Monday, September 30, 2019

Human: Ethics and Corporate Governance Essay

Business ethics at Chancellor College has as its main objective offering appropriate theoretical and practical formation in ethics as applied to the context of corporate governance. This objective is motivated by our interest at preparing our students for the various challenges they will encounter in their various businesses which they will undertake. We believe as a university that their success in business is partly dependant on their knowledge and practical readiness in confronting moral issues which will be part and parcel of their everyday experience at work place. Expectations It is expected that at the end of our course, students will be capable of demonstrating their understanding of the following: the basic ideas in the context of ethics; corporate Governance in general; and the application of ethical insights in corporate governance. The university expects further that the students will develop the personal ability to know how they can apply the various insights learned in their own activities after their graduation. Prescribed Texts1 1. Shaw, WH (2005): Business Ethics Thomson Wadsworth, Bangalore. India 2. Crane A and Matten D (2004): Business Ethics. Oxford University Press. New York. USA 3. Velasquez MG (2004): Business Ethics (Concepts and Cases). 5th Edition. Prentice Hall. New Delhi. India. Other texts will be given together with the rest of the module. 1 NB: This is conditioned by what we have in the library. 3 Business Ethics: Revision 0. General Introduction Welcome back to my lectures on Business Ethics after a long holiday of the so called Academic Freedom. I am aware of the fact that most of you have gone backwards intellectually, but we will try to catch up. I will commerce by making you aware of the relevance of our lectures or this field of study. Increasing current research in the context of business studies has shown a great interest in understanding and developing further the issue of corporate governance, for instance, O’Donavan’s ‘A Board of Corporative Governance’, Aras G & Crowther D. work on Culture and Corporate Governance [2008]; Coley J. ‘What is Corporate Governance’ [2005]; Monks R. A. G & Monow Nell’s work ‘Corporate Governance’ [2008]; and many others. This big interest in corporate governance suggests the centrality of understanding corporations and the incumbent mechanisms in doing any business. Indeed for our business to prosper necessitates a thorough knowledge of the various mechanisms in this context. Aware of the centrality of corporate governance, this course therefore suggests studying an aspect of this theme that is, the understanding of ethics inside this context. This study falls under the general study of ethics in the context of business studies, normally known as business ethics. The course has five parts as indicated in the course outline above. The first part deals with a theoretical presentation of ethics. This is directed at introducing the student to the ethical theories and principles which are then reflected in the context of corporate governance. The second part develops a theoretical understanding of what business is, through the study of the general aspects of ‘corporate governance’. This is intended at acting as a background where insights from ethics are discussed. The third part discusses ethics inside the corporations. It focuses more on how corporations utilize ethics in their systems as a fundamental component.

Sunday, September 29, 2019

Festives of Pakistan

Festivals in Pakistan. Shab-e-Barat  :* Religious festival celebrated on 14th of Shaaban, the 8th Islamic month. Prayers, fire works, exchange of sweet dishes and visits. Eid-ul-Fitr*  : Religious festival celebrating end of fasting month on 1st of Shawwal, the 10th month of Islamic   Calendar. Special prayer after sun-rise, exchange of sweet dishes, visits. Sibi Festival:  (Last week of February) At Sibi (Balochistan). Traditional sports, handicrafts exhibition, folk music and dances. Sindh Horse & Cattle Show:  (Last week of February) At Jacobabad (Sindh). Similar activities as in Sibi Festival.Jashan-e-Larkana:  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   (Last week of February)  At Larkana (Sindh). Traditional sports, exhibition of handicrafts, folk music and dances. Bassant With the advent of spring Basant Festival is celebrated with pomp and show in mid February every year in Lahore. In other words this is the spring festival. Alleging that kite flying is a Hindu event is also sheer ignoran ce. The sport originated in China about 5000 years ago, when Hinduism was in non existent. Why single out kite-flying then, especially when it is a source of joy for the old and the young men and women?The simple reason is that Hindu at Basant Festival fly kites for enjoying Basant. With times Muslims who were living together with Hindus in the sub-continent also join them in kite-flying. Since then Muslims are taking participation in just kite-flying at the time of Basant connotating it as Pala Urant. Now a days people of Lahore enjoy it by kite flying competition and by visiting the shrine of saint Madho Lal Hussein, where they assemble to pay their benediction. Lahore is becoming the main focal point for the celebration of this festival in Pakistan. People traditionally fly kites on the roofs of their buildings.It is commonly observed that rest houses, hotels and house of relatives of the participants are fully packed with guests from all over the country. Moreover some five star hotels also arrange this function on their roof top for foreigners and other high class gentry. They also arrange variety of dishes with musical concert. Sometimes Lahorities on this occasion become emotional and in this state create law and order problems for the administration. Some of them use metal thread for kite-flying. Their such a deed oftenly imposes, besides life threat, a serious problem for WAPDA when the thread touches the live wires.In spite of the fact Basant Festival which has no links with the Muslim culture is becoming very popular and being celebrated in Lahore regularly every year with zeal and fervent. Nauroze:  Ã‚  (21-23 March) Celebrated only in Gilgit, Hunza, Skardu and Chitral. Polo, foot-ball, volley-ball and hockey matches, folk dances and music. Pakistan Day *:  Ã‚   (23 March) Commemorating the anniversary of Pakistan Resolution passed on March 23, 1940. Military parade at provincial capitals and Islamabad. Mela Chiraghan (Festival of lamps): (Last week of March) Held for 01 week outside Shalimar Gardens, Lahore.Horse & Cattle Show: (End of March till 1st week of April). At Dera Ismail Khan. Local games, folk dances, music, cattle races and exhibition of local handicrafts. Jashan-e-Shikarpur:  (In April for 01 week) At Shikarpur, Sindh. Cultural activities, local sports and handicrafts exhibition. Eid-ul-Azha *  : Religious festival commemorating the great sacrifice offered by Prophet Abraham. Celebrated on 10 Zilhaj, 12th month of Islamic Calendar. Collective prayers after sun set, sacrifice of   goats, sheep, cows or camels and distribution of meat among relatives, friends and poor. Joshi or Chilimjusht:  Ã‚   (14-15 May)Kalash festival of welcoming spring, held in Kalash Valleys near Chitral. Folk dances, music and exchange of dishes. Shandur Polo Festival Traditional polo tournament between the teams of Chitral and Gilgit is being held on the highest polo ground of the world – The Shandur Pass (Chitral dist rict). Allied activities include fold music, folk dances and other competitions. A tent village along Shandur Lake will be set up in cooperation with the local administration. Utchal:  (15-16 July) A harvest festival, celebrated by Kalash people in Kalash Valleys, Chitral. Eid-e-Milad-un-Nabi *:Birth Anniversary of Prophet Hazrat Mohammad (P. B. U. H). on 12th of Rabi-ul-Awwal – the 3rd month of Islamic Calendar. Independence Day *:  (14 August) Meeting, processions, rallies, decorations and illustrations all over the country. Defense of Pakistan Day:  Ã‚   (06 September) Parades and exhibitions of military equipment at Rawalpindi, Lahore, Peshawar, Quetta and Karachi. Visits to the war memorials. (No national holiday except Armed Forces) Air force Day:  Ã‚  (07 September) Display of latest aircraft of Pakistan Air force and air shows at Rawalpindi, Sargodha, Lahore, Peshawar and Quetta.Phool:  (20 – 25 September) Held in Kalash Valleys near Chitral. Reaping grapes and walnuts, dancing and singing. Lok Mela:  (1st week of October, for one week) Folk Festival held at Islamabad. Folk Music, songs, music contests, folk dances, craftsmen at   work, exhibition and sale of handicrafts. The festival presents a unique opportunity to watch the culture and craft of the whole country at one place. Chowmas:  Ã‚  (18-21 October) Held in Kalash Valleys near Chitral. Welcoming of winter with first snow-fall. Activities restrict to indoor. Karakoram Car Rally:A colorful closing/award giving ceremony was held in Hunza Valley. Prizes, shields, certificates were distributed among the ralliers. SAF-International Karakoram Car Rally was also planned for year 2001, but it was postponed. International Karakoram Car Rally has been proposed to be held during the month of November in 2002 as part of the International Year of Mountains celebrations Birthday of Allama Muhammad Iqbal:  . (09 November) National Poet * . National Industrial Exhibition Islamab ad: Exhibition and sale of Pakistan’s industrial products and handicraft items National Industrial Exhibition Lahore: 3rd week of November for 15 days) Held at Fortress Stadium, Lahore. Exhibition and sale of industrial products and handicrafts of Pakistan. National Horse & Cattle Show Lahore: (3rd week of November for 05 days ) Held at Fortress Stadium, Lahore. Cattle races, cattle dances, tent-pegging, tattoo show, folk music, dances, bands, cultural floats and folk games. The show has been described as an eloquent expression of Pakistan's heritage and an authentic account of its agricultural and industrial achievement's. It is held in Lahore Fortress stadium at the end of February or at First week of March.The fortress stadium, the venue of the show is thronged by active participants, foreign visitors and peoples who watch the festival with great enthusiasm, verve and aplomb. A large number of them are interested in watching and appreciating the best breeds of livestock. M any derive pleasure by watching other activities such as display parade of animals, dances by horses and camels, polo matches, tent pegging, dog shows and their races, vaudeville acts of stuntmen, mass display of military band, rhythmically physical exercise by the children. Tastefully decorated industrial floats and torch light tattoo shows.Additional attractions include a subtle interplay of lights to weave enticing patterns at night and breath taking acts by foreign groups. The show began as a modest exhibition organized by the army to project the cattle wealth of the country in the early fifties. Today it is an international event to which come dignitaries from abroad and visitors and foreign tourists. The organizing committee comprises representatives of a number of agencies including army, rangers, LMC schools, the police, industrialists and the art councils. Christmas and Birth Anniversary   of Quaid-e-Azam  *: (25 DecemberA

Saturday, September 28, 2019

Big Fat Tax Analysis

In the article â€Å"Big fat tax is no gut buster† author Susie O’brien attacking the new tax on the fast food industry. By the opening slogan, â€Å"DON’T tax the big mac† she asserts her position on the tax. Written in bold the slogan immediately catches the eye and as it cleverly rhymes is very memorable. The author continues in cementing her standing on the issue by saying that a junk food tax is not the answer and the rhetorical question that, â€Å"why should reducing our weight start with our wallets? Her target audience with this piece would be those for the tax as she argues that there are downsides to a tax on fast food as well as alternatives that could be better. The image plastered in the centre of the article shows a man made of fast food. It relates to the subject of the article yet despite the amount of greasy fast food also seems appetising. The author also states that she is definitely for helping overweight Australians however that a fa t tax is not the answer.We see colloquial language which creates a feeling of comfortability with the author when she states a fat tax is such a, â€Å"one-pronged solution† whilst also dismissing the idea as small-minded. The tone she has written in persuades readers to agree as she says, â€Å"it (government) can remove every damned junk food vending machines from gyms, sport club houses and schools. † The power in which the author says this makes her statement a real rallying point as if she is part of a protest.Whilst loaded language like â€Å"damned† and the rhetorical/loaded question of â€Å"why do so many parents reward kids for playing sport with a packet of chips? † This sentence gives readers who do this a sense of guilt whilst those who don’t may find it amusing. She then goes on to give the audience someone else to blame for their fat with the rhetorical question of, â€Å"Why not start by cracking down on irresponsible food labellin g? She continues on with fact and research as she states that all our foods are, â€Å"choc-full of toxic ingredients like saturated fats, trans fats, palm oil and high-fructose corn syrup, which is one of the leading sweeteners in food, but is very hard for the body to effectively break down. † This makes the author seem knowledgeable on the subjects which can persuade readers into trusting her as she clearly knows what she’s talking about. The author gives many alternatives to a fat tax which seem simple to impose as well as logical to reducing obesity rates.The author proposes ideas such as setting up safer pedestrian walkways so that people (especially kids) may walk to places such as the local shops/schools. Inside these alternative solutions she can now turn it back on the fat tax by using loaded sentences such as, â€Å"Why does every social solution seem to involve taking money out of my pocket and putting it into Treasury? † as well as, â€Å"In short, if it (the government) wanted to, it could stop this problem in its tracks. But instead it's being told merely to increase taxes.Talk about punishing the victim. † The author befriends her audience and makes it seem like she’s one of us/on our side so that it persuades readers to come round to her view. Her use of rhetorical questions makes readers come to assumptions that she wants them to. Whilst also giving them someone to blame in the government alluding that they are simply out for out money. Her powerful final sentence, â€Å"So let's forget fads like tax on fast food, that will just make takeaways more expensive and will do nothing to change the way people live their lives.Let's do more to change every single day to make life healthier for everyone. † leaves readers with a sense of duty and that the author’s aim is simply to help us, the people persuading us to be against the fat tax. Susie O’brien uses rhetorical questions and loaded langua ge to coax readers into making assumptions about the government and the fat tax. Clever slogans and imagery helps her arguments be memorable as well as logical. She creates someone to blame as well as alternative solutions which makes a fat tax seem small-minded. This persuades readers to agree with her postion.

Friday, September 27, 2019

Existentialism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Existentialism - Essay Example In that case, there are elements of existentialism in both pop and high culture such as films, novels and paintings among others. Existentialism is a cultural and philosophical movement that the experiences of an individual are the defining point of all philosophical thinking (Flynn 145). Therefore, in a short story such as ‘To Build a Fire’ by Jack London, it is about the unfortunate tale of a man who falls victim to the power of nature. This happens when he goes for an expedition to a wild environment in Yukon with sub-freezing temperatures. The man struggles against the hostility of the weather when his feet get wet through the ice that is found in water including a hot freezing point. Therefore, in order to save himself, it is upon man to generate some warmth by lighting a fire to prevent his feet from freezing. On that brief account, the theme of existentialism is depicted in the inability of man to extricate him from the turbulent forces of nature. In other words, the man is in a cruel habitat with indifference in terms of according him peace and harmony. It thus compels him to accept the meaningless and indignity of nature. The man finally resigns to fate and discovers that nature is powerful and the only mercy is to play his role of protecting himself. Alternatively, it is imperative to note that there are several existentialistic themes discussed by Jack London in the short story. For example, there is the theme of despair that is apparent in the inability of the man to control nature. The man develops a deep dread of lighting a fire after his legs become wet because the forces of nature are extremely powerful. However, in the philosophical study of existentialism, despair is an inborn part of a human being despite the motivating forces of the feeling. In his book Works of Love, Kierkegaard notes â€Å"†¦Lovingly to hope all things is the opposite of despairingly to hope nothing at all† (Flynn 246). This suggests that irrespect ive of the feelings of the man at the moment of being overwhelmed by nature, there is nothing substantial he can do to avoid the feelings of despair. Furthermore, the state of despair is noted when the raging snow in Yukon extinguishes his fire and becomes apprehensive that he may lose his toes because of the tormenting frostbites. Afterwards, he decides to gather grass and twigs to try and light another fire despite the numbness of his frozen fingers. Later, the man lapses into a state of angst that leads him to do some desperate moves to help him. Therefore, this leads to another fundamental theme of existentialism that deals with anger or angst. According to the famous proponents of existentialism such as Camus and Sartre, angst may also take the designs of anxiety or anguish, and it means the freedom to do anything because the choice is human responsibility. In the story, after the man discovers that he cannot light a fire with frozen fingers, the available freedom of choice com pels him to collect all his matches and set them all ablaze. This angst also leads him to raze a piece of bark including his own hands in the last anguish to save him from the terrible desperation. This is what Jean Sartre notes in his essay â€Å"Existentialism is a Humanism† as â€Å"†¦man is in anguish, meaning that he who chooses cannot escape a deep responsibility

Thursday, September 26, 2019

The Impact of Race on Sentencing within the US Criminal Justice System Essay

The Impact of Race on Sentencing within the US Criminal Justice System - Essay Example For, within the fine lines of Blind Justice for all, justice is not the same when applied to both the Whites and the Colored residents of the United States. Definitely, justice theoretically must be delivered by the foundations of the justice system. It is said that the complexity of modern life has left the American society with different forms of sociological experiences. This experiences include the uncertainties as well as the certainties of life. The society today often causes irrational behavior among the members of society even to the point making them violate the law. Also, the absence of trust in society creates disintegration of a persons' sense of self and community. In this regard, White racist practices sometimes create an erosion of this trust that the colored members of American society are dying to receive after many years of slavery. This article shows that many of the evidences to pin down the colored people when they are given their day in court are fabricated. In one incident, Javier Ovando of Southern California had a legal battle with the Rampart Division of the LAPD. Javier was released from when only after one of the police officers, Rafael Perez, who arrested him admitted that they had shot Javier several times and admittedly planted a gun on him to seal the case. LAPD Rafael Perez and his fellow officers lied in court and said that he had attacked them with his gun and that the police officers had to fire back in defense. To reiterate, the story of the Rodney King, Tyisha Miller, Amadou Diallo, Javier Ovando, Robert Schenck and many other colored peoples in the United States can be termed 'markers' of the possibility of the colored people to fly to 'freedom from racism' is hampered by the white racist attitudes.In another case, ther Ruth Marcu, "Supreme Court Overturns Law Barring Hate Crimes', Washington Post, June 23, 1992, The American Civil Liberties Union had won its case to engage in cross burnings. For the U.S. Supreme Court decision was that these burning acts are part of the First Amendment benefits. The court here gave impunity to one WHITE teenager to burn a cross on lawn owned by a African American (Feagin, Vera & Batur, 2001, p. 150). In the article Jury Sentencing in Noncapital Cases, An Idea Whose Time has Come (Again) The authors there is a disparity in the sentencing in the United States. Many critics of the 1970s American justice system were disheartened at the wide margin in terms of implementing court decisions as well as the sentencing when both information were compared using the Whites and the colored people as the variables for the research. The judges then were so racially biased in terms of imposing punishment. The application of fixed sentences had been hoped be level the playing field in terms of sentencing between the Whites and

Case study Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 36

Case study - Essay Example f job cuts, but this is a challenge that has been over-looked owing to the fact that the overall long term economic benefits surpasses this challenge, especially when the company that has been taken over performs poorly (Morse, 2009). In this regard, company takeovers do not necessary benefit the specific companies, but also the society as a whole. Research indicates that when performing an organizational takeover, care should be taken to ensure that the legal and ethical norms guiding this activity are not violated (Morse, 2009). This report will entail the analysis of a case study involving Home and Personal Care Products, which is a parental company that took over a prestige Fragrance Company. The discussion will specifically indentify the challenges faced by the Company’s Finance manager, Lisa as she attempts to solve the challenges she identified in the takeover process as well as ethical issues identified. When companies undertake takeovers, it is evident that some of the employees within the companies that have been acquired may experience job cut-offs, while other may be subjected to demotion in the sense that their companies will have to be part of a larger company. In the case of Lisa, one ethical issue that faces her as she attempts to challenges the existing policies as well as procedures of the acquired company is the fact that the job position of the acquired company’s financial controller, Mr. Anderson has been affected. Mr. Anderson has worked in the Fragrance Company for the last 12 years and has worked hard for his promotions. However, when his company was acquired by the Home and Personal Care Product, this meant that he will be subjected to working in a smaller branch, rather than the larger company he used to work in. This is another ethical issue that presents a challenge to Lisa as she attempts to solve the problems presented by the acquired company’s procedures and policies. Inter-personal relationship is a key component of ethical

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

Rational and irrational decision is best for the organization Research Paper

Rational and irrational decision is best for the organization - Research Paper Example This because, formulation of rules and policies requires that the relationship between the organization and its stake holders, as well as its relationship with the outside world is well defined. This being the case, it becomes vital for the process of formulating such rules to apply the rational decision making model, where the issue at hand is clearly defined, the possible problem areas identified, alternatives weighed and a final decision reached (Niu & Zhang, 2009). Additionally, such a situation warrants rational decision making, since the policies and rules formulated form the basis of the organization’s operations. This is yet another situation that calls for managers to apply rational decision. The process of resolving a dispute highly determines the welfare of the parties involved. Thus, reaching a decision that is not well evaluated and reasoned-out can be detrimental to the parties involved (Ariely, 2010). Therefore, it is essential that all the necessary procedures are followed while making such decisions, to ensure that the dispute is resolved amicably, without jeopardizing the interest or welfare of any of the parties involved. Thus, dispute resolution is an aspect of management where rational decision is not an option (Niu & Zhang, 2009). In a situation where a manager is faced by circumstances that dictates that he/she has to act in a certain way only, then irrational decision becomes the best for the organization (Ariely, 2010). For example, during a fire breakout within the organizations premises, the manager has no option but to let the employees free for their safety. This is because; the manager does not have an alternative of retaining the workers within the premises as he/she contemplates on the next move (Knights & Willmott, 2007). Another situation is when the business has to continue running, yet the

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

Women in Media & Politics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Women in Media & Politics - Essay Example For the last thirty years feminists have challenged conventional assumptions about the role of women in society. The revived New Right and the women's movement have been struggling to define the terms of the public debate in 'culture wars.' The political agenda has become deeply polarized by issues such as affirmative action, abortion rights, and welfare reform" (Norris 1). When we see world history then we come to know that women have served key positions in the high political offices. In western countries like Britain, USA the attitudes have definitely changed regarding women's leadership positions. In Britain, for example, a woman has held the highest office of Prime Minister as well. These Western countries not only themselves are undergoing change but they are also heavily influencing the lifestyle and work related attitude of women in developing nations. Women became heads of states and political parties in third world countries like India, Pakistan, and Srilanka, Nepal etc. "Nevertheless, women have made great improvements in representation and participation in global politics. Thirty years ago, women in the U.S., for instance, composed less than five percent of all state legislatures; in Senegal, there were no women in the National Assembly; rapists could not be prosecuted in many Latin American countries; women in France could not get a divorc e; females in Cambodia could not vote; and pigs were considered by many male peasants to be worth more than wives in Paraguay. Even though there still are obstacles to women's participation and representation, females have become more involved in politics" (Patterson 14) The changes brought about in the area of politics in particular were gradual and slow. Women had to counter a lot of bias and prejudice when they looked for high offices. Even media and fiction depicted women as subordinates rather than leaders" All these stereotypes and concepts inculcated an inferior and suppressive outlook to women and so their motivation to achieve higher goal were greatly affected. These trends still exist but things have changed and are changing. "When the news media imply that women are anomalies in high public office, the public is likely to regard them as bench warmers rather than as an integral part of government. In Senator Barbara Boxer's phrase, they are frequently depicted as "strangers in the Senate" -- and in the House and the governor's mansion. More women than ever hold high-level government positions, yet they are still portrayed by the media as novelties" (Braden 2). Women today hold prominent positions in media in the fields of journalism, movies, television and print worldwide. There are different prominent names that have contributed positively to not just media but they have also affected women in other fields like politics. Previously, the field of publishing was considered a man's world but today big publishing houses, newspapers and magazines have women holding powerful positions. Janet Robinson runs a company that owns a newspaper, The New York Times Co. that has won 90 Pulitzer Prizes. Stacey Snider of Universal Pictures is another name in the field of movies. While discussing prominent names, we cannot forget the name of Oprah Winfrey who is considered a powerful name in the media business and who has also been socially active. Women like these have become a benchmark for other women who not only

Monday, September 23, 2019

Disuss being and non-being in lao-zi's concept (老子) Essay

Disuss being and non-being in lao-zi's concept (è€ Ã¥ ­ ) - Essay Example Since nobody knew the name, they called it Tao – the mystery of mysteries. According to the Western culture there is a division between subject and object and prevents the subject from realizing the inner self. Material desires keep mounting and this affects efficiency leading to social problems. LaoZi’s idea of non-being can lessen such desires and enable people to develop with equilibrium. According to this philosophy, ‘being’ is not normal whereas ‘non-being’ is normal. ‘Being’ is not constant; there is continuous movement. ‘Non-being; is actually the denial of ‘being’. ‘Being’ is not limited to concrete material forms but includes abstract ideas and theories. The cosmic process consists of first by giving birth to all things by Dao and then the process of returning all things to Dao. Nonbeing (wu) and being (you) can be seen as the two ontological moments through which the dao manifests itself. From the state of nothingness, from the state of non-being, some forms are realized in the form of being. Hence to become being is to take the form of body. The realm of being comes rarely but the realm of non-being is much richer (Shen, n.d.). Human beings have great potential. Laozi says they should cherish what they have but always remain open to the unfathomable possibilities because the origin is the non-being. In the realm of being, all beings are constituted of opposites, you and wu being one such pair of opposites. You and wu can be analyzed on three different levels of meaning. In the first level, ontologically, you means the real, the actual, the being; wu means non-being, the potential or the possible. Spiritually you means fulfillment and constraint whereas wu means transcendence and freedom. Thirdly, you also means full, presence, whereas wu means void or absence. Non-being or nothingness is the natural state. This state is simply Dao to LaoZi.

Sunday, September 22, 2019

Benchmarking for Performance Evaluation Essay Example for Free

Benchmarking for Performance Evaluation Essay IntroductIon In September 2004, Wendy Wiley, the Northlake Bookstore manager, was considering the implications of a shocking development. For the first time in her seven years as the Bookstore manager, textbook sales for this fall had decreased from the prior fall sales. The sales decrease was approximately $180,000, or 3% of annual textbook sales. Wendy wanted to address this problem before it got worse. She found that this sales decrease was due to two emerging technology problems, possibly of equal magnitude: 1) the students’ increasing use of online textbook vendors, and 2) the professors’ increasing use of online textbook publishers. Wendy reported the bad sales news to her boss, Chuck Irwin, the Vice Chancellor of Finance at Northlake University. After commiserating with her, Chuck told her that he was not surprised by this sales problem and that she should consider how to deal with these emerging technologies in her next performance evaluation report by comparing the performance of the Northlake Bookstore against competitors using benchmarking analysis. This analysis would help Wendy find the strengths and weaknesses of the Bookstore. Additionally, Chuck wanted Wendy to develop a few key related short-term performance goals and related measures that could be used in future performance evaluations. He wanted to discuss the situation at their meeting next week, which was the annual review of the Bookstore’s performance for the prior fiscal year 2004 (July 2003 through June 2004). A benchmarking analysis was required by Chuck for the annual review of all the nonacademic departments under his management. Northlake is a private university, located in a major metropolitan area in the Midwest, with an annual enrollment of 12 ,700 students, mostly undergraduates. Northlake is quite dependent upon student tuition, which typically accounts for 60% of its total revenues. However, the Chancellor was concerned because donations and gifts to the University were down, possibly due to uncertain economic conditions and erratic stock market performance. Prior to becoming the Northlake Bookstore manager, Wendy had spent 15 years in retail sales, most recently as a Wal-Mart sales manager. She was an outgoing, supportive individual who really liked being a retail sales manager and enjoyed working with her employees. She strongly believed in continuous improvement of any sales department that she managed. Despite her extensive retail experience in the for-profit sector, this was her first experience working in an academic environment. Wendy occasionally became frustrated working with faculty due to their late or inaccurate book orders. However, she liked helping students and enjoyed working in an academic environment without all the pressures of a for-prof it business with aggressive sales and earnings targets like Wal-Mart. China Case Competition 2009 To prepare her benchmarking analysis report required for the upcoming annual performance evaluation of the Bookstore, Wendy had collected income statement, product line, and other performance measures for the last three fiscal years. To aid evaluation, she summarized the various Bookstore operations into five product lines: textbooks, supplies and sundries, clothing, software and accessories, and computers. The textbook product line included new texts, used texts, class notes (course packs), and general reference books. The supply and sundry line included school and office supplies, electronics, food, sundries, greeting cards, and miscellaneous campus department sales. The clothing line included all insignia clothing, gifts, and memorabilia. Wendy knew she needed to act fast to thoroughly analyze all the information needed for the Bookstore’s annual benchmarking analysis that Chuck and the Chancellor required. She had a lot of historical information and was wondering how to analyze this financial information for her benchmarking analysis report. BEncHMArKInG Benchmarking is the process of identifying superior performance of other organizations for products, services, and processes, and then attempting to improve necessary areas with the goal of achieving similar excellence. The benchmarking process first became popular in 1989 after Xerox advertised its success with the tool; however, the tool was initially employed by Xerox in 1972. In fact, more than 70% of the Fortune 500 companies—which includes ATT, Ford Motor Company, IBM, and Eastman Kodak—reported using benchmarking regularly. Benchmarking is useful in countless decision-making settings including performance evaluation, health and safety management, and supply chain management. To reach for greater standards of excellence, Ford would likely consider foreign automobile manufacturers that have been well known for high efficiency and quality, such as Toyota, the current world-wide leader in automobile sales. Wendy currently benchmarked the performance of the bookstore against other college bookstores and major booksellers. In performing a benchmarking analysis, it was imperative for Wendy to benchmark processes that were aligned with organizational strategic objectives. Since the Bookstore was a profit center, it was imperative that she compare the profitability of the various product lines with other universities. The Bookstore also had an objective to provide service excellence. Thus, if available, it would be beneficial for Wendy to benchmark customer satisfaction data with other universities. Once processes that were consistent with strategic objectives were identified, it was necessary to collect and analyze internal information vis-Ã ¡-vis external information from competitors. The benchmarking process did not stop once areas of excellence and inferior performance were identified. Rather, it was imperative for Wendy to identify how to sustain the areas of excellence and improve the areas of inferior performance. In determining how to improve poor performance, she needed to understand the reason behind the poor performance. Once that was attained, it would be possible to determine a long-term plan for improvement. A key role of the Bookstore was to supply the Northlake University communitywhich included but was not limited to faculty, students, alumni and parentswith textbooks, supplies, clothing and gifts, computers and software, and much more. The Bookstore’s formal mission statement was as follows: The Northlake Bookstore is an academic resource for the students, faculty, staff, alumni, and guests of the University. The Bookstore serves the University with a business presence dedicated to providing service excellence that meets or exceeds the needs of each customer and University department. The Bookstore played a significant role in enabling parents of freshmen to participate in getting their children ready for the first day of class. Additional temporary staff was hired to ensure there was adequate assistance available for new students and returning students who were purchasing their textbooks. These staff members were readily available and happy to answer any question that new parents or students might have regarding textbooks or the University in general. Also, congruent with the University laptop requirement for all students, the Bookstore sold computers and software. This was a great way for parents to enjoy onestop back-to-school shopping. Additionally, the Bookstore tried to promote the University as a brand name by selling clothing and accessories with the University logo and/or name. Availability of clothing and accessories was also a service provided to students, parents, and alumni who wanted to show their support for the school. Sales of merchandise with the University logo indirectly promoted the University, but the Bookstore did not try to formally create alumni support nor was that a formal goal. This was the function of the University Alumni Advancement (funding) office. As indicated by the mission statement, by the role taken to familiarize new parents and students, and by the sale of merchandise with the University logo, the Bookstore operated in a manner aimed at achieving high customer satisfaction. To measure customer satisfaction the Bookstore conducted an annual customer satisfaction survey and a separate faculty satisfaction survey. Customer suggestion forms were also readily available on the Bookstore website. In her years as the Bookstore manager, Wendy had developed various financial performance measures to help assess the performance of the Bookstore. Over the last few years, she had used these measures as part of her benchmarking analysis. She felt fortunate to have a fairly comprehensive benchmarking database available to her. It was provided annually to all bookstore members free of charge by the National Association of College Stores (NACS). The only requirement was that each bookstore had to contribute its own data to the benchmarking database in order to use it. The NACS database included income statement, product line, and other types of benchmarks. With the looming threat from online textbook vendors, Wendy had started to benchmark Northlake’s textbook prices against the major online textbook vendors. She also tracked mail orders and Web orders from Northlake’s own website (started in 2000). Her task now was how best to use this benchmark information. She believed that her first step was to compare her current financial and operating results with the benchmark data to pinpoint areas in need of improvement. This analysis would likely uncover some areas that needed her attention, which would be useful in identifying areas in need of improvement.

Saturday, September 21, 2019

Strategies for Support in Child Learning and Development

Strategies for Support in Child Learning and Development Effective support for children’s learning and development requires early practitioners to have an understanding that children develop quickly during their early years- physically, intellectually, emotionally and socially. Children have an entitlement to be provided with provision that will support them and extend their knowledge, skills, understanding and confidence that will help them overcome any disadvantage. A child in their early year’s experiences should build upon what they already know and can do. The experience should encourage a positive attitude with learning and aims in order to prevent early failure. A child’s learning environment needs to be stimulating and well planned and provide a structure for teaching within which children are able to explore experiment, plan and be able to make decisions for them, therefore enabling them to learn, develop and progress. ‘Children actively seek stimulation and need first hand experiences with real objects and occurrences and responsive adults or children who both support and model’ Bruce, 2001 The Early Years Foundation Stage statutory framework identifies three prime areas of learning: personal, social and emotional development; communication and language; and physical development. Clear identification of the three prime areas of learning and development. The framework states that these three areas are â€Å"particularly crucial for igniting children’s curiosity and enthusiasm for learning, and for building their capacity to learn, form relationships and thrive.† practitioners working in early years are expected to focus strongly on the three prime areas, which are the basis for successful learning in the other four specific areas.† The specific areas include: Literacy, mathematics, understanding the world and expressive arts and design. Good. Communication and language development this involves encouraging children to link sounds and letters and to begin to read and write. Practitioners must give children access to a wide range of reading materials (books, poems and other written materials) to ignite their interest. It is providing children to gain skills and become an effective speaker and listener. A child’s learning and competence in communicating, speaking and listening, being read to and beginning to read and write must be supported. They must be provided with opportunity and encouragement to use their skills in a range of situations and for a range of purposes, and be supported in developing the confidence and disposition to do so. (Early Years Framework) Good use of reference. Physical development involves providing opportunities for young children to be active and interactive in their play and learning; and to develop their co-ordination, control and movement. They will increase the control over their movements as they develop, involving both gross and fine motor skills. Fine motor skills such as tying shoes laces or drawing, gross are things such as performing actions like throwing and catching. Children must also be helped to understand the importance of physical activity, and to make healthy choices in relation to food. Good. Personal, social and emotional development helps children to develop a positive sense of themselves, and others; to form positive relationships and develop respect for others; to develop social skills and learn how to manage their feelings; to understand appropriate behaviours in groups; and to have confidence in their own abilities as well building up their sense of identity and independence. As a baby they will begin being total ly reliant on those that care for them, as they progress they will become more independent. The child will develop social and cultural perspectives and control of their emotions; together they begin to gain and understanding of acceptable way to express their opinions and feelings. The first of the specific areas to highlight is literacy development. Language is vital to a child’s development it is the key for learning, communicating and building positive relationships. A practitioner’s role of encouraging their language acquisition is very important and that it should also concern parents, carers and even policymakers. They need to have knowledge about how the children in early years acquire their language and be able to develop into competent thinkers and language users which reflects good practice. The EYFS has pointed out the vitality of early year’s practitioners providing opportunities where children can communicate thoughts, ideas and feelings with those around them. Children retain language through daily interaction in their immediate environment. They respond to sounds, sentences and experiences expressed by those around them. Listening and attention, understanding and speaking are the three aspects of communication and language development. Communication and language development, from birth children are tuning in to the world around them. Without verbal language by observing babies attentively we are able to see how they are able to communicate with those around them. They hear sounds and will try and establish where the sounds come from. As they get older they will learn to identify and know the difference between various voices and start to understand the meaning of words. Babies cry to attract attention –in this way they communicate with the adults around them to get what they need. They have different cries for different purposes and parents soon get to know which cry means ‘I’m hungry’, ‘I’m in pain’, ‘I’m damp’ or, ‘Come and play with me now!’ Adults respond by meeting these needs and by talking to their baby. Language is important because it forms the foundations for interacting with other people – for communicating our needs, our thoughts and our experiences. From the moment of birth, babies are ready to communicate: they listen to and look at people and things in their environment, and respond to what they hear and see. Babies need a stimulating environment in which those who care for them respond sensitively to the different meanings of their cries, coos and gestures. Having the early ability to communicate verbally and non-verbally is the basis on which language is developed. A child’s ability to develop language depends on being immersed in a rich environment of words, sounds, rhythm, and verbal and non-verbal expression from birth. Children will progress through all language stages as they age, but may have different rates and milestones of achievement according to their own personal development. Early years practitioners play an active role in both language and literacy development. They will help introduce children to words, sounds, letters, and books and will highlight the relationships among them. They can promote literacy in early years by simply reading stories aloud to children on a frequent basis in setting is one of the most effective ways to promote early literacy development among young children. However, young children will tend to focus on the pictures during shared reading. The practitioner should draw children’s attention to print by pointing to the words when they say them or by asking questions about the words in the book for example â€Å"Where is the title?† or â€Å"We know this letter – it’s a C . this can help improve word awareness and alphabet knowledge. By helping children focus on the words and letter this makes shared reading more successful. For young children it would be recommended to use ‘big story booksâ€℠¢ so that all children can see it with its larger print. Mathematics: Children’s earliest interactions are with mathematics as they are exploring patterns, shapes and spaces of the world around them. It will provide children with opportunities to develop and improve their skills in counting, understanding and using numbers, calculating simple addition and subtraction problems. We are, all of us, at all ages, already highly skilled mathematicians. We just haven’t often learned it in our mathematics lessons. Lewis, 1996 Mathematics is an important part of everyday life. We use numbers for counting, ordering and measurements: Learning math in the early years involves more than practitioners providing children with manipulatives, such as pattern blocks or peg boards to explore, because mathematics is about thinking,. In order for children to mathematize what they are doing From ages 3 through 6 children move from an intuitive to a more organized/formal mathematical thinking. children need many experiences that call on them to relate their knowledge to the vocabulary and conceptual framework of mathematics — in other words to mathematize what they intuitively grasp (Joint position statement of NAEYC and NCTM, 2002).Practitioners need to provide the appropriate vocabulary and further their thinking â€Å"what will happen if you cut the smaller pieces in half? Which one comes first, second, third? Why Which one is the longest, shortest, and heaviest? How can you tell? by asking mathematical aimed questions, in turn encourages the child think mathematical. They need to help children have confidence in their calculations, estimations and develop a keen sense of curiosity. From birth babies will work hard at making sense of the world around them. They learn about quantity for example a baby eagerly wanting an object; they will want one for both hands. Then they will realise they can’t hold anymore Understanding the world will involve guiding children to make sense of their physical world and their community through opportunities to explore, observe and find out about people, places, technology and the environment. They are developing the necessary knowledge; skills and understanding that help them make sense of the world around them. This will then provide a foundation for later educational learning of science, design and technology, history, I.C.T and geography. Finding out about the world around them is what babies and young children do very effectively when they investigate by touching, holding or pressing things and by climbing on and jumping off things. Older children love to explore and investigate how and why things work and to test out their ideas of what will happen if they do a particular thing like Practitioners need to provide activities based on first hand experiences, the children need to be in an environment where there is a wide range of activities indoors and outdoors that will stimulate the child’s interest and curiosity. â€Å"Children must be taught how to think, not what to think.† Mead.M Expressive arts and design is enabling children to explore and play with a wide range of media and materials, encompasses messy play, music, dance, design and technology and imaginative play such as role play and small world play. The children within an early years setting should have daily opportunities for creative play, both inside and outside. As well as providing opportunities and encouragement for sharing their thoughts, ideas and feelings through a variety of activities. There various developmental benefits of expressive arts in including motor skills, the motions involved in making art, such as holding a paintbrush or scribbling with a crayon, practitioners should encourage the use of these as they are essential to aid the growth of fine motor skills in young children â€Å"Art is a way to encourage the process and the experience of thinking and making things better!† Khol Visual Learning: sculpting with clay and threading beads on a string all develop visual-spatial skills, which are important. nowadays toddlers know how to operate a smart phone or tablet, which means that even before they can read, kids are taking in visual information. tools and materials practitioners can use to encourage more complex exploration can include: tea bag painting, chalk pictures, splatter painting, printing with different objects such as potatoes, veg or shaped sponges. Using recycled materials for junk modelling/ structuring. They can encourage music by using: Nursery rhymes, action songs, using Sounds to help tell stories Sound pictures and making instruments. These are a few of many other tools and techniques to encourage expressive arts and design in early years. It can benefit young children as hey can help develop intrinsic human qualities, such as creativity, expression, identity, culture and imagination it can impact positively on confidence, self-esteem, perso nal, social, emotional development and behavioral health, breaking down language barriers, cultural prejudices or societal differences, and leading to decreased social problems, reduced inequality and increased creativity. The ways in which a child engages with other people and the environment – playing and exploring, active learning and creating and thinking critically – underpin learning and development across all areas of learning and support the child to remain an effective and motivated learner. Practitioners need to when planning they need to plan to cover all seven areas of learning and development. Each child will develop at their own rate through each developmental milestone. They need to keep a balance of child initiated and adult led play it their planned activities. Play has a big role of importance in early years, a great aid for learning. â€Å"The path of development is a journey of discovery that is clear only in retrospect, and it’s rarely a straight line.† Kennedy-Moore, E Bibliography http://dera.ioe.ac.uk/2100/1/achievement-for-all-characteristics-effective-inclusive-leadership.pdf ~(Accessed 20th April 2014) http://www.birthtofive.org.uk/features/effective-learning.html (Accessed 20th April) http://www.nicurriculum.org.uk/docs/foundation_stage/learning_through_play_ey.pdf (Accessed 5th May) http://www.ncb.org.uk/media/58917/factsheet_6_finaltemplate_ready_comm_lang_lit.pdf (Accessed 5th May) http://www.education.gov.uk/childrenandyoungpeople/earlylearningandchildcare/a00212432/eldp (Accessed 5th May) http://osclinks.com/618 (Accessed 5th May) http://osclinks.com/623 (Accessed 5th May) http://osclinks.com/634(Accessed 5th May) Books Pound. L, (1999) Thinking and Learning About Mathematics in the Early Years (The Nursery World/Routledge Essential Guides for Early Years Practitioners) Woods. A, (2013)  Child-Initiated Play and Learning, Planning for possibilities in the early years, Routledge Thwaites. A,(2008) 100 Ideas for Teaching Knowledge and Understanding of the World (100 Ideas for the Early Years),  Routledge Sheridan. D. M,(1977, 1999) Play in early childhood-from birth to six years, Taylor and Francis Group, London, New York Brown. M and Warner. M, (2013)  Foundation blocks for the early years, Physical development with expressive art and design, Brilliant Publications, Edlesborough.

Friday, September 20, 2019

Aesthetic Rehabilitation of Non-syndromic oligodontia

Aesthetic Rehabilitation of Non-syndromic oligodontia Case report Title of the article: â€Å"Esthetic Rehabilitation of Non-syndromic oligodontia-an innovative approach.† Abstract: This case report describes the esthetic rehabilitation of a 13 year old girl presenting with non-syndromic oligodontia, who compromised in esthetics, occlusal function, development and functional growth of the bones. The oral rehabilitation was performed with direct composite restoration using thermoformed templates along with reinforced polyethylene fibers since it is a viable alternative to re-establish the masticatory function and esthetics, allowing the patient to achieve greater self-esteem and better social acceptance. Key words: Composite restoration, Oligodontia, Reinforced polyethylene fibers, Thermoformed template. Introduction: A tooth is defined as congenitally missing if it has not erupted in the oral cavity and is not visible on the radiograph. All primary teeth should have erupted by the age of 3 and all permanent teeth except third molars between the ages of 12 and 14. Therefore 3-4 year old children are suitable for diagnosis of congenitally missing primary teeth by clinical examination and 12-14 year old children, for diagnosis of permanent missing teeth, excluding the third molars.1 Dental agenesis is most common developmental anomaly in human, which can occur, in an isolated fashion or as part of a syndrome.2 In the permanent dentition, hypodontia has a prevalence of 1.6% to 9.6%, excluding agenesis of the third molars. Oligodontia has a population prevalence of 0.3% in the permanent dentition. It occurs more frequently in girls at a ratio of 3:2. In the deciduous dentition, hypodontia occurs less often (0.1%-0.9%) and has no significant sex distribution.3 Dental agenesis is classified according to the number of teeth involved and may be classified into hypodontia, oligodontia, and anodontia. Thus, hypodontia is defined as the congenital absence of less than six permanent teeth, full anodontia as the absence of all permanent teeth.4 The term oligodontia is generally used when the development of six or more teeth did not occur (KOTSIOMITI et al., 2000), and such a condition may be related to family history, syndromes, traumas, infections, and severe intrauterine or endocrine disorders (KOTSIOMITI et al., 2000; MCDONALD; AVERY, 2000). Oligodontia usually occurs as a part of syndromes. It may occur as a non-syndromic isolated familial trait linked to mutations of the MSX1 and PAX9, or as a sporadic finding.5 Non-syndromic oligodontia has been found either sporadic or familial in nature.6 Syndromic and non-syndromic form of Oligodontia can be differentiated by ruling out the presence of associated symptoms. Oligodontia presents clinical symptoms depending on the number and location of missing teeth. Positional changes of teeth, variation in their morphology and size may occur in the existing teeth. It may be associated with growth disturbances of the maxillofacial skeleton thus affecting the facial appearance.7 The absence of teeth in young patients can cause esthetic, functional, and psychological problems, particularly if the teeth of the anterior region are involved. The most commonly used method of diagnosis of dental anomalies is clinical examination accompanied by radiographic examination.8 There are several treatment options for adult and young patients with agenesis although, there are few studies demonstrating treatment in pediatric patients.9 The optimal therapy should include an interdisciplinary team approach, and rely on positive interaction between pediatric dentists, orthodontists, oral and maxillofacial surgeons and prosthodontics.10 The early diagnosis and treatment are important to improve masticatory function, speech, and self-appearance to reduce the psychosocial impact.9 This case report describes the dental rehabilitation of a young patient with direct composite restorations using thermoformed templates, which not only act as crown formers to re-establish the anatomical contour of the defective teeth but also control the amount of restorative material used and minimize the patient’s chair side-time. Along with this reinforced polythelene fibers are also used as an interim restoration. Case Report: A 13-year-old female patient referred to department of Pedodontics and preventive dentistry, college of dental sciences, Davangere, complaining of spacing between teeth in the upper and lower front region. A detailed history was undertaken with the patient and his legal guardian, who revealed her past medical history, was non-contributory and family history revealed that she was born to non-consanguineous marriage parents with normal delivery and mother did not suffer from any disease during pregnancy, none of the family member had congenitally missing teeth. The patient had no history of trauma but had severe aesthetic dissatisfaction which resulted in several social problems. On general physical examination her height and weight were normal according to her age and she was well oriented and active. On extra oral examination she was normal in her facial appearance and did not show any physical or skeletal abnormality. She had a mild concave profile, a mild reduction of the lower third of facial height, with a marked nasolabial angle and procumbent lip contours; however, the facial symmetry was not affected. No clicking or crepitus of the temporomandibular joint was detected and masticatory muscles were not sensitive upon palpation. On intra oral examination, soft tissues examination was normal. Oral hygiene was considered satisfactory. Hard tissue examination revealed presence of erupted 11 permanent teeth and 8 overeretained primary teeth (11,21,24,37,34,33,31,41,42,44,47) 63 and 83 were in grade II mobility. The remaining permanent teeth were missing clinically; she also had upper midline diastema between permanent central incisors, generalized spacing and underdeveloped alveolar ridges in the anterior mandibular region. In addition, no parafunctional habit was present. Suspecting the congenital absence of permanent teeth panoramic radiograph was taken which showed missing teeth; 12,16,17,22,26,27,32,35,36,43,46 [Figure 1], [Figure 2]. There was absence of dental caries and no previous treatment for the missing teeth was done. A provisional diagnosis of partial anodontia was given with differential diagnosis of ectodermal dysplasia; Rieger syndrome and Witkop syndrome were considered. In view of the oligodontia of permanent teeth, a detailed examination was done to rule out syndromes associated with oligodontia. Paediatric consultation was taken regarding general health status of the patient. Complete set of investigations were done. Routine examination of blood including serum calcium, alkaline phosphate, TSH, T3, T4 was done. The findings of these investigations were within normal range. During physical examination, hairs were not thin and sparse, nails were not brittle and no difficulty in perspiration was seen, which ruled out absence of ectodemaldysplsia. On occular examination, no signs of glaucoma was seen, ruling out Rieger syndrome and Van Der Woude syndrome was ruled out as there was no associated cleft palate or any mucosal cysts in lower lip. Final diagnosis of Non-syndromic partial anodontia/o ligodontia was given. Full mouth rehabilitation was planned; the teeth present were abnormal in morphology and were aesthetically restored after extraction of mobile teeth. The restorations of the defective teeth were carried out in stages. Each treatment session lasted between 1 and 2 hrs depending on the patient’s tolerance and acceptability toward treatment. Problems encountered when attempting to restore the palatal or lingual sites of the affected teeth using composite with free-hand technique so as to create a proper anatomical contour and to obtain a homogenous thickness of the material used. To overcome this, alginate impressions of both the dentitions were taken and stone casts were made. The defective areas of the tooth structure on the stone casts were filled and reconstructed anatomically using inlay wax [Figure 3]. Over the contoured cast, secondary impression was made and final cast was poured with stone. The reconstructed stone casts were sent to the laboratory for fabrication of transparent thermoform â€Å"Biostar† templates that conform to the anatomical shape of the reconstructed crowns. A 0.5mm thickness transparent thermoforming disc made of copolyester was heated up to 170 ºc for 50 s and, once the disc softened, it was pressed onto the stone casts. The pressed templates were allowed to cool and later removed and trimmed [Figure 4]. The produced templates act as crown formers to reconstruct the defective teeth. Initially, the upper four permanent incisors were restored. Minimal tooth structure was removed in order to provide additional retentive element to aid adhesion of the restorative material. Adequate volume of composite material was packed into the template that corresponds to the desired area of teeth to be restored. The template was then placed over the affected teeth and light cured. Upon curing, the template was removed from the teeth and the restored areas were examined for any defectiveness. The composite restorations were polished and contoured using a combination of rotary discs of various grades of polishing burs to create aesthetically pleasing restorations. Due to congenitally missing 43 there was a wide gap present between 42 and 44 which was aesthetically not pleasing even after restoring all 4 lower anteriors. Therefore fabrication of a fiber reinforced composite (FRC-RIBBOND) space maintainer using the acrylic tooth was planned. An acrylic crown of desired size and form was selected. Horizontal groove was made in the middle third of the crown palatal to at nearly 2-mm depth using a round diamond bur (No. 8) to accommodate the thickness and width of Ribbond. The required length of the fiber (Ribbond) was measured using dental floss between the adjacent teeth extending from distal surface of 42–44. Enamel on the lingual surfaces of both the acrylic crown and adjacent teeth were etched with 37% phosphoric acid for 20 s (Scotchbond Etchant; 3M ESPE, St Paul, MN, USA). The fiber soaked in bonding agent was adapted using a tweezer onto the acrylic crown to ensure that it fits into the groove and light cured. Thereafter, it was coated with flowable resin (3M, ESPE) and light cured (Elipar 2500, Halogen Curings Light; 3M ESPE) from multiple directions for 20 s, which increased the mechanical strength of the space maintainer. Fiber-adapted acrylic crown was then positioned in the edentulous space and adapted to the adjacent teeth. Flowable composite application was initiated starting from the distal aspects of 42 44 and cured. This enabled us to stabilize the acrylic crown and check for its correct position. After confirming the correct position, the remaining fiber was coated with composite and cured. Finally, occlusion was adjusted; finishing and polishing (Sof-Lex; 3M ESPE) was performed [Figure 5]. The patient was informed about the importance of good oral hygiene and regular follow up. Follow up of 6 months revealed good retention and satisfactory esthetics [Figure 6]. Discussion: Oligodontia (severe partial anodontia) is a developmental dental anomaly refers to congenital lack of more than six teeth excluding third molars. The exact etiology for oligodontia is unknown. Various factors have been described in the literature.11 Oligodontia condition should not be neglected as it may result in various disturbances like abnormal occlusion, altered facial appearance which may cause psychological distress, difficulty in mastication and speech especially during the formative age. Thus early diagnosis and treatment of these patients is very important. The treatment of oligodontia could be challenging if there are several missing teeth and malocclusion present. Treatment planning should take into account the age of the patient, number and condition of retained teeth, number of missing teeth, condition of supporting tissues, the occlusion and interocclusal space.12 The treatment should be planned thoughly as it needs multidisciplinary appoarch. Treatment options include orthodontic therapy, speech therapy, implants, adhesive techniques, removable partial prostheses, fixed prostheses and over dentures to ensure adequate and durable results.13,14 Most young patients require the fabrication of a partial denture as an interim procedure before definitive restoration is planned. Early treatment improves speech and masticatory function in addition to psychological implications that may greatly help in regaining self-confidence of the young patient. Prosthodontic rehabilitation is fundamental in these situations that allow the child to lead a normal life without damaging self-esteem or psychological development and ensuring that behavior remains unaffected.15 The prosthetic rehabilitation using complete dentures had lot of benefits including better social acceptance, self-esteem and restoring normal functional demands of the patient such as chewing as showed in case report by Manu R et.al.16 The age of the patient for the present case was carefully considered, since younger adults require special attention with regard to their psychological and emotional condition, and particularly the anatomical changes related to facial growth. In the present case, the patient was in an early adolescent stage. The posterior teeth were still in the erupting phases and, therefore, restoration of the defective teeth with permanent and complex restorations was contraindicated. Composite restorative material was selected as a suitable replacement of the defective structures because of its esthetics and high sustainability and also it provides excellent conservative transitional treatment.17 Initially, the defective anterior teeth were restored using a free-hand technique. However, due to small inaccessibility on the palatal and lingual aspects of the teeth, it was not possible to carry out proper restorations. The time spent to restore a single tooth was prolonged and each restored tooth needed more trimming and polishing. Thus, these templates act as an adjunct to allow easy restoration of the defective teeth. Similarly with the present report, this template method has also been proven successfully in a case report by Sockaling am et.al.18 Satisfactory restorations of the lost teeth space present in between mandibular anterior teeth was a challenge to the paediatric dentist as there are limited treatment options in children.19 While long-term single tooth replacement options such as conventional fixed bridges, resin bonded dentures, removable dentures, and single tooth implants may be the treatment choice for adults, they have limited use in children. As in growing children, gingival and bone architecture undergoes changes demanding provisional restorations to achieve good esthetics and maintain edentulous space until definitive restoration is planned.20 For the success of single tooth restoration bonding of the restoration to adjacent teeth is important. So grooving, use of etching, and bonding procedures increase retention.19 In the present case, a groove was made on the lingual surface of the acrylic tooth, 42 and 44 to enhance maximum adhesion, durability, and also to provide mechanical support. Acrylic restoration provides several advantages such as desirable esthetics (a sense of natural feeling), ease of use, and direct bonding to tooth structure with reduced cost. Besides, it provided better gingival health (lesser plaque retention), greater patient–parent satisfaction, and less clinical time in acquisition of natural crown anatomy.19 Minimally invasive adhesive restorations using Ribbond was selected in the present case, as it is an ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene fiber having virtually no memory, translucent, colorless and disappears within the composite or acrylic without show through offering excellent esthetics. Hence, it adapts to the contours of the teeth and dental arch. Children with oligodontia appear to have worse oral health related quality of life than children with dental decay and malocclusion.21 However long-term studies are required to evaluate their prolonged use. Conclusion: Child patient suffering from oligodontia may have severe functional, esthetic and psychological problems especially during the early years of life as reported in the present case. Thus, these thermoformed templates act as an adjunct to allow easy restoration of the defective teeth. The FRC space maintainer technique described in this case can satisfactorily restore esthetics and function and hence suggested as an alternative to conventional techniques. However, it can be considered as an interim treatment until a definitive restoration can be performed. 1

Thursday, September 19, 2019

Thompson Valley Towne Center :: case study Towne Center Essays, solution

Thompson Valley Towne Center INTRODUCTION   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Thompson Valley Towne Center case study exemplifies how complicated a development project can get, especially with the presentation of a highly involved property rights litigation. Many issues arise in this particular project involving multiple parties. All these issues must be closely analyzed and continually monitored by the partnership developing the mixed-use project. Holsapple and Marostica begin to contemplate the continuance on the project as they see many bumps in its road to completion. The initial idea sounded so great, and now the partnership is debating whether to scrap the entire project at a substantial loss. LOOKING FOR THE LAND   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  It is my contention that finding and acquiring a property is the most important step in the development process. This decision will determine the involvement of a project as well as its success. The preliminary goal set forth by the partnership was to locate a property in Loveland, Colorado. They initially set out to complete three residential subdivision and any additional opportunities they found to develop for commercial use. So they went out and researched potential sites to develop. Form here, they would make a selection as to which properties they thought were best fit for development. One property they came across was at the north west corner of First and Taft. After viewing ownership and encumbrance information, they discovered that the property was being reviewed for a commercial center called Centennial Village. This land was obviously out of question for the partnership to develop, and could raise a possible competitive situation between the two complet ed projects. So the search continued on until the partners came across an 80-acre piece of property.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  80 acres is a lot of land and could be home to more than just a shopping center. The access to this parcel could be made with much more ease, and it was just down the street from the previously mentioned parcel. A mixed-use development was definitely obtainable with 80 acres to wok with. Mixed-use projects are further complicated when dealing with the government as far as easements and zoning concern. Other considerations for this location involve a huge gulch and irrigation ditch lining the boundary on the southeast corner of the property. These are just a few issues that Holsapple and Marostica must have in mind when deciding to acquire such this large property. Although this project looks promising, the conveyance of the land would be extremely complex, as the partnership would soon discover through the O & E on this land. Thompson Valley Towne Center :: case study Towne Center Essays, solution Thompson Valley Towne Center INTRODUCTION   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Thompson Valley Towne Center case study exemplifies how complicated a development project can get, especially with the presentation of a highly involved property rights litigation. Many issues arise in this particular project involving multiple parties. All these issues must be closely analyzed and continually monitored by the partnership developing the mixed-use project. Holsapple and Marostica begin to contemplate the continuance on the project as they see many bumps in its road to completion. The initial idea sounded so great, and now the partnership is debating whether to scrap the entire project at a substantial loss. LOOKING FOR THE LAND   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  It is my contention that finding and acquiring a property is the most important step in the development process. This decision will determine the involvement of a project as well as its success. The preliminary goal set forth by the partnership was to locate a property in Loveland, Colorado. They initially set out to complete three residential subdivision and any additional opportunities they found to develop for commercial use. So they went out and researched potential sites to develop. Form here, they would make a selection as to which properties they thought were best fit for development. One property they came across was at the north west corner of First and Taft. After viewing ownership and encumbrance information, they discovered that the property was being reviewed for a commercial center called Centennial Village. This land was obviously out of question for the partnership to develop, and could raise a possible competitive situation between the two complet ed projects. So the search continued on until the partners came across an 80-acre piece of property.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  80 acres is a lot of land and could be home to more than just a shopping center. The access to this parcel could be made with much more ease, and it was just down the street from the previously mentioned parcel. A mixed-use development was definitely obtainable with 80 acres to wok with. Mixed-use projects are further complicated when dealing with the government as far as easements and zoning concern. Other considerations for this location involve a huge gulch and irrigation ditch lining the boundary on the southeast corner of the property. These are just a few issues that Holsapple and Marostica must have in mind when deciding to acquire such this large property. Although this project looks promising, the conveyance of the land would be extremely complex, as the partnership would soon discover through the O & E on this land.

Wednesday, September 18, 2019

An Effective, Professional Teacher Essay -- Professionalism and Ethics

Introduction The statement ‘Teaching – reflections, questions, decisions’ sums up what it means to be an effective teacher. Teachers are constantly making decisions about professionalism and ethics, teaching strategies, classroom management, and how to keep their students motivated. These decisions can have a major impact on student learning and how effective they are as teachers. Questioning is an essential—and one of the most important—instructional skills that a teacher can possess. Teachers need to be able to ask the appropriate types and levels of questions, such as the high and low order questions based on Bloom’s taxonomy, as well as being skilled in responding to students answers. Teachers also need to be constantly evaluating and reflecting on the curriculum, the teaching process, the learners and the diversity of their backgrounds and how it can affect their learning process. Discussion Decisions Professionalism and Ethics ‘Teacher professionalism’ has played a significant role in improving the quality of student learning in Australian schools (Preston, 1993, p. 5). Whitton, Barker, Nosworthy, Sinclair & Nanlohy (2010, pp. 49-60), divided the standards of teaching into six categories: academic – formal academic qualifications needed to become a teacher; ethics – behaving ethically with the right conduct and practice; legal – total compliance with child protection requirements, laws on working with children and duty of care; professional – lifelong learning and professional development by reading, research or study; personal – appropriate personal presentation and personal development; and cultural – accepting and respecting all cultures and everyone in the school community. Teachers need to make decisions on h... ...ards-based instruction (5th ed.). Boston: Pearson Education, Inc. Preston, B. (1993). Teacher professionalism: Implications for teachers, teacher educators and democratic schooling. Independent Education 23(4), 4-12. Retrieved from http://edocs.library.curtin.edu.au/eres_display.cgi?url=dc60261746.pdf ©right=1 University of Tasmania. (2010). Maslow’s hierarchy of needs pyramid. Retrieved April 19, 2011, from http://www.ruralhealth.utas.edu.au/comm-lead/leadership/maslow-diagram.htm Wesley, D. C., (1998). Eleven ways to be a great teacher. Educational Leadership 55(5), 80-81. Retrieved from http://proquest.umi.com.dbgw.lis.curtin.edu.au/pqdweb?did=26126116&sid=1&Fmt=6&clientId=22212&RQT=309&VName=PQD&cfc=1 Whitton, D., Barker, K., Nosworthy, Sinclair, C., & Nanlohy, P. (2010). Learning for teaching: Teaching for learning. South Melbourne: Cengage Learning.

Tuesday, September 17, 2019

Define the following types of abuse: Physical abuse Essay

Hitting, slapping, pushing or kicking, forcing people to eat or take medication, leaving people to sit in urine or faeces. 1.1b – Define the following types of abuse: Sexual abuse Unwanted advances, indecent exposure or harassment, rough washing or touching of the genital area, rape, being forced to watch or participate in sexual acts. 1.1c – Define the following types of abuse: Emotional/psychological abuse Intimidation, not being included, being ignored, threats, bullying, humiliating and blaming. These include discrimination that relates to age, race, gender, sexuality, culture, religion etc. 1.1d – Define the following types of abuse: Financial abuse Using an individual’s money without their permission or on items they have not requested, not giving correct change, taking store card points, taking the free item of â€Å"buy one get one free†. Not giving individuals enough money for food and essential items. 1.1e – Define the following types of abuse: Institutional abuse Poor care to people in group environments, for example, in a residential care home or in a day centre. Food choices not provided for individuals with different dietary needs or requirements. The individual’s room and clothing not being kept clean. 1.1f – Define the following types of abuse: Self neglect Individual not eating, washing, dressing properly. Not looking after themselves. 1.1g – Define the following types of abuse: Neglect by others Inadequate care or denial of an individual’s basic rights. 1.2 – . Identify the signs and/or symptoms associated with each type of abuse. These are the main types of abuse with some examples of signs and symptoms: Physical – Unexplained bruises, scratches, cuts, fractures, broken bones, broken teeth. Sexual –Bruises around genital area. Individual becomes particular about washing genital area or wanting to hide themselves. Emotional / psychological – Abnormal behaviour or moods. Talking a lot and very fast or being unusually quiet. Appearing afraid or worried. Being concerned that care and support may not continue Financial – Shortage of money, reluctance to pay for things, complaining about price increases, unusual interest or lack of interest in their personal finances. Institutional – Individuals not eating properly, not dressing properly, not participating, staying in their rooms, not getting required attention and support, complaints from residents or family members. Dirty rooms and communal areas. Health and safety being ignored. Self-neglect –Individual gaining or losing weight, looking dirty or dishevelled. Not washing and smelling. Not caring about themselves. Medical issues not being taken care of. Lack of confidence and self-esteem. Lack of social network, family and friends. Staying at home when they could get out and about. Neglect by others – Any of the above symptoms could be neglect or lead to neglect by others if left and not resolved. If you do not take action to report or resolve a situation where you believe abuse is taking or has taken place, you could be accused of neglect yourself. 1.3 – Describe factors that may contribute to an individual being more vulnerable to abuse. Some individuals are more vulnerable to harm or abuse than others. These are some of the reasons why: Individuals with a sensory impairment, for example, poor or no hearing or sight that might lead to communication difficulties. Individuals may lack the capacity to understand what is happening or that it is wrong. Lack of capacity could be for a number of different reasons and could be long term or short term. Individuals may be severely disabled. Individuals may be physically or emotionally weak and rely on others for care. Individuals may have suffered brain injury and may not be able to communicate. Individuals may be unconscious.   Individuals who do not have good support networks around them. Individuals being cared for at home who are reliant on another person for care and support. 204 Cert.2 – Know how to respond to suspected or alleged abuse. 2.1 – . Explain the actions to take if there are suspicions that an individual is being abused. The actions to take constitute the employee’s responsibilities in responding to allegations or suspicions of abuse. Always follow policies and procedures and report to the appropriate person(s), record the facts on appropriate paperwork, listen do not judge, stay calm and collected, and do not tamper with evidence. 2.2 – . Explain the actions to take if an individual alleges that they are being abused. The key things you MUST do if an individual discloses abuse to you: Assume the individual is telling the truth. Speak to them in a calm and sensitive way. Listen carefully and make sure you record what was said including date, time and place. Reassure the individual and tell them that you have to pass this information on. Always follow your policies and procedures. If the individual needs medical attention, call the emergency services or call a doctor as appropriate and inform your supervisor / manager immediately or another available senior person. If this is a criminal matter, for example, an alleged assault, rape or indecent exposure, you will need to call the police and if in any doubt consult your policies and procedures or contact your supervisor / manager immediately or another available senior person. 2.3 – Identify ways to ensure that evidence of abuse is preserved. In most circumstances you may not need to do anything except record the events that have given cause for concern. The best way to preserve evidence is to report the matter as quickly as possible. When needed you should: Make a written record of messages (e.g. answer-phone) to ensure they are not lost. Include the date and time and sign them Ensure written records (notes, letters, bank statements, medication records etc.) are kept in a safe place Don’t tidy up,  wash clothes, bedding or other items. Do not try to clear or tidy anything up Try not to touch anything unless you have to for the immediate wellbeing of the victim – if you have to try to make a record of what you have done If any sexual offence is suspected try to discourage the victim from washing, drinking, cleaning their teeth or going to the toilet until the police are present Preserve anything used to warm or comfort the victim e.g. a blanket Try to ensure that no one else enters the premises or alleged scene of crime until the police arrive If you can, try and ensure that the alleged perpetrator does not have any contact with the victim Record any physical signs or injuries using a body map (click here) or hand drawing. Write a description of any physical signs or injuries including size, shape, colour etc. Always remember to sign and date your notes and any other records you have made 204 Cert.3 – Understand the national and local context of safeguarding and protection from abuse. 3.1 – Identify national policies and local systems that relate to safeguarding and protection from abuse. The Care Quality Commission (CQC) regulates care homes and inspects every care home it registers. The CQC also registers home†care or domiciliary care services. Any registered care provider must, by law, have a complaints procedure. Services have rules about the staff they employ and the standards of care they provide. Everybody working with vulnerable adults and children has to complete a criminal record check by the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS). The DBS helps employers to make safer recruitment decisions and prevent unsuitable people from working with vulnerable groups, including children. It replaces the Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) and Independent Safeguarding Authority (ISA). The Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DOLS), implemented April 2009, provide a legal protection for those vulnerable people who are, or may become, deprived of their liberty. Safeguards exist to provide a proper legal process and suitable protection in those circumstances where deprivation of liberty appears to be unavoidable, in a person’s own best interests. These safeguards can apply to people who have a mental disorder and lack capacity to consent to the arrangements made for their care or treatment, but for whom receiving care or treatment in circumstances that amount to a deprivation of liberty may be necessary to protect them from harm and appears to be in their best interests. 3.2 – . Explain the roles of different agencies in safeguarding and protecting individuals from abuse. Care Quality Commission (CQC): They have a role to play in safeguarding. If you have followed policies and procedures and reported a situation of abuse and you are not getting reasonable feedback about what action is being taken and you do not believe your complaint has been acted upon, or you suspect that your supervisor / manager is involved, and there is no-one else internally in your organisation you can talk to, you should contact CQC. Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS): The DBS helps employers to make safer recruitment decisions and prevent unsuitable people from working with vulnerable groups, including children. It replaces the Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) and Independent Safeguarding Authority (ISA). The DBS are responsible for: Processing requests for criminal records checks Deciding whether it is appropriate for a person to be placed on or removed from a barred list. Placing or removing people from the DBS children’s barred list and adults’ barred list for England, Wales and Northern Ireland 3.3 – Identify reports into serious failures to protect individuals from abuse. In cases where suspected abuse or neglect has resulted in death, or abuse or neglect is known or suspected to be a factor in the death (including death by suspected suicide), or for cases of serious and significant harm, a Serious Case Review (SCR) will be undertaken 3.4 –  Identify sources of information and advice about own role in safeguarding and protecting individuals from abuse. Sources of information and advice include: Care Home manager Care Plans Mandatory Training Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DOLS) Quality care Commission (CQC) Citizens advice Bureau Social Services Health Services Police Solicitor 204 Cert.4 – Understand ways to reduce the likelihood of abuse. 4.1a – Explain how the likelihood of abuse may be reduced by: working with person centred values This ensures a carer can: 1. Define care values and explain the principles of care 2. Explain the importance of rights, privacy, respect and dignity in ensuring choice and independence 3. Explain the principles of delivery for a person centred approach to care delivery 4. Know how to use a care plan to help in delivering person centred care 5. Explain the responsibilities of the organisation and care worker in care delivery 6. Define the role of the care worker in establishing and maintaining effective work relationships 7. Explain how to utilise support and supervision to ensure effective practice 8. Explore ways to develop the knowledge and skills required to promote continual development of the care worker 9. Promoting empowerment In using person centred values you can manage risks associated with: Person centred approaches Privacy Dignity History Preferences Wishes Needs Determining needs How needs develop Neglect Language preferences Communication Relationships Significant others Activities Nutrition Diet Eating problems Supporting that development Supporting the individual Choice Care values Care planning The care (service) setting Routine Possessions Syndromes Conditions Working safely Managing risk Dealing with emergencies Visitors Abuse Personal care Continence Medication Pain Dying, death Sleep Ageing Mental health Confusion Dementia Disabilities Mobility Promoting independence 4.1b – Explain how the likelihood of abuse may be reduced by: encouraging active participation Active participation is an approach that empowers individuals in the activities and relationships of everyday life leading to them living as independently as possible. The importance to the individual as an active partner in their own care or support is that it brings physical, psychological, relational and over all wellbeing benefits. The likelihood of abuse is decreased as the individual engages positively by actively participating is area of their life, such as in personal care, the scope for abuse by others is reduced. 4.1c – Explain how the likelihood of abuse may be reduced by: promoting choice and rights An important feature of empowerment is to offer people genuine choice when it comes to the services and supports on offer. This issue was highlighted by SCIE’s Service User Advisory Group on Safeguarding Adults. Without choice and the ability to exercise choice, the potential for abuse can become greater and the opportunity to escape it become harder. 4.2 – . Explain the importance of an accessible complaints procedure for reducing the likelihood of abuse. Every employer should have a procedure in place for raising any concerns or a complaint about abuse so that it is a simple process and encourages people to raise their concerns, however small they might appear to be. Complaints are very important as they often lead to an improvement in the service(s) provided. The complaints procedure can usually be found in the Safeguarding Adults policy and procedures. You will also need to be aware of the contact details for your Local Authority’s Safeguarding team. 204 Cert.5 – Know how to recognise and report unsafe practices. 5.1 – . Describe unsafe practices that may affect the well-being of individuals. Unsanitary conditions can spread infection as cross-contamination can occur and can affect the well-being of the individual and others. Improper hand washing can also pose a risk. Dirty kitchen surfaces and equipment can spread infections, not covering hair when cooking can pose a risk to individual as cannot reporting faulty equipment when working or not having cleaning materials can also be unsafe. In terms of health and safety not having risk assessments in place when a service user hurts themselves. Staff not checking when a service user is ill or unsteady on their feet. Staff not recording in care plans about a service user’s wellbeing and health and not monitoring them. Other unsafe practices which also amount to abuse can occur such as leaving a service user on the toilet too long, ignoring or not listening to them. Marks on body not taken seriously and complaints not taken seriously can put them at more danger, harm and risk of abuse. 5.2 – . Explain the actions to take if unsafe practices have been identified. If I identify unsafe practices then I must follow the whistle-blowing procedure and report to the appropriate person(s). I will report to my manager immediately or if it involves my manager then to another appropriate person(s). I will monitor all unsafe practices and make sure that I record and report in full all the evidence and then will talk to my manager because all unsafe practices are dangerous practices that could cause harm to the individual and others. For example, I talked to my manager last week about things being left on the stairs that may cause service users and others to fall over and hurt themselves. She has talked to the staff and now this has stopped.’ 5.3 – . Describe the action to take if suspected abuse or unsafe practices  have been reported but nothing has been done in response. If suspected abuse or unsafe practices have been reported but nothing has been done in response or if it has to do with my manager then I will report to the next level or manager. If it has to do with my manager then I will report to management, then to the social worker and safeguarding team and to the care quality commission and even to the police depending on the response I get.

Monday, September 16, 2019

Quality of Care Essay

STANDARD 1. Safeguarding and Child Protection Children are safeguarded through systems and practices that are consistent with the Regional Child Protection Policies and Procedures. Safeguarding children is afforded the highest priority. To meet Standard1 : â€Å"A designated child protection officer must be available at all times during the hours of service provision for contact and consultation with staff and to offer instruction, advice and support to staff and this officer’s details should be available to parents and carers. As I will be stepping up to a leaders post, I need to avail of this training asap. Section 2 – Quality of Staffing, Management and Leadership The quality of staffing, management and leadership impacts directly and indirectly on children’s care. Strong, competent and effective management means efficient running of a setting and high standards set for others. Staff who are happy in their role, secure in the knowledge of their responsibiliti es and well-trained to deal with all aspects of their job provide an environment where children can thrive. A culture of professional, reflective practice and a willingness to challenge practice is vital. A whole-team approach and ownership of the setting is key to ensuring a safe, high-quality service for children, parents and families. STANDARD 10. Management and Monitoring Arrangements There are effective and efficient management and monitoring arrangements in the setting to support the work of staff and the care of children. To meet Standard 10: A record of the name and telephone numbers of the registered person is maintained and a contact point is made available for parents. The manager/person in charge provides monitoring reports to the Registered person at least quarterly to facilitate the regular review of the quality of the service. Not all settings will have a management committee, but where they are in place, members’ and Trustees’ roles and responsibilities must be made explicit in writing and audited to ensure adherence to expected standards.