Substantive vs. Not Substantive

Class discussion is an important aspect of the learning process. In academic institutions, this activity is the common practice among education practitioners in order to stimulate the minds of their students. Through class discussion, an exchange of ideas, opinions and perspectives transpire. With this, participants are encouraged to vocalize their understanding on a particular subject matter which helps in honing their different skills and developing different types of intelligence.However, if a teacher is not properly conducting a discussion, there is a tendency for the students to respond with mediocre or below average answers or thoughts. To produce thorough analyses and an in-depth discussion, teachers should initiate an open-ended discussion which usually starts with a question that does not require a a right or wrong answer. Through this, students will not be apprehensive about sharing their ideas because the notion of being humiliated will be eliminated.Also, teachers should not hesitate to make follow up questions in order to test whether students were able to fully comprehend the lecture or lesson. Another strategy to create a great discussion is avoiding monopoly. Every participant should be given equal opportunities to express their ideas. This can prevent certain individuals from controlling the flow and content of the discussion. As a result, every aspect of the subject can be explored or analyzed. Furthermore, encouraging students to relate or apply the topic to their daily experiences can produce a meaningful discussion (Saskatoon Public Schools, 2008).Moreover, to differentiate substantive from non-substantive responses in a discussion, teachers must look at relevance, logic, substance and objectivity. The relevance of the response to the topic should be the primary quality to be reviewed to determine if it is substantial or not. Then, the significance of the answer to the topic. Find out whether the response is essential to the advancement of the topic. The more unusual the answer the better but it must be logical. Also, it is important to provide answers that are objective in order to minimize limiting one's knowledge about a particular subject matter.

The tourism and events

The rapid growth of events In the past decade led to the formation of an Identifiable events Industry (Bowdon et al. , 2006). This paper will be focusing mainly on the sports events Industry and will Identify and discuss what the events Industry actually has to offer. Firstly It will investigate the different sizes of sporting events followed by examining its characteristics and their economic value.The past motive for an event used to be creating an opportunity to get away from the normal routine of day to day life and loud spring organically from communities or prompted by personal, individual milestones usually triggered by nostalgia. An event could also be a cultural occasion such as Christmas when all societies can celebrate and commemorate together. Personal and cultural occasions are no longer the only motive for an event, today the events industry is widely known for generating extremely attractive business chances and Is frequently economically motivated.Sporting events appe al to a large number of participants and spectators and can vary In size from community events, for example the local schools sports day, to a mega event such as the Olympics or the World Cup. Hallmark events and major events are the other two groups within the industry that events are categorized under. Marries in Get (2005, p. 1 8) defines a mega event in the following way: â€Å"Their volume should exceed one million visits, their capital cost should be at least $500 million, and their reputation should be that of a ‘must see' event. Where as Get (2005, p. 6) will interpret a mega event to be one that also yields extraordinarily high levels of tourism, media coverage & prestige. The proliferation of sporting events are linked to a combination of factors, one of them being IT and communications. As technology has developed the coverage of sport can now be broadcast to a global audience, this attracts companies and sponsors who will Inject money into the event and use It as a marketing and advertising opportunity. Sporting events are major contributors to the economic growth and development of the host country. † Road et 2011) Mega sprung events can help promote and develop cities and be utilized to Improve transport infrastructure, adapt buildings, construct cultural spaces, landmarks and dernier sports facilities. They can increase tourism levels, which can then have a positive knock on effect to the local community. Local businesses will benefit and the injection of income into the local economy can potentially create more Jobs.These mega events attract global media coverage, it can put the hosting country at a new level of local, national and international importance and the venue can become a tourism landmark for the foreseeable future. â€Å"The London 201 2 Games have definitively served as a catalyst for development and Improvements, both tangible and Intangible, which would otherwise have taken decades to achieve. There Is no doubt that the citizens of London and Great Brutal will benefit from the Games for a long time to come. † (Great Britain, UK Government. 013) potential threats and inconveniences have to be considered. The risk of terrorist attacks on the events location can drastically increase, the event could have negative effects on the environment and traffic congestion can become an inconvenience for participants, spectators and locals if the right planning and management has not been addressed. Sporting events employ drama and can attract large numbers of people so to keep negative impacts on the host country or organization to a minimum understanding the events characteristics is an important factor when planning an event of any size.Event managers should investigate the area type; whether it is in a rural, urban or metro environment, the event location and the time the event is held and its duration, a prediction of the expected attendance and who the event is aimed at and how you are going to market the event and finally how your going to accommodate your customers and participants. In sporting events you also need to consider the sports governing body and employ the correct professionals to ensure he governing body rules and regulations are met and maintained throughout the event.For a mega event such as the Olympics the opening and closing ceremonies and the medals being awarded to the competitors are significant and memorable characteristics of the sporting event. In conclusion, the events industry has a lot to offer, with the government's support, increase in tourism and continuing to create ways in which to attract events to the county the industry will continue to flourish and play a significant role in the economy, as well as having a positive input on the coal community and the host country it will also go on to provide memorable experiences for those involved.

Nationalism and The Israeli- Plastianian confilict Essay

Nationalism and The Israeli- Plastianian confilict - Essay Example ower of a nation, the ability of modern states to provide the needs of its citizenship depends on a whole set of global and domestic actors that have more than diluted the very fundamentals of nationalism. At the core of this phenomenal decline is the boom in information and informational technologies. Notwithstanding the foregoing, national identity remains enormously important. As globalization continues to transform the world, the very significance nationalistic perceptions of state-sovereignty, citizenship, and inter-state relations will continue to depreciate even further, with their relevance dependent much on the changes and adaptations to the emerging forces that are set to get even more deleterious.   The iron wall, a policy instituted by the hard-line Zionists in Israel with regards to dealing with the Arabs towards finding a lasting peace has had very little effect in terms of actualizing its very purpose. That though the policy has brought forth a comparatively stronger Israel relative to its neighbors militarily, the hard stance has only served to portray the nation’s military actions in uncompromising lenses, thus, the regressive peace agreement that has more than thrown numerous opportunities into disarray. The film on the same is, however, full of facts on the ground, but is far from balanced, for it majors on the views of one and only person, Vladimir Jabotinsky. The issues raised therein, though, remains crucial in determining the facets of a lasting peace in the

Fashion Market Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Fashion Market - Case Study Example The essay "Fashion Market - UK" talks about UK fashion marketing. Zara is a leader in providing variety and choice to its consumers. It has been able to produce around eleven thousand styles every year and is highly design driven. Therefore freshness and innovation is a key strength of Zara. H&M Fashions is another well known brand for the fashion market in UK. It stands for Hennes & Mauritz and is based in Sweden. H&M has positioned itself in the middle and high range of the market. Marketing at H&M is regional and therefore cost-effective. The company has an exemplary supply chain cycle, where clothes move from design to hanger within twenty one days. Its communication is more informative than being centered on image. French Connection United Kingdom; more popularly referred to as FCUK is another fashion brand whose marketing and communication strategy has been looked into in this report. The retail store was founded in 1969 in London. It happens to be one of the first British comp anies to cater to the men’s casual wear market and later extended into both formal and informal clothes for men, women and children. To date the highest share of revenue comes from the menswear collection which is trendy, fun and a favourite for men all over the world. An interesting point to note here is that analysts claim that the company has benefited from its suggestive marketing campaigns. The research methods include both primary and secondary. The assortment has been clearly done to reflect an exploratory research framework. It is a mix of both qualitative and quantitative in nature. The quantitative part of the research has been included to point to recognition and recall of certain advertisements. It is based on clearly thought out and formulated procedures which allow triangulation and lend thoroughness to the research. The primary research methods include in-depth interviews with the target market of these brands; which includes the fashion conscious youth aged between 16-25 mainly. Four in-depth interviews were conducted; two with girls and two with boys of different ages. Interviews were also conducted with marketing personnel of the brands in question. Other than that focus groups were conducted with the same audience who were put together in groups of sixes for the exercise. An observational exercise was conducted; the purpose was to test the recall and recognition of such advertisements. All this research was supported by questionnaires conducted at university campuses as well as these store locations. Lastly, in-store analysis was done to understand the sort of image the store was trying to project. This was done for stores in different locations all over United Kingdom. The secondary research methods comprised mainly; magazines with special reference to fashion magazines, internet resources such as ebsco, Brunell electronic library and news updates. In addition to this; newspaper clippings and case studies were used for reference. Market Overview The UK fashion industry is worth an estimated 44.5 billion pounds. According to statistics in 1960 around 10% of the household budget was spent on clothing and footwear. Due to lower cost of product and the huge influx of

Leadership, Teambuilding and Communication Assignment

Leadership, Teambuilding and Communication - Assignment Example In this theory, shows that some people have better leadership traits than others. He concludes that there are those people who are born to lead while others were born to be led. Behavioral approach is one other form of traditional leadership style, in this leadership theory, there are three leadership styles that are distinct from each other. Their styles include; authoritarian leadership whereby, the leader maintains strong control over the group at work. In this form of leadership, motivation is by coercion, and there is no free communication between the leader and the staff. Communication comes from the leader only, and the workers are there to follow. In this kind of leadership, there is high productivity but with low self-motivation and autonomy by the workers. Democratic approach is another form of leadership style that is friendlier to the subordinate staff. In the case here, there is free communication from both the staff and the leadership. Decision-making involves everybody in the organization, and the staff seen as a whole and not as a leader. Therefore, it gives room for constructive criticism and autonomy among the employees in the organization. Lastly, there is laissez-faire leadership style, where there is little or no control from the leader (Murphy, 2005). The kind of leadership is so much of the essence in situations with poorly defined problems that need brainstorming to come over the problems. There are a number of leadership theories that include, transformational, cite suggested that leaders have the abilities to groom their followers into better leaders in the future. The grooming is achieved successfully by letting followers have the freedom to control their behaviors.  

The staff recruitment and selection policy of IKEA in China Essay

The staff recruitment and selection policy of IKEA in China - Essay Example The recruitment and selection policy of IKEA is value driven and espouses s teamwork, simplicity, communicative forthrightness and urgency. The core values of IKEA are employee empowerment, flexibility, dynamism and cost consciousness (Smith, 2010, p. 70). Advertising is the main means of design that IKEA uses to emphasize these values. Job at IKEA webpage is used to communicate the core value of the Chinese company. A cost effective campaign is carried out, which is used directly to harness the customer base of the business. IKEA wants to recruit about 8,000 people over the next five years. IKEA employees must have certain characteristics in order for them to be selected in the company. These characteristics are important compared to specific experiences and qualifications. The applicants must be down to earth; they must be well with other employees and must have a sense of humor (Bach & Edwards, 2013, p. 19).  IKEA wanted to attract the right candidate and through the spirit of advertising, they would attract a large number of applicants who were good at their work. The selection process involved bringing together twenty potential candidates who had some specifications that IKEA required that is education, experience, age and attitude. The group of twenty would be given a series of questions and a personal interview with the panel of the board of directors. After the selection process, the applicants will undergo training, which involves traditional classroom courses. Co-workers in the company are requested to master current jobs as well as seeking new opportunities hence, they are allowed to apply for new job opportunities in IKEA. Through the selection process, emphasis is put on the value fit as selection criteria. After the applicants have been selected, employees who have worked in the organization previously are requested to assist the new coworkers adjust in the company through mentorship (Rothacher, 2004, p.

The Similarities Between Hotmail and Mozilla Essay

The Similarities Between Hotmail and Mozilla - Essay Example As far as the similarities between Hotmail and Mozilla Thunderbird are concerned, they are quite few in number as Hotmail leads Mozilla in the market for an email client. First, both Hotmail and Mozilla Thunderbird are supported by 36 languages. These are two of the very few email clients that are offered in so many languages. Also, both Hotmail and Mozilla Thunderbird have themes which give users the power to control the appearance of the respective accounts. Furthermore, both are supported on multiple operating systems and both support POP3 and IMAP4 protocol. When we contrast Hotmail and Mozilla Thunderbird, we find out that the number of Hotmail users is too many when compared to Mozilla Thunderbird. Part of the reason for this is the earlier launch of Hotmail. Furthermore, Hotmail has more features than Mozilla Thunderbird. Examples could include integration with different programs such as MSN Messenger. This is a service whereby users can see which of their friends are online w hile logged in to their Hotmail accounts. Furthermore, Hotmail also has an audio player to play audio files and it also includes a spell checker. One of the most exciting features about Thunderbird is the fact that it allows users to view email messages from other email clients such as Hotmail, Yahoo, and Gmail etc. POP stands for Post Office Protocol. The addition of the number 3 indicates the third version, which is also the latest. POP3 is a standard internet protocol that helps to retrieve an email message. On the other hand, IMAP stands for Internet Message Access Protocol. The number 4 in front of the symbol ‘IMAP’ indicates the fourth version.

Discussion question Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 15

Discussion question - Coursework Example Diabetes has increased among individuals based on the absurd lifestyle and unbalanced food habits. Managing the impact of obesity and neuropathy play the vital role in reducing the difficulties that may accumulated with diabetes. It has often been noted that the people who are overweight are noted to be having higher chances of developing diabetes. Therefore, to increase the effectiveness of the treatment of diabetes the neuropathy and obesity instances must be controlled so that the impact of the same could be reduced to a greater extent (Rangel & et al., 2014). The provider can approach the patient with the help of discussion about the treatment related to diabetes as well as the difficulties of diabetes can be reduced. By providing a better treatment related to diabetes provider can influence the selection of agents for the treatment of diabetes. The development of instances of obesity could help in developing a proper domain of treatment for controlling the level of blood sugar. By enhancing the self-care activities of patient the provider can effectively develop a proper plan for meeting with the needs of the progression and enhance the treatment of blood sugar. With the help of medication as well as counseling the provider can influence the patients for the treatment of diabetes and reduce the problem associated with the same (Mshigeni, Kimunai, Anderson, Fildes & Villar, 2014). Rangel, A. H., Moreno, C. A. Ochoa, T. M., Saucedo, L. Z. & Renaud, K. J. (2014). The influence of peripheral neuropathy, gender, and obesity on the postural stability of patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Journal of Diabetes Research,

Kindergarten Language Lesson Plan Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Kindergarten Language Lesson Plan - Term Paper Example ideology puts focus on the needs of the times and what are needed to become a productive member of society and thereby design the educational curricula according to the assessed need of the time. It emphasizes skills and competencies that have to be learned in order to survive in the real world. Refer to your copy of the Goal Three Standards. List three(3) appropriate standards and describe the activities provided for students in this lesson that demonstrate the Goal 3 Standards. How do these relate to the assignment? In introducing the lesson to the pupils, the audience has to consider as children who loves to play and have short attention span. Such, the lesson has to be presented as fun and engaging for the lesson to be effective. 1. Encourage children to talk what is their favorite game and then ask them to describe them. Most likely boys will talk about sports while girls will talk about their friends. The importance in this activity is to engage the pupils to express themselves. 2. Second, ask them why they like such games. This will provide the teacher an opportunity to assess the language skill level of pupils and can apply necessary changes in the lesson plan when appropriate. Kindergarten is the stage where children are beginning to read or has just learned how to read. This skill must be enhanced to enable the pupils to acquire other knowledge through the skill of reading. 1. Colorful representation of the alphabets should be used where consonants and vowels are segregated. Most likely, children already know what they are but it would be necessary for them to recite them just to familiarize them. 3. When the pupil has already a grasp that the combination of consonants and vowels actually forms a word, they will be engaged in a game of word creation where they will be given letter blocks to construct words by pairing the letters. 1. To encourage children to work independently and still interested with the subject matter, present them

Drug Companies and Ethics Essay Example for Free

Drug Companies and Ethics Essay After researching pharmaceutical companies, I quickly realized this is a very controversial topic. I’m not certain anyone in many of these companies have very many moral standards. Drug companies seemed to be very profitable from the researchers to the drug reps that deliver â€Å"gifts† and sample meds to the doctor’s offices that push their medications. Many activists will argue that drug companies put themselves before human rights. Companies violate health related human rights by prioritizing profits over peoples access to essential medications. Many large scale drug companies argue that they are proudly taking the stakeholder approach and striving to promote fair labor practices and non-discrimination in the workplace. They will also argue that the reason medication prices are so high is because of all of the research that is involved in developing a medication, while activists argue that meds are so expenisve due to the marketing they put into a drug in the first several years. I found researching the pharmaceutical companies to be very interesting. It was very hard to get past the negative controversies and debates to find anything positive about any one company. However, I finally found one company in particular, Merck Co. that has taken responsibility and turned around some negative press by developing a program that helps thousands of people. Lynch 2 Merck is one of the largest and most profitable drug companies in the world, but they have also been a leader in a donation program that helps Third World countries in Africa, South America and Yemen since the 1980’s. Merck became one of the first drug companies to become socially responsible by donating to countries that could not afford the essential medications needed to prevent a disease that caused something as severe as blindness in hundreds of people. Their medication, Mectizan, taken annually can alleviate and has ultimately eliminated this disease in some countries. Since the 80’s when Merck started this program many other drug companies have jumped on board. Companies such as Pfizer, Johnson Johnson and GlaxoSmithKline have all started taking social responsibility and are now donating through programs to these Third World countries. These companies are donating medications that our country takes for granted and that we may not need in our everyday life. Johnson Johnson donates a medication that rids their children of intestinal parasites while Pfizer donates Zithromax to eliminate trachoma. If it were not for these companies donating such large quantities of these drugs every year, millions of lives would be lost. I find it very interesting that the drug companies that many people complain about and that make millions a year in profits seem to also be able to do such wonderful things in these countries. I found many articles that complained about the CEO’s and about the terrible morals that some of these pharmaceutical companies are known for. I think that when it comes to morals and ethics people see what they want to see. Drug companies have had a bad name for many years so you don’t see a lot of positive press and articles such as the one I found. It was actually refreshing to read about the dr ug companies that donate and the lives they save. Some of us may not agree with how these companies push their drugs into our doctor offices and we may even say that they do not practice great ethics, but it seems as if these companies are at least trying to keep a â€Å"good name.† I am certain that the people in these Third World countries are very grateful to the drug companies that donate because not only are these companies saving their lives but they are also saving the lives of their children.

The Internal And External Validity And Reliability Psychology Essay

The Internal And External Validity And Reliability Psychology Essay This chapter contains a description of the research methodology proposed for this study, including a restatement of the purpose and research questions. The chapter is organized with categories pertaining to the instrumentation, data collection, research methodology, ethical concerns, and explanation of the statistical procedures used for a descriptive quantitative analysis. The purpose of this study is to examine the opinions and attitudes of the Colorado Mental Health Institutes clinical staff regarding the perceived value of the Crisis Prevention Institutes Nonviolent Crisis Intervention Program used to manage violence in the hospitals inpatient treatment settings. This will be accomplished through the use of a survey designed to assess the perceptions of those charged with providing direct care to the mentally ill population of the Institute regarding the effectiveness of the Crisis Prevention Institutes Nonviolent Crisis Intervention Program to prevent and manage violent behavior . Designing an attitudinal survey in order to quantify results can be a challenging task depending on what is being measured and selecting the appropriate assessment methodology. Most forms of assessment test large sample groups, with divergent sub-groups to contrast and compare in terms of scores (Thorndike Thorndike-Christ, 2009). The subject areas in the survey that will be used for this assessment are of a non-comparative nature, meaning that each item is scaled independently of the others as opposed to comparing them to each other. The numbers used in the scale will indicate the relative position of items, but not the magnitude of difference between them. With respect to these parameters and limitations, this study will present the survey scores of the participants, along with calculations as to their range and central tendency. In addition, inferences will be made as to factors that may have influenced the scoring choices made by the respondents. In the fields related to education and social science, research exploring the attitudes, feelings, and lived experiences of the respondents is often conducted through the use of a survey methodology. Research data gathered in this manner can be categorized into four types measuring scales containing different information that determines the method of statistical analysis (Stevens, 1946). Perhaps the simplest though least statistically descriptive measurement scale is termed a nominal scale, in which a name or number is assigned to the value of the data for identifying purposes. Numbers used in a nominal scale have no particular order, magnitude, or significance in value other than for the purpose of identification, and though this scale of measurement yields little in terms of detailed statistical information, there is less potential for error secondary to the simplicity its structure (Stevens, 1946). In contrast, an ordinal scale is a level of measurement that does provide a differentiation and value in the numerical assignment (Stevens, 1946). Values can be determined by the ranking the assigned numbers in either an increasing or decreasing fashion, dependent on the design and purpose of the research instrument. An example of this would be 5 point ordinal scale used for an assessment of pain utilizing an increasing design. The number 1 would indicate the least amount of pain experienced, with the number 5 ascribed to the highest level of pain experienced; and the numbers in between reflecting differences in experiential magnitude. Although in this example the level of pain would be indicated by the numerical assignment, the difference in the numbers in the ranking would not necessarily be equal or precise, and the differences between any two rating numbers would not indicate a specific interval. Thus, an ordinal scale may be considered to be a more sophisticated method for measu rement than a nominal scale, yet be less precise for in providing specific information in terms of magnitude than with other levels of measurement such as interval or ratio scales. Researchers seeking this type of information might use an interval scale, as there are equal spaces between any two values which will provide more specific data than with a nominal or ordinal scale. As the distance between any two positions on an interval scale is of a known size, this method allows for the use of arithmetic operations, and the scale might be used for measurements pertaining to temperature, dollars, out to for, nor anything in which there is a direct measurable quantity with equality in units (Stevens, 1946). As with temperature, zero does not represent the absolute lowest value, and therefore inferences regarding the ratios of data cannot be made as an interval scale does not have a true value of zero (Thorndike Thorndike-Christ, 2009). A level of measurement that does possess a true value of zero and has the property of ratios has some similarities to an interval scale, and is called a ratio scale. The corresponding ratios on the scale have the same meaning and th e value of zero absolute, as in a measurement of height and weight (Thorndike Thorndike-Christ, 2009). The ratio scale can provide more specific information than the other levels of measurement; however, its complexity can be a factor in terms of the potential for research error. All four of these levels of measurement can be used singly and at times conjunctively in the design of a rating scale instrument dependent on the type of research being conducted. Therefore, the selection of a particular level of measurement is a fundamental concern for the researcher, as the success or failure of a research endeavor may lie in making an appropriate choice, as the subsequent types statistical analyses for each are varied and differentiated. Likert and Likert-Type Rating Scales The level of measurement most appropriate for this quantitative statistical study is an ordinal scale. As the focus of this study is on staff members attitudes, trying to render subjective and what might be considered qualitative data into quantitative measurements requires a method for categorizing responses. At the same time, care must be given in considering whether a particular scale item can be measured in terms of the distances between any two numbers in the rating scale. In 1932 Rensis Likert created and developed a methodology often used to assess feelings, attitudes, and opinions by providing a rating scale structure that addressed this concern (Likert, 1932). This method has widely utilized and adapted in many venues including education, social science, marketing, and a variety of other applications with empirical research evidence that confirms its reliability and validity (Abdel-Khalek, 1998; Chow Winzer, 1992; Maurer Andrews, 2000). This evidence further suggests that r ating bias is reduced and the reliability of the rating is highest when a 5 or 7 point or higher rating scale is used (Stennet, 2002). As a result, a typical Likert scale typically has 5 to 7 categories with 3 or 4 point scales often considered too few, particularly when parametric statistical methods are applied (Garson, 2002). The categories in a 5-point Likert scale is often coded as 1- Strongly Disagree, 2 Disagree, 3 -Neutral, 4 Agree, and 5 Strongly Agree, with percentage and nonparametric statistics used for analysis. The simplest form of Likert scale is analyzed in a summative manner; with the mean value of a Likert-item found by adding the number of responses to a Likert-item and dividing it by the number of points used for the rating scale. Whether or not Likert scales can or should be analyzed using parametric versus nonparametric tests is a source of ongoing controversy within the statistical community (Acock Martin, 1974). Efforts to quantify responses using paramet ric tests have led to an adaptation in scale design from the classic Likert model, to what is termed a Likert-type scale (Clason Dormody, 1994). A Likert-type scale differs from a Likert scale in the statement questions being singular in the response alternatives, allowing for the data to be treated as interval scale data for parametric statistical analysis (Brown, 2000; Clason Dormody, 1994; Cliff, 1984; Hodgson, 2003). With this approach, the mean score of Likert-type data from each question or statement could be compared using a t -test, though factors related to data distribution, sample size, and number of rating choices would need to be considered (Clason Dormody, 1994). This translation of ordinal rating scale data into that of an interval scale for the use of parametric statistical methods underscores the controversy identified by Acock Martin, 1974). As previously described in the levels of measurement, ordinal scales are ranked with no specific measurable difference or distance between the numerical categories, and statistical calculations used to determine the mean, standard deviation, and patterns of correlatio n may result in inaccurate research findings (Harwell Gatti, 2001; Miller, 1998). In the classic Likert scale design numbers to provide order and ranking, but since the actual distance and origin between the numbers is unknown, then it cannot be scored in an additive manner save to indicate the central tendency and range of the responses (Dawes, 2008). This supports the contention that non-parametric test should be used for a quantitative analysis, though it could be argued there are methods that would be more statistically accurate and valid, such as ordinal regression techniques (McCullagh, 1980). Furthermore, the calculation of the mean scores for the ordinal data would need to be established in order to be statistically valid in a analysis using parametric tests (Trochim, 2006), whereas those arguing against this approach contend that the median but not the mean can serve as a measure of central tendency (Trochim, 2006). For this study, the calculations for will exclude the mea n, though the mode, median, and range of the score distribution will be presented. Data Analysis A descriptive quantitative research methodology will be used for this study through the use of a survey that was designed to collect data from the direct care providers at the Colorado Mental Health Institute. A survey methodology is often used for data collection from a specific population or from a sample of the population (Robson, 1993). Within the realm of psychology, surveys are used for gathering data about individuals, groups and organizations, and larger social networks (Rossi, Wright, and Anderson, 1983). Most Americans have participated in some form of survey in an either online or in a paper format whether in an educational, social science, political, or marketing research context. Many organizations have employees participate in satisfaction surveys, and surveys in general have become a sort of social barometer for monitoring the publics attitudes and opinions. Often surveys target a specific population, with a sample survey focusing on subgroups determined by a variety o f factors such as gender, race, geography, political beliefs etc. dependent on the nature and focus of the subject areas studied (Rossi, Wright and Anderson, 1983). The advantages and strengths of using a survey methodology for gathering information are that they can be of a qualitative or quantitative design, and be easily administered to gather information quickly and inexpensively (Leary , 1995). In the past, this was frequently accomplished through the use of paper and mailed surveys, with the latter method used particularly when large populations were being surveyed. With advances in communication and digital technology, surveys can be conduct via electronic formats as varied as those associated with phones and computers. Other frequently used research methodologies such as personal interviews can be more time and cost intensive than with the use of a survey instrument, and anonymity and confidentiality of the respondents can be more difficult to control. These factors strongly influenced the researchers choice of a descriptive research methodology utilizing a survey instrument to assess the Colorado Mental Health institutes clinical employ ees attitudes, feelings, and lived experiences related to the crisis intervention training program the organization has utilized for 25 years. Few attitudinal surveys have been conducted regarding this specific subject area, and a review of the literature did not reveal any studies concerning the long-term impact of this type of training on the culture of a mental health organization. The Colorado Mental Health Institutes 2008 Safety Survey Another key factor that sponsored this researchers interest in designing and administering an attitudinal survey was a review of a safety survey conducted at the Colorado Mental Health Institute in 2008. The Colorado Mental Health Institute currently uses a survey methodology for exit interviews with clients that are discharging from the facility, as well as surveys designed to gauge employees job satisfaction. The Institute has only conducted one survey that concerned the subject area of crisis intervention training being focused on in the proposed study for this dissertation. The purpose of the survey was stated thusly: In light of the high number of patient to staff assaults in fiscal year 07-08, the hospital focused the annual Failure Mode Effects and Analysis on the Management of Assaultive Patients, and assembled a workgroup to perform the analysis. The hospital director suggested a staff survey specific to perceptions of safety to be done as part of the work on reducing assaul ts (Colorado Mental Health Institute Safety Survey, 2008). Although the survey provided some interesting results, there was no data regarding the internal and validity of the survey instrument. Thus, the results are highly questionable in terms of these factors, and the survey cannot be considered quantitatively accurate, though it can provide useful information for developing a more scientifically accurate instrument by analyzing its improper design. It is important to note that in 2008 the Colorado Mental Health Institute had eight treatment units as opposed to the four that currently provide service for adults, with the closure of geriatric, adolescent, and children services in recent years. 2008 Survey Methodology There were approximately 240 surveys distributed to the direct care staff members, with 224 surveys submitted by participants indicating a 93% return rate. The survey focused on the aggregated responses of nurses, Mental Health Clinicians, and Public Safety Officers (security) as the providers with the most direct care contact. The survey used a 5 point Likert scale shown below: Table 1. 1 2 3 4 5 Strongly Disagree Disagree Neutral Agree Strongly Agree The safety survey was comprised of four questions: I feel safe working with patients on my unit. I feel safe when I float to another unit. Crisis management training is useful/helpful in preparing me to deal effectively with agitated and escalated patients. I feel adequately trained to deal with assaultive patients. There was one open-ended question, asking What further training do you feel would be beneficial to prepare you to work with the various patient populations at the Colorado Mental Health Institute and the assault risks they present? Table 2. Colorado Mental Health Institute Safety Survey, 2008. The survey presented tables illustrating findings specific to each treatment unit similar to the one above. They are not included in this study for the sake of brevity, however, it is important to note that there was some disparity between the different populations responding to this survey and a slight difference between the teams and disciplines. These differences were small enough to lend credence to the aggregate results. Overall, the highest scored variable was I feel adequately trained to deal with assaultive patients at 3.96. The lowest scored variable was I feel safe when I float to another unit, at 3.21. CMT is useful/helpful in preparing meà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ registered at a middle value at 3.21. All of the scores ranged between neutral and agree, and appear to have been derived using a summative method. The following tables further illustrate these findings (Colorado Mental Health Institute Safety Survey, 2008): Table 3. Table 4. There were only twenty responses to the open-ended question, What further training do you feel would be beneficial to prepare you to work with the various patient populations at the Colorado Mental Health Institute and the assault risks they present? Some of the responses did not specifically address training, for instance; several respondents said they needed more staff. Other respondents asked for training specific to patient populations, age group, and diagnoses. Several respondents stated that there should be an orientation to any units before floating (i.e. working on unfamiliar units). In addition, some respondents felt that they just needed more training, or more practice. Analysis of the 2008 Safety Survey Considering that this survey uses a 5 point scale the variable indicating 3.21 when employees float might have to do with the reaction of working in a different treatment setting with patients, staff, and conditions with which the employee is unfamiliar. The 3.96 rating ascribed to feeling adequately trained is relatively high, though there is a disparity when contrasted with the 3.21 rating of the perception of crisis management training being useful. The fact that all the readings are neutral or higher would support the contention found in the literature review that some form of crisis management training is more beneficial and preferable to having none at all. The middle score for crisis management training and the tenor of some of the individual comments suggest a performance gap with regards to the training process. This may have had to do with the crisis management training approach, the amount of practice and experience an employee has with using the techniques, or the assessm ent methods utilized to evaluate employee competency. However, these inferences are merely based on conjecture as the reliability and validity of the research instrument was not established. In addition, using only four Likert-items the survey design seems too limited in scope to gather a comprehensive overview of the employees attitudes and opinions. Therefore, the results are subject to interpretation, lacking in specificity and clarity, and cannot be considered as valid and reliable empirical evidence. Data Analysis Methods for the Proposed Survey The data analysis for the proposed survey for this study will begin by examining the surveys for correctness and completeness, and then numerically coding the responses into a database in the PASW-18 software (Predictive Analysis Software) and performing an analysis of descriptive responses. Surveys that are incomplete will be were discarded from the analysis, and the frequency tables and descriptive statistics will display the results relevant to answering the research questions. As described previously, the calculations will exclude the mean, though the mode, median, and range of the score distribution will be presented. A Chi-square test will conducted to determine if a relationship exists between frequencies, although it will not indicate the strength or positive/negative direction of the relationship. This is consistent with standard statistics guidelines for using the non-parametric tests that will be used in this study as opposed to parametric tests; for as Jamieson (2004) adv ises, the appropriate inferential statistics for ordinal data are those employing non-parametric tests, such as chi-squared, Spearmans Rho, or the Mann-Whitney U-test1 because parametric tests require data of interval or ratio level (p. 2113). As the numbers in the survey that will be assigned to Likert-items fall into the ordinal measurement scale, the descriptive statistics will include a mode or median for central tendency and frequencies for variability, and the inferential non-parametric tests will follow Jameisons (2004) recommendations, including Spearman s Rho to detect linear relationships and Kendalls tau-b for any increasing or decreasing relationship between the Likert scale questions. Data Collection Crisis intervention training is mandated for those staff members at the Colorado Mental Health Institute that provide direct care for clients residing in inpatient settings. In addition, those members in the Institutes administration that oversee this care are also involved in biannual trainings. Therefore, the sample population will consist of 210 clinical staff members, with the surveys distributed in the upcoming training review for the clinical staff members at the Institute. Although attendance for this training is mandated for employees, it will be made clear that participation in the survey is voluntary, with the anonymity of the participants made clear to addressing the issues regarding confidentiality. The respondents will be assured that the survey is anonymous and confidential, though they will be given the opportunity to provide information regarding their respective disciplines, years of service, level of education, and gender. Once the data has been collected, the resul ts will be recorded and statistically analyzed using PASW-18 software. Prior to the distribution of the surveys during training review, the purpose and importance of the study will be announced in each of the treatment units team meetings, and posted for all clinical staff members via the Institutes intranet e-mail service. Research Questions/Hypotheses _____ Describes specific research questions and hypotheses (where appropriate) that _____ Are clear and succinct _____ Are congruent with the Statement of Problem _____ Are answerable/testable _____ Correspond to the number of variables of interest _____ Have hypotheses that correspond to research questions _____ Are clearly stated _____ Are open-ended (not yes/no questions) Population and Sample The sampling frame for the survey consists of 210 members of the Institutes direct care staff, whose treatment teams multidisciplinary structure are comprised of management staff, nurses, social workers, psychiatrists, psychologists, therapeutic recreation specialists, occupational therapists and mental health clinicians. Although these disciplines function within a team context, there are differences in terms of power and status, as well as their amount of direct client care. Examples of these differences in station are the administrators, psychologists, and psychiatrists that comprise the upper echelon within the teams, with middle managers functioning as liaisons between the lower ranking team members and those higher up in the organization. The social workers on the team have a middling status with regards to power and prestige; with nurses and mental health clinicians representing the lowest status with the greatest amount of patient contact, though having the least contact with the hospital administration. Although this last factor is interesting from an organizational point of view, it is even more relevant in terms of the study as those staff members having the most direct contact with clients are the most likely to encounter and intervene in violent situations occurring on the inpatient units. Ethical Concerns There are ethical concerns inherent in any form of research study, particularly those involving the use of human subjects. To address these, procedures for protecting confidential and anonymity in data collection, analysis, reporting, and storage need to be developed and described. The researcher must be competent to perform the research procedures in order to reduce the risk of causing harm to human subjects, and the reputation of the sponsoring organization as well as the organization were the study is being conducted (Welman et al., 2005:182). For this proposed study, the researcher has completed the coursework for the Doctoral Program in Organizational Psychology at the University of the Rockies. This course of study has been grounded in the orientation and practice of conducting research, utilizing different kinds of research methodologies, undergoing training relative to conducting legal, ethical, and appropriate research procedures, and applying qualitative and quantitative an alysis in a variety of projects under the tutelage of qualified instructors at the doctoral level of education. There are a number of safeguards implemented by the University the Rockies to ensure that ethical concerns are addressed in an appropriate manner, including a requirement that the student completes two courses related exclusively to proper conduct and methodology in the research process, as well as the ethical research guidelines that need to be understood and followed. Throughout this training, the importance of the researchers work needing to be authentic and built upon his or hers own ideas have been emphasized, citing the use of other peoples ideas and data to avoid plagiarism. In addition, it has been made clear that providing data that is falsified or misleading is inappropriate and unethical. To ensure appropriate ethical standards are followed, student researchers at the University the Rockies are supervised by a committee of three psychologists, one serving as the committee chairman who works closely with the student. Finally, if the committee supports and approves the research proposal, it is reviewed by the Universitys Research Review Board and Institutional Review Board to ensure that the proposed study is original, contributes to the body of work in the field of psychology, and is held to the highest ethical standards. Factors related to the fairness of the proposed survey pose some ethical considerations. It is important that respondents understand the language used in the survey, and efforts have been made to make sure that each item is clear and easily understood. The specificity and clarity of the survey items was tested in the pilot study to assess if the respondents knowledgeable in the subject area interpreted each item in the intended way, and that this intention is made clear. The survey items are of a relatively simple construction reviewing concepts revisited frequently throughout the training process. Efforts have been made to design a survey that meets the validity and reliability standards discussed The possibility of ethical concerns arising for the respondents in this proposed study are reduced secondary to the anonymous and confidential nature of the survey; and that the previously, and the survey will be conducted with the same time parameters and conditions for all participants. voluntary participants being surveyed are employees as opposed to the Institutes clientele. Nevertheless, individuals participating in the survey may question the viability of keeping this information confidential, and worry that an honest and full disclosure of their views and feelings regarding the subject area may negatively impact their status within the organization. Efforts will be made to neutralize this factor by giving the respondents an accurate description of the study, and pointing out the potential benefits for the organization by improving the welfare and safety the Colorado Mental Health Institutes clients, as well as those charged with the responsibility of providing their care. The results of the study will be made available to all members of the Colorado Mental Health Institute, including any results that are associated with researcher error. Instrumentation The survey proposed for this study was designed to gather data based on the proposed research questions, and provide information to make appropriate conclusions and inferences based on empirical data. The instrument was designed to measure each respondents opinions, attitudes, lived experiences regarding the perceived value and effectiveness of the Crisis Prevention Institutes Nonviolent Crisis Intervention Program to manage violence. The attitudinal scale that will be used in the study will be based on a Likert scale, which is often used as a form of summative scale. The design is formatted using a variety of Likert scales with statements that the respondent evaluates by expressing their general level of agreement or disagreement. The scales proposed for this study to assess respondents perceptions of the Crisis Prevention Institutes Nonviolent Crisis Intervention Program effectiveness will use a 5-point Likert design. The survey is anonymous and voluntary with no identifying inform ation, though clarifying information such as gender, years of service, occupation, and years of education will be requested. The Likert-items for the survey targeted three general areas: 1) training objectives and content, 2) method and training context, and 3) usefulness and knowledge transfer. In the first category, 8 Likert-items refer to specific aspects and components in the training process. The second category contains 7 Likert-items that concerns applications of the training outside of the training event, as well as how it integrates with other training initiatives sponsored by the Colorado Mental Health Institute. The third and final category contains 6 Likert-items that are designed to explore employee attitudes regarding the training in terms of its relevance and utilization in real-life situations. Table 4. shows the rating scale that is used consistently throughout the survey, and for each of the three described categories. Table 4. Rating Scale. 1 2 3 4 5 Strongly Agree Agree Neither Agree or Disagree Disagree Strongly Disagree The survey has been reviewed by a panel of experts (committee members), who offered recommendations to make the Likert-items more specific and measurable, and then was administered to a screening sample of five people comprised of subjects similar to those who will eventually participate in the survey for this study. The inclusion of the neutral Neither Agree or Disagree category was included to avoid forcing the respondents to choose a response. The numbers of choices on a 5-point scale will present an odd number of choices, allowing respondents to remain neutral. The decision on whether or not to include a neutral category in a survey has been debated, with a decision either way potentially impacting the assessment results (Mogey, 1999). The participants in the screening/pilot sample will be excluded from the final pool of respondents for the survey, which was designed to be completed no more than 10 minutes of time. Some of the considerations in constructing the survey include res pondents possibly being influenced by the way they have answered previous questions, in terms of establishing a pattern that they feel the need to break. In addition, some members may desire to take extreme options but instead temper their responses with more moderate ones. This can be sometimes a challenge in terms of testing in a psychologically oriented environment, where participants are adept at finding and arguing dichotomous and often opposing viewpoints. Internal and External Validity Establishing the reliability and validity of the survey instrument proposed for this research study is fundamental as it is created as opposed to a published instrument. Suskie (1996) describes a questionnaire or survey as reliable when it elicits consistent responses from the participants, and this can be accomplished by providin

Joseph Henry Essay -- essays research papers fc

Joseph Henry   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Joseph Henry lived from 1797 to 1878. Of Scottish decent, Henry was a son of a day laborer in Albany, New York. He was sent to live with his grandmother as a small boy in a village about 40 miles from Albany. At the age of thirteen, be became apprenticed to a watchmaker. He then became interested in theatre and was offered employment as a professional actor, but instead he attended Albany Academy where he was provided with free tuition. He has always been interested in science and by 1823 his education was very far advanced that he was assisting the teaching of science courses. By 1826, after a shift as a district schoolteacher and as a private tutor, he was appointed Professor of Mathematics and Natural Philosophy at Albany Academy. With all these titles and positions eh received, Joseph Henry still managed to do important scientific experiments.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Joseph Henry became specifically interested in terrestrial magnetism. His interest in this led him to experiment with electromagnetism. His apprenticeship as a watchmaker stood him in a good stead in the construction of batteries and other contraptions. Although there had been other physicists who had observed the magnetic effects from electrical currents, Henry was the first to wind insulated wires around an iron core to obtain powerful electromagnets. Before he left Albany, he built one for Yale that would lift 2,300 pounds, which was the largest in the wor...

disinvestment :: essays research papers

DISINVESTMENT OF PUBLIC SECTOR UNDERTAKINGS IN INDIA TODAY THE RUSSIAN ECONOMIC MODEL OF DEVELOPMENT CONNOTED THROUGH THE RUSSIAN FUR DOES NOT EXIST. TODAY THE CHINESE ECONOMIC MODEL OF DEVELOPMENT CONNOTED THROUGH THE MAO SUIT DOES NOT EXIST. Margaret Thatcher disrobed them. The concept of the GOLDEN STRAIGHT JACKET is avowed, to whether it were the Democrats or the Republicans, the Conservatives or the Laborites, the BJP or the Congress. The concept of the golden straight jacket has been embraced by all countries including India. It endeavors to shift the economic decision making from the government to the markets. The concept of Disinvestment being it’s major tenet. The Nehruvian temples of economic growth, better known as the Public Sector Undertakings were born as the outcome of the conscious policy of the government to speed up industrialization of the country with a view to giving added impetus to economic growth as well as achieve certain socio-economic goals. These undertakings account for  ¼ of our GDP. They also account for 1/3 of our exports and have made contributions to import substitution. Also government undertakings employ more than 70% of the workers employed in the organized sector. These undertakings have helped reduce imbalances in regional development and a few of them have earned reputation for excellence at international level. But the picture is not as rosy as it seems, rather the scene in most of the PSU’s is very chilling. According to figures upto March ‘99 losses incurred by 29 PSU’s trebled within one year from approx. Rs.1050 crores to Rs. 3600 crores. The major reasons for the non performance of the PSU’s can be summarized as: Political Interference, High Cost of Delay, Fear of Scams, Headless Plants, Ineffective Management, Huge Inventories, Trade Unionism and Unutilized Capacities. A comprehensive policy on public sector was set out in the Industrial Policy Statement of July 24, 1991 - the year when the country had to tide over an unprecedented economic crisis reflected in its internal and external finances. The steps adumbrated included a review of public sector investments to focus on strategic and essential infrastructure enterprises and new procedures to tackle chronically sick and loss-making units. â€Å"Rationality is least expected from an economist who is best defined as a man who tells you tomorrow why the things he predicted yesterday did not happen today.† The DEPARTMENT OF DISINVESTMENT has the following rationale: Because of the current revenue expenditure on items such as interest payments, wages and salaries of Government employee and subsidiaries, the Government is left with hardly any surplus for capital expenditure on social and physical infrastructure.

Film Analysis of A Midsummer Nights Dream :: Movies A Midsummer Nights Dream Essays

Film Analysis of A Midsummer Night's Dream Michael Hoffman directed William Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream and it is an enchanting new version of Shakespeare's most magical comedy. It has dangerous potions, fairies and strange romances. It is a tale of a wondrous single night in which wicked spirits turn the world of love on its head. First I have to make it clear that I have never really thought much of A Midsummer Night's Dream. I have always considered it fairly frivolous and not too important in William Shakespeare's career. I really do not know why, it just is what it is. I must say, that Michael Hoffman's William Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream is a very good film, BUT, it is not for everyone because it is purely Shakespeare updated to 19th Century, Tuscany, Italy where the characters ride around on a new invention, the bicycle. All the magical fairies, tangled romances, Oberon and Puck are all here to bedevil the ill-fated humans, as Puck says, "What fools these mortals be". The movie opens with an interesting effect to show the name of the film, it's quite magical. The opening is interesting but then it bogs down for about 15 minutes and since I was tired I found it a bit of a struggle staying awake, but I did and I was rewarded. I quickly woke up as the scene moved into the woods late at night as the fairy world came to life with interesting, magical creatures. Stanley Tucci plays the mischievous Puck quite well as does Calista Flockheart as Helena, one of the tortured lovers; she nails Helena's love craziness. Christian Bale as Demet rius, Sophie Marceau as Hippolyta and Domenic West as Lysander play the other lovers. Rupert Everett's Oberon has a brooding to him that I have never seen which makes that role work for me in ways it has never before. I personally feel that Michelle Pfeiffer as Titania, the fairy Queen was absolutely beautiful. Kevin Kline as Nick Bottom and Ms.

Effects of the Vietnam War

Abstract While it takes societies to start wars, war changes societies. Whether it be the loss of life, wealth or influence, war determines what a society becomes. This paper will look at some of the effects on U. S. society following the war in Viet Nam. The Effects of the Vietnam War on American Society The Conflict in Southeast Asia had lasting effects on the United States society. It was sold to the American people as necessary to stop the spread of Communism and quickly become one of the longest and costliest wars in U. S. history.Looking at the war strictly from the point-of-view of society, the after effects of the war were staggering. There was weakened public faith in the government and a change in the public image of the American soldier. The loss of national pride was deep. America had effectively lost a war to what Secretary of State Henry Kissinger had called â€Å"a fourth-rate power. † The U. S. was no longer looked at as an invincible giant. Because President J ohnson wanted to fund the war without raising taxes, the government deficit skyrocketed. Additionally, troops returning home could not find jobs in the private sector.These factors together caused double digit inflation and unemployment rates. The people felt that the government was not taking care of them like it used to. These factors led to a change in the country's role around the world. Congress was worried that the world was viewing the U. S. as the planet's policeman, ready to jump in anytime another country seemed ready to fall victim to Communism. In 1973, the mostly Democratic Congress enacted the War Powers Resolution, which limited the president's powers. The Commander-in-Chief could only send U. S. troops into combat for less than ninety days without congressional approval.Besides the lack of jobs, returning soldiers were not given parades and hailed by the people as conquering heroes as they were following previous conflicts. Instead, they were viewed with disdain, bot h for losing the war and for the vicious actions taken by a few soldiers. The hero gave way to the villain, the soldier became the baby-killer. The American sensibilities had changed as well. While soldiers were fighting and dying in Viet Nam, the United States had a few other conflicts within its own borders. Race riots and anti-war protests were shown side by side with battlefield reports on the nightly news.National Guard intervention and the shooting of students at Kent State and Jackson State universities did little to gain support for the government. According to Sen. Frank Church, Viet Nam â€Å"has already stretched the generation gap so wide that it threatens to pull the country apart. † (â€Å"Vietnam War Quotations†, para. 13) Whether the outcome of the war was beneficial or detrimental depends entirely on your point of view. On one hand, the more liberal attitude of government towards foreign intervention, the redefining of the right to protest and the skep ticism toward the government can be looked at as positive effects of an unpopular war.On the other hand, the image of the country in the eyes of the world, the loss of traditional values and the blow to the economy can be viewed as negative. No matter what personal stance one has on the Viet Nam Conflict, there is one truth; The War in Southeast Asia definitely changed the United States as a world power, as a country and as a people. References Frey-Wouters, E. , & Laufer, R. S. (1986). The Vietnam Generation's Views of the Combatants. In Legacy of a war: the American soldier in Vietnam. (pp. 108-109). M. E. Sharpe. Sitikoff, H. (n. d. ). The Postwar Impact of Vietnam.Universtiy of Illinois. Retrieved February 18, 2012, from http://www. english. illinois. edu/maps/vietnam/postwar. htm The Vietnam War: An Overview. (n. d. ). The Wars for Viet Nam: 1945 to 1975. Retrieved February 18, 2012, from http://vietnam. vassar. edu/overview/index. html Vietnam War and the American Economy. (n. d. ). History Central. Retrieved February 18, 2012, from http://www. historycentral. com/sixty/Economics/Vietnam. html Vietnam War Quotations. (n. d. ). VietnamWar. net. Retrieved February 18, 2012, from http://www. vietnamwar. net/quotations/quotations. htm

Gambling among Adolescents in North America Essay

Lottery, card games, sports betting and money wagers. These are a few kinds of gambling that adults engage in; however, the youth of today are also found to be gambling more than adults (Derevensky & Gupta, 2002; Huang & Boyer, 2007). According to Derevensky & Gupta (2002), there is an alarmingly high percentage of children and adolescents engaged in gambling activities. In a long-term analysis between 1984 to 1999, it was found that the prevalence of youth gambling in North America increased from 45% to 66% and that the proportion of the youth who have serious gambling-related problems have increased as well from 10% to 15% in the same time period (Huang & Boyer, 2007). In the past 25 years in the United States and Canada, it has been found that the youth is significantly associated with gambling-related problems; the percentage of youth classified under the Sub-clinical or problem gambling (Level 2) and the pathological gambling (Level 3) were at 14. 6% and 4. 8% respectively in 2006, which is more than twice of the adults who only have a percentage of 2. 5% and 1. 5% each (ibid). Among the youth, it has also been found that more young men gamble more than women and they are also identified to be problem gamblers than young women and even among adults (Huang & Boyer, 2007). In North America today, approximately 80% of adolescents have participated in some form of gambling for money within in their lifetime (Felsher, Derevensky & Gupta, 2003; Messerlian & Derevensky, 2005). This is an alarming rate. The number of youth who are engaged in adolescent gambling is higher today more than ever before and it is starting to become a serious public health issue that many nations, especially the United States and Canada, are trying to address (Messerlian & Derevensky, 2005). Considerable research by psychologist and sociologists are being conducted regarding this problem. This paper will identify the causes of adolescent gambling, its consequences and what psychologists and the government are doing to treat this issue. Causes of Adolescent Gambling The availability and accessibility of gambling increased progressively in the United States and Canada from 1984-1999, which was also the time that an increase in youth gambling also occurred (Derevensky & Gupta, 2002). This increase in youth gambling has been attributed to the support of the two governments in the lucrative gambling industry. Political economy theories of Sauer maintain that this is due to the need for revenue generation of the large governments (Messerlian & Derevensky, 2005). The youth have become exposed to numerous gambling establishments, directly and indirectly (Felsher et al, 2003). The widespread legalization of the different kinds of gambling in North America has greatly exposed the youth to the addictive game (ibid; Huang & Boyer, 2007). Gambling has already become a â€Å"well-established recreational form of entertainment† (Felsher et al, 2003) and there is already an estimated 15. 3million adolescents in North America who have engaged in gambling activities and 2. 2 million of these are problem or pathological gamblers (Huang & Boyer, 2007). Among 12-17 year old Americans, 4%–8% of them are already pathological gamblers and another 10%–15% of the youth are at risk of developing a serious problem (Felsher et al. , 2003; Messerlian & Derevensky, 2005). Adolescents gamble because they are tempted by the â€Å"lure of excitement, entertainment, and potential financial gain associated with gambling† (Messerlian & Derevensky, 2005). Increased exposure to gambling will teach the kids to gamble, and the social learning theory of Albert Bandura points out the role of observation and imitation in the acquisition and maintenance of socially desirable and undesirable characteristics (Felsher et al. , 2003). The increased exposure they have in gambling influences them to do the same. Family and friends are the primary reference groups, but it is the parents who have a stronger influence since they occur earlier than the peer group (ibid). The parents are observed to be having fun and adolescents surveyed said they gamble because their parents play for enjoyment and excitement, and it is the parents who play their children and engage them in gambling (ibid). In the social learning theory, there are six mechanisms identified that is involved in the development of gambling and these are: 1) affective states such as anxiety or depression; 2) cognitive distortions about gambling; 3) behavioral reinforcement schedules; 4) social and institutional determinants such as opportunity to gamble; 5) sub-cultural conditions like prevailing attitude towards gambling and values of the adolescent’s social context and reference groups (as seen in the preceding paragraph); and 6) internal fantasy relationships with personifications like the parents or â€Å"lady luck† (Upfold, 2007). Lottery is the most favored form of gambling by adolescents because of its ease of accessibility and the minimal amount of money required to participate in the draw (Felsher et al. , 2003). Parents purchase the lottery tickets and they include their children in their gambling activity by asking for their advice, such as what number/s they should pick, let them carry the money, fill in the lottery stubs, scratching the numbers, etc. (ibid). This observation and direct participation of gambling from significant reference groups, such as the parents, influences the youth’s participation in gambling activities (Messerlian & Derevensky, 2005). The parental acceptance of gambling as a recreational activity further encourages the youth to partake in it (Felsher et al. , 2003). Adolescents who gamble say that they have learned it from their parents. 15% of children made first bet with their parents and another 20% with other family members (Messerlian & Derevensky, 2005). Parents gamble in close proximity to their children and they have a poor understanding of the negative consequences that this will have on their child (ibid). The Cognitive-Behavioral Model, which is part of the social-learning theory, may explain this cause. The model is based on the principles of learning from imitation, observation, schedules of enforcement and cognition or how the youth would interpret and draw conclusions about the events around him or her (Upfold, 2007). They are enforced to gamble since the adolescents report that their parents are aware of their gambling and that they do not object to it; 50% of parents are aware and are not worried, disregarding the age of the child (Felsher et al. , 2003). 58. 5% of children in the study of Felsher et al. (2003) also say that they wager money with their parents, hence they are taught to gamble; some parents even purchase lottery tickets for their child’s behalf and it has been found that the more severe gambling a child is doing, the more tickets there are purchased by parents. Also, adolescents who were found to be regularly gambling report that they gamble with their family members and 40% say they do it with their parents (Messerlian & Derevensky, 2005). â€Å"Problem gambling is governed by a complex set of interrelating factors, causes, and determinants: biological, familial, behavioral, social, and environmental† (ibid). Under environmental, ease of access of online-gambling sites on the Internet is a new problem since the youth can easily access it and can be enticed by the visual appeals of Internet gambling (ibid). Another important reference point and part of the environmental factor which indirectly teaches gambling to children and reinforces it is the school. There are schools who promote gambling through fundraising activities including lottery, raffle draws, bingo, casino nights, and by permitting card playing within schools (ibid). Another explanation for causes of gambling is the Psychodynamic Model, which proposes that personal problems â€Å"lie within the psyche and are an attempt at self-healing or a strategy of resolving unconscious psychic conflicts†¦beyond voluntary control,† (Upfold, 2007), hence the individual continues to engage in gambling. There are three main components in this model and they are: 1) Gambling is an unconscious substitute for aggressive outlets; 2) Gambling involves an unconscious desire to lose- a wish to be punished in reaction to guilt; and 3) Gambling is a medium for continued enactment of psychological conflict (ibid). Adolescents do not engage in gambling for money but for excitement and enjoyment; through video lottery terminals, sports betting, cards, lotteries, bingo and other forms of gambling, adolescents with a gambling problem exhibit a number of dissociative behaviors such as escape into another world where they have altered egos (Derevensky & Gupta, 2002). Their personality traits that are correlated with risk-taking behavior such as excitable, extroverted, anxious and lower self-discipline show that they have poor coping and adaptive skills, so when they cannot cope with many hardships in their life or the stress of being a teenager, they gamble to â€Å"escape from the realities of daily life† (ibid). Gambling has been a way for adolescents who experience negative life events and use emotional-coping strategies to escape their problems, even if they have claimed to have social support from their peers (ibid; Bergevin, Gupta & Derevensky, 2006). The Trait Theory of Gambling is also part of the psychodynamic model and it show that there are certain personalities that is related to the problem of gambling such as depression, anti-social personality disorder- particularly for pathological gamblers, and narcissism- as seen in the compulsive gamblers (Upfold, 2007). Other identified risk factors that may lead to adolescent gambling include male gender, alcohol and drug use, deviant peers, family history of gambling, and impulsive behavior (Pietrzak, Ladd & Petry, 2003). Consequences of Adolescent Gambling The consequences of adolescent gambling are somewhat similar to that of adult gamblers; they not only affect themselves but society as a whole. Adolescent gambling does not only affect the individual adolescent but their families, peers, communities and health services (Messerlian & Derevensky, 2005). The consequences the adolescent gamblers face are widespread and affects their psychological, behavioral, legal, academic, family and interpersonal domains- they become delinquent, have poor academic performance, impair their academic performance or even drop out from school, disrupt their relationship with family and friends, and display criminal behavior (ibid). They face negative health, psychological, social, personal and financial consequences that is why gambling is becoming a public health issue (ibid). It has been found that there is a strong correlation between adolescent gambling and the increased likelihood to drink alcohol, smoke tobacco and use drugs (Hardoon, Gupta & Derevensky, 2004). Huang & Boyer (2007) also says that adolescent gamblers are more likely to experience psychiatric problems, especially substance use disorders. The common factors that lead to this among adolescents are low self-esteem, depression, suicidal thoughts, victim of abuse, poor school performance, history of delinquency, poor impulse control, being male, early onset of gambling, parental history of gambling, and community/family acceptance of gambling (ibid). This will greatly affect the future of the youth since all that they indulge in is gambling. They become dissociated from the real world and spend much of their time gambling that they do not get to develop themselves as individuals anymore. They become more susceptible to suicide ideation and attempts, they replace their old friends with their gambling associates and they have a higher risk to develop an addiction or poly addictions (Gupta & Derevensky, 2002). In the study of Felsher et al. (2003), they found that 94% of young male gamblers and 93% of young female gamblers are not afraid to get caught. This shows their lack of concern on what may happen to them if they are caught and this may also show the acceptance of their parents. Since parents and most institutions fail to recognize gambling as a serious problem or certain activities to be gambling (Derevensky and Gupta, 2002), the adolescents are at a higher risk to further develop their gambling addiction. The course of gambling varies from one individual to another; however, the social learning theory shows that since gambling behavior is acquired it can be thought of as a continuum or stages from problem-free gambling all the way to pathological gambling (Messerlian & Derevensky, 2005; Upfold, 2007). Messerlian & Derevensky (2005) states that â€Å"as gambling escalates and one moves along the continuum of gambling risk, the negative outcomes begin to outweigh any potential benefits† and this is when they would start experiencing different kinds of impaired personal, health, financial and social consequences. Treatments to Adolescent Gambling The numerous psychosocial costs of gambling to the individual, his/her family and to the community shows that this is a problem that must be addressed and treated (Derevensky and Gupta, 2002). Some adolescents do not know that they have a gambling addiction or disorder and this prevents them from getting proper treatment (ibid) however, with the intervention of family, friends or event the school, the adolescent may get treated. There are several kinds of treatment for adolescents who are already problem or pathological gamblers. Before these are discussed, prevention models for gambling will be discussed first since prevention is better than cure. Government policies should be stricter regarding gambling, particularly On-line gambling since that is readily accessible to the youth. Public policies that can influence the social environment and minimize unhealthy gambling behavior such as â€Å"legislation on advertising and promotion, laws regulating minimum age-requirements and their enforcement, provision of programs for harm minimization, fiscal measures, and regulation of the availability of products† should be balanced with the economic gains of the gambling industry (Messerlian & Derevensky 2005). Other prevention models suggested by Derevensky & Gupta (2002) include the need for awareness of the problem; activities that increase knowledge on adolescent gambling; programs to help modify and change attitude that gambling is not harmless; teaching of effective coping and adaptive skills to prevent problematic gambling; changing inappropriate conceptions about skill and luck, the illusion of control and independence in gambling activities; and identification, assessment and referral of students who are indicative of being at risk to gambling problems. Psychosocial approaches are one of the methods used to treat pathological gambling and this for adults this includes Gamblers Anonymous (Pietrzak et al. , 2006). For the adolescents several youth groups have been formed such as youthbet. net in Canada and wannabet. org in the United States; these website are managed by youths and non-governmental organizations to offer assistance and collaboration to adolescents (Messerlian & Derevensky, 2005). Piertzak et al. (2006) found that cognitive-behavior therapy (CBT) and eclectic therapy have been helpful in reducing problematic gambling behaviors. CBT involves altering the inaccurate perceptions, beliefs and attitudes of adolescents about gambling. The eclectic therapy is the individual approach to treating gambling problems and consists of: detailed assessment, acceptance of the problem, development of effective coping skills, restructuring of free time, involvement of family and social supports, cognitive restructuring, establishment of debt payment plans and relapse prevention (ibid). The motivational enhancement therapy (MET) is also used and is based on the concept that behavior change occurs through identifiable stages: pre-contemplation, contemplation, action and maintenance (ibid). In this approach, the therapist is non-confrontational and elicits the adolescent’s understanding of the consequences of gambling and strengthens the commitment to change the ways of the individual; since it has a shorter duration that CBT and other therapies, MET is recommended for onset problems (ibid). A disease model is also sometimes used to treat gambling problems. In this approach, the compulsive gambler is made to embrace abstinence from gambling, to participate in self-help groups and to maintain abstinence by going through therapy to deal with previous or latent psychological problems (Upfold, 2007). There is also the Ecological Approach wherein gambling behavior is viewed from multiple perspectives and addresses the behavior from an individual and socio-environmental level where interventions are made at five levels that affects an individual to gamble: biological, familial, behavioral, social and environmental (Messerlian & Derevesnky, 2005). Internal and external factors cause an adolescent to gamble. Occasional gambling is harmless but once exposed to gambling especially at a young age, gambling problems may occur and develop into an addiction, which may affect the social, academic and personal life of the adolescent. Treatments vary such as cognitive-behavioral therapy, eclectic therapy, motivational-enhancement therapy and ecological approach; however, prevention of adolescent gambling is still the best and this can be done through increased awareness about the public health problem and stricter government policies regarding access of adolescents to gambling venues, especially online gambling. Bibliography Bergevin, T. , Gupta, R. and Derevensky, J. (2006). Adolescent gambling: Understanding the role of stress and coping. Journal of Gambling Studies, (22), 195-208. Derevensky, J. L. and Gupta, R. (2002). Youth gambling: A clinical and research perspective. The Electronic Journal of Gambling Issues. Retrieved April 9, 2008 from http://www. camh. net/egambling/issue2/feature/index. html Felsher, J. R. , Derevensky, J. L. , Gupta, R. (2003). Parental influences and social modelling of youth lottery participation. Journal of Community & Applied Social Psychology, 13: 361-377. Hardoon, K. K. , Gupta, R. and Derevensky, J. L. (2004). Psychosocial variables associated with adolescent gambling. Psychology of Addictive Behaviors, 18 (2), 170 – 179. Huang, J. H. and Boyer, R.. (2007). Epidemiology of youth gambling problems in Canada: A national prevalence study. The Canadian Journal of Psychiatry, 52 (10). Messerlian, C. and Derevensky, M. (2005). Youth gambling: A public health perspective. Journal of Gambling Issues (14). Pietrzak, R. H. , Ladd, G. T. and Petry, N. M. (2003). Disordered gambling in adolescents: Epidemiology, diagnosis and treatment. Pediatr Drugs, 5 (9), 583 – 592. Upfold, Darryl. (2007). An introduction to conceptual models of problem gambling. Center for Addiction and Mental Health. Retrieved April 13, 2008, from http://www. problemgambling. ca/EN/ResourcesForProfessionals/Pages/AnIntroductiontoConceptualModelsofProblemGambling. aspx

The Cause of bank failure

One member of the group is normally appointed to act as the managing or lead bank for the syndicate and it is the role of this bank to coordinate all negotiations, payments and administration between parties once the contract has been executed-it Is a multi bank transaction with each bank acting on a several basis, which means that each ann. acts on its own without responsibility for the other banks in the syndicate.If a bank fails to honor its obligations as a member of a syndicate, the other syndicate banks have no legal obligation to satisfy them on that bank's behalf. Syndicated loans are normally used to finance the purchase of capital assets or the acquisition of another business line or company. The syndicated credit market is one of the largest and most flexible sources of capital in the international market place. Loan syndication do happen In Zanzibar but are not very common. PROJECT LOANS – project loans has been used to describe all types of financing of projects, both with and without recourse. A financing of a particular economic unit in which a lender is satisfied to look initially to the cash flows and earnings of that economic unit as the source of funds from which a loan will be repaid and to the assets of the economic unit as collateral for the loan. Involve loans to finance major capital Investment projects for which the cash flow arising from the project will either be the sole or main repayment source.Such projects are usually financed by major banks because of the large amounts involved and the need for full technical evaluation for example building a major dam or prospecting for 011. The loan Is usually provided on a medium or long term basis. There are often other side benefits resulting from segregating a financing as a project financing which may have a bearing on the motives of the company seeking such a structure. These benefits include: – Credit sources may be available to the project that would not be available to th e sponsor.Guarantees may be available to the project that would not be available to the sponsor. – A project financing may enjoy better credit terms and interest costs in situations In which a sponsor's credit is weak. – Higher leverage of debt to equity may be achieved. Legal requirements applicable to certain investing institutions may be met by the project but not by the sponsor. C) LEASING -A lease is a contract wherein, over the term of the lease, the owner of the equipment permits another entity to use it in exchange for a promise by the latter to make a series of payments.The owner of the equipment is referred to as the lesser. The entity that is being granted permission to use the equipment is referred to as the lessee. A typical leasing transaction works as follows. The lessee first decides on the equipment needed. The lessee then decides on the manufacturer, the make, and the model. The lessee specifies any special features desired, the terms of warranties, g uaranties, delivery, installation, and services. The lessee also negotiates the price. After the equipment and terms have 1 OFF

Step Out on Nothing

Josiah McCutcheon Term Paper 11/8/12 Step Out on Nothing After reading Byron Pitts Step Out on Nothing, I felt incredibly inspired by his will to overcome the challenges he faced throughout his life. I felt the book was more personal to me because I could relate to many of the stories and challenges described in the book. This book has changed a lot of my views and caused me to be more appreciative of the people in my life who have helped me overcome my own personal obstacles. Growing up Byron dealt with many difficulties that molded his character and helped him become a stronger person.His parents constantly fought but his mother always reassured him that everything would be all right and within God’s hands. He didn’t get much attention from his parents because they were always busy trying to support the family. His mother always expected him to do the best that he could and more and it’s the love he had for his mother that gave him the courage to do his best an d maintain his mother’s expectations. I can relate to this because I grew up with my mother and father always fighting but I knew they loved each other regardless of their arguments.My parents having five children didn’t help the situation because they were obligated to support the family by working all the time while simultaneously doing their best to be good role models. This is a lot of stress and responsibility for anyone and the stress caused by these burdens created more arguments that seemed to surface quite frequently. Much like Bryon’s mother Clarice, my parents expected us to be very respectful towards others and do the best that we could. My father, a man that reminds me of Clarice would always tell us everyday before school to be respectful and learn something.I don’t remember one day were my father didn’t remind us. Much like his family, we were a very religious family that had much faith in God. Growing up in a home where I was encour aged to learn and be respectful of others built character and helped shape me into the person I am today. Byron’s parents divorced forcing his mother to be the main supporter in his life because his father was absent through most of his life. I feel that this made him a stronger person because he didn’t have the father figure around to help support the family and this reinforced the need for education in Byron’s mind.His father’s absence and his mothers struggle to support the family independently made it clear that he needed to obtain a good education so he wasn’t put in similar circumstances as an adult. I can relate to this because I had my father growing up until I was sixteen until he passed from a heart attack. Of course, I had my father growing up giving me much advice on how to be a better man, but then losing him with my mom trying to support five kids was hard for her. I truly think that God has a plan for everyone and that everything hap pens for a reason.After that happened it made me a much stronger person and helped me deal with many things that many people couldn’t. Watching my mom struggling made me realize how much more my education meant and the need for an education to live a more comfortable life. It also showed me how important family is to have in your life. My family will always be there just like Bryon always had his family to turn to. Growing up Byron never learned how to read, because he was always trying to hide it from others. His mother never noticed it either because she was always so busy trying to support the family.Byron dealt with not only racism, but also people making fun of him because he couldn’t read. I honestly think that growing up with this issue positively contributed to the person he became. I can relate to this because my parents were always so busy with work and then when they got home it was time for them to relax. I also think they relied on the school a little bit too much to expect them to teach me how to read. Living in a rural area Roane County, West Virginia, education wasn’t the best.My father realized that we could receive a better education in a county that had more resources to provide children with a better education. Consequently, he moved us when I was ten years old to Morgantown, West Virginia. Once again reminds me of when Byron’s mother had him go to Curley for a better education. Morgantown was a much more populated school and I was made fun of causing me to hate school even more until a teacher much like Ms. Ulle, helped me with my reading and writing as much as she could. Her named was Ms.Bell and I remember the time she realized that I couldn’t read very well when a kid in her class made fun of me to the point where I was very upset. She asked me to stay after class and told me that she saw much greatness in me and wanted to help. It reminded me of when Dr. Paul Lucus told him,† Mr. Pitts, you†™re wasting my time and the government’s money. You are not Ohio, Wesleyan University material. I think you should leave. † Later on Ms. Ulle see’s Byron crying and says, †Young man are you ok? Yes ma’am, I’m fi†¦fi†¦fi†¦fine. You don’t look fine, please tell me what’s wrong she insisted. Byron proceeds to tell the story of Dr. Lucas and Ms. Ulle and encourages Byron to stay in school and offers to help him succeed. After reading what Byron went through I felt reassured that I could also some day achieve great things like Byron. It also gave me a deeper appreciation for the people that saw the potential in each of us. One of my favorite parts about this book was when Bryon talks about his experience in Afghanistan. His experience in Afghanistan was definitely life changing for him to see and go through many different obstacles.I feel that him seeing and going through various life-threatening situations made him a ppreciate everything in his life much more. I’ve always thought about going into the army to get the experience and also think it would be interesting to see different parts of the world and being able to learn about new cultures first hand. I feel an experience such as military service would expand my appreciation for life and give me valuable experience that would positively influence my character much like Byron’s experience as a journalist overseas.In this book it shows how much Byron Pitts wouldn’t give up on what he love to do and that was being a journalist. â€Å"Step out on nothing†, he had a long journey going through many different obstacles along the way. I feel that Byron wouldn’t have been able to do any of this without the support and love from his much appreciated love ones. The book has inspired me to not only to be the best that I can be but also, to never give up on trying at the things you want in life even if it means getting t urned down numerous of times.

A META-ANALYSIS OF ADOLESCENT OBESITY AMONG IMMIGRANT LATINO Essay

A META-ANALYSIS OF ADOLESCENT OBESITY AMONG IMMIGRANT LATINO POPULATION IN - Essay Example Thus, it is more comfortable for them to eat in fast foods and do not spend much time on cooking at home. A problem of obesity is a complex phenomenon that should be considered on the social, economic, psychological and cultural levels. A target group chosen for the research consists of immigrant Latino population in San Antonio, Texas. It has been often claimed, that ethnic minority groups are subjected to a high risk of becoming obese in comparison with other Americans. Lower living level, other spheres of occupation, a lack of proper education, inability to have a constant access to information about healthy way of life and possibilities to live this kind of life and many other factors have prevented ethnic minorities from being healthy people. Therefore, this target group is one of the most vulnerable social groups to the destructive influence of obesity. POPULATION: Latinos have become the largest racial/ethnic minority group in the United States of America, and are expected to grow to about one-fourth of the population by the year 2050 (Delva, O'Malley & Johnston, 2007). The term Hispanic is used interchangeably with Latino and refers to descendents of at least 25 different countries, all of which are Spanish speaking (Centrella-Nigro, 2009). Definition of Hispanic or Latino origin used in the 2010 Census refers to a person of Cuban, Mexican, Puerto Rican, South or Central American, or other Spanish culture or origin regardless of race (U.S. Census Bureau, 2010). Hispanics now make up 38 percent of Texas’s 25.1 million people, up from 32 percent a decade ago. Bexar County, which includes San Antonio, grew by 23.1 percent and is home to 1.7 million. In accordance with the 2010 census San Antonio population grew by 25 percent to 1.33 million people , the Hispanic population grew by 25 percent making to 63.2 percent Hispanics in San Antonio (U.S. Census Bureau, 2010). According to the Texas Department of State Health Services, over 30% of adolescents in Texas are overweight or obese. That is 1 in 3 teenagers. Obesity is not just a physical condition –it has many psychosocial implications that need to be acknowledged. PREVALENCE: According to the Health Profiles 2005 by The San Antonio Metropolitan Health District (SAMHD) the Hispanic population is expected to far outpace other ethnicities by 2040 and beyond. The Hispanic population faces well-documented health concerns, such as obesity. Programs addressing those areas should be maintained or increased. Bexar County’s Hispanic population is also younger with fewer college graduates than any other ethnic population. Those factors are often predictors of future poverty and increased risk for associated health problems such as obesity. Unfortunately, 90% of Hispanics in Bexar County have not earned at least a 4-year college degree. Moreover, the Hispanic population is burdened with additional risk factors for childhood obesity, including parental obesity, low socioecon omic status (SES), recent immigration, acculturation to US diet and lifestyle, and limited health insurance coverage, ethnic beliefs, differences in ideal body images, lack of appreciation of weight management, questionable literacy levels, and access to medical care (Wilson, Adolph, & Butte, 2009; Centrella-Nigro, 2009; & Harrington, 2008). Source: 2009 FITNESS GRAM, According to FITNESSGRAM a Healthy Weight equals BMI ranging from 14.7-27.8 for boys and 16.2-27.3 for girls