The Role of Media in Influencing Decision-Making in P-20 Education

Role of Media in Influencing Decision-Making in P-20 Education
Role of Media in Influencing Decision-Making in P-20 Education

The Role of Media in Influencing Decision-Making in P-20 Education

Research Question

What is the role of media in influencing decision-Making in P-20 Education?

Rationale

The media, especially television, video, and social media, are often viewed negatively in the education sector. In early childhood and K-12 models of education and in more conservative environments, children are even discouraged from exposure to media such as video and social media, which are considered bad influence over learners. In such surroundings and circumstances, it is perceived that media can only affect education in a negative way.

However, this negative perception about the influence of media on education is fast changing in many settings, institutions, and jurisdictions as more studies unearth the real nature of the correlations between media and learning or education (Jabbar et al., 2014). In recent times, it has become more apparent that media not only affect learners but also decision makers and policymakers in educational institutions.

Decision-making is core to the success of all educational concepts, models, systems and institutions. Given the fundamental influence and role of media in modern educational systems, the media, most likely, influence the people and processes in learning institutions in several ways (Galway & Sheppard, 2015). Thus, the proposed study is justifiable in several ways. First, the study may enable P-20 education stakeholders to establish whether media is a core external force that affects their decision making, thus influencing P-20 education’s relevance and competitiveness in the education sector and in economic circles.

Second, from the study’s findings and recommendations, it may be possible for P-20 education leaders and learners to appreciate the potential role of media as an incentive to decision-making and education improvement. Third, the study may be of help to P-20 education’s stakeholders by highlighting how media can be used to influence federal, state, or local educational policy to favor the pursuit of skilled, knowledgeable, and productive learners and workforce.

Background Information

The P-20 is a model of education that builds on the principle that educational programs, financial and human resources, strategies, performances, expectations, and outcomes should be focused on the early years of learners’ growth and development. Unlike the early childhood and development concept, the P-20 model covers the kindergarten or early childhood years, the K-12 years, and the post-secondary school years.

The main purpose of P-20 education is to ensure that pre-school, K-12, and college years are formative years during which self-discovery ought to be emphasized. Instead of the public education system mandating everything that students learn, educators should be more concerned with preparing learners for their future life’s challenges. The years following the P-12 should be characterized by academic performances and outcomes that would imply quality adult life. 

P-20 education also covers learners’ lives during their workforce years. That is, an education should prepare an individual to survive and perform in the workforce long after graduation with post-secondary education. The skills acquired during learning must translate into expertise in the workforce.

Essentially, P-20 education is based on the realization that the knowledge and skills that learners acquire in their early childhood or K-12 education should prepare them for college education and their lives in the workforce. Thus, all the stages of academic development are weighted equally and allocated the deserved financial and human resources and effort.

Numerous studies have been conducted to establish the connection among communication, communication technology, communication media, the learning process, and education. While studies have been done on the influence of media on education in general, no studies have been done to link media and decision-making in the concept of P-20 education. Most studies have just plainly established the relationship between media and education.

In one such study, Cuc (2014) sought to establish the influence of media on both formal and informal education. In the study, Cuc (2014) not only studied the influence of media on learning but also rephrased the research question and hypothesis to help the research establish how media affects the process of learning and the actual and potential relationships between media and learning. The commonest media found to greatly influence education are books, television, radio, video, and social media (Cuc, 2014).

Malin and Lubienski (2014) established that the practical dimensions by which media influences education are the development or inculcation of new interests in learners, adoption of novel leisure-time skills, availability of fresh entertainment options and expanded areas of learner preoccupation.

Malin’s and Lubienski’s (2014) findings concurred with Lubienski, Scott and DeBray (2014) who established that while media has positive influences on education, most learners pick up media messages and turn them into behaviours and cultures, which interfere with learning processes, habits, and activities. Clearly, media influences education in various ways and may possibly greatly influence decision-making in emergent concepts such as P-20 education in the technologically advanced 21st century.

Data Sources and Collection Methods

The proposed study will combine qualitative and quantitative research approaches to collect and process exhaustive data on the variables and constructs of the study. The study will specifically target P-20 stakeholders as the source of its data and information, targeting a population of 1500 and a sample size of 300. The sample size will be representative of P-20 education officials, educational programme managers, school and college administrators, teachers, local education leaders, education system’s beneficiaries and the public. Selective methods of sampling such as purposive sampling, expert sampling, snowball sampling, modal instance sampling and diversity sampling will be used in the study.

The main reason purposive sampling techniques are preferred for this study is that these techniques enable the researcher to access the targeted sample rather fast (Shields & Rangarjan, 2013). Second, purposive sampling techniques make the identification of the potential respondents with the desired characteristics. Purposive sampling also enables the use of a variety of qualitative research approaches (Mannay, 2010).

Data will be collected using questionnaires, interviews, observations and focus group discussions while data analysis will be done using Statistical Packages for Social Science (SPSS) software and Microsoft Excel. The questionnaires will contain structured and unstructured items to capture qualitative and quantitative data. However, the study’s independent and the dependent variables will be identified prior to the development of the data collection tools.

The analysis and presentation of the findings will be done using inferential and descriptive statistics. The study will use Spearman’s Rho, regression and ANOVA to establish correlation between the dependent and independent variables of the study and establish the role or influence of media on decision making in P-20 education.

Possible Impact on the Field

The proposed study is likely to impact educational policy and advocacy once the role of media in decision-making in P-20 education is established. From the findings of the proposed study, P-20 educationists may be able to design and realign their advocacy efforts champion the preferred educational policies notwithstanding the findings of earlier studies on the role of the media on education. The study may also erase any doubts on the role of media on education that may have been reported without much evidence, particularly on the effects and effectiveness of media on education.

In particular, P-20 educationists and other stakeholders may be able to associate media with educational decision making for the first time. From the proposed study’s findings, educational policy advocates may read implications of media on education that have elided research experts in their interpretation of study findings. Hence, the study may be of great help to the policymaking processes in P-20 education.

The other likely impact of the study is the elimination of the disconnect that exists between high school and college on one hand and adult life on the other. From the study’s findings, educationists may be better placed to give the most appropriate and effective classroom support and guidance to learners that would prepare learners for the challenges of adult life. The study may also help in the better use of media to make educational decisions that would create a seamless kindergarten-to-college education system.

References

Cuc, M. C. (2014).The Influence of Media on Formal and Informal Education.Social and Behavioral Sciences, 143(1); 72.

Galway, G., and Sheppard, B. (2015). Research and Evidence in Education Decision-Making: A Comparison of Results from Two Pan-Canadian Studies. Education Policy Analysis Archives, 23(1); 10.

Jabbar, H., Goldie, D., Linick, M., and Lubienski, C. (2014). Using Bibliometric and Social Media Analyses to Explore the “Echo Chamber” Hypothesis. Educational Policy, 28(2), 281-305. Retrieved on November 2, 2016 from http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0895904813515330

Lubienski, C., Scott, J., and DeBray, E.  (2014). The Politics of Research Use in Education Policymaking. Educational Policy, 28(2), 131-144. Retrieved on November 2, 2016 from http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0895904813515329

Malin, J. R., and Lubienski, C. (2014). Educational Expertise, Advocacy, and Media Influence. Retrieved on November 2, 2016 from http://epaa.asu.edu/ojs/article/view/1706

Mannay, D. (2010). Making the Familiar Strange: Can Visual Research Methods Render the Familiar Setting More Perceptible? Qualitative Research, 10(1): 91.

Shields, P., and Rangarjan, N. (2013). A playbook for research methods: integrating conceptual frameworks and project management. Stillwater, OK: New Forums Press.

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Education Reforms for Sustained Change

Education Reforms for Sustained Change
Education Reforms for Sustained Change

Education Reforms for Sustained Change

In the first section of this paper, an analysis of three education reforms in the international, national, and state levels will be provided. The second section will assess the reforms with respect to unanticipated results related to sustaining change. Every Student Succeeds Act, Common Core States Standards, and Interim List of Eligible Programs are the three reforms that will form the basis of discussion.

Reforms are enacted to change public education by making it more accessible, of high quality, and that meets job market standards. Though agencies involved in instituting reforms vary in agenda and motivation, in the last decades, USA and other countries emphasize on reforms that improve student achievements rather than the traditional basis of inputs.

Section 1: Education Reforms

  1. National reforms

Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) is one of the nationally oriented education reforms that were enacted into public law in 2015 (NCES 2015). As a replacement of No Child Left Behind Act, the reform intends to make the national government get deeply involved in education. ESSA reduced the Department of Education’s mandate over state education programs such that states and districts can set their testing standards, assessments, and involvement procedures.

Though testing standards are not to change, states were given the authority of determining them. Moreover, students are to be examined in math and languages on a yearly basis from grade three to eight, but for grades nine to twelve they are tested only once. The Act mandates schools to assess students at least once in grades three to five, six to 10, and 10 to 12. 

The tests may be done to assess thinking skill and understanding through portfolios and projects, by using a single exam, or through numerous assessments. On accountability, states are to provide ESSA plans to U.S.A Department of Education after thorough consultations with various stakeholders. States have the powers to offer input on expected ratings for exam standardization and graduation fees (Ballotedia 2014). Lastly, states are to determine schools that require government interventions to attain the required measurable progress.

  • State reforms

The Common Core State Standards (CCSS) was instituted in 2010, and it’s supposed to feature the required knowledge that K-12 students should acquire in Mathematics and English Language Arts through the 12 grades (DFA 2015). The standards are supposed to establish common education standards in all the states and ensure that the students are adequately prepared for future jobs.

Since it’s difficult to achieve consistent standards in all the states, the government tends to deny funding under Top Program and Federal Race for states that didn’t adopt the common standard. Through the standards, students are to delve into in-depth analysis and understanding with fewer topics being covered.

  • International education reforms

Interim List of Eligible Programs (ILEP) was established in 2014 under Regulatory Reform of the International Education Sector and the Student Immigration Regime policy. The rules intend to eliminate abuse on student immigration, offer protection to international students, and support education providers that maintain high-quality standards. After the closure of more than ten low-quality providers, the reforms were initiated so that only colleges and universities that offered quality education attracted global students.

The number of courses that were visa eligible significantly reduced and education programs was scrapped from the system (Times 2013). Moreover, schools offering English language courses are supposed to meet certain quality and immigration criteria if they were to be listed on ILEP second edition, GNIB cards including renewals are to be offered for 8 months; learner protection initiated for all programs, advance fees to be secured by schools so as to achieve comprehensive escrow processing, and complete time tables offered to English language students for sessions that the colleges will be on holidays.

Section 2: Unanticipated Results Related to Sustaining Change

  1. National reforms    

Unanticipated result: By giving states the authority to determine their testing standards, assessments, and engagement processes, there is a high probability of getting variations of standards across the states to the extent that graduates will possess distinct levels of knowledge and skills.

Analysis: Even though the standards remain the same in all the states, it is not possible for the states to set consistent measures since teachers and education officers are different, funding is different, and school attendance and performance rates differ. Instead of the government getting more involved in establishing standard evaluation and testing measures, the result may be variations education quality and accountability across the states.

Causes of the unanticipated result: The unanticipated variation in knowledge and education development is caused by micro issues including differences in performance and attendance rates, differences in motivation rate, and power control issues. Moreover, the results may be politically influenced plus government funding may differ across the states.

Impact on the sustainability of education reform: The results are negative with respect to the sustainability of education reforms since they lead to variations in the quality of education offered across states and it becomes difficult to rate effectively rate the performance of schools when measurements standards centralized. On the other hand, centralization of measurement standards may lead to sustainability of education reforms since they give the government more mandate over education and through its intensive involvement, implementation of reforms for positive change is highly likely.

  • State reforms

Unanticipated result: Implementation may only happen in a few states, and it will not be done over the same period.

Analysis: Implementation of the common standards may not materialize over the same period owing to the fact that the process is slow and politicized, costly, requires extensive teacher training and new textbooks. The government did not stipulate how it would offer complete funding of the project and being that states are many, the standards may not be implemented in all the schools.

Causes of the unanticipated result: Micro issues leading to the unintended result are the lack of adequate teacher training and resources including textbooks and computers needed to take the new tests, and exams are to be conducted based on the different standard measures applied in schools. Moreover, the process is politically impacted since legislators are involved, and also state funding is not assured since the government hasn’t identified the sourcing platforms.

Impact on the sustainability of education reforms: The result does not lead to sustained reforms since the implementation is the main aspect of reforms. If the reforms are not implemented at all, or not implemented over the same period, coming up with new reforms would be futile thus it does not lead to sustainability of the reforms.

  • Global reforms

Unanticipated result: The stringent measures may lead to fewer colleges admitting students with the result being a decrease in education opportunities for international students.

Analysis: When schools are many, majority of students from different backgrounds can access the visa eligible courses but barring some courses, and restricting admissions in the few schools would lead to a reduction in the number of applicants. The majority of people avoid studying abroad due to bureaucracies and a lot of requirements, and since the new reforms intend to raise the admission standards, students will lose opportunities to study their preferred courses.

Causes of the result:  Reduction in opportunity levels for international students is macro influenced since standards for determining the quality effectiveness of education providers is done on an international level. The standards determine the type and number of causes that a school can offer, plus requirements for students which are macro managed.

Impact on the sustainability of education reforms: The reform is essential in sustaining education reforms which intend to support the quality provision of education. When admission and education provision measures are stringent, the certified providers compete on the basis of quality leading to improvement of education. Improved education quality is elemental in sustaining education reforms.

Analysis of the unanticipated results

Reforms are mostly instituted to improve education quality by stipulating the core education aspects necessary to equip learners with skills and knowledge relevant to the job market. Moreover, the reforms are also formulated to increase education opportunities for students from different sectors and income backgrounds. However, if the reforms are not followed up with the resources necessary for effective implementation, the expected results may not be forthcoming.

Additionally, unanticipated results happen when all factors necessitating the reforms are not considered. Since it’s not possible to satisfy all stakeholders involved in the process, the government puts in place measures that must be followed by all states and education providers so that the degree of variance is not high.

Education reforms are instituted to improve the quality of education and making it more accessible to students from poor backgrounds. Moreover, international bodies are involved in ensuring that international students are protected and that they get high returns from pursuing the education in foreign nations. Comprehensive analysis of the reforms that ensures all stakeholders are satisfied and efficient implementation are essential in sustaining education reforms.

References

America-Next (2012). K-12 Education Reforms: A Roadmap. America-Next Journal, 3-12. Retrieved from http://americanext.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/America-Next-K-12-Education-Reform.pdf

Ballotpedia (2014). Every Student Succeeds Act. Encyclopedia of American Politics, 1-5. Retrieved from https://ballotpedia.org/Every_Student_Succeeds_Act

Department of Foreign Affairs (2015). Reform of the International Education Sector and Student Immigration System. DFA, 1-23. Retrieved from https://www.dfa.ie/media/embassybrazil/newsevents/Reform-of-the-International-Education-Sector-eng.pdf

Freddy, A. (2013). A Curriculum Crunch for California. Los Angeles Times, 1-4. Retrieved from http://articles.latimes.com/2013/apr/22/opinion/la-ed-common-core-20130422

National Center for Education Statistics (2015). State Education Reforms. NCES. Retrieved from https://nces.ed.gov/programs/statereform/aas.asp

Management style

Management style
Management style

Management style

A consideration of telecommuting from the perspective of managerial decisions means that, a lateral direction model of managerial decisions has to be adopted whereby the manager has to engage employees outside an organizational work place that is centralized (Sardeshmukh, Sharma & Golden, 2012). According to Matthews & Williams (2012), the management style has to change from classical management styles to Laissez-faire management style where most of employees work by telecommuting.

In this style of management, employees are motivated to work independently and allowed to nurture their creativity by getting a chance for their ideas to flourish. The management should then provide guidance when need and facilitate brainstorming in decision-making, which makes the manager to seem more of a mentor instead of a leader (Matthews & Williams, 2012). This makes it difficult to accomplish common objectives, which require frequent meetings to exchange ideas due to lack of trust and teamwork originating from the lack of frequent face-to-face contact (Sardeshmukh et al., 2012).

In this style, management takes a hands-off approach to leadership.

Staff is trusted to do their work without supervision, and they are left to control their decision making and problem-solving.

Management is present at the delegation and delivery stages of work, but otherwise steps back and gives staff the freedom to control their workflow and outcomes. Management is only involved during the process if the staff requests their assistance.

References

Matthews, H. S. & Williams, E. (2012). Telework Adoption and Energy Use in Building and Transport Sectors in the United States and Japan. Journal of Infrastructural Systems, 11(1), 21-30. doi:10.1061/(ASCE)1076-0342(2005)11:1(21)

Sardeshmukh, S. R., Sharma, D., & Golden, T. (2012). Impact of Telework on exhaustion and job engagement: A job demands and resources model. New Technology, Work and Employment, 27(3), 193-207. doi:10.1111/j.1468-005X.2012.00284.x

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Process Design Matrix and Summary

Process Design Matrix and Summary
Process Design Matrix and Summary

Process Design Matrix and Summary

Executive Summary

According to Chase and Jacobs (2011), the design of process is an essential part when it comes to incorporating the supply chain and operation strategy. The product design deals with analyzing the connection between the product and technological life cycle while service design presents the association between services offered and quality client experience. Generally, design matrix is a vital framework that helps a company to make decisions and establish a direction for products and services (see figure 1).

Process Design AspectPrepaid food (Service)car (Product)
Design focal pointCustomerEnd user
Strategyfaster delivery of goods to clients 
Process design approachDesign to facilitate easy ordering  Agree with producer, access various markets, hard to copy
Process mapFlowchartService design
Process Performance MeasurementCustomer feedback,Production phase,  time to market, quality
Factory location Transportation, sources of human capital, concentrate production    
Facility layout concentrate productivity
Process designthe design will directly influence clients   
Scheduling Adequate products
Production planning Production flow may not contribute to reduction in profitability  
WorkforceEffective interaction with clientsShould be competent to perform duties    
QualityEnhance client experience by decreasing lead timeenhance quality control while reducing weaknesses
CapacityUse of location, demand volatility, routine interactionEnsure system balance, forecasting  techniques equipment
InventoryAdoption of a push  inventory structureAdoption of a push  inventory structure

Figure 1. Design matrix

The prepaid food is selected for service while the car is a product for identifying appropriate process design matrix.  To effectively manage service and deliver on-site services, three forms of contrasting techniques such as product line, self-service and personal attention approach (Chase and Jacobs, 2011). Product line: the product line approach concentrates on the efficient production outcomes, which are services.                                                                                     

Based on this approach, the organization is in charge of controlling the implementation of every unity so as to ascertain not only speedy delivery but also a quality combination of prepaid foods in a clean environment. When it comes to the provision of prepaid food services, the product line approach is useful for the firm. In particular, it allows the organization to deliver quality services to clients.                                                                                                                              

Self-service: with this approach, customers are involved in the service production, which contributes to the improvement of service efficiency. Some of the techniques that transfer the burden to customers include electronic tickets, the firm websites and automatic teller machines (ATM).

In essence, the self-service approach will be valuable as it will help the food organization with respect to delivering high-quality products to the client and minimize time or service provision (Chase and Jacobs, 2011). As such, the self-service approach will help the firm to concentrate on delivering effective services in the shortest time possible.                

Personal attention approach; this technique highlights the need for ensuring a linkage between a sales person and clients to ensure good customer service. Together with other approaches, the personal approach will assist the food company to develop mutual association and ensure client loyalty. Conversely, to manage the production of items, there are a number of design techniques such as job shop, batch, assembly line, or continuous flow. 

The job shop process involves how duties are done by one employee or a team of employees. Again, under this process, there are several products as well as services like hairdressers, tailoring, and shipbuilding among others. However, with respect to a car, this is not applicable.                                   

In the batch production process, the design is categorized into numerous parts. In other words, products are manufactured in groups rather than individually, however products pass various stages and products have to be completed prior to moving to the subsequent phase (Chase and Jacobs, 2011). The batch production process is also appropriate in manufacturing which involves small to moderate volumes for a wide-range of products. When it comes to manufacturing a car, the batch production process is not appropriate.                                     

The assembly line is the most appropriate production process for cars. This is because it uses automated manufacturing sequence to produce same products along with a conveyor. For manufacturers, an assembly line process helps in the flow of materials along with several workstations (Chase and Jacobs, 2011). For efficacy purposes, an equal lead-time is required to accomplish tasks in every unit.

Explain how this can be applied to processes within your work or personal life and provide examples.

Service and production process can be applied in my work in different ways. For instance, product process like batch production can be used in my line of work when it comes to the manufacture of products with similar content. This process requires a lower capital investment that is efficient and also suitable for seasonal goods. Nonetheless, it is involving hence requires sophisticated technology to make the process faster. Service design process like job shop can be useful in work in terms of helping in performing duties with my colleagues.

References

Chase, R. B. & Jacobs, F. R. (2011). Operations and supply chain management (13th ed.). Retrieved from the University of Phoenix eBook Collection database

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Defending the spirit of the web

Defending the spirit of the web
Defending the spirit of the web

Defending the spirit of the web: Conflicts in the internet standards process

Introduction

The adaption and creation of principles is frequently replica of a game. In other words, the standards process is the replica of the activities of a formulated actor in the networks. The paper focuses on the development of web services choreography standards. It details the history and explains the technological arguments surrounding the standards. It entails a model of standardization, and look at a previous case from three perspectives. The first perspective is social- it follows the people involved in the standard process, an approximation of more complex approaches. The second is cultural- it looks at the ideas of the participants, particular ideas about technology (Edrei, 2016). The third is economic.

These three approaches are intertwined. Economic theories are important in explaining how individuals with a given set of utilities will interact. On the other hand, Economic theories are insignificant at determining where the utility comes from, but social theories are better for understanding how individual’s utility gets formed. The social research allows building and calibrating a better decision model.

Literature Review

  1. The social Perspective: Following the People

The standard process of constructing the web service composition consists of two decision process, development, and adoption. In the development process, the participants in a standards body create and debate the standard. A normal document is created when the official report goes well, which is frequently improved until it is introduced to a wider community for acceptance (Nickerson, & Zur Muehlen, 2013,).

Web services choreography describes the coordination of long-running transaction between business partners using usual internet protocols. It can be used in a diversity of domains, extending from supply chain management to media content solicitation. The foundations of web services choreography can be located in workflow management technology, which has been available since the middle of the 1980s.

In early 1990s large workflow users became aware of the possibility that they would be approved for the existence of several workflow solutions from different vendors. Standards were first created within the scope of workflow management coalition, but are increasing being defined by competing for uniformity groups, such as Business Process Management Initiative (BPMI), Organization for the Advancement of Structured Information Standard (OASIS), and World Wide Web Consortium (W3C).

In parallel to this growth, the use of Internet technology for application combination became feasible through the introduction of value-added models on top of the inevitable Hypertext Transport Protocol (HTTP) protocol used for the World Wide Web. These standards allow application designers to open their request for access to the internet. However, some applications give help for simple request-response message exchanges. More robust mechanisms are needed for the coordination of long-running transactions, such as the following exchange of Quotes, Orders, and Delivery Notes.

The web service compositions are not moving by themselves it is the participants in the choreography process who are packing up, leaving, and reassembling with a different standards organization. There are a finite number of people active in the composition process, and as a group loses momentum, some of the members will move to a livelier group.

Participants in the standards process are looking for a venue in which they could offer a standard that is technically excellent. When they are not comfortable in the group they are foundering, they jump to another group. From this perspective of the movement pattern of people leaving a group to another, it is essential to look the ideas.

  • The cultural perspective: Following the ideas

From the movements of the standards participants, the main reason for shifting group is disenchantment with the development of the business in the group. And this can be described as a growing sense that the actual standard is becoming too involved. For anyone quitting a conventional process because of the complexity of the conventional process does not appear to fit into a game-theoretic model, where the players are described as seeking to dominate each other for the fulfillment of the interests of their sponsoring corporation. Instead, they are engaged in something that looks like a process of aesthetic evaluation of the standard.

An aesthetic judgment can contribute to a strong value system. For instance, graphic designers of the modern school are taught to avoid that which does not contribute to the meaning of a page. And also programmers are also taught about clean versus kludgy code. The standard is explicitly disapproving of a potential use of Simple Object Access Protocol (SOAP) because it is counter to the spirit of the web.

It violates the design aesthetic of those who have built the web protocols. The phrase “the spirit of the web” is interesting from two perspectives. It is closer to an aesthetic than a rule; this is because there are myriad different ways to define a protocol and a myriad. Secondly, it suggests that the web has a spirit and this spirit is to be defended.

Most of standards have grown through Request for Comment (RFC) process, and it is described as follows: easily understood documentation, technical excellence; prior implementation and testing; clear, concise, and openness and fairness; and timeliness.

The participants in the development of web services are influenced by both the norms of the corporations they serve and the beliefs of the technical community they consider themselves part of it. For example, open source develops source while working on the job, sometimes without the employer knowing (Fielding, Roy Thomas, 2013). They define their identity in the hacker community. This may be the case that regular participants are similar.

  • The economic perspective: Following the Money

It is clear that a lot about standards can be learned by evaluating the potential benefits to the players involved in decision making. The vendors want to make money on standards, and by making the standard more complex, they increase the chance of selling products (Swenson, 2013). A programmer’s utility can be evaluated when a different criterion is looked than money. The development stage can be described as a stage of the collective invention, and as a part of this invention, new ideas are continually evaluated.

The dialogues captured in standard group’s discussions often concern the weighing of different attributes. It can be predicted that different groups would have different weights in mind for a similar set of attributes. In standard groups labor is voluntary, and switching costs are low, so quitting one standards body and reforming in another is a viable option.

In modeling, the standards creation process, one possible result of an impasse might be the migration to a different standards committee. And in methodological –the social perspective helps inform the economic perspective. The bylaws of the groups might determine the allowable jumps so that the movement between groups might be less random than it appears.

Vendors would want to serve on multiple standards committees so that they don’t report late if one takes off. Also, users might have little motivation to adopt one of these standards if the head does not move.

In conditions of high uncertainty, waiting might be the best strategy. It can be seen in web services choreography that there is an absence of user adoption and participation by vendors on multiple committees. Observation of different standards and their participants’ standards can be categorized as being driven by three different groups. The first two groups are self-evident.

Some standards are clearly driven by vendors, and some standards are clearly driven by users, for instance, Rosetta Nett is driven by a set of companies in the manufacturing industry. But there is a third set of specification such as HTTP where representatives of corporations are involved, but the standards do not drive by corporations. Those are referred as research-driven. Often, those engaged in the creation are financed by government research funding organizations (Kaman et al., 2014).

The representatives of corporations involved in these standards are often individuals who maintain a strong link with the research community. And the standards are sometimes created in standards groups that are strongly identified with the research community. In the understanding of the economies of standards development, It is essential to look at the funding sources and furthermore the sympathies of those on the committees.

Most software vendors are pushing for SOAP-based coordination standards in contrast. In contrast, the dispute between different standards for railroad track widths was resolved through the wishes of an important customer, the federal government. In rare cases, customers can overcome the wishes of vendors. Vendors often use the standardization process toward their ends and, in game-theoretic terms. The most accusation against vendors for conspiring to sabotage standards might be correct. There is always tension between the proposals of research-oriented participants and those who conscientiously represent the interest of their sponsoring firms.

The standard process is complex, and multiple perspectives, applying both social and economic techniques are more likely to yield insights than unique techniques. Future research might suggest ways of preserving or improving the overall functional landscape of official bodies.

References

Edrei, A. (2016). Divine spirit and physical power: Rabbi Shlomo Goren and the military ethic of the Israel defense forces. Theoretical Inquiries in Law7(1), 255-297.

Fielding, Roy Thomas (2013). Architectural Styles and the Design of Network-based Software Architectures. Department of Computer Science. Irvine, CA, University of California, Irvine, CA: 180.

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwjh_vS30InSAhULIMAKHQWACRgQFggeMAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fweb.stevens.edu%2Fjnickerson%2FSpiritOfTheWeb.pdf&usg=AFQjCNFJuVNNnMmPoYa5Vq6j7pB_qMZrXQ&sig2=pvAutCWsi777VOpchIBENQ

Kazman, Rick, Jai Asundi and Mark Klein (2014). Quantifying the Costs and Benefits of Architectural Decisions. ICSE 2001.

Nickerson, J. V., & Zur Muehlen, M. (2013, December). Defending the spirit of the web: Conflicts in the internet standards process. In Proceedings of the Workshop on Standard Making (pp. 56-69).

Swenson, Keith D. (2013). Personal Communication. M. zur Muehlen. Hoboken, NJ. West, Joel (2013). How open is open enough? Melding proprietary and open source platform strategies. Research Policy 32: 1259-1285.

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The Holy Spirit: Book Critique

The Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit

Book Critique

Bibliography Entry

MacArthur, John F. Strange Fire: The Danger of Offending the Holy Spirit with Counterfeit Worship. Thomas Nelson Inc, 2013.

Summary

            The book by MacArthur is very resourceful to Christians and leaders seeking to be effective in their ministries and in their personal growth in Christ. The book has three chapters, each delving in different topics, addressing the need for Christians to understand the immense power of the Holy Spirit. In the first chapter, the author states how Christians in several parts of the world have been faking their understanding of the working of the Holy Spirit.

Others use their position to swindle and steal from unsuspecting listeners using the language of generosity and faith.[1] He says prosperity is not a gospel but a heresy.[2] The author says that the Holy Spirit is already churning the Church through mighty revivals and it requires Christians to discern the times and workings of the Holy Spirit in their midst.

            In the second chapter, the author states the importance of speaking in tongues as a sign to the Israelites and as a transition to the new covenant from the old.[3] The use of tongues should be orderly and only for edification purposes and not for spiritual ecstasy. The author strongly reinstates the need to have faith in praying for the sick, whose healing should depend on the faith of their intercessors, not theirs.

The author in the third chapter brings several themes into light. First, the author highlights the dangers of counterfeiting the working of the Holy Spirit, stating that it is vital to have a true understanding of the Holy Spirit in worship. The Holy Spirit is God, whose presence in a person should result in a greater spiritual experience.

The Holy Spirit has the ability to secure a person’s salvation, but some charismatic Christians ignore this wonderful ministry of the Holy Spirit. The author states that it is important for believers to be filled continually with the Holy Spirit in order to offer effective worship to God and to be fiery in their ministries.[4]

Critique

            The works of MacArthur highlights several problems encountered in the Christian faith worldwide. The author is concerned with the low level of spirituality in the church; and how some ministers have reduced the message of salvation to personal gain. The author’s arguments on the working of the Holy Spirit resonates the need for the church to awaken and rediscover the power of revival, prayer, worship and evangelism.

I agree with the author’s analyses of several theatrics present in the church such as false tongues, false miracles, prosperity gospel, and use of the pulpit for personal gain. It is imperative for the minister to understand their call and adhere to their master’s command, the Holy Spirit, in their daily activities.

            The author has also stated how important it is to speak in tongues; genuine tongue that leads to edification of the person. This is the most abused practice in the church according to the author, and amounts to mockery of the highest order to the Spirit.

The fact that many Christians do not understand the work of the Holy Spirit in their lives in terms of His plans for their salvation also highlights the need for Christians to seek for a deeper understanding of the Holy Spirit.  To sustain the great revival and to keep the Spirit fire burning, Christians will have to safeguard themselves from false doctrines and practices and lean to the pure word of God.

Evaluation

            MacArthur reinstates the perpetual need for revival in the body of Christ in his book. Since the beginning of the 19th century, the church has experienced mighty revivals by the Holy Spirit seeking to change the static nature of the church to a vibrant one. The notion of being filled with the Holy Spirit and speaking in new tongues is a part of Christian experience that the mainstream churches have ignored for a long time.[5]

The Holy Spirit has immense ability to work in the current church in an even mightier state than the ancient church; something that has been plagued by the inability of the church to recognize His power and the need to yield under His authority. The Holy Spirit is a prerequisite for the successful operation of the church, which Jesus promised to send, without which we cannot be effective in ministry.[6]

            George Smeaton in his book The Doctrine of the Holy Spirit reiterates how this third personality of God has been working with humanity since the time of Enoch. The Holy Spirit is the finisher and effecter of the purposes and plans of God. However, the reason why the church has remained dormant for a long time is due to lack of understanding of the Holy Spirit and yielding to the spirit of confusion.

The church is at the edges of societal centrality due to entertainment of ungodly doctrines by ministers and congregation as well. Christians must learn to test the spirits to know which is from God in order to avoid deception.[7] God gave several people in the Old Testament the Holy Spirit in order to do specific tasks, requiring wisdom, courage, extreme strength, and skills.[8] Therefore, the infilling with the Holy Spirit is a requisite for effective spiritual experience in Christianity and realization of greater purpose. The author’s analogy of the works of the Spirit reflects the works of other authors as an imperative entity.

Works Cited

MacArthur, John F. Strange Fire: The Danger of Offending the Holy Spirit with Counterfeit Worship. Thomas Nelson Inc, 2013.

Smeaton, George. The doctrine of the Holy Spirit. Wipf and Stock Publishers, 2016.

Synan, Vinson. The century of the Holy Spirit: 100 years of Pentecostal and charismatic renewal, 1901-2001. Thomas Nelson Inc, 2012.

Thiselton, Anthony C. The Holy Spirit–in biblical teaching, through the centuries, and today. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing, 2013.


[1] MacArthur. Strange Fire: The Danger of Offending the Holy Spirit with Counterfeit Worship. Thomas Nelson Inc, 2013. Pp. 10.

[2] Ibid, pp. 16.

[3] Ibid, pp. 143.

[4] Ibid. pp. 204

[5] Synan. The century of the Holy Spirit. 1901-2001. Thomas Nelson Inc, 2012.pp. 1

[6] Smeaton, George. The doctrine of the Holy Spirit. Wipf and Stock Publishers, 2016.pp. 60

[7] MacArthur. Strange fire. Pp. 38.

[8] Thiselton, Anthony C. The Holy Spirit–in biblical teaching, through the centuries, and today.Pp. 04

Hypertension

Hypertension
Hypertension

Evidence-Based Promotion Project: Hypertension

Introduction

Certain populations in the society are said to be more vulnerable than others based on certain conditions or situations in life.  The World Health Organization (WHO) defines high risk populations as individuals who cannot anticipate, resist, or cope and recover from the impacts of a disease or disaster. Elderly people, children, malnourished and immunocompromised individuals, and are all classified as high-risk population.

Some of the factors that have been attribute to expose people into vulnerability include poverty, poor housing, homelessness, ethnicity, race, genetic predisposition, as well as poor housing. Current economic indicators in the United States suggest that the most disadvantaged healthcare segments have been lagging behind despite overall increase in economic trends as well as that of racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic disparities.

For instance, the rates of infant mortality which have been falling for a number of years are now increasing among the African Americans; a trend that has been linked highly with poverty (Flynn et al., 2013). This has prompted the government to introduce some important health programs such as the Earned Income Tax Credit and the Social Security fund which have decreased poverty significantly induce major desirable health effects. 

Nichols, O’Connor & Dunn, (2014) point out that DNP nurses play a crucial role of addressing and providing solutions in the healthcare field whose complexity keeps increasing. DNPs can impact a healthcare policy by solving disparities that surround the access to quality health care. Mostly, DNPs are the solution to a number of conflicting healthcare issues. One of the major roles that has been adopted by DNPs is identification of high-risk populations.

Predictive analysis has stood out as an important technique for effective identification. This method employs the use of historical and current data as well as modeling so as to predict future events. In predictive analytics, the decision-making process is data driven. Therefore, DNPs use available patient records to identify individuals that need assistance, such as high risk populations.

The African Americans are one of the high risk populations in America. This because of their high likelihood to develop hypertension. Researchers propose that these individuals could be carrying a gene that makes them salt sensitive hence increasing their risk to hypertension. Additionally, African Americans are affected significantly by obesity.

Studies by (Diaz et al., 2014) report that among non-Hispanic Blacks who are 20 years and above 77 percent of women and 63 percent of men are obese. This population also has a high prevalence of diabetes. It is important to note that diabetes and obesity are among the leading risk factors for hypertension and this could therefore be the reason behind the high incidence of hypertension among African Americans.

Evidence-based interventions

Several evidence-based interventions have been put forward to aid in the management of hypertension among the African Americans. One such intervention is the use of advance health care technologies. Technology advances have proven to be an integral part for the management of high-risk populations (James et al., 2014). For instance, technology will be used to support robust communication with high-risk individuals.

Text messaging, emails, social media, and video conferencing will be used by physicians to follow up on hypertensive patients so that they can understand their progress upon medical intervention. The technology will be used to enhance patient accessibility to healthcare. Additionally, health care providers can use remote monitoring or smart phones to optimize the healthcare strategies hence improving patient outcomes.

Another important intervention will be to education the African Americans about the etiology, causes, risk factors, and management of hypertension (Ogedegbe et al., 2014). There is need for patients to be enlightened about the importance of lifestyle changes. For instance, the African Americans will be encouraged to eat healthy foods such as the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet which stress that patients should take vegetables, fruits, fish, poultry as well as foods that are rich in potassium.

High levels of potassium aid in preventing and controlling high blood pressure. They should also regulate their intake of fats especially the trans-fat which has been proven to be responsible for arteriosclerosis that narrows blood vessels hence worsening hypertension.

Research has proven that one of the reasons behind the high prevalence of hypertension among black Americans is their increased sensitivity to salt (Diaz et al., 2017). Therefore, they should be educated about their need to reduce the intake of salt in their diet. A salt level of about 1500 mgs per day is recommended for a hypertensive patient who is about 50 years and above.

For other healthy individuals, advised not to increase their intake above 2000 mg as this could result in hypertension development. Obesity, smoking, and diabetes are other major risk factors that all African Americans will be taught about their management. They will be encouraged to present themselves to the healthcare centers for diabetes testing. Similarly, they will be encouraged to watch on their weight and desist from cigarette smoking as well as alcohol intake which can predispose them or increase the severity of hypertension.

The other strategy for managing and reducing hypertension will be by helping patients to design their hypertension treatment plan. Through this plan, patients will be instructed on how to check their blood pressure regularly, follow their treatment plans consistently, and consult their physicians regularly whenever need a clarification about their condition.

Outcome measurements

One of the measurements that will be used to evaluate the outcomes of the hypertension management is the recording of the mean systolic and diastolic pressure of the hypertensive patients who have been taught hypertension management interventions. The recording will be done over a period of one month and plotted on a graph where the shape of the graph will be used to determine whether the patient complied with what he/she learned.

The proportion of patients who will visit to the clinic after the education program will also be determine. A high turnout will be indicate that the patients understood that follow up care is an important pillar in the management of hypertension. Additionally, the physicians will use clinical records to determine how many more individuals have been diagnosed with hypertension since the implementation of the various evidence-based interventions. The number is expected to be lower compared to that of other years.

Epidemiological terminology in the description of interventions and outcomes

 A systemic approach is required for effective management of hypertension. The approach entails identification of hypertensive patients, aggressive treatment of hypertension with antihypertensive drugs, proper patient education, and follow-up care. With this approach, modest reduction in the mortality and morbidity of cardiovascular agents will be realized.

However, it is important that note that all this strategies should be combined for clinically significant reductions in hypertension prevalence to be achieved. Supplemental interventions such as self-monitoring of hypertension and adoption of healthy behavior are other important indicators for use in assessing the effectiveness of the implemented strategies.  

Lessons learned from developing this interventional program

This project has help me learn that communication is one of the most effective clinical intervention for use during management of a disease. Proper communication helps the public to understand the causes, risk factors, and their role in the prevention and management of a condition. Individuals who are well-informed know what they ought to do and therefore avoid visiting hospitals for treatment or hospitalization which is very expensive.

Secondly, I learned that healthcare providers should accord high-risk population optimum attention and conduct proper research in order to meet their desired goals. This is because interventions used in other parts of the world may not work when dealing with high risk populations hence the need of evidence-based programs. Through this intervention, I believe I can easily take care of an African American patient and also be at the front line in identifying other high risk-populations in the society and the clinical programs that can be used to ensure they live quality lives.

References

Diaz, K. M., Booth, J. N., Seals, S. R., Abdalla, M., Dubbert, P. M., Sims, M., … & Shimbo, D. (2017). Physical Activity and Incident Hypertension in African Americans. Hypertension, HYPERTENSIONAHA-116.

Diaz, K. M., Veerabhadrappa, P., Brown, M. D., Whited, M. C., Dubbert, P. M., & Hickson, D. A. (2014). Prevalence, determinants, and clinical significance of masked hypertension in a population-based sample of African Americans: the Jackson Heart Study. American journal of hypertension, hpu241.

Flynn, S. J., Ameling, J. M., Hill-Briggs, F., Wolff, J. L., Bone, L. R., Levine, D. M., … & Ephraim, P. L. (2013). Facilitators and barriers to hypertension self-management in urban African Americans: perspectives of patients and family members. Patient Prefer Adherence.

James, P. A., Oparil, S., Carter, B. L., Cushman, W. C., Dennison-Himmelfarb, C., Handler, J., … & Smith, S. C. (2014). 2014 evidence-based guideline for the management of high blood pressure in adults: report from the panel members appointed to the Eighth Joint National Committee (JNC 8). Jama, 311(5), 507-520.

Nichols, C., O’Connor, N., & Dunn, D. (2014). Exploring early and future use of DNP prepared nurses within healthcare organizations. Journal of Nursing Administration, 44(2), 74-78.

Ogedegbe, G., Tobin, J. N., Fernandez, S., Cassells, A., Diaz-Gloster, M., Khalida, C., … & Schwartz, J. (2014). Counseling African Americans to Control Hypertension (CAATCH): cluster randomized clinical trial main effects. Circulation, CIRCULATIONAHA-113.

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Migration: The Impact of Immigrant Workforce

Migration: The Impact of Immigrant Workforce
Migration: The Impact of Immigrant Workforce

Migration: The Impact of Immigrant Workforce

Introduction

            Migration of people has the benefit of spreading several levels of workforce around the world. Both skilled and semi-skilled workforce is desirable in many parts of the world and may help in distributing some essential work practises that are missing in several parts of the world (Kaplan 2017). Immigration helps in replenishing labour needs in some countries that are experiencing low workforce due to the ageing population or low increase in the population that creates a gap in labour needs (Kochan&Finegold 2012).

The competitive nature of global marketplace requires companies to have highly skilled workforce in order to compete favourably. Some organizations are then forced to offer attractive packages to these workers to move them from their countries of origin, mainly developing countries.

            The migration of people has got many effects on both the home country and the destination country of the labourers. The influx of many labourers into a country may affect the minimum wage as employers will have a large pool of employees to choose from (Siddiqui 2012). The impact on home countries may include brain drain or low skilled workforce, causing slow economic growth due to inadequate expert workforce to accomplish essential jobs (Siddiqui 2012).

There is a multifaceted effect of immigration in terms of its contribution to the workforce. The effect may be positive or negative depending on where the migrants come from or go to and the type of labourers. This study seeks to find whether migrant workers can bring new practises and work performance standards to a country and whether they can be an asset to that country. 

Sources of Migrants

            There are several social, economic, political and environmental factors that may contribute to the migration of individuals. People have been migrating for many centuries from one region to another, and in doing so distributing their culture and practises around the world. There are several reasons why people migrate which may be poverty, political turmoil or socio-economic reasons.

  1. Poverty or poor economy

Poverty is arguably the highest cause of migration in the 21st century due to the huge imbalance between the poor and the rich. There is a great disparity between developed and developing countries, with the five richest countries in the world being 100 times richer than the ten poorest countries in the world (One America 2017).

The quest to run away from poverty and struggles that cloud those living in developing countries is very high. Additionally, skilled workers from developed countries in professions such as engineering, medicine, nursing and finance may want to move to countries where they can earn better wages, improve their skills, increase their knowledge, and experience better working conditions (Dayton-Johnson 2009).

The developed countries are often faced with massive corruption, nepotism, tribalism, unequal distribution of resources and embezzlement of public funds by public officials (Fokkema& De Haas 2015). Unemployed people in these countries may therefore migrate either to urban centres, or to developed countries where there is high wages and good working environments.

For example, in Haiti the average per capita income is around $400 per year, while in the United States an unskilled labourer can easily make that in a week (One America 2017). This forces many to seek out employment in these countries, which also helps them remit money to their families back at home and help them fight poverty. Poverty makes hundreds of Africans brave the dangers of drowning in the Mediterranean Sea, when they board smuggling boats using their hard-earned money to Europe.

In 2015, more than 1600 people drowned in the Mediterranean Sea when their boats capsized as they were being smuggled into Europe from Tunisia, Morocco and Algeria (Saunders 2015). The quest to run away from poverty makes people risk everything for good life abroad.

  • Political instability and armed conflict

In March 2017, the president of the United States Donald Trump banned the citizens of Somalia, Sudan, Libya, Yemen, Syria and Iran from accessing the United States (Whitehouse.gov 2017). These countries constitute the countries with very unstable political environments, as wars and civil wars are continuing in these countries due to various reasons.

The failed Arab Revolution in Syria left the country in political turmoil as the government is battling militias and terrorists from taking control of the country (Gharib 2017). The same is happening in Somalia and Yemen. These countries generate the largest number of refugees as they escape from their war torn countries towards safer environments such as the United States and Europe.

            Out of the 16.5 million refugees present in the world by 2017, 30% come from Syria (Gharib 2017). The bulk of these refugees come from the five mentioned countries, and are mainly hosted in South Sudan, Lebanon, Jordan, Turkey, Uganda, Kenya, Sweden and Chad among other countries (Garib 2017). Among these hundreds of refugees are skilled labourers such as teachers, doctors, nurses, drivers, and government officers such as clerks, accountants and administrators. These refugees will most likely seek for employment in their new countries and will help in the economy of their destination countries.

Socio-economic factors

Apart from poverty and political turmoil, there are many other factors that influence the migration of people to other areas. Saunders (2015) found out that the Mediterranean migration crisis does not only come from poverty or political strife in Africa, but rather from high demand for labourers in Europe. He found that most of those who risked their lives to go to Europe were educated, ambitious, middle class and very far from being peasants.

These individuals would pay up to $2000 for a trip to Europe, showing that they could at least afford the large amount of money for a successful life abroad. Saunders (2015) also found that the illegal migrants from Africa were connected to individuals in Europe working in the same profession, and are not running away from something but rather following a certain opportunity in Europe.

Most people who migrate to successful economies do so to advance their social status, by getting jobs with good earnings, and some to seek for specific opportunities in business and investment opportunities (Awumbila, Owusu&Teye 2014). The oil business in the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Saudi Arabia has attracted a large number of expatriates into the region. The prospects of employment with better salaries, good lifestyle and better working conditions are the main reasons many expatriates from other countries go to the Middle East (Shaheen 2009).

The ageing Baby Boomers population in the United States and most European countries is creating a massive gap in employment as the group is retiring at an alarming rate and in great numbers (Kochan&Finegold 2012). This creates a wide gap in employment as there is need for skilled labourers in these countries to fill the employment gap.

Additionally, supplementary staff are needed mainly in the health and hospitality sectors to cater for the needs of this population, as their weakening bodies come with more needs (Bartha et al. 2015). The retirement of the Baby Boomers leaves many companies with the need to recruit workers to fill the gaps in middle skill jobs such as high skill manufacturing, nursing, computer technology, and accounting (Kochan&Finegold 2012).

Some people migrate to other countries hoping to improve their education or other statuses in life. For example, Legrain (2007) reports that some of the people living in London were in transition into better jobs, but had to spend some years learning English before venturing into better jobs in the UK, or other English speaking countries like the United States.

Most of the immigrants were from Asia, South America or Africa. Legrain (2007) also shows that many immigrants in the United States and UK end up upgrading themselves and getting into lucrative careers such as accounting, professors in universities, hotel managers and administrative assistants among others. Therefore, migrant workers help their countries of destination in several other ways too despite the setbacks many face.

Importance Migrant Workers

            Migrant workers serve as a ‘reserve army or labourers’ waiting to bridge any employment gap in seasonal peaks of production (Hardy 2009). In the United Kingdom and the whole European Union, many companies require seasonal job needs in various sectors such as agriculture, hospitality and service industries, attracting workers from Africa and Asia (Hardy 2009). According to Saunders (2015), the Mediterranean migration is usually seasonal because of the different job demands in European countries.

In 2008 for example, there was an increased Europe to Africa migration because of the economic recession that many European countries were going through. The migration erupted again in 2011 and 2014/2015 because of stable economic times in the European markets. Most of the people crossing were learned and professionals seeking to establish their lives in Europe.

Effects on Work Practises and Standards

            Migrant workers do not just fill the job deficiency gaps in their destination countries, but provide a quick way of providing professional and high skill workforce required by the destination countries (Foema& Haas 2015). After the great recession of 2008, many employers in the United States struggled to find individuals to fill gaps in the middle skills jobs as the large number of retiring Baby Boomers were creating huge employment demands in the job market and immigration reduced during this period (Kochan&Finegolf 2012). 

The discovery of oil in the United Arab Emirates in the 1960s created a high demand for workers to fill several sectors of the economy such as finance, accounting, hospitality, engineering and media among others (Soto &Haouas 2012). The UAE is the richest country in the world in terms of oil, accounting for 7% and 4% of the world’s reserve of oil and gas respectively as by 2011 (Soto &Haouas 2012). The local population of the Emiratis consist of less than 20% of the total population, which could not provide enough individuals to fill the high skill jobs required in the job sector.

The expatriate population in the UAE come from many countries, mostly from Asia and especially India (De Bel-Air 2015). The good salaries and better lifestyle in UAE attracts talented and highly skilled individuals from different countries in the world to fill job positions in the oil sectors and related industries. The thriving UAE economy has a lot to do with the high number of expatriate population that cover 95% of private sector jobs and 40% of public sector jobs (De Bel-Air 2015). The input of the migrant workers has put UAE to be one of the most vibrant economies in the world.

            Migrants have the ability to change the economies of certain countries to be outstanding in certain areas. The Software Industry of India is one example, where diaspora Indians in the American software companies travelled back home to form software companies in their country (Dayton-Johnson 2009).

Today, India’s software industry is the leading in Asia, and constantly collaborated with other companies in the USA to provide better services. Migrant workers have enabled the UAE to have a vibrant industrial sector, while the exquisite human resource practises in Qatar is mainly attributed to expatriates who run most of the country’s companies including multinationals (Koji 2011).

Bridging local skill gaps

            One characteristics associated with migrant workers is that their approach to work is always different from that of the local population. Koji (2011) notes that many citizens of UAE, Qatar and Saudi Arabia work in the public sector because they detest the working conditions in the private sector. The United Arab Emirates promoted the development of the non-oil sector in the 1980s to reduce the country’s reliance on the oil industry (Koji 2011).

Therefore, expatriates form 99% of the population in non-oil sector mainly manufacturing, construction, transport and low-skilled jobs as they are able to endure extreme working conditions. The need to make money and change their social conditions at home makes these individuals to brave all conditions to be able to succeed (Koji 2011).

            Carvalho (2015) notes that expatriate population helps in the economic development of a country as they contribute to the essentials of economic growth such as population, productivity and  participation. Most migrants are usually of prime working age and are ambitious, hardworking and skilled in one sector or another. As noted by Carvalho (2015), most Australian migrants are below 40 years old and above 20 years old.

They therefore form the best country’s asset in bridging labour needs, by filling gaps in the population. By using them, the country can advance economically as they provide additional labour in the deficiencies created by the local population.

            Another characteristics associated with migrant workers is that they are very hardworking. As opposed to the local population which may be choosy, they are able to adapt to the local working conditions and can endure very harsh working conditions in their host countries (Poulney 2015).

The position of Qatar to hold the FIFA World Cup in 2022 has attracted a hoard of expatiates mostly from Asian countries to work in the construction industry, as the country tries to beat the deadline of constructing world-class stadiums for the event (Poulteney 2015). Though there are instances of human rights violations, the working population in these projects is highly migrants as locals keep off the deplorable working conditions of the huge projects.

            Imai et al. (2011) notes that many migrant workers have a tendency to remit money back home to their families as they work abroad. This money is meant to uplift the living conditions of those left behind. These remittances helps in improving the credit rating of these countries and providing foreign currency that can be used to inhibit investor panic (Imai et al. 2011).  The remittances helps migrant workers to invest in physical assets in their home countries and improving the health and education of the local population.

Challenges Faced By Migrant Workers

            Migrant workers face a myriad of challenges in their journeys to uplift their living standards. They often face very difficult conditions of work and have few rights at their jobs (Siddiqui 2012). Poulteney (2015) notes that migrant workers in Qatar work for almost 16 hours, and their visas are often confiscated by their employers until they finish their contracts. These practises are however changing as the government seeks to impose tough penalties to employers confiscating their employees’ travelling documents (Tuxford 2016). Workers in Middle East though endure long working hours and often suffer from cardiac arrest and heat strokes.

             Some countries such as Saudi Arabia and Qatar deny migrant workers citizenship and are forced to leave the country immediately their contract ends, or when they are unable to get another job (Koji 2011). Some employers in some countries may also exploit migrant workers by offering them very low wages as compared to the locals. They may also deny them training, job related perks or health insurance coverage benefits.

Conclusion

            Migrant workers can be a great asset to a country. They may bring a lot of experience and good work practises that can aid greatly the economy of a country. They often migrate because of poverty, political instability or to improve their social status. This makes them better workers as they are hardworking and visionary, though this comes with challenges.

References

Awumbila, M., Owusu, G. and Teye, J.K., 2014. Can rural-urban migration into slums reduce poverty? Evidence from Ghana. Migrating Out of Poverty Working Paper13, pp.1-41.

Bartha, A., Fedyuk, O. and Zentai, V., 2015. Low-skilled Migration: Immigrant Workers in European Domestic Care.

Carvalho, P., 2015. Why migrants may be our greatest economic asset. Retrieved from: http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-04-21/carvalho-why-migrants-may-be-our-greatest-economic-asset/6409042. (Accessed 17 April 2017).

Dayton-Johnson, J., GTZ, A.P., GTZ, K.S. and Schwinn, J., 2009. Migration and employment. Unclassified DCD/DAC (2009) 16/ADD, p.93.

De Bel-Air, F., 2015. Demography, migration, and the labour market in the UAE.

Fokkema, T. and Haas, H., 2015. Pre‐and Post‐Migration Determinants of Socio‐Cultural Integration of African Immigrants in Italy and Spain.International Migration53(6), pp.3-26.

Gharib, M., 2017. CHART: Where The World’s Refugees Are. Retrieved from: http://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2017/03/27/518217052/chart-where-the-worlds-refugees-are. (Accessed 17 April 2017).

Hardy, J. Migration, migrant workers and capitalism. Retrieved from: http://isj.org.uk/migration-migrant-workers-and-capitalism/. (Accessed 17 April 2017).

Imai, K.S., Gaiha, R., Ali, A. and Kaicker, N., 2014. Remittances, growth and poverty: New evidence from Asian countries. Journal of Policy Modeling,36(3), pp.524-538.

Kaplan, G. and Schulhofer‐Wohl, S., 2017. Understanding the Long‐Run Decline in Interstate Migration. International Economic Review58(1), pp.57-94.

Kochan, T., Finegold, D. and Osterman, P., 2012. Who can fix the “middle-skills” gap. Harvard Business Review90(12), pp.81-90.

Koji, H., 2011. Controversies over labour naturalization policy and its dilemmas: 40 years of Emiratisation in the United Arab Emirates. Kyoto Bulletin of Islamic Area Studies4(1-2).

Legrain, P., 2014. Immigrants: Your country needs them. Princeton University Press.

One America, 2017. An Age of Migration: Globalization and the Root Causes of Migration. Retrieved from: https://www.weareoneamerica.org/root-causes-migration-fact-sheet. (Accessed 17 April 2017).

Poulteney, C.,m 2016. Immense Wealth, Poor Work Conditions in Qatar. World Policy. Retrieved from: http://www.worldpolicy.org/blog/2016/06/14/immense-wealth-poor-work-conditions-qatar. (Accessed 17 April 2017).

Rabe, B. and Taylor, M.P., 2012. Differences in opportunities? Wage, employment and house‐price effects on migration. Oxford Bulletin of Economics and Statistics74(6), pp.831-855.

Saunders, D., 2015. The real reasons why migrants risk everything for a new life elsewhere. (Updated 26 April 2015). Retrieved from: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/the-real-reasons-why-migrants-risk-everything-for-a-new-life-elsewhere/article24105000/. (Accessed 17 April 2017).

Shaheen, K., 2009. Money and lifestyle attract expatriates. The National. http://www.thenational.ae/news/uae-news/money-and-lifestyle-attract-expatriates. (Accessed 17 April 2017).

Siddiqui, T., 2012. Impact of migration on poverty and development.Migrating Out of Poverty Research Programme Consortium Working Paper,2.

Soto, R. and Haouas, I., 2012. Has the UAE Escaped the Oil Curse?.

Tuxford, K., 2015. What the new HR law in Qatar means for employees. CIPD. Retrieved from: http://www.cipd.ae/people-management-magazine/hr-news-opinion/new-hr-law-qatar. (Accessed 17 April 2017).

Whitehouse.gov, 2017. EXECUTIVE ORDER: PROTECTING THE NATION FROM FOREIGN TERRORIST ENTRY INTO THE UNITED STATES. Retrieved from: https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2017/01/27/executive-order-protecting-nation-foreign-terrorist-entry-united-states. (Accessed 17 April 2017).

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Diabetes Education

Diabetes Education
Diabetes Education

Diabetes Education

Description of The Learners

The class is made up of young adults ranging from 20-26 years. Some of the listeners are people with the condition but have not publicly spoken about it, or have close relatives or friends with the condition. Others might have the condition but do not know their status since they have not and cannot go for examination. This is a group that wants to learn about the various types of diabetes to adopt appropriate ways of living their lives better.

For those with the condition already, they want to understand the right course of action to take and for those without; they want to learn about how they can modify their lifestyles and prevent themselves from engaging in the way of life that can result in them acquiring the condition. Also, the fact that they are relatively young, most in their 20s, they are energetic and keen about life. For some too, this is the age to enjoy life without limits.

They lust for knowledge but must be handled with care so as not to antagonize them. Their opinions, whether well informed or not, must be listened to and accorded the respect. Thus, the best way to progress with the class is through discussion. It should be highly interactive to give room for them to air their opinions confidently.

Educational Setting

The setting of the class is a college. The staff working here are mostly degree and diploma holders depending in their area of specialization and the department they work. All the academic staff is made up of degree holders as a requirement by the government. The support staff, on the other hand, is mostly people with diplomas. However, we must face the fact that the students mostly meet with the teachers and interact more with them.

It is thus safe to conclude that they interact with well-educated and informed people in the school whether the academic or support staff. Another fact that cannot go unmentioned is that most of the staff is made up of young adults ranging from 30-45 years. It shows the institution’s aim of trying to integrate the student body and the staff better. Several in-service training for the staff exists to continuously equip the staff with necessary skills in dealing with the students.

Being college students, they are knowledgeable about diabetes. They are aware of the causes, and the fact that it has no cure is universal knowledge among all the students. However, most of them have never dealt or cared for a diabetic patient. They only feel it is beyond their league. They believe it is a specialty for the medical personnel. And others too feel it is an exaggerated illness. They believe diabetes is not a top killer as they consider cancer and HIV being the worse illnesses.

The learners come from diversified family backgrounds. It is quite hard to put them into categories regarding their education. Some parents are semi-educated while others are well educated. But one fact is, all the parents are socially educated. They know what is right and what is wrong with their children. However, most of these parents believe in some myths surrounding the diabetes calamity. The good thing is that they agree about the causes of the disease.

Learner Assessments

The class is made up of college students. At the end of their course, they will be qualified diploma holders. This is a relatively educated group, which can grasp the fairly complex material and do what is expected of them. If well taught about a certain subject, they will understand the concepts and how to implement the ideas.

Also, at this age, they are eager to conquer the world. They understand the importance of education and thus are eager to learn more. They want to show the world that they are knowledgeable and that keeps their academic thirst going. The reason for choosing this seemingly normal disease is that it resonates well with the class. The class is made up young people who are mostly dating. To most of them, it is a thrill being in a relationship, which is cool by itself. However, the peak of these relationships is engaging in harmful lifestyles about their diets and lack of exercises.

This is despite the fact that most cases of diabetes are caused by lack of proper exercise and the consumption of sugary food. The lesson is to question why this continually happens with parents and teachers guiding these young people. Can the prevalence be blamed on the teachers, parents or the students themselves? To fill this gap, the lesson is very vital since the answer lies in the minds of these students.

Topic Selection Rationale

The main teaching philosophy is through discussion. The discussion is the best method of delivery due to the nature of this sensitive subject. Despite the fact that the young people know the dangers of not exercising proper diet, it is still an increasing trend. Moreover, most people hate being guided in such intimate matters. They feel like the others are intruding into their private life.

They want to be left alone and do what they want with their lives. In any case, they say they are adults albeit naïve ones. The discussion thus becomes handy in such a situation. This becomes easier with college students since they are educated, eager to explore and ever ready to be heard. The discussion should start with a simple introduction. A brief introduction to the topic, reasons for the topic and specifically why the class is chosen.

It is to remove further any imaginary boundaries between the educator and the students that may exist in the minds of the students. The discussion should focus on a patient suffering from the disease. It should be a right scenario where the focus rotates on how the patient acquired such a disease. Also, on how he behaved upon learning of his condition and how he lives with the condition.

The discussion will be around a man living with diabetes known as Peter. He is 28 years of age, which is a small deviation from the age of some students. The only minor difference is that he was diagnosed with the disease while still in the university some five years ago. The description of his college social life leaves nothing to be desired though it clearly resonates with the young students.

He was a person that did not like practicing and used to consume a lot of sugary food. He slept with almost all of them who were too eager to be linked with the campus celebrity. Besides the lazy behavior, Peter was an alcoholic and would regularly be found in the clubs if he was not in his room sleeping. This behavior made him have a very poor hygiene with no regular exercises and the use various sugary foodstuffs besides the alcohol that had turned to be his best friend.

After some time, Peter developed some complications that were associated with often urination, regular feelings of thirst, blurry vision, extreme fatigue, loss of weight and numbness in the hands and feet (Herr, et al. 2013). This led to him being examined by the doctor for the symptoms of diabetes. After the examination, received the shock of his life when the results returned positive of diabetes mellitus.

He felt as if his celebrated life was over. It took some time and the efforts of his parents to make him accept the situation. He followed the doctors’ advice, and he coped well. His winning attitude helped a lot too. And now, he has four years to his name living with diabetes. His simple advice to young people is; avoid inappropriate diet and alcohol and also practice regularly through running or other field events.

Conclusion

The students discussed all aspects of this case above from the causes to the final stage of accepting one’s status. They found out that speaking out also helps a great deal. The discussion is fruitful if the class participates well. The interactions amongst themselves and also between them and the educator equip them with knowledge on diabetes. The discussion is the best mode of teaching a young class which is expected to impart this knowledge to others further. It gives them the freedom to think on any angle and widen their knowledge gap due to the peer discussion.

References

Herr, R., Pouwer, F., Holt, R. I. G., & Loerbroks, A. (2013). The association between diabetes and an episode of depressive symptoms in the 2002 World Health Survey: an analysis of 231 797 individuals from 47 countriesDiabetic Medicine30(6), e208-e214.

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