Charities Oxfam Essay

Charities Oxfam A Charity is a foundation created to promote the public good. It doesn’t keep profit, but to expand. It relies on money given from the public voluntarily, it is a non-profit organisation. A charity is all about fundraising and giving to causes, it is a type of business because it does make profit, which is given to charitable causes. Many companies/people set up charities because they may want to promote and encourage a cause that may need money. The people behind the organisation may only set up the charity, investing it towards its continuity but not to gain profit. Different stakeholders who can influence the purpose of Oxfam. The people who donate to the charity Oxfam are major stakeholders as Oxfam would not be able to be a successful charity without the donations as they are the key to the money that is raised. Donators are major stakeholders as they’re also the largest investors to charities like Oxfam and influence it greatly. Without this suppor t network; work would be limited, goods would not be sold from Oxfam shops and business would be lost. Employees are stakeholders within the company as the business provides them with a livelihood or, if the organisation is a non-profit organisation, then this provides a sense of generosity for those who work for free. They seek security of employment, promotion, opportunities and good rates of reward. shareholders  it is not easy to balancenthe needs of stakeholders in order to best achieve this balnce shell recognises five areas of resposiblities to shareholsers, customers, employers and society. Shell resolves and minimises conflicts between its activities and its stake holders trough its clear strategies and commitment to corporate values. through balancing social, economic and evironmental considerations shell seeks to make decisions that maximise values.

The Rich Brother by Tobias Wolff

February10, 2010 Learning can be accomplished By Writing What is good writing and how might we identify or create it? You may ask. Good writing is a clear analysis of one’s ideas. It is organized and grammatically correct. It’s not only clear, but intriguing and also keeps the reader entertained, or if needs be to inform them. To expound, according to our discussion â€Å"Good writing is an organized analysis with a clear purpose or point that works to create understanding. It is done by using the rules of language to analyze or make an analysis of that point. Analysis is a form of literacy criticism in which the structure of a piece of writing is made clear. To deliberate in details, to analyze, is to ask what something means. It is to ask how something does what it does, or why it is what it is. Analysis is used in everyday life, at school, work and play. Good writing is created when one develops a main thesis or purpose. A thesis is the writer main point or gist that he wants to get actress to the reader. After, the thesis, questions are asked. Which by doing do analysis takes place? Then new and old information is entwined together o form the body of the paper or article. Do not forget that it must be grammatically correct and have a conclusion. A conclusion is basically a condensed version of the entire paper. By writing, whether it is good or bad, learning takes place. To create good writing, one must have a thesis or by gaining the main idea, then analyzing it by asking questions. For students in a writing class, though, the creative juices typically flow better when immersed in a more energetic setting. Discussions take and interaction between teacher and student is seen. Communication takes place, where the student is no longer afraid to ask questions. And if, they do ask questions it is not† how long should the paper be? † As stated by Wesch â€Å"My classroom looks less and less like a classroom and teaching is less and less like teaching†. (5)-Michael Wesch. This process therefore allows students to ask questions. Do not just ask questions but good questions. Questions are important to better ones learning because they open the gateway to our mind that has been closed or left dormant. To expound questions are the act of asking to gather new information to build on old knowledge. According to Wesch, â€Å"We are all cut out for learning. It is what makes us human. Wesch puts it perfectly that â€Å"Good questions are the driving force of critical and creative thinking, and therefore one of the best indicators of significant learning. Good questions are those that force challenge their own underlying biases. †(5)-Michael Wesch. When a question is asked an answer is not really necessary. Wesch states that â€Å"Oftentimes the answer to a good question is irrelevant – the question is an insight in itself. The only answer to the best question is another good question†. (5)-Michael Wesch. However, by asking questions one, gains new insight to add to the old knowledge as well as see the views of others. The students then will gather all the new information as well as their prior knowledge and use the rules of language to organize their thoughts according to the teacher’s rubrics. After which the paper is then developed. When the first draft of a paper is complete, a peer review is done. A peer review, evaluate professionally a colleague's work. This is to see any mistake the students may have done or any information that have been left out. Finally, seeing that all corrections are made, the prompt is answered and the rubric is followed, a final paper is accomplished. In conclusion in a writing class, learning can be achieved. By creating, communication between teacher and students. Learning takes place not only by writing of course but, by creating contextual conversations, by asking questions, in order to gain new information to add to old knowledge as well as understanding the information found.

Publicis Groupe Essay

1.What lessons did Maurice Levy learned from the failed FCB alliance? According to Maurice Levy, the most important thing he learnt from the failure of the alliance with FCB is the necessity to build an alliance not only based on a good relationship between the managers but also on a strong legal structure. In fact, the relationship Maurice created with FCB’s managers was mostly informal. Maurice and FCB’s CEO met only five times and the alliance was more a collaborative arrangement than a real agreement. The author describes it as an alliance which â€Å"intended to be more than just a handshake† but without any agreement on the structure of the deal, the alliance seems mostly to rely on the managers’ relationship. On the contrary, in the next process of acquisitions, Levy not only met the managers several times, he had also special meetings with the CFOs where they try to reach an agreement about the structure of the deal and the structure of the company after the acquisition. F or example, for Saatchi & Saatchi acquisition, Maurice worked out the details of the acquisition with the CFO Bill Codhrat and they discuss all the legal points to undertake to face the future events which could affect both companies after the acquisition. They spent two weeks working on the structure of the deal, settling every details before calling lawyers. After the failed FCB alliance, the lawyers became indispensable in the process of acquisition. The second lesson he learnt from this failed alliance is how important are the interest that people have in the acquisition. An alliance consists in two companies becoming one and the managers of the two firms have to realize this fundamental point. After the acquisition, they need to have the interest of both companies in mind to create a successful firm. In order to put aside managers’ egos in next acquisitions, Maurice Levy first spent a lot of time creating a strong relationship with the firms’ CEOs, trying to understand who they were, what they wanted and how they could combine the interest of the two companies. For example, in Saatchi and Saatchi’s process of acquisition, both CEOs agreed on the fact that they had to keep the two operations very separate in order to protect their own client. That is to say, they tried not only to build a strong relationship based on trust but also to settle a framework in order to protect the key interest of the two companies after the acquisition.

Acitivating creativity Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Acitivating creativity - Essay Example Sadly though, not all people will go about this process in the same manner and with the same level of success and experience. In Rossman’s creativity model (1931), evidence of the different levels of activities and tasks involved in the activation of creativity is showed in a manner that depicts that there are as many as seven different processes that needs to be considered in a typical creative thinking process. The rate of success associated with each process determines that overall success with the activation of creativity. From his model, the processes are given as observation of a need or difficulty, analysis of the need, a survey of all available information, a formulation of all objective solutions, a critical analysis of solutions, the birth of the new idea (invention), and experimentation to test out the most promising solution (Rossman, 1931). Similarly, Wallas (1926) touches on a creativity process in a manner that gives an indication that creativity is not an event that takes place in a one off moment but undergoes the achievement of a series of tasks, which comes together to be collectively known as the creativity process. He though gives the process as indicated below. Through the outline above, seven major tasks will have to be completed including orientation, preparation, analysis, ideation, incubation, synthesis and evaluation. It is based on the foundations of these two major models that four series of assessments were carried out and presented in the following journal. With a different task to fulfil in each of the assessments, the various creativity processes that went into the fulfilment of each of the tasks have been completed below. Assessment 1 Assignment 1 was on conceptual photography and involved the taking of a photograph that was used in depicting more than what was seen in the image of the picture. That is to say that, conceptual photographs are used to express generalised concepts of events and process that take place and h appen all around us (Keller-Mathers, 2004). To accomplish this task, a picture of two people running a change of baton race was taken. The concept that was being examined in the photograph was the symbolism of the power of two. It is said in a Chinese proverb that if two people carry a single load, it does not hurt. What this means is that it always pays off to have a helping hand in any project or activity that a person is undertaking. It is not surprising that it is said in an England parable that two heads are better than one. When two people team up to accomplish a common task, there is much effectiveness and efficiency (Grivas, 1996). This is because there is the sharing of ideas and thoughts in a manner that makes exchanges of knowledge rapid and forthcoming. Studying the picture critically, it would be noted that a total of 400 meters was supposed to be completed in the race. Meanwhile, due to the limitation of the human ability in running such a distance, it would be difficu lt for any person to end the 400 meter race with the same level of speed that was started. But in completing a 100 meter race by the same person, the tendency to maintain the start up speed or even improve on it is higher. To this end, instead of allowing one person to do the entire 400 meters, four people team up to run 100 meters each. As a proof of the fact that team spirit brings results, the finishing time in the change of baton is better than when one person alone run the entire 400 meters. Assessment 2 Assignment 2 was carried out by the use of divergent thinking. That is, there was the use of exploration of many different possible solutions (Gonzalez, 2003). In essence, the resolve for a

Research Paper Critique and Summaries Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Research Paper Critique and Summaries - Essay Example The research study proceeds from the assumption that "countries with a higher score on the collectivism index are more likely to favour the personal selling promotion tool than will countries with a lower score" (248). While this assumption is solidly grounded in the study's literature review, the authors subject it to further empirical examination. Utilizing an experimental design, Fam and Merrilees (1998) distributed a survey questionnaire amongst retail managers in both Australia and Hong Kong. Receiving a 40.2% in Australia and a 16% response in Hong Kong, Fam and Merrillees' (1998) seven-point Likert-scale questionnaire focused on the correlation between collectivist and non-collectivist cultures' marketing approach preferences. The data results validated the assumption, indicating that collectivist cultures betrayed a market preference for personal promotion selling tools. The research exploited both dependant and independent variables. Within the context of this research the independent variable was culture. ... Validity and Reliability Irrespective of the importance of the issue which a research sets out to investigate, the study would be worthless were its unreliable and its validity suspect. A study is valid if it actually investigates and studies the phenomenon which it identified and defined at the outset and reliable if it is replicable. With regards to this study, it does investigate that which it defined and while no mention is made of its being replicated by other researchers, Fam and Merrilees (1998) attempted to establish validity through the re-examination of their data and the replication of the results using a different method. Added to that, the researchers establish a chain of evidence throughout the study, verify the information collected and, accordingly establish construct validity. The study emerged as reliable and valid from that perspective. Evaluation When evaluated in terms of the criterion of utility, this article emerges as highly valuable because, in an era of globalisation and the internationalisation of business, this article provides marketers with the information they need to effectively address cultures. They identify the marketing tools and techniques which specific cultures are most responsive and susceptible to. In terns of the criteria of replication, the article is only partially satisfactory. In brief, even though the researchers make an effort to replicate their study for the purposes of validating their results, they do so to a very limited degree. They re-analyse the data using an alternate method and this does not fully satisfy the criterion of replication. Lastly, with regards to the criterion of

Extraction of Metals from their Ores Worksheet Coursework

Extraction of Metals from their Ores Worksheet - Coursework Example an alloy with lead called solder/ it was used back in the Bronze Age to make alloys/ it is malleable, ductile and becomes a superconductor at low temperatures It is used in plumbing and to make electrical wires/it was used even in prehistoric times and was later used to make brass/Very good conductor of electricity, malleable, resistant to corrosion and very unreactive. It is used mainly for jewellery and decorative purposes, and also for electrical contacts and electroplating/Used in Ancient civilizations especially Egypt for jewellery and ornaments/it is highly unreactive, malleable and ductile. These elements are strong non-metals and are unstable in their elemental state and they can form stable compounds when reacted with the more reactive metals. Furthermore the reactions that form these compounds are exothermic hence they are favoured and oxygen and sulphur are commonly bonded to metals in their ores. 4. Referring to the table of reactivity for metals on page 231 of your text book, can you see any relationship between the reactivity of the metals and their date of discovery? Describe any relationship you can see. There is a relationship between the reactivity of elements and their date of discovery; the more reactive elements were discovered later, around the 18th and 19th century, whereas the less reactive elements were discovered at the latest by 1000 BC. More reactive elements such as potassium to magnesium were discovered around the early 19th century, while less reactive elements, starting from zinc to silver were discovered from 1000 BC dating back to as much as 9000 BC. Method 1: React the metals with cold water, warm water and/or hot water and note the reaction that follows. More reactive metals will react easily with cold water, less reactive metals with react less vigorously with warm water whereas the metals with very low reactivity will not react even with hot water. Method 2: React the metals with dilute hydrochloric acid. The metals that

LUSH's transfer to Brazil Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

LUSH's transfer to Brazil - Essay Example The products include soaps, shampoos and hair conditioners, shower gel, bath bombs, face make, bubble bars, hand and body lotions for a variety of skin types. Lush in all its products uses essential oils, fruit and vegetables, honey and beeswax, and synthetic ingredients. It is a public limited company and is a part of the personal care industry. Lush operates in more than 50 countries there are some appropriate conditions of Brazil that has enforced the company to open its stores over there. Lush operates in Australia, Canada, Germany, Kuwait, New Zealand, Singapore, Taiwan, Australia, Hong Kong, UK, Sweden etc. This report outlines the opportunity that Lush has seen in the Brazil market and the reasons why it has not chosen any alternative markets for its operations. The report even proposes some marketing mix strategy that would be helpful for the company to operate in the overseas market. Brazil is selected as a new market to enter by Lush. The reasons behind selecting the Brazilian market for personal care industry can be justified using the SWOT analysis. It is structured planning method which is used to evaluate the strengths, weakness, opportunities and threat related to a component. The strengths and weakness are internal to the organization whereas the opportunities and threat are the external factors of the environment which cannot be controlled by the organization. These internal and external factors are analyzed using the SWOT analysis and it helps to know the factors essential to be considered while designing a strategy or in case of a product it helps to analyze which market is suitable for the business. The strengths highlight the advantage the component has over the others. The weakness illustrates the characteristics that place it at a disadvantage over others. The opportunities describe the factors it could consider in order to exploit its advantages. The threats highlight the possible

Information Systems Outsourcing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Information Systems Outsourcing - Essay Example Outsourcing may be defined as the transfer of operational responsibility of either business processes or information system and other infrastructure management of an organization to an external service provider to achieve strategic goals, reduce costs, improve customer satisfaction and provide other efficiency and effectiveness improvements. This field has been in constant focus in last few years due to various social and financial issues involved with it. A number of organizations have sub-contracted all or part of their information systems / information technology function to specialist consultancies / contractors. According to Forbes Over 90% of Fortune 500 companies have outsourced at least one major business function. Encouraged by the projections of phenomenal cost savings, many Fortune 500 firms are jumping on to the "outsourcing bandwagon" (Lacity and Hirschheim 1993b). A survey of U.S. CEOs shows that 42% of communication firms, 40% of computer manufacturers, and 37% of semiconductor companies rely on outsourcing from foreign firms. These same CEOs expect the figures on outsourcing to exceed 50% before the mid-1990s (Bettis et al. 1992). Though the process of outsourcing is often considered as a non core business process it may range from low grade high volume and repetitive mechanical processes to a more sophisticated and high-tech development outsourcing. Outsourcing, in general, can be categorized as business processing outsourcing, platform IT outsourcing, application outsourcing and systems and network infrastructure outsourcing Information System outsourcing and processing services spending were approximately $200 billion in 2004, representing an 8.8% compounded annual growth rate (IDC). Information system outsourcing has been fueled by rapid technological change throughout all industries which results in more expense to upgrade systems, more time to install and increase complexity. For smaller companies which have information system and information technology department for just business support, maintaining and managing a good IT/IS department is not viable option, it is practically impossible to have a best team which can take on the market competition but IT/IS is major factor today that decide the success and failure of an organization. This lead to the outsourcing of major IT/IS outsourcings. Entire IT department or some IT/IS services are outsourced. The emerging pervasive nature of the Internet has effectively helped the communication between different parties involved in outsourcing process and has been the major facilitator of outsourcing in recent years. Easy and immediate access to information enables various parties involved in outsourcing to estimate the success of effort and control the entire process flow. Insufficient labor availability in developed countries, especially for those with IT expertise, has also led many companies in developed countries to outsource their business process and functional needs to the countries where cheap and high skilled human resource is available. Outsourcing decisions, in past, were primarily based on anticipated cost savings without the consideration of technology and security, but in

Baseball economics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Baseball economics - Essay Example A libertarian is one who prioritizes individual rights over the welfare of the state, one who advocates maximizing individual rights and minimizing the role of the state (AHD, 2000a). On the other hand, utilitarianism is the belief that the value of a thing or an action is determined by its utility or usefulness (AHD, 2000b). Bowie Kuhn's view is that the introduction of massive cable television broadcasts of baseball will be economically bad for the sport because it will reduce gate receipts and network television revenues, as well a make watching baseball games available to cities without the consent of anybody in baseball management. From the point of view of baseball team owners, who derive revenues from the games, Kuhn's view is libertarian and anti-utilitarian. It prioritizes the rights of the baseball team owners and those of baseball management. However, from the point of view of baseball fans, it is anti-libertarian because it prioritizes the welfare of a few over those of t he general public.

Popular Culture Essay Essay Example for Free

Popular Culture Essay Essay Although there are some parts of popular culture that make it into high culture, popular culture is transient; it describes the way of life, attitudes, and passions of mostly younger people. These views usually change as they age and gain real life experience. This essay will cover culture, popular culture, three major trends in popular American culture and how popular American culture affects personal decision making. Culture is the united design of social understanding, faith, and conduct that hinges on the ability to search for knowledge and spread it to future generations. It is also the ordinary principles, collective customs, and measurable qualities of ethnic, religious, or a community. (Oxford English Dictionary, 2012) â€Å"The soul takes nothing with her to the next world but her education and her culture.† (Plato, 2012) Popular cultural is the understanding and actions of a particular set of people in a particular era. It is also television shows (like Reality TV) or marketable goods (like sagging pants, oversized shirts, hats designed to be worn backward, etc.) made for, or targeted at particular set of people. (Oxford English Dictionary, 2012) In this student’s opinion popular culture comes and goes and only defines an era not its people. Three major trends in today’s society are a digital society, sexual explicitness, and a general lack of personal responsibility. Americans live in a digital society that relies on technology more than personal relationships. We do a great deal of shopping and purchasing online and have become a society where the sexier it is the better. Almost everything on television, in magazines, and even our music have become permeated with sexual overtones and innuendos. Finally, we have a dilemma with the lack of personal responsibility in our country; recently there have been several lawsuits against fast food restaurants for making people fat. Americans need to accept responsibility for our own actions; it was not the fast food restaurants that made us fat, rather it was our decision to eat there that did. Popular American culture affects personal decision making various ways, whether it is the type of food we buy, the music we listen to, electronics we purchase, and even the people we date. In this student’s opinion the Internet is the single most influential popular culture influencer of our time. We use it for everything from dating, shopping, exploring, studying, traveling, relaxing, and so much more. Popular culture  affects us in almost every decision we make. Although there are some parts of popular culture that makes it into high culture, popular culture is transient. This essay covered culture, popular culture, three major trends in popular American culture and how popular American culture affects personal decision making. â€Å"Culture is made of everything that enables man to maintain, enhance or transform without weakening it, the ideal image of himself that it has inherited.† (Malraux, 2001) References Malraux, A. (2001, May 2). UCL Discours recteur Marcel Crochet. Retrieved from http://sites.uclouvain.be/actualites/dhc2001/drecteur.html Oxford English Dictionary. (2012, June). Retrieved from http://www.oed.com.ezproxy.apollolibrary.com/view/Entry/45746?rskey=BftxmAresult=1isAdvanced=false#eid Plato. (2012, June 4). Here, There, and Everywhere. Retrieved from http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/here-there-and-everywhere/201206/whats-after-30-quotes-the-afterlife

Pramoedya ananta toer, his life and his literary achievements

Pramoedya ananta toer, his life and his literary achievements Chapter 2: Pramoedya Ananta Toer, his life and his literary achievements The account of Pramoedya Ananta Toers life and literary achievements, and the summary of his novel Bumi Manusia are mostly based on A. Teuuws book Citra Manusia Indonesia dalam Karya Sastra: Pramoedya Ananta Toer (1997:1-55), Schultz and Felters article, History, Education, and Nationalism in Pramoedya Toers Buru Quartet (2002), Dwi Elyonos unpublished dissertation of the Australian National University Harry Avelings and Willem Samuels Translations of Pramoedya Ananta Toers Novel Gadis Pantai: A Study of the factors, purposes, methods and effects of literary translation(2006:34-40), and two journal articles by GoGwilt entitled Pramoedyas Fiction and History: An Interview With Indonesian Novelist Pramoedya Ananta Toer (1996) and The Vanishing Genre of the Nyai Narrative: Reading Genealogies of English and Indonesian Modernism (2007). 2.1 The Literary Achievements of Pramoedya Ananta Toer Pramoedya Ananta Toer (6 February 1925-30 April 2006) was a leading Indonesian writer who was internationally renowned for his literary works which dwell on themes of social justice and humanity. He had written more than fifty novels, short stories, essays, social critiques and histories of which the majority have been translated into over 36 languages. He had collected more than a dozen international awards and had been frequently nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature since 1981. He was also an important figure in Indonesian literature, â€Å"an exponent of ‘universal humanism, the liberal and individualistic cultural ideology of the loose association of writers, artists and intellectuals often referred to as the ‘Gelanggang group or the ‘Angkatan 45, the generation of the revolution† (as cited in Foulcher, 2008:1). The exceptional quality of Pramoedyas novels lies in his power as a storyteller to re-create the historical scene for the present audience. In a statement by the Ramon Magsaysay Award Foundation, Pramoedyas novels â€Å"[illuminate] with brilliant stories the historical awakening and modern experience of the Indonesian people† (as quoted in a book entitled Polemik Hadiah Magsaysay, 1997:212-13). In Pramoedyas interview with GoGwilt about the English translation of the Buru tetralogy, he emphasized the importance of historical settings in his novels as well as the complex relation between history and personal biography (GoGwilt, 1996). Considering the historical scope of his work, his novels are also regarded as a typical example of post-colonial literature in South East Asia. One particular characteristic of this literature is the actual historical setting, which describes the diverse culture and language environment and its role in creating social difference within zones of c olonial contact (cf.see Niekerk, 2003 and Errington, 2008). Pramoedya was often compared to many great authors of the Western literature Camus, Tolstoy and Gorky, to name a few. The historical scope of his novels suggests an affinity with the great historical novels of nineteenth-century Europe, particularly in the context of socialist-realism in literature, in terms of narrative style and content. The story deals with themes of universal humanism such as freedom of expression, power struggle, racism and social injustice (see Kurniawan, 1999; GoGwilt, 1996). In general, Pramoedyas novels and short stories cover four different periods, spanning the period of Singasari and Majapahit kingdoms (1300-1600) (e.g. Arok Dedesand Arus Balik), the pre-independence period under the Dutch colonial rule at the end of 19th century (e.g. Buru Quartet, The Fugitive), the the Japanese occupation period under the Japanese in Indonesia during WWII (e.g. Perawan Remaja dalam Cengkeraman Militer), and the post-independence period of Soekarnos (e.g. Corruption,The History of the Overseas Chinese in Indonesia) and Soehartos (e.g.The Girl from the Coast andA Mutes Soliloquy) regimes. The blunt criticism of the ruling government contained in some of Pramoedyas works had caused him several periods of imprisonment under different government administrations.  · Some some of the international awards conferred upon himPramodya include the PEN/Barbara Goldsmith Freedom to Write Award in 1988, the Wertheim Award, in 1992, the controversial Ramon Magsaysay Award for Journalism, Literature, and Creative Communication Arts in 1995, .  · the UNESCO Madanjeet Singh Prize in 1996 and the Chevalier de lOrdre des Arts et des Lettres Rà ©public of France in 2000. 2.2 The life of Pramoedya Ananta Toer Pramoedya Ananta Toer was born in a the small town of Blora, in the Province of Central Java, Indonesia, as the firstborn of eight siblings. His father, Mastoer, was a strong nationalist who took part in the Indonesian struggle for independence from the Dutch colonial rule and worked as a headmaster in a school under Boedi Oetomo Institute of Education, the first political native political organization in the Dutch East Indies (todays Republic of Indonesia). His mother, Oemi Saidah, was born from an aristocratic Javanese family. She was a full-time housewife who later took the role of the main breadwinner for her family when her husbands school was closed due to the oppression of the Dutch colonial government. His parents, particularly his mother, had a great influence in formulating his idealized image of the Indonesian people, which was reflected in most of his works. After spending his childhood in his home, Pramoedya went to the Radio Vocational School in Surabaya, but and had almost graduated when the Japanese invaded the city on the last day of the schools final examination period. During the Japanese occupation period he worked as a typist for the Japanese news agency Domei in Jakarta, where he met and built relations with many outstanding figures in Indonesian history. Having felt that he was treated unfairly, Pramoedya decided to escape from his work with the Japanese. In October 1945 he joined a paramilitary force known as Badan Keamanan Rakyat (BKR)in Cikampek (West Java) after the proclamation of Indonesian independence. During this time he began to write short stories and novels and also translated a several books from J.Veth, Frits van Raalte and Lode Zielens. His first major novel, Perburuan (The Fugitive), was completed during two years of captivity by the Dutch government in the Bukit Duri prison, Jakarta. During the first two decades of Indonesian independence, from the mid-1940s to the mid-1960s, Pramoedya became a renowned figure in Indonesian literature. This had broadened his social contacts especially in the world of literature and the arts. With time, these contacts contributed to his new perspective in politics and ideology. Several cultural exchanges, including trips to the Netherlands, the Soviet Union and the Peoples Republic of China, had opened his mind to the worlds political situation at that time. However, the most important event for Pramoedya at that time would be his short trip to China in 1956. This visit seemed to have sparked his interest in Marxist ideology, an apparent reason of for his decision later on to join Lekra (Peoples Cultural Insitute), a leftist organization, in 1958. From then on, Pramoedya became more active in politics. His writing style became more politically driven, as evidenced in the publication of a book which contains the correspondence he h ad with an imaginary Chinese discussing the history of the Indonesian Chinese, Hoa Kiau di Indonesia (History of the Overseas Chinese in Indonesia). It specifically criticized the governments instruction at that time which banned the Chinese minority in Indonesia to do business in rural areas, forcing them to close down their businesses or hand them over to the local natives and relocate to urban areas. This created friction between him and Soekarnos government and caused his detention at the Cipinang prison for nine months. Nonetheless, Pramoedya continued to build up his reputation as a literary and social critic, writing in various newspapers and literary journals, translating several literary works which were mostly came from Russian authors including Leo Tolstoi, Mikhail Sholokhov, Maxim Gorky, Aleksandr Kuprin and publishing a book about the history of the nationalist movements in Indonesia. In 1962-1965 he worked as an editor of Lentera, the weekly cultural edition of the lef t-wing newspaper Bintang Timur, where he published many articles on Indonesian history and literature around 1900-1920. He was also a lecturer of Indonesian language and literature at the University of Res Publica and was a founder of the Multatuli Language and Literature Academy in 1963. In October 1965 he was again put behind bars due to his association with Lekra, the cultural and literary institute affiliated with the Indonesian Communist Party as the organization which was alleged to be responsible for an attempted coup with the assassination of several senior generals of the Indonesian military. This bloody event ended Soekarnos political career and marked the transition of power to Suhartos â€Å"New Order† regime. After this incident, Pramoedyas books were banned in Indonesia and he was arrested as a political prisoner without trial in the penal colony of Buru Island from 1965-1979. During this period, he composed the first two parts of the famous Buru Quartet (Bumi Manusia/This Earth of Mankind and Anak Semua Bangsa/Child of All Nations) but did not have the opportunity to write it down. They were originally meant as a semi-biographical work of Tirto Adhie Soerjo, a nationalist figure and the founder of Sarekat Islam, the first native organization in I ndonesia. After Pramoedya was released from prison, he remained was placed under house arrest in Jakarta until 1992. During this time period he completed the last two parts of the Buru Quartet: Jejak Langkah (1985; Footsteps) and Rumah Kaca (1990; House of Glass), which instantly became best-sellers in Indonesia and gained him an international recognition. Unfortunately, ten months later these books were banned by the government as subversive materials which contained Marxist-Leninist ideology. In spite of these hardships, he continued to write other great novels such as Gadis Pantai (The Girl from the Coast) in 1982, a semi-fictional novel which portrayed his grandmothers life; Nyanyi Sunyi Seorang Bisu (A Mutes Soliloquy) in 1995, a personal biography based on the collection of letters that he wrote for to his daughter during his imprisonment in Buru, which were but was not allowed to send; and Arus Balik in 1995, a long historical novel considered by some literary critics to be his greatest literary work, which was revolved around the Tuban Kingdom, at the beginning of the Portuguese invasion of the Indonesian archipelago in the 16th century. In 1998, with the toppling of Soehartos regime and the beginning of the reformation era, the ban for on his books was eventually lifted. Pramoedya remained active as a writer until the last days of his life, when his health deteriorated due to old age and bad smoking his habit of smoking. In 2006 Pramoedya was hospitalized because of complications with diabetes, heart and lung diseases. He died on April 30, 2006 at the age of 81. 2.3 Pramoedya Ananta ToersBumi Manusia Bumi Manusia was first published in 1980, a year after Pramoedyas release from Buru Island. It is the first part of a semi-biographical tetralogy of Minke, the protagonist who is modelled after RM. Tirto Adhi Soerjo, a real historical figure of the anti-colonial movements in Indonesia. The story revolves around the historical emergence of Indonesian nationalism at the turn of the century when the Dutch colonial empire ruled in the East Indies. It explores various themes of universal discourse such as the emergence of nationalism, the corruption of the legal system, gender issues, the contradiction between traditional and modern values, and the importance of language as an instrument for articulating national identity. However, there are two important aspects to be highlighted in the novel: the realistic portrayal of colonial life in Indonesia, which provides the present audiencereaders today with a historical overview of that time and the way the author manages to convey to the prese ntmodern readers the complex socio-cultural interactions among various ethnicities in the colonial period and the inherent social attitude underlying these interactions. The story is reconstructed from the historical work which had been carried out before he was imprisoned for years without trial in Buru. In the first six or seven years of imprisonment in Buru, political prisoners were not given access to any writings or articles, let alone allowed to write on a piece of paper, so Pramoedya had to recite the story to his fellow prisoners. The story is what shaped the Buru quartet: Bumi Manusia, Anak Semua Bangsa, Jejak Langkah, and Rumah Kaca. The story isdeveloped through inner conflicts of the main character, which is are caused by the contradiction between the modern values he acquired from his western education, the traditional values which came from his Javanese roots, and the harsh social reality of living under the a colonial rule which denies all of the values he was taught to believe. The novel is told in the first-person and tells the life of Minke, a young Javanese aristocrat and the only native who receives a western education in an elite school which only Europeans are allowed to attend. It is set at the end of the 19th century, during the final years of the Dutch colonial rule in Indonesia, and provides detailed illustration on the situationpicture of colonial life in Surabaya at that time. At the beginning of the novel, the main character is introduced to an exceptional native woman known as Nyai Oentosoroh, the concubine of a Dutch property owner called Herman Mellema, and to her beautiful daughter, Annelies. Over time, Nyai Oentosoroh becomes an important figure in Minkes life, his personal life mentor and spiritual mother. The story of her origin, how she was sold into concubinage by her father, her rise in position as the overseer of her masters entire estates and businesses, as well as the fate of her daughter, Annelies, forms major parts of the storyline in Bumi Manusia. Minke falls in love with Annelies, whom he eventually marries according to his native customs. However, because of the family dispute over Mellemas inheritance, Annelies had to annul her marriage to Minke by the order of the Dutch colonial court. At the end of the novel, Annelies is forced to leave her mother and her husband Minke, and go to the Netherlands to live with her legal guardian, despit e all the efforts made by Nyai Oentosoeroh and Minke to resist the decision of the Dutch courts. Socio-cultural interaction among different ethnicities (Dutch, Europeans, Indos, Chinese, and natives) in the East Indies plays an important role in the development of the story and is skilfully portrayed by Pramoedya through his inventive use of Indonesian language variations, combination of different registers and the complexity of interplay between Javanese, Old Malay, Dutch, English and Jakartan dialects. One example is given below, where Minke tries to predict tell the identity of a man who follows him covertly, based on a certain ethnic stereotype which is widespread in Indonesia: Melihat dari pemunculannya, ia bukan orang Tionghoa, juga bukan Peranakan Tionghoa, juga bukan pedagang. Kalau toh Tionghoa Peranakan boleh jadi dari kalangan terpelajar, mungkin pegawai pada kantor Majoor der Chineezen.Atau peranakan Eropa-Tionghoa yang habis berlibur dan kini kembali ke tempat pekerjaan di Surabaya [] Ia jelas bukan pedagang. Bukan begitu pakaian pedagang. Atau ia seorang jurubayar pada Borsumrij atau Geowehrij? Atau mungkin sendiri Mayor der Chineezen? Tetapi seorang mayor biasanya angkuh dan merasa setara dengan orang Eropa, tak mungkin memperhatikan diriku, bahkan takkan peduli pada Pribumi siapapun. (Bumi Manusia, 1991:146) He didnt look Chinese, or like a Mixed-Blood Chinese, nor like a merchant. Anyway, if he was a Mixed-Blood Chinese, he was probably an educated one, perhaps an employee at the office of the Majoor der Chineezen the Dutch-installed leader of the local Chinese community? Or perhaps a Mixed-Blood European-Chinese returning from holidays to his workplace in Surabaya? He was clearly not a merchant. They werent the clothes of a trader. Or perhaps he was a cashier at one of the ‘Big Five Dutch trading companies Borsumij or Geowehrij? Or perhaps he was the Majoor der Chineezen himself? But the major were always arrogant, considering themselves equals with Europeans and so wouldnt take any notice of me, or any other Native for that matter. (Bumi Manusia, Lanes translation 1991:111) Words containing socio-cultural references abound in the dialogue. However, it is very difficult to render these socio-cultural nuances into English, thus it is understandable if sometimes the English translation cannot convey completely the richness of the dialogue in the novel. One great difficulty in the translation of Bumi Manusia is how to convey to the foreign readers the inherent social attitudes embedded in these culture-specific words which operate under different socio-cultural norms and history. One example of a culturally-marked word containing an important socio-cultural reference in Bumi Manusia is the word nyai. Nyai originally refers to a respectful form of address to a Javanese woman. However, the form undergoes a considerable change of meaning when it is adapted used into Indonesian. It becomes a â€Å"euphemistic, pejorative, and disrespectful term† referring to a historical stereotype of a native concubine or mistress in a colonial Dutch East Indies househo ld and implying the inherent social attitude behind the word nyai(GoGwilt, 2007:412): Bukan hanya Mevrouw Tà ©linga atau aku, rasanya siapa pun tahu, begitulah tingkat susila keluarga nyai-nyai: rendah, jorok, tanpa kebudayaan, perhatiannya hanya pada soal-soal berahi semata. Mereka hanya keluarga pelacur, manusia tanpa pribadi, dikodratkan akan tenggelam dalam ketiadaan tanpa bekas [] Semua lapisan kehidupan menghukum keluarga nyai-nyai; juga semua bangsa: Pribumi, Eropa, Tionghoa, Arab. (Bumi Manusia, 1980:44) Not only Mrs. Telinga and I knew, but it felt as if the whole world knew, that such indeed was the moral level of the families of nyais: low, dirty, without culture, moved only by lust. They were the families of prostitutes; they were people without character, destined to sink into nothingness, leaving no trace [] All social classes had passed judgment on the nyai; also all races: Native, European, Chinese, Arab. (This Earth, 54) Interactions between Minke, Nyai Oentosoroh and other characters in the book who came from different cultural and language backgrounds are parallel to the diverse culture and language situation in modern Indonesia. The vital role of Nyai Oentosoroh in Minkes life, as the person who is mostly responsible for Minkes growing awareness ofn the oppression oppressiveof the Dutch colonial towards rule over him and his fellow countrymen, in some way, represents in some way the indispensable role of language in growing nationalism in Indonesia. The account of Nyai Oentosorohs life,her extraordinary characteristics and excellent ability in to absorbing the knowledge given by her Dutch master and using use it to climb up from the bottom to the top rank of the colonial society, may have an indirect association with the historical development of the Indonesian language and its elevated status as a national language today. In the past, Bahasa Indonesia (Indonesian Language), a variant of Bazaar Ma lay, was a minority language in the East Indies. It was a language of trading and commerce, which is used throughout the Indonesian archipelago. Bazaar Malay was once considered as a language with no aesthetic values and lacking in expressiveness compared to other languages. However, its use as a trading instrument throughout the Indonesian archipelago has enhanced its flexibility in absorbing modern concepts and elaborate cultural elements from other languages and modern concepts brought by western civilisation. This is likelymight be one of the reasons why it was selected as the national language of Indonesia. Bumi Manusia,as the first part of the Buru quartet, provides an important historical account and unique perspective of colonial life at the end of the 19th century, an important period in Indonesian history, which determined the future of the Indonesian people as a free nation. As Razif Bahari argues in his book entitled Pramoedya Postcolonially,the tetralogy and its literary and social context may provide valuable insights regarding the force which drives the main character to obtain power and freedom, and could answer some of the questions regarding the construction of history, language, and gender within postcolonial literature literary studies (Bahari, 2007). It is the significance of cultural, historical, and literary aspects of Bumi Manusia which makes the study of its translation worthwhile. It gives new insights into strategies and methods employed in the translation of cross-cultural texts as well as their cultural implications; and ways to convey effectively the message of the original text to foreign readers without disturbing the story narrative flow and maintaining the target readers interest and expectations.

Knowledge and Perceptions of Type 2 Diabetes Individuals

Knowledge and Perceptions of Type 2 Diabetes Individuals Miller, and Achterberg (2000) constructed a multiple choice questionnaire to asses the nutrition and food label knowledge among women with type 2 diabetes mellitus who aged from 40 to 60 years. The questions were placed from the easier to the hard so as to foster confidence among the participants. The questions that measure the factual knowledge were placed in the beginning followed by the more difficult questions (procedural knowledge). The test was designed to be completed within 30 to 40 minutes by most respondents. The reliability of the test was found to be 0.80 based on Kuder-Richardson formula 20(K-R 20). After this the item analysis of the original knowledge test was done. Three questions were deleted from the test because of high index of difficulty (two questions) and item discrimination of only 0.20.The item analysis for the revised version of the test was done and the reliability of the test was found to be 0.81 using the Kuder-Richardson formula 20 (K-R 20) formula. The revised test was administered to 43 women Al Shafaee et al (2008) developed a questionnaire to understand the Knowledge and perceptions of diabetes in a semi-urban Omani population. 563 adult residents of Omani village were interviewed using the questionnaire. The final survey instrument contained 24 items which were subdivided into 5 sections. The first two sections covered the demographics and medical history of the participants. The third section was for the diabetic participants. It covered their diabetic history and glycemic control status. The fourth section included knowledge regarding the diabetes definition, signs and symptoms, risk factors and complications. The final section focused on the community awareness, the participants perception regarding diabetes prevalence, perceived risk of developing diabetes and prevention. Likert-type response scale was used in the questionnaire. To collect data that were otherwise unobtainable with a typical Likert scale, open-ended questions were included which followed a closed e nded question. The questionnaire was pre-tested and piloted within a convenience sample of students and staff at the College. Substantial inter-coding agreement for the scale items was observed (r = 0.86, p Heikes, Eddy, Arondekar, Schlessinger, (2008) developed a Diabetes risk calculator for the U.S. population to calculate the probability that an individual has either undiagnosed diabetes or pre-diabetes. The diabetes risk calculator included questions on age, waist circumference, gestational diabetes, height, race/ethnicity, hypertension, family history and exercise. The tool was validated using the v-fold cross-validation and by performing an independent validation against National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 1999–2004 data. The data was taken from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Two tools were built using different methods. The two methods were logistic regression and classification tree analysis. The tool that served the objective of the study was then compared and selected. Classification tree model was chosen on the basis of its equivalent accuracy but greater ease Parmenter, K., Wardle, J. (2000)of use. Dickson-Spillmann, Siegrist, Keller, (2011) developed and validated a nutrition knowledge questionnaire which was administered on participants above the age of 18. The questionnaire initially consisted of sixty-four nutrition knowledge items. Two approaches were used for item generation. The first source of items was through the interviews with the consumers where they were asked about food and health. The second source of items of items was recommendations by Swiss nutrition experts. Content validity was tested by two food scientists who reviewed the questions after which some items regarded as inappropriate by the experts was removed and a few others were re-formulated for enhanced precision and clarity. Twenty items were retained to build the final nutrition knowledge scale that included declarative nutrition knowledge questions on calorie and nutrient contents. Internal reliability was assessed using Cronbach’s alpha. Teede, Harrison, Teh, Paul, Allan, (2011) developed a risk prediction tool to identify gestational diabetes among high-risk women in early pregnancy. The participants for the study were 4276 pregnant women who delivered at Monash Medical Centre, Australia. Previously identified maternal Gestational Diabetes Mellitus risk factors from large epidemiological studies were considered, including increasing age, increasing Body Mass Index, ethnicity, first-degree family history of diabetes, past history of Gestational Diabetes Mellitus GDM and history of poor obstetric outcome. Logistical regression was used to analyse the data. It was observed that the women’s clinical characteristics were significantly associated (p Koontz et al., in the year 2010 developed and validated a Questionnaire to Assess Carbohydrate and Insulin-Dosing Knowledge in Youth with Type 1 Diabetes. They developed a PedCarbQuiz (PCQ) questionnaire by content analysis using a panel of 14 experts. The panel identified seven domains which was necessary for successful implementation of flexible basal-bolus regimens. Each item of the domain was reviewed and revised by the expert panel. Cronbach alpha and split-half testing was used to check the reliability. Further the scores were correlated with expert assessments, A1C, parent educational level and complexity of insulin regimen to assess the validity of the questionnaire. The final PCQ questionnaire was a 20-30 minute, multiple choice, paper based, self-administered questionnaire that had 78 items. Lai, Chua, Tan, Chan (2012) developed the Diabetes, Hypertension and Hyperlipidemia (DHL) knowledge instrument. Twelve experienced pharmacists and researchers formulated the DHL knowledge instrument by using the face and content validity. The researchers when through three drafts before they approved the final draft having 28 questions with 5 domains which was in the true or false form. After this the final draft was piloted on 20 practising community and hospital pharmacists. It also included five diabetic patients in a tertiary hospital. This was done to obtain their feedback concerning the clarity and relevance of the instrument. A nutrition knowledge questionnaire for obese adults was developed by Feren, Torheim, Lillegaard (2010). The process of developing the questionnaire had four main steps. The first step was to evolve a structure that involved collecting literature review about the knowledge of nutrition. This was done to describe the scope of the questionnaire. After the information was collected from the literature review, four main sections to assess the knowledge level were formulated. The second step was to generate the items based on the literature review. 273 items were generated based on six existing nutrition knowledge questionnaires and checked for content validity and face validity by an expert panel. Finally this resulted in 98 items. The third step was to pilot study the questionnaire for internal consistency and item difficulty. This procedure reduced the items to 94 after consultation from the expert panel. The fourth step was to test and re-test it for construct validity and reproducib ility. The final questionnaire had 91 items after the entire process. A descriptive research design was used by Okolie, Ijeoma, Peace, Ngozi (2009) to understand the Knowledge of diabetes management and control by diabetic patients at Federal Medical Center Umuahia Abia State, Nigeria. The sample included 96 diabetic patients who went to Federal Medical Centre Umuahia during the time of study. The instrument used for data collection was a questionnaire that was constructed after going through the recent literature on diabetes knowledge and self-management. The face validity was assessed by five Nigerian registered nurses after which a pilot test was conducted at another hospital. The questionnaire was also tested for the reliability by re-testing it before the study. Paddock, Veloski, Chatterton, Gevirtz, Nash (2000) developed and validated a questionnaire to evaluate patient satisfaction with diabetes disease management. To develop the diabetes Management Evaluation Tool (DMET) the items measuring diabetes disease management were identified by an expert panel of health care professionals who recognised the 14 major domains. Content validity was confirmed by diabetes care professionals. To establish face validity a patient focus group was conducted. The final questionnaire consisted three sections having 87 items. The questionnaire measured the satisfaction on 711 diabetes patient using the Likert scale. Further the reliability and validity of the questionnaire was assessed by calculating product-moment correlations and Cronbach’s alpha. Kaur, Saini, Walia (2009) developed a tool to assess mothers preparedness for delivery, postnatal and new born care. The literature was reviewed to prepare an interview schedule. Content validity (content revision, item order revision and item wording) was done with the help of twelve experts in the field of nursing and public health department. The modified interview schedule was pre tested for feasibility in a village on 10 antenatal mothers of trimester. Cronbachs alpha was used to check the internal consistency and factor analysis was used to assess the construct validity. After factor analysis 20 out of the 30 items tool was retained with five factors. A cross-sectional observational study was done by Hamoudi, Al Ayoubi, Vanama, Yahaya, Usman (2012) aimed to assess the knowledge and awareness among diabetic and non-diabetic Nigerian population in Kaduna state towards diabetes mellitus (DM). Non randomized sampling strategy was used to select three hundred forty (340) people (33.7% diabetic and 66.2% non-diabetic participants). A self-administered questionnaire was evolved using the previous review of literature and it was validated by two specialists (a community medicine expert and a clinical pharmacist). Appropriate statistics were then used to derive the results. Diabetes Nutrition Knowledge Survey was developed and validated by Rovner, Nansel, Mehta, Higgins, Haynie, Laffel (2012). The Nutrition Knowledge Survey (NKS) was developd by a multidisciplinary team. It consisted of 39 multiple choice questions four response options. This was then administered on 282 youth with type 1 diabetes and their parents. To check for validity associations were made between the NKS scores with A1C and dietary quality. Reliability was assessed using the Kuder-Richardson Formula 20 (KR-20) and correlations of domain scores to total score. Roopa, Devi (2014) developed and validated a study pertaining to studying the effect of an educational module as an intervention programme in the management of Diabetes Mellitus among the elderly with regard to the improvement in their knowledge, attitude and practices. The sample was determined through purposive random sampling. The sample constituted 80 people between the ages of 65-76. The sex ratio of the sample population was 1:1. The method of study preferred by the investigators was the Structured Interview Schedule (SIS) on knowledge, attitude and practices (KAP) with regard to diabetes was used for assessment.The study involved co-operative action research with an initial exploration of knowledge, attitude and practices in the management of diabetes mellitus among the elderly people as well as a post intervention study. The data obtained during pre and post assessment was analysed. Huizinga et al., (2008) conducted a study in regards to the development and validation of the Diabetes Numeracy Test (DNT).The first phase of development included item generationby a group of experts in diabetes, literacy and numeracy. 70 items were developed and administered to 40 individuals without diabetesto assess understandability. The next phase involved the recruitment of a convenience sample of 398 participantsat clinic visits. The sample was determined based onthediagnosis of type 1 or 2 diabetes, age of the individual (between 18-80) and language spoken by the individual (English speaking) .To eliminate redundancy,the expert panel reduced the measure to 45 itemsthat represented the five self-management areas. The presence of the 45 items was accepted as an adequate indicator to address the range of numeracy skills required in the management of diabetes. Reliability was evaluated through internal consistency testing with the Kuder-Richardson 20 formula. Hearnshaw, Wright, Dale, Sturt, Vermeire, Van Royen, (2007) developed and validated the Diabetes Obstacles Questionnaire (DOQ) to assess obstacles in living with Type 2 diabetes. The questionnaire was developed with the help of previous research and literature review. The sample for the study included 180 people with Type 2 diabetes who were recruited from 22 general practices in the UK. The questionnaire initially comprised of 113 items having five themes which was reduced to 77 items after analysis. The Face and content validity were established by 21 members of the Warwick Diabetes Care Research User Group. These people gave extensive feedback to the research team on the questionnaire design and content. The Diabetes Obstacles Questionnaire was combined with two other questionnaires for the study to establish criterion validity of the questionnaire. Smith, Lang, Sullivan, Warren (2004) made use of two new tools for assessing patients knowledge and beliefs about Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) and continuous positive airway pressure therapy. The sample for the study consisted of81 consecutive adult patients, diagnosed via polysomnography with OSA in the clinical group and 35 members in thenon-clinical group recruitedfrom a local community group in response to an advertisement calling for healthy volunteers without a sleep disorderdiagnosis. The investigators in the initial version of the Apnea Knowledge Test (AKT) based it on a similar measure as developed by Murphy et al., (2000). They initially formulated a set of20 AKT items; however an expert review process resulted in the exclusion offive items and modification of two items. Post this review, it is seen that the version of the AKT that the investigators finally chose to administer included 15 items multiple choice questionnaire, six items from the original Murphy et al., (200 0). The test was then subjected to patient review. The test was administered to the first 10 study participants withinstructions to comment on any difficulties experienced with the items. Further, Cronbach’s alpha was calculated to evaluate the internalconsistency of the AKT.The second tool used by the investigators was the Apnea Beliefs Scale (ABS). These items were evolved based onan exhaustiveliterature review and consultation with the staff members. Content thought to be fundamental to compliance was targeted inconstructing this questionnaire. The final version included 24 statements to assesspatients’ attitudes and beliefs about sleep Apnea andContinuous Positive Airway Pressure. Wright, Wallston, Elasy, Ikizler, Cavanaugh, (2011) investigated the development and results of a kidney disease. The investigation was carried out through the administration of a knowledge survey given to patients with Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD).The survey questions had been developed by experts. The sample consisted of 401 adult patients with CKD (stages 1-5) attending a nephrology clinic from April-October 2009.Approximately 100 questions were generated first to maximize content relevant to kidney knowledge. This was done through an exhaustive study of pre-existing literature. Using an iterative process, items were reviewed for face and content validity and redundancy and ultimately decreased to 34 kidney knowledge questions. These questions were initially tested on a small group of clinical and nonclinical personnel for clarity. The first20 study participants were asked to comment on clarity and content and it was seen that there were no additional suggestions. In order to cal culate survey reliability, the Kuder-Richardson-20 coefficient was used. They established construct validity by testing a priori hypotheses of associations between survey results and patient characteristics. The descriptive statistics that was assimilated was analysed. Warden, Hurley, Volicer (2003) developed and evaluated the Pain Assessment in Advanced Dementia (PAINAD). The PAINAD scale was developed after extensive study of existing literature and available pain assessment tools. The projects were carried out in a Dementia Special Care Unit where 96 in-patients received care for dementia. The sample was determined based on the following criteria, (1) diagnosis of dementia written on the medical record, (2) no planned discharge, (3) inability to report pain or discomfort to caregivers, and (4) a proxy decision maker identified in the medical record. The construct validity was determined using the contrasted groups and hypothesis testing methods. Further, Cronbach’s alpha was selected as the measure for verifying internal consistency. Zeolla, Brodeur, Dominelli, Haines, Allie (2006) development and validated an instrument to determine patient knowledge about oral anticoagulation. The oral anticoagulation knowledge test consisted of20 multiple choice questions. To develop this, Four nationally recognized anticoagulation experts contributed in the making to ensure content validity. The test was administered to subjects on warfarin and a group of age-matched subjects not on warfarin. This was done to assess construct validity and to check test–retest reliability a subgroup of warfarin subjects were retested after 2-3 months of the initial testing. Kuder–Richardson 20 value was calculated to assess internal consistency reliability. Also, to assess performance of each individual the item analysis was done. Peyrot, Peeples, Tomky, Charron-Prochownik, Weaver (2007) developed the Diabetes Self-management Assessment Report Tool (D-SMART). Thefirst resource that the investigators used was a set of existing DSMEmeasurement tools .The second resource they availed of was a set of publications regardingthe evaluation of diabetes education programs,including a description of a comprehensive DSME evaluation system,reviews of studies of DSME,and anumber of studies of specific programs that illustratedkey components of an evaluation system. After multiple drafts of the D-SMART, it was administeredto several individuals with diabetes and diabeteseducators to obtain feedback regarding readability andfeasibility. Post this plot test, several changes were made. D-SMART has completed three rounds of pilot testing and is currently undergoing a fourth round. Eachround is resulting in revisions to the original instrument.

Do Large Lecture Halls Offer a Good Learning Environment? :: Teaching Education

Do Large Lecture Halls Offer a Good Learning Environment Higher education comes in many forms, from small private colleges with one professor for every seven students, to enormous universities which utilize teaching assistants for almost all offered classes. The question I have as a student at Purdue, a university with around 35,000 students, is are large lecture halls with more than two hundred students effective places for learning to occur? When there are that many pupils in a classroom, it is nearly impossible for an instructor to take attendance. What is the motivation to attend class? Further, are students able to understand material presented in a classroom when there are hundreds more people in the classroom rustling papers, dropping pens, and whispering sarcastic comments about the lecture? In order to answer some of the above questions, I decided to study one of my largest lecture classes, Psychology 120 under Bob Melara. Class is held in an enormous lecture hall, which seats over five hundred students. In order to learn the answers, I did research for several weeks. I handed out questionnaires to other students at Purdue and observed Melara’s class for about two weeks. In addition, I interviewed Saree Strom, a student in the honors section of Psychology 120. The class of Melara’s that I studied meets every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday between 4:30 and 5:20 PM. Class is held in the giant lecture hall on the first floor of the Lily Hall of Sciences on State Street. There are about five hundred students in this section, and the seats are set up like a stadium so that each row is higher than the one below it. In addition to the regular class, the honors students meet Wednesday from 5:30 to 6:20. As honors students, their responsibilities increase to planning and leading small groups for each of the four labs that all students are required to do during the semester. There are twenty honors students in this section. The students in psychology discovered on the first day of class that the professor was a little out of the ordinary. He walked into class and announced, â€Å"Hello, my name is Robert Melara, but I am not overly fond of that name. What you refer to me as when I am not around is unimportant, but please address me only as Bob.† His hair is sort of long and shaggy, and it appears as though he never combs it.

Lord Of The Flies: Summary :: essays research papers

Lord of the Flies: Summary By: Wiliam Golding Main Character Description Piggy: A large kid, one of the older ones. He was made fun of and teased about his weight and it drove him crazy. He met Ralph first. Piggy wore glasses, which later proved vital for fire making. The best way to get to Piggy was to take away his â€Å"specs† because without them, he couldn't see a foot away from anything. He is later killed in the book. He falls fourty feet onto solid rock and his head splits open. Ralph: Ralph is chief of the group on the very first day. He was voted above Jack and his small band of kids. Ralph is one of the oldest. He first meets Piggy and was the original founder of the Conch Horn. Ralph comes up with many useful ideas during the novel, like the shelters on the beach. He is hunted right before they are rescued. Jack: Has his own band of kids that he later names, his â€Å"hunters.† In the group, they are responsible for the hunting of the pigs of the island; to bring in meat. Otherwise, the only thing they had to eat was the fruit of the island. Later on in the novel, Jack leaves the group of kids to be on his own. Simon: Quiet, out-spoken by everyone, Simon is one of the hardest-working of them all. He helps Ralph with the shelters and the little ones with fruit. He is later killed in the novel. Sam ‘n Eric: Sam and Eric are twins. They help in various problems during the novel and survive until the end of the novel. Neither of them play a vital role in the novel. Chapter Summary Chapter 1- In the first chapter, the time is right after the plane has wrecked and they all wake up from the crash. Ralph and Piggy meet each other, walk around and soon look for other people on the plane. Ralph soon finds the Conch shell and uses it like a horn to beacon the others. The survivors eventualy find themselves together in a group; Ralph, Piggy, Jack and his hunters, Sam ‘n Eric and Simon included. They vote Ralph the chief of the group, make a few rules (like, whoever has the Conch Shell has the right to speak) and designate Jack and his band as the group's â€Å"hunters.† Ralph, Simon and Jack explore the island and climb it's pink mountain to see if the place they were at is trully an island. They find it is. Chapter 2- An idea is formed for the group.

Flat Panel Tv and the Global Economy

Q2. â€Å" Flat Panel Televisions and the Global Economy† Vizio is a U. S. company founded in 2002 by William Wang, Vizio CEO, with the idea that everyone deserves to own the latest technology. It is a producer of consumer electronics, primarily produces television sets. It grows fast despite a limited number of staff. Now, there are over 160 employees and it remains the first American brand in over a decade to lead in U. S. LCD HDTV sales. This passage has mentioned two main issues, which are related to what I have learnt in the lecture. They are globalization of production and the reasons for businesses to become international. 1) Globalization of production Vizio has achieved globalization of production. Globalization of production means sourcing of goods and services from locations around the world to take advantage of national differences in the cost and quality of factors of production, for example, land, labor, capital, and energy. Vizio sources the components of televisions around the world. It source panel, electronic components, and processors from South Korea, China, and United States respectively. Assembly of TV is in Mexico, while final product design, sales, and customer service are in California. The final products are sold in retailers, such as Circuit City or Wal-Mart. Globalization of production makes companies more competitive by improving their quality or volume, and lowering their costs. According to William Wang, Vizio CEO, he can undercut his competition because his overhead is low. The company has about 85 employees and they are mainly responsible for technical support or engineering. It outsources manufacturing to Asia because there are low-cost, for-hire factories. 1] Because of reduced cost and high quality TV, it allows Vizio to compete with it rivals, e. g. Sony, Samsung, and Panasonic more effectively. 2) Reason to become international – proactive & reactive There are some initiatives for Vizio to become international. The proactive reason why Vizio become international because it can generate greater profits by reducing costs of acquiring resources. B y souring the television components worldwide and lower cost in labor and factories in Mexico, Vizio gain advantages to reduce its total cost. From Vizio’s perspective, greatly reduced production cost cause it able to offer lower selling price of TV sets to customers. This becomes Vizio’s competitive advantage and allows it to beat its competitors- Sony, Samsung, and Panasonic. From customers’ perspective, they are benefited from falling price and improved living standard because they can enjoy high quality flat-panel TV. The reactive reason is because of the competitive pressure in domestic market. There are many competitors in the United States, for example, Sony, Samsung, and Panasonic. In order to survive, Vizio has to Vizio has to enhance its competitive advantage. Therefore, it source suppliers of the components around the globe, which can offer low cost and high quality products. This makes Vizio’s TV become competitive and attract many customers to buy its products. Globalization also has its pros and cons. One of the advantage globalization is that competitions can increase the quality of products. Since Vizio now have to compete with rivals from worldwide, it has to provide customers with better flat panel TV than Sony, Samsung and Panasonic. Also, competitions force Vizio to create more innovative products so as to attract more customers to buy its products. Customers are thus benefited under globalization. On the other hand, globalization causes companies to lay off employees in home country. Since many manufacturing work are outsourced to China or Mexico, which can provide low cost labor and factories, employees in home countries are laid off because of their high labor cost or the factories in home country are closed down, causing unemployment. Q3bii As there is a trend towards globalization, many firms are involved in cross-broader trade and investment. Managing international business becomes not as easy as managing a purely domestic firm. Managers are now facing more difficulties related to globalization. The issues that managers have to grapple with are as follows. 1) Difference in culture The firms are doing business with many other firms or investing in other countries around the world. Since the countries are not the same, there are differences in cultures, political systems, economic systems, legal systems, and levels of economic development. Because of these differences, international businesses need to vary its practices country by country. Take General Electric as example, GE invest in China on infrastructure. Since China is a communist society, many businesses are still operated by the government although it has opened its market to outsiders to invest in China. Therefore, government is a large customer in China and GE needs to work closely with the bureaucrats. It is difficult for the outsiders, who are not familiar with Chinese culture, to gain cultural sensitivity. Even if they are exposed to Chinese environment, they still need time to learn Chinese Culture. For example, eastern and western people are different in expressing their anger. Western gives unhappy face when they are angry while eastern gives smiling face even they are angry. [2]Therefore, when GE do business with Chinese people, businessmen have to be careful with their conversation with bureaucrats because they may not know bureaucrats get angry or unhappy with them. Since eastern people may not adapt to this cultural difference or may not get used to it, they cannot do business successful with the Chinese. Besides, about punctuality, western are punctual while it is common for eastern to arrive a little earlier or late. When GE do business with the bureaucrats, it is better to come a little earlier. So the government bureaucrats need not wait for too long. Moreover, about confronting a problem, western faces the problem and think about prompt action to deal with the problems while eastern tends to avoid the problems. If eastern managers work in China to manage his subordinates, it is easy for them to have conflicts or argues because of different methods in handling the problems. Eastern managers may force its Chinese subordinates to give prompt action but the subordinates may not get used to it and may feel unhappy or pressure. Therefore, different culture leads to changing management skills and skills doing business. Country managers are often local internationals as they have deep understanding of local language. 2) Which foreign market to enter and which to avoid? It is suitable for the firm to choose economically and politically stable market to invest or cooperate with. Take General Electric as example. It chooses to invest in China because China is a emerging country. Since it is a developing country, it has high demand for infrastructure investments, such as airport and railways to facilitate trade. Without these infrastructures, products imported or exported to and from China become difficult. Globalization is then difficult to take place. Also, China is economically stable. It is the world's third-largest economy in 2007 and contributes more than 5. 5% of the world's GDP. [3] Besides, China is politically stable because there are no wars and riots rarely happen. It is not suitable for company to invest in politically unstable market, such as Iran and Iraq, because wars are usually happen. Otherwise, firms will suffer from political risk resulting in expropriation, confiscation, violence and conflict. Since China is politically stable, there is low possibility for GE suffering from political risk 3) Adaptation for global market When companies do business with countries around the world, it is important for them to beware of the difference in culture. Differences in culture require companies’ products to adapt to local environment for business success. There are some factors encouraging adaptation, for a example, differing use conditions, differing buyer behavior patterns, government regulatory influences. In the case of GE, GE Health Care makes MRI scanners that cost $1. 5 million, while Chinese research center is designing MRI scanners that only priced $500,000. If GE sold scanners that cost $1. 5 million in China, the sales may not be very good because China may not afford this expensive scanner. Even if Chinese companies can afford $1. 5 million, Chinese citizens, who are not rich enough, cannot afford the fee for using MRI scanners. Therefore, GE should seek ways to lower the cost of MRI scanners to better suit the needs of Chinese. GE Chinese research center can serve this purpose because it can easily gain more information about the consumption pattern of the Chinese and design a equipment that is more likely to gain sales. 4) Mode of entry When a company wants to enter a foreign market, managers need to decide which mode of entry is the best. Exporting, Turkey projects, licensing, franchising, joint venture, and wholly owned foreign direct investment are the six mode of entry. The six entry modes have their pros and cons. Besides, the higher the profit potential, the higher is the amount of firms’ financial commitment, risk and marketing control. Thus, firms have to seriously consider which global market entry strategy to use. GE use foreign direct investment strategy (FDI) to enter Europe, Latin America, and Asia. The pros of FDI are that GE can have total control over its foreign business. When there are strong interdependencies between headquarters and local operations, total coordination achieved through ownership will guarantee acceptable performance. On the other hand, the current international environment mat be hostile to full ownership by GE. It has to bear all the risk. Reference [1] Kessler K,  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Vizio's unexpected flat-panel kin†, USA Today; 2007. [2] Yang L, Differences between Eastern and Western culture, [homepage on the Internet], 2008 [cited 2011 Feb 7], Available from: http://mountainrunner. us/2008/01/differences_between_eastern_an. html [3] Xin H. Hey, hey: Look how China's growing, [homepage on the Internet]. 2007 [cited 2011 Feb 10]. Available from: http://www. atimes. com/atimes/China_Business/II20Cb01. html

A Self Review And Needs Analysis Of The Students Existing Knowledge And Skills Base

In order to carry out this assignment, I will begin by reflecting on my own practice and performance. I have developed an action plan, depicting five areas where I believe my practice could be improved through a strengthening of my skills and knowledge. I aimed to discover my strengths and weaknesses by completing a training needs analysis, based on the Teachers’ Standards (Early Years) 2013.This helped me to identify which areas of my practice I have chosen to focus on in relation to the benchmark, i. e. the Common Core competencies. The first standard I have chosen to address is, ‘2. 1 Be more accountable for children’s progress, attainment and outcomes’ (NCTL,2013:2), which I hope to achieve by November 2013. In order to help a child develop, we must begin by observing a child, assess their level of development and plan for them based on their interests.When observing a child we must ensure that we are recording the observations appropriately, basing the m on evidence and not opinion as is stated in the Common Core competencies (CC) (CWCD,2010:10) Good observations further enable us to create a strong foundation to plan relevant activities for children. Once this has been completed, it is extremely important to reflect on what we have done.Reflection is integral to improving a child’s progress, attainment and outcomes and provides us with the opportunity to assess the results of an activity, so we can plan appropriate next steps or adapt the activity to make it more appropriate to a child’s needs and abilities. I am confident in my ability to design exciting and relevant activities for the children in my care, but have chosen to focus on improving my ability to constructively reflect on these activities, to ensure the next steps can have the best possible learning opportunities for the child.This is why I want to devise an improved planning system whereby staff can, ‘Draw upon personal experiences and other peopl e’s perspectives, to help you reflect, challenge your thinking and to assess the impact of your actions. ’ (CWCD,2010:12) A richer evaluation from an activity will give us a stronger basis to provide next steps, which are more focused and relevant to the unique child. I intend to research evaluation techniques so I will, ‘know how to use theory and experience to reflect upon, think about and improve practice.’ (CWCD,2010:12)Prompts for evaluation should also be provided to ensure we are reflecting effectively on our activities, rather than just writing something irrelevant in an effort to ‘just fill the box’. In addition, I think it would be beneficial to display ideas of activities and possible questions around the room in relevant areas to help extend spontaneous play. As the majority of our planning is spontaneous, due to the fickle and fleeting interests of a child, we must plan daily to provide activities true to a child’s most cur rent interest.This in turn will provide us with the richer observations we require to design fulfilling activities, unique to each child. The next target I have set myself, which is to be completed by December 2013 is, ‘8. 5 Take responsibility for leading practice through appropriate professional development for self and colleagues. ’ (NCTL,2013:5) It is extremely important to frequently attend courses related to childcare as new research and theories are published on a regular basis, which change our view on the way we care for children.While in an ideal world, every practitioner would be supplied with unlimited time and funding to attend every course, this is not the reality and we therefore must ensure that we relay information from each of the courses we do attend to the rest of the staff in our setting in order to enhance the practice of the setting as a whole rather than just one practitioner. Currently, this is achieved through filling out a ‘course feedba ck form’ which is one A4 page to squeeze in all the knowledge you have gained from the attended course.This is not very effective as the forms are not sufficient to encompass the wealth of information obtained on the course. In addition, the forms are kept away in a folder in the office, which is not very accessible to staff, so the benefits are not widely disseminated. The common core competencies state that I should, ‘have the confidence to challenge the way you or others practice. ’ (CWDC,2010:14) In my workplace, this means when I identify an area that needs improving, I would be enabled to attend a relevant course to ensure all staff are consistent and up to date with correct practice.When relaying the course I must, ‘communicate effectively with other practitioners and professionals by listening to them and ensuring that you are being listened to. ’ (CWDC,2010:19) Providing carefully designed aids to appeal to all types of learners i. e. visual , auditory and kinaesthetic, such as: power-point presentations, speeches or role play activities will ensure that the new information is thoroughly absorbed by all staff regardless of aptitude.I will, ‘be proactive, initiate necessary action and be able to put forward your judgements’ by creating easy to read hand-outs or leaflets. These would be available for staff to refer to, as well as for parents/carers who attend the setting to access, so we can enable consistency between home life and nursery life for the children in our care. Another aspect of my practice I have chosen to focus on is, ‘5.5 know when a child is in need of additional support, and how this can be accessed, working in partnership with parents and/or carers and other professionals. ’ (NCTL,2013:4) This process began when I was reviewing summative assessments and overviews, and became aware that a child in my care was not achieving the expected level of development in all areas. It is im portant that I, ‘know what to do in given cases – for example, referrals†¦ raising concerns when a child†¦ is not achieving their potential.’ (CWDC,2010:20)We know it is essential to raise any concerns with parents/carers in an appropriate manner first to ensure a good partnership throughout the process, because it states, ‘know when and how to discuss concerns with parents and carers’ (CWDC,2010:15) in the common core competencies. I know from completing my childcare qualifications what the correct course of action is, however I have not had much experience in referring children or filling out CAF forms, so I thought this could be a good opportunity to expand my own knowledge in this area, thus improving my practice.I intend to assist in the filling out of a CAF form as part of the referral process so I can gain a greater understanding in knowing, ‘when and how to obtain information, advice and support for children†¦ their paren ts and carers, and when and how to report concerns. ’ (CWDC,2010:12) To develop my knowledge of the further stages of the referral process, I will continue to be involved in any meetings/conferences concerning the child. This will involve liaising with other professionals, helping me to, ‘understand the procedures, objectives, roles and relationships of partner services, in order to work effectively alongside them.’ (CWDC,2010:21)Throughout this process with reference to both the internal and external elements of the referral, it is important to be fully aware of ‘organisational procedures and legal frameworks†¦ within your own organisation and other agencies’ (CWDC,2010:17) to ensure a successful and beneficial outcome for the child and family involved in the referral process. By being fully involved in this procedure from the outset, I hope to gain the knowledge and experience to be able to initiate and complete similar referrals in the future .I have set a date of February 2014  to complete this target by, however depending on the outcome of the CAF form or referral, this could be altered. The fourth action on my target plan is, ‘3. 5 demonstrate a clear understanding of appropriate strategies in the early teaching of mathematics. ’ (NCTL,2013:3) I hope to have achieved this by April 2014. The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) tells us that the maths area, ‘includes essential skills and knowledge for children to participate in society’ (EYFS reference here), so it is of vital importance to ensure that we, as practitioners, have the maths skills necessary to help children achieve their full potential in this area.However, this is an area that is often neglected within settings, and it has recently come to light that it is also an area that generally children are under achieving in. To combat this, the government have launched the ‘maths champions’ project which is to be led by th e Early Years Professionals (EYP) within the setting. The project aims to boost the practitioners’ skills in mathematics and their confidence in this area in an attempt to increase the mathematic ability of the children in our care.The first stage of this is to complete an audit to assess my confidence in mathematics as well as to assess the content of the maths resources in the setting. The second stage is to complete an initial assessment, asking you maths questions, which will convert your score into a level ranging from ‘entry level 1’ to ‘level 3’ From this, data can be collected and evaluated to decide on the best course of action to improve our mathematic ability and finally take a diagnostic test similar to the initial assessment to assess what improvements, if any, have been made.I believe it is important to take part in this project because the common core competencies state that I should, ‘make good use of available information, appr aising its content and assessing what else might be needed’ (CWDC,2010:22) I am excited to see the outcome of this project, how it affects the way in which we teach maths through play and what knock on effects it may have on children in other areas of development, as we know all learning is holistic and interlinked.Lastly, I aim to, ‘2. 3 know and understand attachment theories, their significance and how effectively to promote secure attachments. ’ (NCTL,2013:2) I have given myself until the end of the first year of my foundation degree, June 2014, to do this as we will look at different theories in more and more depth as the course goes on and I will be able to provide thorough evaluation of them all.I currently work  in the baby room and so I am perfectly placed to implement my developing knowledge of attachment theories when hew babies enter the setting and transition into nursery life, and time spent away from the main caregivers. This can often be a traum atic experience for such young children, and by gaining underpinning knowledge of attachment theories, I intend to ease the transition to make it as pleasant an experience as possible for both children and their parents/carers.It is essential to, ‘understand the different ways in which babies and children form attachments and how these might change’ (CWDC,2010:12) I have very little experience working in a baby room, so I am keen to expand my knowledge of child development for this vital age where such intense learning takes place, and understanding, ‘the importance of forming positive relationships in the development of children†¦ and how this can be supported.’ (CWDC,2010:12)When supporting transitions, it is essential to, ‘communicate straightforward, reassuring messages about key transitions’ (CWDC,2010:17) in an attempt to put parents/carers’ minds at ease as children can pick up on hesitant and unsure body language and feeling s towards the situation. This will only make it more difficult for children to transition smoothly, aggravating what can already be a distressing event.One of my strengths is how I form strong and lasting relationships with parents/carers as well as their sons or daughters, I continue to keep in touch with many of the children who have left the settings as I offer my services as a babysitter for parents/carers who do not have anyone to look after their children when they go out.I must ‘reassure children†¦ their families, and carers by explaining what is happening, by involving them in decisions as appropriate, and by exploring possible actions to deal with new and challenging situations. ’ (CWDC,2010:17) Possible actions could be experimenting with strategies influenced by child attachment theories and inform hew ways to promote secure attachments.Reflection and evaluation are integral to your practice when you work in an early years setting, we must strive to cons tantly improve our practice to better the outcomes for the children within our care. I have identified my strengths and weaknesses, and in completing the program I have outlined above, I intend to enhance my performance in all areas. In relation to the target dates I have set myself, I will write up a concise evaluation to confirm whether I have achieved the desired outcomes of the 5 targets or not.

Judaism: Its identity and position to society

Judaism is more than a religion. It is the way of life of the Jewish people. Culture, customs, ethics, and sense of self – these are a part of Judaism as much as the faith and the rituals of the Jewish religion. A Jew can be defined in more than one way. Within Jewish law, being Jewish is a kind of citizenship. One is a Jew if one is born of a Jewish mother or has undergone a conversion. Conversion to Judaism is like a bestowal of citizenship – it makes one a member of the people. A person who fits the legal definition of a Jew is recognized as a fellow Jew by the Jewish community. Even if a Jew does not share the religious beliefs of Jews and does not participate in the customs and practices of Judaism, one is still considered a Jew if he or she fits the legal definition. One could define a Jew religiously to the religious beliefs and practices of Judaism. A Jew is one believes in the One God, Creator and master of the Universe, the God with whom the people Israel have a special relationship. Many Jews believe God chose them to be his people. They follow the laws that God revealed to Moses. The Ten Commandments are the most important of these laws. In ancient times the Jews were the only people who worship a single, exclusive God, and the only people who worshiped without physical images of God. The Jews were resented by other people for not participating in the worship of all gods. This led to the accusation that Jews were antihumanitarian, since sharing gods was considered to be an act of friendship and universalistic concern for other people. When Christianity replaced the pagan religions of antiquity, the old misunderstanding of Jews did not die out. Added to it was the resentment that the Jews, Jesus’ own people, has not become Christians. Jews were protected under Christian law but were restricted in many ways. The laws in Christian lands called for Jews to be humiliated and despised in order to encourage Jewish conversions to Christianity. When Jews did not convert they were accused of stubbornness or spiritual blindness (Wylen). Judaism teaches that God is the God of all humankind and that He wants all people to serve Him by living their lives the way He wants. The guidelines for this lifestyle are set down in the Noachide Laws, the basic framework for a moral and spiritual life. They believe that every person is completely free to choose whether to do good or evil for God is completely free to do as He wishes, so are humans. Jews regard any religion which upholds the Noachide Laws as an acceptable way for non-Jews to serve God. This does not mean that they agree with everything that other religions teach, but that they can recognize some religions as pointing out a path to God. For this reason, Jews do not see the need to convert other people to their religion. In particular, Jews recognize that Islam teaches pure monotheism and that Muslims have a strict morality that upholds the principles of the Noachide Laws. The same may be said of the Sikh religion. Jews have always been less certain about Christianity. Although they acknowledge Christianity’s high moral principles, they feel uneasy about the Christian belief that Jesus is God. They are also unhappy about the use of images and icons in Catholic and Orthodox worship. They feel that this comes rather close to idolatry. Nonetheless, Jews have always recognized a special relationship with Christianity and Islam. Rabbi Judah Halevi, a twelfth-century scholar, described Judaism as the seed of the tree and Christianity and Islam as the branches, since through these religions, millions of people have come to worship the one God (Forta). At the turn of the twentieth century, a movement of interfaith dialogue between Jews and non-Jews served as a medium that facilitated the changes upon conflicts in religion. Although there had been some obstacle along the process, the interfaith dialogue helped to develop a better relationship between Jews and non-Jews in America. As a result it came into advancement of the well-being of the Jewish community in America. This interfaith dialogue took place in America in 1893 when the World Parliament of Religions (WPR) convened in Chicago bringing together Protestants, Catholics, Greek Orthodox Christians, Jews, Buddhists, Hindus, Bahai, Muslims, Native Americans and representatives of other faiths as well. It offered Jewish religious leaders such as Alexander Kohut, Isaac M. Wise, Kaufmann Kohler, Emil G. Hirsch, and Marcus Jastrow, an opportunity to present their views to a non-Jewish audience and make a case for Judaism (Kaplan). The majority of Jews, especially in North America, resided in religiously pluralistic communities where people of diverse backgrounds and faiths, including many who had themselves experienced religious persecution, live side by side. Perhaps for this reason, they felt more comfortable interacting with Christians than Jews did in most parts of the world – so much so that we know of Jews and Christians who joined forces in business, witnessed each other’s documents, and socialized in each other’s homes (Bernardini and Fiering). Over the century new discoveries, new methods of manufacture, new social conditions have changed people’s way of living and thinking about the world. For Jews, this has always created the need to reapply the halakhah (Jewish religious law) to ever-changing conditions for living by halakhah is essential for Jews to fulfill their part of their covenant relationship with God. During this century advances in technology have led Jews to raise questions which could not have been thought of in earlier times – questions about the use of automated electrical machinery on Sabbaths, whether computer hacking is theft, whether surrogate mother is permissible, whether a person on a life-support machine is alive or dead. To enable rabbis to answer this questions, up-to-date commentaries have been added to the Shulchan Aruch (written catalogue of halakhah), and whole books concerned with specific topics of halakhah are now being published. The continued reapplication of halakhah is an ongoing process (Forta). Works Cited Bernardini, Paolo, and Norman Fiering. The Jews and the Expansion of Europe to the West, 1450 to 1800. Berghahn Books, 2001. Forta, Arye. Judaism. Heinemann, 1995. Kaplan, Dana Evan. The Cambridge Companion to American Judaism. Cambridge University Press, 2005. Wylen, Stephen M. Settings of Silver: An Introduction to Judaism. Paulist Press, 2000. Â   Â