. Usually, an exception to an owner’s limited liability occurs when the corporation has irresponsibly laid people or been used to extend fraud (Goldstein & Davidson, 1992). A Mississippi S Corporation does not pay income taxes. Although, an S Corporation that has more than one alien stakeholder files duty returns, the owners must embrace their share of the corporation’s profits or losses on their personal tax returns, as is done in single proprietorship, partnership and by a Limited Liability Company (Goldstein & Davidson, 1992). The tax law gives employees of the corporation the opportunity to enjoy exceptional fringe benefits on a tax-free basis. They can get provided group term life insurance up to $50,000, health insurance coverage, dependent care as sistance up to $5,000, education up to $5,250, adoption aid and more (Goldstein, S. & Davidson, 1992). They can are also covered with medical reimbursement plans. In order to register a business as an S corporation the state of Mississippi requires an Articles of Incorporation or Certificate of Incorporation (Goldstein, S. & Davidson, 1992). Before forming an S corporation in Mississippi, the individuals must file legal documents with Mississippi state authorities so as be allowed to create a Mississippi

The Good, the Bad, and Your Business Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

The Good, the Bad, and Your Business - Essay Example The pressure to make the correct business decisions is often unbearable to many managers. Indecision, anxiety, or a misstep can bring the company to its knees in today's highly competitive economy. While ethical dilemmas remain unsolved, employee morale can plummet, productivity can drop off, business competitors can take a large proportion of your profits, and dissatisfied customers can free (Seglin, 1999). This is bad news for business managers. It is on this premise that Jeffrey L. Seglin wrote the book, The Good, the Bad, and Your Business to give business managers some useful insights on how to conduct their businesses more efficiently and navigate through their everyday moral business dilemmas. Business mistakes can put a decent professional in serious ethical troubles. This essay attempts to answer some ethical considerations and questions using the above named book. The four point's test, otherwise called the CEO test is credited to Norman Augustine, a former Chief Executive Officer of Lockheed Martin (Maslanka, 2008). In his contribution, Augustine asked business managers to reckon four questions whenever they were faced with an ethical dilemma. First, a manager should ask if the ethical dilemma is legal to avoid getting engaged in illegal activities that could further dent the image of the company. Secondly, the manager should spend time pondering about the fairness of the ethical dilemma if it was personally meted on him or her instead of the employees. If the ethical dilemma was splashed in the front page of the local newspaper, would the manager feel contented Finally, the manager should ask himself if he would feel satisfied if her mother saw him implement the ethical dilemma. If the manager answers to the affirmative in all the above questions, then the decisions he makes on the dilemma are ethical (Seglin, 2007). Q2: Comparing and contrasting the Four-point e test with the twelve-point test. The twelve-point test offers a more pragmatic framework for most mangers in dealing with ethical issues and dilemmas. First, a manager must ask himself if he has defined the problem accurately. Secondly, the manager must ask himself how he would have viewed the dilemma if he was an employee. Further, the manager must dig into how the problem occurred in the first place and who was involved in the situation in the first place. After evaluating the above, the manager should then stop to ponder what his intentions are in making the decision that he wants to make and how will the intentions compare with likely results. Afterwards, the manager must evaluate the consequences of his decisions. The eighth question, which is the most crucial question, is whether the manager can engage the affected party in discussing the problem before making a final judgment. Afterwards, the manager should stop to ponder about the longevity of the decision he makes. Will it appear valid over a long period of time as it appears now Another crucial question for the manager is whether he could disclose the decisions that he has made to his boss, CEO, board of directors, the society, and family members without any misgivings. The manager should also consider the symbolic potential of the action he is about to take. Finally, the mana

Mobile Technology Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Mobile Technology - Research Paper Example The use of these tools has turned to be an informal procedure in the learning process (Milrad, 2006). Mobile learning is very convenient because both learners and their teachers can get access it at any given time. Just like the types of e- learning mobile learning is collaborative, learners and teachers can share information, this leads to receiving of prompt feedback and instructions (Milrad, 2006). This collaboration increases high performance, and it replaces the use of textbooks and notebooks during the teaching and learning process. Furthermore, it is easy to use mobile learning in the learning context (Milrad, 2006). According to Chan et al, (2006), educational institutions are getting laptops and Internet services as a result of improve technological development. Educators need to understand how to work the mobile technologies and incorporate them efficiently during their teaching and learning process. Teachers understand that this process is important in education because it helps facilitate the teaching learning process using the mobile or tablets devices. Most important aspect of these mobile devices is that by using them in the teaching learning process, they tend to improve the general teaching and learning activity in the classroom, as well as instructor feedback after assessment. Mobile devices have intrinsic educational products that improve instructional procedures in the classroom. Using an android system, the students, and their teachers can make use of the Microsoft word document to make, transform, or edit their documents (Milrad, 2006). The Picasa instrument found in tablets can be used to save meaningful pictures for assignments conducted on projects (Milrad, 2006). This mobile technology provides effective teaching and studying by speeding the entire teaching and learning procedure. Mobile devices used in teaching range from digital laptops to use of tablet in the tutorial room to boost the teaching and learning process (Milrad,

Role Of Vision In Managing Change Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Role Of Vision In Managing Change - Essay Example A vision is a realistic, credible and attractive plan for the future of an organization. A vi sion describes a set of ideals and priorities depicting a picture of the future that makes the company special and unique. A vision defines a core set of principles by which the company abides in order to achieve success. A clear vision today is indispensable for organizational success.† How could any group or individual strive toward greatness and mastery without a vision? That's exactly the point. They can't. They can maintain they can survive; but they can't expect to achieve greatness†. (Mapes 1991) . A clear vision attracts commitment and energizes people; the motivational effect of vision. Vision generates enthusiasm about the course the organization intends to follow and the change it is implementing and increases the commitment to work toward adapting to the change effectively. It gives a meaning to the change. A vision allows people to accept the challenge and move on an d get better. It establishes a higher standard of excellence. Considering the example of a bank where the old hand written trend of file making and documenting is replaced by modern technology and computers, a vision serves a very important function in establishing a standard for mastering the change. A clear vision bridges the present and the future. The right vision takes the organization out of the present, and focuses it on the future. A good vision orients the workers on the future, and provides positive direction to the change. .Without a vision, the organization will have difficulty understanding and cooperating with the new plans and procedures. A vision is a road map on which, it has to be identified where the organization is currently and where it wants to be, in the future. A clear vision is critical for any project. It addresses the overarching goals of the initiative and is relevant and meaningful to all people being affected by the change. A clear vision enables to ach ieve a consistency of beliefs and actions among those responsible for implementing the change.

PDP (personal development plan) Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

PDP (personal development plan) - Assignment Example I have always been a very independent person who prefers to work autonomously in nearly all aspects of academics and professional life. However, with the advent of internal business auditing and external auditing consultants that continuously monitor business function and adherence to accepted accounting standards, I realised that team-working was a very strong deficiency at the personal level. Auditing systems designed to measure compliance require collaboration between accounting professionals, management and a variety of external servicepersons which prevents autonomous working. Diagnostically, I discovered through secondary research literature that many companies do not rotate their auditing teams, which builds familiarity with business professionals throughout the organisation and familiarises auditing servicepersons sustaining years of tenure with business operations, accounting procedures relevant for the business, and social relationship development.1 This will require freque nt interaction, communication and collaboration with a variety of business professionals that will expect contribution to discussion and mutual respect. This tends to conflict with my traditional need to work in segregation from others in the organisation. Developing my cooperative abilities, therefore, was established as my SMART goal since it is going to be a realistic part of the accounting environment when entering the workplace. I determined that the most appropriate goal was to ensure that I gained experience working with others by purposely engaging myself with team activities both in-school and in terms of extracurricular activities. I decided that I would begin attending study sessions and attempt working collaboratively with individuals at the Student Union in order to prepare myself for partnered study and building a sense of inter-dependency with diverse individuals maintaining unique viewpoints. This was the most practical and viable methodology of learning teamwork,

Role Of Vision In Managing Change Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Role Of Vision In Managing Change - Essay Example A vision is a realistic, credible and attractive plan for the future of an organization. A vi sion describes a set of ideals and priorities depicting a picture of the future that makes the company special and unique. A vision defines a core set of principles by which the company abides in order to achieve success. A clear vision today is indispensable for organizational success.† How could any group or individual strive toward greatness and mastery without a vision? That's exactly the point. They can't. They can maintain they can survive; but they can't expect to achieve greatness†. (Mapes 1991) . A clear vision attracts commitment and energizes people; the motivational effect of vision. Vision generates enthusiasm about the course the organization intends to follow and the change it is implementing and increases the commitment to work toward adapting to the change effectively. It gives a meaning to the change. A vision allows people to accept the challenge and move on an d get better. It establishes a higher standard of excellence. Considering the example of a bank where the old hand written trend of file making and documenting is replaced by modern technology and computers, a vision serves a very important function in establishing a standard for mastering the change. A clear vision bridges the present and the future. The right vision takes the organization out of the present, and focuses it on the future. A good vision orients the workers on the future, and provides positive direction to the change. .Without a vision, the organization will have difficulty understanding and cooperating with the new plans and procedures. A vision is a road map on which, it has to be identified where the organization is currently and where it wants to be, in the future. A clear vision is critical for any project. It addresses the overarching goals of the initiative and is relevant and meaningful to all people being affected by the change. A clear vision enables to ach ieve a consistency of beliefs and actions among those responsible for implementing the change.

EXAM Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

EXAM - Essay Example Since consumers are influential growth-producing investments, it becomes more imperative to change them to true patriotic fans (McKenna, 1991). This emphasizes the significance of marketing to gratify consumers and even please them and not just acquiring them. Arguably, research indicates that customer satisfaction leads to customer retention, increased future incomes and future promotion attributable to affirmative word-of-mouth (Vandermerwe, 2004). For this reason, organizations can create and retain customers through customer satisfaction. The organization can attain customer satisfaction be through a great customer emotional experience (Vandermerwe, 2004). A powerful product branding makes a product stand out. It is the product brand that assists the product to weigh down the other products in the market (Mullins & Walker, 2009). Saxonville Sausages is a prime example of how effective branding and market entry strategies allowed it to position its products in the market (Moore, 2007). They had targeted family and homemakers who relished home cooked food. The advertisements showed women using Saxonville sausages to make different dishes and enjoying it with family (Moore, 2007). Thus it was able to create a niche market position. Through right positioning, it was able to revive its declining profits (Mullins & Walker, 2009). Mountain Man brewery case, on the other hand emphasizes the need for new product to meet the challenges of time (Abelli, 2007). Mountain Man is an established brand of lager with regional specialty that primarily caters to the niche market of coal miners. Its brand equity is associated with long history of coal mining and has a loyal customer base which now is elderly populace (Abelli, 2007). The new light beer would meet the tastes of young generation but fears that it could threaten its brand equity (Abelli, 2007). But this is a risk which the firm must take to maintain its competitive advantage in the

Internal Functions and External Relationships - NWTB Essay Example for Free

Internal Functions and External Relationships NWTB Essay The ICT department is concerned with supporting the other functions of the organisation and the clients externally of the organisation. Its job is to ensure that ICT is being used as a support to help the other functions to operate as effectively as possible. Mr Povey has been involved in the implementation of standard kit throughout the NWTB as well as the organisations with whom they have a relationship externally. He has also been responsible for helping the clients (e.g. hotels, tourist attractions) to use ICT to effectively promote themselves and in turn the Northwest as a tourist destination. The NWTB is aiming for competitive advantage, e.g. they want tourists to visit the Northwest more than any other region in the UK. ICT can act as a tool to aid in the process of competitive advantage. The ICT departments role is to ensure that whilst ICT investment comes at a huge initial cost to the organisation, it is worthwhile, will provide value for money and is necessary in the long run to ensure stability and survival for the business in the future. Whether or not the ICT systems provide value for money will depend on how effective the systems are that are implemented and how well the user uses them. The ICT department are responsible for evaluating the systems in place and updating them as necessary to ensure they continue to support as opposed to hinder the operation of the organisations. The ICT department is split into 2 areas. The area responsible for maintenance of the current system and providing a service to the users within the organisation of the NWTB. This involves daily troubleshooting tasks like fixing broken machines and printers as well as maintenance of the network. It also involves the identification of training needs of those who use ICT within the NWTB as well as provision of training for those users. Secondly, the responsibility that Mr Povey has of promoting the effective use of ICT to destinations across the Northwest ensuring they can compete and provide tourists with excellent service e.g. by booking rooms or tickets on the internet or over the phone. This aspect of ICT falls mainly under the Operations function of the NWTB because it is this aspect of ICT that covers the providing of a service. The NWTB provides a service to its members e.g. the local hotels and tourist destinations, helping them to employ effective ICT systems, they in turn can provide a better, more competitive service to tourists. Mr Poveys role does not involve in any way the maintenance of the systems used by members, he simply acts as an advisor to members and can inform them of any funding they may apply for to help with purchasing ICT equipment. He does also help to identify training needs of members and organise training events. Some of the benefits of using ICT within the NWTB * Improved accuracy from basic typing of letters to automation of financial spreadsheets * Faster processing leading to faster responses e.g. e-mail communication between departments, purchase orders being completed using computers etc. * Information available for management that previously wouldnt have been available in time or may not have been in enough detail or as concise * Tighter control as a result of easily accessible financial information * Reduced costs as staff can be more productive with the support of ICT e.g. use of mail merge reduces the time and effort required for typing and sending a standard letter to a number of clients. * New sources of information to allow for improved marketing * Faster, more effective communication with regional and sub regional partners * Some of the benefits of using ICT to the NWTB members * Promotion can advertise to a wider audience not previously reached because of distance from the location, via Internet. * Sales improved marketing information results in increased sales. Ability to sell tickets and accept on-line booking improves sales as the business becomes available to a wider audience * Management information increased advanced ticket sales and bookings enables management to plan better and so be better prepared for requirements in terms of stock levels, number of staff needed, car parking issues etc. * Access to competitor information using the Internet management can research into what competitors are doing e.g. special offers and can compete with their own promotion ideas. * Production of promotional materials management can use their own systems to produce their own leaflets and flyers so saving money on printing costs * Financial Information management can store details in an automated spreadsheet making financial monitoring and planning quick and easy. * Data Storage management can store information about clients on a database which requires littler physical space and can be searched more quickly as opposed to sifting through a large paper based directory or file to find customer details. * Faster, more effective customer services customers can be dealt with quickly and efficiently if business data is stored on an easy to use system e.g. hotel booking systems. On some hotels customers can run up a bill using the bar, restaurant, leisure facilities etc if the business has a centralised computer based facility. Customers can see their billing information for a stay in the hotel on one printed sheet as opposed to keeping hold of a number of receipts. The customer is not required to pay for services individually as they pay for everything at the end. This can enhance the customers experience of staying in a hotel. Happy customers will usually spread the word and recommend a hotel to friends and relations as well as planning a return visit themselves. This all helps the businesses in their pursuit of competitive advantage. * More effective communication the businesses will be able to communicate with clients, suppliers, service providers etc via e-mail. How does ICT help NWTB to operate effectively? Suppose that there was a huge tourist event being organised in Southport. Then there are a number of jobs to be done within the NWTB to ensure the promotion and success of this event. The marketing department will carry out some research to establish the make-up of the target audience for the event and will then decide on the best methods of promotion for the event. For example, texting a large group of people, producing and displaying posters throughout the region, distributing flyers, sending leaflets directly to peoples houses, radio and TV advertising etc. ICT may be used to design a questionnaire to establish the target audience and those interested in attending the event. ICT may be used to input and analyse information about the potential audience The marketing department will have a large database with the details of people who have been to events in the past and will also have access to information about the make-up of households in the area. ICT may be used to access databases with peoples contact details and mail merge this with a standard letter to be sent to the households of the target audience. Marketing will need to speak to finance about the available budget for promotion and advertising. A spreadsheet may be used to calculate the amount of money available from the NWTB budget. A further spreadsheet may be created by the marketing department to allow them to keep track of all financial transactions that take place in relation to this particular event. This may also help them to make important decisions about how much to spend on aspects of the promotion. Information will be sent to local hotels and guesthouses about the event to inform them that there may be business to be gained from the event in that people who attend from outside the region will need somewhere to stay. This may be done using e-mail and attachments. Marketing will need to send copies of invoices and bills for the production of leaflets, posters etc. to the finance department so that the finance department can pay the bills. Administration will be responsible for word processing and sending the standard letter to households promoting the event. After the event the marketing department will need to evaluate the success of the event and its impact on the region. Was the event worthwhile to the region? They will need to collect and analyse information from a variety of sources to assess its impact. ICT will be useful at all stages in this complex evaluation process. What are the external relationships that NWTB has? Department for Culture, Media and Sport National Level DCMS champions good quality and service for tourists, from the UK and overseas. We encourage and help the tourism industry to improve what it has to offer for all our visitors and to promote a positive image abroad. Tourism Policy DCMS Ministers are very keen to modernise and reform the tourism industry, working more closely than before with the industry, and current tourism policy is focusing on improving structures, marketing, data, quality and skills, as follows: * The industry has formed a new body, the Tourism Alliance, to represent its views better to Government and catalyse actions to help delivery of policy objectives * VisitBritain was set up on 1 April 2003, bringing together the English Tourism Council (ETC) and the British Tourist Authority (BTA) * The relaunched body has a new and significant marketing role for England, including the development of e-tourism * Funding which previously went to Regional Tourist Boards via the ETC will now be channelled via the Regional Development Agencies * Major reviews on quality and data have been initiated, consulting the industry and others as appropriate * Industry and Government are working in close partnership on the skills agenda, and the Government is strongly supporting the establishment of a Sector Skills Council for Tourism Current policy as described above builds upon Tomorrows Tourism, the Governments 1999 strategy for the development of tourism in England. Good progress has already been made in delivering Tomorrows Tourism, which has also brought together a number of Government departments who are working closely with DCMS and the tourism industry to implement the strategy. Important areas not mentioned explicitly above, such as sustainable development of tourism and increasing access to tourism, are now considered as a matter of course in policy development and delivery. Support Structures In April 2003 the strengths and resources of the British Tourist Authority and the English Tourism Council were combined in one organisation, renamed VisitBritain. VisitBritain is responsible for promoting Britain overseas and England to the domestic market. Its key roles are to boost Britains income from tourism through professional and effective marketing, and to provide a framework within which the tourism industry can work in closer partnership. With its network of overseas offices, VisitBritain helps the over 120,000 tourism businesses in Britain reach overseas customers cost-effectively. For England, VisitBritain provides a central coordination role to make the most of the collective effort of all sectors promoting tourism in England to a domestic audience. A greater role in tourism for Regional Development Agencies (RDAs) in England is a major strand of the Governments programme of tourism reform. Since 1 April 2003, the RDAs are playing a stronger part in the strategic leadership of tourism, working both individually and together with each other within the new national framework for tourism strategy and marketing. The Regional Tourist Boards are the RDAs natural partners and will be funded by the RDAs, for the next three years at least, at a level equivalent to the project funding they received in 2002-03 from the former English Tourism Council. This amounts to à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½3.6 million per year. This arrangement excludes London, for which there are separate arrangements with the Greater London Authority. Regional Partners Other regions of the UK who all work together to help implememtn the strategy for the whole of the UK Sub Regional Partners regions that make up the Northwest. They share good practise and work together to promote the region as a whole. Lancashire Tourist Board Cheshire County Council North West Development Agency The Mersey Partnership Marketing Manchester Cumbria Tourist Board The NWTB also has a relationship with a number of smaller businesses within the sub regioanl partners e.g. small hotels, tourist attractions etc. The NWTB also has a relationship with all the organisations listed below as a business cannot function independently of these. The Inland Revenue, Customs and Excise, Insurers, ISPs, Data service providers, Computer and communications equipment suppliers, Courier Services, Utilities, Local authority departments, Advertising Agencies, Printer Firms. How is information used in the NWTB? Operations: * Purchasing * Work Scheduling- The NWTB will use this daily as they need to gain up to date information from all organisations. They will need to know where employees are in case another job comes up that is more important. * Delivery- The NWTB would need to make sure its customers where kept up to date with the latest technology, however, it is then up to the organisation as to whether they would like to utilise the technology. With small businesses the NWTB often spearheads the idea for the introduction of ICT into the business for more effective and efficient productivity. This means they may often have to supply their clients with computers in order to give them the best deal on, often, a small budget. Marketing: * Market Trends- Systems for studying market trends need to record and present data as defined by the current user, whether it be number of tourists visiting one attraction, or what attractions are open at that present time. Price and performance trends are also covered. * Analysis of competitive activity- The NWTB will be trying to make the northwest the best tourist destination in order to improve its reputation. They are constantly in competition with the other regions in the country. Within the NWTB you can sub-section the industry into different attractions, e.g. Hotels in one category and entertainment complexes in another. These sub- categories are in each have their own levels of competition in the northwest. * Planning and analysis of promotional campaigns- This is vital to the efficient running of the NWTB, they target not only small businesses in the promotions, but also the larger more established organisations that have more power to bring more tourists. Sales: * Receiving and logging of customer orders * Invoice production * Customer details * Recording all sales visits and other sales activity The ICT department have an important role in designing, introducing, and developing e-commerce systems. E-commerce is one of many ways a client of the NWTB can become a much more successful firm without the need of expansion. It allows small firms to broaden horizons, they do however take a number of months to become profitable and implementing them often takes a lot of time and effort, however, in the market today it is very easy to provide e-commerce safely and securely. The sales department would also keep a list of customers and clients on record. They will use these to keep details like address, e-mail address, buying history, current sale status, and sales person dealt with in the transaction. Research and Design: * Product design- The design process would be carried out using CAD, this allows the design department to produce lots of designs very quickly, it also allows the drawings to be much more accurate. This process also allows designs to be inter-compatible. * Engineering design- Due to CAD the design process becomes much quicker, in the production of advertisements it becomes much easier to edit motion clips on a computer very quickly. On a static poster you can retouch the elements present within it. * Analysis of new developments Finance: * Sales, purchase and nominal ledgers * Credit control * Payroll * Payments in and out, including EFT * Budgets, projections and accounts * Historical financial records Finance has to be able to give instant statements on the financial situation in the company to the directors, on request. EFT stands for electronic funds transfer. It refers to any use of computers in making payments to organisations or individuals. It is a rapid way of transferring money, but raises doubts about security. These administrative applications are largely similar between one organisation and another. There is nonetheless an important task for ICT to advise on the particular software products to be obtained. Administration: * Personnel records and pension scheme- personnel records include, for each employee: name, home address and telephone number, NI number, employee number and department, DOB, sex, date of joining company, job history before joining company, job history since joining, training, qualifications and skills. * Legal and statutory matters * Insurance * External authorities and contractors * Board meetings and annual general meetings As with the finance department, many of the systems used are universal throughout many different companies. The advice of ICT is likely to be both helpful to users and able to support the organisations policies on standardisation. The ICT Department: One of the key roles of the ICT department is to explain the advantages that may be available for managers and their departments of making greater use of computer-based systems. The team needs to explain the structure and characteristics of ICT projects. Another important task of ICT is to devise and manage centralised systems in the following areas: * Procurement of computer equipment * Procurement of computing and communications equipment * Use of e-mail and other Internet access procedures * System development, testing and standardisation