Workplace Collaboration Assessment Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Workplace Collaboration Assessment - Term Paper Example Prototypes provides both inpatient and outpatient care to those it helps. Because of the very nature of the type of company that Prototypes is, they would benefit from workplace collaboration. There are over seventeen locations in six towns that are run by Prototypes. That adds up to a large, widespread, .employee base for one organization. Larger organizations need collaboration just as much if not more so than smaller organizations. If the employees and different centers are not communicating and working with one another as well as with the board of directors, the organization could fall apart due to lack of cohesiveness. Assessing risk management as well as administrative ecology are two excellent ways of helping implement and strengthen the necessary collaboration required for Prototypes to become the strongest organization possible. Suggested Methods of Collaberation Administrative ecology is a very good choice for evaluating and structuring collaboration of Prototypes. Prototyp es is an organization that must work closely with their patients and the environments and backgrounds that their patients originate from. It is rare that the administrators of a large organization work hand in hand with the public. However, with a not for profit like Prototypes, it is essential that the administrators deal directly with their patients and, therefore, the public. ... A big part of becoming and remaining a successful organization is to know your client’s history inside and out so you can better serve them. Administrative ecology is practical way to learn about clients (Weizhang, p. 241). For instance, if the soil in an area is bad, because the area was built over, say a former landfill, that could affect the health and genetics of the people who live, work, and play in that area every day. If a school doesn't have computers or technology, the education of its students is automatically rated substandard, especially in today's technological world. It would be important to have a whole picture of a client, and if the client had a substandard or mediocre education, then that would be something useful to know in dealing with and developing a treatment plan for that client. Trust development is also crucial for effective collaboration, especially with such a widespread organization. There has to be trust between the patients and the staff, of cou rse. Otherwise the company is doomed to fail. However there also exist other forms of trust which must be addressed. Calculus based trust (which is trust that is based on information and decisions); Identity based trust both between participants and staff, as well as between staff members and team members. Institution based trust comes from the laws and restrictions which define acceptable behavior as well as unacceptable behavior (Dawes, p.2). Especially with an inpatient situation, all of these trust variants must be satisfied in order to continue the success of the organization and its work. Going hand in hand with trust is the concept of risk management. Every business takes risks. Some are calculated, and some are not. In a business that works with patients, be it a private

The concept of hell makes no sense discuss Essay Example for Free

The concept of hell makes no sense discuss Essay Hell is said to be a wicked place of suffering and a place where unrighteous souls are punished. In the Christian Bible Hell is described as a place of fire and brimstone. As the weeds are pulled up and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the age. The son of man will send out his angels, and they will weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil. They will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, (Matthew 13:40-42, quoting Jesus). This passage describes how evil people who act unmorally and sinful will be picked out and discarded into the fiery depths of Hell. Most modern Christians would see Hell as the eternal punishment for unrepentant sinners, as well as for the Devil and his demons. Fundamentalists believe that evil doers and non-religious people would go straight to Hell. Most modern Christians would believe that Hell is a spiritual notion of physical suffering or material fire. They believe many biblical images of Hell are non-literal and Hel is more a state of separation from God. Although not all Christians would agree with this modern view. Fundamentalists believe the Bible to speak the absolute truth and take the descriptions and images of Hell told in the Bible as the truth. Therefore they would believe all non God believers would go straight to Hell and anybody who isnt a believer would not be saved, as Jesus stated in Johns gospel, I am the way the truth and the life, no man cometh unto the father, but by me. (John 14:6). This would mean a relatively small number of the population are to be saved. Exclusivist Christians follow a similar view to fundamentalists although exclusivist Christians are much stricter in there views. They believe anyone who doesnt follow the Bible would be sent to Hell. Therefore everyone who isnt Christian and also some Christians who take the modern view of the Bible. This would mean an even smaller population would be saved. Various interpretations of the torments of Hell exist, ranging from fiery pits of wailing sinners to lonely isolation from Gods presence. In Islam Muslims believe in Jahannom (resembles the versions of Hell in Christianity). In there holy book the Quran there are descriptions of a fiery Hell, and in contrast a garden like paradise which resembles Heaven. Another religion which has a different view of Hell and Heaven in Hinduism. In Hinduism there are many contradictions as too whether Hell exists. This is because Hindu philosophy is concentrated on reincarnation, which is the disembodied soul casting out one body and taking on others. The process which decides the nature of this is karma and the deeds that are preformed in this life will influence the next incarnation. Therefore most Hindus believe in Hell being a metaphor for a conscience, although there are versions of Hinduism which do believe in the concept of Hell. They believe people who commit paap (sin) will go to Hell to go through a series of punishments are reborn according to their Karma. Richard Dawkins is a British ethologist, an evolutionary theorist, and an established writer. Dawkins is an Atheist and in his book the God delusion; he attacks religion and the existence of God. Dawkins concentrates on the teaching of Hell in two main religions Christianity and Islam in a television documentary the root of all evil, he likens the teaching of Hell as to child abuse as some churches such as the one he visited in America scared children into believing they would go to hell if they didnt believe in God and follow the bible word for word. He also interviewed an Islamic extremist who explained that the main aim of the terrorist attacks which take place were because young Muslims believe they will die a martyrs death and receive the ultimate prize after death which is to reach paradise and have all there desires and needs met as a reward. Richard Dawkins explains how he believes that this is indoctrination and dangerous for people to believe in. Karl Marx also had a similar view to that of Richard Dawkins. Marx suggested that religion and the idea of Hell was used as a kind of social control over the people to keep them in there place morally. John Hick is a contemporary British philosopher and theologian. Hick is a liberal Christian who is against the concept of Hell. He argues that the idea of Hell is something that Humanity could achieve on earth without the need for a reality in the next world. Hick believed that life is a journey towards death but the journey does not stop there but continues after death as does the divine purpose to make us more perfect. Another argument which is brought about is the conflicting ideas that you could be evil and religious all your life and on your death bed repent and get into heaven, which is unfair when there are non-religious people who live morally good lives and are told they wouldnt get to heaven because they werent religious. Immanuel Kant said there is no justice in this world. Kant said that people desire the Summum Bonum which is to achieve where virtue and happiness could coincide. Therefore God and the afterlife must exist to bring about the Summum Bonum and you need the existence of Hell to bring justice in the universe. In conclusion taking in all these accounts what you personally believe can be dependant on many factors such as, what your parents believed, your family background, where you live for example in Europe there is a higher proportion of Catholicism and Christianity than in the Middle East where Religion such as Islam are practiced. Therefore in answer to the question concepts of Hell make no sense, depending on your faith, the strength of that faith, the beliefs of people around you and where you live your opinions may vary on the idea of Hell.

A sociological perspective on ADHD

A sociological perspective on ADHD in educational and specialization communication. According to Ideus this is not only due to the politicisation and medicalisation of the condition, but also due to the current cultural respect to medical and psychiatric subjects. She argues that more and more popular belief is polarised in the United States by the advocacy groups and the media into ADHD group and ADHD sceptics. She argues that it is not that sociologically conscious and scientifically sceptical ADHD cliques do not exist, but their efforts have been marginalised as counterproductive to ADHD activism welfare (Myers, 2007). The problem with those who use sociological approach to ADHD is that they fail to accept the biological determinism and pseudo-objectivity of the main approach. Major works have attributed the origin and the growth of ADHD with the cultural imperatives than it is related to neutral science. Schachar established that the origins of ADHD lie in the specific political and economic climate of the United Kingdom as the century turns. According to him, ADHD had its basis in the values of Social Darwinism which had dominated the United States by then. According to Conrad established that cultural and political factors were significant in the appreciating and defining of Social Darwinism which was a forerunner to ADHD. According to his investigation, the growth of ADHD can be associated with the theories of children medical treatment through the 50 and 60s, the development in boldness of pharmaceutical businesses in the sixties, and the US governments initiatives to control drug treatment. He further noted that while the classification existed and developed from, both the medical label and treatment were not extensively used until the finalization of the social factors. This implies as per him, this condition worsened due to particular needs and forces in the United States society. The sociological perspective on ADHD shows the significance of cultural, political and economic priorities in the reception of the group in different national and cultural environments. A research by Yelich and Salamone has showed that as the procedures and knowledge in treating this disorder have improved it has continued to grow rapidly as compared to other disorders. They hypothesize that this raises major issues about the position of the situation as a purpose medical group. Additionally, they also note that problems occur mainly on entering the school environment and for distinct disorder there is a huge disparity in problems across diverse sites. They also argue that, ADHD pervasiveness and severity has significant associations with inferior socio-economic class. Zametkin study, which employed the use of brain mapping techniques shows the inadequacies in the initial study but it also claim that the outcomes did not implicitly provide a proof of inexistence of the biological bas is of ADHD (Zametkin, 1989). They also disprove opinions for making ADHD a kind of disability in education on the grounds since it cannot be clearly be diagnosed, that it is not considerably dissimilar from other conditions at present getting services, and there is no irrefutable proof of its natural basis. In reaction they reiterate that while a practical medical category its stress on shortage does not inevitably transform well into professional schooling environments. The latest review by Du Paul and Eckert in the year 1997 shows that less than ten percent of studies accomplished on ADHD concentrated on the area in which the preponderance of difficulties are experienced, that is the school. Biological perspective Biologically the cause of ADHD is the brain structures. According to a research which was performed using advanced imaging techniques shows that there exists dissimilarity in the size of some parts of the brain in children with the ADHD disorder as compared to those who do not inhabit the disorder. In their prefrontal cortex, found in the front part of the brain is less active. It controls the ability of the brain to block some responses. The caudate nucleus and the globus pallidus, which is found at the centre part of the brain and which is known for its ability to increase the speed or to stop the orders emanating from the front part of the brain has been found to be smaller in the children who happens to be victims of ADHD but it seems to get back to normal as the age of the child increases. These abnormalities usually impair a childs ability to discontinue some actions and hence impulsivity in the people with the disorder. In the area above the stem of the brain which is referred to as the cerebellum, it is found to be smaller in children with the disorder. This part enables the control of the muscle tone and their balance and also synchronizes the activity of the muscle (Ellenberger, 1970). This disorder is mostly found with the boy child but as per the statistics it is also underdiagonised in girls. But the ongoing research has enough evidence to show that both genders are in the same position in getting the disorder. Although this disorder is common in children ADHD in adults has also been noted. Ritalin was administered for about 800,000 adults in America in 1997 which is about three times the figure in 1992. As of 2005, experts expected that ADHD affects about 4.1% of adults ages 18 44 years in a specified year. Research shows that ADHD affects 2 6% of population of the adults, taking assumptions that that 1-2/3 of cases continue into adulthood. ADHD in adults mostly occurs as an extension of the childhood condition. Adult-onset symptoms are probable to be because of other factors. Since hyperactivity typically wanes as children get older, it can be a difficult to diagnose it in adults. It is therefore evident that the number or the percentage of the adults with this disorder is underestimated. The following are some signs of adults with this disorder: inattentiveness and problems with the memory which includes: failing to finishing things, judging time wrongly, diverting from projects when nearly completion, being absent minded, and easily forgetting things (Conrad, The Sociology of Health and Illness, 2008). They are also hypersensitive and being restless examples of this is: they are risk takers they have also been found to be less impulsive and their emotions are instable by interrupting others, are easily frustrated, mostly drive recklessly, and have unpredictable moods. These adults have a problem with their self worth such that they do not entertain the occurrence of fresh challenges and mostly they seem to place so much confidence in other people that in themselves In treatment of adults doctors normally revisit their childhood reports on their conducts and experiences. Amusingly, the disorder appears to be equally distributed among adult men and women. Supplementary emotional, personality, and learning disorders have it that amid 19 37% of adults with ADHD has dejection disorder. Between 25 50% have an anxiety disorder. In learning disorder, about 20% of adults with ADHD have dyslexia and auditory dispensation problems which must be considered in which ever plan of treatment to be employed. The adults with the disorder do not mostly attain high academic levels; they earn less money, and have higher chances of being fired in their work places. It has been noted that by the age of approximately 30 most of them are self employed (Conrad, The Changing Social Reality of ADHD, 2009). Research also has it that about 32 to 53% of alcoholics are the ADHD victims. 8 32% are marijuana smokers or cocaine takers. A study in year 2003 shows that the adults and the young people who are at the risk of drug abuse are the ones with the ADHD disorders or those who had had behavioural problems in their childhood days. Both adults and children with this disorder seems to lack sleep with a disorder commonly called restless legs syndrome and sleep apnea. In the sleep apnea one is unable to breath for temporal period when a sleep. Most people do not recognize but the victim wakes and start grasping for breath. This is usually coupled with snoring. It has been known that treatment of sleep apnea reduces the symptoms of ADHD by 50%. ADHD in adults is treated with the Atomoxetine which is not a stimulant. It reduces the symptoms as hyperactivity, inability to concentrate, and inclination in adult victims. This treatment is normally discontinued in early signs of liver problems. It i s therefore advisable to be used in adults compared to the adolescents and children since they can trigger suicidal thoughts. Bupropion may be a chiefly good quality option for some ADHD adults, as well as those who also have bipolar disorder or a history of drug abuse. Tricyclic antidepressants are also effective with both depression and ADHD disorders. The standard psycho stimulants, methylphenidate (Ritalin) and Adder all are also good in the same. These patients can also be treated by nicotine replacement. This improves ADHD symptoms and seems to have special effects in the brain that similarly to those of stimulants. It is also difficult to identify presence of this disorder in children since there exists no laboratory or imaging for perfect diagnosis of ADHD as it majorly depends on the symptoms of behaviours and the process of discriminating other disorders. Many professionals believe that is under and over diagnosed in most cases. The difficulty is due to: misconception of parents who ends up to pressurizing the doctors to administer methylphenidate to their children who seem to perform poorly in school and who are usually aggressive which as per the statistics shows that out of the 18% and 20% of Caucasian boys treated with Ritalin only 11% were ADHD victims. In other cases most children were young for their level of grades which shows that they may be immature intellectually and socially. It is also known that children from poor backgrounds and those who have grown up in single parent households are likely to have behaviour and emotional problems which has increased in the level of the victims of the ADHD victims. In treatment the doctor will need the history of the behaviour of the child and he/ she will compare the behaviours with the standardized list which outlines the symptoms of the ADHD. Parent must provide the following information to the physician: the particular problems from as early as they can remember in their child growth more so the report from school, relationship between the child and other siblings, changes that have occurred of late, information on whether the family have had a history of ADHD, the eating habits of the child, the sleeping patterns, speech and the language development, and any other problem the mother experienced during delivery or during the pregnancy. The mother should also include any other history of allergies, terminal ear problems, and hearing problems. Finally it is crucial that the doctor understand how the parent6 handle the child when interacting with the child. There are various tests that may be administered to a child in order to test any signs of ADHD. These include CPT which is a test referred to as continuous performance test where a child is sat before a computer and he/she is asked to press some keys and not to press others as per certain images in the screen. Some other tests may be done in order to test the neural, emotional and intellectual growth. They mostly include studying and problem solving assignments with the aim of determining the disabling areas. Tests of blood samples may be taken in the situations of doctors suspecting presence of lead toxics in the blood of the child. Research has shown that ADHD does not in most cases exist alone but it is accompanied by other disorders. Scientists have it that it is only 1/3 only pure ADHD that exist. The following disorders also exist parallel to it. Attention-Deficit Disorder without Hyperactivity. In this type of disorder, the childs initial signs are inability to persist in assignments and the ability to be distracted is very high. Oppositional-Defiant Disorder (ODD): statistics shows that about 36% of the ADHD children also have ODD. The child is defiant, hostile towards authoritative people lasting for about six months and they have a negative pattern of life. Additionally, they are aggressive and have frequent tempers tantrums and in most cases they display antisocial manners. ODD patients have other phobia disorders which must be treated disjointedly (Leo, 2009.). Psychological perspective Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a universal neurodevelopment psychiatric problem the greatest part of research in this field has focused on genetics and neuropsychological or the behavioural signs for the disorder. It exists as the most genetic psychiatric disorders, with genetical inheritance being approximately 77%. Despite of the scientific research that various genes can be associated with ADHD their impacts are minimal and hence the cause of this disorder cannot be pegged entirety on gene theory. Today research is expanding in order to investigate the role of environmental factors and their association with some genes and epigenetic processes in the expansion of the ADHDs symptoms. The analysis of ADHD is founded on the assemblage of symptom arrangement (impulsivity-hyperactivity and lack of attentiveness) and provides room for three subtypes impulsive-hyperactive, lacking concentration and combined-type. These subtypes may have diverse aetiologies and behavi oural profiles. Psychiatrists and Psychologists have come up with a variety of theories to give details of the behaviour of patients of ADHD. It should be clearly noted that any key psychological theory of ADHD ought to be able to explain these analytical symptoms. The psychological perspective takes into account four theories to explain the existence and the development of ADHD. Below is the outline of the same. The Delay Aversion theory which was introduced in 1990 argues that children who harbor this disorder are capable of waiting but they dont want to. Its earlier version stated that ADHD children arent impulsive in terms of opting for an instant reward at the expense of the overall reward but it happens when there is a shorter delay. Inattentiveness and hyperactivity are well thought-out to show trials to decrease prejudiced knowledge of delay in situations when it cant be avoided. The Dynamic Developmental Theory (DDT) of ADHD was developed for the past 20 years and which has raised different views amongst various psychologists. This complete theory tries to elucidate the behavioural manifestations of ADHD from a neurotransmitter up to a community level and aims to give details about all symptoms of ADHD. This theory argues that there exist two major behavioural mechanisms reinforcing a lot of symptoms of ADHD: altered reinforcement of original behaviour and poor extermination of insufficient behaviour. The State Regulation hypothesis suggests that a non-optimal vigorous situation can clarify performance lack in children with ADHD. It is founded on a study using the Cognitive vigorous model of Sanders. In this model, the competence with which a duty is done is considered to be a creation of elementary cognitive stage and their energy allotment. The basic stages are spur encoding, memory hunt, binary choice and motor training and may be viewed as structural computational in sequence processes. The accessibility of these processes is connected to the stimulation and launching levels of the subject. Stimulation is defined as a time-locked phasic physiological answer to effort, whereas launching refers to a long-lasting intentional preparedness for action The Executive Dysfunction theory of ADHD argues that the symptoms of ADHD occur entirely due to a decrease in executive power, caused by abnormalities in the arrangement, purpose and biochemical process of the fronto-parietal and fronto-striatal neural networks Neuropsychological tests that are susceptible to the mechanism of the decision-making purpose system have been used to evaluate children with ADHD. The outcomes of these tests have been unswervingly and ultimately linked back to the physiological, anatomical and biochemical dysfunctions in the frontal cortex, the fronto-parietal and fronto-striatal circuits in ADHD. Summary and Conclusions: It is evident that the three disciplines concerning the issue of ADHD communicate the same thing or they tend to explain the same concept but they use different approaches. According to the discussion above, the biological cause of ADHD is the deformation in the brain structures. It implies that children and adults with ADHD disorder have either small brain size or even deformed brains as compared to the normal adults and children. This approach cannot be ignored since it bases its facts on a practical example i.e. on an experiment that has been done by medical professionals. This can be objected on the basis that the experiment that was done just happened to be a coincidence and for those who do not believe to believe in scientists, they may find this perspective not fulfilling like the sociological perspective The sociological perspective rotates about the education factor as a determinant of whether the chid is suffering from ADHD disorder. Children who fail to perform well or those who conduct their selves in abnormal manners tend to be judged to have the ADHD disorder and in most cases as I discussed earlier they form about 11% while there are others who perform poorly in class not because they have these disorders but they are poor learners. Maximum investigation must be performed in order to differentiate between a disorder and inability to learn. As earlier discussed, sociologists fails to recognise the biological perspective and pseudo-objectivity of the biological approach as they object the origin theory provided by the neural scientists. They normally attribute the growth and the origin of this disorder with the environment around the child. This environment is the: cultural, political and the immediate society of the child. It also depends on the economic status of the family of the child. The psychological perspective on the other hand focuses on the key psychological theories which include: the Executive Dysfunction theory, the State Regulation model, the Dynamic Developmental Theory (DDT), and the Delay Aversion theory. These theories only try to explain this disorder in just but a theoretical way without providing actual practical examples on the application of the same. Therefore these theories have the same definition but they sound differently depending on the field of study (Erkulwater, 2009. ).

The Glass Menagerie - Amanda Wingfield Essay -- English Literature

The Glass Menagerie - Amanda Wingfield If there is a signature character type that marks Tennessee -Williams’s dramatic work, it is undeniably that of the faded Southern belle. Amanda is a clear representative of this type. In general, a Tennessee Williams faded belle is from a prominent Southern family, has received a traditional upbringing, and has suffered a reversal of economic and social fortune at some point in her life. Like Amanda, these women all have a hard time coming to terms with their new status in society—and indeed, with modern society in general, which disregards the social distinctions that they were taught to value. Their relationships with men and their families are turbulent, and they staunchly defend the values of their past. As with Amanda, their maintenance of genteel manners in very ungenteel surroundings can appear tragic, comic, or downright grotesque. Amanda is the play’s most extroverted and theatrical character, and one of modern American drama’s most coveted female roles (the acclaimed stage actress Laurette Taylor came out of semi-retirement to play the role in the original production, and a number of legendary actresses, including Jessica Tandy, have since taken on the role). Amanda’s constant nagging of Tom and her refusal to see Laura for who she really is are certainly reprehensible, but Amanda also reveals a willingness to sacrifice for her loved ones that is in many ways unparalleled in the play. She subjects herself to the humiliating drudgery of subscription sales in order to enhance Laura’s marriage prospects, without ever uttering so much as a word of complaint. The safest conclusion to draw is that Amanda is not evil but is deeply flawed. In fact, her flaws a... ...r we will see that she is afraid of what will happen to a young girl of Laura’s position who is not married. Thus, Amanda’s emotions are mixed at present but will become clearer as the play progresses. Note how Amanda plays the revelation scene for all its theatrical effect. This is also a part of her character and prepares us for her giddy actions when the gentleman caller comes. One of Amanda’s admirable qualities is her determination. Once she has set her mind to a task, she goes about it with a determination that neither of her children possesses. It would be impossible to imagine either Tom or Laura dedicating themselves to a task with such complete zeal as does Amanda. It is, however, this dedication which makes her appear hateful to her children. It is as though both, especially Tom, were still youths whose every action had to be supervised.

Passive Design Strategies Achieving Effective Response to Local Climate

PASSIVE DESIGN STRATEGIES ACHIEVING EFFECTIVE RESPONSE TO LOCAL CLIMATE Table of contentspage Abstract†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.3Introduction†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ .Abstraction This survey is aimed at placing the specific inactive schemes that can be applied to edifices in a specific type of local clime to accomplish a proper response to that clime. With edifices being the highest energy consumers and inactive design schemes of major benefit in decrease of energy demand for chilling and warming, the research will bring out the effectivity of the major inactive chilling and heat turning away schemes in supplying thermic comfort and how the pick of these is a effect of the local clime. To accomplish an thorough research, different literature beginnings where used to find a assortment of inactive design schemes that are employed in different climes. From this cognition, the schemes used at the first block of suites at the Belum rain forest resort where identified and their effectivity is established consequently. The first block of suites at the Belum rainforest resort incorporate a big figure of inactive design schemes supplying a wider fluctuation of compari ng survey. These when compared to the other blocks at resort will widen the range of the research. Approximately 40 % of family energy is used for warming and chilling to accomplish thermic comfort. This rate could be cut to about nothing in through sound clime antiphonal inactive designs.. To accomplish high energy efficiency at belum rain forest resort, schemes like Encouraging natural air flow with big gaps and supplying shadowing were used amongst other non as effectual methods. It can therefore be concluded that some inactive design schemes are more effectual than others in specific climes and cognition on this effectivity can drastically better energy efficiency gained due to the usage of these design schemes.IntroductionEach clime zone has clearly different design and building demands, This is because within each of these chief zones there are besides many regional sub-zones with differing local conditions features such as air current forms, humidness, temperature and tallnes s above sea degree. There exists a big figure of inactive design schemes that can be applied to any peculiar edifice. Of these schemes, some are cosmopolitan and would use to about all types of climes but for the most portion each of these clime zones require specific types of inactive design techniques to be applied to edifices in order to be effectual. In add-on to this, in response to the local clime, some of these specific passive schemes are more effectual than others in accomplishing their ends and therefore a grade of precedence can be placed on them for easier design determination devising. Malaysia has high temperatures and a High humidness twelvemonth unit of ammunition, to accomplish edifice sustainability energy usage for chilling has to be minimised, the major factors to see for this clime are the air current and the Sun. Most of the heat addition in the edifices is from the Sun specifically solar heat addition though Windowss and conductivity heat addition through walls. And most of the chilling is by air flow. From this we can clearly detect that the most effectual inactive design schemes are those that control heat addition and supply chilling through air motion. This paper will look into how effectual peculiar inactive design schemes employed to the first block of suites at the Belum rainforest resort in reacting to the local clime by reacting to the undermentioned research inquiries:What is inactive architecture design?What are the inactive design schemes employed to accomplish decrease in heat addition in the first block of suites at the Belum rain forest resort?What are the inactive chilling design schemes employed in the first block of suites at Belum rainforest resort?How make these passive design schemes employed efficaciously respond to the local climePassive architecture designHarmonizing to†¦Passive architecture design refers to a design attack that uses natural elements, frequently sunlight, to heat, cool, or light a edifice. Every inactive design attack is aimed to maximize comfy conditions for people to populate in, while cut downing the usage of energy and therefore the impact of edifices on the environment. In a physical s ense, a inactive design attack is one that will utilize merely locally available energy beginnings like radiation from the Sun, air motion from air currents and temperature differences and use the natural flow waies of that energy to bring forth work. This work is chiefly the warming, chilling and illuming of enclosed infinite and as such inactive design systems will necessitate really small care and cut down a building’s energy ingestion by minimising or taking mechanical systems like pumps and fans used to command indoor temperature and lighting and devour a batch of energy. Passive architecture design is required in order to cut down on the demand for mechanical chilling and warming of indoor infinites. In bend this warming and chilling is required in order to accomplish thermic comfort. Therefore thermic comfort can be regarded as the terminal demand of inactive architecture design together with energy efficiency while accomplishing that. Bs en iso 7730 defines thermic comfort as that status of head which expresses satisfaction with the thermic environment. That is to state the status when person is non experiencing either excessively hot or excessively cold. The chief factors impacting thermic comfort are temperature of the air, humidness, air motion, metabolic rate and vesture. Of these, air temperature ( which is the chief determiner ) , humidness ( which affects evaporative chilling from the human tegument ) and air velocity or motion ( which accelerates vaporization ) are all affected by general environmental factors and can hence be controlled ut ilizing inactive architecture designs.inactive design schemes accomplishing heat addition decrease in the first block of suites at the Belum rain forest resortOn this block at the Belum rain forest resort, heat turning away was given extreme importance as the block is extensively shaded and a overplus of heat turning away schemes was used compared to the inactive chilling schemes. The schemes include orientation of the edifice to its site, usage of deep over bents, usage of mesh shadowing devices on Windowss, shadowing of walls and facade, usage of banian sticks to shadow Windowss and usage of flora for shadowing both Windowss and the frontage Orientation This block of suites is oriented in such a manner the longer facade that has the suites and window gaps faces the north-south way with no Windowss on the east-west way. This provides for a shaded in-door infinite during twenty-four hours clip, in this set up, exposure to radiation is minimised as solar radiation is easy controlled by over bents since the high angle of the Sun in the sky in summer makes it easy to shadow Windowss utilizing this while daylighting is maximised cut downing on the demand for unreal lighting in the edifice. Besides in this orientation the eastern and western sides that have no window gaps are exposed to the low-angle summer Sun in the forenoon and afternoon and hence there is less heat addition from these Deep overhangs This block of suites uses a pitched gable to gable type of roof.The usage of a pitched roof provided for deep over bents on the longer frontages. The overhangs On the north and south-facing walls, control direct beam solar radiation. And therefore cut down on the incident heat on the facade and the first floor Windowss. Overhangs are most efficient because being external shading devices, they intercept solar radiation before it has entered through the Windowss or is incident on the walls and therefore even when energy is absorbed by them it is non trapped behind the glass. As the edifice does non precisely face north-south, the over bents are of increased size. This was besides done to efficaciously supply shadiness for both floors of the block. Mesh shadowing on Windowss This shading was extensively applied to all Windowss of this block of suites. This mesh shading placed in forepart of Windowss is considered more efficient than the complete bents chiefly because it is suited and provides shadiness for the Windowss all through the twelvemonth. Unlike the other shading devices, it does non necessitate extended computation to acquire optimum consequences and does non depend on the angle of the Sun. The Mesh besides provides this shadowing while leting for air motion and therefore encourages cross airing. The meshes are made of coated metals as being portion of external shading devices there is demand for the stuff to be upwind resistant. They besides have an added advantage of being flexible to utilize and keep. Banyan sticks cladding The south and north confronting walls of this block are about wholly made of Windowss to advance airing with minimised exposed wall. The entireness of the Windowss and exposed wall is clad in closely arranged banian sticks that farther heighten the shading to the Windowss in add-on to the mesh shading provided. Like the other external shading devices it reduces on the incident heat on the Windowss and the walls. And besides due to their distance from the window radiation energy absorbed by the banian sticks is non re-radiated to the window or wall. They were besides used as a base for vegetive shading. Bing a signifier of perpendicular shading, they have been besides used to shadow the E and west frontages of the block. The banian sticks are treated to accomplish conditions opposition and prevent decay. They have a major disadvantage of cut downing visibleness and natural twenty-four hours light into the edifice The facade of the block was besides constructed in such a manner that the open walls are perpendicular to the way of the facade and as such are wholly shaded by next walls. This design ensures that no external wall is straight exposed to the Sun and as such do non absorb beaming heat. Vegetative shading This was achieved at this block of suites by usage of mounting workss that get support from the banian sticks cladding. With the banyan sticks already positioned to supply shading, the workss are introduced so as to heighten the shadiness provided by the sticks. These workss provide the 3rd and concluding bed of shadowing after the mesh shading and the banian sticks cladding. They cut down solar radiation to every bit low every bit low as 20 % .These together with the banian sticks facade cladding besides work as a clime shield, protecting the edifice from rain and air current bill of exchanges through the Windowss. They besides protect the edifices coloring material and the facade it’s ego from intensive conditions. Plants besides have the added advantage of supplying evapo-transpiration, where, as workss transpire and loose H2O to the ambiance, the vaporization that takes topographic points uses heat energy from the environing chilling it in return.Passive chilling schemes employed in the first block of suites at the Belum rainforest resort.

Research Proposal on Obesity

About one in five American kids is overweight enough to be considered obese (Parr 45). Obesity being 20% or more overweight, is considered a disease because it is associated with so many health problems, like heart disease and diabetes. Being obese as a child usually leads into being obese through adulthood. â€Å"One third of adults are obese, and a third of these got that way in childhood† (Parr 53). That is why it is so important to keep kids from becoming overweight and to help obese kids lose weight. The increasing number of obese parents, technology, children having no supervision after school, and the unhealthy content of school lunches are to blame for the increasing number of overweight kids in the United States. A majority of the information used in writing this paper came from obesity source books, magazine articles, and websites devoted to helping children lose weight. Decades ago children would play tag, ride bikes, and participate in other outdoor after school activities following a nutritious snack prepared for them by one of their parents. Today, most children come home to an empty house, snack on any junk they can find, and watch television or play video games until their parents get home hours later. With no supervision, who can blame them? The foods offered at schools have changed as well. Candy, chips, and soda are a favorite of most children when eating their school lunch. Vending machines are now in most cafeterias today too, making it even easier for children to snack before and after lunch. America is one of the most overweight populations in the world, and we all wonder why. The following paper examines the root causes of this public health problem, answers the question of â€Å"why†, and offers possible solutions, to this crisis. Society as a whole is more overweight than ever before, causing their poor eating and exercising habits to be passed down onto their children. Of course genetics plays a part in some cases of obesity children, but for the most part, it is really more an issue of the habits that kids pick up from their parents. If both parents are obese, their child has an 80% chance of being obese, if one parent is obese, their child has a 40% chance of being obese, and if neither parent is obese, their child has only a 5% chance of being obese† (Bray 68). Shared family behaviors such as eating and activity habits influence a childs body weight. When a child sees their mom or dad eating unhealthy foods all the time, and snacking throughout the day, that child will get used to that eating pattern and follow in the footsteps of their parents. Overweight parents also tend to cook high calorie foods and order out more than thinner parents. This is bad because not only does that child eat foods high in fat throughout their whole childhood, but they also pick up the high-fat style of cooking as well. If a parent is overweight, it might not be as huge of a priority for them to get their child into shape. Even if it is, the extent to which they can exercise with them is limited. It is a key factor when your child is overweight to get them active as well as to cut down the amount of fat in their diet. But you must carefully cut down the fat in their diet. Reducing fat is a good way to cut calories without depriving your child of nutrients. Simple ways to cut the fat in your family’s diet include eating low-fat or even better, non-fat dairy products, poultry without the skin, and lean meats, and low-fat or fat-free breads and cereals. Making small changes to your family’s diet is a good, healthy way to help your child lose weight. It is also good to involve your child in food shopping and preparing meals. This teaches children about nutrition, and gives them a feeling of accomplishment. Physical education is only part of the solution. â€Å"Just as parents reinforce good reading habits, they also should encourage their children to incorporate physical activity into their daily lives† according to Judy Young, executive director of NASPE. The national Association for Sport and Physical Education (NASPE) in Reston, Va. , recently issued guidelines recommending that children ages six to eleven exercise a minimum of thirty to sixty minutes per day. The problem with this is that in today’s lifestyle, it is the norm for both parents to have careers and work full time. This means that they’re children will come home to an empty house after school. Our society consists of households where both parents work and their children are left to fend for and feed themselves after school. According to a new Urban Institute report, â€Å"An estimated four million grade-school age children are regularly without adult supervision. â€Å" Another shocking fact is that in California, six percent of 6-9 year olds and thirty two percent of 10 – 12 year olds average five hours unsupervised each week, or with a sibling under the age of 13. Research shows that children who spend a lot of time alone are more likely to have social and academic problems (HHS Press Office). When children come home from school the first thing on their agenda is food. What does the normal everyday child reach for when mom and dad aren’t around? A nutritious snack, or the cookie jar and a bag of Doritos. Marvin Moss, Capital-Journal columnist, states that â€Å"To many of you, This may not seem like a major event, but put yourself in a kid’s shoes. â€Å" â€Å"I know when mine come home from school, the first thing they want is food. â€Å" â€Å"I call their after school eating habit pre-dinner. â€Å"If one of us parents wasn’t home when they arrived home from school, how would they be made to eat a healthy pre-diner snack? â€Å" Snacks take up most of the calories in children’s diets and lead to them becoming overweight. â€Å"Total daily intake from snacks among children has risen from an average of 450 to 600 in the last two decades† ,according to researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. While some snacks are healthy for children and give them nutrients and energy, most snacks are usually a source of high-calorie, low-nutrient foods like soda, potato chips, and cookies. After they have picked out their snack, they go for the television and sit on the couch while all of their favorite shows come on. Its either the television or the computer or multiple video games. There are so many alternative choices for kids nowadays other than physical activities. There is always a new video game or an upgraded computer toy, and not to mention all of the new shows that come out every season. Along with the hundreds of shows that kids watch after school come the numerous food commercials advertising pizza, soda, and candy making kids minds turn to food yet again. Technology has advanced so much in the last few decades coming out with many new high-tech, entertaining things for kids to play with. All of the new technology is fascinating, but is it a coincidence that America’s weight problem is expanding along side all the new technology coming out? NO. It is no coincidence. â€Å"In America, kids spend an average of 21 hours per week in front of the television, and if a child adds 5 hours to that per week, he or she is ten percent more likely to become obese† (Parr 97). Children are larger because American life has changed. More children sit in front of video monitors than on bicycles or playing sports. According to a Nielsen Media Research Report, â€Å"Aside from the time kids spend watching television ,they spend another three to four hours daily with the internet and video games† (Karas 47). According to The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the National Center for Health Statistics, in 1999 over 9 million –or 15 percent– of American children and adolescents between the ages of 6 and 18 were overweight, or triple what the percentage was in 1990† (Parenting Today ). This problem is going to continue to rise over the years if our country doesn’t put more effort into stopping it. Leaving your child unattended after school and during the summer is a factor not as harmless as everyone thought. Lois Salsbury, president of Children Now, states that â€Å"While the United States has restructured its economy, analysis of the impact on working families is still in its infancy. † â€Å"Hundreds of thousands of children are spending time alone. † â€Å"Is this what we want in terms of safety and developing our children? † Our nation is developing as our parenting skills are deteriorating. We want so much to be wealthy and powerful that we neglect to realize what it is doing to our children. Parents need to realize what is happening to their children and gain control over what their kids eat and how much time they spend sitting around if this problem is going to be reversed. Another area that needs focusing on is the food available for kids to buy while at school. U. S. Surgeon General Richard Carmona, has declared childhood obesity a national epidemic (Mayer 23). The Oakland School District banned the sale of sugary drinks and candy in vending machines. The Los Angeles Unified School District, the second largest in the country, followed several weeks later (27). School lunches are not meeting up to the nutritious standards that they should. Vending machines are in almost every elementary school offering kids the opportunity to eat candy, chips, and soda at any time of the school day. The lunches offered usually have one healthy meal and the rest consist of things like pizza, cheese steaks, and mozzarella sticks. Is this what we want our kids eating all day? Legislators introduced several bills aimed at eefing up physical education requirements and fixing up school lunch programs. Gov. Gray Davis signed a bill in October that prohibits the sale of junk food in elementary schools and bans soda at middle schools (32). This needs to be done everywhere. There is no questions that school meal programs have a powerful influence on children’s future food choices. † More than half of youth in the United States eat one to three major meals in school† (Owl 27). Adequate nutrition throughout the day plays an important performance at school and enables children to make wise choices when eating. Kids who go hungry or are only allowed a hurried meal through the morning or afternoon are likely to arrive at home after school extremely hungry. This can lead to overeating particularly high-fat, easy to prepare snack foods. This pattern of behavior is difficult to change and can lead to obesity. â€Å"Providing healthy meals at a pleasant environment at school is an important part of obesity preventionâ€Å" (29). Many school lunch programs offer fast food as an alternative. Limit your childs participation in unhealthy school lunch programs. Parents should ban together and speak with their school boards about improving school lunch programs. School districts should remove the vending machines from their schools and make the lunches offered healthier. So much money is spent every year on obesity programs for children and all that money could be saved if schools would just do their part in solving the problem. â€Å"There is no more compelling reminder of the health implications than the $127 million spent each year in hospital costs related to childhood obesityâ€Å", according to the Centers for Disease control and Prevention. Some things are being done to start solving the problem but not enough. If everyone works together this battle can be overcome. The increasing number of obese parents, technology, unsupervised children after school, and unhealthy school lunches are to blame for the increasing number of overweight kids in the United States. These factors can all be helped and prevented. This problem must be fixed before it gets worse. Our nation must united and work together for the sake and well being of our children.

buy custom Malaria essay

buy custom Malaria essay Malaria is a disease which has existed for more than fifty years. Malaria is believed to have affected people during the ancient world. For example, in 2700 BC, some cases of malaria were reported in China. The Roman Empire was also plagued by malaria. In Rome, it was referred to as the Roman fever. Thus, the term malaria originated from the Medieval Italian word: mala aria meaning bad air(Randall 24). Initially, malaria was pervasive in Europe and some parts of America especially in the north, however, few cases of this disease have been reported at present. Since 1896, scientific research has been conducted to establish the nature of malaria. Although malaria is closely linked with poverty, it also leads to poverty. This is because it hinders economic progress in many countries especially in Africa where it is endemic. At present, tropical regions register the highest percentages of malaria infections, but some temperate regions also experience malaria infections. Poverty serves as both a cause and impact of malaria. This is because poor individuals lack resources to curb and cure malaria. The economy is also affected since many resources are channeled toward dealing with malaria. Demographic transition has also stagnated in places like Africa where malaria has not been properly handled. Besides this, child mortality is relatively high in malaria infested regions. Causes of Malaria Plasmodium parasites are responsible for malaria infections among humans, birds, and animals. In humans, malaria is caused by P. falciparum, P. malariae, P. ovale, P. vivax and P. knowlesi(Zimmerman 45). Nonetheless, malaria infections are primarily caused by P. Vivax. On the other hand, P. falciparum is extremely lethal, and it causes majority of malaria deaths. Humans and some vertebrates act as intermediate hosts of parasites. Anopheles mosquitoes serve as the major hosts, and they also act as key transmission vectors. Female mosquitoes usually transmit the parasites because they feed on blood. Male mosquitoes do not participate in transmission of vectors because they eat plant nectars, and they do not rely on blood meals. Apart from mosquitoes, blood transfusion may also lead to transmission of malaria, but this occurs rarely. Malaria often recurs among patients who have received medication because of the following factors. In some cases, some parasites may not be completely destroyed through treatment. Hence, they can multiply and trigger another infection. This mode of infection is known as recrudescence. Secondly, malaria re-infection often occurs when an individual is exposed to the parasites after treatment. Relapse is the third mode of infection. It is speific to P. vivax and P. ovale and involves re-emergence of blood-stage parasites from latent parasites in the liver(Zimmerman 56). Development of malaria takes place in two phases. The first one is known as exoerythrocytic phase, which is characterized by liver infection. The second level is known as erythrocytic phase, and the parasites infect and damage the red blood cells. After a mosquito bite, the pathogens are transmitted to the liver through the blood stream. Once in the liver, the organisms differentiate to yield thousands of merozoites, which escape into the blood stream and infect the red blood cells, thus beginning the erthrocytic stage of the life cycle(Sutherland 551). After this, an infected individual starts experiencing the symptoms which include the following. Signs and symptoms Symptoms of malaria include fever, shivering, vomiting, anemia, retinal damage and convulsions(Webb 134). An infected individual may experience sweating followed by sudden coldness especially in a case where one is infected by P.vivax. In some cases, an individual may experience abdominal pain. Besides this, victims of malaria infection may also sustain cognitive impairments, and this majorly occurs among children. Retinal whitening is a distinct symptom among individuals having cerebral malaria infections. At an advanced stage, a malaria patient experience a coma, and a patient can easily die due to serious body malfunctioning caused by acute damage of blood cells. Plasmodium falciparum is more dangerous than other malaria parasites because it causes severe malaria that is not easily treated. Diagnosis Blood examination conducted through laboratory procedures is the main way of diagnosing malaria. A part from blood analysis, urine and saliva can also be used as alternative samples for diagnosis of malaria, but they are less invasive specimens. Antigen tests are among the new mechanisms for conducting clinical examination for malaria. In areas where laboratory tests are absent, analysis of the common symptoms such as subjective fever can be used to identify the presence of malaria in a patient. Treatment A malaria patient is able to recover completely if he or she receives proper medication. The manner malaria treatment is administered depends on the severity of the infection. For instance, oral drugs can be applied in treating normal malaria infections. Anti-malarial drugs are mainly used in cases of severe infection. Support measures are also important for seriously infected individuals. Chlroquine and quinine have been commonly used, but moree effective drugs with few side effects have been introduced. Use of prophylactic drugs is seldom practical for full-time residents of malaria-endemic regions(Webb 245). Control Apart from treatment, various mechanisms can be used to reduce the spread of malaria parasites, and they include the following. Malaria can best be dealt with through elimination of mosquitoes. For example, vector control initiatives were successful in the eradication of malaria especially in Europe and America. Draining of wetlands is also important in this process because it reduces the rate of mosquito breeding. Better sanitation and pesticide DDT have also contributed to a significant reduction of mosquito breeding. Before DDT, malaria was successfully eradicated or controlled in several tropical areas by removing or poisoning the breeding grounds of the mosquitoes or the aquatic habitats of the larva stages(Webb 89). Another viable method of curbing malaria that was recently discovered is called sterile insect technique. This involves creating transgenic mosquitoes that are resistant to malaria. This procedure will gradually make mosquitoes less harmful since most of them will no longer participate in vector transmission. Researchers from Arizona University have also made a noble contribution toward malaria elimination by engineering mosquitoes that cannot be affected by malaria. Indoor residual spraying involves the use of insecticides to eliminate mosquitoes which inhabit homes. In this case, interior parts of residential houses can be sprayed with insecticides, and it has been recommended for people living in highly infested areas. Besides this, mosquito nets are also useful in enhancing protection of people from potential malaria infections. People should also be sensitized on how to deal with malaria related challenges. Conclusion The above discussion reveals that malaria has been a challenge to humans for a long time. In this case, many measures have been taken to deal with it. Malaria has been eliminated successfully in some regions, but it has remained endemic especially in the third world. This is because poor countries are still not prepared to eliminate it. Apart from causing many annual death cases, malaria has posed a great challenge on the entire world economy. This is because many resources have been diverted towards dealing with it. Scientist should, therefore, strive to formulate sustainable solutions for malaria. For instance, they can develop better drugs and vaccines to enhance the elimination of malaria. Last but more importantly, everyone should remain committed in the fight against malaria. Buy custom Malaria essay

A Comparison of Jamaican and American Political Economies essays

A Comparison of Jamaican and American Political Economies essays As an introduction to this paper I have compiled a series of facts on the island and the culture of the people of Jamaica. The questions asked on the economy of the island will then be answered. Discovered by Christopher Columbus, Jamaica is one of the three islands in the Northern Caribbean forming the Greater Antilles. It is the largest English-speaking country in the Caribbean Sea, stretching one hundred and forty six (146) miles from East to West. It lies five hundred and fifty (550) miles North of the Panama Canal and seven hundred (700) miles South of Miami. The capital and the largest city of the island is Kingston. The countrys name is derived from an Aarawak (aboriginal Indian) word xaymaca, meaning land of wood and water. And so it is with waterfalls and springs, rivers and streams flowing from the forest-clad mountains to the fertile plains, Jamaica has one of the richest and most varied landscapes in the region. Jamaicas most important export crop is sugarcane, from which rum and molasses are also made. The nations other agricultural exports include the famed Blue Mountain coffee, bananas, citrus fruits, ginger, cocoa, pimento, and tobacco. Mining is a major source of wealth; since large, easily accessible deposits of bauxite were discovered in 1942, Jamaica has become one of the worlds leading suppliers of this ore. Bauxite accounts for almost half of Jamaicas foreign exchange. Tourism is the biggest earner of foreign exchange. Among Jamaicas international known resort areas are Montego Bay, Ocho Rios, and Negril. Jamaicas other industries include (mainly concentrated in the Kingston area) include oil refining, sugar and tobacco processing, flour milling, and the production of chemicals, cement, textiles and processed foods. Since the late 1960s this industry has generated a greater share of the national income than agriculture. The Un...

Advantages and disadvantages of E-business

Advantages and disadvantages of E-business Using Internet technology to provide improved customer service, make more efficient business processes, increase sales, and reduce wastage is called E-business. E-business uses the internet tools such as websites, online banking, and web based customer relationship. Advantages of E-Business: There are many benefits an organisation can get with having an E-Business solution for the business. Worldwide Presence: The major advantage of engaging business online, to have presence nationwide or worldwide. IBM uses the e-business term to provide services to the customer and was one of the first companies uses this term. Dell Inc. and Amazon are the other success stories using E-Business to flourish their business. Cost Effective Marketing and Promotions: using internet to market products is a very nominal method which guarantees the worldwide reach. Pay per click advertising is a effective technique which ensure the business only pay for the advertisement that actually viewed. Better Custo mer Service: E-Business has change the customer services image enormously. Number of customers can visit or the website at same time. Some website have online chat feature to help the customer to find out more about the product they are interested in. moreover orders can be placed online by processing payments securely over the internet and products can be shipped to the customer. In this case customers even do not have to leave the house. Disadvantages of E-Business: Even above mentioned advantages there are some disadvantages of the E-Business. Some of them are listed below. Sartorial limitation: the main disadvantage of E-Business is lack of growth in some sectors i.e. food. Consumer prefers to look the food products physically before buying. Costly maintenance: substantial recourses are required to setup online business which requires computer upgrade, personnel trainings and website upgrade. This can be a disadvantage for some organisation. Security concern: The security concer ns also lead to privacy issue. There are many examples of contact lists and personal details were hacked or exposed due to weak E-Business system security. Virus threat. Physical products constrain. Perishable goods. Types of business organisation: There are two major types of the business. Private sector: Private firms are owned and run by private individual. There is further classification in private sector firms. Sole traders: A sole trader owns and runs a business. They contribute capital to start the enterprise, run it with or without employees, and earn the profits or stand the losses of the venture. Sole traders are found mainly in the retail trades (local newsagents), small scale service industries (plumbers), and small manufacturing and craft industries. Advantages: Easy to setup Can keep all the profits Make key decision. Flexibility Disadvantages: Unlimited liability Limited access to capital Pressure of being solely responsible. Partnership: Partnership is defined as â⠂¬Ëœthe relation who subsists between persons carrying on a business in common with a view of profit’. A partnership is not a separate legal person distinct from its members; it is merely a ‘relation’ between persons. Each partner (there must be at least two) is usually personally liable for all the debts of the firm.

The Appeal of Urban Tourism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

The Appeal of Urban Tourism - Essay Example In order to fully understand the explanations as to why urban tourism has become so popular, especially recently for that matter, specific European cities of particular popularity in regards to tourism must be taken and thoroughly addressed in regards to the reasons for their popularity, what features and qualities they have, as well as any and all other key elements in relation to this. Ð ¡ities and the reasons behind the sudden surge of interest in urban tourism in this area, we can come to a clearer and more knowledgeable understanding on this issue. The aim of this paper is to discuss all of this, as well as the factors in relation to this, in order to bring the reader to a more intellectual point of view on the subject at hand. This is what will be dissertated in the following. Madrid is the capital and in fact the largest city in all of Spain, and is located on the river Manzanares in the center of the country. Because of its central location and high altitude, the climate of Madrid is characterized by warm dry summers and cool winters. The population of the city is estimated at roughly 3.2 million, with the urban area population estimated at approximately 5 million. Madrid is an incredibly popular city in Europe, highly in regards to the vast array of tourist attractions and nightlife which are available in the city. Madrid is considered to be among the top European destinations concerning art museums. In Madrid can be found the following three most important art museums, which are: Prado Museum (the most popular Golden Triangle of Art member which is known for such highlights as Diego Velazquez's Las Meninas and Francisco De Goya's La Maja Vestida and La Maja Desnuda. Thyssen Bornemisza Museum (established from a private mixed collection) Reina Sofia Museum (Modern art museum where Pablo Picasso's Guernica hangs) Madrid is also highly noted for its nightlife, and is famous for its discotheques. Bilbao, Tribunal, Alonso Martinez, in the geographical center, Moncloa on the west end, are populous night places, Sol and Huertas in the historic center, and quite abundant with tourists by day and night (especially Huertas). "Also popular is the practice of meeting in parks or streets with friends and drinking together (called 'botellion', from 'botella', bottle), but from a few years back drinking in the street is sanctioned with a fine and now young madrilenos drink together all around the city instead of in some well known places." (Wikipedia, 2006). In regards to transportation in and around Madrid, the city is served by Barajas International Airport; current passenger volumes for this airport range upwards of 40 million passengers per year, putting it in the top 20 busiest airports in the world. There is also the national railway system, Red Nacional de Ferrocarriles Espanoles (Renfe) which operates the vast majority of Spain's railways. As well, there is the metro - the Madrid Metro in this case - which, serving the city's population of some five million, is easily one of the most extensive and fastest-growing metro networks in the world. Madrid is a city of great monuments, whose highlights include such things as the medieval center dating back to the Habsburg Empire and the Prado Museum; however, Madrid is not just a cultural destination, and its lively metropolis is filled with many pubs, cafes, discotheques and nightclubs which are open late into the night. Amsterdam This city's title is highly recognizable and yet surprisingly enough there are only few people who

Discussion 8 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 3

Discussion 8 - Essay Example higher education tax credit of up to $2500, $25 increase in weekly unemployment benefit and $7 billion worth of broadband deployments in the rural areas (Bureau of Economic Analysis report, 2009). Demand refers to how much buyers are willing and able to buy whereas supply refers to how much producers are willing and able to deliver to the market. Buyers use their disposable income for investment and consumption. Disposable income is the amount that is left after income is taxed. The tax credit provided for by the stimulus package reduces the taxable income leading to a higher disposable income. Due to the increased disposable income, buyers increase their aggregate demand for goods and services and investments such as homes, cars, technology, good health and education. To meet the increased demand, producers increase production of the goods in question, hence increased aggregate supply. Consequently, the market equilibrium is met. For the ten years there will be observed increase in aggregate demand and supply reaching higher equilibrium points which translates to economic

Major 8-1 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Major 8-1 - Essay Example icated in causing liver cancers, aggressive behavior, gynaecomastia, and testicular atrophy (Josefson, 1996, 702).† Adolescence use performance enhancing drugs due to the pressure to achieve difficult goals, which paves the way for future substance abuse and health problems. Athletic students with goals to play collage or professional sports feel pressured to be the very best. Above all, professional sports roll models are often accused of using performance-enhancing drugs (Garzon et. al., 2006, 159). Professional athletes including baseball players Mark McGuire and Sammy Sosa, football player Emmit Smith, and wrestler Hulk Hogan used over the counter performance-enhancing drugs. â€Å"Mark McGuire and Sammy Sosa admitted consuming creatine, an energy boosting protein, Mark McGuire also admitted to taking androstendione, a testosterone producer (Josefson, 1996, 702).† Creatine and androstendione are both available over-the-counter. Hulk Hogan used over-the-counter steroids to build muscle mass to gain weight class in his wrestling career. As a result, student athletes turn to performance-enhancing drugs with the idea that their athletic performance will enhance; however, these drugs do not improve athletes’ skill level or make them stronge r. â€Å"High school and even middle school students are using these supplements because they are misled into thinking that supplements will enhance their athletic skills resulting in an improvement in their performance (Garzon et. al., 2006, 159).† Students with high expectations and low self-esteem â€Å"are at the risk of following the shoes of their role models as they seek performance enhancing drugs (Garzon et. al., 2006, 159).† Athletic organizations like â€Å"the International Olympic committee, National College Athletic Association, and National football league, have banned the use of androstenedione [but the ban is difficult to enforce], as the steroid is not tested for in standard drug test (Josefson, 1996, 702).†

One personal ethical issue and one corporate Research Paper

One personal ethical issue and one corporate - Research Paper Example The company was found to have a lot of unsettled debts, suspicious financial records, failure in giving its financial reports or disclosing it liquidity state. The organization is accused of supporting the political interest of the political bigwigs in the country, at the expense of delivering better services to the country’s people. Oil industry is a great contributor to the Nigerian economy (Ajayi, 2011, p.A8). If well managed, (Ajayi, 2011, p.A8), the revenues generated can boost the infrastructure and social amenities of the country such as education and health to greater heights. The management of the corporation colludes with the political bigwigs in return for selfish gains of appointments to higher offices. Good management and financial transparency is what the organization needs to fulfill its corporate social responsibility. Personal ethical issue on the other hand regards how a person judges an occurrence, event, or a subject based on morality as to whether it is right or wrong. This is shaped by the social settings of the different individuals. While in my opinion the abortion by a Schoolgirl as wrong and immoral, another individual may look at it as beneficial to enable the Schoolgirl, continue with her

The Five Phases of the Project Lifecycle Assignment

The Five Phases of the Project Lifecycle - Assignment Example A project has to be approached in a systematic way that will ensure there is minimal time wasting and deviation from the main goals and objectives of the project from the time it was initiated. To do so, there are a number of approaches used that guide the progress of the project to completion. The most common used approach is the traditional phased approach that has five phases explaining the activities involved in each phase form the time an idea is conceived to the time the project is closed. The five phases include initiation, planning/ design, execution, monitoring and closing of the project. Each step has its unique activities that make it possible for the project to be completed successfully. Initiation is the first phase of any project. This phase seeks to define the project or a new phase of an already existing project. It also involves the process of gaining authorization from the relevant authorities for the project to be commenced (Indelicato, 2013). To achieve the goals of this phase, there is need to first develop a project charter and then identify the stakeholders. The project charter contains, project success criteria and objectives, constraints/assumptions, high level budget and schedule, the list of stakeholders, project justification or purpose and lastly assign a project manager. A well-developed project charter, will provide adequate information to the authorities and convince them to commit an organizations resources towards achieving the goals and objectives of the project. It gives them a knowhow on the amount of resources needed to complete the project, hence guiding the decision making of the authorities on whether the project is achievable or not. At the same time, it provides one with its contribution to the organization in achieving its primary goals without violating their mission, vision, values and

Major 8-1 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Major 8-1 - Essay Example icated in causing liver cancers, aggressive behavior, gynaecomastia, and testicular atrophy (Josefson, 1996, 702).† Adolescence use performance enhancing drugs due to the pressure to achieve difficult goals, which paves the way for future substance abuse and health problems. Athletic students with goals to play collage or professional sports feel pressured to be the very best. Above all, professional sports roll models are often accused of using performance-enhancing drugs (Garzon et. al., 2006, 159). Professional athletes including baseball players Mark McGuire and Sammy Sosa, football player Emmit Smith, and wrestler Hulk Hogan used over the counter performance-enhancing drugs. â€Å"Mark McGuire and Sammy Sosa admitted consuming creatine, an energy boosting protein, Mark McGuire also admitted to taking androstendione, a testosterone producer (Josefson, 1996, 702).† Creatine and androstendione are both available over-the-counter. Hulk Hogan used over-the-counter steroids to build muscle mass to gain weight class in his wrestling career. As a result, student athletes turn to performance-enhancing drugs with the idea that their athletic performance will enhance; however, these drugs do not improve athletes’ skill level or make them stronge r. â€Å"High school and even middle school students are using these supplements because they are misled into thinking that supplements will enhance their athletic skills resulting in an improvement in their performance (Garzon et. al., 2006, 159).† Students with high expectations and low self-esteem â€Å"are at the risk of following the shoes of their role models as they seek performance enhancing drugs (Garzon et. al., 2006, 159).† Athletic organizations like â€Å"the International Olympic committee, National College Athletic Association, and National football league, have banned the use of androstenedione [but the ban is difficult to enforce], as the steroid is not tested for in standard drug test (Josefson, 1996, 702).†

The Five Phases of the Project Lifecycle Assignment

The Five Phases of the Project Lifecycle - Assignment Example A project has to be approached in a systematic way that will ensure there is minimal time wasting and deviation from the main goals and objectives of the project from the time it was initiated. To do so, there are a number of approaches used that guide the progress of the project to completion. The most common used approach is the traditional phased approach that has five phases explaining the activities involved in each phase form the time an idea is conceived to the time the project is closed. The five phases include initiation, planning/ design, execution, monitoring and closing of the project. Each step has its unique activities that make it possible for the project to be completed successfully. Initiation is the first phase of any project. This phase seeks to define the project or a new phase of an already existing project. It also involves the process of gaining authorization from the relevant authorities for the project to be commenced (Indelicato, 2013). To achieve the goals of this phase, there is need to first develop a project charter and then identify the stakeholders. The project charter contains, project success criteria and objectives, constraints/assumptions, high level budget and schedule, the list of stakeholders, project justification or purpose and lastly assign a project manager. A well-developed project charter, will provide adequate information to the authorities and convince them to commit an organizations resources towards achieving the goals and objectives of the project. It gives them a knowhow on the amount of resources needed to complete the project, hence guiding the decision making of the authorities on whether the project is achievable or not. At the same time, it provides one with its contribution to the organization in achieving its primary goals without violating their mission, vision, values and

Creative Writing - Whangamata Beach Essay Example for Free

Creative Writing Whangamata Beach Essay As I gaze over my photo album I pause on a particular photo. Its dark but I can just make out the shadowy figures posing in the background, the murky night enclosing itself around them. Brightly coloured flames shoot up from the wood in front of them; I can still feel that warmth of the fire. I search my mind trying to place the exact details of that night only they blur and condense until there are only specs of a memory. That photo always brings me back to one place, Whangamata. Looking up to the sky, glimmering with brightly illuminated stars I breathe in only to have my lungs become coated with the thick sea salt that travels up the sandy banks of the beach every time a wave begins to crash down on the shore. I reach for my camera which has been swallowed up by the surrounding sand. Brushing it off I focus it on everyones shadowy faces. They all gather around, they huddle to try fit into the screen of the camera. Taking the photo I hear the shutter click, lying back I close my eyes. The heat of the blazing fire penetrates my skin as I sink into the sand. I think about all the complications Ill have when I get back to Auckland. As I sigh, I position my head on a piece of drift wood. Aiming my stare towards my friends I see them singing and dancing around the fire. Lazily I smile at them when they begin to call my name. Youre no fun! Erin shouts as I stick my tongue out at her in mock response. After a while more people begin to join me beside the fire, their bodies tired from the erratic movement of tonights adventures. Rose begins to hush everyone and as it quietens a clearer noise is audible. Laughter and shouting from the distance booms and echoes around us. Everyone turns to give each other puzzled looks. This is our spot, how could anyone find us here? I squint trying to make out who they are but the blackness of midnight is too dark and hazy. Hidden from my eyesight for a while, shadowy silhouettes eventually emerge from the dimness behind the fire. A group of people were making their way towards us, shouting. One by one our group stood up, I was the last to stand but the first to approach them. Erin ran to catch up with me, linking her arm through mine when she reaches me. Her icy skin gives me goose bumps; I rub my arms to stay warm. Thunder rumbles in the distance as the cool offshore breeze begins to whip my hair lightly backwards and forwards. When we reach the intruders I speak, Im Kayleigh, this is Erin and theyre our friends I motioned towards everybody standing around the fire. The group standing before me smiled. Can we sit with you for a while; weve been walking for hours the boy closest to me asks huskily. I nod in reply. Instead of

History of Primary Education Reform 1871-1904

History of Primary Education Reform 1871-1904 1. Siam in the Expansion period 1905 1934 In the preceding chapter, we considered the foundation period of primary education reform from 1871 to 1904, particularly in relation to ethics instruction. In this chapter, we will consider the second period of reform the expansion period. This period, extending from 1905 to 1934, embraced the last five years of King Rama Vs reign (1905 1910), together with the reigns of Kings Vajiravudh (or Rama VI, 1910 1925) and Prajadiphok (or Rama VII, 1925 1934). These were eventful years for Siam, witnessing the rise of a new political class, the countrys entry upon the international stage through its participation in the Great War and the League of Nations, the effects of the Great Depression, the abrupt transition from absolute to constitutional monarchy in the revolution of 1932, and the abdication of the reigning monarch Rama VII in 1934. ‘Goodness, beauty and prosperity will be with them throughout their lives if they have acquired education.'[1] These words from Rama Vs decree of 1871 sum up his vision of education, including its moral dimension. As we have seen, he began by ‘modernising education within the palace, but by the end of his reign had embarked on the expansion of educational opportunities to people of all classes throughout Siam. Early in the expansion period, the subject of Ethics was added to the primary curriculum, its content comprising essentially a course in Buddhist morality. This reflected the anxiety of Rama V that the people would lose touch with their ethical and spiritual roots in Buddhism a possible undesirable side-effect of his own attempts modernise (which meant, in effect, to ‘secularise) the education system. At the start of the foundation period, Rama Vs most pressing educational concern had been to produce more highly qualified and competent administrators to staff the offices of his government. By the end of his reign, however, the realisation was growing that a modern state needed not just a literate bureaucracy but also a diversely skilled workforce capable of supporting a productive and diversified economy. Thus, by 1913, King Vajiravudh (Rama Vs son) had proclaimed two national educational goals: to broaden the scope of public education beyond the art of reading and writing, and to educate the people for productive vocations.[2] Attempts to develop basic education on these lines, and even to provide opportunities for higher education, continued through the reign of Prajadhipok (Rama VII: 1925-1934). In 1932, however, a coup took real power from his hands, leaving him as a figurehead. Nevertheless, the cause of public education was taken up vigorously by the new national government. Article 63 of the 1932 Constitution stated that ‘all educational institutions must be under the State and more than half of the population will complete primary education by 1942.'[3] The revolution had been carried out in the name of democracy, but the revolutionaries were uncomfortably aware that the Siamese people had little notion of what would be required of them in a parliamentary state. Thus Siams the school system found itself charged with an additional task to educate citizens for democracy. Before focusing on the changes made to education in the expansion period, we must explore more fully these aspects of the historical context.[4][5] 1.2. Politics and Administration 1905-1934 (B.E. 2448-2477) Faced with the advance of western colonialism, King Rama V had embarked on a radical program of modernization of Siamese society. Only a ‘modern Siam could preserve its independence and identity against Western power. But modernisation was a long-term strategy. In the short term, it was necessary to play for time by cultivating friendly relations with the colonial powers, in the hope of forestalling any confrontation that might lead to the loss of territory or sovereignty. Accordingly, Rama V signed a number of unequal treaties, granting extraterritorial rights to European citizens, and even gave up some of his dominions to assuage the imperial appetites of Britain and France. From 1894, Rama V carried out a major administrative reorganization, putting in place a system which still forms the basis of public administration today. Administration was decentralized to regional and local authorities (Monthons) under the power of the Interior Ministry. Each region comprised a number of provinces (or towns), and each province a number of districts and villages. The head of each region was a Lord-Lieutenant, or sometimes a Viceroy, who was invested with full power to administer his area under the provisions of the Royal Decrees promulgated from time to time. Governors and district officers were appointed in all rural areas. Bangkok was exempted from this system, as the king remained its supreme head, although he delegated this power to the Metropolitan Ministry.[6] Taken as a whole, these measures were successful both in maintaining the countrys independence throughout the turbulent years of the Western colonial threat and in providing a foundation for the modern system of government.[7] [Was this the local government system that inherited responsibility for the local schools in 1935, after the failure of the local committee system was acknowledged?] 1.2.1. King Vajiravudh (1910 1925) At the death of Rama V in 1910, his son Prince Vajiravudh succeeded to the throne as Rama VI. The first Siamese monarch to receive an education abroad, Vajiravudh had attended Sandhurst and Christchurch College, Oxford, spending nine years in England before his return to Siam in January 1903.[8] As king, Vajiravudh continued the process of nation-building and administrative reform begun by his father. By this time, the educational initiatives of the previous reign were producing actual improvements in the quality of governmental administration. Junior officials were better qualified and more capable. In addition, at the elite levels of government, many of the kings brothers had, like the king himself, completed studies in Europe in a range of fields including natural science, finance, public administration, military science, and diplomacy. They were able to bring this expertise to their leading roles in government. As a result of the high importance attached to it by the crown over two reigns, government service acquired a prestige that made people prefer it to other occupations. In the expansion period, the government increasingly saw that this tendency was not wholly beneficial to the broader development of Siams society or economy.[9] Peoples aspirations needed to be channelled in the direction of economically productive work. Meanwhile, the upper echelons of the growing bureaucratic class had become part of a new social elite. There were two other strands to this elite: the officers of the new standing army, and the business class that had emerged since the Bowring treaty opened up Siam to free international trade in 1855. Together, these three groups formed a new ‘political class that increasingly resented its exclusion from power. As we will see, this sense of exclusion ultimately found expression in the revolution of 1932. Vajiravudh, however, was more preoccupied with Siams fortunes in the international arena than with creating a fairer distribution of power within the kingdom. If Siam was to stay independent, its people had to be made patriotic and ready to fight for their nation. Accordingly, from the beginning of his reign, he tried to promote nationalistic feelings in Thai men and boys, and to develop military discipline and training. To this end, he founded the Boy Scout Organization in 1909. Boys were encouraged to join the scouts, where they learned to be patriotic, to obey rules and orders, and to sacrifice themselves for their country.[10] In 1911, a Senior Scouts Corps was established and became, in effect, a territorial army. As we will see, scouting activities were also eventually incorporated into the school curriculum. Thus, these patriotic and military virtues became part of the ethics that the school system tried to inculcate. Another step in the same direction was the creation of the ‘Wild Tiger (Sua Pa) Corps in 1911. The name was borrowed from the group of men who kept watch on the frontiers of Siam. These Wild Tigers of the past were believed to have embodied qualities such as hardiness, patriotism, piety, fearlessness, and devotion to the king, combined with deep knowledge of both nature and warfare all the qualities, in short, that Vajiravudh wanted to promote among Siamese manhood in his own day.[11] World War I provided Siam with an opportunity to test its new military prowess, and to raise its international profile. Vajiravudh prudently maintained neutrality through most of the war, but in July 1917 he decided that the time had come to demonstrate Siams progress towards modern nationhood. He entered the war on the side of the Allies, sending an expeditionary force of 1,200 volunteers to Europe. Shortly after entering the war, Vajiravudh also changed the national flag, abandoning the motif (introduced by Rama II) of an elephant on a red ground, and replacing it with the Siamese tricolour, which remains in use today. The choice of red, white and blue was a shrewd gesture of solidarity with Siams war allies in particular the colonial powers, Britain and France which had flags of the same three colours. The deeper significance of the flag, however, was as a symbol of the new consciousness that Vajiravudh wanted to create in Siam and for which education was to be an important instrument. The Siamese (still, in reality, mainly a nation of subsistence farmers, living in remote villages, most of whom had never seen a foreigner, or read a newspaper) had to be made more aware of their Siamese identity; they had to be made to feel a patriotism that transcended local loyalties, and become willing to fight or make sacrifices for their country. The new flag communicated this duty. It had five horizontal stripes (from top to bottom: red, white, blue, white, and red). The red stripes stood for the nation (and for blood spilt in its defence), the white ones for religion (the moral purity of the Dhamma), and the wider blue band in the centre occupying one-third of the total area symbolized the monarchy. The monarch would be a focus for patriotism, crystallising a vague sense of belonging into a specific obligation. In this way, loyalty to the monarchy became part of ‘ethics that were cultivated in the school system. Vajiravudhs efforts to play the part of friend to the colonial powers met with some success. Upon the defeat of Germany in 1918, Siam participated in the Versailles conference and became a founding member of the League of Nations. Having thus achieved a presence in the international arena, Siam began to renegotiate the unequal treaties of the two preceding reigns. In 1920 the United States became the first country to give up special trading privileges and extraterritorial rights, except in certain cases.[12] But growing international esteem could not stop growing discontent at home, which was in fact being fuelled by education. By this time, not only members of the royal family were being educated abroad. Some members of the foreign-educated elite brought radical political ideas back with them when they came home from Europe. At the same time, Siam itself was becoming more exposed to western culture, as the growth of literacy created a minority market for newspapers and literature. Western novels and romances were translated, and film screenings were common in Bangkok by the time Vajiravudh came to the throne in 1910. Ideas of freedom and equality were part and parcel of this cultural influx.[13] At the same time, the conspicuous wealth and unrestrained power of the royal family began to provoke resentment. The behaviour of Vajiravudh, an aesthete who loved display, tended to fuel this ill will. His coronation in 1910, a grand affair attended by royalty from Europe and Japan, swallowed no less than 8% of the national budget. This and other extravagances, such as his enthusiasm for palace-building, soon got him into debt, necessitating a foreign loan. For all Vajiravudhs intellectual sophistication, such habits made it difficult for him to command the same respect as his father. A challenge to absolutism began to take shape in Siam among the new political class.[14] Even before Vajiravudh, Rama V had been confronted with the question of whether to share his power. As we have seen, he resisted the suggestion that he move towards a more constitutional form of government in his lifetime. However, he realised that this resistance could not last forever. Shortly before his death in 1910, he stated to ministers his wish that the Crown Prince Vajiravudh should introduce a constitution and a parliament when he eventually to the throne.[15] When that time came, however, Vajiravudh did no such thing. In 1912, two years after Vajiravudhs accession, a group of junior army officers, exasperated with absolutism, plotted a coup detat. Their plan was discovered before it could be implemented and the leaders were imprisoned. However, the attempt forced Vajiravudh to recognise the vulnerability of his position. At first, he attempted to enter into dialogue with the critics by giving lectures and writing articles for the press (something that his education and literary ability qualified him to do), sometimes under the concealment of pseudonyms.[16] For example, in Klon Tid Law (‘Mud on Wheels), he argued that the main obstruction to the development of the kingdom was the lack of competent people: the implication was perhaps that Siam was not ready for democracy yet. But by 1916 the king had lost patience. Giving up on dialogue and experimentation, he opted for repression. He began by closing down certain newspapers on various pretexts, and in 1923, (after some years of hesitation prompted by fear of western criticism), he enshrined censorship in law, prosecuting many publishers and closing many presses. Yet even now, realising perhaps that history was against him, he equivocated by showing some willingness to move towards constitutional government. As late as 1924, he stated that: If people really want a constitution, and if it is well intended, then petition for it. I shall not hold any grudges against anyone for doing so. I shall consider the pros and cons of the petition. I myself think that it is better to have a constitution, and feel that for one person to hold absolute power is not judicious.[17] However, any further steps that he might have taken towards constitutional government were cut short. After ruling Siam for 15 years, Vajiravudh died of blood poisoning in 1925 at the early age of 44. King Vajiravudh deliberately ignored the current tradition that each reigning ruler usually set up one royal monastery by turning his attention to setting up an educational institution instead; he had Vajiravudh College established under his patronage. [This might go better in the later section on religion. It might suggest that the influence of Buddhism faded a bit in Vajiravudhs reign.] 1.2.2. Prajadhipok (Rama VII) 1925-1934 King Prajadhipok, officially named Rama VII, came to the throne in 1925. He promulgated many new laws such as the Land Expropriation Act 1928, the marriage law amendment 1930, etc. [Something should be said about the significance of these laws. Otherwise, the reader learns little from these statements.] All of these laws were thoroughly scrutinized [by whom?] and were strictly adhered to by the populace, which positively affected the country [This sounds too blandly positive and uncritical see my ‘advice.] [Also, I think you need to say something about Prajadhipoks policies on education and Ethics instruction. If he simply continued the policies of Rama VII, you need to say so explicitly. ] Prajadhipoks plans were upset by two great events. The first was the Wall Street crash of 1929, which triggered the Great Depression. Siams economy, like that of many other countries, was hit hard, and this fuelled the grievances of the political class. This dissatisfaction led to the second great event of the reign the 1932 coup detat, which compelled Prajadhipok firstly to accept a constitutional form of government, and then to relinquish power altogether by abdicating.[18] As we shall see, the 1932 revolution also had an impact on the development of education, which thereafter was geared to the process of democratization. [19] Even before the coup, Rama VII himself was aware of the dangers inherent in absolute monarchy. Intellectually, to some extent, he accepted the necessity for change. However, he proceeded too cautiously and slowly. Two years after his accession, he created a Supreme Council and the Committee of the Privy Council as means of broadening participation in decision making. Unfortunately, both these bodies were packed with members of the royal family and the aristocracy, and so did nothing to appease the frustrations of the political class. Like his two predecessors, Prajadhipok took the view that Siam was not ready for an elected legislature. It would be unfair to dismiss this as a convenient rationalisation for maintaining absolutism. Prajadhipok was not the only sceptic on the question of whether democracy could work in Siam. In 1926, Francis B Sayre, an American advisor originally hired by Vajiravudh, was consulted by Prajadhipok on a variety of pressing political questions, including democracy. Sayre later recorded his advice as follows. Discussing these issues with His Majesty, I had to point out the inherent dangers. In Siam there was no middle class. The Siamese peasants took little or no interest in public affairs but lived their simple lives in secluded rural districts. To set up a legislature and clothe it with real power overnight without an educated electorate to control it would be likely, I suggested, to invite trouble and possible corruption. Power uncontrolled was almost bound to breed corruption†¦ As I talked with him I felt the utter sincerity of the new monarch and his real desire to lead Siam modern nationhood.[20] The revolution of 1932 was not a mass uprising; no crowds were rallying in the streets. It was a bloodless coup conducted by leading elements of the new political class, eager to seize a share of power. Sayres view that there was no widespread popular demand for democratic institutions at this time is corroborated by the contemporary account of the Bangkok Times: There was no evidence that the masses took any part in the recent demonstration. The discontent of several salaried classes, especially of the officers of the Army and Navy, clearly counted most in the movement. At the same time a contributory cause is to be found in the extension of education in Siam since the middle of the nineteenth century. King Rama VII introduced western methods and technique to the country and the numbers of Siamese students trained in Europe increased. And [these classes of] educated officials, administrators, and officers having once been formed, it was only a question of time and opportunity before they demanded a share in the government of the country.[21] The coup was staged by a group calling itself the Peoples Party. All of them were of the ‘commoner class (khun nang), in other words from outside the ranks of the aristocracy. The ringleaders had begun their conspiracy five years before, in 1927, when they were students in Paris. Their western education had given them a keen sense of the inadequacy and backwardness of Siamese absolutism in the light of current Western democratic ideas. Pridi Banomyong, the leader of the Peoples Party, articulated its aims in six principles: 1. To guard independence in every way to ensure the security of the nation. This included independence in politics, the courts and the economy. 2. To preserve internal security and reduce internal strife. 3. To guarantee the economic well-being of the people, by creating full employment. 4. To make all citizens equal, so that princes and commoners had the same rights. 5. To grant all citizens freedom and equality, provided it did not conflict with the preceding principles. 6. To assure every person of a full education. Acquiescence in the coup was not the only option available to Prajadhipok. Elements of the large armed forces would probably have remained loyal and fought the revolutionaries, had he given the command. However, he wanted to avoid bloodshed, and in principle he had long recognised the need to share power to some extent. He therefore agreed to the Peoples Partys demand for a constitution, hoping to maintain a position of leadership within a constitutional framework. Accordingly, on 10 December 1932, he signed Siams first constitution, ending 700 years of absolute monarchy. This was a major turning point in Thai history, and despite the many constitutions that have followed, the fundamental principles laid down in 1932 remain the same today. Behind the scenes, however, Prajadhipok and leaders of the royalist cause struggled over the next few years to retrieve as much as possible of royal power. There were counter-coups and some limited military confrontations. At one point, Pridi Banomyong, the leading theoretician among the revolutionaries, was briefly forced into exile. Steadily, however, the balance of power shifted to the revolutionaries. In 1934, Prajadhipok sailed to Europe, ostensibly for medical treatment. Long-distance negotiations failed to reach a compromise. In 1935, apparently despairing of the situation, he abdicated. Even today, the 1932 coup remains controversial. Some historians have criticized Pridi and his party for failing to follow their six principles, while others have suggested that the principles themselves were inappropriate to the place and time. Still others have argued that the principles were good, but were misunderstood or misapplied by subsequent rulers, especially Sarit Thanarat, the eleventh Prime Minister, (1959-1963) who in theory was a devotee of the principles, but whose actual rule was a byword for tyranny and corruption.[22] I would agree with his opinion that the six principles should be developed as a network system not separated apparently and also they must be adapted according to the change and the context of time. On balance, however, there is considerable agreement that the move towards democracy in 1932 was premature. Some have gone so far as to blame Rama VII for being too fainthearted in his absolutism, arguing that he should have fought back more decisively against the new elite in the interests of the nation as a whole. As Sayre had grasped, the great majority of Siamese people at this point had no notion of democratic principles, and their participation in any democratic process could at best be passive. They could not discern the difference between absolute and constitutional monarchy. As for the coup leaders themselves, if their understanding of democracy lacked depth, their grasp of the real needs of the people was arguably just as weak.[23] To quote Sayre once again: Students returning from England or France or America often were unhappy and disturbed, with half-baked ideas about democracy and human liberty; they wanted Siam to adopt Western forms almost overnight, as if these were but outward garments. Many felt that Siamese culture was out of date, and their minds seethed with modern, western ideas, often superficial and misunderstood. [24] 1.3. The economy and public finances in the expansion period Although the Siamese economy grew overall through this period, trade was mostly in the hands of foreigners. According to modern government estimates, as much as 40% of the income generated by Siamese trade in this era went abroad.[25] Under the terms of the Bowring agreement, still in force at this time, Siams power to tax foreign businesses was narrowly circumscribed. [26] In 1918, in the aftermath of the World War, the entire world was facing economic recession. Siams balance of payments was in deficit from 1920 to the end of Vajiravudhs reign in 1925. Faced with falling revenues and the consequences of his own earlier extravagance, Vajiravudh was forced to make repeated cuts in government expenditure, and this increased his unpopularity among the military and the bureaucracy, which bore the brunt of the cuts. This situation repeated itself a few years into the next reign. From the onset of the Great Depression in 1929, Rama VII found himself obliged to make cuts in public expenditure. He felt obliged to excuse his action to military officers on February 5, 1931, thus: I fully realize that people who are the victims of the reduction program will be in deeper trouble since it is difficult for them to find other means of livelihood. I consequently feel extremely heavy-hearted and most sympathetic for those who have to leave. If I had other ways in which I could shoulder the burden, I would do everything for them but, as it is, I have no alternatives. [27] However, King Rama VII also encouraged and promoted the cooperative system by promulgating a law governing cooperatives in the year 1928. He commented, â€Å"Farmers who have limited capital but wish to pursue the same aims should form a cooperative so that they can mutually help one another in order to accumulate greater wealth †¦Ã¢â‚¬ [28] Thus the great paradox of the ‘expansion period of education reform was that the states finances, which were essential to fund the expansion of education on the scale intended, were actually in crisis through most of the second half of the period. 1.4. Culture From the reign of Rama IV, many aspects of Western culture were absorbed into Siamese life. As Europe was providing the model for progress in government, economics, and technology, its cultural influence could not be escaped. In some cases change was spontaneous, but in other it was imposed from above by the king. One of the most visible changes was in people style of dress. King Rama V decreed that when he appeared in state, the officials attending him should not dispense with their upper attire. To appear ‘topless would look barbaric to foreigners.[29] Thai women had traditionally kept their hair short and worn a waist-cloth with the end pulled between the legs and tucked in at the back. Now [When, exactly?] they started wearing skirts, grew their hair longer, and wore it in various Western styles. Other examples of royally imposed cultural changes include the introduction of an official calendar and the use of surnames. On the model of the Christian system of dating, Vajiravudh decreed the use of a calendar commencing from the death of the Buddha (the Buddhist Era, abbreviated as B.E.), which he introduced with effect from 1st April B.E. 2455 (A.D. 1912). He also required everybody to have a surname. This was an innovation, as there was no tradition of family names in Siam. In order to comply, most families had to invent surnames for themselves (in some cases, the king obligingly provided one for them!) Even today, although surnames appear on official documents such as passports, they play little part in social interaction: even prominent individuals, including politicians, are usually referred to and addressed by their first name. [all this is interesting, but can you develop it to indicate any specific impacts that the western cultural influx had on your main subject, i.e. p rimary education and ethics instruction?] Yet alongside this Westernisation of culture came a growing official concern to preserve Siamese traditions. King Rama VII established a Royal Institute to manage the Royal City Librarys activities, investigate literary works, administer the national museum, catalogue and preserve ancient sites and objects, and to maintain Siamese arts and handicrafts. 1.5. Religion/Buddhism Throughout the expansion period, the Siamese monarchys traditional support for the textual basis of Buddhism and Buddhist studies was maintained. Vajiravudh promoted the study of Buddhism in the Thai language. Several texts on Buddhism in Thai, compiled during the reign of his father, were already extant, and many writers contributed more during his own reign, especially his uncle Prince Vajirayan, the Supreme Patriarch. Prajadhipok convened a council of monks under the chairmanship of Prince Jinavara Sirivatthana, the Supreme Patriarch of his reign, for the purpose of checking the contents of the 39 volumes of the Tripitaka (the Buddhist scriptural canon) that had been printed in the days of Rama V, comparing it to editions of the Tripitaka from other Buddhist countries. Revisions were made, and a new text, known as ‘the Siam-Rath edition, was printed in 1927.[30] Prajadhipok took an interest in improving the education of children in Buddhism. He once said, ‘The teaching of Buddhism to children in Siam has not been satisfactory. Children must be taught to understand morals when they are very young. Religious texts for them should be written in a way that they easily understand.'[31] To remedy the situation, he established at his personal expense a foundation (which still exists today) to make awards to the winners of regular competitions for the best literary work in Thai on Buddhism. The winning texts were published and distributed to children on Visakha Bucha Day. The position of Buddhism in Siam, and the role of the king in relation to it, were preserved in the 1932 Constitution, which stated that ‘the king must be a Buddhist and the upholder of Buddhism. The role of monks in the modernised school system peaked and began to wane during the expansion period. Although Rama V had clearly seen the need for professional lay teachers, he seems also to have envisaged that monks would indefinitely continue to play a part in modern education. This was part and parcel of his belief that ‘there exists no incompatibility between [the] acquisition of European science and the maintenance of our individuality as an independent Asiatic nation.'[32] As David Wyatt has put it, Rama V believed that ‘Traditional institutions [such as the] Buddhist monkhood†¦ could, without creating copies of Western institutions, be bent to new ends that in essence were not so very different from the ideals of Buddhist Siamese civilization.'[33] During the first part of the expansion period, practical necessity also contributed to the continuation of the monks role in schooling. Modernisation was still in its early days, and the shortage of trained lay teachers obliged the government to continue to rely on the services of monks. Indeed, as late as 1909, we find the government issuing instructions to local authorities that monasteries which had not hitherto made a contribution towards public education should be encouraged to take part in the general endeavour. However, the aim was to produce specially trained lay teachers, and it was inevitable that these would replace the monks in the long run. After all, the monastic sangha was an entity in its own right, with its own agenda and prestige. Monks could never be so amenable to state control as a body of state-trained and state-paid professional teachers. For this reason, from 1915 onwards there was a steady decrease in the total number of monks teaching in schools, even though the number of monasteries being used as school buildings continued to increase for a while. While discussing the role of religion in the new system, we must also note that, although Christianity as a doctrine had little impact on the development of Siamese education (there were relatively few converts), Christian organisations contributed significantly to its growth. It pioneered the modern system of public education in offering Western Education to the kings and his children in the reign of King Rama IV and V. History of Primary Education Reform 1871-1904 History of Primary Education Reform 1871-1904 1. Siam in the Expansion period 1905 1934 In the preceding chapter, we considered the foundation period of primary education reform from 1871 to 1904, particularly in relation to ethics instruction. In this chapter, we will consider the second period of reform the expansion period. This period, extending from 1905 to 1934, embraced the last five years of King Rama Vs reign (1905 1910), together with the reigns of Kings Vajiravudh (or Rama VI, 1910 1925) and Prajadiphok (or Rama VII, 1925 1934). These were eventful years for Siam, witnessing the rise of a new political class, the countrys entry upon the international stage through its participation in the Great War and the League of Nations, the effects of the Great Depression, the abrupt transition from absolute to constitutional monarchy in the revolution of 1932, and the abdication of the reigning monarch Rama VII in 1934. ‘Goodness, beauty and prosperity will be with them throughout their lives if they have acquired education.'[1] These words from Rama Vs decree of 1871 sum up his vision of education, including its moral dimension. As we have seen, he began by ‘modernising education within the palace, but by the end of his reign had embarked on the expansion of educational opportunities to people of all classes throughout Siam. Early in the expansion period, the subject of Ethics was added to the primary curriculum, its content comprising essentially a course in Buddhist morality. This reflected the anxiety of Rama V that the people would lose touch with their ethical and spiritual roots in Buddhism a possible undesirable side-effect of his own attempts modernise (which meant, in effect, to ‘secularise) the education system. At the start of the foundation period, Rama Vs most pressing educational concern had been to produce more highly qualified and competent administrators to staff the offices of his government. By the end of his reign, however, the realisation was growing that a modern state needed not just a literate bureaucracy but also a diversely skilled workforce capable of supporting a productive and diversified economy. Thus, by 1913, King Vajiravudh (Rama Vs son) had proclaimed two national educational goals: to broaden the scope of public education beyond the art of reading and writing, and to educate the people for productive vocations.[2] Attempts to develop basic education on these lines, and even to provide opportunities for higher education, continued through the reign of Prajadhipok (Rama VII: 1925-1934). In 1932, however, a coup took real power from his hands, leaving him as a figurehead. Nevertheless, the cause of public education was taken up vigorously by the new national government. Article 63 of the 1932 Constitution stated that ‘all educational institutions must be under the State and more than half of the population will complete primary education by 1942.'[3] The revolution had been carried out in the name of democracy, but the revolutionaries were uncomfortably aware that the Siamese people had little notion of what would be required of them in a parliamentary state. Thus Siams the school system found itself charged with an additional task to educate citizens for democracy. Before focusing on the changes made to education in the expansion period, we must explore more fully these aspects of the historical context.[4][5] 1.2. Politics and Administration 1905-1934 (B.E. 2448-2477) Faced with the advance of western colonialism, King Rama V had embarked on a radical program of modernization of Siamese society. Only a ‘modern Siam could preserve its independence and identity against Western power. But modernisation was a long-term strategy. In the short term, it was necessary to play for time by cultivating friendly relations with the colonial powers, in the hope of forestalling any confrontation that might lead to the loss of territory or sovereignty. Accordingly, Rama V signed a number of unequal treaties, granting extraterritorial rights to European citizens, and even gave up some of his dominions to assuage the imperial appetites of Britain and France. From 1894, Rama V carried out a major administrative reorganization, putting in place a system which still forms the basis of public administration today. Administration was decentralized to regional and local authorities (Monthons) under the power of the Interior Ministry. Each region comprised a number of provinces (or towns), and each province a number of districts and villages. The head of each region was a Lord-Lieutenant, or sometimes a Viceroy, who was invested with full power to administer his area under the provisions of the Royal Decrees promulgated from time to time. Governors and district officers were appointed in all rural areas. Bangkok was exempted from this system, as the king remained its supreme head, although he delegated this power to the Metropolitan Ministry.[6] Taken as a whole, these measures were successful both in maintaining the countrys independence throughout the turbulent years of the Western colonial threat and in providing a foundation for the modern system of government.[7] [Was this the local government system that inherited responsibility for the local schools in 1935, after the failure of the local committee system was acknowledged?] 1.2.1. King Vajiravudh (1910 1925) At the death of Rama V in 1910, his son Prince Vajiravudh succeeded to the throne as Rama VI. The first Siamese monarch to receive an education abroad, Vajiravudh had attended Sandhurst and Christchurch College, Oxford, spending nine years in England before his return to Siam in January 1903.[8] As king, Vajiravudh continued the process of nation-building and administrative reform begun by his father. By this time, the educational initiatives of the previous reign were producing actual improvements in the quality of governmental administration. Junior officials were better qualified and more capable. In addition, at the elite levels of government, many of the kings brothers had, like the king himself, completed studies in Europe in a range of fields including natural science, finance, public administration, military science, and diplomacy. They were able to bring this expertise to their leading roles in government. As a result of the high importance attached to it by the crown over two reigns, government service acquired a prestige that made people prefer it to other occupations. In the expansion period, the government increasingly saw that this tendency was not wholly beneficial to the broader development of Siams society or economy.[9] Peoples aspirations needed to be channelled in the direction of economically productive work. Meanwhile, the upper echelons of the growing bureaucratic class had become part of a new social elite. There were two other strands to this elite: the officers of the new standing army, and the business class that had emerged since the Bowring treaty opened up Siam to free international trade in 1855. Together, these three groups formed a new ‘political class that increasingly resented its exclusion from power. As we will see, this sense of exclusion ultimately found expression in the revolution of 1932. Vajiravudh, however, was more preoccupied with Siams fortunes in the international arena than with creating a fairer distribution of power within the kingdom. If Siam was to stay independent, its people had to be made patriotic and ready to fight for their nation. Accordingly, from the beginning of his reign, he tried to promote nationalistic feelings in Thai men and boys, and to develop military discipline and training. To this end, he founded the Boy Scout Organization in 1909. Boys were encouraged to join the scouts, where they learned to be patriotic, to obey rules and orders, and to sacrifice themselves for their country.[10] In 1911, a Senior Scouts Corps was established and became, in effect, a territorial army. As we will see, scouting activities were also eventually incorporated into the school curriculum. Thus, these patriotic and military virtues became part of the ethics that the school system tried to inculcate. Another step in the same direction was the creation of the ‘Wild Tiger (Sua Pa) Corps in 1911. The name was borrowed from the group of men who kept watch on the frontiers of Siam. These Wild Tigers of the past were believed to have embodied qualities such as hardiness, patriotism, piety, fearlessness, and devotion to the king, combined with deep knowledge of both nature and warfare all the qualities, in short, that Vajiravudh wanted to promote among Siamese manhood in his own day.[11] World War I provided Siam with an opportunity to test its new military prowess, and to raise its international profile. Vajiravudh prudently maintained neutrality through most of the war, but in July 1917 he decided that the time had come to demonstrate Siams progress towards modern nationhood. He entered the war on the side of the Allies, sending an expeditionary force of 1,200 volunteers to Europe. Shortly after entering the war, Vajiravudh also changed the national flag, abandoning the motif (introduced by Rama II) of an elephant on a red ground, and replacing it with the Siamese tricolour, which remains in use today. The choice of red, white and blue was a shrewd gesture of solidarity with Siams war allies in particular the colonial powers, Britain and France which had flags of the same three colours. The deeper significance of the flag, however, was as a symbol of the new consciousness that Vajiravudh wanted to create in Siam and for which education was to be an important instrument. The Siamese (still, in reality, mainly a nation of subsistence farmers, living in remote villages, most of whom had never seen a foreigner, or read a newspaper) had to be made more aware of their Siamese identity; they had to be made to feel a patriotism that transcended local loyalties, and become willing to fight or make sacrifices for their country. The new flag communicated this duty. It had five horizontal stripes (from top to bottom: red, white, blue, white, and red). The red stripes stood for the nation (and for blood spilt in its defence), the white ones for religion (the moral purity of the Dhamma), and the wider blue band in the centre occupying one-third of the total area symbolized the monarchy. The monarch would be a focus for patriotism, crystallising a vague sense of belonging into a specific obligation. In this way, loyalty to the monarchy became part of ‘ethics that were cultivated in the school system. Vajiravudhs efforts to play the part of friend to the colonial powers met with some success. Upon the defeat of Germany in 1918, Siam participated in the Versailles conference and became a founding member of the League of Nations. Having thus achieved a presence in the international arena, Siam began to renegotiate the unequal treaties of the two preceding reigns. In 1920 the United States became the first country to give up special trading privileges and extraterritorial rights, except in certain cases.[12] But growing international esteem could not stop growing discontent at home, which was in fact being fuelled by education. By this time, not only members of the royal family were being educated abroad. Some members of the foreign-educated elite brought radical political ideas back with them when they came home from Europe. At the same time, Siam itself was becoming more exposed to western culture, as the growth of literacy created a minority market for newspapers and literature. Western novels and romances were translated, and film screenings were common in Bangkok by the time Vajiravudh came to the throne in 1910. Ideas of freedom and equality were part and parcel of this cultural influx.[13] At the same time, the conspicuous wealth and unrestrained power of the royal family began to provoke resentment. The behaviour of Vajiravudh, an aesthete who loved display, tended to fuel this ill will. His coronation in 1910, a grand affair attended by royalty from Europe and Japan, swallowed no less than 8% of the national budget. This and other extravagances, such as his enthusiasm for palace-building, soon got him into debt, necessitating a foreign loan. For all Vajiravudhs intellectual sophistication, such habits made it difficult for him to command the same respect as his father. A challenge to absolutism began to take shape in Siam among the new political class.[14] Even before Vajiravudh, Rama V had been confronted with the question of whether to share his power. As we have seen, he resisted the suggestion that he move towards a more constitutional form of government in his lifetime. However, he realised that this resistance could not last forever. Shortly before his death in 1910, he stated to ministers his wish that the Crown Prince Vajiravudh should introduce a constitution and a parliament when he eventually to the throne.[15] When that time came, however, Vajiravudh did no such thing. In 1912, two years after Vajiravudhs accession, a group of junior army officers, exasperated with absolutism, plotted a coup detat. Their plan was discovered before it could be implemented and the leaders were imprisoned. However, the attempt forced Vajiravudh to recognise the vulnerability of his position. At first, he attempted to enter into dialogue with the critics by giving lectures and writing articles for the press (something that his education and literary ability qualified him to do), sometimes under the concealment of pseudonyms.[16] For example, in Klon Tid Law (‘Mud on Wheels), he argued that the main obstruction to the development of the kingdom was the lack of competent people: the implication was perhaps that Siam was not ready for democracy yet. But by 1916 the king had lost patience. Giving up on dialogue and experimentation, he opted for repression. He began by closing down certain newspapers on various pretexts, and in 1923, (after some years of hesitation prompted by fear of western criticism), he enshrined censorship in law, prosecuting many publishers and closing many presses. Yet even now, realising perhaps that history was against him, he equivocated by showing some willingness to move towards constitutional government. As late as 1924, he stated that: If people really want a constitution, and if it is well intended, then petition for it. I shall not hold any grudges against anyone for doing so. I shall consider the pros and cons of the petition. I myself think that it is better to have a constitution, and feel that for one person to hold absolute power is not judicious.[17] However, any further steps that he might have taken towards constitutional government were cut short. After ruling Siam for 15 years, Vajiravudh died of blood poisoning in 1925 at the early age of 44. King Vajiravudh deliberately ignored the current tradition that each reigning ruler usually set up one royal monastery by turning his attention to setting up an educational institution instead; he had Vajiravudh College established under his patronage. [This might go better in the later section on religion. It might suggest that the influence of Buddhism faded a bit in Vajiravudhs reign.] 1.2.2. Prajadhipok (Rama VII) 1925-1934 King Prajadhipok, officially named Rama VII, came to the throne in 1925. He promulgated many new laws such as the Land Expropriation Act 1928, the marriage law amendment 1930, etc. [Something should be said about the significance of these laws. Otherwise, the reader learns little from these statements.] All of these laws were thoroughly scrutinized [by whom?] and were strictly adhered to by the populace, which positively affected the country [This sounds too blandly positive and uncritical see my ‘advice.] [Also, I think you need to say something about Prajadhipoks policies on education and Ethics instruction. If he simply continued the policies of Rama VII, you need to say so explicitly. ] Prajadhipoks plans were upset by two great events. The first was the Wall Street crash of 1929, which triggered the Great Depression. Siams economy, like that of many other countries, was hit hard, and this fuelled the grievances of the political class. This dissatisfaction led to the second great event of the reign the 1932 coup detat, which compelled Prajadhipok firstly to accept a constitutional form of government, and then to relinquish power altogether by abdicating.[18] As we shall see, the 1932 revolution also had an impact on the development of education, which thereafter was geared to the process of democratization. [19] Even before the coup, Rama VII himself was aware of the dangers inherent in absolute monarchy. Intellectually, to some extent, he accepted the necessity for change. However, he proceeded too cautiously and slowly. Two years after his accession, he created a Supreme Council and the Committee of the Privy Council as means of broadening participation in decision making. Unfortunately, both these bodies were packed with members of the royal family and the aristocracy, and so did nothing to appease the frustrations of the political class. Like his two predecessors, Prajadhipok took the view that Siam was not ready for an elected legislature. It would be unfair to dismiss this as a convenient rationalisation for maintaining absolutism. Prajadhipok was not the only sceptic on the question of whether democracy could work in Siam. In 1926, Francis B Sayre, an American advisor originally hired by Vajiravudh, was consulted by Prajadhipok on a variety of pressing political questions, including democracy. Sayre later recorded his advice as follows. Discussing these issues with His Majesty, I had to point out the inherent dangers. In Siam there was no middle class. The Siamese peasants took little or no interest in public affairs but lived their simple lives in secluded rural districts. To set up a legislature and clothe it with real power overnight without an educated electorate to control it would be likely, I suggested, to invite trouble and possible corruption. Power uncontrolled was almost bound to breed corruption†¦ As I talked with him I felt the utter sincerity of the new monarch and his real desire to lead Siam modern nationhood.[20] The revolution of 1932 was not a mass uprising; no crowds were rallying in the streets. It was a bloodless coup conducted by leading elements of the new political class, eager to seize a share of power. Sayres view that there was no widespread popular demand for democratic institutions at this time is corroborated by the contemporary account of the Bangkok Times: There was no evidence that the masses took any part in the recent demonstration. The discontent of several salaried classes, especially of the officers of the Army and Navy, clearly counted most in the movement. At the same time a contributory cause is to be found in the extension of education in Siam since the middle of the nineteenth century. King Rama VII introduced western methods and technique to the country and the numbers of Siamese students trained in Europe increased. And [these classes of] educated officials, administrators, and officers having once been formed, it was only a question of time and opportunity before they demanded a share in the government of the country.[21] The coup was staged by a group calling itself the Peoples Party. All of them were of the ‘commoner class (khun nang), in other words from outside the ranks of the aristocracy. The ringleaders had begun their conspiracy five years before, in 1927, when they were students in Paris. Their western education had given them a keen sense of the inadequacy and backwardness of Siamese absolutism in the light of current Western democratic ideas. Pridi Banomyong, the leader of the Peoples Party, articulated its aims in six principles: 1. To guard independence in every way to ensure the security of the nation. This included independence in politics, the courts and the economy. 2. To preserve internal security and reduce internal strife. 3. To guarantee the economic well-being of the people, by creating full employment. 4. To make all citizens equal, so that princes and commoners had the same rights. 5. To grant all citizens freedom and equality, provided it did not conflict with the preceding principles. 6. To assure every person of a full education. Acquiescence in the coup was not the only option available to Prajadhipok. Elements of the large armed forces would probably have remained loyal and fought the revolutionaries, had he given the command. However, he wanted to avoid bloodshed, and in principle he had long recognised the need to share power to some extent. He therefore agreed to the Peoples Partys demand for a constitution, hoping to maintain a position of leadership within a constitutional framework. Accordingly, on 10 December 1932, he signed Siams first constitution, ending 700 years of absolute monarchy. This was a major turning point in Thai history, and despite the many constitutions that have followed, the fundamental principles laid down in 1932 remain the same today. Behind the scenes, however, Prajadhipok and leaders of the royalist cause struggled over the next few years to retrieve as much as possible of royal power. There were counter-coups and some limited military confrontations. At one point, Pridi Banomyong, the leading theoretician among the revolutionaries, was briefly forced into exile. Steadily, however, the balance of power shifted to the revolutionaries. In 1934, Prajadhipok sailed to Europe, ostensibly for medical treatment. Long-distance negotiations failed to reach a compromise. In 1935, apparently despairing of the situation, he abdicated. Even today, the 1932 coup remains controversial. Some historians have criticized Pridi and his party for failing to follow their six principles, while others have suggested that the principles themselves were inappropriate to the place and time. Still others have argued that the principles were good, but were misunderstood or misapplied by subsequent rulers, especially Sarit Thanarat, the eleventh Prime Minister, (1959-1963) who in theory was a devotee of the principles, but whose actual rule was a byword for tyranny and corruption.[22] I would agree with his opinion that the six principles should be developed as a network system not separated apparently and also they must be adapted according to the change and the context of time. On balance, however, there is considerable agreement that the move towards democracy in 1932 was premature. Some have gone so far as to blame Rama VII for being too fainthearted in his absolutism, arguing that he should have fought back more decisively against the new elite in the interests of the nation as a whole. As Sayre had grasped, the great majority of Siamese people at this point had no notion of democratic principles, and their participation in any democratic process could at best be passive. They could not discern the difference between absolute and constitutional monarchy. As for the coup leaders themselves, if their understanding of democracy lacked depth, their grasp of the real needs of the people was arguably just as weak.[23] To quote Sayre once again: Students returning from England or France or America often were unhappy and disturbed, with half-baked ideas about democracy and human liberty; they wanted Siam to adopt Western forms almost overnight, as if these were but outward garments. Many felt that Siamese culture was out of date, and their minds seethed with modern, western ideas, often superficial and misunderstood. [24] 1.3. The economy and public finances in the expansion period Although the Siamese economy grew overall through this period, trade was mostly in the hands of foreigners. According to modern government estimates, as much as 40% of the income generated by Siamese trade in this era went abroad.[25] Under the terms of the Bowring agreement, still in force at this time, Siams power to tax foreign businesses was narrowly circumscribed. [26] In 1918, in the aftermath of the World War, the entire world was facing economic recession. Siams balance of payments was in deficit from 1920 to the end of Vajiravudhs reign in 1925. Faced with falling revenues and the consequences of his own earlier extravagance, Vajiravudh was forced to make repeated cuts in government expenditure, and this increased his unpopularity among the military and the bureaucracy, which bore the brunt of the cuts. This situation repeated itself a few years into the next reign. From the onset of the Great Depression in 1929, Rama VII found himself obliged to make cuts in public expenditure. He felt obliged to excuse his action to military officers on February 5, 1931, thus: I fully realize that people who are the victims of the reduction program will be in deeper trouble since it is difficult for them to find other means of livelihood. I consequently feel extremely heavy-hearted and most sympathetic for those who have to leave. If I had other ways in which I could shoulder the burden, I would do everything for them but, as it is, I have no alternatives. [27] However, King Rama VII also encouraged and promoted the cooperative system by promulgating a law governing cooperatives in the year 1928. He commented, â€Å"Farmers who have limited capital but wish to pursue the same aims should form a cooperative so that they can mutually help one another in order to accumulate greater wealth †¦Ã¢â‚¬ [28] Thus the great paradox of the ‘expansion period of education reform was that the states finances, which were essential to fund the expansion of education on the scale intended, were actually in crisis through most of the second half of the period. 1.4. Culture From the reign of Rama IV, many aspects of Western culture were absorbed into Siamese life. As Europe was providing the model for progress in government, economics, and technology, its cultural influence could not be escaped. In some cases change was spontaneous, but in other it was imposed from above by the king. One of the most visible changes was in people style of dress. King Rama V decreed that when he appeared in state, the officials attending him should not dispense with their upper attire. To appear ‘topless would look barbaric to foreigners.[29] Thai women had traditionally kept their hair short and worn a waist-cloth with the end pulled between the legs and tucked in at the back. Now [When, exactly?] they started wearing skirts, grew their hair longer, and wore it in various Western styles. Other examples of royally imposed cultural changes include the introduction of an official calendar and the use of surnames. On the model of the Christian system of dating, Vajiravudh decreed the use of a calendar commencing from the death of the Buddha (the Buddhist Era, abbreviated as B.E.), which he introduced with effect from 1st April B.E. 2455 (A.D. 1912). He also required everybody to have a surname. This was an innovation, as there was no tradition of family names in Siam. In order to comply, most families had to invent surnames for themselves (in some cases, the king obligingly provided one for them!) Even today, although surnames appear on official documents such as passports, they play little part in social interaction: even prominent individuals, including politicians, are usually referred to and addressed by their first name. [all this is interesting, but can you develop it to indicate any specific impacts that the western cultural influx had on your main subject, i.e. p rimary education and ethics instruction?] Yet alongside this Westernisation of culture came a growing official concern to preserve Siamese traditions. King Rama VII established a Royal Institute to manage the Royal City Librarys activities, investigate literary works, administer the national museum, catalogue and preserve ancient sites and objects, and to maintain Siamese arts and handicrafts. 1.5. Religion/Buddhism Throughout the expansion period, the Siamese monarchys traditional support for the textual basis of Buddhism and Buddhist studies was maintained. Vajiravudh promoted the study of Buddhism in the Thai language. Several texts on Buddhism in Thai, compiled during the reign of his father, were already extant, and many writers contributed more during his own reign, especially his uncle Prince Vajirayan, the Supreme Patriarch. Prajadhipok convened a council of monks under the chairmanship of Prince Jinavara Sirivatthana, the Supreme Patriarch of his reign, for the purpose of checking the contents of the 39 volumes of the Tripitaka (the Buddhist scriptural canon) that had been printed in the days of Rama V, comparing it to editions of the Tripitaka from other Buddhist countries. Revisions were made, and a new text, known as ‘the Siam-Rath edition, was printed in 1927.[30] Prajadhipok took an interest in improving the education of children in Buddhism. He once said, ‘The teaching of Buddhism to children in Siam has not been satisfactory. Children must be taught to understand morals when they are very young. Religious texts for them should be written in a way that they easily understand.'[31] To remedy the situation, he established at his personal expense a foundation (which still exists today) to make awards to the winners of regular competitions for the best literary work in Thai on Buddhism. The winning texts were published and distributed to children on Visakha Bucha Day. The position of Buddhism in Siam, and the role of the king in relation to it, were preserved in the 1932 Constitution, which stated that ‘the king must be a Buddhist and the upholder of Buddhism. The role of monks in the modernised school system peaked and began to wane during the expansion period. Although Rama V had clearly seen the need for professional lay teachers, he seems also to have envisaged that monks would indefinitely continue to play a part in modern education. This was part and parcel of his belief that ‘there exists no incompatibility between [the] acquisition of European science and the maintenance of our individuality as an independent Asiatic nation.'[32] As David Wyatt has put it, Rama V believed that ‘Traditional institutions [such as the] Buddhist monkhood†¦ could, without creating copies of Western institutions, be bent to new ends that in essence were not so very different from the ideals of Buddhist Siamese civilization.'[33] During the first part of the expansion period, practical necessity also contributed to the continuation of the monks role in schooling. Modernisation was still in its early days, and the shortage of trained lay teachers obliged the government to continue to rely on the services of monks. Indeed, as late as 1909, we find the government issuing instructions to local authorities that monasteries which had not hitherto made a contribution towards public education should be encouraged to take part in the general endeavour. However, the aim was to produce specially trained lay teachers, and it was inevitable that these would replace the monks in the long run. After all, the monastic sangha was an entity in its own right, with its own agenda and prestige. Monks could never be so amenable to state control as a body of state-trained and state-paid professional teachers. For this reason, from 1915 onwards there was a steady decrease in the total number of monks teaching in schools, even though the number of monasteries being used as school buildings continued to increase for a while. While discussing the role of religion in the new system, we must also note that, although Christianity as a doctrine had little impact on the development of Siamese education (there were relatively few converts), Christian organisations contributed significantly to its growth. It pioneered the modern system of public education in offering Western Education to the kings and his children in the reign of King Rama IV and V.