Comfort Theory Research Paper

I chose this scenario which is appropriate for the application of Kolcaba’s Comfort theory: You are a nurse on an inpatient oncology unit. Your patient is a 72-year-old competent male who has been told his cancer is terminal and that further treatment is unlikely to have any benefit. He accepts that and would like to explore hospice. However, his two adult children insist that he should continue chemotherapy and fight on and they tell you not to discuss with him or get a consult for hospice. Specific Concepts of the Theory In order to address this scenario I used the middle range theory of Comfort and its specific concepts. This paper aims to describe the Comfort Theory, its application to the health care setting and areas for potential research and its relevance to the health care system. Comfort is an immediate desirable outcome that leads to excellent care in the nursing profession. Comfort is a vital part of the treatment and recovery of patients. Comfort is a cause of relief from discomfort, a state of ease and peaceful satisfaction, a state of comfort and whatever makes life pleasurable. (Kolcaba & Kolcaba, 1991). This theory addresses the most relevant issues in the nursing kingdom. Using this theory not just for patients, but for nurses will improve recruitment and retention rates of skilled health care professionals. Providing comfort is a necessity in the care of clients on inpatient oncologic unit. Currently, comfort is being viewed as a last result for terminally ill patients and not used as a standard hospital protocol or prophylactically to improve client’s health status. The main purpose of Comfort Theory is to improve patient’s satisfaction and outcomes as well as improve institutional integrity. As a middle range theory, Comfort theory is practically based and an be used in direct response to this specific clinical scenario that we as the advanced nurse practitioner will participate. (Peterson & Bredow, 2009). Overview of the Theory and Utility in Nursing Practice The theory of Comfort can be utilized to guide and enhance nursing practice. In her theory she describes holistic comfort in three different forms: relief, ease and transcendence as the immediate experience of being strengthened by having these necessary forms in four contexts: physical, psycho-spiritual, socio-cultural which incorporate cultural traditions and family, and environmental. Goodwin, Sener & Steiner, 2007). Relief is when the patient has had a comfort need met. Ease is defined as a state of contentment, and transcendence is a state of comfort in which clients are able to rise above their challenges. (March & McCormack, 2009). The psycho-spiritual context refers to comfort of one’s identity, sexuality, self esteem and any other spiritual relationship with a higher being. Socio-cultural comfort arises from interpersonal and societal relationships along with family. (Kolcaba, Tilton & Drouin, 2006). The author created a taxonomic structure of three types of comfort integrated with the four contexts of experience, into a 12?cell grid. The grid is useful for assessing patient’s needs, planning interventions and evaluating their effectiveness, and helps to contribute to the understanding and utility of the theory. (Peterson & Bredow, 2009). Kolcaba’s proposes that when clients and family members feel more comfortable, they will engage in more health seeking behaviors which include internal and external behaviors and a peaceful death. Internal behaviors occur at the cellular level, such as immune functioning. External behaviors refer to activities of daily living and health maintenance programs. When patients and family members are engaging in more health seeking behaviors as a result of increased comfort due to interventions, members of the health care team will be more content, will ultimately perform better and improve institutional outcomes such as reduced costs of care, reduced length of stay, enhanced financial stability and increased patient satisfaction. (Peterson and Bredow, 2009). Regarding the relevance to nursing practice, comfort is a positive outcome that is linked to an increase in health seeking behaviors and to positive institutional outcomes (Kolcaba & DiMarco, 2005). Nurses are constantly utilizing the comfort mechanisms and try to move patients towards the transcendence phase. Psychospiritual needs include teaching confidence and motivation through discomfort. Ways that nurses can implement comfort measures are through massage, allowing visitation, caring touch and continued encouragement (Kolcaba & DiMarco, 2005). Sociocultural comfort needs are the needs for cultural sensitive reassurance and positive body language. Nurses can provide these needs through coaching, encouragement, and explaining procedures. Nurses can help patients achieve the environmental comfort by lowering the lights, closing the doors, interrupting sleep minimally and limiting loud noise around the patients rooms (Kolcaba & DiMarco, 2005). Nurses document patient’s states before and after the use of comfort measures to verify if they are improving or worsening the client’s condition. Nurses knowing a patient’s condition can provide comfort measures to prevent negative outcomes. If a patient is requesting hospice care, a nurse may be aware of the possibility of achieve this goal. If the nurse notices an increase in pain, facial grimacing and anxiety, the nurse may realize that he should make some arrangements for hospice care. The nurse could also provide massage, guided imagery or other interventions based on the type of terminal cancer and intensity of the pain. Being able to determine when comfort measures are useful is vital to improving the quality of patient care. When patients are more comfortable, they are more likely to engage in health seeking behaviors, and to comply with medications and exercise regimes, increased compliance with prescribed diets and more peaceful deaths when palliative care is the appropriate goal. (March & McCormack, 2009). When patients increase their health seeking behaviors, nurses are more satisfied and improve their quality of care which increases the institutional integrity, and enhances the care of all health care professionals. Meaning of the Theory I think the theory means that the role of nursing includes the assessment of comfort needs, the design of comfort actions to address those requirements, and the re-evaluation of comfort levels after accomplishment. In the model of Comfort, nursing is described as the process of assessing the patient's comfort requirements, developing and implementing suitable plans of care, and evaluating the client's comfort after the care plans have been approved. Nursing Appraisal can be objective, such as the inspection of the pale skin in our competent male client with cancer, or subjective, such as asking if he is comfortable. The Theory of Comfort considers patients to be individuals, families, institutions, or communities in need of health care. The environment can be manipulated by a nurse or loved one in order to enhance comfort. In my opinion this theory is one of the fastest growing areas of current nursing theory improvement, and the most promising. The comfort theory can be applied to patients of all ages, cultures backgrounds, or communities. It is also applicable to patients in the hospital, clinic or home. I believe that comfort is a positive concept and is associated with activities that nurture and fortify clients. Review of the Research The Comfort theory has been tested in many settings, used as a basis of study and evaluated in several researches. It is necessary for this theory to be in the forefront of health care and research because it can greatly enhance patient outcomes. Though it has not necessarily been tested in all of these areas, it can be used to enhance any person’s health status in any practice setting. The nurse researcher employing this theory will find it very useful because of its ease of application. The researcher can take this theory and apply it to whatever setting and it is easily tested with a variety of instruments including, General Comfort Questionnaire, Shortened General Comfort Questionnaire, Visual Analogue Scales and Comfort Behavior Checklists. It provides direction for performance review, outcomes research and quality improvement (Kolcaba, Tilton & Drouin, 2006). As a middle range theory it has fewer concepts and propositions than a grand theory, is easily testable, easily applicable and interpreted and more narrow in scope. The theory has a low level of abstraction. This theory is still in early development. Concepts, propositions, and outcomes of comfort are operationalized easily using the taxonomic structure of comfort. The theory is still being tested and applied to a wider institutional approach. Because Kolcaba’s theory has still not been adapted in all of the researched settings, the benefits and outcomes are currently just speculated. Research of this theory is ongoing and constantly evolving. The theory is broad in scope because it can be applied to a variety of patient settings and patients of all ages and backgrounds. The theory can be viewed as being narrow in scope because it focuses solely on patient and families. However, it is easily extrapolated to other areas of practice. Once this occurs, the theory will be mainly viewed as being broad in scope. Researchers can test the benefits of comfort on learning. This theory does not necessarily have to involve just health care settings; it can be implemented in any field with any member of the health care team (Goodwin, Sener & Steiner, 2007). Her theory is easily interpreted and applicable to patient settings. A traditional goal of nursing has been to attend to patient comfort. Patients expect this from nurses and give them credit when comfort is delivered. Through deliberate actions of nurses, patients receive what they need and want from their nurses. The theory provides directionality for nursing practice because it provides measurable outcomes. However, the author mainly provides examples of comfort measures and how these work in the hospital. The author also relates comfort measures to improving health?seeking behaviors and benefiting institutions and institutional integrity. The theory addresses comfort and how it can improve patient outcomes, but fails to expand adequately on how these comfort measures can be used outside of the hospital setting. Many researchers are taking the Comfort Theory and extrapolating it to be useful in other health care settings. Comfort theory tested by nursing research all the relationships between nursing interventions, patient comfort, health seeking behaviors and institutional integrity. Finally the theory include all health care providers and implemented as an institution-wide framework for practice. (Peterson & Bredow, 2009). Applications of the Theory and Solutions for the Scenario I apply the theory and developed specific solutions for the issues that are raised in the scenario: It is significant to specify if nurses and other health care providers implement this theory into their practice, patient outcomes will significantly improve. This theory will not only enhance patient results, but it will help prevent imminent medical problems. We as a nurse assess the physical, psychospiritual, sociocultural and environmental needs of the clients, for example looking at deficits in the physiological mechanisms of this very ill patient due to an inoperable cancer. Some physical comfort needs that can be treated without medications include pain, vomiting, anxiety and weakness. We can use different interventions to help alleviate these problems and increase patient satisfaction. The theory describes nursing practice as being holistic, humanistic and needs related. It describes different nursing interventions intended to promote comfort for the patients provided by nurses. This theory differentiates nursing from other health related disciplines by demonstrating the different types of comforting measures provided by the health care team. There is a role play in seeking the client’s comfort by all members caring for the patient, including the client himself seeking his relief in a hospice once he attain the comfort level desired through participating in his quick recovery and exploring for a hospice. In this scenario, it will be the role of the nurses to help the client to achieve the desired comfort level by teaching the family members related to the convenience of the hospice care. We will explain the necessity of stop the chemotherapy. Lack of teaching in this extreme case may result to lack of comfort and lack of peace in the event of terminal illness and death. These solutions lead to recovery at a faster pace. It is crucial the provision of good environment to ensure that the client receives plenty comfort for his recovery. Therefore, the nurse play the leading role of identifying the client’s comfort needs, and design interventions to address those needs. With certain comfort level the client acquires strength to participate in health seeking behaviors and if not, encounter peaceful death. If specific comfort needs of a patient are met, the patient experiences relief and comfort, for example, a patient who receives pain medication in an inpatient oncologic unit. Ease addresses comfort in a state of contentment. For example, the patient's concerns of hospice care are addressed. Positive outcomes are achieved through the cooperation of all parties involved. The client should be cooperative to gain the desired energy in a comfortable manner, or die in a peaceful way due to his comfort level, if death occurs. Conclusions about Usefulness of the theory in Nursing Practice Kolcaba’s middle range theory of Comfort is applicable to all areas of the healthcare field and other nursing situations since it is currently patient and family centered. The theory is formulated to provide guidance for everyday practice and scholarly research rooted in the nursing education comforting the learner or student in an educational environment. This theory was created to guide for the assessment, dimension, and appraisal of patient comfort. There are a lot of benefits we can get in learning and applying Kolcaba’s Theory of Comfort as it promotes understanding and collaboration between health care team members addressing the current shortage in health care team. In addition, it will improve societal acceptance of the health institution and increase patient satisfaction. (March & McCormack, 2009) It is important to denote the application of it to an institution wide approach. I consider a limitation that Kolcaba restricts the use of interventions to provide comfort as a function of nurses. It is focused on a limited dimension of the reality of nursing. (March & McCormack, 2009). In the role of providing comfort, the nurses need to meet the basic physical, psychosocial and spiritual human needs throughout client comprehension to their experience. Theory of Comfort has a real potential to direct the work and thinking of all health care providers within one institution since, it appears that the comfort is always present in all culture and appropriate universal goal for healthcare. It is a middle-range theory for health practice, education, and research. (Malinowski & Stamler, 2002).

History of Tattoos Essay

In today’s world, it is not uncommon to see people covered in all types of body art, such as tattoos. Arms, legs, sometimes even faces, all painted with permanent ink. For what reason, some people ask. What’s the point having words, designs, or pictures permanently drawn onto your skin? I personally love tattoos; they’re an artistic way for people to express who they are and their originality. Tattoos are a way for people to showcase their inner differences. But the question is, where did tattooing start, and why? The word tattoo originates from the Tahitian word tattau, which means, â€Å"to mark.† An explorer James Cook, in his records from his 1769 expedition to the South Pacific, first mentioned this word. However, many scientists believe that the earliest known evidence of tattooing dates back 3300 B.C. due to 59 markings found on the skin of a mummified human body known as The Iceman (Demand Media Inc.). In 2160 B.C., tattooing became prevalent in Egypt. Several mummies displaying lines and dots tattooed all over their bodies have been recovered that date to as early as the XI Dynasty. Though these people had been mummified for thousands of years, the tattoo markings were still completely visible (Hemingson). The main reasons for these Egyptian tattoos are to connect with the Divine (like god, or God); as a tribute or act of sacrifice to a deity; as a talisman, a permanent amulet that cannot be los; or to provide magical or medical protection (Hemingson). Around 700 B.C. Ancient Greeks and Romans began tattooing, but for an entirely different reason. The use of tattoos, or â€Å"stigmata† (marks upon the body, sores, or sensations of pain in locations corresponding to the crucifixion wounds of Jesus Christ), were mainly used to mark someone as â€Å"belonging† either as a slave to an owner or to a religious sect or sometimes even as a disciplinary measure to mark people as criminals (Designboom). When the dynasty of Macedonian Greek monarchs ruled Egypt, the pharaoh Ptolemy IV was said to have had ivy leaves tattooed on himself. These leaves symbolized his devotion to the Greek god of wine, Dionysus. This fashion was also adopted by Roman soldiers, which then spread across the Roman Empire (Famento). During the rise of Christianity in 600 B.C., there was a widespread temporary standstill to tattooing in the Middle East and Europe. Saint Basil the Great, one of the most notable doctors of the Christian Church, warned: â€Å"No man shall let his hair grow long or tattoo himself as do the heathen, those apostles of Satan who make themselves despicable by indulging in lewd and lascivious thoughts. Do not associate with those who mark themselves with thorns and needles so that their blood flows to the earth† (Hemingson). During the gradual process of Christianization in Europe, tattoos were often considered remaining elements of paganism and generally legally prohibited. In the years 306-373, the Christian emperor Constantine completely banned tattoos. He felt that tattoos disfigured what was made in God’s image (Hemingson). Though this ban of tattoos was very powerful, it couldn’t completely eliminate tattooing from Europe or the Middle East. Tattooing worked its way back into these two religions between 500-1500 by holy pilgrims. During the Middle Ages, people would go on pilgrimages to the Holy Land, and the only proof that they had actually been there would be the tattoos they received from the Coptic priests. The basic tattoo the pilgrims usually returned with was a simple cross, but the more outgoing people returned with portraits of historical events from the bible inked into their skin (Hemingson). The earliest reference to British royalty being tattooed was King Harold II sometime between 1022 and1066. After King Harold II was killed in the Battle of Hastings, the only way his sister Edith could pick out which body was his was from the words ‘Edith’ and ‘England’ that were tattooed upon his chest (History of Tattooing). Tattooing started evolving into a form of art in the 1600’s. The Japanese word irezumi refers to the insertion of ink to the skin leaving a permanent, decorative mark, which in other words, means tattooing in how we see it today. Tattooed marks were still used as a punishment during this time, but there were fads of decorative tattoos coming and going throughout the years. The release of the popular Chinese novel Suikoden, a story of bravery illustrated with extravagant woodblock prints demonstrating heroic men with their bodies permanently painted with mythical creatures, flowers, and other images, inspired many people to get tattoos similar to what they had seen. Woodblock artists began tattooing their designs onto human flesh just the same as they would create their woodblock prints, using chisels, gouges, and ink known as Nara ink. This ink turns blue-green underneath the skin (Irezumi). Between 1766 and 1779, Captain James Cook voyaged out into the South Pacific three times After these voyages to Polynesia, Cook and his crew told stories of people covered in tattoos that they had seen, referring to them as â€Å"tattooed savages†. Cook’s Science Officer, Sr. Joseph Banks, returned to England with a tattoo. Many of Cook’s ordinary men came back with tattoos, a tradition that soon became associated with men of the sea. These sailors and seamen re-introduced Europe to tattooing (History of Tattooing). As soldiers and sailors began returning home from conquest and trade wearing tattoos in various places on their bodies in the early 1800’s, tattooing starting to become very popular among Western societies. These men had imitated the tattooing practices they had witnessed from the people of Asia, Africa, and the South Pacific. Ordinary working class men wore tattoos on their body to symbolize their pride (Hemingson). Also in the early 1800’s, doctors and others in the medical field began voicing their concerns of tattooing. Many doctors felt that tattoos could cause many complications to ones well-being. A leading doctor wrote about a woman who had died from an infection caused by a tattoo in 1837. In 1853 a physician reported the first case in which syphilis was transmitted by tattooing. Back in these days, tattoo artists had no knowledge that using the same needles for multiple customers without cleaning them spreads diseases. It wasn’t uncommon to clean off a fresh tattoo with saliva, tobacco juice, or even urine (Hemingson). Several tattoo artists found jobs in Washington DC during the Civil War. A man who was German born, Martin Hildebrandt, started his tattooing career in 1846 and was considered the best tattoo artist at that time. He tattooed military members from both Union and Confederate camps. In 1870, the first American tattoo studio was opened by Hildebrandt (Hemingson). Samuel O’Reily opened tattoo studio in 1875. During this time, tattoos were done by hand, using needles attached to a wooden handle. The tattoo artist would dip the needles in ink and move their hand up and down, puncturing the skin with 2-3 needles per second. Tattooing by hand was a very slow process, and required good manual skill. Since O’Reily was not only a great tattoo artist, but also a mechanic and technician, he began to work on a machine that could help speed up the tattooing process. O’Reily created a hand-held machine where the needles could move up and down automatically. This invention made tattooing as fluent as drawing. In 1981 O’Reily patented his invention and offered it for sale. Tattooing in the US was revolutionized over night. Sailors lined up to be tattooed by O’Reily and his apprentice Charles Wagner. At this point in time, over 80% of the US Navy was tattooed (Hemginson). During the Holocaust in 1939, concentration camp prisoners received tattoos at the Auschwitz concentration camp complex. Over 400,000 prisoners were assigned a serial number and branded, or tattooed, with that number (History of Tattooing). In 1961, New York City banned tattoos and tattoo parlors due to a hepatitis outbreak. This ban wasn’t lifted until 1997. Recently, many towns in New Jersey have removed the bans to avoid legal challenges and have applied rules to regulate tattooing (James). Starting in the 1990’s, tattoos had started being linked to the American fine art world. The number of academy trained artists entering the tattooing profession seemed to be growing each year, doubling since the 1980’s. Art schools and programs started turning out more trained artists than the mainstream art world could absorb, so many art school graduates migrated towards the tattooing industry (Hemingson). It is apparent that tattooing has been widely practiced in all parts of the globe, dating back to ancient times. Throughout history, tattooing, as well as other types of body art, has been related to religion, emotions, inner expression, and even punishment. Tattooing has occurred and still occurs in cultures everywhere and is widely popular in todays American society.

Why Chinese Mothers Are Superior

In the article, â€Å"Why Chinese mothers are Superior, Chua describes her efforts to give her children what she describes as a traditional, strict â€Å"Chinese† upbringing. ] This piece was controversial. Many readers missed the supposed irony and self-deprecating humor in the title and the piece itself and instead believed that Chua was advocating the â€Å"superiority† of a particular, very strict, ethnically defined approach to parenting. In fact Chua has stated that the book was not a â€Å"how-to† manual but a self-mocking memoir. In any case, Chua defines â€Å"Chinese mother† loosely to include parents of other ethnicities who practice traditional, strict child-rearing, while also acknowledging that â€Å"Western parents come in all varieties,† and not all ethnically Chinese parents practice strict child-rearing. Chua also reported that in one study of 48 Chinese immigrant mothers, the vast majority ‘said that they believe their children can be â€Å"the best† students, that â€Å"academic achievement reflects successful parenting,† and that if children did not excel at school then there was â€Å"a problem† and parents â€Å"were not doing their job. ‘ Chua contrasts them with the view she labels â€Å"Western† – that a child’s self-esteem is paramount Amy makes it clear that the Asian kids are not born smart (For the most part, at least) It is hard work and training from the parents that shapes the children into these wonder kids. To prov e her point she lists up a number of things that her daughter were never allowed to do, such as: * Have a play date * Watch television or play computer games * Attend a school play. And so on.. Prohibitions that seems totally unreasonable for us â€Å"westerns†, as she loosely has named us. Throughout the text she covers several perspectives on parenting, which of a few I surprisingly agree on. Most of her viewpoints I deeply disagree with though and is far from my idea about proper parenting. Each time she lists up one of her perspectives, she compares the Chinese perspective with the Western perspective. She does this in a very subjective manner I think. She is very clever rhetorically. At some parts of the text, I actually caught my self being very close to getting dragged towards her side. I found it quite amusing to feel the power of pathos, but at the same time a bit daunting. According to Amy, the main difference between Chinese parents and Western parents is the way they see their children. Western parents believe that respecting their children’s choices, their individuality and always encouraging them to pursue their true passions is the way. In contrast, Chinese parents believe that preparing their children for the future, and.. Why Chinese Mothers Are Superior Children all over the world are raised in hundreds of different ways. Some parents strive to get a successful child, some are more casual, and some parents even relive their youth through their kids. China is on the running course with the rest of the world, and when it comes to creating masterminds, China is way ahead of everyone else. Should we follow, or should we simply go on the way we always have? In the article â€Å"Why Chinese Mothers Are Superior† by Amy Chua, we’re informed about the differences between the western way of raising children and the Chinese way.She is a Chinese mother herself, and from her perspective she explains how she has raised her children by excluding them from every social activity, both within school, but also during their extracurricular.Her opinions are pretty clear, and she doesn’t hesitate to express how much she thinks her way of raising children is better than the western way. She explains that not all Chinese mothers are l ike her â€Å"Conversely, I know some mothers of Chinese heritage, almost always born in the West, who are not Chinese mothers, by choice or otherwise†1.Throughout the article, she states that the western way of raising children is not as good as the Chinese, and even though some western parents think they’re strict towards their children, it’s nothing compared to the Chinese idea of strict â€Å"†¦even when Western parents think they’re being strict, they usually don’t come close to being Chinese mothers. (†¦ ) my Western friends who consider themselves strict make their children practice their instruments for 30 minutes every day. An hour at most.For a Chinese mother, the first hour is the easy part. It’s hours two and three that though†2. This proves that she truly thinks that she, and the rest of the hardworking Chinese mothers, are superior. Throughout the article, she also resorts to studies, that have examined the opi nions of 50 western women and 48 immigrated Chinese women, all mothers. â€Å"Almost 70% of the Western mothers said either that â€Å"stressing academic success is not good for children† or that â€Å"parents need to foster the idea, that learning is fun†Ã¢â‚¬ 3.The opinion of the Chinese mothers was a whole different story, though â€Å"By contrast, roughly 0% of the Chinese mothers felt the same way†4. Dragging these studies into her article doesn’t only make her reliable, she also argues very well for her case. The fact that she is a professor at Yale Law School also backs up her reliance. Being a professor for future lawyers usually requires being good at arguing, which she certainly is.In her article, she has included stories and experiences from her own life, in which she was also raised the Chinese way: Play to be the best, or don’t play at all. The first experience she explains is how her father used to call her names when she was disres pectful towards her mother â€Å"†¦ when I was extremely disrespectful to my mother, my father angrily called me â€Å"garbage†Ã¢â‚¬ 5, but she also states that she was never negatively affected by his name-calling â€Å"I felt terrible and deeply ashamed of what I had done.But it didn’t damage my self-esteem or anything like that†6. Throughout the article, she uses humor even though she seems to be a strict lady, that doesn’t waste time messing around â€Å"One guest named Marcy got so upset she broke down in tears and had to leave early. My friend Susan, the host, tried to rehabilitate me with the remaining guests†7. This shows that she does, even though it might be a bit hard to detect, have a sense of humor. She is pretty subjective in this article, since she assumes that every Chinese child is an A-class student.This is, though a bit of a paradox, since she in the start of the article wrote that not all Chinese mothers are the same â₠¬Å"If a Chinese child gets a B – which would never happen – there would be a screaming, hair-tearing explosion. †8. She is convinced, that a Chinese parent can treat their child in any way they want to, calling them names and forcing them to do things, they don’t want to do, whereas western parents can’t be critic at all or demand anything of their child without ruining the self-esteem of their child â€Å"Chinese mothers can say to their daughters â€Å"Hey fatty – Lose some weight.†By contrast, Western parents have to tiptoe around the issue, talking in terms of â€Å"health† and never mention the f-word, and their kids still end up in therapy for eating disorders and negative self-image†9. In the modern world, it’s all about stepping up and making a name for yourself, no matter if you’re on Wall Street or a part of the underground music revolution. Many years ago, China’s economy was a wreck, peopl e starved and you had to be the best to survive.Call it Darwinism, but these people had to fight to be something, and I think this is how this Chinese way of raising children was created, and we learned from Amy’s article, that Chinese children are still raised this way. If a young child is brilliant at for example an instrument and a video is posted on Youtube and it goes viral and people hear about it, they sometimes ask â€Å"Is the kid Asian? †. Then people laugh, but it’s funny because it’s true!The Chinese, not to speak of rest of Asia, has conquered a big part of the market for manufactured products, and everywhere you go you see the stamp â€Å"Made In China†. No wonder if everyone in China raise their children like Amy does. When all this is said, I think children should be allowed to be children. It’s healthy for them to create social bands, but if they’re cut out from all social activity by their parents, they will automati cally become the outcast in their class.This is why we on American high schools always see white and black kids hang out together, but the Asians are usually for themselves. It’s natural to make boundaries for your child, the child should know the difference between right and wrong, but should definitely not learn that socializing is wrong. Maybe Amy didn’t get damaged in the process of being perfected by her parents, but I’m sure not every Chinese child is like her. We keep talking about leaving a better planet for our children – But how about leaving better children for our planet? Why chinese mothers are superior â€Å"Nothing is fun until you’re good at it.† That statement is the essence of the Chinese way of parenting. Studies show, that Chinese parents spend about 10 times as long as Western parents on academic activities with their children on a daily basis. But the question is, will all that discipline and those high expectations really create content and successful adults or does it in fact create children who will eventually resent their parents?The article was brought in The Wall Street Journal in 2011 and it is written by Amy Chua’s and from her point of view. She is a professor and a mother of two. She believes in the Chinese way of parenting – that discipline and expecting nothing less but perfection from your children, will eventually create happy and successful adults. In the article she argues for the reason why the Chinese upbringing is successful. She is married to a Westerner and therefore she has recognized three big differences in the Chinese and Western parental mind-sets.Amy believes these three differences to be the reason why Chinese children have a tendency to perform better at school. First of all, she thinks that Western parents are too concerned with their children’s self-esteem. As she says it: â€Å"Western parents are concerned about their children’s psyches. Chinese parents aren’t. They assume strength, not fragility, and as a result they behave very differently.† This statement is somewhat true. Western parents have a tendency to tiptoe around an issue; because they are petrified they might hurt their child’s feelings or damage their child’s self-esteem.If you expect your children to be fragile, they most likely will become fragile. If you on the other hand expect strength, and that they can handle the truth without getting a damaged self-esteem, they will be strong. But as always there must be moderation in all things. Amy Chua says: â€Å"That’s why the soluti on to substandard performance is always to excoriate, punish and shame the child. The Chinese parent believes that their child will be strong enough to take the shaming and to improve from it.†Punishing your children for a disappointing performance at school by castigating the child is very far from the Western parental mind-set. If you are disappointed in your children, it is better to be honest with them and tell them you know they can do better and what you expect of them in the future. It is unnecessary to lambast your children. It seems, that in Amy Chua’s mind respect and fear is the same thing, which in my mind seems hopelessly out of date.You should not fear your parents; instead they should be the ones in whom you could always seek comfort and support. Amy Chua has a completely different mind-set on where children are in the social hierarchy, which is the next big difference between Chinese and Western upbringing.Amy Chua believes that the second big difference between Chinese and Western upbringing is, that Chinese parents believe their kids owe them everything. In this part she uses her husband as an example of what a Westerners view is: â€Å"It’s parents who foist life on their kids, so it’s the parents’ responsibility to provide for them. Kids don’t owe their parents anything.†This is an opinion most Westerners share. It is a culture difference. It is  not only the Chinese culture, but also the Muslim, Jewish etc. that have this type of social hierarchy, where it is the older you are, and the higher status you have. Amy Chua may exaggerate when she says Chinese children owe their parents everything, but a lot of Westerners could learn to show more respect towards the elderly people. We could learn something from each other’s way of parenting, even though they are opposite of each other.In the next part Amy Chua points out the last big difference between the two very different ways of parent ing. â€Å"Third, Chinese parents believe that they know what is best for their children and therefore override all of their children’s own desires and preferences.† To explain the reasoning behind this statement, Amy tells a story from her own life, when her  daughter refused to play a piano piece because it was too hard. But Amy made her do it and in the end she did it and performed it perfectly. To a certain degree, it is okay for parents to make their children do something they do  not want to, because it takes practice.What you have to be careful about is keeping them away from the things they want to do. If they have a desire to something, not allowing them will only enhance that desire, and in the end that might cause some kind of drastic reaction from their part. Once again it is a really big difference between the Chinese and the Western mind-set. Western parents usually encourage their children to pursue their desires and support their decisions, whereas the Chinese parents believe they know what is best for their children.The fact that Western parents allow their children to do what they want with their lives, makes the Chinese parents think that Chinese parents care more about their children, because they won’t let them turn out badly. On the other hand, Westerners think that Chinese parents are callous people, who do not let their children be children. Amy think’s that is a misunderstanding on both sides, because as she says: â€Å"All decent parents want to do what is best for their children. The Chinese just have a totally different idea of how to do that.† Amy respects both ways of parenting, but it is oblivious throughout the article that Amy Chua believes the Chinese way of parenting is the right way to go.Amy Chua’s views on parenting might be slightly provoking to a lot of people, but she argues well for the reasoning behind it. In the article it seems that there are no consequences of the Chine se parental mind-set. But there always is. There is a possibility that Amy Chua’s way of parenting might cause her children to resent her at some point, when they realize that not every parent is like that. Also undermining the creative subjects like gym and drama is not the way to go.A lot of studies show the importance of creativity in a child’s life and exercise is crucial for children as well. It is also important to remember that the social intelligence is just as important as  the logical one, and maybe more. When the children are going to job interviews etc. it is very important to be socially qualified, and they won’t learn that by being kept away from sleepovers, play dates and so on. There are definitely consequences of the Chinese way of upbringing that Amy describes, just as well as there is of the Western way.Even though Amy is an advocate of the Chinese way of parenting, she does not glorify it. She uses humour and exaggeration to engage the read er for example: â€Å"If a Chinese child gets a B – which would never happen – there would first be a screaming, hair-tearing explosion.† She amplifies a lot in the examples she uses in order to emphasize just how different Western and Chinese parents are. An article is not engaging if it only consists of statistics and surveys. But like Amy does use those statistics and surveys to back up her own story. By doing that, the story becomes more believable. As readers we are much more interested to hear a personal story that is part of a greater hole.Amy also engages the reader by making a bold headline: â€Å"Why Chinese Mothers Are Superior†. When we read that we instantly feel a desire to know why and which arguments she has for making such a statement.The article ends with a summary of the contrast between the Western and Chinese parental mind-set. Both are very positive, but still very different. In that way Amy enlightens how both ways of parenting can be equally as good. The message of the article is that we should learn from each other’s way of parenting, and just because one environment is different, does not mean it is not equally as loving and nurturing as the other.

Process of merchants Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Process of merchants - Essay Example The said process can be considered as the onset of the different processes that are needed to be undertaken which require a synergy of planning and strict decision making since critical assessment is required to determine what types of products can target the needs of the clients (Cant, Strydom, Jooste and du Plessis 128). The identification of the clientele for the particular upcoming season can be considered as a crucial step in the process. Initially, specific type of consumers is identified and the stability of the said market to support continued manufacturing and production is established. An addition important characteristic of the said market is economic accessibility which is related to more profitability in terms of less expenses and costs on higher benefits (Cant, Strydom, Jooste and du Plessis 128). There are different criteria that can assess the right choice in merchants. One is the size and growth capability of the market that can ensure use up of the supplies that can be produced and the expansion of the business undertaken. The potential profitability which is related to the long-term capability of the business to prosper is another important factor. The determination of the capability of the business to achieve the set goals is also another important factor (Cant, Strydom, Jooste and du Plessis 129). Basically in the determination and classification of the profitable line and market in the merchant process can only effective if it is compatible to the type of services that can be offered. Thus, the process of classification choice of a merchant can also include the assessment of the point where the needs of the market and the capability of the company can meet. Through this, the profitability can be optimized. To be able to have the maximum benefits in the market, the process of forecasting or determination of the products that can have the high demands can be considered as another fundamental phase.

Analytical techniques Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Analytical techniques - Essay Example Experts have concentrated towards the identification of certain measures that can help in the mitigation of the errors in different fields. Some analytical techniques and procedures have been discovered as remedies to the occurrence, execution and interpretation of errors and these techniques and procedures are commonly used to minimize the probability of errors. (Grabowski and Roberts, 1996, p16) The analytical techniques and procedures employed for dealing with the errors used to be different for each case however, there are some common and widely accepted procedures like Six Sigma etc that are applicable to almost every field and can help the related individual and organizations in effectively dealing with different types, stages and levels of errors. The paper aims to discuss some major and widely accepted error mitigation analytical techniques that have proved their significance in dealing with the errors both at execution and interpretation stages. The essay presents the examples of errors that commonly occurred in different fields and also discuss the analytical techniques that are commonly used in these fields to deal with these errors. (Goodstein et al, 1988, p98) As discussed above that with no exceptions, error occurred in every field. The intensity and effects of these errors may vary from one field to another and ultimately the procedures and techniques used to deal with these errors also vary from one field to another. It implies that the medical errors are different in nature from the business, linguistics or lab errors and thus, these errors are dealt quite differently from the errors occurred in any other field. For instance, in statistical data an error can be occurred in form of difference found between the computed and theoretically correct values that can be deal by rechecking formulas and calculation methods. In science and

Journalism, Mass Media and Communication PowerPoint Presentation

Journalism, Mass Media and Communication - PowerPoint Presentation Example Similarly to how significant reputation is to the royal family, it is a prerequisite for every company to guard their reputation considering that this is an extremely valuable asset to the company. Apparently, on the night of her deadly crash, her chauffeur was drunk, while Princess Diana was not putting on a seat belt; on the other hand, Princess Diana, together with her beau, Dodi Al Fayed, were attempting to escape from paparazzi. It is clear that both Diana and Al Fayed sought fame in a way that none of the royal family members did. Nonetheless, the heyday of Princess Diana as a global star seemed to symbolize Princess Diana’s superiority compared to the rest of the royal family. Her lack of self control, together with her helplessness in the appearance of her own desires, which signified her humanity (Adrian & Deborah 2002, p.6). The Establishment that wrangled with Princess Diana no longer even rules England and Wales; according to this organization, their expectation wa s Princess Diana to live in a loveless marriage with Prince Charles, while at the same time bearing the humiliation brought about by his unfaithfulness. With his position, Prince Charles was not only known for his infidelity, but als for his lack of morals, something that the royal family attempted to cover up through all means. However, when Princess Diana filed for divorce, all these dirty secrets came to light. This was a problem to the royalists who have a valid reason to be worried; the constitutional problem in prospect that if Prince Charles marries his long time lover Camilla Parker Bowles, this step sets off alarm bells. This is because, the heir to the throne, who is also the Church of England's leader, happens to be a self-confessed adulterer, who is living unmarried together with another man's ex-wife. On the other hand, if the Queen, together with her advisers make an attempt of blocking the marriage, then the House of Windsor is capable of demonstrating how out of step it is regarding the rest of society. Following the death of Princess Diana, their self-control, as well as refusal to portray emotion in public appeared to be less than human, instead of the summit of human behavior. This led to the natives laughing and poking fun, with the tradition of the stiff upper lip appearing to be risible; resulting to the queen’s accent getting mocked all over the country. Certainly, this is just a change of masks; the Prime Minister Tony Blair, emoting concerning the â€Å"People’s Princess,† turned out to be no more sincere compared to the queen feigning that she had not been wounded by the whole thing. However, beneath that change of mask rests the much deeper, as well as quite irreversible, change of the country from Rome to Italy (Adrian & Deborah 2002, p.24). When Prince William decided to marry Kate, the royal family had to accept his decision for fear of a repeat of what transpired between Princess Diana and her husband. Prince ss Diana had to enter into an early marriage with an old man, i.e. Prince Charles, something that later on resulted in enormous problems since she could not tolerate living in a loveless marriage. However, in the case of the Dutch and Dutchess of England, they are both young and they also love each other; therefore, there is a high possibility that

UNREACHED PEOPLE GROUP PROJECT ABSTRACT Assignment

UNREACHED PEOPLE GROUP PROJECT ABSTRACT - Assignment Example The modern lifestyles characterized with minimal physical social interaction are largely to blame for the lack of information on such evident topics in the public domain. This research therefore seeks to legitimize this claim by studying the missionary work in Arab countries by Brazilian missionaries. A missionary act, just like evangelism, is a means of spreading the gospel to regions considered unreachable by Christian adherents. The Arab world is largely Islamic which implies that such people have adequate knowledge on religion and arguably Christianity. However, the two have different cultures which may be a hindrance to changing their mentality into concurring with the teachings of Christianity thus influencing their refusal to change their religions. Hospitality is a virtue of religions espoused upon by Jesus Christ and enshrined in the holy books of the religion. The differing cultures of the Arabs and the Brazilian missionaries may arguably have an influence on their understanding of hospitality, which infers that the Arabic understanding if hospitality especially in relation to people ascribing to other faiths may impact their receipt of such sensational and radical information concerning a new faith. The research therefore seeks to establish the role that culture plays in understanding hospitality and how the two influences the spread of the

Is social media really serving the purpose of making people more Essay

Is social media really serving the purpose of making people more sociable or is it creating an introverted generation - Essay Example Thus social media usage is creating an introverted generation that consists of people who often strive to shrink into themselves and stop taking part in constant social media interactions. The very first reason why people become introverts by constant using of social media is because it is always easier to communicate when nobody watches you. In fact this means that it is certain anonymity and opportunity to dissimulate feelings and personal features during communication, what makes people feel freely while communicating through social media services more than in real life situations. A famous psychologist Phillip Zimbardo defined anonymity as a crucial factor that triggers human feeling of freedom from social responsibility, which often leads to negative consequences (255). Furthermore, social media allows people to create some false personalities and identify themselves with persons different from who they really are. Thus it turns out that people start alienating from themselves and later this may cause certain communicational disability, social anxiety, and even asceticism. For most people exposure of the personalities that they use as masks in social media commun ication would become a social catastrophe; thus, for instance, Facebook privacy breaches have without a doubt become a nightmare for its users. The fear of losing social media privacy has led to appearance of cyber bullying, which is a huge problem nowadays. Social media bullies play on people’s dependency on social media images, so they often manipulate people by creating breaches in their social networking profiles’ security. Also, cyber bullying contributes to development of introspective tendencies of modern social media generation. Researches on the topic of cyber bullying revealed that cyber bullying not only makes people (more often adolescents)

Nursing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 2

Nursing - Essay Example Nurse salaries are the major problem for some institutions along with benefits and intangible income. Moreover, medical costs and for profit health care have been increasing for the past decade. This accounts for other issues of nursing shortage such as nursing care, level of accident rations, and arguments between organizations and unions based on profits and salary increase. This decreased the nurse-patient ratio, which greatly affected the quality of care.1 The crisis of nursing employment became evident from the 1992-2000 surveys of the National Sample Surveys of Registered Nurses.2 Private and public sectors already contributed their observations regarding this matter. Moreover, some private companies have carried out actions to increase the nursing employment. For instance, Johnson and Johnson Health Care Systems have promoted a $20 million Campaign for Nursing Future. This program comprises of television ads, promotional materials among high school students, and a web site that exhibits programs among those aspiring for a nursing career. On the other hand, the public sector also contributed their share in promoting the nursing career such as congressional hearings and federal legislation proposing improvements in basic nursing education.3 Many factors are contributors to nursing shortage. One factor is underemployment. Many nursing graduates spend their career at another field instead of nursing. According to the National Sample Surveys of RN (2000), 71-73 percent of Registered Nurses were not working in the medical field and others have undergone retirement. Usually, these Registered Nurses had their reasons why they chose to work on another field instead of nursing, including better hours, more rewarding work, and of course, better salary.4 A next factor is the employment pattern on nursing. The gender issue presents itself conspicuously, as men who graduated as

Strategic Plan Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Strategic Plan - Research Paper Example As the consumer demands are ever changing, this industry has also constantly evolved over the years. Emergence of new entrants and constant innovation by the existing firms in this industry has induced tough competition. Companies are now planning strategies to increase the sustainability of their organization’s growth. The present report aims to identify the business drivers of Wal-Mart retailer and prepare an effective strategic plan for future growth and development. Company description Wal-Mart is the largest corporation in the world. It is also the biggest private employer in the United States of America (Yoffie & Wang, 2002). However, the company was first established as a self-service discount store by Sam Walton, in the year 1962. At the end of 1993, Wal-Mart was one of the top discount departmental stores in the world. The company is headquartered at Bentonville, Arkansas, United States. The company has established more than 8500 stores across the globe. Product portf olio of the company includes, apparel, warehouse club, footwear specialty, cash & carry, supercenter, superstore, discount store, hypermarket, supermarket. Wal-Mart resource and capabilities The brand name of Wal-Mart has become synonymous to value for money over the course of time. Wal-Mart follows a low cost and leadership strategy (Johnson & Scholes, 1999). Macroscopic view of Wal-Mart’s competitive strategy shows that the company uses resource based model in order to develop a value chain proposition which cannot be matched by competitors. Though Wal-Mart shows little adaptability to its formats in overseas expansions, most of its store operations are leaders in their local areas (Colla & Dupuis, 2002). The fundamental principles followed by the company are providing everyday low prices, commit to customer service and maintain technological superiority and establishing loyalty among suppliers and associates. Supermarkets of Wal-Mart in international location have less fin ancial risk due to bulk sales. About 10 billion dollars are saved by the American customers by shopping at Wal-Mart (Buffet, 2003). Competitive advantage for Wal-Mart lies in its ability of cost differentiation and strong distribution channel across the globe (Van Weele, 2009). Current direction Global economy is decelerating due to various reasons such as Euro zone crisis and economic recession which started in the year 2008. Retailers such as Marks & Spencer, John Lewis, Target, Wal-Mart, Kohl and others are struggling to maintain sales growth while other retail players such as Nordstrom, Saks and Neiman Marcus have recorded same store sales growth of 12% last year (Arnold, 2002). Global retailers are facing following trends to change the dynamics of business operation. This has compelled organizations like Wal-Mart to make strategic plan in order to remain profitable and competitive in this dynamic market (Simon et al., 2011). The objective of the current strategic direction will be to evaluate the resources and capabilities of the retail gain and make appropriate recommendations for future planning. SWOT Analysis In order to understand the internal and external strengths and weaknesses, a SWOT analysis of Wal-Mart has been done. Strengths With revenue of more than 400 million dollars, Wal-Mart is undoubtedly one of the largest retailers in the world. As a result of large operational scale, the company can exercises strong power on suppliers in order to

Lean Principles and Application Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Lean Principles and Application - Essay Example p. 57). The challenges facing the sustenance of lean thinking include the need to develop the skills needed and the time needed to adjust to systems change. The lean production model is one that emphasizes the elimination of waste, by cutting down on the business processes that do not yield value to the customer, yet they consume production costs and time. The seven areas of waste reduction exploited by Toyota Motors include inventory, transportation, overproducing goods, waiting, defective products (defects) and over-processing. The success for the lean model is greatly hinged to change performance in the respective areas, for senior managerial staffs and also the employees. The advantages of the model include increase in productivity, reduction in product defects, and customer lead times. The benefits enjoyed in the long-term include increases in customer satisfaction, financial performance and staff morale (Dahlgaard and Dahlgaard-Park, 2006, p. 263). The model is heavily dependent on the principles of continuous improvement and making informed decisions at all points in the production process. The model works well for companies with clearly defined value chains, for example automotive (Toyota), pharmaceutical and industrial engineering companies. Business process management is the management model in use by the management of the department, and its outlook is relatively different from that of lean. When using this model, the R & D department will be explored in a holistic manner, as a collection of business processes. The model is used to leverage on the designing, modeling, execution, monitoring and the optimization of the production system, by automating the management of the processes. Through this paper, the writer will compare the differences in the organizational culture of Toyota (lean model) and that of the R & D department (BPM); the paper will explore the impacts of the differences in the implementation process for lean, and

English as a Second Language Essay Example for Free

English as a Second Language Essay Originally, England’s linguistic changes made English the second language and over the years, second language teaching has undergone a lot of erratic changes. Religious schools have greatly influenced the moral and cultural framing of English at this point in time. UK was also the center of developmental English teaching during World War II. Pioneers such as Harold Palmer, Michael West and Lawrence Fawcett triumphed in founding principled basis for teaching English as a second language. These strategies and methodologies derived from teaching of English on Great Britain were adjoined with other existing forms from overseas settings. In general, English is the first and widely taught foreign or second language and is considered as a medium language for education. Today, it is a common context to learn or study more than two languages. Pope stated, â€Å"English represents access to specific knowledge and skills and tends to be identified with the technology and science as well as the economic and cultural models of the modern 32). Different approaches such as communication, vocabulary and grammar are used in teaching English as a second language. Learning also depends on the fluency level aim, if it is purposely learnt for specific tasks or if the learner wants to achieve a native speaking tongue. English and other foreign languages can be mastered through live encounters or cross-cultural communication and study or technical translation. Early introduction of English in schools poses an academic advantage when it comes to learning the language. Basically, background knowledge of English and other foreign language is one of the most important things to consider. Reading is a cardinal skill in learning. It enhances metalinguistic awareness but for some reason, it can become a hindrance and a false knowledge. Students tend to enjoy meaningful conversation more than teachers’ theoretical strategies of detailed vocabulary and grammar lessons and this causes the problem in comprehension. Since some students do not deliberately concentrate on their reading skills and focus more on conversing, complete understanding is not achieved and it is merely viewed as a plain reading. Children at a very young age study two or more foreign languages and sometimes, English is rather a third language. Schools and educators sometimes forget to pay attention over the verity that it could be too much for young children to learn multiple languages all at the same time. For universities that use English for substantial academic paper works and materials, reading is crucial. But every teacher and learner should focus on the remaining language skills: listening, speaking, writing, and assessment, even if these are all adjunct to the capital skill that is reading. It is important for the teacher to have a considerable degree of attention towards the native language of the learner because native language plays a vital role in understanding a foreign language. English is the universal language. In some instances, teachers also experience difficulty expressing thoughts in English and this indicates that it is hard to achieve proficiency even if an individual has the basic and complex knowledge of the language. Teachers and educators’ goal should not be for the learners to achieve a native speaking tongue that flawlessly pronounces tones and speaks vocabulary and grammar perfectly. The ultimate goal is for students to learn how to listen, speak, write and read in English in a manner of complete comprehension and not necessarily to acquire a native speaking tongue. Works Cited Pope, Rob. â€Å"The English studies book: an introduction to language, literature and culture. † 2002). Routledge. 420 Smith, Richard C. â€Å"Wren and Wyatt†. 2003). Routledge.

Online Examination Management System

Online Examination Management System Online Examination Management System CHAPTER- 1: Introduction 1.1 Topic of the system Now a day, the use of information technology in educational institutes and private organization is very common. In educational institutes you will find presentation software, course websites, Intranet facility and online homework assignments and the automation of organization have been found very commonly with the rapid development in information technology. Now a day, in organization due to automation all the works is done by computers. It makes work easier, faster reliable as compare to the previous way of working. Information technology is growing day by day still we fail to provide proper IT assistance to education industry. At the time of Exam, Still we follow the same old method of collecting questions from different teachers , then arranging them in proper order and then setting up a questionnaire and even at the places where we are following online or automated examination system we are not able to prevent the drawback of same or repeated question paper. The system which developer is going to propose is an â€Å"Online Examination Management System†. This system is used to solve many problems faced by education organization or any other organization (who are conducting an exam for any purpose). This system is used to conduct objective based/multiple choice based online exam; it will also generate the question paper for an online exam and written exam (which is a common method of conducting an exam). It will generate random question in online exam for each candidate, it will also assess online exam generate a result for the candidate at the same time after completing an exam. This system will generate all the required report to keep the record in files. 1.2 Purpose of the Situation As the Information technology is growing day by day still we fail to provide proper IT assistance to education industry. Still we follow the same old method of collecting questions from different teachers, then arranging them in proper order and then setting up a questionnaire and even at the places where we are following online or automated examination system we are not able to prevent the drawback of same or repeated question paper. With the help of proposed system user can solve all the problems and make work easier, faster, and reliable. 1.3 Target Reader The main target readers of the proposed system are stake holder of educational or other institute/organization, who conducts exams for admission purpose, exam preparations or jobs. Candidates those are willing to appear in exams for any purpose like admission, preparation etc. 1.4 Topic Background Online Examination Management System is a system which is used by any educational institute or any organization who are conducting exam for job or any other purpose. This system will help them to conduct an online exam. This system is used to conduct an aptitude paper for admission or job purpose and it will also help to generate a question paper for educational institute. The most important feature of proposed system is that this system is not only a web based application it is a combination of web-based and stand alone application. So that user can take the benefit of proposed system in any situation. User never depends on the net connectivity for his work user can do his work with the help of standalone module. Proposed system will help to keep the record of students/candidates who are willing to give exams. It will also store the records of members of the institute/organization. It will store all the data related to examination like Question, Exams Detail, and Exam Schedule etc. Proposed system will also help to conduct an online exam so that user can take exam at any time and candidate can also participate in exam from any part of this world. Online exam consist mainly two type of question multiple choice and multiple response. At the time of online exam random question will generate for exam so that no one candidate will get the same question at the same time if questions are available in database. Proposed system will also help to assess paper at the same time after the completion of exam. This will also help to generate a question for free format question which is very commonly used in any educational institute. This can only assess by the examination authorities. Another important thing in proposed system is that it can save data at real time if any problem will take place it store all the data at the same time, so that there is no lose of data. 1.5 Problem Context and Rational Tangible benefit The use of â€Å"Online Examination Management System† will also help in institute organization to achieve many objectives. They are†¦. 1. Frequently you can assess student learning: With the help of online exam you can take exam any time to check the learning of the candidate. 2. Elimination of grading requirement and cost:- All the things will done with the help of computer like taking an exam of the candidate, generating a question paper for online exam written paper, assessment of online exam paper generating the result of candidate. So that there is a less requirement of manpower time. So that it will reduce the cost requirement to take an exam. 3. Immediate feedback of student performance: With the help of this system you can give feedback to the student at the same time because paper of online exam will assess at the same time by the system. So that there is no need to wait the candidate for there result. 4. Elimination of paper copying cost: Online exam will help to eliminate the requirement of paper work. With the help of this system all the work will done with the help of computers so that, it will reduce usage of paper. Certain statistic quote that 18% of corporate printed material becomes outdated after 30 days. Imagine that what happened after a year what. Now, imagine if that material were always online or on your system. So that there is no requirement of buying the paper for paper work it will also reduce storage problem for storing bundles of paper. 5. It will help to save time: This system will help to save the time of the people who are involved in exam. Already question where stored in database of the system. No need to set the paper many days before the exam you can generate the paper at the same time of exam. There is no need to check the paper. All the paper will be checked with the help of system. There is no need to wait for result candidate can see result after completing the exam. Intangible benefit 1. Access is possible from any where: You can give an exam from any centre in the world there is no restriction of borders to give an exam. 2. It gives more security as compare to present system: -If you come to know that exam paper is hacked so that you can change the paper at the same time. But we are generating random question so there is no use of hacking the paper. 3. It will make work consistence: With the help of this software you can assure that your exam paper or result will not be modified by any person without your permission. There is no chance of paper leak. If you come know that exam paper is hacked then you can change the paper at the same time. Then there is no partiality in checking of paper the entire candidate will get marks according to their caliber. This will help to generate a randomly question in question paper. So that each candidate will get different paper in the same exam, so there is no chance of cheating. 1.6 Objective of the System In the proposed system â€Å"ONLINE EXAMINATION MANAGEMENT SYSTEM†, people will find solutions for all their queries and loopholes in the existing exam assessment methodology. The system which developer is going to develop will help in institutes organizations to take an exam, for admission in colleges for placement in companies. This system will work on both side client side as well as server side. It means its a combination of web application stand alone application. So that with the help of this system people can take online exam with the help of web technology with the help of standalone application you can save questions any time there is no need of internet connection. This system will help to take an online exam so that candidate can access the exam from any one of the exam centre in the world. This system will help them to store the question in database of the system for exam. This system will help to generate the question paper from the database with the different level of difficulties grades. Now if you want to take a written paper of the candidates then this system will generate the question paper for return paper also. The questions for written exam are randomly generated so that there is very less chance to repeat the question in the question paper. It will happen only if there is less amount of question in database. This system will help them to assess the exam paper of the online exam. This system will automatically generate the result of the exam. You can export a question paper in â€Å".doc† format for written paper. 1.7 Functionality of the System Modules of the system Candidate/Student Information: This module will help to keep the record of the entire candidate of exam.Teacher Information: This module is used to keep the record of the entire faculties in institute.Generate Question Bank: This module will help to insert the question in the database.Generate Question Paper: This module will help to generate the question paper which includes all types wattage of question for the candidate. It will export the paper in â€Å".doc† format for written exam.Online Examination: This module is used to take an online exam.Reports: This module will help to generate all the reports. 1.8 Deliverables of the system v Creating data bank 1. Question can be categorized according to topic, types etc. 2. Exam can be created random basis per student. 3. System can automatically add the marks allocated in each question to determine the total mark for the exam. v Control Mechanism in the Exam 1. Time limit can be set for the exam. 2. The sequence of question can be randomized. 3. Student can navigate within a exam (i.e. backward forward) can be set navigation tool/button can be selected for a exam these button can be switched. 4. Student can be allowed to exit the exam before completing the entire question. 5. A specific date for a exam to be active can be set. v Question Types Multiple Choices: This allows the user to select one correct answer.Multiple Responses: This allows the users to select more than one answer.Free Format: This type of question will used to take a written exam of the student which is very often used by educational institute to conduct an exam. v Other Essential Requirements Negative marking should be possible in all the question types.Remaining time can be displayed.Free format question can be saved in Data Bank.A paper for written exam can be generated with the help system Data Bank.Answer can be saved at real time. v Security Only registered student are able to access the exam.Exam can be made available on special dates. v Reporting The following results on the exam performance can be obtained. Student number, name mark in word format.Average time used by the studentTime taken for each individual student to complete the test. CHAPTER- 2: PROBLEM DESCRIPTION Introduction to problem area Isnt it an irony that the agent which is solely responsible for the development of these technologies, itself has not been served fully? Examination is one such component of educational system which has always held a very high importance. Since time immemorial examinations are held to separate the best out of rest. The formal examination system is a very long procedure to conduct an examination. From the respect of the recruiter, they should give extra effort on the examination to select employees for the organization. This is a huge responsibility and extra load to the recruiter to conduct an examination. This is very costly and extremely tedious to conduct an examination. Side by side online examination is a very sophisticated examination conducting system. Nowadays, almost all of the organizations or companies are using computerized system to manage their organizations data. At the same time most of the universities or campuses are using computerized system for storing and managin g their education data excluded the examination data (exam question, exam answer and so on). Therefore, lecturers have to create new exam papers manually, it will bring a lot of troublesome while they want to retrieve back previous exam question or answer for references purpose. In this process, still a lot of messy work is involved such as manually clicking or searching the old set of questions. Even they have a common hardcopy or softcopy without systemisation. Furthermore, the admin is always busy in arranging the exam papers and headache of managing a flexible exam time schedule. Also without the computerized system, the examinee cheating issue and the security issue (sneaked out the exam paper before the exam) cannot be controlled well.Internet connectivity often gets lost which is another problem being faced by the examinees. Nature of challenge The main challenge in developing this system will be to understand the concepts and fundamentals behind managing examinations online. As I am not one of the administrative staff it will be quite an uphill task to get to the basic functionalities of this system. The main challenge that would be required for building this system is that it will generate the random question paper to each student so as to avoid cheating. It would evaluate the answers very instantly. It would have a time limitation for each and every section of the questions and would be ideal for the competitive exams like GRE, CAT etc. The notification of results would be sent to the candidate by email or text message. The generation of admit card is another challenge which would require a lot of effort as a huge crowd would be attempting the exam. We can also save the current exam and would rather provide facilities to both the examiner and students. Another serious challenge is to handle the power failure. It is requi red to for me to learn how to generate the questions papers and the admit cards randomly. I also need to learn how to handle the power failure and the advanced features of ASP.NET which includes the report generation, session management and all the security features that needs to be incorporated in the system so as the system may be hack proof. I need to learn how to generate different sets of questions from a set of questions. Maintaining the database is another challenge which needs a lot of efforts. CHAPTER- 3: PROJECT PLANNING Development Plan The Development Plan is the essential part as it provides the action plan for developing the â€Å"Online Examination Management System†. The development plan will show what will be done and in what time. Since the methodology selected is RUP methodology, the development plan is developed by concerning the stages of RUP methodology. Project Duration: 30 weeks 1. Inception phase (Estimated Time =41 Days) 1.1 Iteration 1: [Task: Pre-proposal and planning] (Duration: 25 Days) 1.1.1 Project Identification 1.1.2 PPF discussion with supervisor 1.1.3 Preparation of PPF 1.1.4 Online submission of PPF 1.1.5 Finalization of project title 1.2 Iteration 2: [Task: Development Plan] (Duration: 17 Days) 2.1.1 Specification research of the project 2.1.2 Identification of project module 2.1.3 Limitation of project scope 2.1.4 Identification of resources 2.1.5 Identification of required techniques to be learned 2.1.6 Methodology used 2.1.7 Preparation of development plan 2.1.8 Preparation of test plan 2.1.9 Submission of PSF 2.1.10 Gantt chart 2. Elaboration Phase (Estimated Time= 67 Days) 2.1 Iteration 1: [Tasks: System Investigation and Research] (Duration :14 Days) 2.1.1 Collect user requirements 2.1.1.1 Primary research 2.1.2.1.1 Questionnaire 2.1.2.1.2 Interviews 2.1.2.1.3 Observation 2.1.2 Research on the functional areas of the system 2.1.3 Identification of modules 2.2 Iteration 2: [Tasks: System Analysis] (Duration: 41 Days) 2.2.1 Analysis of user requirements 2.2.2 UML diagrams 2.2.3 Screen design 2.2.4 Database design 2.2.5 Evaluation of the screen and database design 2.3 Iteration 3: [Tasks: Technical language learning and research] (Duration: 12 Days) 2.3.1 Secondary research 2.3.2 Finalization of language 2.3.3 Finalization of development methodology 2.3.4 Learn technical skills 3. Construction Phase (Estimated Time= 58 Days) 3.1 Iteration 1: [Tasks: Interface Design and Database Design] (Duration: 26 Days) 3.1.1 Database Design 3.1.2 Prototype design 3.1.3 Documentation of the system 3.2 Iteration 2: [Tasks: System Modules] (Duration: 32 Days) 3.2.1 Analysis of the system 3.2.2 Identification of modules 3.2.3 Implementation of modules 3.2.4 Documentation of modules 4. Transition Phase (Estimated Time= 45 Days) 4.1 Iteration 1: [Tasks: Testing] (Duration: 27 Days) 4.1.1 Integration of all the modules 4.1.2 Preparation of test plan 4.1.3 Finding the target users 4.1.4 Testing and debugging the entire system 4.2 Iteration 2: [Tasks: Documentation] (Duration: 15 Days) 4.2.1 Completion of system documentation 4.3 Iteration 3: [Tasks: Luck Iteration] (Duration: 3 Days) 4.3.1 Finishing tips CHAPTER- 3: LITERATURE REVIEW 3.1 Domain Research 3.1.1 Online Examination As a change in model world all the things are going to be automated know a day all work done with the help of computer. Which makes our work more easy, fast (time consuming) reliable. Same in education field also examination is also will taken with the help of computer it means the process of online examination will help the education institute to take an exam online which can help them to take an exam from anywhere in this world. Online examination is completely objective based exams which assume simple answers that can be formally checked and easily evaluated online. The typical type of questions are 1) one word answer, 2) multiple choice, 3) free format Question in this type of question system need to grade manually by the instructor. System Architecture Online Examination system has four major components. 1) Examination Preparation, 2) Examination System, 3) Examination Monitoring, 4) The Auto Grading System. Examination Preparation This component is used to manage the data bank of the question answer of the question, Assign the test Id, Schedule the test. Data base is opened to the teacher to add the question for the exam. Examination System This component is used to control all the functionality of the system. Like client side Control, Time Control, Security of the system. This component is very important because it used to keep the control on the security time. Examination Monitoring This component is used for real time monitoring which can help to keep the track of exam processing, test ID statistic and collect all the answers. The Auto Grading System This Component is used to grade the exam automatically with the help of this system. All the answer of the exam is graded with the help of this system automatically. Component of Online Examination It is a multi-layer system composite of Web Server, Database Server and Middleware Server, Such as Internet browser. In this developer using Microsoft .Net Frame Work 2.0 and Internet Information Server (IIS) 6.0 as the Web Server, The Database Server is My SQL. Multi Layer System Middleware Server and the client Module which is designed according to the Microsoft DCOM (Distributed Component Object Model Standard) standard is the kernel of the Examination System. DCOM is the binary objects extension jointing LAN, WAN and Internet, which can instance and bind objects over different network. It is an advanced network protocol used to co-operate with COM based components of two processes in different locations. Server-side component is middle ware of the system which provides communication interface between clients and the web server or database server. Client is a client-side component which is called by the browser to control the client computer and submit or receive information from the server. This technology guarantees the flexibility and the potential for extension of the test system. In addition, it allows access to local files, whereas in conventional systems, the IE security prevents such access. Communication of Client and Server (http://fie.engrng.pitt.edu/fie2003/papers/1300.pdf Retrieved on Aug, 16, 2007) 3.1.2 Exam Assessment Exam Assessment is also known as Auto-Grading System. This will help to assess an exam paper of the exam. It helps teacher to assess the paper which are collected from examination system. There are two type of grading: 1) Objective Question 2) Operational Question. Objective question such as Choice question, True/False etc can be graded efficiently by accurate matching or fuzzy matching. But to grade an Operational question is not an easy task with the help of a simple matching algorithm. To check operational question there are two possible solutions. First way to grade an operational question is reading the answer file directly and comparing it to key file. But it is not practical because of Microsoft office file is very complicated to read the question file and another way to grade the operational question is with the help of office OLE object. This is method is convenient and efficient but it have big disadvantage practically not possible. The source code of the system is closely related to concrete question so it will create problems at the time of question are changed which result large amount of work. (http://fie.engrng.pitt.edu/fie2003/papers/1300.pdf Retrieved on Aug, 16, 2007) and (http://www.iacis.org/iis/2005_IIS/PDFs/Davidrajuh_Tharmalingam.pdf Retrieved on Aug, 7, 2007) So developer decided that the grading of operational questions is not possible because to grade an operational question we have to create complete dictionary which contain thousands of words. 3.1.3 Distributed Computing- As the technology changed many things become easier which make our work more efficient and easy. Distributed computing is also very helpful to do all this work. As we all know the power of computer. What he can do for us to make our work efficient. Know assume all the work is done with the help of single computer; it is also know as regular computing or Grid Computing. But it will work but only if we are doing simple things, if we want to do many complicated work with the help of single computer it makes our work very slow. This is not a good approach to do our work so the better way to do our work. So in this situation distributed computing is very helpful it will do work with help of many computers. It divides its workload very smartly with the help of many computers which are available on network. With the help of distributed computing we can do our work very efficiently and quickly. Regular vs Distributed Computing (http://library.thinkquest.org/C007645/english/0-definition.htm , Retrieved on Aug 19, 2007) The main advantages of distributed computing over traditional supercomputer is its economy, Distributed computing can take full advantage of a computers capabilities by keeping it busy with numbers to calculate. If enough users sign up, these linked computers — often referred to as virtual parallel machines — can improve the fastest supercomputer by as much as four times for a fraction of the supercomputers cost. (http://library.thinkquest.org/C007645/english/images/103-advantages.jpg, Retrieved on Aug, 19, 2007) 3.1.4 Client/Server Architecture 3.1.4.1 2-Tier Architecture 3.1.4.2 3-Tier Architecture 3 tier architecture After the research of Client/Server Architecture developer decided that 3-tier Architecture is the best way to develop the proposed system because proposed system is used by many number of user and it is an examination system, so that it require lots of security from the hacking of question paper which is only possible with the help of 3-tier architecture because all the data will stored on the main server of the system, and user can only interact with the Presentation layer of the system with the help of business logic. As the study of Client/Server Architecture developer come to know that C# and .Net Framework is the best development tool to develop an application in 3-tier architecture. So that developer decided to develop a proposed system in C# and .Net Framework. 3.2 Study of Existing System There are many other examination system are available in market for the users. They are:- 3.2.1 Online Examination System (OnEx) This examination system is developed by Knowgence Technologies Pvt. Ltd. This system also provided many features like. Administrator will assign exam to users.Ease of creation and modifying exam at any time.Online monitoring of exams showing percentage completed.Student can move from any question to question.Automatic checking against predefined answer (if there is no Subjective question).Automatic disabling of exam when it is completed.Last 10 min alert. And many more. (http://www.knowgence.com/Download/OnExBrochure.pdf, Retrieved on October 18, 2009) 3.2.2 CUE Assessment System This Assessment System is developed by CALM, Department of Mathematics,Heriot-Watt University, this existing system is also used to assessed online examination. The features which are provided in this system are 1. Easy to create and modify the questions. 2. Checking of question and delivering exam. 3. Assessment for online exam accepts free format questions. Varity of questions like multiple choices, multiple responses etc. And many more. (http://www.calm.hw.ac.uk/cue.html, Retrieved on October 18, 2009) Why developer system is better than Existing system? After the study of existing system developer come to know that many features are not available. But proposed system will take care of all the features. 1) No one system is a combination of standalone and web. So that it system is only used when internet is available. 2) No one system has the entire feature like online exam, exam assessment and paper generator. 3) Generating a question in an exam with random order so that no one student/candidate will get same question in an exam if question are available in a database. 4) Data will be saved at real time if any problem will occur so that data will store at the same time. It will help to reduce the chance of data lose. 5) Generating a paper for written exam which is very helpful for education institute like school and colleges that are very often used. As the above features are not available in one complete system so that developer decided to provide this entire feature in proposed system. CHAPTER-4: SECONDARY RESEARCH 4.1 Academic Research 4.1.1 Process Models Process model defines a distinct set of activities, actions, tasks, milestones, and work products that are required to engineer for developing the software. These process models are not perfect, but they do provide a useful road map for software engineering work. Software engineer and there managers adapt a process model and then they follow it. In addition the people who have requested the software have a role to play as the process model is followed. Process model is important in the project as it provides the stability, control, and organization to an activity. There are many Process Models like waterfall model, spiral model, etc. A project can be made under any model. 4.1.1.1 Waterfall Model The waterfall model is also called as the â€Å"classic life cycle†. It suggests a systematic, sequential approach to software development that begins with customer specification of requirements and progresses through planning, modeling, construction, and deployment. It produces deliverables at each phase like software requirement specification, design documents, actual code and test cases, final product etc. The waterfall model is the oldest paradigm for software engineering. (http://www.digitella.co.uk/brochures/Digitella%20SDLC.pdf , Retrieved on August 9, 2007) Some of the advantages are-: * The single requirements phase encourages specification of what the system is to do before deciding how the system will do. (i.e. specification before design). * The single design phase encourages planning of the system structure before building the components (i.e. design before coding). * The use of the reviews at the end of each phase permits acquirer and user involvement. * Each preceding step serves as an approved, documented baseline for the succeeding step. Some of the disadvantages of waterfall model are-: * Baselines and milestones place heavily emphasis on documentation in the early phases of the project. * Customers must be able to express their requirements completely, correctly, and with clarity. * Delays can occur in designing, coding, and testing. * It is difficult to access the true state of progress during the first two to three stages. * The developer must understand the application from the beginning. * No demonstration of system capabilities can occur until the end of the project. 4.1.1.2 Spiral Model The spiral model is another iterative model that has been proposed. As the name suggests, the activities in this model can be organized like a spiral that has many cycles. A spiral model is divided into a number of framework activities, also called task regions. Typically there are six task regions. 1. The customer communication task to establish effective communication between developer and customer. 2. The planning task to define resources, time lines and other project related information. 3. The risk analysis task to assess both technical and management risks. 4. The en

Gender Inequality in the Workplace

Gender Inequality in the Workplace An ultimate matter of social scientists has been why women continue to lag behind in men salary, promotion and authority. Gender inequalities in the labour market have received considerable attention by researchers over the past twenty years. Since the colonial period, Mauritius has been regarded as a patriarchy society with a high rate of marriage. Overwhelming evidence suggests that gender segregation exists in more occupational categories and the number of women segregation is greater than the number of male segregation. Gender socialization is one of the factors responsible for the reinforcement of gender inequality since childhood. The society continues to transmit the traditional gender roles to the individual through the various agencies of socialization. The different institutions of socialisation play an integral part in shaping the adulthood of an individual. Since childhood, women learn to be submissive and men authoritarian. Furthermore, wage gap, organizational power and employment opportunities have narrowed somewhat but disparities remain in the country. According to the gender statistics in 2011, it has been found that a lesser proportion of men in employment and for female activity rate it was 43.7% against 75.5% for men. Even though women are higher than men in terms of population, they are still at the disadvantage of the corporate ladder. Despite many law Acts against discriminations; many workers are faced with sex discrimination which affects them in the labour market. Studies in Mauritius on the labour market have laid more emphasis on gender equality rather than gender inequality. Therefore, this study will aid to shed light on the other side of the coin where occupational gender segregation is discussed. Aim of the study: The study aim to analyse gender inequality within the workplace of Mauritius. Objectives of the study: To find out how gender socialization process reinforces gender inequality. To analyse how sex discrimination affect workers. To discuss the different components of gender segregation. To identify which gender is more prone towards inequality at the workplace. Gender inequality and occupational segregation Gender can be identified as set roles, and behaviour patterns that differentiate women from men in socially, culturally and relations of power (Women Information Centre, 2005). However, radical feminism sees patriarchal roots as creating inequality between men and women. Radical feminism views patriarchy as separating rights, privileges and power principally by gender, and as a consequence oppressing women and privileging men. In general, radical feminist disagree against political and social institutions for the reason that they are closely linked to oppression. As a result, radical feminism is likely to be convinced that political activities support cultural change that promotes patriarchy. Radical feminism is against patriarchy, not men. To compare radical feminism to man-hating is to presume that patriarchy and men are inseparable. Anker (1997) distinguished two main explanations for why occupational gender segregation should is a continuing concern: first, it is a major foundation of labor market inflexibility and economic incompetency. Second, it is detrimental to women in the sense that segregation brings about harmful views of both men and women as a result, affecting womens status, income, education, skills (Anker 1997). The important outcome related with occupational gender segregation is the segregation of the payment methods and the continual sex discrepancy in earnings with women on the inferior edge. The proportion of the gender wage gap is to 5 to 40 percent attached to workplace segregation is seemingly advanced than the amount by career break 15 percent and equivalent worth wage upgrading 5 percent. Theories of gender inequality There are two types of segregation: horizontal segregation, which occurs when there is a concentration of women and men in a determined fields and occupations, and produces disparity in terms of career, pension and vertical segregation, which take place when there is a focus of women and men in determined degrees and levels of responsibility or positions, and produces disparity on salaries. Theories explaining the existence of occupational segregation by gender can be categorized into three broad groups: the neoclassical and human capital theories, institutional and labour market segmentation theories, and non-economic and gender theories. The neoclassical human capital model Neoclassical economics believes that workers and employers are normal and that labour markets function efficiently. The neoclassical economic view explains occupational segregation between individuals or groups by different human capital investment, or by different choices in the tradeoff between pecuniary and non pecuniary job rewards. According to the human capital theory, men are paid more than women because men usually have more human capital. The term human capital refers to qualities of individuals that employers consider useful, like level of education and years of experience. Females are considered to have a lesser experience than males due to careers break up in effect of motherhood. Some economists who support this theory put forward that womens are not dedicated towards their jobs and hence, they have to undergo through a series of difficulties. For example, they have less chance to have a permanent job, be promoted to superior and better paid occupation. In this model, wage gender inequality is maintained because men collect more human capital in the competitive free market. But opponent of this theory like Witz (1993) contends that even when female work constantly with no professional rupture, they still terminate in inferior and poor-grade employments. Institutional and labour market segmentation theories The initial point of Institutional and labour market segmentation theories is the notion that institutions, such as unions and large enterprises, join in determining who is employed, fired and promoted, and how much employees are paid. Institutional theories are also based on the belief that labour markets are divisional in certain ways. The famous institutional theory is the dual labour market approach. Dual labour market theory consists of two labour markets. The primary labour market consists of high wage, job security and better chance for promotion. The secondary labour market includes lower paid occupation with little job security and poor working condition. According to this theory, women earn less than men because they are disproportionately employed in secondary labour market. Dual labour market is the outcome of the strategies used by company boss to get hold to the varieties of workforce they necessitate. Companies are ready to propose superior rewards to retain primary sector workers. It is somewhat a short step to become accustomed to the model of dual labour markets to occupational segregation by gender, with one labour market segment consisting in female professions and the other in male occupations. This segmentation entails moderately low wage rates in female occupations because many women workers are overcrowded into a small number of female occupations. On the other side of the coin, male occupations, benefit from reduced competition within a broad set of occupations and, consequently, tend to enjoy relatively high wage rates. If females, but not males, are crowded into low earnings jobs only due to discrimination, then the gender composition of a job becomes an index of labour quality for males and, to a small degree, for females (Hansen and Wahlberg 2000). On the other hand, Veronica Beechey in 1986, identified some limitations of this theory, firstly, certain women in blue-collar employment are given low salary even if their occupation is alike to primary area males employment. In addition, this model cannot clarify the reasons why women are less promoted than men, even when employment in same occupation. Gender theories The central image of the gender theories is that womens disadvantaged status in the labour market is mainly due and is an evidence of patriarchy as well as females subordinate position in the society and in the family. In many societies, men are regarded as the sole breadwinner and women are accountable for household chores and child care. Anker (1997) explains, this division of responsibilities and male domination are vital for influencing females to accumulate less fewer human capital in contrast with men prior the labour workforce. That is, why girls receive less education than boys, and is less likely to pursue fields of study such as sciences, but is more talented for literature or languages study. The same influences are also instrumental in explaining why women acquire less labour market experience, on average, because many of them withdraw from the labour force earlier, and many others have discontinuous labour experiences. This theory further show how female occupations mirror common stereotypical roles. For example, womens caring nature, skill and experience in household work, greater manual dexterity, greater honesty and attractiveness can qualify her for occupations such as nurses, doctors, social worker, teacher, maid, housekeeper, cleaner, etc. while womens lesser physical strength, lesser ability in math and science, and lesser willingness to face danger can disqualify her for occupations such as engineer, mathematician, driller, miner and construction worker. Gender socialisation as a medium for encouraging gender inequality Crespi (2003) see socialisation as a logical route with its objective to construct gender personality. The gender socialization process is a further composition of socialization. It is all about the way children of different sexual categories are socialized into their gender roles and learn what male or female character is. According to many sociologists, there exists difference between sex and gender. Sex is the biological classification and gender is the outcome of social construction of separate roles of males and females. According to Lorber (2005), masculinity and femininity is not inborn that is children are taught these traits. As soon as a child is identified as being a male or female, everybody start treating him or her as such. Children learn to move in gendered ways through the support of his environment. As the child grows up, he develops his identity, know how to interact with others and learn the role to play in the society. There are many drivers involved in the socialization process which transmits the traditional gender role to the children and henceforth leading to occupational segregation later on. One set of gender socialization occur between parents and the offspring. Parents are considered to be the primary agency in the process of socialization. They are inclined to interact with boys and girls in discrete styles. For example, a one year old baby is considered to have no sex difference however; parents are likely to act with boys and girls in dissimilar ways. They react to boys, when they seek interest by being aggressive and girls when they use gestures. As such interaction have long term effect on girls and boys communication styles, leading boys to more assertive styles and girls with more emotive styles in adulthood. This communication styles can aid to inequalities between male and female in the workplace. Male tend to be dominant in terms of authority and women submissive in whatever status they hold in the organisation. Ann Oakley (1972), studies mention four central avenues in which socialization into femininity and masculinity roles occur. Firstly, apply diverse physical and verbal manipulations to the child. For example, dress up children according to their sex, girls in pink and boys in blue color clothes. Secondly, draw the child concentration towards gender-identified toys. This is known as canalization whereby, boys and girls are given certain toys, clothing and other objects often culturally identified more with one gender than the other. The games of the boys tend to advance physical interest whereas for the girls it leads to physical closeness and mother-child talk. Thirdly, employ different verbal explanations to similar behavior. In professional careers, women might find that they might are identified with different standards for the same behavior, being called assertive, for example, for behavior at work that in men is admired for being aggressive. In childhood it is the same case, a boy is cheered for being active, where as a girl is reprimanded for being too rough. Or a girl is complimented for being gentle, but a boy is criticized for not being competitive enough. Finally, encourage or discourages certain stereotypical gender-identified activities. For example, girls are asked to help mother with sewing, cooking, ironing, and the like. Boys are to help dad to do yard work, shovel snow, takeout the trash, and so on. The classification of girls with indoor domestic chores and boys with outdoor chores becomes training for stereotypical gender roles. According to Oakley (1972), the socialization route aid to the preservation of male domination and female subservience. The roles learn through the above process shape adult behaviour and hence, contribute to the reproduction of differences in behavior of males and females. School is the agency where conscious socialization happens. The education system is the main part of gender socialisation process. Looking through books from the very beginning gender stereotypes is present and reinforced. The small kids see women being represented in pictures in their books as with babies in their hands or women in domestic chores or at the high end women nurses, women teachers. At the same moment, men are usually soldiers, playing some prestigious physical games and leaders. These images often direct to further divisions between man and woman. The hidden curriculum is known for reinforcing the traditional model of how girls and boys look and act through the use of course material. For example, teachers strengthen gender roles by encouraging boys and girls to develop different skills. According to Thorne (1993), children also split themselves along gender lines in the lunch room, declaring different space of the playground and often sanction individuals who go against gender roles. The school location can be strong context for gender behaviors. For example, the cafeteria is a strong context where boys and girls separate tables if given choice. Likewise, on the playground, boy and girl groups take over spaces. The children of Different World project found that in societies where all the boys and girls go to school together, identical gender interaction was very high during free play, thereby follow-on in more gender segregation than was generally found in homes and neighborhoods. Generally the mass media are one of the most influential instruments of gender socialization because television, magazines, radio, newspapers, video games, movies, and the Internet are present in almost everywhere around the globe. As a social institution, the mass media reinforce traditional gender roles. Magazines pointing towards females bring light to the importance of physical appearance as well as finding, pleasing, and keeping a man. While boys and mens magazines focus on significance of physical appearance, financial success, competitive hobbies, and attracting women for sexual encounter. These supposed masculine and feminine characteristics and behaviors are reinforced across the media system, from video games and movies that show athletic heroes rescuing thin and busty damsels in distress, to television programs that depict women as housewives, nurses, and secretaries and men as lawyers, doctors, and corporate tycoons. Print media also play an important role in socialization. In childrens literature, for example, boys typically are the protagonists, who use strength and intelligence to overcome an obstacle. Girls are included in stories as being naturally passive followers of the male leader or helpers eager to support the male protagonist in his plan. This state of affairs is undergoing change, however. An increasing number of television shows, movies and books have crafted new visions of masculinity and femininity. It remains to be seen if these images take hold and affect gender socialization processes. Gender inequality in the local context Mauritius is a remote small open island economy. In geological time, it is a very young island, which emerged from waves of volcanic eruptions in the Indian Ocean over the last eight million years. A high degree of concentration and interpenetration of finance, agro industrial and merchant characterizes the economic structure of the country. The structure of formal employment consists of deep gender imbalance against women. The Economic and Social Indicators (ESI) on gender statistics represents women and men in the Republic of Mauritius. In 2011, Mauritius ranked 63rd out of 146 countries compared to 2008 it was ranked 46th out of 138 countries according to the Gender Inequality Index of the UN. Before 1950s it has been found that women were in fewer number than men in Mauritius. However, the female population has been growing rapidly such that in the 50s there were almost equal numbers of men and women. As from 1990, women have been increasingly outnumbering men over the years. The sex ratio in the population, declined from 100.2 in 1972 to 97.3 in 2010 and it is expected to decrease further to reach 95.8 in 2050. In 2011, it has been found that a lesser proportion of women than men of working age (16 years and above) were active, that is, in employment or looking for work. The economic activity rate for women was 43.7% against 75.5% for men. The active population stood at 582,800 with 363,600 men and 219,200 women compared to 2010, women was 43% compared to 76% for men, the active population stood at 581,300 with 362,400 men and 218,900 women.Men and women have a similar pattern of economic activity during their life that is less active at the younger and older age groups. The activity rates for both are highest in the age group 30 to 45 years. Some 191,800 women held a job in 2011 and accounted for 35.7% of the Mauritian employed population. It has been found that female employees were more qualified than male, with 22% holding a tertiary qualification against 17% for men. There were an almost equal proportion of working men and women having a School Certificate but 7.4% women had a Higher School Certificate compared to 5% for men. Both men and women had a high proportion of their working population in the tertiary sector (covering trade, hotels restaurants, transport and other service industries), 68% for men and 57% for women. The secondary sector (covering manufacturing, electricity water and construction) accounted for one third of the working men and one quarter of the working women. While women represented some 40% of the employment in the manufacturing sector, they comprised less than 1% of the construction industry. Women were more likely than men to be employees, with 85% of the employed female in that employment status compared to 78% among the men. They were also much less likely than men to head their own business; while 21% of working men were employers or own accounts workers, only some 11% of women held that status. On average an employed woman works 38 hours, 6 hours less than a man. However, women heading their own business and those contributing in the family business worked respectively 7.5 hours and 8.2 hours less than their male counterparts. Both female and male were found spending less hours in the agricultural field than in other areas of the labour market. However, women worked 10 hours less than men in that sector. Women worked 8 hours less in public administration, 5 hours less in hotels restaurants and 3 hours less in manufacturing, trade education sectors. Women as well as men tend to work fewer hours at the older age. The difference in hours worked by women and men varies across ages; it increases with age to reach a peak of 8.3 hours at the age group 45 to 49 years, and decreases thereafter. In spite of being fewer in the labour force, women are over represented among the unemployed. Unemployed women numbered 27,300 in 2011 compared to 18,800 men. Female unemployment rate stood at 12.5%, much higher than the rate of 5.2% for male. Unemployment rate is higher among women than men at all ages, except for the elderly. The difference in unemployment rate is more pronounced at the very young age.Among unemployed women with previous work experience, 22% left their last job due to marriage, childbirth and household responsibilities. Another 13% women were unemployed following closure of establishment. The main sectors where the unemployed women worked previously are manufacturing (29%), trade (25%) and hotels and restaurants (10%). On balance, there has been a dramatic change in the occupational and sectoral distribution of the labour market since, with the rising share in the manufacturing, and a declining share in agricultural and domestic service. Employers preference for women because of their natural and culturally defined attributes, as well as their adaptability, productivity and acceptance of lower wages in the past are some of the reasons accounting for the predominance of female labour mostly in the EPZ sector in Mauritius. Despite increase in employment over the last couple decades, we can still see that there still exists gender disparity in the labour market. In addition, with increased occupational opportunities enjoyed by women, they are still faced with the burden of household responsibilities for example, as mentioned above, woman works 38 hours, 6 hours less than a man. This show woman career is still constrained with household occupations. The factors which have promoted labour force are: fertility reduction, increased life expectancy, economic hardships and wider aspirations beyond the confines of family and home. However, the main factors constraining higher participation of female Mauritian in the labour market are resistance by own family members, inability to make arrangement for childcare, housework exigencies, nurturing within the household, reproductive responsibilities and difficulties in managing the interface between home and work. Therefore, women hit a class ceiling as far as the management in concerned. Such is generally the case despite higher academic achievement than men. This secondary role is also reflected in their working conditions and their position in society and family. While the concept of equity and equality should be established in the world of work, women have to be provided with wide opportunities and can be further encouraged to develop their aptitude and potential optimally. Globalization in Mauritius can also be considered as a threat for widening difference between men and women in the labour market and further creating gender inequalities. Trade expansion has increased womens access to labour market, however, it worth pointing out that the vast majority of these jobs are low salary and low-skilled. In the light of existing gender inequalities, a widening gap between men and women in terms of access to economic resources and benefits to be derived from globalization can be foreseen. Mauritian Law protecting against discrimination in workplace The Constitution of Mauritius is regarded as being the supreme Law which clearly protects this philosophy of equality at Chapter 2 Section (3) and (16) which imparts for non discrimination as follows: Section 3 It is hereby recognized and declared that Mauritius there have existed and shall continue to exist without discrimination by reason of race, place of origin, political opinions, colour, creed or sex, but subject to respect for the rights and freedom of others and for the public interest each and all of the following human rights and fundamental freedoms. Section 16 Protection from discrimination Subject to subsections (4), (5) and (7)-no law shall make any provision that discriminatory either of itself or in its effect. Subject to subsections (6), (7) and (8)- no person shall be treated in a discriminatory manner by any person acting in the performance of any public function conferred by any law or otherwise in the performance of the functions of any public office or any public authority. The Government of Mauritius has also passed law to eliminate all forms of Gender Discrimination and sexual harassment in certain areas of public activity under Sex Discrimination Act No. 43 of 2002. This act protects a worker from all forms of inequality in employment related to recruitment, selection, training, on grounds of gender, marital status and family responsibilities. Gap in literature It has thus been seen that gender inequalities is apparent in all societies and many research has been done with the aim of improving the condition of people at work. In Mauritius, however, gender inequality is relatively a concept which is ignored despite many laws exist to eliminate any sort of discrimination. The measures undertaken by the government still remain at initial stage. There exists little research concentrating in the field of gender inequalities in the workplace of Mauritius. The gap in the literature is little because it has focused on only one dimension of gender inequalities. In Mauritius, however, the concept of gender inequalities in the labour market is buried. As a matter of fact, research is urgently required to determine the all the factors leading to occupational gender segregation and also find ways to improve the conditions of employees at work. CHAPTER 3: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY Methodology is influenced by the purpose of the study and it is based on the best strategy to respond to the research questions. The objective is to provide insight into the methodologies used as well as into the reasons and pertinence of their use. Research design is a plan as to what data to gather, from whom, how and when, and how to analyze the data obtained. It is a systematic plan to coordinate research steps to ensure the efficient use of resources and to guide the research according to scientific methods; again, it is a plan to be followed to meet the research objectives, and is the framework within which to solve a specific problem. A research design describes a logical manner in which individuals or other units are compared and analyzed; it is the basis for making interpretations of the data. The purpose of a design is to ensure that the relation between independent and dependent variable s is not subject to alternative interpretations. It is the clue that holds all of the elements The project will employ questionnaire to identify the different causes of gender inequality within the workplace. The present research is mainly based on a survey method and the major means of gathering data from a questionnaire. Questionnaire is a medium for collecting and recording information about a topic of interest. It is consists of a list of questions and include clear instructions and space for answers or administrative details. This study will employ a quantitative research method. In this study the data will be collected by the use of self-administered questionnaires. Self- administered questions will be used in order to accurately gather the required survey data from selected respondents to meet the researchers informational objectives, to present as positive an image of market research as possible to the respondents such that they will not feel negative toward the survey but welcome it and future surveys. The questions in the questionnaire describe the situation in which the respondents experienced discrimination and the way in which he believes discrimination took place. Self-administered structured questionnaires are more cost effective to administer than personal interviews. They are relatively easy to administer and analyse. Most people are familiar with the concept of a questionnaire and it reduces the possibility of interviewer bias. They are convenient since respondents can complete it at a time and place that is convenient for them.