Pain Equals Success Narrative Essay

Pain Equals Success Emily Flores Ms. Hellerman English Comp. 101 February 11, 2013 Pain Equals Success Too much pain is never enough pain. Without pain, you truly cannot feel and enjoy real success. Jade Kat, a strong influential young woman, always strived for success. She knew with success it will create obstacles and tests to ensure one is absolutely ready for their dream. What she didn’t know was that those struggles were about to hit her fast. It all started when Jade finished her internship with a well-known successful retail company in Japan called JuJuPop, Inc.She was immediately hired to work as a fashion designer. This was only part of her dream; her real dream was to be C. E. O. As people would say, â€Å"do not get too used to things† or â€Å"it feels too good to be true† these phrases were about to make much more sense to Jade as certain situations were about to occur. One of her coworkers, a nice swell well-groomed fellow, caught her eye at first s ight. They immediately started talking and had similar hobbies, which turned into dates that turned into a potential relationship.This guy seemed so wonderful to her until she started realizing some strange activities going on with her credit card account. This prince charming was actually using her hard-earned cash to splurge on himself behind her back. She was hurt at first and did not think this would happen to her. She immediately confronted him; he admitted it and they ended their relationship. After a few months of getting back on her feet, Jade Kat was all about striving towards success. She was still working for the company for about 5 years. Her designs were being recognized by top fashionistas.Jade was so close to her dream, she could taste it. During one of the companies fashion shows, Kobe King, one of the top of the line tuxedo designers, was checking out Jade’s wedding line and loved it. The two met for dinner at one of the finest restaurants in Japan. They went over a few of her designs and he was very impressed. He offered Jade a position in his company and she accepted. The two started working together right away on a wedding spring line. With Kobe and Jade’s launch, the two made millions off their line together.The success of their launch has made their line the top 5 to choose from in Japan. After 2 years of being great colleagues, the two decided to host a huge party inviting many famous designers and celebrities to celebrate their success together. During the party, Kobe had told Jade, â€Å"Come with me to my office, we need to talk business. † Little did she know, Kobe always had great interest in her. â€Å"Come, sit down,† he called while he fetched her a drink. While she was busy looking over designs, Kobe had locked the door in his soundproof office.After a little small talk, his intoxicated-self made his way over her and handed her the drink. She immediately smelled and noticed pill pieces in her drink an d pretended to drink it. Kobe by then, was already all over her, harassing her and even tried to abuse her. She managed to knock him down, unlock the door and get help. He later was arrested, placed in jail and out of Jade’s life for good. A situation as hard as that is something very devastating to go through. Jade had to get psychological help to get back to the successful woman she was trying hard to be.She had to forgive the ones who insulted her, attacked her, belittled her, and took her for granted but before she did that, she had to forgive herself for allowing them to hurt her. (live, laugh, dream, 2013) Once Jade was well enough to leave the rehabilitation, she rented an apartment and her old job gave her leverage and time to keep to herself until she felt fully ready to come back to work. In the next 3 months, Jade fully recovered and was back creating designs no one has ever thought to create.This recovery won so many people’s hearts and concern for her, it brought all the success she wanted. Her pain and her realness was what gave her success. Jade Kat become a strong independent woman. She created her own retail line called â€Å"On The Prowl, Inc. † and is living the life of a successful entrepreneur. Human progress is neither automatic nor inevitable†¦ Every step toward the goal of justice requires sacrifice, suffering, and struggle; the tireless exertions and passionate concern of dedicated individuals. MLK, 2013) Despite the struggles she had to endure, success was all she ever wanted and received it. With all her success and good-will, God blessed her with true love and now she lives a happy life as a successful mother, wife, and entrepreneur. References live, laugh, dream (2013) Search Quotes. Retrieved from http://www. searchquotes. com/quotes/about/Abusive_Relationship/ Martin Luther King (2001-2013) Struggle Quotes. Retrieved from http://www. brainyquote. com/quotes/keywords/struggle. html Running Head: Pain Equa ls Success Pain Equals Success Narrative Essay Pain Equals Success Emily Flores Ms. Hellerman English Comp. 101 February 11, 2013 Pain Equals Success Too much pain is never enough pain. Without pain, you truly cannot feel and enjoy real success. Jade Kat, a strong influential young woman, always strived for success. She knew with success it will create obstacles and tests to ensure one is absolutely ready for their dream. What she didn’t know was that those struggles were about to hit her fast. It all started when Jade finished her internship with a well-known successful retail company in Japan called JuJuPop, Inc.She was immediately hired to work as a fashion designer. This was only part of her dream; her real dream was to be C. E. O. As people would say, â€Å"do not get too used to things† or â€Å"it feels too good to be true† these phrases were about to make much more sense to Jade as certain situations were about to occur. One of her coworkers, a nice swell well-groomed fellow, caught her eye at first s ight. They immediately started talking and had similar hobbies, which turned into dates that turned into a potential relationship.This guy seemed so wonderful to her until she started realizing some strange activities going on with her credit card account. This prince charming was actually using her hard-earned cash to splurge on himself behind her back. She was hurt at first and did not think this would happen to her. She immediately confronted him; he admitted it and they ended their relationship. After a few months of getting back on her feet, Jade Kat was all about striving towards success. She was still working for the company for about 5 years. Her designs were being recognized by top fashionistas.Jade was so close to her dream, she could taste it. During one of the companies fashion shows, Kobe King, one of the top of the line tuxedo designers, was checking out Jade’s wedding line and loved it. The two met for dinner at one of the finest restaurants in Japan. They went over a few of her designs and he was very impressed. He offered Jade a position in his company and she accepted. The two started working together right away on a wedding spring line. With Kobe and Jade’s launch, the two made millions off their line together.The success of their launch has made their line the top 5 to choose from in Japan. After 2 years of being great colleagues, the two decided to host a huge party inviting many famous designers and celebrities to celebrate their success together. During the party, Kobe had told Jade, â€Å"Come with me to my office, we need to talk business. † Little did she know, Kobe always had great interest in her. â€Å"Come, sit down,† he called while he fetched her a drink. While she was busy looking over designs, Kobe had locked the door in his soundproof office.After a little small talk, his intoxicated-self made his way over her and handed her the drink. She immediately smelled and noticed pill pieces in her drink an d pretended to drink it. Kobe by then, was already all over her, harassing her and even tried to abuse her. She managed to knock him down, unlock the door and get help. He later was arrested, placed in jail and out of Jade’s life for good. A situation as hard as that is something very devastating to go through. Jade had to get psychological help to get back to the successful woman she was trying hard to be.She had to forgive the ones who insulted her, attacked her, belittled her, and took her for granted but before she did that, she had to forgive herself for allowing them to hurt her. (live, laugh, dream, 2013) Once Jade was well enough to leave the rehabilitation, she rented an apartment and her old job gave her leverage and time to keep to herself until she felt fully ready to come back to work. In the next 3 months, Jade fully recovered and was back creating designs no one has ever thought to create.This recovery won so many people’s hearts and concern for her, it brought all the success she wanted. Her pain and her realness was what gave her success. Jade Kat become a strong independent woman. She created her own retail line called â€Å"On The Prowl, Inc. † and is living the life of a successful entrepreneur. Human progress is neither automatic nor inevitable†¦ Every step toward the goal of justice requires sacrifice, suffering, and struggle; the tireless exertions and passionate concern of dedicated individuals. MLK, 2013) Despite the struggles she had to endure, success was all she ever wanted and received it. With all her success and good-will, God blessed her with true love and now she lives a happy life as a successful mother, wife, and entrepreneur. References live, laugh, dream (2013) Search Quotes. Retrieved from http://www. searchquotes. com/quotes/about/Abusive_Relationship/ Martin Luther King (2001-2013) Struggle Quotes. Retrieved from http://www. brainyquote. com/quotes/keywords/struggle. html Running Head: Pain Equa ls Success

Intolerance in Nigeria Essay

ABSTRACT This paper examines the relationship between religion and sustainable development, as well as the role of Nigerian intellectuals in ameliorating religious crisis in the country. Religion, as a system of faith is based on belief in the existence of a particular God or gods, to some extent, influences or contributes in developing and coordinating the expression of the capacities latent in human nature for the progress of the society. All the elements that made up the resources originating from human are expressed in their actions, behaviour and daily activities, either in positive and constructive ways, or in a negative and destructive ways, especially with respect to their inherent power to generate value by leveraging other production variables for economic growth and development. Empirical results obtained, using descriptive analysis approach, indicate that religion plays an important role in shaping the moral and social values necessary for development. Based on these findings, some recommendations are offered which include: Re-examine education policies in the light of its contribution to individual growth and to bring about fundamental structural changes in society, changes which are necessary for the creation of a just, peaceful, and harmonious environment, hence teachers and other intellectuals must be a model of nobility, selfactualization and discipline, since sound character is ultimately more important than intellectual brilliance.. Keywords: Religion, Economic growth, Amelioration, Tolerance and Intellectuals. INTRODUCTION A religion can be broadly described as a set of common belief and practices generally held by a group of people. Oxford Learner Dictionary described religion as a system of faith that is based on belief in the existence of a particular God or gods. According to Oke, Oloruntimehin and Akinola (1996), it is generally accepted by social scientists that people’s religious beliefs and their social organizations are closely interrelated. They quoted Emile, as noted that religion is a social artifact symbolizing what a society considers sacred and the most sacred thing to any society is the society itself. In view of this, religion provides an organized picture of the universe and establishes a more or less orderly relationship between man and his surroundings. Early economists and other researchers have paid little attention to any link between religion and economic development, rather it is seen as something personal between man and his God. The early relationship between religion and economic was established by Marx, who was of the opinion that the strength of an economy would influenced a religion or belief. However, the like of Max Weber, an eminent sociologist of early 20th century was of contra opinion. According to him, the source of the growth of the western economy is religion, especially the reformation of protestant and its doctrine about 40 Religion and Economic Development: the Role of Nigerian Intellectuals Saheed, Zakaree S. and Alofun, G. O. O. simplicity and moral responsibility to work (Skousen, 2007). Weber Marx (1930), believe that capitalism originated from religious ideals and not historical materialism. Specifically, the protestant reformation teachings changed the western culture, and led to the rise of capitalism, which in turn led to the growth and development of their economy. Islam as a religion also played a positive role in the development of the Arab society and transformed it to such a remarkable extent that it not only overcame its own handicaps but also brought about a revolutionary change in the societies that came under its influence (Charpra, 1998). Barro and McCleary (2003) suggested that higher rates of religious beliefs stimulate growth because they help to sustain the aspect of individual behaviour that enhances productivity. The higher number of church or mosque attendance, for instance, tends to depressed growth because it signifies a greater use of esources including land, buildings and other capital, by the religious sector. However, that suppression of growth is tempered by the extent to which church or mosque attendance leads to greater religion beliefs, which in turn encourages economic growth. In Nigeria, traditional communities are essentially religious. In these communities, religion is kinship based because it governs the peopleâ⠂¬â„¢s lineage or family relationships; it governs the doctrine of collective responsibility and forms the basis of the family, which in turn is the basic unit of social control. Indeed, religion is so important in the society as a form of social control because of people’s adherence to religion, whether traditional, Christian or Islam (Ikporukpo, 2001), which are the recognized religions in Nigeria, though the last two are more pronounced. Christianity and Islam, especially have a great influence on the daily lives of Nigerians, and plays a significant role in the socio-political and economic development. According to Nwite and Wilson (2010), churches in Nigeria has contributed immensely to the economic development of the country through investment in different sectors of the economy like real estate, capital market, shopping complex and schools. The essence of economic and human development embodied health, for which life expectancy is taken as a reasonable gauge; knowledge, which is expressed as a combination of literacy rates and average years of schoolings; and per capital income (Lynn, 2001). Any effort put forward towards the development of these determining factors would amount to stirring the economy towards development. Given the foregoing, the paper proposes to critically examine/analyses: i. The contribution of religion to the education sector in Nigeria. ii. The role of religion in the development of health sector in Nigeria. iii. The role of religion towards creation of job opportunities in Nigeria. iv. The role of religion and Nigerian Intellectuals in socio-ethnic crisis in Nigeria. To this end, the paper is organized into five sections. Following this introduction is section II, which focuses on conceptual issues. Section III discusses the role of religion on economic development in Nigeria. Section IV analyses the role of religion on socio-ethnic crisis in Nigeria, while section V summarises the findings and offer policy recommendation. 41 Journal of Social Science and Public Policy Volume 3, December 2011 CONCEPTIONS OF DEVELOPMENT There are different conceptions of development. First, it could be viewed as the development of the mind in which case the humanity of man is no longer subjugated to nature, but has transcended the confines of nature to progressively understand the whole of the world in order to be able to develop from it an environment which is most suitable for him. Moreso, economic development means sustained and sustainable growth per capita income, accompanied by diversification of production, reduction in absolute poverty, and expanding economic opportunities for all citizens (Lynn, 2003). The definition implies an economic growth which can be maintained over a long period of time. Moreso it requires diversification of economic activities so that the nation can be producing variety of goods and services, with the economy gradually progressing from primary, to secondary and then to tertiary economy. This should be able to create an expanding opportunities for people to make a choice of work and earn income through which they can improve their lives and able to participate in the social life of the community. Most importantly, there should be reduction in the level of absolute poverty in the country. The conception of development also connote growth with changes, which usually demands significant structural transformation within a country, and that includes the reorganization and reorientation of the economic and social systems, radical arrangements in installations and administrative structures, as well as reorientations in popular attitudes, customs and belief (Ogunkola and Egwaikhide, 2001). In contemplating development, more than access to goods and services is at stake. As such, in measuring level of development, the Physical Quality of Life (PQL) is considered, and it is equal weighting of an infant mortality rate, life expectancy, and basic literacy. However the United Nations Development’s version of development measurement refers to as Human Development Index (HDI) incorporates an income measure. All these elements considered in measuring the level of development of a nation are subject of level of development of the health and educational sectors, where the eligious sectors in Nigeria has contributed, as can be seen in the Holy Scriptures. For instance: Both religions in Nigeria, that is, Christianity and Islam recognize that the created universe is subjected to man for the enrichment and fulfillment of his life (Quran 45:12-13, 14:32-34 and Genesis 1:26-28). More so, contrary to the view that religion only emphasis faith and not works, the Bible and Qur’an invite men to labour and action (Qur’an 13: 11, 2:275 and Exodus 20 :9, Proverbs 16:3, 2. Thessalonians 3:10). All the elements that made up the resources originating from human are expressed in their actions, behaviour and daily activities, either in positive and constructive ways, or in a negative and destructive ways (Zainun, 2006), especially with respect to their inherent power to generate value by leveraging other production variables for economic growth development. In carrying out development activities, religion provides some code of norms and obligations which subject man to regulations necessary for the progress of the society. 2 Religion and Economic Development: the Role of Nigerian Intellectuals Saheed, Zakaree S. and Alofun, G. O. O. The Role of Religion in Nigerian Economic Development Religion has contributed much to development of human race, and it will be totally absurd to ignore the contributions of religion, especially Christianity and Islam. Both religious communities have become the key determinants of history and destiny of the nation, and its vast population, as well as deciding the course of development and building of the nation. Religion is given a reasonable degree of recognition by governments of Nigeria and some other countries as a major factor determining the stability of a nation. The roles of religion in economic development are more pronounced in the educational and health sectors, as well as creation of job opportunities. The Role of Religion in Educational Sector in Nigeria Education is a continuous and creative process which aimed at developing the capacities latent in human nature, and coordinate their expression for the enrichment and progress of ociety, by equipping students with spiritual, moral and material knowledge. Education in terms of the knowledge, qualities, skills, attitudes and capacities that enable individuals to become conscious subjects of their growth and active responsible participants in a systemic process of building a new world order. In Nigeria, Christian missions pioneered the establishment of primary and secondary schools, and ever since then the two religions, that is, C hristianity and Islam, have played a significant role in the establishment of schools in Nigeria. As the primary schools and their products multiplied, secondary schools were established to satisfy the demand for higher education. The Catholic Missionary Society (CMS) established the C. M. S. Grammar School in Lagos in 1859, followed by the Methodist Boys’ High School in 1879 and St. Gregory’s College, established by the Catholic in 1881. It is on this foundation that secondary schools education has rested in Nigeria (Olurode, 1999). Many other religion based secondary schools later emerged. These include, Ahmadiyya Grammar School, Anwar-Ul-Islam Grammar School, St. Theresa College, Islamic High School, Ebira Muslim Community College among many. The religious sector in Nigeria is also involved in establishment of higher institutions, to enhance government effort towards educational development. Among the religion based private higher institutions in Nigeria are listed in table 1. 0 below: Table 1. 0 Some religion based private higher institutions in Nigeria S/N Institution 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 8. Bowen University, Iwo-Osun State Fountain University, Osogbo- Ondo state Founder/Sponsor The Baptist NASFAT Islam Bishop Ajayi Crowther University, Oyo – Anglican Churches Oyo state Al-Hikama University, Ilorin – Kwara State Islamic Foundation (AROIF) and Assembly of Muslim Youth (WAMY) Redeemer University, Lagos state The Redeemed Churches Wesley University of Technology, Ondo The Methodist churches State. Covenant University, Lagos state Living Faith Church World 43 Journal of Social Science and Public Policy Volume 3, December 2011 . 10. Joseph Ayo Babalola University, Osun state Christ Apostolic Church VERITAS University (Catholic University of The Catholic Churches Nigeria), Abuja. Source: Culled by the authors from lists of private universities in Nigeria The Contribution of Religion to the Health Sector in Nigeria The spread of western ideas including medicine and social welfare also owed much to the advent of religion in Nigeria. According to Olurode (1997), by the end of the nineteen century, the hospital; was as effective as the school. By 1914, various missions had established hospitals such as the C. M. S. Iyi Enu Hospital near Onitsha, the Wesley Guide Hospital in Ilesha, the Baptist Hospital in Ogbomosho and the Sacred Heart Hospital of the Society for African Missions in Abeokuta. Missionary involvement had, as its aim, the eradication of superstitious beliefs about such diseases as smallpox. In Yoruba land, for instance, the god of smallpox shoponna had a strong hold on the people which took western medicine, specifically vaccines to break. Even where orthodox medicine failed, some religion has been playing a significant role to proffer spiritual solution to cure illness. The Role of Religion and Nigerian Intellectuals on Socio-ethnic Crisis in Nigeria According to UNHCR (2008) as quoted by Saheed and Alofun (2010), since 1999, more than 10,000 Nigerians have been killed and more properties worth billions of naira have been destroyed in sectarian and communal attacks and reprisals between Muslims and Christians. The most serious of these clashes occurred in Kaduna state in February and May 2000, and November 2002; Jos, Plateau state in September 2001; Kano state and Yelwa, Plateau state between February and May, 2004; and in the northern and southeastern Nigeria in the wake of the controversy over depictions of the Prophet Muhammad in the Danish press in February 2006. Table 2. 0. Some of the Religious Crises in Nigeria in the last one decade Date Events Victims Sept. 2001 July, 2007 Sept. 2007 Dec. 2007 Dec. 2008 July, 2009 Violent clashes between Muslims and Christians in 3,000 people killed Jos, Plateau state. Violent clashes between Sunni and Shi’a Muslims over 5 people killed the murder of a Sunni cleric in Sokoto Rioting in the northern state of Kano 19 people killed Three churches burned in the northern state of 10 people killed Bauchi Violent clashes over disputed election result which 400 people killed degenerated into religion crisis in Jos, Plateau state Two days battle with radical Islamists in two northern 150 people killed cities of Yobe and Bauchi Source: Culled by the Authors from the records of UNHCR, GlobalSecurity. org and Mail and Guardian online, 2009 44 Religion and Economic Development: the Role of Nigerian Intellectuals Saheed, Zakaree S. and Alofun, G. O. O. All these events, as shown in table 2. 0 above, have a negative effect on Nigerian economy in terms of capital and loss of lives, especially manpower or human resources with high productivity potentials. In each of these events the role of Nigerian intellectuals calls for question. In the two widely acknowledged religions in Nigeria, that is, the Christianity and Islam, the leaders are intellectuals who are well educated, many of whom are holders of various degrees ranging from bachelor, to masters and even doctorate. They are very influential among their followers and the congregations. Their words are like policy within that congregation. They are leaders who are supposed to articulate an ideological vision congruent with deeply held value of the country. They are supposed to engage in alignment, with interpretive orientations such that the country’s interest, value and belief as well as these religions activities, goals and ideology becomes congruent and complementary. Universal education must be relevant to he true needs of a community and contribute to the unification of mankind, in such a way that it will enable the people to move in the direction of their own chosen field and help them appreciate those universal qualities that distinguish the human race (Saheed, 2008). However, a situation where misunderstanding between two people in a community degenerated into communal clashes that claimed several lives, or members of congregation dispersed from their places of worship and created anarchy in the street, then the impact of the message of such religion leader becomes questionable. Is it a sermon of peace or hatred? CONCLUSION AND POLICY ISSUES Religion, especially Christianity and Islam, to some extent, has contributed to economic development either indirectly, by influencing and coordinate the expression of the capacities latent in human nature for the progress of the society, and by shaping the moral and social values necessary for development, or directly by its contribution to the growth of the educational and health sectors in Nigeria. However, religious intolerance among the people which often lead to crisis claiming several lives and destruction of properties has a negative impact on Nigerian economy. Adherents of the religious communities, to some extent, have lost focus of their responsibility towards nation building, and are embraced vices such religious fanaticism or intolerance and its attendant problems such as unending intensive strives, fight of superiority, loss of human and material resources. To promote religious tolerance towards national development, the religious communities in Nigeria must wake up to their responsibilities in home so that the problem of moral decadence plaguing the nation will radically reduced. Since many Nigerian families are facing the pangs of unemployment, inability to pay their children and wards school fees among other hardships, the religious bodies should resume their pioneering work in the area of health, education, industry and vocational training to assist the nation, especially in the area of human development. Education should be examined in the light of its contribution to individual growth and to bring about fundamental structural changes in society, changes which are necessary for the creation of a just, peaceful, and harmonious environment, hence teachers and other intellectuals must be a model of nobility, self-actualisation and discipline, since sound character is ultimately more important than intellectual brilliance. A well educated community 45 Journal of Social Science and Public Policy Volume 3, December 2011 ember is a determined yet humble participant, who helps overcome conflict and division thereby contributing to a spirit of unity and collaboration. Therefore, Nigerian education, like a universal education, must be relevant to the needs of the Nigerian communities and contribute to the unification of the people of Nigeria, regardless of their religion and race. It must enable the people both to move in the direction of their choice and help them appreciate those universal q ualities that distinguish the entire human race. REFERENCE Barro, J. B. and McClear, R. M. 2003), Religion and Growth, Havard University Press, U. S. A Ikporukpo, C. O. (2001). Government, Society and Economy. Ibadan: Stirling-Horden Publishers (Nig. ) Ltd. Lynn, S. R. (2003). Development Economics: World. New Jersey: Upper Saddle River Theory and Practice for a Divided Nwite, S. C. and Wilson, A. (2010). Churches in Nigeria and Investment Strategies: Problems and Prospect. Book of Abstract. Second World Congress on Research and Development, University of Ibadan. Oke, F. A. , et al. (1996). Introduction to Social Institutions. Ibadan: Akinlabi Fayinmi Ventures. Saheed, Z. S. (2008). Ebira: What Our Problems Is. http://jakomodebiravonyainternational. blogspot. com The Ebiras and the World. Saheed, Z. S. and Alofun, G. O. O, (2010). Nigeria, Five Decades of Sovereignty: Rich But Poor. Proceedings of the Fifth International Conference on Development Studies, Vol. 5, No. 1. Skousen, M. , (2007). Modern Economics Theories. Indonesia: Prenada Media Group Publication. Sushmit, N. (2007). Religion & Economic www. mpra. ub. uni-muechen. de/8181 Growth and Development. MPRA. Zainun, B. (2001). Indonesia Human Resources Development. Jakarta: PT. Gunung Agung Tbk. 46

The Four Agreements

The Four Agreements The Four Agreements After reading The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz I realized I’ve been living dreams of other people in my life and not my own. It was decided early on what I should do, what’s possible and what’s not. Starting at birth we are told what to think by our parents, schools, and church. Subconsciously, we have made agreements with them to live our life according to their rules. Don Miguel believes that these agreements are self-limiting and shares four agreements that if we adapt into our lives we will reach true peace and happiness.The book made so much sense to me, but the hard part is to actually commit to living out the four agreements. In short, the four agreements are listed below: Be impeccable with your words. Speak with integrity and say what you mean. Use the power of your word in the direction of truth and love. Avoid gossip and remember words do hurt. Dictionary. com definition of impeccable is â€Å"incapable of sin† and a sin is something you do or believe that goes against you. At this point of my life I try to be nothing but the truth and I’ve learned from past experiences not to gossip about others because I understand the emotional power of words.This agreement states that one should speak with integrity and by being impeccable with yourself will in return reflect in your life and world around you. I pride myself on usually keeping my word. Don’t Take Anything Personally. Get over yourself – it’s not about you. What others say and do is a projection of their own reality, their own dream. When you are immune to the opinions and actions of others, you won’t be the victim of needless suffering. I remember a time in my life when someone said something about me and it meant more than what I thought and knew new to be true about myself.Over the years I’ve learned that what someone else thinks and/or says about me no longer matters. One day I w oke up and I said to myself â€Å"I’m taking back my power over me. † I guess that day I made an agreement with myself not to let what others think dictate my life. I finally realized that people will talk about you whether you’re doing good or bad. Don’t Make Assumptions. Find the courage to ask questions and to express what you really want. Communicate with others as clearly as you can to avoid misunderstanding, sadness and drama.With just this one agreement, you can completely transform your life. We make assumptions because we need explanations (to our questions) to address what’s going on in our own minds. The mind is a powerful thing and our minds have different voices and personality that can create a lot of confusion. When I make assumptions there is always conflict that follows. I know now that through communication we can arrive to resolution. This agreement rings true for me and has caused disappointment and sadness in my life to be at a point in my life that I can ask for what I want.Always Do Your Best. Your best is going to change from moment to moment; it will be different when you are healthy as opposed to sick. Under any circumstance, simply do your best and you will avoid self-judgment, self-abuse and regret. I don’t always feel as if I did my best—I never have, too. In this agreement I know it mentions that your best is going to change from moment to moment. I would like to experience my best more often. To truly give my best I have to be moved in some kind of spiritual way.That is the only time I feel as if I’m doing something I want versus something I have to do. The more my life is shifting into trying to live more in the moment I’ve realized the more I do my best and the better I become. Three years ago I went into my personal dream(s) and started changing my agreements. I began to embark on a journey of self-healing. It was purely about finally living in peace, openly and fr eely, but first I needed to revisit some old childhood wounds that had been holding me hostage my entire life.I began to pray daily in preparation to deal with the many demons that resides inside me. If I had kept the agreements given to me by my household and neighborhood while growing up, I would be in a mental institution or dead. As a child, I had no choice about what agreements that were instilled in me, but now I can create my own. I feel as if I’m living an impeccable life and am being true to the disciplines of a Toltec Warrior. http://archpsyc. ama-assn. org/cgi/content/abstract/68/1/33

The Internment of and Assimilation of Japanese-American Research Paper

The Internment of and Assimilation of Japanese-American - Research Paper Example This discussion stresses that Japanese-American were forced to move to camp and lived there for almost three years. During the internment, Japanese-Americans’ lives were changed. â€Å"the residents faced problems of housing, food, employments, medical care, education, internal security, and religious worship''. Japanese-American had to give up their own culture and started to accept American culture and lifestyle. Although the internment brought a great deal of negative effects for Japanese-American and let them give up a lot of things, the experience of the internment was the turning point of the development and survival of Japanese-American.A the paper highlights  the experience of internment had an impact on Japanese-Americans’ cultural assimilation. When Japanese-American were forced to move to camps, the life that they established carefully was broken. They had to abandon Japanese traditional culture. Before Japanese-American moved into camps, they only had a f ew days to pick up their things and most of them had to give up their property.   In order to prevent from being suspected, they gave up anything that related to Japan, such as letters from Japanese family members, Japanese books, Japanese records and so on. This action let Japanese-American broke all connection with Japan or with their family members who still lived in Japan. In the camps, the living environment was simple and crude.  

The challenges of delivering a holistic approach to rehabilitating Essay - 1

The challenges of delivering a holistic approach to rehabilitating motor skills following a frontal lobe injury - Essay Example It will first discuss the impact and pathophysiological elements relating to frontal lobe injuries. Secondly, the rehabilitative process will be presented, followed by a discussion on the challenges faced in frontal lobe problems. Finally, this essay will conclude with possible recommendations for better rehabilitative processes for affected patients. The frontal lobe of the brain generally represents a large mass and area (Lux, 2007). It comprises the cerebral system of the brain, which mostly provides a structure for goal-directed activities and behaviour (Badre and D’Esposito, 2009). It is often considered as the part of the brain which manages decision-making and which determines the impact of various actions. As it is found at the anterior part of the brain, it is also vulnerable to various injuries and trauma. After an individual’s frontal lobe is injured, one’s decision making processes may be compromised (Kim, et.al., 2009). Damage to the frontal lobe can also lead to irritability, often manifesting as a change in the mood or the failure to balance or regulate behaviour (Lux, 2007). Injury to the frontal lobe can also cause problems in executive functioning, including anticipation, planning, goal selection, initiation, sequencing, and self-correction (Lezak, 1989). In the case of railroad worker Phine as Gage, his left frontal lobe was injured by a large iron rod and through such injury, he manifested animal propensities; he was irreverent and indulging at times; and he was also impatient and obstinate (MacMillan and Lena, 2010). These qualities were very much in contrast to his personality before he suffered the injury. Patients suffering from damaged frontal lobes often indicate memory loss, with some losses being greater than others (Kane and Engle, 2002). The working memory seems to be affected the most in these injuries with the person’s ability to maintain attention or manage goals being affected

Relationship interaction Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Relationship interaction - Essay Example & Mrs. Smith. In the film Brad and Angeline play a married couple who both work as highly paid assassins. However, neither one in the beginning realizes that the other kills for a living. The couple, in the introduction of the film, was having marital problems but closer to the climax and the new found awareness that they were both in the same line of work, their romance rekindled. This marital problem which seemed to manifest upon the discovery of each other’s line but instead rekindled their lost romance can be gleaned on the following dialogue where there seems to be a disconnect in their COMMUNICATION CODES: The audience might have the initial impression that the couple is in conflict and their marriage is about to breakdown. What happened in fact was the opposite because the couple just needs a little adventure and â€Å"fire† in their relationship and this seeming conflict rekindled that romance again albeit this method is quite unusual. This just shows that Brad and Angelina had a majestic chemistry that transcended on film and generated a unique essence to the movie. It was obvious to notice the true attraction the actors had for each other despite the acted conflict. In addition to the theories observed between the couple’s roles during the movie, the nature of their off camera intimate relationship correlate with the INDEPENDENT COUPLES theory; THIS CONCEPT DESCRIBES MARRIED PARTNERS WHO EXHIBIT SHARING AND COMPANIONSHIP AND PSYCHOLOGICALLY INTERDEPENDENT BUT ALLOW EACH OTHER INDIVIDUAL SPACE. After shooting the movie Mr. Mrs. Smith, Angelina was quoted saying. † We both have been married before, so its not marriage that necessarily keeps some people together.† Brad and Angelina have been in a lasting relationship for over five years but have not married. However, they are committed to raising their children together and continued to allow the other to pursue their movie careers. Pitt and Jolies relationship became one of

Diabetes type 2 treatment and prevention Research Paper

Diabetes type 2 treatment and prevention - Research Paper Example 2011). This brings us to the question; what is diabetes? Bethesda, M. (2008) describes diabetes as a disorder that affects the way the body utilizes digested food for energy and growth. Candib, L. (2007) says that biological factors contribute to the offspring chances of getting diabetes. Tuomilehto, et al (2011) says that the good news is that diabetes may be prevented despite it being a hereditary disease, evidence proves that diabetes may be delayed or prevented in persons at high risk (those with impaired glucose regulation). Clinical research has proved that those at risk of developing diabetes have a 50% chance of not developing it provided they follow a healthy lifestyle; this includes a healthy diet, maintaining a healthy body weight and increasing the level of physical activity. Frank, B. (2011) suggests that obesity and overweight are the leading contributors to diabetes. He says that the majority of adults in the developing countries is affected the most. Tuomilehto, et al, (2011) suggests that obesity can be prevented or reduced by encouraging people to do physical exercise, improving on their eating habits; this may be achieved by eating smaller portions and choosing healthy foods such as fruits and vegetables and by eating boiled foods that have less cholesterol and change of lifestyle;. He further suggests the following as ways of preventing obesity; change of family eating habits and activities rather than focusing on weight reduction. Parents should act as role models for their children; they may do this by eating healthy and increasing their level of physical exercise Bethesda, M. (2008) says that in addition to being obese and overweight the age of above 45 years is also a risk factor for developing diabetes. He further suggests those with the age of above 45 years should go for regular medical checkups, which should be repeated at least every 3

Medical equipment lifecycle ( Medical Equipment & Technology Services Essay - 1

Medical equipment lifecycle ( Medical Equipment & Technology Services Management) - Essay Example The technology life cycle of a medical component initiates in the design and acquisition phase, by means of the acceptance process. The technology life cycle of the medical component extends through its application in the clinical environment . Subsequently, it reaches the obsolescence phase where it is replaced and discarded after reaching its maximum life utility. The acquisition, approval and obsolescence of a medical technology occurs only once in its useful life (Chan, 2003, p. 13). The optimal application of technology incorporates a number of occupations and can occur over a variety of instances. This optimal application of medical technology can be deconstructed into two sub cycles. These sub cycles are the acquisition and application sub cycle. The acquisition sub cycle consists of the following events: Technology evaluation- Technology evaluation is a classification of policy study which reviews the short term and long term outcomes which are societal, ethical, legal and economic. These aspects constitute the comprehensive evaluation of the technology (Banta, 2009, p. 8). The gold criteria for clinical research assessment of novel medical technology is historically recognized as the Randomized Control Trial (RCT) (NHTSA, n.d.). A primary tenet of technology evaluation is â€Å"buying smart, not cheap†(University of Boston Massachusetts, 2010, p 9). In the technology evaluation, the following details are delineated: Guiding adaptation and application in medical equipment technology goes hand in hand. The important factor in being successful is carrying out a comprehensive and thorough planning procedure (NSBA, n.d.). Efficient technology designs are directed towards applications, instead of technology. The technology should be based on inputs and not results (See, n.d.). A new medical technology equipment system

Integration of Western Culture Into African Culture Essay

Integration of Western Culture Into African Culture - Essay Example In the African context, the individual does not exist but rather the society. Africans believe in working together for the society and obeying societal norms. It has taken time for the African to adopt the individualistic philosophies because these dictate that an individual should be autonomous. On the contrary, African philosophies suggest that without the society, the individual would feel empty. Individualism and liberty philosophies from the west remain new to some Africans. This explains why there is little democracy in African countries but the people do nothing about it. In addition, Africans have slowly integrated western science ad technological innovations to their traditional industries. The acceptance did not come easily. In a bid to catch up with the rest of the developing world in trade and economy, Africa had to absorb the new education and technology to solve its problems. Africa had the resources but lacked the technological expertise to make use of the resources. It is sad to realize that African countries still lag behind in application of the new technologies into their industries. On the other hand, some scientific knowledge serves to strengthen what society believes in. Advances in genetics help the African communities to give explanations to their beliefs. The African culture appreciates that different individuals differ in physical traits. They also recognize that close family members had a high level of resemblance. Such scientific breakthroughs were easy to integrate into their culture. (Erickson, 2005). Before introduction of western medicine, Africans had their form of traditional medicine. Traditional medicine had its unique form of prescription and diagnosis. In some communities, traditional healers associated disease with

Fault Tolerance Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Fault Tolerance Paper - Essay Example Understanding the different components as a part of shadowing and mirroring as well as how it can be used to assist in databases can provide individuals with more alternatives for building the database security needed while creating higher levels of fault tolerance. The need to examine the benefits and disadvantages of the mirroring system is also required. This provides an evolution toward the main approach of mirroring and shadowing for more advanced technology that is currently being built for end users. Several types of technologies are available and used for the shadowing and mirroring fault – tolerance system. Each of these can work together to provide complete functioning within the system while allowing the backup system created to work more efficiently. The first technology used is from physical aspects of the system. The mirroring built through a hardware system is placed into the main drive of the computer. This divides by a coupled multi – processor with modules that carry dual paths. The cross - section and double paths as a part of the mirroring then create a way for data to move from one component to another. These interface with dual ported controllers and a disc subsystem that allows the data controlled with where it goes and how the information can mirror. The storage then takes place in the disc subsystem to provide complete backup to the system. Newer physical properties built from remote servers are also available. These specific options allow end use rs to immediately back-up data through an online portal connected through a remote server. The information moves into a storage space by connecting from one network to the computer so one can save all applicable information. The main hardware of this system built into a server provides a hosting company who has larger backup space on

Chapter 8 Unemployment Taxes Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Chapter 8 Unemployment Taxes - Essay Example Fines and interests are common but they can be avoided by depositing the taxes when due, filing the 940 forms accurately and within the stipulated time and finally by ensuring that the checks issued during tax payments are valid. State Unemployment Tax (SUTA) is not deducted from the employee’s wages in most of the states. They are usually paid by the employers. They are paid on top of federal unemployment taxes owed by the employer. Most employers who pay state unemployment tax are required to pay Federal Unemployment tax that is included in Form 940. It is deemed to be late by the federal government if submitted later than January 31 of the subsequent year. A state is said to be in a state of credit reduction if it has borrowed funds from the US federal government to help run the development activities but able to pay back the loan by the agreed time frame. Some states allow a voluntary contribution to reduce the state unemployment tax rate. Explain how this works and what does it accomplishes for the employer. How many states have this provision? Is it always a savings? Why or why not? Do Missouri and Illinois allow voluntary contributions? Voluntary contribution is an alternative practiced by employers in an attempt to reduce their tax rate and maintain them low. They opt to voluntarily pay some or all of the benefits paid to former employees instead of paying them through an increased unemployment tax rate. It is practiced in 23 states in the US. Partial benefit payment is a departmental term that is used to describe unemployment composition of less than the weekly amount of benefit that is paid to the claimant. Its sole purpose is to ensure that former employees still get some pay from their employers even after their employment has been terminated. The payments are made when the individual participates in odd jobs or subsidiary work that is not equal to the usual

Culturally diverse entity Essay Example for Free

Culturally diverse entity Essay Listing down the sources of my cultural programming sure opened up my eyes to the realities that I am facing. As a person who is growing up and trying to come to terms with my identity as it interacts with the world, it is amazing to know that there are a lot of sources of my cultural programming. Although I consider my family as one of the main sources of my understanding of my own world, I realize that I am also bringing in cultural diversity to my family. As a part of the new generation of people in the world, we are different from our parents and much more from our grandparents. As such, through the technology I use and the ideas that I come across with, I am becoming more diverse in terms of culture. There are times that several sources of my cultural programming come into conflict. I can think of several ones. The church and the morality and faith it is teaching sometimes come into conflict with the kinds of movies and TV shows I watch. Quite honestly, there are times that I feel that church stuff is boring but when I also realize the wars, the way that people tend to forget courtesy and the sense of right and wrong, I feel that the church still has something to offer. Another source of conflict is perhaps the way that my family expects me to behave in a certain way and the way in which my friends treat each other and the way that media such as television shows and movies portray the life of a teenager. There are times that I get confused with the expectations of my parents and the way that I want to live. But I know that I have to respect them and listen to them. Culture is very broad and I think that as young people of today, we are exposed to more shapers of culture than did our parents and grandparents. That is why there are conflicts in these cultures as they are developed in me.

Use of Lidocaine and Sodium Thiopental for Pain Management

Use of Lidocaine and Sodium Thiopental for Pain Management Different premedication admixture with propofol to attenuate pain severityinduced by propofol injection: a double blind randomized controlled clinical trial Abstract Background and Objective Propofol has widely used due to providing pleasant anesthesia and rapid recovery. However; injection pain is one of the main side effects of a propofol that has remained as an undesirable problem. This study compares the effect of thiopental, lidocaine, fentanyl , normal saline admixture with propofol compared with only propofol on injection pain induced by propofol Materials and methods A double blind randomized controlled clinical trial was conducted on 257 patients that were randomly allocated to one of five groups to receive only 2mg/kg of Propofol type Fresenius One percent in group I, 2 cc of Lidocaine 1% in group II, 2 ml of Normal Saline 0.09% in group III, 50 mg Sodium Thiopental in Group IV and Group V were injected 100Â µg Fentanyl before injection of Propofol. Verbal Rating Scale was used for assessing pain. Results A significant decrease in pain severity during injection was achieved in group II (lidocaine ) and IV (Thiopental) compared to other groups. Fentanyl was also effective in reducing moderate pain. Conclusion: We found that Thiopental and lidocaine reduce more effectively incidence and pain severity than other groups. It seems that aforementioned drugs bee more appropriate as an alternative method to diminish propofol injection pain than others treatment in this study. Key Word: propofol, injection pain, premedication Introduction Preoperative care cause satisfaction for patient in recent years(1)Propofol is the drug that has attained popularity which has widely used owing to its fast onset time ,short-acting duration , and trivial adverse effects (2) despite these favorable attributes, the prevalence of injection pain has been reported 68-90% and has been ranked seventh among the 33 undesirable clinical problem in anesthesia(3-6). Injection pain severity was reported 5.6 Â ± 2.3 by measuring system of Visual Analog Scale , which represents unfavorable pain (7). Up to now, different ways have been studied and recommended to reduce the incidence and pain severity of Propofol injection. Among various methods, emollient of Propofol (8, 9) and using numerous drugs including Lidocaine (10), Thiopental(11) ,Alfentanil (12) and Gransytron or Ondansetron(13)can be noted. There are different emollients of Propofol in Iran such as Fresenius Propofol 1% which has a side branch of a long triglyceride (LCT) and Lipuro Pro pofol 1% which has side branches of medium and long triglyceride (MCT/LCT) ,that is assuming that later one is more effective in reducing injection pain(14). Lidocaine as a local anesthetic inhibits the beginning and conduction of nervous impulses by decreasing the penetration of nerve membrane to Na+. It prevents the membrane depolarization, effluence and conduction of potential . It’s systemic absorption is rapid via skin and phlegm (throat, respiratory system) (15).Fentanyl is a drug which usually used as a premedication, because of the rapid and short onset, intense analgesia, Stable cardiovascular hemodynamic as well as less histamine release (16). Thiopental from barbiturate family causes hypotension but has a high ability to protect nerves and control ICP (17). Ondansetron is a modern antiemetic drug which is chosen as the antagonist of Hydroxyl Triptamin type 3. This drug reduces nausea and vomiting and its complications are also very low(18). Different advantages of aforementioned drugs for pain persuaded us to use them to understand that how much they can reduce propofol injection pain and which one is more effective. Methods: A double blind randomized controlled clinical trial was performed on 257 patients, after obtaining confirmation from both Golestan University of medical science and 5th Azar hospital ethical committee approval. Signed written consent was taken from all subjects before surgery. Including criteria were patient aged between 15 to 55 years old with ASA ÃŽâ„¢, ΙΙ (American Society Anesthesiologist) that candidated for elective surgery, such as bowel obstruction, hernia, laparatomy , during 1390 to 5th Azar educational hospital in Gorgan, northeast of Iran. Alcohol consumption or taking any pain medication during 24 hours before surgery, a history of neurological disease, chronic pain syndrome, thrombofelebit, advanced systemic disease (such as advanced diabetes), and any contraindication based on injection of Propofol led to patient withdrawal from the study. Measuring patients pain using VRS (Verbal Rating Scale) from zero to three which has been developed by MC Hunter and Crirrick. Detail shown in (table 1). After patient’s entering into the operation room ,a No. 20 cannula were inserted in the biggest vein in no dominate hand. (without injection of a local anesthetic) and was connected to normal saline solution (without start of infusion). Difference between the two independent proportion formula calculated 24 samples for each group, however, considering five groups in our study, adjusted for sampling (19) was calculated, (= = 2*24 = 48 48*5= 245 ) g assume as the number of groups that 245 samples calculated. To achieve as s ame power as parametric tests we also used the efficiency power of nonparametric test, so that the sample size was multiplied by inverse 95 percent (20)which finally 260 samples was considered. Simple randomization allocation method was used to assign patients into five groups, so that five envelopes which containing the name of drugs was prepared and one out of five randomly selected for a patient and this approach repeated for all patients. In the first group (53 patients) 2mg/kg of Propofol type Fresenius One percent (MCT/LCT) was injected. In the second group (50 patients), 2 cc of Lidocaine 1% before use of Propofol was injected . The third group (48 patients), received 2 ml of normal saline 0.09% before the injection of Propofol .Group IV (54 patients) 50 mg Sodium Thiopental before injection of Propofol type Fresenius was injected. Group V (55 patients) also received 100Â µg Fentanyl before injection of Propofol. The place of injection is the dorsal vein of the hand. None of the patients received premedication and they were asked about the pain in injection place, 5-10 seconds after injection of 25% of anesthetic induction dose. And it was inscribed in questionnaire and after lessening the level of patients’ consciousness the rest of the anesthetics were injected. Anesthesia method were be same in all patients. The Propofol we wanted to use kept at room temperature (21 centigrade). Patients and the anesthesia nurse who filled out the questionnaires won’t know about the injected solution. And there is no chance to distinguish the solutions because they had the same color, volume and also the same shape. The first anesthesia nurse prepared the medication and injected by the second anesthesia nurse, the measure of pain and discomfort in hand examined by third anesthesia nurses and the questionnaire filled out by the fourth anesthesia nurse .To determine the relationship between premeditation and a measure of the pain Mann-Whitney and Kruskal- Walis test was used and demographic feature was also compared using ANOVA and Chi Square test with Spss 11.5. Results 257 out of a total 260 participated patients were analyzed in our study and 3 cases due to lack of condition were exclude. Characteristic of study subject including age, gender, weight and ASA physical status were presented in table2. No statistically significant difference saw in demographic characteristics of all groups and were comparable. (Table 2)(p>0.05)The overall and detailed of pain incidence shown for all groups in (table 3).Pain intensity at propofol injection in lidocaine and thiopental groups was much lower than three other groups especially in severe pain however fentanyl were also better than normal saline combined with propofol and using propofol only. No patient experienced spo2 less than 95% and heart rate lower than 50/min. No complication and adverse effect (eg, pain, allergic reaction, inflammation, edema, wheal ) were observed at the injection location 24 h after surgery. There was no conflict of interest . Discussion Pain during propofol injection causes anxiety and can interfere an appropriate anesthesia. Pain during Propofol injection mechanism is not well known yet, But it is suggested that perhaps a direct stimulating effect causes the immediate feeling of pain, or an indirect effect dependent on mediators release lead to begin pain.(15) dilatory pain (after 10 to 20 seconds) results from an indirect effect on the endothelium owing to the release of Cyanogens(21). Fat-soluble causes the increased activity of plasma’s kallikrein-kini system that leads to production of bradykinin. These interactions cause dilation and increased permeability in the peripheral veins, lead to an increase in Aqueous phase of Propofol with the endothelium and free efferent nerve endings between the media and intima of vessel wall and eventually cause pain (22). Finally we can say Propofol is a kind of drugs which stimulate skin, phlegm and inner vein wall(23). Gozal and Freeman (24-26) have debated, confined area size between the endothelium and drug is more influential than absolute drug concentration. A various method such as temperature(27) dilution(28) concurrent use of drugs(29-31) , give a variety to speed injection(32) has been used to attenuate propofol injection pain but different lidokaine dose and technique mostly use to attenuate for such pain (33)Analgesia results of Lidocaine in pain reduction following Propofol injection is not only because of it’s local analgesia but also it causes the decrease in Propofol Ph, and according to a hypothesis, Ph decrease causes Propofol moving into lipid phase and decrease Propofol in Aqueous phase and therefore lead to decreasing pain.(34, 35). In the present study, injection of Lidocaine before Propofol injection leading reduction in pain that the findings are compatible with other studies (23, 26, 36) but with the exception that their doses which were more than ours. Nevertheless controversy still exists (37) maybe for using higher dose in our study . The effect of Sodium Thiopental in pain reduction was accorded with other s tudies (8, 35, 38, 39). Fentanyl is also diminishes such pain but not as much as lidocaine and thiopental that is consistent in diminishing pain with others investigations (40-42) Conclusion This study finding shows that use of Lidocaine and Sodium Thiopental in comparison with other medications cause more reduction in pain especially in severe pains but lidocaine is more available cheaper than thiopental . Although no significant observed between some groups in pain reduction but pay attention to our founding in frequency of pain suggest using propofol with any premedication even normal saline better than injected propofol alone.

Internal Audit Effectiveness Study on the Public Sector

Internal Audit Effectiveness Study on the Public Sector Agus Setiawaty Determinant of Internal Audit Effectiveness in Public Sector Organizations:  Which factors matter? Abstract Internal audit (IA) play a pivotal role in reinforcing good governance in both public and private organizations through a value-adding role. Yet very few research conducted on the IA effectiveness especially in public sector. The current study aims to examine empirically determinant of effectiveness of IA within organization. Effectiveness scale developed through structured interview with top manager before delivered to real participant. Data in this study collected through questionnaire given to top manager and internal auditor to explore participant perception on IA effectiveness and its determinants. Conventional multiple regression and path analysis is used to examine the association between internal audit effectiveness and four principal factors, namely; professional proficiency, quality of audit work, independence of audit internal department and top management support. Keywords: internal audit effectiveness, effectiveness scale, good governance, balanced scorecard INTRODUCTION Internal Audit (IA) facing higher demands in the line of duty. The role of internal audit now is not only overseeing the operational of organization activities, but has been extended to support the organization through evaluating and improving risk management, control and governance process (IIA, 2004). In this concept, the existence of internal audit is needed by management in order to help them to provide assurance that any risks in organization were identified and prevented effectively, and organizational activities has been controlled in effective and efficient ways. Moreover, Ridley (2008) declared that the construction of modern IA derived from the three Es concept namely effectiveness, efficiency and economy, which defined by as doing the right thing for effectiveness, efficiency describe as doing them well to describe efficiency and doing them cheaply for economy. Of all three factors, effectiveness is viewed as the most important factor because ineffective IA will ultimately cause to futile regardless how efficiently or economically the service is being provided. IA effectiveness is defined as a risk-based audit that support the organization to achieve its objectives through significantly influencing the corporate governance quality (Lenz, 2013). Effective IA is expected to encourage the formation of good governance within organization. The changing of IA role from compliance and safeguarding assets to value-added audit also impact that role in public sector organizations. However, some research findings (Mihret and Woldeyohannis, 2008; Cohen and Sayag, 2010) show that this role has not been effectively implemented in public sector organizations. In Indonesia context, audit findings issued by supreme audit board reveal that there is still problem relate to internal control in government institution although financial statement has been given unqualified opinion. These condition lead to the question about the effectiveness of internal audit function and further the related factors contribute to the IA effectiveness. The purpose of this study is to empirically investigate determinant of effectiveness of IA in public sector, an important concept rarely examined in the scientific literature. Most of previous study focused examining IA effectiveness empirically in the private institution (Cohen and Sayag, 2010; Arena and Azzone, 2009; Karagiorgos, Drogalan and Giovanis, 2011) while research on IA conducted in the context of the public sector has been done with a qualitative approach (Mihret and Yismaw, 2007; Mihret and Woldeyohannis, 2008), none has to conduct it empirically. To the best of our knowledge, there has never been a previous research which examines the determinants of the internal audit effectiveness in Indonesia context especially in public sector. Therefore, according to study of Cohen and Sayag (2010), this research will examine relevant factors to IA effectiveness with development in IA measurement using balanced scorecard framework proposed by Frigo (2002). This measurement claim to be more comprehensive in describing the effectiveness of IA in a organization than used in previous research. This study contributes to the literature by developing a conceptual understanding of IA effectiveness in public sector organizations using comprehensive framework of balanced scorecard which address fundamental issues influencing IA effectiveness in public sector context. This research also contributes to the literature by exploring the determinants of IA effectiveness. It is important to understand which factors determine IA effectiveness because of virtuous influence of effective to organizational performance (Mihret, James and Mula, 2010). This is a proposal paper, consequently, in the next section of this paper, the discussion address to relevant literature on IA Effectiveness and development of research expectation, followed by discussion of research methodology. CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK AND RESEARCH EXPECTATION The importance of internal audit function has been realized as an essential contributor to effective corporate governance and quality external financial reporting (Prawitt, Smith and Wood, 2009). The Institute of Internal Auditor (IIA) model offers IA as a key element of establishing high quality corporate governance, as well as management who principally responsible for regular monitoring of managements actions . As mentioned previously, The IIA has extended main function of IA to value adding focus by ensuring compliance to policies, rules, and regulations, which are largely of a financial nature, and by working in partnership with management to help improve operations and manage risk. Although the value-adding notion of IA is assumed shape the IA more effective, this is never guaranteed. In fact the literature suggests that IA effectiveness more influenced by the situational dynamics factor in audit environment (Mihret et al, 2010). Internal Audit Effectiveness As mentioned above, IA function has received greater attention according to its vital contribution to good governance, surely also occur in public sector context. Therefore, effective is needed for answering that challenge. There are two main approaches to the concept of IA effectiveness. The first approach associates effective IA with compliance to some set of auditing standard, such an approach proposed by Sawyer (1988) who assert five standard internal auditing, namely: interdependence, professional proficiency, the scope of work, the performance of the audit and management of the internal audit department. The second approach linking IA effectiveness with subject evaluations from management who act as supply side. In later approach, development of systematic and general valid measurement is needed to gauge IA effectiveness (Schneider, 1984; Dittenhofer, 2001). The early effort was conducted by Hoag (1981) through designing questionnaire to gain feedback about internal auditing pe rformance from management. The measurement of effective IA consist of planning and preparation, the quality of audit report, the timing of the audit, and qualify communication between the relevant parties. Study accomplished by Albrecht, Howe, Schueler and Stocks (1988) which sponsored by The IIA identified 15 factors contribute to the evaluation of IA effectiveness, such as the congruence between auditing work and the goal sets of managers, competence of internal auditor, support from top management to IA function, and several characteristics of IA department. More recently, Ziegenfuss (2000) developed a questionnaire which comprises 84 effectiveness criteria classified into four groups: the IA environment, input, process and output. Results of the study identified five top performance measures, that is: staff experience, supervision form audit committee, management expectation on IA function, audit recommendation followed up by management, and auditor education level. The development of effective IA measurement continue to evolve and sensitive to current issue so that Frigo (2002) introduced balanced scorecard (BSC) framework. For constructing the model, Frigo (2002) confirm his prem ises with BSC concept which built from IA customer perspective, internal audit process, innovations and capabilities. Model developed by Frigo (2002) will be presented next. This study modifies model proposed by Frigo (2002) to precisely adapt with public sector context. Modification is made to audit committee factor because its existence prevail in private institution. As noted before, research on the effectiveness IA is restricted to private sector companies while study in public sector have accomplished qualitatively. The current study takes this line of research a step further by designing and testing such a scale to gain understanding of IA effectiveness in public sector. Determinant of IA Effectiveness Determinant in this study adopted from the model proposed by Lenz and Hahn (2015) which divides effective IA determinant into micro and macro factors. However, this research largely focus the discussion in micro factor. Micro factor categorized into four factors: IA resources, IA process, IA relationship and organization. IA resources measured by staff professional proficiency (Prawitt, 2003; Cohen and Sayag, 2010; Mihret et al, 2010; Pforsich, Kramer, and Just, 2006,2010; Soh and Martinov-Bennie, 2011), IA process explained by quality work of IA department (Cohen and Sayag, 2010), while IA relationship and organization illumined by top management support (Halimah, Othman and Kamaruzaman, 2009; Christopher, Sarens and Leung, 2009; Mihret and Yismaw, 2007, Cohen and Sayag, 2010) and organizational independence (Mihret et al, 2010; Cohen and Sayag, 2010), respectively. Professional proficiency of internal auditor The IIAs Standards for Professional Practice of Internal Auditing require that internal auditors possess the knowledge, skills and expertise needed to accomplish audit work (Institute of Internal Auditors, 2008). Technical competence and continuous training are considered essential for effective IA. Consistent with this thinking, Gramling and Meyers (1997) found that certified internal auditors is perceived as an expert auditor which reflect auditors competence. Professional such as auditor requires a set of expertise in conducting their complicated duty that collectively granted from education, training, experience and professional qualifications (Al-Twaijry, Brierley and Gwillian, 2003). The few studies that concern to this issue indicated that the greater the professional competencies of the IA staff, reflected by their professional training and educational level, the more effective IA department (Albrecht et al. 1988). Nanni (1984) at the same ways, found that auditor experience positively impact the evaluations process of internal accounting control. Therefore, it es expected that Greater professional proficiency of staff within the internal audit department will be related to greater auditing effectiveness (H1). Quality of audit work Compliance with standards, policies and procedures is main concern of internal auditor. One of IA objectives is ensure that companys activities accordance with predetermined rules. Glazer and Jaenike (1980) in Cohen and Sayag (2010) asserted that audit work which sufficiently perform according to internal auditing standards contributes significantly to the effectiveness of auditing. The similar point also claimed by Ridley and DSilva (1997) that complying with professional standards is the most important contributor to IAs added value. It can thus be argued that greater quality of IA work -defined by compliance with formal standards, as well as a high level of efficiency in the audits planning and execution will improve the audits effectiveness (H2) Independence of IA department Independence has long been seen as a crucial factor in conducting audit role. Although initially only intended for the independence of the external auditor, but lately also addressed to the demands of the independence of internal audit, something that might be a serious problem because of auditor position and responsibility lay on under management. The independence of the internal audit department has been identified as a key element of audit effectiveness. Van Peursem (2005), based on interviews with Australian internal auditors, concluded that independence from management is a dominant feature of successful auditing programs. Those auditors able to set their own. It can thus be argued that organisational independence will increase the internal auditors effectiveness (H3). Top Management Support The interaction and relationship between top management and internal auditors is both important and complicated. Management support to IA is considered as a determinant of IA effectiveness (Mihret and Yismaw, 2007). This support could, for instance, be by allocating sufficient human and material resources to IA. It could also be by showing the level of cooperation offered by management. Greater level of auditee cooperation will influences the extent to which IA properly accomplishes its objectives (Al-Twaijry et al., 2003; Mihret and Yismaw, 2007). the relationship between the internal audit staff and the companys management is clearly important in determining the independence and objectivity of the internal auditor (Al-Twaijry et al. 2003;IIA 2006).Management support for IA is thus important both in the abstract (managers must see the activity of the audit department as legitimate) and in ensuring that IA departments have the resources needed to undertake their duty. Therefore, it i s argued that higher support from top management, the more effective the IA (H4). RESEARCH DESIGN The participants The target population for this study is managers and internal auditor from all Indonesian public sector organizations that conduct internal audit. Data in this study will be acquired through questionnaire which will be initially tested for validity and reliability before delivered to each participant. Each organization will accept two questionnaires, one for manager (deal with IA effectiveness) and the other for auditor (answering for independent variables). Variabel measurement Effectiveness of internal auditing Given the lack of IA effectiveness research in public sector organizations, this study will developed own effectiveness scale based on BSC framework proposed by Frigo (2002), supporting with measurement scale fostered by Ziegenfuss (2000). In this study, new effectiveness scale will be designed and adjusted with Indonesian auditing environment. Structured interview will be undertaken with several public sector top managers to gain advice and consideration about developed questionnaire before it comes to statistic analysis for the validity and reliability assessment. Independent variables Professional proficiency, measured by four indicators, consist of educational qualifications, professional certification, work experience and continuous development, Quality work, measured by six indicator, comprises of annual audit plan, access to all organization, significance of audit, auditee response, follow up action, additional activities performed. Independence, measured by nine items, these being: independence level, reporting level, direct contact to senior management, conflict of interest, interference, unrestricted access to all departments and employees, appointment and removal of the head of internal audit, and performing non-audit activity. Top management support, measured by four factors, those are: involvement in the internal audit plan, providing management with reports about the work the internal audit team performs, the managements response to internal audit reports, the resources of the internal audit department. Data Analysis Two methods of data analysis will used in this study. First, straightforward OLS multiple regression (Ghozali, 2013) was performed to estimate the magnitude of the effect of the independent variables, the four factors identified above, on the effectiveness of internal audit (the dependent variable). Second, beyond the straightforward use of conventional OLS multiple regression, path analysis (Ghozali, 2013) was conducted to investigate further the associations and linkages among the variables of interest. References Al-Twaijry, A.A.M., Brierley, J.A., Gwilliam, D.R. (2003). The development of internal audit in Saudi Arabia: an institutional theory perspective. Critical Perspectives on Accounting, 14 (5), 507-31. Arena M., Azzone G (2009). Internal audit effectiveness: Relevant drivers of auditees satisfaction. Sixth European Academic Conference on Internal Auditing and Corporate Governance. London. Retrieved from http://www.cass.city.ac.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0003/37335/Marika-Arena.pdf. Christopher, J., Sarens, G. Leung, P. (2009). A critical analysis of the independence of the internal audit function: Evidence from Australia. Accounting, Auditing Accountability Journal, 22 (2), 200-220. Cohen, A., Sayag, G. (2010). The effectiveness of internal auditing: An empirical examination of its determinants in Israeli organizations. Australian Accounting Review, 20 (3), 296-307. Dittenhofer, M. (2001). Internal auditing effectiveness: An expansion of present methods. Managerial Auditing Journal, 16, 443-50. Frigo, M.L. (2002). A balance scorecard framework for internal auditing departments (Paperback). The Institute of Internal Auditors Research Foundation. Altamonte Springs. Florida. Ghozali, Imam. (2013). Aplikasi analisis multivariate dengan program SPSS. Semarang: Badan Penerbit Universitas Diponegoro, Semarang. Gramling, A.A., Myers, P.M. (1997). Practitioners and users perceptions of the benefits of certification of internal auditors. Accounting Horizons, 11 (1), 39-53. Halimah, N.A., Othman, R., Kamaruzaman, J. (2009). The effectiveness of internal  audit in Malaysian public sector. Journal of Modern Accounting and Auditing, 5 (9), 53-62. Hoag, D.A., (1981). Measuring audit effectiveness. Internal Auditor, April: 70-8. Institute of Internal Auditors. (2004). Definition of internal auditing. Retrieved from https://na.theiia.org/standards-guidance/mandatory-guidance/Pages/Definition-of-Internal-Auditing.aspx. Institute of Internal Auditors Belgium (2006). Internal audit in Belgium: the shaping of internal audit today and the future expectations survey results. Retrieved from: www.iiabel.be/. Institute of Internal Auditors. (2008). International standards for the professional practice of internal auditing. Retrieved from: www.theiia.org/guidance/standards-and-practices/professional-practices-framework/standards/standards-for-the-professional-practice-ofinternal-auditing/. Karagiorgos, T., Drogalas, G., Giovanis, N. (2011). Evaluation of the effectiveness of internal audit in Greek hotel business. International Journal of Economic Science and Applied Research, 4 (1), 19-34. Lenz, R., Hahn, U. (2015). A synthesis of empirical internal audit effectiveness literature pointing to new research opportunities. Managerial Auditing Journal, 30, 5-33. Lenz, R. (2013). Insights into the effectiveness of internal audit: a multi-method and  multi-perspective study. Dissertation at the Università © catholique de Louvain Louvain School of Management Research Institute. Retrieved from https://drrainerlenz.files.wordpress.com/2013/03/2013-02-rainer-lenz-public-defense.pdf Mihret D. G., Yismaw A. W. (2007). Internal audit effectiveness: An Ethiopian public sector case study. Managerial Auditing Journal, 22 (5), 470-484. Mihret D. G., Woldeyohannis G.Z. (2008). Value-added role of internal audit: An Ethiopian case study. Managerial Auditing Journal, 23 (6), 567-595. Mihret, D. G., James, K., Mula, J. M. (2010). Antecedent and organizational performance implications of internal audit effectiveness. Pacific Accounting Review, 22 (3), 224-252. Nanni, A.J. (1984). An exploration of the mediating effects of auditor experience and position in internal accounting control evaluation. Accounting, Organizations and Society, 9, 149-63. Prawitt, D.F. (2003). Managing the internal audit function. IIA Research Foundation, Altamonte Springs, FL. Retrieved from: https://na.theiia.org/iiarf/Public%20Documents/Chapter%206%20Managing%20the%20Internal%20Audit%20Function.pdf Pforsich, H.D., Peterson Kramer, B.K., Just, G.R. (2006). Establishing an effective internal audit department. Strategic Finance, 87 (10), 22-29. Pforsich, H.D., Peterson Kramer, B.K., Just, G.R. (2008), Establishing an internal audit  department: The case of the Schwan food company. Global Perspective on Accounting  Education. 5, 1-16. Prawitt, D., F., Smith, J., L., Wood, D., A. (2009). Internal audit quality and earnings management. The Accounting Review, 84 (4), 1255-1280. Ridley, J., DSilva, K. (1997). A question of Values. Internal Auditor, June: 16-19. Ridley, J. (2008), Cutting edge internal auditing, John Wiley Sons, Ltd, Chichester, England. Retrieved from: http://www.gbv.de/dms/zbw/548154120.pdf. Sawyer, L.B., (1988). Sawyers internal auditing. Institute of Internal Auditors. Altamonte Springs, FL. Schneider, A. (1984). Modeling external auditors evaluations of internal auditing. Journal of Accounting Research, 22, 657-78. Soh, D.S.B., Martinov-Bennie, N. (2011). The internal audit function, perceptions of internal audit roles, effectiveness and evaluation. Managerial Auditing Journal, 26 (7), 605-622. Van Peursem, K.A., (2005). Conversations with internal auditors, the power of ambiguity.  Managerial Auditing Journal, 20 (5), 489-512.. Ziegenfuss, D.E. (2000). Measuring Performance. Internal Auditor, February: 36-40. Retrieved from http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m4153/is_1_57/ai_62599893/?tag=content;col1.

Love in twelfth night Essay -- essays research papers

Love in twelfth night In the play twelfth night, Shakespeare covered three types of love : Lust, true love and brotherly love. Love is one of the most confusing and most misunderstood emotions that we as humans posses. Love is an extremely diverse emotion which is why it was used as the main topic in twelfth night. Lust, which is probably one of the most confusing types of love was an apparent subject in twelfth night.There are many reasons why one would lust, one could be because you are attracted to a specific quality of a person or could maybe only like there looks or even just thing like there charisma. Shakespeare showed lust between Orsino and Olivia. Even though Orsino had not met or even seen Olivia, he was still madly in love with her. Lust is defined as an intense but temporary wanting of a persons attention or love. Orsino tried to capture the heart of Olivia through out the play, and lusted for her because he was attracted by her grieving for her family. It was thought by Orsino that She would have an intense love for him if she loved her family so much. As the play moves forward, Orsino actually meets Olivia but he loses his lust for her, and instead loves Viola ( formerly Cesario). Shakespeare also used lust between Malvolio and Olivia. Malvolio thought that Olivia had fallen in l ove with him (as the reader knows this was a joke being played on Malvolio). This grew a larger ego bubble on Malvolio. He thought that she truly wanted his love, and thusly his ego ...

The Atomic Bomb Essay -- Essays Papers

The Atomic Bomb The aftermath: Humanity, the Earth, Nature Some people often hear the word "Atomic Bomb" or hear about the cities Hiroshima and Nagasaki and picture a war torn city and a bomb that killed many. While they are right in connecting the two, the aftermath of the atomic bomb goes much deeper than that. By simply stating that it killed and injured thousands of people is an understatement. The damage from the bomb ranged from high temperature fires that scorched the land to the killing of fetuses due to in-utero radiation exposure. The atomic age, composed of complex and controversial issues, has forever changed the world and the way in which we live. The following is intended to illustrate that the bombing has changed the world and the immediate lives of the many killed and hurt in the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The illustrations are an attempt to show the immense strength of one explosion and its ability to totally wipe out any given area. By showing all of the possible injuries that can occur from a nuclear e xplosion, it becomes visible that an atomic bomb is very complex in its destruction. Showing to be the fastest slaughter that we have ever observed, the bomb in Hiroshima killed about 280,000 civilians and 40,000 members of the military. For those not killed by the immidiate consequences of the bomb, radiation destroyed cells within the human body and still claims the lives of people today. It was estimated that by December 1945, around 140,000 people died from radiation related illnesses. One factor that created much immediate damage was the spread of the blast and its shock waves. In only ten seconds after the landing of the bomb i... ...about. In addition, the site provides a list of outside sources that are written about the atomic bombings. - Grolier Interactive Encyclopedia www.grolier.com/ History: WWII This on-line encyclopedia gives a very descriptive history of the atomic bomb. It shows the work that led up to the construction of the bomb and the several projects that led to the actual bombings. Finally, it tells the effects of an explosion and the significanse that the bombs played on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. - Hiroshima C-Das www.hiroshima-cdas.or.jp/ C-Das Major effects of atomic bomb This site provides yet another very informative array of facts. It was one of the most useful as it had a file that was almost a direct answer to the question that this paper applies, what were the major effects of the atomic bomb.

being there Essay -- essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Being There is the story of Chance, a simple gardener turned American media hero. He seems to know nothing but television and gardening. His thoughts and judgments are products of television and his gardening experience. Yet through his simple mild mannered ways he unintentionally becomes the center of America’s business news. The author of Being There, Jerzy Kosinski said â€Å"To read a novel is to practice for real life. Fiction doesn’t change anybody’s life, it merely hints at the different ways of looking at oneself, at others, and at society† Since Chance was not able to read, television shows were his novels. Television was his practice for real life.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Television was like a mirror for Chance. Chance felt, â€Å"by changing the channel he could change himself† He was able to imagine himself to be people on television. I believe this is why Chance was able to put on the appearance he had even if it was unintentional. His appeal and gestures were all products of TV’s influence. With the help of the old man’s suit, Chance passed for a wealthy business man without even trying or knowing.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Having no contact with the outside world growing up, television was Chance’s only hint of what society was like. By flipping through the channels, Chance noticed the different ways people would interact with each other. Television provided him with the hints of different ways of looking at people and society. ...

Quality Education in the Philippines

We know that Philippines country is rich in agriculture and economics. But don't you know that Philippines are one of the top that is great in terms of education. And I can prove that in simply observing the status of my country and surveys in the rank of schools. Literacy rate in the Philippines has improved a lot over the last few years- from 72 percent in 1960 to 94 percent in 1990. This is attributed to the increase in both the number of schools built and the level of enrollment in these schools. The number of schools grew rapidly in all three levels – elementary, secondary, and tertiary. From the mid-1960s up to the early 1990, there was an increase of 58 percent in the elementary schools and 362 percent in the tertiary schools. For the same period, enrollment in all three levels also rose by 120 percent. More than 90 percent of the elementary schools and 60 percent of the secondary schools are publicly owned. However, only 28 percent of the tertiary schools are publicly owned. A big percentage of tertiary-level students enroll in and finish commerce and business management courses. Table 1 shows the distribution of courses taken, based on School Year 1990-1991. Note that the difference between the number of enrollees in the commerce and business courses and in the engineering and technology courses may be small – 29. 2 percent for commerce and business and 20. 3 percent for engineering and technology. However, the gap widens in terms of the number of graduates for the said courses. Aside from the numbers presented above, which are impressive, there is also a need to look closely and resolve the following important issues: 1) quality of education 2) affordability of education 3) government budget for education; and 4) education mismatch. In Quality There was a decline in the quality of the Philippine education, especially at the elementary and secondary levels. For example, the results of standard tests conducted among elementary and high school students, as well as in the National College of Entrance Examination for college students, were way below the target mean score. In Affordability – There is also a big disparity in educational achievements across social groups. For example, the socioeconomically disadvantaged students have higher dropout rates, especially in the elementary level. And most of the freshmen students at the tertiary level come from relatively well-off families. In Budget – The Philippine Constitution has mandated the government to allocate the highest proportion of its budget to education. However, the Philippines still has one of the lowest budget allocations to education among the ASEAN countries. In Mismatch – There is a large proportion of â€Å"mismatch† between training and actual jobs. This is the major problem at the tertiary level and it is also the cause of the existence of a large group of educated unemployed or underemployed. Improved quality of education in the Philippine schools The Philippine education system is plagued with problems from the basic level until the tertiary level, and although previous and present administrations took steps to reform the system, these reforms failed to improve the country’s education system. According to the latest â€Å"Economic Policy Monitor†, released in April 2012 of government think tank Philippine Institute for Development Studies, despite the reforms pursued by the Aquino administration to address these failures, even more reforms are needed to improve the quality of education in the Philippines. The same study found that even the reforms initiated by the government may even bring more problems to the education system. Foremost among the problems in the early childhood education is the inequality to access to kindergarten education. THE INTENSE ECONOMIC CRISIS that the Philippines are currently undergoing has certainly buried the sanguine and unreasonable hopes that the government had projected for the near future. The triumphalism of Philippines 2000 has been shaken to the core and reduced to a laughable joke for the history books. This crisis only confirms that the Philippines have yet to liberate itself from the age-old problems, which have plagued it in the economic and political spheres. The much-trumpeted new epoch of free competition and borderless economies has not resulted in any real development but only in a more intense form of economic domination and exploitation of the poorer countries by the advanced capitalist countries. The seemingly neutral facade of Globalization has turned out to be more of the same old Imperialism that just cannot be wished away. Nevertheless, it would be too much of a simplification to arrive at the conclusion that the present global order has not resulted in any significant changes. It would certainly be correct to ay that for the educational system, as in Philippine society as a whole, that â€Å"nothing of the essence has changed. † However, even if it is true that the essential traits and defining characteristics of Philippine education has remained the same all throughout this so-called period of â€Å"Globalization,† it is also equally unavoidably true that certain changes have occurred and are still occurring that may not have actually touched the â€Å"essence† of things as they are but still have important implications for the understanding of the current situation and the various effective political responses that can lead to genuine social transformation. One of the main tasks is to attempt to identify what these â€Å"changes† are without losing sight of the â€Å"meaning† of these phenomena in relation to an essentially unchanged exploitative global economic and political system which must be identified as â€Å"imperialism. † The changes in question can be identified by analyzing the so-called â€Å"three major areas of concern† in education which have been underlined in the Medium Term Education Development Plan (MTEDP). These are: â€Å"(1) increasing access to and improving of the quality of basic education; (2) liberalizing the regulation of private schools, and; (3) rationalizing the programs of State Universities and Colleges (SUCs). † The question of â€Å"increasing access to† and â€Å"improving the quality of† education have been constant themes since even before the intricate and obfuscators jargon of â€Å"globalization† entered the scene. It cannot even be asserted that these ideas have changed in the sense that they previously had an altruistic meaning which has currently been lost in this period of technocratic appeals to â€Å"efficiency† rather than â€Å"morality. Reyes, John Christian A. BSIT-109I Improved quality of education in the Philippines schools This is the first major issue that the Philippine government should resolve but somehow it is recently improving. The quality of Philippine education has declined few years ago due to poor results from standard entrance tests conducted among elementary and secondary students, as well as the tertiary levels. The results were way below the target mean score. High dropout ates, high number of repeaters, low passing grades, lack of particular language skills, failure to adequately respond and address the needs of people with special needs, overcrowded classrooms, and poor teacher performances, have greatly affected the quality of education in the Philippines. Philippine education is strongly viewed as a pillar of national development and a primary avenue for social and economic mobility. It has undergone several stages of development from the pre-spanish time to the present. It is handled by three government organizations, namely, the Department of Education, Culture, and Sports. The Commission on Higher Education (CHED) and the TESDA. The DECS govern both public and private education in all levels, with its mission â€Å"to provide quality basic education that is equitably accessible to all by the foundation for lifelong learning and service for the common good. † The government was mandated by the Philippine Constitution to allocate the highest proportion of its budget to education. However, among the ASEAN countries, the Philippines still has one of the lowest budget allocations to education. This is due to some mainstream political issues and humungous problems that the government is facing specially corruption. There are some measures that the Philippine government has looked into for the reformation of quality education. Technology use is starting to gain momentum in the overall education of this country. This helped improve the quality of education in the Philippines and to be globally competitive in this millennium. Improving the Quality of Education in our Country The Philippines has the highest number of college graduates among developing Asian countries, but that isn’t a substitute for quality. The role of education in economic development is widely acknowledged: education increases the innovative capacity of an economy and facilitates the diffusion, adoption, and adaptation of new ideas. More specifically, education increases the amount of human capital available, thereby increasing productivity and ultimately output. Education is especially important in a rapidly evolving economic environment where a rapid rate of job destruction and creation might otherwise lead to a gap between the skills demanded in the labor market and the skills of job-seekers. So how can regional cooperation improve the quality and availability of education? The role of regional cooperation in a particular country and what means of cooperation are viable will largely depend on that country’s position on the development ladder and the status of its education sector. The role of regional cooperation in a particular country and what means of cooperation are viable will largely depend on that country’s position on the development ladder and the status of its education sector. Since 1975 both GDP and education levels in China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam have been catching up. Over the same period GDP growth and improvements to education levels have been losing momentum in developed countries including the United States, Canada, and New Zealand. The Philippines exhibits a curious pattern in this respect, because even as the level of education attainment plateaued, its GDP has been falling behind. This is an apparent contradiction. Given the well-established beneficial effects of education on GDP and on GDP growth rates, the Philippines should have witnessed an era of high growth since 1975, when it had the highest rate of completion of tertiary education among developing Asian countries – higher than Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, or Singapore. This suggests that the problem in the Philippines has been the quality of education, rather than its availability or accessibility. Regional cooperation in education is often identified with trade in education services. In the Asia Pacific, this most commonly takes the form of direct exchanges of people, whether they be students from less-developed countries going to study in more-developed ones, or, as in the case of Singapore and Malaysia, academics from more-developed countries encouraged to relocate to universities in less-developed countries by partnerships between the two institutions. Trade in education services also takes place through transnational education, for example when foreign institutions are encouraged to establish campuses in developing countries. Yet these forms of cooperation are not the most appropriate for the Philippines – for instance because poor local infrastructure makes it difficult to attract foreign institutions and academics. And, moreover, the principal effect of these forms of education cooperation is to make education more available, when the problem in the Philippines is the quality of education – not its availability. Regulatory reform is needed to ensure that the quality of education received at home is high enough to give domestic Filipino students access to education and work abroad. This reform process must start by establishing a credible accreditation system, because under the current system of voluntary self-regulation, less than 20 percent of higher education institutions in the Philippines are accredited. Forms of international cooperation other than through trade in education services would allow the Philippines to improve the quality of domestic education by following the example set by Malaysia, which has linked its own accreditation system to international ones. Malaysia has also been active in promoting the development of a regional quality assurance framework, the ASEAN Quality Assurance Network (AQAN). The AQAN was organized in 2008 in order to promote collaboration among quality assurance agencies in individual ASEAN countries. Though the Philippines has not yet fully acceded to the AQAN, negotiations are underway to formalize an agreement to adopt common standards in the education sector. The Philippines can also pursue bilateral mutual recognition agreements. Such agreements should include quality assurance on the part of both countries. In this way, even if the standards are not at the same level as in higher-income countries, there will be pressure on some of the higher education institutions in the Philippines to improve their programs and facilities in order to gain accreditation. Such agreements, whether bilateral or as part of the AQAN, might make it easier for Filipino policy makers to argue for domestic reform on the basis that it is necessary to meet international agreements. With a higher-quality higher education system, the Philippines would then be better placed to reap the well-documented economic benefits of an educated population.