Bridging Cultural Differences

WAYS ON HOW TO BRIDGE CULTURAL AND ETHNICAL DIFFERENCES. The world constitutes people with different cultural and ethnic background. Culture refers to the beliefs, ideas, artifacts that make up a shared way of life while ethnicity refers to a shared cultural heritage (Macionis, 2007 page 60). Now when people differ in cultural and ethnic background there tend to be a gap or conflict between them. For This reason, there must be some ways of bridging this gap.Thus the essay outlines these differences and the ways on how to bridge them. To begin with, cultural difference is the distinction existing between cultures and it is also called cultural conflict. On the other hand, ethnic difference refers to the difference in cultural heritage that is to say members of an ethnic category have common ancestors, language or religion that together confer a distinctive social identity (Macionis 2007 page 335). If people differ in some aspects of their culture are said to be in ethnic conflict.For instance, cultures and ethnic groups may differ in language, religion, marriage, food habits and dresing. To clarify on these differences, let us first look at language and symbols. Language refers to the method of human communication, either spoken or written consisting of the use of words in structured and conventional way (Google. Merriam Webster). It plays a great role in interaction between two persons, it helps to share thoughts, emotions and opinions, and it develops communities and knowledge.Basically, language and symbols intermarry in the way that a symbol is something representing an idea, a process and physical entities. As a result, people of the same language leave in harmony because they are able to communicate. For example, beating of a drum have different meanings according to the area it is done, for instance among the Chewa in the central region it means an invitation to bear in that area, while to other people of Nthalire in Chitipa it may mean something else. Th e second cultural and ethnic difference between cultures is religion.This refers to a belief in and worship of a superhuman controlling power especially a person, God and gods. Beliefs differ according to cultures and ethnic background that is why there are a lot of religions in the world. Just to mention a few, people from the Middle East believed in Allah while a white man believed in God and in Jesus Christ. This is because the founders of their faith were different; Jesus was a Jew and Muhammad an Arabian. Muslims vehemently deny that Jesus is a son of God which is against Christians’ elief. In this situation people of these two religions will always be in conflict if no ways are put to bridge their faith. The other cultural and ethnical difference existing between cultures is marriage,which refers to a formal union of a man and a woman, typically rocognised by law, by which they become husband and wife(google, Merriam-webster). As a result of differing in ethnic backgrou nd and culture people in Malawi practices different kinds of marriages based on the region they belong.People of the north and southern end practices patrilinieal type of marriage while the remaining part practices matrilinieal type of marriage. Patrilinial is normal in the regions bieng practiced while to others is not normal just because it involves paying of a huge of money to the parents as apart of thankful talken in which to the other groups is like buying. Food habits also plays a role in differing cultures and ethnic groups, a good example can be on the main meals that people value.A malawian citizen may find it difficult to accommodate rice in his daily meals which he may call it junky. This is so because in Malawian culture we value thick poridge (Nsima). The other example can be of Indians, they value putting mutch papper in their food in which other people can not manage. The last difference is dressing, dressing may differ becuae of religion, cultural background and the environment in the individual resides.The putting on of trousers is deviance in other cultures which is also normal to other cultures. Muslim women are encouragide to be putting on long dresses even covering their faces. Following these differences further, we realy see a need of bridging these cultures and some of these ways may include; education,democratic decision making policies,religion,national festivals,village transfers. Firstly, cultural and ethnic differences can be bridged through awareness.This can be achieved through education, involving agents of change such as traditional readers. Agents of change who are regarded as key people ,should be trained on the other cultures and tought to relay the massage to their people. Secondly,syllubii covering information of all the cultures and ethnic groups should be impremented in the curricullum. This will enable students to know more of different cultures and as they grow will be able to interact with those with differing cultur es.In addition to that, the government must imprement democratic decision making policies. In support of this point,policy makers should institute the value of mixing people of different cultures in government institutions such as the army, police, universties, secondery schools and others. A good example of this policy can be under the late D. R Banda who introduced the Malawi institute of young pionneers, which was constituting young people from different angles of the country to be trained at a one centre.This in turn yielded intermarriage just because youth could leave together for a long and understand each other. Furthermore,religion can also help to bring together people of differing cultures in one. For example churches,mosiqus and other worship centres consist peole of different cultures and ethnic groups, to shed more lights on this point let us have an example of st michaels and all angels C. C. A. P. People from all the regions of the country sharing seats, pastor and wo rk together regardiless of their cultural gap.Not only does religion bring together different cultures only in this way, we can also look in the stuations of national crisis,national celebrations, people of different faith may come together to ask for Gods favor. A good example can be drawn from this year’s national independent day where by prayers were conducted on sixth july 2012 at comesa hall in Blantyre. Leaders from all denominations together with the leader of the country came together merged to pray for the national economic crisis. This leads us to conclussion tha we

Alcoholism and Its Effects on the Family

Alcoholism is also known as a family disease. Alcoholics may have young, teenage, or grown-up children; they have wives or husbands; they have brothers or sisters; they have parents or other relatives. An alcoholic can totally disrupt family life and cause harmful effects that can last a lifetime. According to the U. S. Department of Health and Human Services and SAMHSA’s (Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration) National Clearinghouse for Alcohol and Drug Information, seventy six million American adults have been exposed to alcoholism in the family.Alcoholism is responsible for more family problems than any other single cause. According to Silverstein (1990), one of every four families has problems with alcohol. Alcoholism may be defined as the disease that affects the environment, genetic, and psychosocial factors of an individual. The said disease is said to be distinguished by periodic or continuous intake of alcohol, without worrying about the adverse effe cts the addiction may incur on the individual (National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence, February 3, 1990). For this, Alcoholism has been regarded to have several effects on families.Like any other addiction, Alcoholism has its detrimental effects on the user. The normal signs include problems in the stomach and in the intestines, ulcer, nausea and vomiting, deliriums, and the urge to have more of the habitual vice. However, excessive intake of the alcoholic beverage would cause much damage to the body. Starting from ulcer, the problems would tend to become psychological, greatly affecting the individual. If not taken seriously, the symptoms would progress and would eventually lead to kidney problems, insomnia, weight loss, liver failure, and even death (National Treatment Referral, n.d. ). Although Alcoholism has not been taken seriously, families have been greatly affected by the symptoms and effects it has exuded on the people involved. The addiction starts with an indi vidual drinking an estimated two bottles of beer a day. Eventually, the individual increases his tolerance for the said drug by drinking more of the habitual vice each day. Eventually, the individual begins to show signs of irritability and impatience towards his peers and people around him. Contact with peers is limited, for conflicts normally arise when this happens (Alcoholism Symptoms, n. d. ).Unfortunately, the family and its members are the most affected people in this dilemma. This may be attributed to the fact that alcoholism can affect anyone regardless of age, sex, income and social status, and even ethnicity. This means that almost anyone can be afflicted by this. The worst part of them all is the fact that the simple drinking of beer could lead to a child’s heartbreak, or worse to the child being emotionally broken (Parsons, December 4, 2003). Alcoholism present in families has been classified into four types: type one, type two, type three, and type four respecti vely.The first type was regarded as active alcoholism. This was the type that included family members, such as the parents, children, grand parents, and so forth. It has been stated that this type has been present in all family lineages. The second type involved a family member that has stopped drinking alcoholic beverages. Although there was no more active alcoholic in the house, the family still supports the way that alcoholics follow. However, conflict still becomes a great part of the family. On the other hand, Type Three shows how the alcoholic has been removed from the family, for a generation or so.This type shows how a parent would not be considered as an alcoholic regardless of the family’s history. Regardless of this, characteristics for possible alcohol addiction may still become evident. Lastly, Type Four is considered to be an alcoholic system. This may be attributed to the fact that alcoholism easily progresses, and may easily attack members of the family causin g chaos (Olivera, November 19, 2005). Sometimes, Alcoholism is regarded to be genetic, and inherited from previous generations.Individuals who have family members who are alcoholics have a high risk of acquiring the said disease. Unfortunately, it is the children who suffer the most. As mentioned earlier, having parents for alcoholics would have an effect on the children. They would tend to be emotionally disturbed, and their behavior changes as well. Some even tend to be rebellious as a sign of protest to what is being shown by the parent. Although the whole situation is being blamed on genes, sometimes the behavior of the parents and what the children see are what matters most.When they witness such heartbreaking moments at such a young age, different queries would be formed at the back of their minds and would eventually lead to different factors (Alcoholism: A Family Component, August 2005). Alcoholism may be attributed for numerous things. Although there are certain things that people can do to cope with life, there are certain things that alcohol does in an individual’s body to console them. Human needs are given and everyone becomes happy. However, there are still certain things in life that are not taken into consideration.Furthermore, I believe that it is best to say that circumstances are really pivotal in the relationships of family members. For one, excessive heartaches cannot be cured with just a simple snap of a finger. Regardless of how an individual would try to forget a heartbreaking moment, he just can not. In turn, they shift their attention to other mediums, such as alcohol, to make them feel better. Being consumed by the alcohol inhibits them from wallowing on their heartaches, and in turn, go on with their interrupted life. Another instance that may be attributed to alcohol intake is depression.The individual would feel that being drunk is better than suffering from the heartaches and problems brought about by the circumstances tha t happened around them. It is just but human nature to feel hurt when some things are done unwillingly; however, it also depends on the individuals on how they would be able to cope up with such circumstances. Furthermore, I believe that it is best to say that the family is the primary structure of society affected by such dilemma. Seeing a family member wallow on the negative effects of alcohol may become heartbreaking, and worse, detrimental to the once healthy relationship that the family had.In addition to this, unborn babies who have no idea of the real world are also being affected by this habitual vice. Pregnant women tend to pass on some of the alcoholic content into their unborn children, while trying to enjoy this extraordinary lifestyle. Unfortunately, the intake of alcoholic beverages also causes some abnormalities and defects on the unborn babies. These tend to become irreversible and would forever remind the parents of their habitual vice. Children, on the other hand, also tend to be affected by such dilemma.Witnessing a parent wallow on the harsh effects of alcohol would make them perceive things differently from those of children their age. They tend to form guilt feelings toward themselves, and have very low esteem. In addition to this, they form a feeling of abandonment from their parents, because they feel that their parents would opt to satisfy their needs for the habitual vice than care for them. From here on, the children would develop insecurities about themselves that greatly affect their academic standing. In school, these children would be regarded to be different from their peers, for they tend to deviate from the crowd.In this light, they would also opt to be alone and become anti-social. Building relationships with others would become difficult from their end, for they would feel that they would also be blamed for any wrong action made by their peers (Effects of Alcoholism on Families, n. d. ). Although adults may tend to become mo re understanding of such situations than children, they may also be affected by the addiction. Having an alcoholic for a spouse would come as a challenge that has effects on the relationship. Like the children, the spouse also has to deal with the emotional and mental torture brought about by alcoholism.The role as father and mother would be passed on to the normal spouse’s hands, because of the partner’s inability to fulfill them. In this regard, the non-alcoholic spouse would have difficulty in handling everything, which would also have an effect on the children. As much as possible, the non-alcoholic spouse would accomplish tasks deemed from both, even to the extent of trying to be perfect. Unfortunately, the emotional and mental turmoil experienced by the spouse would come in between the relationship with the children.In this regard, the children would develop a sense of rejection from both parents. Alcoholism also affects the financial stability of the family, for much money is being spent in purchasing alcoholic beverages. In this regard, other privileges are sacrificed by the other members of the family. Quite a heartbreaking situation, but this is the way things go. For this, many couples would opt for separation and divorce (Parsons, December 14, 2003). From everything that has been said, it may be clearly stated that Alcoholism definitely as an effect on the family.Although it was evident how much emotional and mental turmoil Alcoholism may have on each member of the family, it may also be seen that not all are negative. Giving people temporary bliss would also help in the emotional state of an individual. However, this would come as a threat when things go overboard. Alcoholism is not as bad as it may seem. People should only be careful when dealing with such, so that no other person may be broken emotionally. Furthermore, having control over one’s self is essential in making the individual more capable of facing the future ahea d of him. References Parsons, T.(2003). Alcoholism and its effect on the family. All Psych Online. Retrieved November 27, 2008 from http://allpsych. com/journal/alcoholism. html (n. d. ). Alcoholism in the family: What can you do. Retrieved November 27, 2008 from http://www. learn-about-alcoholism. com/alcoholism-in-the-family. html (2005). Alcoholism: A family component. Retrieved November 27, 2008 from http://www. alcoholismresources. com/family_alcoholism. html (n. d. ) Alcoholism sysmptoms. http://www. learn-about-alcoholism. com/alcoholism-symptoms. html Leskinen, S. (n. d. ). Alcoholism: A family illness. Retrieved Nove

My initial regional marketing strategy Essay

In pricing, most of my pricing strategies were just following my competitors, because I have the faith that their prices are the results from the competition in that market. It is true that we should put an eye upon our main competitors, because they have the important information we need. For example, in Brazil, when I found the main competitor of me spent 35 million dollars on the promotion on Family & Healthy products, I realized that I could not I Ignore the promotion on this kind of product any more. So I invested about 5 million dollars on it immediately.Furthermore, I found that a big number of the competitors produced the medium toothbrushes and few of them put their heart into producing small and large products. And more people in all of the markets choose medium toothbrushes than other products. Therefore, I focused upon the medium products from the 1st period to the 6th period. What’s more, once I entered a new market, I chose only several medium products to produce because the data told me that the medium toothbrushes are the most popular products and the most profitable products. After I ran the actions I prepared, I got positive net contribution finally. In promotion, I always consulted the strategy from my competitors, because I believed they could survive in the market, meaning that their promotions were not bad. I usually was the second or third in promotion among all the companies. In addition, I arranged the promotion by the sales force after I arranged the sale force by the shopping habits of the customers in the native market. In pricing, I chose almost all the medium products because I thought the medium is the most practical. And I chose some small and large products, in order to collocate with the medium ones. In advertising, I also consulted from my competitors. However, I put all of my advertising into a continued advertisement. Especially in large market, such as Brazil and Mexico, I focus on the Family/Economy products, because I think the family is the group, who has the biggest buying power. 2. Changes and Rationale My first steps were 1st Brazil in period 1, 2nd Argentina in period 2, 3rd Mexico in period 4, 4th Chile in period 5, 5th Peru in period 7, 6th Venezuela in period 9. And the 10th period is the remaining period for me to do some adjustments to make a better result of the simulation. In order to  get a better performance, I rearranged the steps into 1st Brazil in period 1, 2nd Argentina in period 3, 3rd Mexico in period 4, 4th Venezuela in period 6. The reasons why I changed the order is that when I entered Brazil, I got the top market share immediately. After that I set a plant in Brazil, but I need time to improve the capability of the plant to support that markets I am going to enter later (we can only add 100 units of production in Brazil every year). As a result, I stayed at Brazil for another year. At the third year, I entered Argentina instead of the second year. As for the fourth market I entered. I used to enter Chile at the 5th period. However, at this time, when I entered Mexico at the 4th period, it needs some time for me to enlarge the market in Mexico. Consequently, I chose to enter into the 4th market at the 6th period, which is actually the requirement from the MBA 558 professor, corresponding to the class syllabus. What’s more, when I chose Chile, who was my first choice for the 4th market, I found that the work-force in that country was really high and the advertising cost was also too expensive. I abandoned it because I believe I didn’t have enough money to support this strange market at that time. And then I chose Venezuela to replace it because it was a little country and it was easy for me to handle. Moreover, its work force cost is low and market is normal, unlike Chile. 3. Performance Objectives VS Actual Performance After I ran the period 1 and period 2, I got a negative net contribution. That is inevitable and reasonable, because when I entered Brazil, I started the plant immediately and invested huge money on the promotion and advertisements. Moreover, I arranged nearly 100 people working on the sales and the price was also not too high. As a result, the cost of products sold was really high, which is why the net contribution was negative. However, as I invested huge money on the promotion and sales, and the price was not too high. I got lots of unit sales totally. It means that, I already have a relatively big mark share with the competitors. Because the market share is truly important especially for the new comers, I still felt optimistic about my wonderful future in Brazil. That is to say we must bear the negative net contribution at first and try to get positive net contribution later, which needs us have the enough support of finance. Every time I entered a new market, I got a negative contribution in the first period. However when I  enlarged my productivity and raised my price, I got a positive contribution in the following periods. I didn’t have a specific objective in every market, but the actual performance was that I have the biggest market share in Brazil, which is my most important market. And in other markets, I was always top 3 company in market share. I have the overall biggest market share. It seems like my strategy was not bad but need to be improved if I want to have the biggest market in every country. 4. Key Strategy Entry Steps Important markets first, Largest markets first. Sale force, Promotion, Pricing, Allowance and Advertising According to the shopping habits of the customers, rich status of the countries and competition situation. SKU  When I entered a new market, I focus on several medium products, because medium ones are the most practical and popular. After I occupied some market share, I developed some other products. In rich countries, I focus on healthy ones. By contrast, in poor counties, I drew attention into the economy ones. Among the children, I only sold medium products, because the children don’t have so many different requirements 5. Company Position for the future After the 10 periods, I have the biggest market share in Brazil, which is my most important market. And in other markets, I was always one of the top 3 companies in market share. In total, I have the overall biggest market share. It seems like my strategy was not bad but need to be improved if I want to have the biggest market in every country. In the future, I will try to enlarge my market share in the other countries, except for Brazil, in order to get the biggest market in every country. After that, my company should find a good way to get more net contribution, as my company was not the one who has the largest net contribution. 6. Lessons from the simulation experience The entry steps when my company want to expand  I should find a most important and large country to enter first and then expand step by step. In every new market, what I need to do step by step.  At first, I should focus on the specific product or some specific products, instead of kinds of ones. After I occupy some market share, I will try to produce other kinds of popular products How to arrange sales force and promotion upon it I would search the information about the shopping habits of the customers at first and then analyze it. After that, I arrange the sales force and the promotion. How to price the products and make the allowance Before I price my products, I should consult my competitors, because their prices represent the market supply and demand. As for the allowance, I will make it based on my price. When my price is raised, I would also raise my allowance. How to advertise Before I invest my money into the advertisements, I should find my target market and then try to consult my competitors in that specific market. And then I will make a advertisement corresponding to my competitors and my steps to enlarge my market share. What’s more, I would still stick on a advertisement if I have it for many years, because I believe I have a competitive advantage in it. How to arrange the plants I chose Brazil as the location of the plant because I thought Brazil has the sufficient work force, a big market and also the central location. Nevertheless, I made a mistake upon the production in the plant that I added its capability by 100 million units every year, making the depreciation so high. If I restart the simulation, I would control the power of the plant according to the sales. 7. Conclusion From the simulation, I learned how to do the streamlined global expansion with working as the country-manager and how to use different strategies in different periods, which are the vital things that I learned from this course.

Internet will misleading children Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Internet will misleading children - Essay Example Hence, this paper will center on pornographic issues with the intention of knowing how children can access such pornographic information as well as how it affects them. It must be mentioned that most parents do not know when their children or wards have the access to the internet. This makes it to be rather more risky. The influx of smartphones to the market helped in the acceleration of children’s desire to view and read what was posted in the internet. At least, they do not need large computers or laptops to view and illicit materials. Their smartphones in the hands is an enough access to the internet world. It should be known that there are two major contents or materials which children always look for in the internet; written materials, pictures, and YouTube materials. YouTube refers to internet contents that are videoed. With the social media, instant messages become something that will always appeal to children. Children visiting the social media sites like facebook, Black Berry Messenger (BBM), tweeter, and some other social media are always vulnerable especially when they have friends with bad influence. Since the purpose of the social media is to relate and communicate with each other using the social media network, some sexual predators use it as a means to lure vulnerable children to sexual fantasies. The sexual predators do this using text messages, pictures, and the YouTube. They sent erotic instant messages to small children with the aim of arousing them sexually. This includes the use of profane and romantic words in the messaging. Children who are more vulnerable always fall prey to this kind of message by being sexually aroused. In the social media network, communications are also possible through pictures and YouTube. Children visiting the social media network always fall into the various url, pictures, and YouTube video, which they can enjoy for ours at the ignorance of

Social Desirability Bias Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Social Desirability Bias - Essay Example Biasness is one sided in general and lacks neutral view point. Bias may be present in many forms. It is often treated as the synonyms to bigotry or prejudice (Kothari, 2007, p. 131). Social desirability bias Social desirability bias can be defined as the propensity of the respondents to answer to questions in such a fashion that is likely to be viewed as favourable by others. The respondent may exhibit Social desirability bias by over emphasizing on the good behaviour or under emphasizing on the bad behaviour. Therefore SDR poses a serious problem while conducting research work. Some of the research topics in which SDR is a real concern are personality, sexual behaviour, personal income, religion, drug use, self with, patriotism, and charity. People usually differ in the propensity in indulge in a socially desirable responding happens to be a real course of concern for the researcher. It literally makes it impossible for the researcher to distinguish between people responding in a mo re truthful of factual manner as compared to those deforming the answers (Bhattacharya, 2009, p. 201). Impact of bias on research Research or survey is by far the most useful and widely used way to study the behaviour of donors when it comes to charitable giving. However, the quality of the data is much known. It is believed that the donors are quite notorious when it comes to less accurate reporting of funds. Some may argue that it may happen due to the poor memory of the respondents. However, experts believe that it very well could be a deliberate effort made by the respondents to pump up the giving to appear a bit more generous than actual. Therefore it is not a surprise to the researchers to find out evidences of vast amount of discrepancies in charity giving studies during the similar time span. Examples of such discrepancies could be: total value of charitable giving not matching the level of income. Add to this the charity giving trends have also believed to be contradictory with one another. In the context of charitable giving the people usually want to sound a bit more socially orientated and altruistic than the actual. While responding to the questions of specific domain respondents bias the responses leading to social desirability. In case of charity it could be done to enhance the social image or to avoid any kind of embarrassment. Therefore if appropriate actions are not taken SDB is likely to contaminate the findings and affect decision making. After reviewing previous SDB researches, experts have found out two important loop holes. SDB is quite faintly conceptualized. In order to counter this issue some SD scales had been developed. However, without clear accord, it is difficult for researchers to select suitable social desirability scales. Many researchers have also indicated that the respondents misreporting are mainly coupled with differences in personality. The desire of the respondent to over report regarding charitable donations could be d ifferent from the other different socially desirable behaviours like recycling or voting (Goswami, 2010, p. 225). Some Measures to Reduce SDB SBBM SBBM has been found to be quite effective in minimizing the social desirability bias. In case of this method the interviewer reads out the questions from a questionnaire and respondents answer through a secret voting procedure using ballot box or slips. SBBM is a portable lightweight wooden box. It has a slot similar to the ballot box. The ballot slips are strips of papers with cross reference with the questionnaire. The interviewer reads the questions one at a time and the respondents put a circle in the voting slip. At the completion of the

India Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

India - Essay Example The invasion of the Indus Valley by the Aryans after the Mohenjo-Daro and Harappa civilizations led to the foundation of different kingdoms which were later collectively called as ‘Hindus’ known for their skills in pottery, masonry, weaving, carpentry, and trading with foreign countries. Since Indian thinkers managed to develop philosophies ahead of the West, several disciplines to train the mind and body spiritually had been made available like yoga and other systems of principle-driven living which enabled philosophy to contribute to ancient technology in India. Considering that mind, in association to physical strength, plays a vital role in shaping the culture, economy, as well as technology, meditative Indians had also come to the extent of discovering four religions – Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism, and Jainism. Having promoted beliefs as karma, vegetarianism, and reincarnation, these religions influenced the old Indians to highly progress in critical thinking thereby affecting their way of life and the means by which they facilitated themselves with tools to effect technological advancements. When the Caste System originated from Hinduism and classified people into severe castes, which discriminated a lower class by the upper class yet placed the society in great order. The resulting social stability made by this system provided another key factor implied through proper allocation of resources in favor of intellectuals upon whom appreciable investments were placed to enhance any scientific endeavors toward application. Further improvements in support of technical growth had been fueled through diversity of India’s literature, being known for its marvelous epics, high inclination to music, art, and architecture. Because these aspects were passionately explored altogether in the hope of seeking more creative possibilities, people had been equally interested on inventing devices that would impact better communication and delivery of

European Free Trade Association (EFTA) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

European Free Trade Association (EFTA) - Essay Example Three out of the four EFTA members – all excluding Switzerland – are now members of the EEA (European Economic Area) Accord, linking the EC and EFTA countries for the purposes of multi lateral trade. The trend towards globalization of the world economy is promoted through the scheme of generalized tariff preferences (GSP) of the four members of the European Free trade Association. This scheme allows for preferential tariff arrangements among the trading countries of the EFTA and the EC which resulted in savings of $1.5 billion in preferential imports in 1980 (Brown 1989). The EFTA has fewer such preferential arrangements with other countries as compared to the EC and is therefore less restrictive in choosing the beneficiaries of preferential trading arrangements. Brown (1989) has provided the preferential tariff margins for 22 countries, listing all the major beneficiaries of this system, under which the payment of import duty is suspended on industrial products and small reductions in tariffs are available for some agricultural products. Manufactured and semi manufactured goods enjoy higher amounts of reductions in tariff. This provides a significant boost to free trade in the international context. The salient difference between the countries of the European Community and the EFTA countries lies in the degree to which they are willing to share sovereignty. The countries of the European Free Trade Association wanted to restrict the limits of their cooperation with other European countries to that of economic cooperation, while members of the EC were willing to hand over some of their sovereignty and autonomy over their own affairs in order to receive some concessions in influencing the policies of other countries in exchange.(Henning et al, p 86). For the four countries that are still members of the EFTA however, maintaining their autonomy and sovereignty is of supreme importance and they

Ethics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 21

Ethics - Essay Example But the virtue which is made up of these goods, when they are severed from wisdom and exchanged with one another, is a shadow of virtue only, nor is there any freedom or health or truth in her†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Socrates did not fear death nor the danger of death. Reasoning practically, he said that he did not fear death as a soldier, and it would be strange if he feared death as a philosopher. In the Apology, Socrates was quoted as saying the following: â€Å"For the fear of death is indeed the pretence of wisdom, and not real wisdom, being a pretence of knowing the unknown; and no one knows whether death, which men in their fear apprehend to be the greatest evil, may not be the greatest good.† Furthermore, Socrates said that death should not be feared because nobody knows if it is good or bad. To him, death appears to be good, because it is either a deep sleep (the absence of consciouness), or a new life with those who had gone before. For Socrates, the first is a beneficial rest, while the second is an opportunity to converse with the great minds and discuss many lofty issues. It is a further chance to seek knowledge and wisdom. It is Socrates’ reasoning that fear and wisdom could not co-exist, that fear is the absence of wisdom. But since he also said that virtue could not exist without wisdom, then fear and morality could not also co-exist. A moral man is a virtuous man, and in the absence of wisdom there is also an absence of virtue. that you engaged in the kind of practice as a result of which you now risk dying?’†, to which he answered that he did not care for the collective opinion of men, only whether what he did what was good or bad. In this context, â€Å"shame† meant public embarrassment. On the other hand, after he was meted his sentence he said, â€Å"I go to death, to which you have sentenced me, and you to shame and dishonor,† in which case he used â€Å"shame† was used to meant disgrace in not doing what was right. In this sense,

WEEK 4 DQ 7 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

WEEK 4 DQ 7 - Assignment Example Generally, organizational culture helps in enhancing teamwork in the organization. The type of organizational culture adopted and applied in an organization depends on the management and the amount of control that it wants to exercise in the organization (Schein, 2010). The most common types of organizational culture include the collaborative culture, the controlled culture, the competitive culture, and the creative culture. The collaborative culture encourages teamwork and cooperation of activities while the controlled one depends on punctuality and has fewer margins for error. On the other hand, the competitive culture encourages competition between the employees on a daily basis while the creative one allows independence in projects. The culture provides a sense of identity, promotes trust, fosters commitment, and gives the employees a reason to behave in a certain way (Sims, 2002). An organization’s culture is very important because the organization can use it to improve i ts overall performance. This is because the culture determines the mode of decision making in the organization as well as the extent to which the employees can communicate with the management to provide input on certain issues that may be affecting the organization. A good organizational culture can even function as an organization’s competitive

Science and Technology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Science and Technology - Essay Example The division between science and technology has a long history, but there have been numerous instances when science has furthered the efforts of technology or vice versa and this has brought the two fields into closer contact. For most of history, there has been a sharp division between science and technology. Dan Berger (2000) points out that science is â€Å"the investigation of nature† while technology is â€Å"how we get things done.† As a result, there is no need for the two fields to co-exist. Throughout history, this has proven again and again to be the case. Berger illustrates how the Greeks tended to have a great deal of science, but not so much technology, primarily because the thinkers and the artisans were isolated from each other through a highly exclusive social system. At roughly the same period in time, the Egyptians had a high level of technological knowledge, but not a great deal of science because, while they had great ambitions and ideas, they tended to discourage any close questioning of their traditional belief systems. In his book Society and Technological Change, Rudi Volti addresses these concepts as well as he traces the relationship between science and technology t hrough the Roman era, the Middle Ages and into the Renaissance. In spite of this, it has often been seen throughout history that science has helped to inform significant technological advancements at the same time that technological advancements have helped to further science. In the past, it has typically been the discoveries of science that were translated, eventually, into uses of technology. An example of this might be discovered in the ‘science’ of Leonardo da Vinci, who spent a great deal of time studying the mechanical processes at work that enable a bird to fly. Although he felt he understood the process, these discoveries

Leading and Managing in Organisations Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Leading and Managing in Organisations - Essay Example iate it with something negative that brings ineffectiveness of the working or living conditions or the situation that promote inefficiency within the organization. However, conflict is not always a bad thing, in particular when it appears within organizations. Some types of conflict instead encourage new visions and solutions and increases creativity within the working team (Sims, 2002). Mullins (2007) proposes alternative philosophies of conflict. One of such concepts is a unitarist perspective, which is more traditional and views harmony and cooperation as natural state of human interactions. That is why it views conflict as negative effect of different misunderstandings and unwillingness to follow the common rules. While in the organizations the unitarist perspective is followed, it assumes that all organizational member should be in the same side, should be united by the leader and pursue the same goals. Whether some fail to follow the rest, they create conflict situation. The mo st vivid example of unitarist concept is the creation of team, a group of people that would follow certain rules and be led by the other person for the sake of reaching the same target. The pluralist perspective does not see conflict as an evil for the effectiveness of organization. Instead, it sees conflict as natural concept, however pluralists stay for handling conflict and set up certain policies and rules how to manage conflict. The radical perspective is derived from the Marxist idea about the constant struggle between owners and those who should work for owners. In organizations, a conflict is viewed as struggle between capital and labor, where managers are seen as the agents of owners and should not have their interest other than owners. Conflicts arise if managers fail to recognize these facts. The interactionist perspective views conflict as neither bad nor good thing, however, it is the integral part of each organization. However, the absence of conflict bears no ideas an d

Ethnic differences essay Essay Example for Free

Ethnic differences essay Essay ?Asses the claim that â€Å"ethnic differences in educational achievement are primarily the result of school factors† Most studies found that overall ethnic minorities tend to do less well than other members of the population when it comes to educational achievement. Many factors which occur inside the school are the cause of educational achievement however other factors contribute. The expectations of teachers on ethnic minorities have caused differences in educational achievement. Bernard Coard believes that teachers expect â€Å"Black† children to fail therefore labelling the child as a failure. Interactionalists are concerned with how teachers â€Å"pigeonhole† students this is the labelling theory, this is where the teacher makes a judgement of the child based on the child’s appearance, behaviour, previous family members and relationships with other students. However most labels are based on stereotypes rather than evidence, the reality is that once a label starts it is difficult to get rid of and this can cause problems for a student’s educational achievement. Teachers will discuss the students label in the staff room and other teachers will attach the same label to the child and this can lead to the child not being allowed to attend school trips. If a student is labelled as a failure by a teacher then the teacher is likely to put the student into a lower tier exam thus the pupil can only achieve a maximum of a grade C and can’t achieve to the best of their ability. When a student is labelled as a failure the student can begin to believe that the label is true and begin to make it part of their part of their identity, become a failure this is known as the self-fulfilling prophecy thus creating ethnic differences in educational achievement within the school system. David Hardgreves argues that anti school sub cultures can be formed as a result of negative labelling. However Maureen Stone and Swann both indicate that those who are labelled may not accept their labels. However many sociologists argue that it is external factors that affect ethnic differences in educational achievement. Cultural Deprivation is the term used to describe serious inadequacies in the socialisation process and its effects on educational achievement. Poor parenting means children underachieving in education. Many sociologists argue that ethnic minorities tend to be more fatalistic meaning that parents tend to have low aspirations and expectations for their child meaning less emphasis is placed on doing well in education. Whereas â€Å"White† middle classes would have high aspirations and high expectations. Socialisation focuses on the values, expectations and norms transmitted from parents to children. Children from Ethnic backgrounds tend to focus on immediate gratification where they try to reep their rewards at the earliest opportunity such as leaving school at 16 to earn money. Whereas â€Å"White† middle class children aim for a bright future described as deferred gratification which is putting off short term rewards to gain better rewards in the future. Cultural Deprivation can affect the way parents prepare their children for school. Working class children would sit and watch T. V. whereas middle class parents would take their children to museums. Driver and Ballard state that high achievement in Asian groups may be linked to the fact that they live in close knit families that can help each other. Price highlighted a high rate of single parent families in black Caribbean communities which may explain high underachievement. Nevertheless, some sociologists argue that it is internal factors which affect ethnic differences in educational achievement. Institutional Racism within schools can lead to educational achievement and the differences it causes within ethnic minorities. The â€Å"Swann report† found that a small number of teachers are consciously racist however there are a great deal of teachers who are â€Å"unintentionally† racist. Bernard Coard states that the British educational system makes children become educationally subnormal he states that â€Å"West Indian children are told that their language is second rate and unacceptable† he states that within the British educational system the word â€Å"White† is associated with â€Å"good† and the word â€Å"Black† with evil. Coard also states that the attitudes portrayed in the classroom are reinforced by the pupils outside of the classroom. Many sociologists would also argue that the mispronunciation of student’s names and not learning them can be classed as racism within the school system. Cecile Wright found that majority of staff are committed to ideals of equality but despite these ideals there are still considerable amounts of discrimination in the classroom. Asian children were often excluded from discussions and teachers expressed an â€Å"open disapproval of their customs and traditions†, these comments from teachers made Asian children feel more isolated from other pupils. Martin Hammersley found that racist comments in the staffroom did not lead to racism in the classroom. J. Taylor found that â€Å"most teachers are concerned to have a fair policy towards the treatment of black pupils†. Mac an Ghaill studied 25 afro Caribbean and Asian students studying A levels. He found that â€Å"although they disagreed over the extent of racism within education, this did not directly determine their attitude to education and their levels of academic success. The way that students responded to schooling varied and this was influenced by their ethnic group†. This could eventually lead to the formation of anti-school sub cultures. These are pupils who have rejected some or all of the values and rules set down in the school ethos. Peter Woods identified 8 different groups ranging from Ingratiation total conformity to Rebellion outright rejection of school rules and values. This can cause ethnic differences in educational achievement within the school system. However other factors such as linguistic skills affect this achievement. Linguistic Deprivation is the ability to use appropriate language which is an important factor in educational success. Bernstein came up with two codes of language Restricted and Elaborate codes. The Restricted code is used in casual situations. This is limited vocabulary and Simplistic grammar which can only be understood if you are aware of this topic. The Elaborate code is used in formal situations. This is sophisticated grammar and vocabulary and can be understood if aware of the topic. Bernstein found that White middle class children had the ability to switch between the two codes whereas children from ethnic minorities were limited to using the restricted code. This means they are severely disadvantaged in education where the language is all formal. In conclusion, it is probable that a number of factors work together in producing the lower levels of achievement found in some ethnic groups. The Swann report concluded that racial discrimination inside and outside school along with social deprivation were probably the main factors. Others would add that cultural factors also play some part in explaining the differences.

The Revolutionary Life of Che Guevara

The Revolutionary Life of Che Guevara Ernesto Che Guevara is universally renowned for his critical involvement in the success of the Cuban revolution. Venerated for his cause, he is considered by many to be a legendary hero whose name is equivalent to rebellion, revolution, and socialism. Others, however, see him as a ruthless murder. Regardless, his life as a revolutionary leader is an appealing subject that has been portrayed in a variety of books and films. This paper explains the story of Che Guevara, including his early life in Argentina, his motorcycle trips, his joining Fidel Castros army, his commitment to the revolutionary cause and the day he met his end in Bolivia. The paper also synthesizes and analyzes his contributions not only to the Cuban revolution but also to the world as a whole. Additionally, an investigation into his sinister part of life is also explored. Ernesto Guevara de la Serna, commonly referred to as El Che, Che Guevara, or just Che, is undoubtedly one of the most well-known and distinguished revolutionaries who ever lived. Famous for his legendary revolutionary life as well as his utter willingness to fight and die for his beliefs, Che Guevara has become the worlds icon of rebellion and struggle against social injustice, slavery, and ethnic discrimination. As a matter of fact, he was selected by Time magazine as among the most influential people of the 20th century, according to the website www.globalresearch.ca (December 19, 2010). Throughout history, few has died yet never ceased to have a profound impact on the living like he did, especially now that his revolutionary ideals, which he once lived by and died fighting for, have made their way to attract the contemporary men and women of the 21st century all over the world with the help of a variety of easily accessible means. It is the aforementioned reasons that formed the basis of numerous studies on Che Guevaras revolutionary legacy. However, rarely has any researcher included in their studies the approach from the opposite point of view. That is, although universally admired, exceptionally by people in Latin America, Che Guevara also receives serious vilification and criticisms from people in high places and in Cuban-exile communities throughout the Americas who still have deep hatred for Cuban socialist government in general and for Guevaras critical part in this system in particular (Harris, 2010, p.xiii). Some do not even hesitate to portray him as a ruthless dictator and opponent of freedom (Vega, 1997). This research paper analyses the legendary revolutionary life of Che Guevara, from the early days when he set out to pursue his adventurous dream on a motorbike till the very end when he was mercilessly yet valorously executed. But more importanly, a quantitative analysis of how his devotion ultimately affects Cuban society and the worlds perpective as a whole is presented. In addition, as aforesaid, a darker and more sinister side of Che Guevaras so-called legacy in which he is hated and reviled will also be discussed. Discussion Biography Ernesto Guevara, or Che Guevara as we all know him, was the Argentinean-born leader of the Cuban revolution. Born on June 14, 1928 in Rosario, Argentina, Che was the eldest of five children of a liberal, middle-class family. However, according to a different source, Julia Constenla, Ches actual date of birth was May 14 which was a month prior to the date stated in his birth certificate (Anderson, 1997, p. 3769). Constenla, who claimed she was told my Ches mother, Celia de la Serna y Llosa, strongly asserted that when Che was conceived, Celia and Ches father, Ernesto Guevara Lynch, were not married; therefore, they had to alter the certificate and kept this a secret in order to avoid criticisms not only for themselves but also for their dear son. As an infant, Che Guevara, or Tete as he was called by his family at the time, had suffered from serious asthmaticcondtionssince 1930, which kept haunting him interminably throughout his revolutionary life. His family was then, at his fathers suggestion,relocated to Alta Garcia, a mountain resort town near Cordoba. Full of hope that the new placesdrier climate would help improve Ches health, his father, thought that it would be best if he stayed and spent his youth there, and so he did. Moreover, it was this severe illness that drove him to be homeschooled, in 1934, by his mother who maintained left-wing political views just like his father (Bethel, 2003). Being closely attached to his mother from day till night, Che was gradually subject to her radical left-wing political perspectives. Deeply influenced by his parents views, alongwith an enormous library containing a plethora of controversial and leftist works available at home, Che soon discovered his political beliefs as a naturally developed interest.Of all the leftist literature, he showed particular interests in the works, especially poetry, of Walt Whitman, Federico Garcia Lorca, Antonio Machado, and especially Pablo Neruda (Hart, 2004, p. 98). It was later confirmed by his father that he began to explore Marxist and other socialist literary works at home (Bethel, 2003), during the presidency of Juan Peron, who ultimately was the greatest inspiration of Che. However, his homeschooling finally came to an end i n 1937, when the 9-year-old Che Guevara was able to enrol in a primary school and continued his education at the third grade. Sick as he was, Che Guevara was described tobear a restless characteristic, which his father referred to as the blood of the Irish rebels (Lavretsky, 1976, p. 5). It was this trait that boosted his will to conquer his ailment by occupying himself with tense physical exercises. As a result, he became a superb athlete, distinguished himself at swimming, football, golfing, and shooting, and was widely recognized for his outstanding rugby performance as well as his aggressive style of play for the sports club CUBA, or Club Universitario de Buenos Aires (Cain Growden, 2006, p. 293), in turn giving him the nickname Fuser, which is a contraction for El Fuibundo and de la Serna, which is his mothers first name. After graduating from Colegio Nacional Dean Funes high school in 1946, the Guevara family again relocated to Buenos Aires, where Che Guevara, at the age of 20,got accepted into the University of Buenos Aires a year later.In order to get a better understanding of asthma, the very ailment that plagued him for all his life, as well as cancer, the disease that led his grandmother to death, Che Guevarawas set on studying for a degree in medicine. However, this determination did not last very long. As the study went on, there was an overwhelming desire to take a break and travel the world that eventually caused him to put his education on hold until 1953 when he returned to finished his medical degree. Details of these trips, which play a vital part in forever changing his point of view in the society, along with his revolutionary activities, will be covered later in the following section. Che Guevara had two marriages, the first being with Hilda Gadea Acosta, an exiled Peruvian Marxist. The wedding took place in August 8, 1955, while Hilda was carrying their first and only offspring, Hilda Beatriz. They soon went their seperate ways after 4 years of marriage, which in turn led Che Guevara to have a destined encouter with Aleida March, who later became his second wife onJune 3, 1959. The couple was so in love that they traveled together, fought together, and more importantly, had a close-knit family with four children together. Throughout his revolutionary life from 1955 to 1967, the career of Che Guevara had varied greatly (Bethel, 2003). After joining the Cuban revolutionary army led by Fidel Castro in 1955, Che Guevara quickly got promoted to head of the industrial department of the Instituto Nacional de la Reforma Agraria, or the Cuban National Institute of Agrarian Reform on October 7, 1959, which was not long before he was made president of the Cuban National Bank on November 26. Appointed as head of the Ministry of Industry of Cuba in 1961, Che Guevaras career seemingly advanced non-stop until 1965, when he suddenly forsook all of his duties and decided to stay out of sight. A year later, however, Che continued on his revolutionary quest in Bolivia as a guerilla leader, which was a complete failure leading to his capture and execution on October 8, 1967. Che Guevaras Revolutionary Activities Despite being born and growing up in Argentina, Ernesto Che Guevara associated with Fidel Castro and the Cuban revolution in the armed struggle as well as in the construction of Cubas socialism. In 1967, Che Guevara died while leading the guerrilla movement in Bolivia at the age of 39. Then, he has become an immortal legend, a symbol of revolutionary heroism and international spirit, as well as a symbol of national liberation struggle of the oppressed peoples of the world. Thus, there are many legendary stories about his revolutionary activities. On January 1, 1950, Che Guevara began his first journey with a bike mounted motor. The journey, which crossed the Pampas plains in the north, has a length of 4,500 km. In this area, he had lived and assisted those who got infected by leprosy for a period of time, and worked in a group to build national highways in Argentina. According to the Che Mot hanh trinh cuoc doi (2012), in October 1951, Che reunited with a close friend Alberto Granado in Cà ³rdoba, then he suggested they made à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬ ¹Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬ ¹the trip to North America together. Not long after that, on December 29, 1951, they started their journey to other Latin American countries with Albertos motor (Poderosa II 500 cubic centimeters). They went through most of the countries in this region. Two months later, they were in Chile and continued to go through Bolivia and Peru. In Peru, Che Guevara, together with Alberto, visited the people living with leprosy. After that, they went along the Amazon River to go to Colombia and Venezuela on the raft named Mambo Tanga. In Venezuela, they separated. Alberto stayed for caring leprosy patients while Che returned to Argentina to complete his college program. In his travelling diary named Motorcycle Diaries, Che showed his huge changes within himself. The journey formed his compassion for the poor people and the spirit of fierce anti-imperialism. After his college graduation on June 16, 1953, Guevara continued his journey back to Latin America with Carlos Calica Ferre, one of his childhood friends in Cà ³rdoba. The trip started on July 7, 1953. They took the train to go to Bolivia before coming to Lapaz capital on the 24th of the month (Ferrer Smith, 2005). At that moment, the political situation in this country is very tense. A few months later, they traveled around Peru, Ecuador, Costa Rica, and then stayed in Guatemala for about 9 months. There, he met Hilda Gadea, an exiled Peruvian woman, who became his wife later. She introduced Guevara and his friend to a group of Cuban exiles in the revolutionary group M-26-7 (26 of July Movement), in which Nico Lopez was a person who later gave him the nickname Che. After the time working in a hospital, Guevara moved to Mexico. There, in July 1955, he was introduced to Fidel Castro Ruz, and not long after that meeting, he voluntarily participated in the expeditionary group of the C uban. In April 1956, he began the military training along with other Cuban people and was one of the best students. Two months later, on June 24, Che and Fidel and other Cuban exiles were arrested by Mexican authorities and detained in Miguel Schultz. On July 31, they were released from prison and resumed the training. Subsequently, Che, as a member of the guerrillas general staff, together with 82 others, returned to Cuba on the ship named Granma on November 25, 1956. After that, on December 2, they had secretly landed on the island of Cuba. After arriving in Cuba, they won many crucial victories. On July 21, 1957, Che was promoted to Major by Fidel Castro, and was assigned to establish one of the Army rebels. Only a month later, on August 30, he led his troops to the victory of the battle of El Hombrito. In the article Che Ernesto Guevara (Nosotro, 2010), it was mentioned that in August 1958, Che Guevara and Camilo Cienfuesgos led their troops to launch the invasion from the west of the island. They marched 554 miles in 47 days with the lack of the military. According to an agreement later, to keep the forces, Che had to unify the command of the troops against the Batista regime. They began to attack on Santa Clara, an economic center as well as an important transport hub. On August 31, 1958, the rebels captured Santa Clara. This led Batista regime quickly into doom. Batista had to flee abroad and start an exile life. On January 4, 1959, Che, along with other rebel commanders, entered La Havana as the winners. After his great contributions, Ernesto Che Guevara was awarded the Cuba citizenship. This decision was supported by Cuban people. After the new revolutionary government was established, he was chosen as one of the three leaders (Che Guevara, Fidel Castro and Raul Castro) of this country. On October 8th, 1959, he was appointed to the head of the agriculture of the National Institute of Agrarian Reform. In this position, Che decided to confiscate all of the private property land. On November 26, he was selected as a chairman of the National Bank. The first position of Che, before becoming the chairman of the Cuba National Bank, after the national liberation in 1959, was the commander of the Havana Prison. According to the article named Che Guevara: A cold killing machine motivated by hate (Rollings, 2008), during six months, he gave the death penalty for between 180 and thousands of Batista prisoners. In April 1960, he concurrently held the commander of the revolutionary armed forces training. In February 1961, after being the Minister of Industries, Guevara decided to put hundreds of state-owned enterprises under the control of the government. At that time, he also resolved lots of matters affecting Cuba. In March 1963, when serving as a key leader in the Cuba state apparatus, Che decided to resign from all his positions including the Cuban citizenship to continue to devote his life to the fighting for freedom of oppressed people (Guevara, 1965). This decision was given at the right time when his career was at the peak of success, so there was some doubt. There were many ideas that behind Ches leaving was the coercion of Fidel Castro and Raul Castro. However, in the letter sent to President Fidel which was read in the establishment ceremony of Communist Party of Cuba, Che Guevara made à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬ ¹Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬ ¹it clear that his resignation was completely voluntary, following his heart of freedom, peace and dedication for the revolution of human liberation from oppression and injustice. In early April 1963, Che and some others left Cuba and came to Congo. There, they pulled out after their failed plans (November 1965). In March 1966, he went to Prague (Czechoslovakia), and then secretly returned to Cuba (July 1966) to plan the campaign for Bolivia. In November 1967, Che and his comrades used fake passports to go to La Paz (the capital of Bolivia). In La Paz, they secretly formed a guerrilla group, with the aim of creating a pilot nuclear struggle for liberating Latin America. After 11 months of the campaign, whose details were recorded in his diary which was later popularized as The Bolivian Diary of Ernesto Che Guevara, his organization was gradually exposed, which finally led to failure. With the ambush tactics, Ches organization won some small battles. However, the head quarter and activities of the organization were exposed because of the insiders. Thus, to avoid the enemy raid, the organization decided to relocate the base, so his organization was isolated. Due to the disease and lack of food, they had to kill horses and donkeys, which were previously their means of transport, to eat. Ches comrades eventually died while he was living with asthma and was always in danger because of the lack of medicine. Finally, he was captured on October 7, 1967 when trying to find the way out of the forest in the Quebrada del Yuro. On October 9, he was executed by a joint CIA-Bolivian task force. Subsequently, Barrientos government buried his corpse, and thirty years later, on October 17, 1997, his body and six others were found and exhumed in a mass grave. Then, they were brought to Cuba and buried in Santa Clara, where Che had crucial victories that decided the success of the C uban Revolution (Llosa, 2007). The main causes that led to the failure of the Bolivian campaign were probably that Ches organization was not believed and supported by Bolivian people, and did not actually link the struggles. In addition, the forces were weak, the equipment was rudimentary, and the strategies and tactics were not appropriate, while the enemy was powerful. Furthermore, the time was not ripe for a widespread and successful revolution. In spite of this defeat, the reputation of Ernesto Che Guevara and his influence spread throughout not only Latin America but also the world day by day. He has become a symbol of the struggle, of the kindness against poverty and oppression in order to bring justice to other people. Che Guevaras Contribution to the Society For centuries, the hero Che Guevara is considered as a living legend, a symbol of the revolutionary hero of all peoples in the world, not just in Cuba and other Latin American countries. After being executed by the Bolivian army, he was regarded as a martyr by generations of leftist worldwide, and his image became an icon of leftist radicalism and anti-imperialism. He is always a true revolutionary, a true man of the 20th century and much later, for today and the future generations to follow. Guevaras contribution to the Cuban Revolution. Che Guevara was the leader of the Communist Revolution in Cuba, and also the hero of the most prominent leaders of the country Cuba attached to him. In a review of the book Che Guevara: A revolutionary life (n.d) by Jon Lee Anderson, the author emphasized that Che Guevara played a vital role not only in the seizure of power in 1959 but also in the social revolution which ultimately turned Cuba into a communist nation. It was his tactical mastermind, his experience in guerrilla warfare, his brilliant leadership of the guerrilla force and his socialist ideologies that lead to the success of the Cuban revolution. In 1950, Che Guevara decided to go on his first trip through Latin America to explore different parts of the continent. In this trip, Che witnessed many people who had to live in severe poverty and atrocious medical conditions, without any interference from the government. He also experienced the sight of exploitation, inequality, marginalization and penetration of mainly the United States. From these experiences, Che decided to seek the truth and fight for justice. He believed that the task was to turn these people into people with weapons in their hands to liberate themselves. No weapon cannot do anything This thinking of Che Guevara was confirmed and approved by the Cuban rebel Fidel Castro, a political exile who was preparing a plot to overthrow the Cuba dictatorship of Fulgencio Bastista, in their long-awaited meeting at Mexico city in 1955 (Richards, n.d.). Fidel and Che shared their revolutionary ambitions. They were set against the tide of revolution that swept across the wo rld during the middle of the twentieth century. It was the story of two men who shared a common goal, became brothers in arms, and finally made an epic decision between their friendship and beliefs. After this meeting, Guevara decided to embark upon Fidel Castros quest to overthrow the corrupt dictatorship of Batista in Cuba. Guevara began his career as a revolutionary in earnest when he signed up with Fidel to serve as a physician in the invasion army of 82 men (Richards, n.d.). Of these, Guevara was the only person who was not a Cuban native He assumed a position of influence which, together with his revolutionary goals and tactical brilliance, served to greatly support the revolutions cause. Guevara became Castrols chief lieutenant and distinguished himself as a resourceful and fearless tactician who not only was capable of ordering the execution of traitors and spies but also deeply cared for the welfare of his troops (Guevara, 2008). It was also mentioned in the article that with Castros forces pressing in, Bastista had to flee the country on New Years Day. It was the result of defeating a 30,000 strong and professional army by Castros 3,000 guerrillas. The rebel force gradually gained in strength, took the weapons and ammunition from Batistas troops, won the support of the local and got new recruits . At the time, Guevara became Castros right hand, one of the few who got his complete trust. Che Guevara was one of the first of the rebel forces to arrive gloriously in Havana on January 4, 1959, and claimed the capital for the revolutionary forces (Bethel, 2003). After this, Castros victorious troops entered Havana, and established a Marxist government; Guevara officially became a Cuban citizen. As one of the best lieutenants in the Cuban revolution, Guevaras reputation expanded very fast, not only in Cuba but also all over the world. He became a symbol of struggle for freedom and justice. Stories of his courage and leadership spread so rapidly that he was considered to be one of the most important figures in the revolution itself. In the new government established by Castro, Guevara served in a number of important positions. It was mentioned in a research named Ernesto Che Guevaras contribution to socialist political economy, industrial organization and economic development in Cuba 1959-1965 (n.d.) by Helen Yafe that in this period, Che Guevara was central in driving the structural changes which transformed Cuba from semi-colonial underdevelopment to independence and integration into the socialist bloc. Helen Yafe also listed some important positions and contributions of Che Guevara to the Cuban government system: Purging the old army; Agrarian Reform Law; Forging unity between internal revolutionary forces a process leading to the creation of what is today the CCP and UJC. Additionally, he was the first one to lead an overseas mission to expand trade and relation, according to Helen Che went to Yugoslavia and described it as decision-making imperialism with socialist allocation of the earnings and the rivalr y among companies would alter the socialist fortitude. Che Guevara became Head Department of Industrialization during nationalizations; Head of the National Bank all financial institutions were nationalized. He prepared in secret to change the countrys banknotes to prevent the financing of the counter-revolution and control inflation. In February 1961, he became Cubas first Minister of Industries. The objective of Ernesto Che Guevara in the economic reform of Cuba was obvious: to stir the financial system of Cuba away from its reliance on the trade of sugar with the United States particularly and on the export of sugar, generally (Bethel, 2003). This clear objective itself helped Cuba to be independent and started integration into the socialist bloc. To emphasize this remarkable step, in a speech by him, Guevara eloquently stated that the socialist learned and gained knowledge due to the struggle, and they developed into revolutionaries because of revolution, they became aware of the reality all the way through the experience. The socialist also read the situation in Cuba where must be having a popular armed force to stand up fighting against the armed puppets of the imperialist and called people upon to join the force and crush the oppressors. His spirit of fighting encouraged not only Cuba but also all the peoples in the world. Besides, it is clear that Guevaras contributions to the Cuban revolution were very considerable. With just a limited number of guerrilla soldiers, Che Guevara helped Fidel Castro to take over an entire country. After the old government was overthrown, Che continued to help Castro make his mind that communism was the right path for Cuba. He assisted Castro in quickly industrializing the country, setting up social reforms to try, and essentially making Cuba a better place to live for its citizens. He became the icon of the Cuban revolution; the architect of the Cuban Stalinist counter-revolution; the ruthless anti-imperialist fighter who was willing to sacrifice his own life for the sake of another country. The name Che Guevara will always be the pride of Cuba. Guevaras contribution to Latin American and the world. Before Che Guevara joined the Cuban revolution with Fidel Castro in Mexico, he gained a great amount of experience during his trips through Latin America and associated with many leftist movements. Observing the poverty, exploitation, inequality, marginalization here, Che Guevara was urged to find the truth and fight for justice. His disgust at the inequality and strong desire to fight for its eradication was indisputably an honorable and admirable cause. The duty of a revolutionary was to make revolution (Che Guevara about Cuban Revolution, 2003), Che liked to say. Indeed, his passion for balancing inequalities throughout Latin America is honorable and worthy of praise. After glorious victories in Cuban Revolution, Che Guevara still attempted to spread revolution. As the new Cuba is isolated on the world stage, and increasingly comes to rely on Soviet aid, Che looks to spread the Latin American revolution. In 1966, Guevara traveled on to Uruguay, Brazil, Paraguay, Argentina and Bolivia, where he joined and became a leader of a communist guerrilla movement attempting to overthrow the countrys military government (Bethel, Kari, 2003). Sadly, his strategy that was so fortunate in Cuba, failed in both Congo and Bolivia. In 1967, Che Guevara was murdered by state forces as US representatives look on. His last words are reported ro be, I know you have come to kill me. Shoot, coward, you are only going to kill a man (Bethel Kari, 2003). Although the two rebellions which he tried to make in Congo and Bolivia was failures, Ernesto Che Guevara has become the great representation of a enthusiastic revolutionary, willing to give his life to find success for the rebellion. Moreover, Che Guevaras contributions played an essential parts to the socialism and imperialism, as well as his enduring political legacy and his involvement to the speculation and strategy of guerrilla warfare. Che Guevaras ideas is said to be having the crucial relation on the Cuban rebellion and all the revolutionary events following in Latin America and some parts of the word (Saunois, 1997). Ches protection of these ideas as a means of struggle to be taken up all over Latin America placed them right at the centre of a discussion in the revolutionary socialist movement throughout that continent and beyond. The Cuban rebellion, particularly the parts of it contributed by Ernesto Che Guevara, has numerous lessons for the insurrection in opposition to the over utilization, or exploitation in other words, which is happening commonly today, in almost every part of the world. In addition, Che Guevara also happened to be renowned in the West for his disagreement to every type of neocolonialism, and the attacks on United States foreign strategy (Saunois, 1997). Che Guevara created an international proletarian spirit that had motivated the desire for freedom of Latin America and all countries over the world. Until now, more than forty years after Che Guevaras death, his name and image remain popular. To some Che Guevara is idolized as a man of the people, a freedom fighter for the downtrodden, who gave his life in the struggle to free peoples of the world to live in a better civilization. In 1997, Che Guevaras T-shirts which demonstrated his portraits had been worn widely by lots of people in Europe and South America, especially the Latin America, and it turned out to be very well-liked these days all over the world. He is an icon for millions people who want a world free of poverty and oppression, the symbol of struggle and justice, and some even considered him as a modern day Robin Hood. Che Guevara is, as confirmed in the Time magazine, included in the list of the most 100 powerful persons in the world. His legend has continuously rising since his passing away in 1967, and the revolutionary ideals he spent most of his life on at the present appeal to a young generation of the twenty-f irst century. When speaking about that revolutionary legend, Nelson Mandela expressed his admiration and respect to Che, as his life inspired every human being that has the love for freedom. Che Guevaras Negative Sides Che Guevara is widely known as a generous, romantic and compassionate hero and he is also idolized by many people all over the world. According to Jean-Paul Sartre, Che was the most comple and perfect man of this era (Rawalpindi, 2006). However, there are arguments whether he only had the positive effects on humans lives or Che Guevara had his negative side. Although he was widely known to be a doctor from his mother country Argentina the author of several books and articles, Justin Stamm (2009) has given his ideas that Ernesto Che Guevara never actually did graduate from any medical school or university. In reality, he quitted school to take part in the fomenting Marxist rebellion in Cuba funded by Soviet communist Russia. The complex character of Che Guevara has been shaped by the contradictions of his philosophy at different points in his life. So, what do we really know and understand about Ernesto Che Guevara? Is he really that complete and perfect hero of humanity? The answer i s definitely no to the persons who regard him as a brutal killer and a racist. Ernesto Che Guevara a brutal murderer? Crazy with fury I will stain my rifle red while slaughtering any enemy that falls in my hands! My nostrils dilate while savoring the acrid odor of gunpowder and blood. With the deaths of my enemies I prepare my being for the sacred fight and join the triumphant proletariat with a bestial howl! (Guevara, 2004) Ernesto Che Guevara wrote the above statements in his famous The Motorcycle Diaries, and their effects are not quite similar with the former statements. There are many opinions which criticize Che Guevara to be a coldblooded killer. In 2005, Alvaro Vargas Llosa stated in his article that Che Guevara was not ever afraid of his death, and he took other peoples deaths as lightly as his (Llosa, 2005). According to the article Che Shows Only Glorifies Portrait of a Ruthless Killer (Vega, 1997), Ernesto Che Guevara cannot be considered as a hero, because he ordered the death sentence of incalculable human beings while he is in control of the prison in Havana, and moreover, Ernesto Che Guevara denied the freedom to thousands of citizens, whom are considered by Che to be deviants or anti-revolutionaries. Those acts of Che Guevara cannot be accepted under any circumstances, as said by the author of this article. Che always believed that rebellion cannot happen without violence. When Granado, Ches young friend, told Che about his idea to create a pro-Indian political party by fairly winning election, in order to develop the Latin American politics, he responded to his young fellow that to have revolution, it is impossible if there are no gun shots (C. Guevara, 2004). This answer can be regarded as the signal of the upcoming things in the future. Ches belief had been reinforced by his sincerity that because Arbenz had unsuccessful in killing and eliminate his potential enemies, he had lost all his power. When he arrived in Cuba, the president of Cuba was Fulgencio Batista. Fidel Castro was the leader of the rebellious left; he and his comrades were ready to overthrow the Batistas corrupt regime. Followin

Health Care Program Evaluation Plan Health And Social Care Essay

Health Care Program Evaluation Plan Health And Social Care Essay The question of how to treat people who are mentally ill is highly controversial. In the not-so-distant past, people with mental illness were confined in insane asylums, where they lived in conditions of degradation, physical abuse and squalor. Mental health professionals now agree that such treatment was barbaric and that patients should receive supportive care. Opinions differ sharply, however, on what kind of treatment best serves this population of people interests. How mental illness is treated varies in every civilization, culture, century, and religion. Some religions encourage its members to do well even towards mentally ill people. The treatments carried out go from dancing to chants to tortures and exorcisms, and some treatments do more damage to the patient than good. As time passes by, the term mental illness carries with a stigma that affects not only the patient, but also his/her family. With the increasing prominence of the health promotion theory, there exists a shift towards emphasizing wellness, empowerment, and empirically supported treatment. Mentally ill people are treated more humanely at present than when compared to the only several decades ago. Adjustments are being strategized in order to address the increasing demand of mental health education and ensure the implementation of new programs in order to maintain common ground among stakeholders. Drastic changes and the need for mental health reform based on recurrences of violence within communities have played a vital role in stakeholders rethinking mental health issues, particularly what treatments are appropriate. Historically, practices of health promotion can be incorporated into evidence based with the treatment being used in programs that have been implemented for those co-morbid health conditions with mental health problems. Background of the Problem Mental health programs require a set of skills that are accessible and different from traditional programs that have been set in place but have failed the system. Through the use of monograph, a method of research or literature written about a single, specific subject, it can be deduced that the pathways to effective care are often unclear and extremely difficult to negotiate, especially for young people and their families, and for people from backgrounds that are not part of the dominant mainstream culture (National Health Strategy, 2000, p.7). In other words, there exists a disparity between social classes in the effective distribution of health care, that regarding mental health notwithstanding. This socio-economic disparity is no longer a new issue. Even in other instances, especially in the realm of healthcare, care services are not equally distributed among those who need it. It is usual that patients from low socio-economic classes are the less privileged, subjected to public humiliation and unconventional treatment; while those with a secure financial capacity are more likely to receive immediate and humane treatment. Intervention approaches into mental health vary depending on the disorder and severity of symptoms. Integrating programs and new policies in the decision-making intervention is in the forefront objective of the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). According to the NHS (2000, p.89), the main actors in the delivery of health care should have a pervasive awareness of the diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds of the people, as differences in culture and language, among others, can be a hurdle in the design and implementation of a health care program. This is not to say that efforts were not carried out to create programs to address mental health problems. However, some programs are either lacking in content or is not applicable to a particular group of people. Therefore, a program may produce significant results for adult patients, but may fail when applied to younger patients with the same mental illness. As such, the need for holistic and specific programs for mental health is high. Several measures should be taken into consideration first before a particular mental health program is to be designed and implemented. The severity of the illness and its symptoms, as well as the patients capacity to maintain treatment, among others, should be well taken into consideration. Literature Review This literature review has been prepared for evaluation of Mental Health programs, which will focus on the following topics: definition of mental health; mental health issues; treatments and therapy; global mental health policies, and legislation; and the process of evaluating a health care program, particularly that of mental health. Available literature on mental health focuses on programs that are in place and the implementation of new programs through integrating health promotion where a review of literature illustrate how the field of health promotion can be mainstreamed into all aspects of community mental health care, in policies, principles, and practices. It contains an array of clinical cases, historical analyses, assessment models, evidence-based interventions and evaluation tools, and strategies for policy reform. Definition of mental health The World Health Organization (2013) defines mental health as the state of complete physical, mental and social well-being, and not merely the absence of disease. Furthermore, it is defined as a state of well-being where an individual can realize his potential as a person, adopt measures in coping with lifes stressors, work productively while staying emotionally well, and contribute to the development of the community with which he belongs to. Mental health issues Mental health treatments Mental illnesses are developed due to various and sometimes interrelated factors, making it difficult to clearly predict the progress of a mentally ill person (SANE, 2010). Sometimes, the symptoms are so confusing that the patient himself is not aware that they are already experiencing a mental disorder. Initial assessment is done to identify whether the patient is suffering from a mental disorder. The diagnosis will be derived from a particular pattern of symptoms that the doctor will have to observe in the patient. Symptoms include (SANE, 2010, in Better Health, 2012): 1) feeling down for a long period of time; 2) insomnia or inability to sleep; and 3) easily distracted and inability to concentrate. From there, the doctor will decide how to best treat the symptoms and then further observe the patient for any other more specific symptoms. In the field of mental health, diagnoses can change several times as the symptoms change, progress, or disappear. Likewise, it can change as more information surfaces from the patient himself through their sessions together. The doctor then should be able to critically delineate the differences between symptoms and suggest a treatment that would best help the patient. In other words, there is no fixed treatment or medication for a single individual with a mental disorder until all the needed criteria appears in the patients behaviors (SANE, 2010, in Better Health, 2012). There are, however, several ways in treating mental health disorders and helping patients cope and recover from mental illness. There are two main types of treatments: psychological treatments and medication. Psychological treatments are carried out on patients with anxiety disorders or depression as it helps reduce stress levels brought about or has resulted to the symptoms experienced by the patient. These treatments, or therapies, are based on how an individual react to, think about, and perceive things (SANE, 2010, in Better Health, 2012). Therapies are also called talking cure (Discovery Health, 2013) because emotional and physical pain is alleviated by talking about it. Medications are provided to patients who have a more serious form of the disorder. There is a specific type of medication for a specific type of disorder, and they are usually highly prescriptive. Sometimes, it is given with a combination of other prescriptive drugs or with psychological therapies. It includes (Better Health, 2012): 1) antidepressants, which is given to patients with depression primarily and, with psychotherapy, to those with phobias, panic disorders, obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), or eating disorders (bulimia, anorexia); 2) antipsychotic medications, which is used to treat illnesses such as schizophrenia and bipolarism; and 3) mood stabilizing medications, which regulates the occurrence of major depression and high episodes in patients with manic disorder. Care should be extended, however, when using medications for mental health disorders. Although the benefits are high, there are still some harmful side effects that might affect the patient especially when used for a long term at variable doses (SANE, 2010). If available, newer generations of medications are to be given to the patient, as this has lesser side-effects (Better Health, 2012). Apart from these two major types of treatment, the concept of community support as a way to help patients cope and recover from mental illness is fast becoming a choice for professionals and patients alike. Community support efforts include information, accommodation, help with finding suitable work, training and education, psychosocial rehabilitation and mutual support groups (SANE, 2010; and Better Health, 2012). Global mental health policies Kiresuk and Sherman (1968) have identified the rather contrasting two-fold identity of the goals of the mental health enterprise: a) highly philosophical in that theories are formulated in distinct relationships; or b) highly objective and focuses mainly on patient-therapy goals. These goals may be used to calibrate a mental health program to better cater to a wider group of concerned people. Furthermore, understanding the elements interacting between the patient and therapist in various stages of their relationship can aid in designing programs for community mental health. Mental health policies are rules and regulations written by the Government or its corresponding Health Ministry or Department. It includes the goals, priorities, and the main direction stakeholders have to take in order to effectively implement the services enclosed therein. Some of the components of a mental health policy include (WHO, 2005): advocacy, which is the individual and social action on raising public awareness and policy support; promotion, enabling patients to take control of and improve their mental well-being; prevention or the immediate application of measures to promote individual and community well-being and educational and informational campaigns; treatment and the carrying out of relevant care, whether clinical or non-clinical, to reduce the negative impacts of mental illness and improve patients quality of life; and rehabilitation where knowledge and skills learning are provided to mentally ill patients to help them achieve a higher and better quality of life despite of their disorder. Mental health policies are the main guiding framework in the design of mental health programs. Each of the components specified above can have its own health program that will help achieve its goals. In fact, mental health programs is to take into consideration both general and specific plans of action required by all stakeholders to undertake in order for the policy to take effect (WHO, 2005). It identifies what actions are to be done, who must do it, what specific timeframe should be followed, what resources are needed, and where can it be found. According to the WHO (2005), 90.9 percent of countries in the Eastern Mediterranean have national mental health programs in place. More than three quarters, or 76.5 percent, of North and South Americas have such mental health programs while only 52.9 percent of Europe does. Community care is the most basic unit to perform and provide healthcare services to citizens. Therefore, their presence is vital in supporting patients with mental disorders at the community level. About 75 percent of North and South American countries have existing community care facilities (WHO, 2005). On a global scale, however, a wider disparity is discovered. Only half of low-income countries have established community centers while 90-97 percent of high-income countries have such community centers. Some examples of these community centers are daycare centers, therapeutic and residential services, crisis residential services, sheltered homes, clubhouses, community mental health services which cater to all age groups (children, adolescents, elderly), and agricultural psychiatric rehabilitation villages, among others (WHO, 2005). Global mental health legislation Mental health legislation should not be confused with health policies. These are legal provisions for the protection of the basic human and civil rights of people with mental disorders (WHO, 2005). Mental health legislation deals not only with how dangerous mentally ill patients are to be restrained and protected, but also with the maintenance of treatment facilities and personnel, training of professionals, and the whole structure of providing mental health services. It also dictates and regulates the procedures in compulsory admissions, discharge procedures, and appeals, among others. Laws on mental health are present in 75 percent of North and South American Countries. This is still low in contrast to 91.8 percent of European countries. Eastern Mediterranean countries have the smallest coverage at only 57.1 percent. Knowing the coverage of mental health laws is vital in understanding how mental health is prioritized on a global scale. The timeliness of the laws needs to be considered as well. More recently existing laws may be more encompassing than older laws in the sense that evaluation processes have already been applied to it. Older laws may not be able on track with the fast changing pace of culture, society, and technology. As such, laws enacted earlier than 1990 may be ineffective because evidence-based treatment methods are not yet available during that time (WHO, 2005). More than half of existing legislation across the globe is enacted between 1990 and 2004. North and South American countries with mental health laws have enacted 58.4 percent their most recent legislatures within this time frame. There still lies the fact, however, that half of the existing legislations were designed and enacted all the way back to the 60s (WHO, 2005). One of the major facets of mental health legislations is the provision of disability benefits for mentally ill patients and their families. In some cases, the disability benefit is incorporated in mental health laws. In others, particularly in countries without specific mental health legislation, the disability benefit is part of a wider scale of health legislation. Half of low-income countries have disability benefit provisions, while a hundred percent of all high-income countries are covered (WHO, 2005). There are, however, less researches delving into the degree of implementation and the spread of coverage of mental health legislations and its accompanying provisions. Moreover, there is a need to identify what services or benefits do particular countries provided for individuals with mental health disorders. As such, these areas need to be researched into more to better accommodate to the needs of individuals and families who need it. Evaluating mental health programs Atkisson, et al (2010) has a conceptual model laying out the three components involved in evaluating a community mental health program. These three components are: a) levels of evaluative activity; b) functional roles of the evaluator; c) and the capability of the program information. This working model may be used in the assessment of the evaluation capability of mental health problems. Proper use of the model could generate a better evaluation strategy. Although outdated, Hagedon, et al. (1976) has written a reliable manual on determining appropriate evaluation strategies and in planning evaluations. Evaluations, as the authors have suggested, should be done in cycles. Monitoring and evaluation should be schedule annually or bi-annually. This allows the program to be constantly updated, making it easily be adopted into a community. Changing cultural and technological elements could pose threats or opportunities to the conduct of the program. Hargreaves, et al. (1977) states that addressing issues in a programs information system and adequately assessing outcome studies eventually act on the programs processes and integrity, as well as the stakeholders welfare. An effective mental health program should have a similarly effective system of collating and analyzing feedback, which may be used to further improve the program. The evaluation plan describes in detail how a program will be monitored and evaluated. The intention of using the results for program development and decision-making should also be made clear (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2011). A program evaluation must be carried out with a clear purpose in mind. In fact, in designing a plan for program evaluation, the expectations to be derived from the conduct of the evaluation should be already considered. However, the evaluation design and the actual implementation should not be carried out by just anybody. The evaluation should be done by someone knowledgeable of the processes of evaluation and must also have an understanding of the program being evaluated. Otherwise, the evaluation process might not be able to achieve its objectives. The evaluation design should be able to identify the specific group or group of people for which the program is intended for and would have access to. The methods to be used should be able to capture the needs of the stakeholders while maintaining excellence in the delivery of health care. The Minnesota Department of Health (2010), identified six reasons on why there is a need to monitor and evaluate the processes of a program: 1) to determine whether the objectives of the program is being achieved in the short-term; 2) to improve how the program is being implemented; 3) to provide a degree of liability to the funding agencies and the community with which the program is intended for; 4) to increase the stakeholders awareness of the program and encourage support; 5) to contribution to the current pool of knowledge and practices in the scientific undertaking of public health interventions; and lastly, 5) to inform and influence the decisions of the higher policy-making body, e.g., the government. A scientifically-sound evaluation has similarly scientifically-sound program objectives. According to Wilburn and Wilburn (n.d.), program objectives should be S-M-A-R-T: specific, measureable, achievable, realistic, and time-specific. It is ideal that an evaluation design is all-encompassing; however, as was said in the introduction, that it has to be specific to be able to fit the needs of the stakeholders better. Measureable concepts should be incorporated into each objective to aid in the attainment of quantifiable variables. It should also be realistic, not idealistic, and should follow a practical timeframe. The right questions should be able to answer the questions what, how, and why it matters (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2011). The evaluation design should be able to: 1) state the need for the implementation of the program and its relation to the intended effects (clarify the purpose and anticipated outcomes); 2) lay down the processes in the program implementation and identify whether it works well with the overall evaluation design; 3) clarify with short-term information if changes need to be done in the existing processes of the program; and 4) provide a rationale about the programs importance and impact to the field of mental health. The evaluation must apply not only to the program per se, but also to how the application of changes will affect the programs intended outcomes. There are other variables to be considered for evaluation. One is the nature of the stakeholders. Is the program able to capture the stakeholders and address their needs? Are they the right ones with whom to apply the program? Identifying the right stakeholders for the implementation of the program is vital in ensuring that the message is carried across. As such, the location where the program was implemented should also be evaluated. Cultural, social, and political issues must be considered as these could have an effect in the distribution of the program. Likewise, time should also be evaluated. This pertains not only to the timeframe or schedule of implementation of the program activities, but also on the timeliness of the program implementation. The last thing that should be subjected to evaluation is the output. Is it what the program intends to achieve? What went wrong? All the information from the monitoring and evaluation will be collated and considered as vital feedback. Feedback needs to be gathered to be used in the further development and improvement of the programs design. After the step-by-step process of evaluation is completed, the results will be integrated into the original mental health program. Recommendations for future researchers will be produced, such as the conduct of a second evaluation on the same program after it had been subjected to changes as a result of the initial evaluation. The design and methodological processes to be followed in the evaluation of a mental health program will be discussed in detail in the succeeding paragraphs. Goals and Objectives This research study primarily aims to identify a method that will be used to effectively evaluate mental health programs. Specifically, this research aims to: Identify the socio-demographic characteristics of the patients and families using the mental health program; Identify their information needs; Determine their attitudes and perception towards the mental health program; and Determine the strengths and weaknesses of the program through a professionals perspective. Theoretical Framework The main reason for conducting a program evaluation is to determine the efficiency of a program, particularly in terms of whether physical and financial resources are being used wisely, the programs performance and objectives are working with the design, and is following the processes set for it (Lindeman, 2010). Based on the literature review gathered for this research, mental health program evaluations mostly focus on how the program could better adapt to certain situations. Certain social conditions call for a more customized program, given that the current specifications of a program may not be suitable for another individual or group of individuals. Therefore, interventions must be carried out to ascertain the effectiveness of a mental health program. By using a program theory, the evaluation of the program may be guided accordingly. The program theory is only recently integrated into the field of public health, as it is mainly used in social science research. The program theory, by definition, is a conceptual plan, with some details about what the program is and how it is expected to work (Issel, 2009). The program theory has two main components: 1) process theory; and 2) effect theory. Process theory is concerned with the program per se, while the effect theory is concerned with the use of interventions. Similar programs, like in the realm of public health and its programs against obesity, consider evaluation as a very important process. It follows the same way of formulation of objectives and the creation of sound evaluation plan. Evaluation Model Design This research will follow a multi-design evaluation. It will make use of the responsive evaluation, followed by the participatory/collaborative form of evaluation, and then the utilization-focused evaluation. The use of a multi-design evaluation allows the researcher to better make use of the information that will be gathered for evaluation. The first design is the Responsive Evaluation type of evaluation model and approach, which is concerned with identifying how the program would look like to different people. This design must take into consideration what stakeholders need to satisfy their thirst for information. In relation to responsive evaluation design, the participatory/collaborative form of evaluation may be used to further identify how the stakeholders view the program and what they could suggest be done to improve it. Their information needs will then be enumerated and considered. Once the information needs are identified, this will undergo utilization-focused evaluation. This allows stakeholders to take part in the evaluation process, which will be used ultimately in the decision-making phase of the evaluation. The information will also be integrated into the program itself so as to better calibrate it to fit the specific needs of the stakeholders. The model below shows how these evaluation designs will be utilized to be able to evaluate a mental health program better. INPUT OUTPUT PROCESS STAKEHOLDERS How does the program look like to different people? PARTICIPATORY/COLLABORATIVE What are the information needs of those closest to the program? CONSUMERS EXPERT INFORMATION NEEDS What are the information needs of stakeholders, and how will they use the findings? Figure 1. The Multi-Design Evaluation Model The study aims to create a viable evaluation model to use in evaluating mental health programs. For this research, both primary and secondary research will be utilized. The primary research will be conducted with the use of a survey questionnaire and interview for research instrument to gather both quantitative and qualitative information. Respondents will be identified and the questionnaire will be distributed to them. Interviews will be scheduled accordingly. Quantitative methods will be employed as this is a flexible and iterative approach in researching information. Consecutively, the research will also make use of qualitative information which will be used to locate and develop theories that would explicate the relationship of one variable with another. As such, behavior, attitudes, opinions, and beliefs on the subject matter at hand will be identified and quantified easier. Secondary research will also be carried out as well. Statistics and results from previous studies will be incorporated into this research and then compared with the results of this study. Evaluation Methods Respondents of the Study Following the evaluation designs stated above, this research will identify stakeholders to help in evaluating the program. Consumers and professionals will be asked to assess the program and their attitudes and perceptions toward it will be gauged. It is vital to determine and identify the respondents to be used for this study. The consumers may be the direct beneficiaries of the program to their close relatives who have personally observed how the program was implemented. Their personal experience on the program implementation would paint a picture of the applicability and fit of the program to various demographic. On the other hand, the professionals will be third-party experts who are knowledgeable in the field. These may be psychiatrists, psychologists, or program implementers. Their expertise on the field would contribute to the identification of whats lacking or missing in the program. Sampling Method The researcher will use two sampling strategies: random and purposive. The purposive type of sampling allows for a more flexible way of choosing respondents, given that the classifications needed are not entirely that applicable to a general group of people. Likewise, this is easier to carry out by the researcher without compromising the results of the study. Psychologists, psychiatrists, and program implementers will be purposively identified based on their availability on the subject matter at hand. On the other hand, the program consumers will be identified randomly. A list of the program beneficiaries will be retrieved from authorities. Then, random sampling will be used to identify who among the beneficiaries will be interviewed. If ever the patient beneficiary will be unavailable for interview, their immediate family members will be contacted in their place. Research Instrument To gather pertinent information from the respondents, the researcher will create a questionnaire, one set for each of the respondents. The instrument will include socio-demographic characteristics, identification of attitudes and perceptions towards the program, suggestions for improvement, among others. The major objective of using a survey questionnaire is to gather both quantitative and qualitative information from the respondents. The research instrument will use a combination of open and closed questions. Closed questions will be used at the most, especially in identifying the socio-demographic characteristics of the respondents. Through the use of closed questions, the choices will be limited within the scope of the study; thus, allowing the researcher to easily encode the answers. Moreover, using closed-ended questions would help keep the results in line with the researchs problem statement and objectives. As such, open-ended questions will nonetheless be used. Using this type of questions will allow the researcher to gather qualitative data. For example, their experiences on how the mental health program was implemented on them are better off detailed than limited to a set of questions. Themes are captured as they emerge from the respondents accounts. The attitudes of the respondents toward the mental health program will be gauged with the use of a five-point Likert scale. The Likert scale is a rating scale that allows the respondents to indicate his/her level of agreement or disagreement towards a particular event, situation, or part of the program. The equivalent weights that would correspond to the degree of agreement or disagreement are as follows: RANGE INTERPRETATION 4.50 5.00 Strongly agree 3.50 4.49 Agree 2.50 3.49 Uncertain 1.50 2.49 Disagree 1.00 1.49 Strongly disagree To test its reliability, the one-shot research administered survey instrument will be pre-tested to a group of individuals. The instrument will then be revised as per the comments and suggestions derived from the pre-testing. The survey questionnaire is chosen as a research instrument since they are easy to construct. Likewise, questionnaires may be easily reproduced and can be delivered to the respondents by mail or by hand. Data Collection For this research, data will be gathered; information will be collated from previously published studies from local and international universities. The researcher will then summarize the secondary information, make a conclusion and a generalization, if applicable, and then provide recommendations which may be useful for this research. The researc