PROPOSAL to bring the civil defense to our Uni. and let them explain Research

To bring the civil defense to our Uni. and let them explain how to deal with emergencies - Research Proposal Example he workers in the community, so that they can gain the skills they require to deal with fire and other emergencies at the FDU community and elsewhere. Through the course, the different audience of the course will learn fire and emergency resolution skills, which will enable them to help in risk resolution at the FDU community and at their respective communities and places of work. During the last six months, the team has been piloting the programs, among a few members of the FDU community, and we have noted that the limited coverage of the program has changed their skillfulness in dealing with fire and other emergencies. For example, the group taken through the brief course has demonstrated their ability to use fire extinguishers, and safe evacuation skills, including collecting all members of the community affected by the risk, at an open, safe area – and exiting members of the community through safe pathways. Through the pilot stage of the course, the team has seen considerable learning among the group involved, in dealing with fire and other emergencies. One of the students trained on the area demonstrated the skills during an emergency drill, because she was able to evacuate vulnerable people from the house. Our proposal requests for USD 5,000 in funding, which will be used to attract more students to the course, make a donation to the firefighter department, plan the course, and to acquire all the course needs required. The course materials required include fire extinguishers, and fire and emergency mitigation manuals. The team appreciates the FDU Community Grant Selection Committee, for taking interest, towards helping the FDU community acquire skills on fire and emergency skills through the new course. For more information, you can call the team director at 703-555-1212, in the case you have any questions, or you require further information regarding this proposal. The fire and emergency education team, of the FDU Community is seeking a grant, which

The United Kingdom and India Essay Example for Free

The United Kingdom and India Essay The purpose of this paper is to understand the benefits of the trade relationship between the United Kingdom and India particularly in the small and medium enterprises sector of each country. Introduction The relationship between the United Kingdom and India can be traced from centuries ago. The British Empire once colonized India and the British have already seen so many unique attributes of India in terms of products and resources that they began taking it to their shores. The Indian and British economy can be both very influential in developing peace and justice in the world economy. Thus it can only be done if both countries will begin seizing the opportunities today. India being the largest democracy is not only a very good potential market, but in the long run, this country is bound to contribute a lot of things to the progress of the world. Prime Minister Gordon Brown has said in (2007) India is one of the engines of world growth. I believe Britain must be a full participant and indeed your partner of choice. Research Question How does the current trade relationship between U. K. and India affect each other’s domestic economic growth? Objectives: †¢ To determine whether the current trade relationship of the United Kingdom and India is strong and beneficial (advantageous) or its opposite †¢ To understand whether to what extent each country influences the other in terms of monetary and non monetary investments †¢ To identify which factors contribute to the success (or failure) of the existing trade relationship Hypotheses †¢ India and the United Kingdom’s trade relationship is a strong and beneficial one †¢ The existing trade relationship between U. K. and India provides India with beneficial technology transfer and knowledge building which improves small and medium size entrepreneurial growth †¢ The existing strong relationship between U. K. and India paved the way for India to invest favorably in the U. K. Methodology This paper will particularly rely on secondary sources taken from the studies of experts in the said field, and primary data coming from government agencies that investigate and study this topic in the United Kingdom and India. Literature Review Gareth Thomas MP, Minister for Trade, Investment and Consumer Affairs in April 2008 further added that, â€Å"The UK can help India achieve this ambitious target. We are a natural ally of India in encouraging Europe to open up in areas of interests. As allies we need to support the global economy and restore confidence. The alternative risks nations succumbing to the growing tide of protectionism. The UK-India partnership – Governments and business – must continue to be at the forefront of those making the case for increased openness. I believe that strengthening still further UK-India trade will help India’s development, will help India to lift more of it’s people out of poverty and at the same time be good too for British business, British jobs and our economy. † This statement goes to show that such relationship equally benefits both countries, because more and more Indian companies are penetrating UK for investments thus providing the UK with more job opportunities, especially on the Northern Ireland part. Now, in the 21st century, the trade relations of both country has gone stronger. The United Kingdom’s strong trading relationships with India provides for advantages specifically in the area of business in the U. K. ’s domestic economy. According to Prime Minister Brown (2008), â€Å"The UK will invest another ? 825 million for development in India over the next three years. † Brown announced the funding during his India visit. UK’s aid in strengthening the education sector of India, will also prove to be beneficial for both countries in the long run. This is so because, there will be an increase in the talent pool which can help Indian and British companies. The UK investment is not merely for trade purposes, but this time a big chunk of the investment will go to humanitarian purposes and education wherein up to ? 500 million is expected be spent on health and education. The said funds will give 300,000 more teachers and another 300,000 classrooms ensuring that in total by 2011, 4 million more children half of them girls – will be able to go to school. This then, will definitely promote more equality in education. Prime Minister Brown in (2008) further added that, Over the last few years, India has made great progress in tackling poverty and sustaining economic development. But some grave challenges remain. The UK is keen to play its part and work in partnership with India to fight poverty. That is why I am pleased to announce this substantial package of support to help make a better future for India’s poorest. This is a very important statement because it reflects how committed the UK is in helping the Indian society. Definitely, a country can only achieve high quality of growth and very good business climate if it is able to sustain its own demands for change. UK is very particular with â€Å"just change†, or an equitable change. It cannot be that India continues to contribute to the most number of billionaires in the world and yet a lot of its citizens are still dying of hunger, unemployment, poverty and other diseases. The UK’s Secretary of State for International Development, Douglas Alexander, said: Without India getting on track, the world will fail to meet the Millennium Development Goals. That is why the UK contribution which accounts for 1/3 of all aid to India is welcomed. Past UK support has helped to raise primary school enrolment rates to 94 per cent and provided water and sanitation for 10 million slum dwellers. The ? 825m contribution will continue to benefit Indias poorest by improving health (including under nutrition) and education for all. Though parts of India are booming, the levels of child malnutrition in India are nearly twice as high as the average for all of sub Saharan Africa. India is home to one third of the world’s poor. Up to 400 million people live on under a dollar a day. UK’s contribution to India transcends business, it has to be also about development. UK believes that India is a huge talent pool, and yet it can only be sustained if education will not be limited to few. If India wants to be one of the largest economies, then it has to produce more leaders by means of education- and this is where UK is very helpful with.

Cinematography In Macbeth :: essays research papers

Cinematography In MacBeth   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  When I first watched the two episodes of MacBeth I noticed several differences in the was the two directors portrayed the settings and characters in witch scene. In the first movie I found the witch scene to be very dark and mysterious which made it easy to tell what the witches were doing and the fog and lightning gave me the impression that bad things were yet to come. This atmosphere is totally different from the second video though because the second one takes place on a clear beautiful beach which seems to be very peaceful. They way the second video started out it was kind of difficult to determine what was going on, but as the scene progressed it became easier to understand what was going on. By the was this scene was shot the viewer really has to follow because it seems really strange. It does not follow the typical stereotype of most witches and it is very irregular. The first movie just had a way creepier image to it with the scary music, the witches weird voices and the lightning and stuff going on in the background. At the beginning of the second movie scene I’m given the impression that the witches are almost regular people until they start pulling out the arm and rope and stuff. I enjoyed the second movie scene more because it seemed more casual and it really caught my eye because you don’t know what is going to happen next. I also liked it because it was simple and it didn’t follow the trends of most witch scenes. When I first watched the beach scene I can honestly say that I dislike it, but as I watched it over and over and over and over again I began to notice the little things that made the scene creepy like the squawking seagulls and the mysterious arrival and depart of the witches. The beach seemed like an unlikely place to cast a spell which is why I enjoyed the second movie scene more.

Southern Arizona: Lives that Shaped the Frontier Experience :: Essays Papers

"Ordinary" Women in Early Twentieth Century Southern Arizona: Lives that Shaped the Frontier Experience Some historians have argued that women’s roles in early 20th century Arizona centered exclusively around the domestic sphere and typified values of femininity such as passivity, motherhood, and loyalty to marriage. Their journeys to the West are likewise portrayed as involuntary and life on the frontier a hated struggle. For example, Christiane Fischer states, â€Å"Frontier conditions tended to reinforce women in their traditional roles and did not open up any new possibilities for them† (Fischer, 46). Although this may have been true for some, women’s overall experiences and contributions to Arizona’s history were much more complex. Although historically â€Å"important† figures are often over-represented in the stories we tell about our past, it is essential to remember that social change cannot occur without the involvement of thousands of ordinary folks. According to E.D. Branch, â€Å"If there is a moral to the history of the westwa rd movement, it is this: the transcendent importance of small things and of unimportant people† (Branch in Poling-Kempes, xii). This is especially relevant to women’s history in that women’s experiences are often ignored in dominant discourse and their achievements are relegated to the invisible sphere of domesticity. This essay will explore the ways in which â€Å"ordinary† women influenced the development of the Arizona frontier and to what extent the conditions of this lifestyle affected their roles and opportunities. At the turn of the century, women in the West enjoyed greater freedom than their sisters in other parts of the country. Various social and economic necessities both allowed and forced women into situations that were traditionally reserved for men. Lesley Poling-Kempes states, â€Å"Liberation may have been a side effect, rather than a motivating force or premeditated goal, for women in the new society of the American West† (Poling-Kempes, 49). Women in this region generally had a better economic status, more job opportunities, and higher legal status than women in other regions (Rothschild and Hronek, xx). Historians have presented several hypotheses to explain this geographical distinction. One such theory is that the biased sex ratio (many more men were present than women) required men to be tolerant of women leading unconventional lifestyles. Another possibility is that, overall, the frontier embraced a more democratic way of life than settled areas, which in turn affected women’s rights (Rothschild and Hronek, xx).

Marigolds

What change does the main character experience from the beginning of the story to the end? From the beginning to the end of the story, the main character experiences her time when she was changing from child to woman. Growing up during the Great Depression in impoverished rural of Maryland, her family had been living through poverty and financial struggles.She was fourteen going on fifteen by that time so she understood everything her family or her neighbors had been through. But She and ere brother were so young and innocence that they liked running around and teasing Miss Little with her marigolds mounds that she planted every summer. And the rising action that changed her childhood was the midnight when she first heard a man that was her father cry in helplessness and hopeless because he couldn't get a job and take good care of the family.She felt his despair and her emotion of crying In fear, and degradation that led her run and ruin all the marigolds of Miss Little. When she loo ked up to â€Å"stared at her†, † that was the moment when childhood faded and manhood began†. She felt guilty, â€Å"awkward and ashamed† that moment marked the end of Innocence. Why did Miss Little plant the marigolds? She planted the marigolds because that was her happiness. They were very bright and colorful compared to her â€Å"sorry gray house†.Those passionate yellow mounds made her house really stand out. She took care of them â€Å"all summer, every summer† as her one Joy and hope. Without reviewing the story, what descriptive details do you remember? The detail that stands out In my mind Is the scene Elizabethan father cried out loud† In the middle of the night because he felt Impotent for not do anything for his wife and his kids In twenty-two years. A man Is always the leader of the house. Taking a good care of his family Is the most Important role they should.He was a strong man † who could whisk a child upon his shou lders and go singing through the house†. And † he sobbed, loudly and painfully, and cried helplessly and hopelessly In the dark night. † This really touches my heart. For the first time he despaired, and behind the wall, that also was the first time his daughter hear him cry. Marigolds By emphysema K. Kennedy job and take good care of the family. She felt his despair and her emotion of crying in the end of innocence.Why did Miss Little plant the marigolds? Remember? The detail that stands out in my mind is the scene Elizabethan father â€Å"cried out loud† in the middle of the night because he felt impotent for not do anything for his wife and his kids in twenty-two years. A man is always the leader of the house. Taking a good care of his family is the most important role they should. He hopelessly in the dark night. † This really touches my heart. For the first time he

Parenting theory Essays

Parenting theory Essays Parenting theory Essay Parenting theory Essay Parenting org will try to answer 2 question: which business should we own? What parenting approach will get the best performance from those busineses? Instead of looking at how businesses relate to one another, a parent organization should look at how well its skill fit its businesses needs and whether owning them creates or destroy value. Parenting theory suggest that most CEO should concern with two crucial questions: what business should this company, rather than rival, own and why? And What org structure. Management process and philosophy will foster superior performance from its businesses? The best parent companies create more value in their businesses than rivals would. Multi business bring together under a parent org businesses that could potentially be independent. Such parent company can justify themselves economically only of their influence creates value. For example: The parent org can improve business plan and budget , promote better linkages among them, provide especially competent central function or make wise choices in its own acquisitions , divestment and new ventures. How corporate parenting add value to its businesses units? That occur when the parents skills and resources fit well with the needs and opportunities of the businesses. If there is not a fit, the parent is likely destroy value. A parent that does not understand the critical success factors in a business is likely to destroy vale. To add value: ICM, Restructure, Knowledge, transfer skill and sharing activities. A parent without detailed knowledge of a business market my not be aware of the opportunity to combine sales. Synergy. Five type of synergies: Cost savings, Revenue enhancements, process improvements, financial engineering and tax benefit. COST SAVINGS This is the most common type of synergy and the easiest to estimate. Peter Shaw, head of mergers and acquisitions at the British chemical and pharmaceutical company ICI, refers to cost savings as hard synergies and points out that the level of certainty that they will be achieved is quite high. Usually, they come from eliminating jobs, facilities, and related expenses that are no longer needed when functions are consolidated, or they come from economies of scale in purchasing. Cost savings are likely to be especially large when one company acquires another from the same industry in the same country. For example, SBC Communications, the former South-western Bell, realized substantial cost savings when it acquired Pacific Telesis. Within the first two years of this merger, SBC saved more than $200 million in information-technology operating and maintenance costs. It also saved tens of millions of dollars by combining the merged companies purchasing power. Even though cost savings are t he easiest synergy to calculate, overly optimistic projections certainly do occur, so you need to look very carefully at the numbers you 1 re presented with. If youre evaluating projections, be aware of three common problems. First, analysts may overlook the fact that definitions of cost categories vary from company to company. (For example, are warranty costs included in the cost of production or the cost of sales?) So it may appear that there are more easily eliminated costs in a category than turn out to be the case. Second, costs are incurred in different places depending on the structure of each company. Acquirers may assume they can eliminate more corporate or divisional administrative costs than they actually can because essential work is getting done in unexpected places. Third, it is easier to eliminate positions than the people who fill them. Often a job is eliminated on paper, but the person in the job is very talented and must be shifted ewhere in the company. Therefore, if a consolidation Ins to suggest that 200 jobs are destined for the ax, that doesnt mean that 200 salaries are, too Acquirers often underestimate how long it will take to realize cost savings. Sometimes that happens because the plans specifying how integration will proceed are insufficiently detailed. In other cases, it happens because the people in both companies are resistant to change, and senior managers often delay making tough cost cutting decisions. And, of course, the longer it takes for cost savings to be realized, the less value they create. REVENUE ENHANCEMENTS Its sometimes possible for an acquirer and its target to achieve a higher level of sales growth together than either company could on its own. Revenue enhancements are notoriously hard to estimate, however, because they involve external variables beyond managements control. The customer base of the acquired company, for instance, may react negatively to different prices and product features. A combined customer base may balk at making too many purchases from a single supplier. And competitors may lower their prices in response to an acquisition. Revenue enhancements are so difficult to predict, in fact, that some wise companies dont even include them when calculating synergy value. Matthew Slatter, the CEO of Bank of Melbourne, says, We model this [revenue enhancements], but never factor it into the price. Similarly, Peter Shaw at ICI considers them soft synergies and discounts them heavily in calculations of synergy value. Despite their dangers, revenue enhancements can create real value. Sometimes the target brings a superior or complementary product to the more extensive distribution channel of the acquirer. That happened when Lloyds TSB acquired the Cheltenham and Gloucester Building Society (which had a better home-loan product) and Abbey Life (which had insurance products). In both cases, Lloyds TSB was able to sell those products to its dramatically larger retail customer base, thus generating more revenue than the three entities could have done individually. Similarly, having acquired Duracell for a 20% premium, Gillette was confirmed in its expectation that selling Duracell batteries through Gillettes existing channels for personal care products would increase sales, particularly internationally. Gillette sold Duracell products in 25 new markets in the first year after the acquisition and substantially increased sales in established international markets. In other instances, a target companys distribution channel can be used to escalate the sales of the acquiring companys product. That occurred at Gillette when it acquired Parker Pen. In calculating what it could pay, Gillette estimated that it would be able to get an additional $25 million in sales for its own Waterman pens by taking advantage of Parkers distribution channels. A final kind of revenue enhancement occurs when the bigger, post-acquisition company gains sufficient critical mass to attract revenue neither company would have been able to realize alone. Consider what happened when ABN and AMRO merged to form ABN AMRO, the large Dutch bank. Afterward, other large banks pulled the new company in on syndicated loans that neither ABN nor AMRO would have been asked to participate in individually. PROCESS IMPROVEMENTS Cost savings result from eliminating duplication or from purchasing in volume; revenue enhancements are generated from combining different strengths from the two organizations. Process improvements, by contrast, occur when managers transfer best practices and core competencies from one company to another. That results in both cost savings and revenue enhancements. The transfer of best practices can flow in either direction. The acquirer may buy a company because the target is especially good at something. Conversely, the acquirer may see that it can drastically improve the targets performance in a key area because of some competence the acquirer has already mastered. Take the case of National Australia Banks purchase of Florida mortgage lender HomeSide. HomeSide has an extremely efficient mortgage-servicing process that NAB plans to transfer to its banking operations in Australia, New Zealand, and. the United Kingdom. The same was true of ABN AMRO when it acquired the U.S. commercial bank Standard Federal. In that case, process improvements went hand in hand with cost savings: because its mortgage operation was so efficient, SF eventually took over the combined banks entire mortgage business. Product development processes can also be improved so that new products can be produced at lower cost and get to market faster. Such was the case when Johnson Controls acquired Prince Corporation, a maker of rear-view mirrors, door panels, visors, and other parts of automobile interiors. Prince was better than Johnson Controls at understanding customers needs-both existing and anticipated-and consequently it produced higher-margin products. Prince also had an excellent process for ramping up production of new products, which enabled it to move from design to mass production about twice as fast as Johnson Controls could, maintaining higher quality levels while speeding cycle times. Johnson learned from Prince and was soon able to apply those advantages to its own products. For an example of the process improvements an acquiring company can bring to the table, take a look at newspaper giant Gannett. Gannett has a database of financial and nonfinancial measures for each of its 85 newspapers; executives use this rich resource to determine best practices, both boosting revenue and lowering costs. Larry Miller, Gannetts CFO, explains, We have been able to dramatically improve the papers weve bought. The key for us is knowing in very minute detail how to run a business. This gives us very specific ideas for improvement. Through more efficient production and distribution processes, Gannett has been able to extend its deadlines for news and advertising copy while simultaneously delivering the newspaper more quickly. That helps advertisers and improves Gannetts revenue. Gannett is also able to determine where classified rates are too high, hurting volume, and where they are too low, leaving money on the table. Because it can expect to yield quick, substantial p rocess improvements, Gannett can pay very high premiums for its acquisitions. When you consider that many of the acquisitions are run independently-and so dont offer many consolidation opportunities-the high premiums are quite extraordinary. In fact, Miller has told us, People are often shocked at what we pay. In nearly all cases, though, performance improvements after the fact have justified the high prices. The synergies of cost savings, revenue enhancements, and process improvements may be easy to understand conceptually, but our research demonstrates how hard they are to forecast accurately. Why? Most calculations of synergy value occur under horrendous conditions: time pressure is intense, information is limited, and confidentiality must be maintained. Since conditions are so far from ideal, the managers and board members responsible for the final decision should always scrutinize the assumptions underlying the numbers. FINANCIAL ENGINEERING Acquirers often think-and hope-that if they borrow cash to finance a transaction, theyll reduce the weighted average cost of capital. That is not a good reason to do a deal. If either the acquirer or the target company could afford to take on more debt; each could have borrowed it on its own. However, some companies can find genuine synergies through financial engineering. For example, an acquisition can increase the size of a company to a level where there are clear economic benefits to pooling working- capital finance requirements and surplus cash, as well as netting currency positions. These benefits can be quite substantial. When the Credit Suisse Group merged with Winterthur, 10% of the forecasted synergies came from reducing funding costs through optimized capital management. Heres another genuine financial-engineering synergy: a transaction may allow a company to refinance the targets debt at the acquirers more favourable borrowing rate without affecting the acquirers credit rating. That is especially likely to happen in the financial services sector because those companies are big and their risk is diversified. TAX BENEFITS Tax considerations are often a barrier that must be overcome to justify a deal, a fact that makes tax-related synergies very difficult to assess. Its useful to distinguish between tax structuring, which makes the deal possible, and tax engineering (also called tax planning), which ensures that the overall tax rate of the combined company is equal to or lower than the blended tax rates of the two companies before the deal. Regulators often believe that companies using perfectly legitimate structuring and engineering techniques to avoid incurring additional costs are simply taking advantage of loopholes. Thus companies are not anxious to disclose any clever techniques they may have used. The goal of tax structuring is to avoid as many onetime tax costs as possible. Those costs may include capital and transfer duties, as well as change-of-ownership provisions that can trigger capital gains or prevent tax losses from being carried forward.

Sources Of Energy Essays - Energy Development, Energy Economics

Sources Of Energy Essays - Energy Development, Energy Economics Sources Of Energy Sources of Energy Have you ever thought about how we get the energy to run the things we take for granite every single day. There are many sources of energy that that are used for transportation, heat, light, and the manufacturing of goods of all kinds. The development of science and civilization is closely linked to the availability of energy in useful forms. The seven main energy sources are fossil fuels, hydroelectric, solar power, win power, geothermal, nuclear power, and biomass energy. By harnessing the sun, wind, falling water, plant matter, and heat from the earth, energy planners expect to decrease the environmental impact on energy use. Most of the nonhydro renewable power comes through some form of combustion, such as the burning of biomass, landfill gas, or municipal solid waste. Little electricity comes from solar, wind, and geothermal sources. Factors that are increasing interest in renewable energy include cost advantages in niche markets, regulatory pressures, customer service requirem ents, fuel flexibility, and security. One of the biggest source of energy is fossil fuels. Fossil fuels have served as a reliable source of heat for cooking and warmth since the beginning of history. The common fossil fuels are coal, peat, lignite, petroleum, and natural gas. Coal gas, coke, water gas, and producer gas can be made by using coal as the principal ingredient. These such artificial gases can be used for fuel, illuminant, and a source material for the manufacturing of synthetic ammonia. Gasoline, kerosene, and fuel oil are made from petroleum. They are mainly used for transportation if the fuel is used in a liquid form. Natural gas is a natural mixture of gaseous hydrocarbons found from the ground or obtained from specially driven wells. The composition of natural gas varies in different localities. It is used extensively as an illuminant and a fuel. Some geologists theorize that natural gas is a by-product of decaying vegetable matter in underground strata. Others think it may be primordial gases that rise up from the mantle. Natural gas was known to the ancients but was considered by them to be a supernatural phenomenon because it appeared as a mysterious fire bursting from the ground. Gas is also a fossil fuel. It is a gaseous substance that burns in the air and releases enough heat to be useful as a fuel. It is advantageous if a fuel gas is readily transportable through pipes and is easily liquefied. Oil gas is a type of gas made by applying heat to various petroleum distillates. Its principal use is as a supplement to natural gas during periods of heavy demand. Coal gas may be any of a variety of gases produced by heating coal in the absence of air and driving off the volatile constituents. It is not as high in fuel value as other gases and often contains tars, light oils, ammonia, and hydrogen sulfide. These common fuels are used in industry, transportation, and the home are burned in the air. Scientists research and develop alternatives to gasoline every single day. One possible alternative is methanol, which can be produced from wood, coal, or natural gas. Another possibility is ethanol. Ethanol is an alcohol produced from grain and currently used in some typ es of US gasoline. A example of this is gasohol. It is a compressed natural gas, which is much less polluting than gasoline and is currently used by a half-million vehicles around the world. Petroleum is a fossil fuel thought to have been formed over millions of years from incompletely decayed plant and animal remains buried under thick layers of rock. The widespread burning of petroleum products as fuels has resulted in serious problems of air pollution. Oil spilled from tankers and offshore wells has damaged ocean and coastline environments. The environmentally disruptive effects of oil wells have sometimes led to strong opposition to new drilling, as in wilderness areas of Northern Alaska. Most of the energy consumed is ultimately generated by the combustion of fossil fuels, such as coal, petroleum, and natural gas. The world has only a finite supply of these fuels, which are in danger of being used up. Also the combustion of these fuels releases various pollutants, such as monoxide and sulfur

Stereotypes Essays - Stereotypes, Social Psychology, Discrimination

Stereotypes Essays - Stereotypes, Social Psychology, Discrimination Stereotypes Stereotypes are the organizational factors that virtually shape the way we think in 20th century America. They somehow manage to categorize some of lifes most complex matters into nice distinct sections. Classifications and organization, at first glance seem to be useful in distinguishing various aspects of modern life. However, these grouping methods can be very inaccurate, leaving erroneous ideas in the minds of citizens on a global level. Stereotypes, though originating as convenient sorting mechanisms, instead, influence our thinking process. By instituting broad categories, establishing virtually immovable terms, and, often, being mistakenly identified as facts, stereotypes affect the mental process of humans. Originally used as an organizational tool, stereotypes were simply broad generalizations about subject matters. These ideas werent necessarily meant to cause the feelings of anger that they do today, but to classify ideas. However, possibly the most apparent problem with stereotypes is that the sort very intricate subject matter into large, broad categories. For example, human beings are too complex to use generalizations like, all blondes are dumb or all smart people are nerds. Stereotypes use wide terms, to simplify subject matter, but this attempt often ends in an inaccurate result. Despite their wide generalizations, stereotypes establish virtually immovable terms. For example, Third World countries were hastily grouped together not because of social or economic similarities, but out of convenience. Since that time, the industrialized nations have harbored this stereotype that the third world is land of starving children and savage tribes. Despite decades of vast improvement, this stereotype remains unchanged. This rigid stereotype has caused many citizens to embrace a false view of the Third World nations and its citizens. Stereotypes, clearly, should not be mistaken for factual information. Although there may be a certain amount of truth to the statement, the generalization is often inaccurate. Unfortunately, many people believe this information to be not only truthful, but factual. Since most Americans have not visited a Third World country, they believe many misconceptions to be true. In reality, these stereotypes are often wrong. They may apply in some instances, but they should not be considered factual. Through establishing broad categories, creating immovable terms, and being mistakenly identified as facts, stereotypes often place inaccurate ideas in the peoples minds. They have a huge impact on the thought process and ideas. As increasingly more and more people become aware of this error, many of the stereotypes we now embrace will become obsolete. Works Consulted Lane, Charles. Lets Abolish the Third World. Thinking Globally. Andrew E. Robson. McGraw-Hill: United States of America, 1997. 155 160.

New Christian Right in US Politics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4250 words

New Christian Right in US Politics - Essay Example 29, 2011). Despite the fact that these campaigners looked like their republican as well as autonomous corresponding persons in quite a lot of respects, the representatives with Christian Right ties were not mainly successful and were unsuccessful to form an operational coalition with the majority republicans on the mission. The centre of the crisis was the continuance by the communal traditionalists of a ‘foreigner’ point of view that toughened their pedant point of reference to civic dealings (Culver & Dorhauer, p. 43, 2007). The Christian Right has attained considerable representation within American communal life. Even though this sort of demonstration may have presented significant representative advantages, the force to protect public agency was acceptable as the way towards putting a stop. The objective of the Christian Right, stating generally, has been to alter American public strategy in the way of what are known as family or conventional standards. Despite the fact that researchers have collected many statistics on the communal as well as electoral foundation of the faction, they have given very small amount of facts with reference to its impact on civic strategy (Ishay, p. 59, 2008). The fundamental issue is whether Christian Right leaders have made an unbeaten shift from ‘foreigner’ to ‘insider politics’, or if they stay traditionalists who have yet to change completely to the traditions of politics. The coalition between right-wing religious conviction and traditionalist politics had an extensive derivation in American political life, and the alliance would grow so long as it carried on to provide the concerns of both accomplices. Subsequent to a series of strategy failures throughout the presidency of its former enthusiast, the movement appeared to fall apart during the 1988 drive for the Republican presidential selection (Meyers, p. 193, 2006). As a number of the original tycoons who had driven the movement stepped out of political activities, quite a lot of researchers were fast to mark obituaries with reference to this latest fatality of America's determinedly incremental political structure. At base, the conversion of the Christian Right portrayed by supporters of the next generation concerned the progress grip on pluralism. In the pluralist assumption of American politics, the utter variety of clusters functional within the political structure mainly prevents fundamental alteration. In the pluralist point of view, the structure progresses by small strides, motivated mainly by stress from groups that can create a centre of attention for adequate supporters by logrolling as well as vote trading to make short-lived common coalitions. Faced with this cruel truth, movements that come into politics, in search for radical change have to reconcile instead for additional modification by implementing the standards of alliance formation as well as conciliation (Butler, p. 193, 2006). For that to take place, non-transferable requirements have to be substituted by negotiating as well as by taking trade-offs into consideration. The substitute is marginalization along with the political wilderness. NEW CHRISTIAN RIGHT At its core, the Christian Right was the interest group of ethical re-establishment that recognized settled as a ‘give in’

Unit 6 Scenario B-2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Unit 6 Scenario B-2 - Essay Example This memo will also highlight the differences between monetary and fiscal policies, what are the pros and cons associated with each type of policy? Is either policy more effective in increasing output growth or stabilizing inflation and unemployment? With reference to the tax changes, a decrease in the tax rates would help achieve the desired increase in output.i.e lower the tax rates more people will buy meaning the demand will be high and so the output would be high .this decrease in tax rates would further imply an increase in the equilibrium price, the output and the unemployment rate. Furthermore if we analyze, we can foresee the following Pro’s and Con’s of the situation discussed above; pro’s being the fact that the unemployment rates will decrease the Marginal Propensity to consume (MPC) and the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) will Increase subsequently. One very serious aspect which is a definite Con; the governments Tax Revenue will decrease. The changes in open Market operations to achieve the desired increase in output would imply the following: the central bank will increase their government securities, people will spend more and thus the output will rise. This flux will then imply the following trend; an increase in the equilibrium price, an increase in the output and a subsequent decrease in the unemployment rate. Elaborating on the relationship between the deficits and national debt, we would like to mention the fact s that need to be considered here .In order to understand how both national debt and deficits go hand in hand; A budget deficit will imply an increase in the size of the national debt, only by the amount of the deficit .Conversely, if there is a budget surplus it will allow the government to pay off the bond holders thus reducing the size of the national debt. The difference between the monetary and fiscal policy is obvious as by monetary policy is meant all actions that a government takes to control the

Aquarius Advertising Agency Case Analysis Article

Aquarius Advertising Agency Case Analysis - Article Example Their second goal is to develop media plans for billboards, television, newspaper, internet and radio. A subsidiary goal is in marketing, distribution and research marketing of effective adverts. The culture of the organization is centred on a traditional model characterized by interactive communication between account managers and clients. Moreover, the technology is consistent with current information technology equipment such as computers for emailing and advert design, as well as telephones for contacting clients. The matrix organizational structure would not be a feasible option for Aquarius. Foremost, the option would be a very expensive option to maintain in the case of Aquarius. The major reason is that Aquarius is involved in the advertisement industry accustomed with frequent turnover of clients. Consequently, there fluctuations in its profit margins would experience financial strain in maintaining the matrix structure. A further disadvantage of the structure is that it would worsen the internal conflict in communication that Aquarius has experienced and attempting to resolve. This is because the matrix structure is consistent with dual reporting and accountability to seniors. As a result it would create confusion among subordinates regarding their directing

Elie Saab, Fashion brand strategy analysis Essay

Elie Saab, Fashion brand strategy analysis - Essay Example The paper "Elie Saab, Fashion brand strategy analysis" discovers the Fashion brand of Elie Saab and its strategy. During 1982, after he attained 18 decades, the generally self-instructed fashioner stared his individual design shop inside Beirut locale with a representative minimum of ten. Before long his notoriety quickly rose above Beirut's outskirts, drawing in ladies from developed community who fancied chic Elie Saab apparel. During 1990 he extended his vicinity into Europe via introducing his 2nd lead shop inside Paris. During 1998 Saab Elie became the earliest non-Italian fashioner to end up an individual of the ICNM, and that similar decade he exhibited his foremost assortment away from Lebanon, in Roman Empire. During 1999, youthful fashioner started his ready-made dress inside Milan. Be that as it may, Elie Saab got his glory, during 2002 when he clothed Berry Halle in favor of Oscar festival winning this award that decade. The following day, he got to be world celebrated fa shioner. The brand’s outward look comprises of the exceptional outline of the outfit, which underscores the lovely bends of lady body. The mark style is stunning shining weaving quality utilization of bands as well as sheer materials, exceptional manually-beaded fixing and valuable stones. Everything that creates Saab apparels a showstopper amongst other night dresses. Identity of the brand concerns making each lady feels akin to a queen. Elie Saab succeeded to create well-known extravagance and traditional tailoring.

Total SA Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Total SA - Essay Example The investors generate dividends from their investments. Investors receive dividends based on the prior year’s net income performance. With higher net income, the investors will automatically receive higher dividends (Warren, 2009). Further, the investors can also generate gains from the selling of their TOTAL SA investments (Crosson, 2011). If the investors are able to sell their investments at a bid price that is higher than the investors’ cost of investing in the TOTAL SA stocks, the investors generate gains. When economic depression or unfavorable economic constraints crop up, the investors may be persuaded to sell their investments in TOTAL SA investments at prices at an amount that is lower than the investment price. When this occurs, the investors generate stock exchange losses (DuBrin, 2009). TOTAL SA Company’s structure in relation the organisation’s goals, aims and objectives. The TOTAL SA organisation structure fittingly enhances the accomplishm ent of organizational s goal, aims and objectives (Daft, 2011). With more investors, the amount of investment is higher. The investors’ money plus TOTAL SA Company’s use of long term loans increase the amount of assets. The TOTAL SA Company maximizes the total assets to generate revenues (Weetman, 2006). Further, the stockholders’ investments and loans ensure accomplishment of the company’s goal, aims and objectives (Ferrrell, 2010). The company is able to establish oil and natural gas exploration development contracts in different strategic locations around the world. The cash inflows from loans and stockholders’ investments are successfully used to refine petrochemicals. The same finance amounts are used to manufacture the chemical product needs of the TOTAL SA Company’s current and future customers (Nutt, 2010). Specifically, the TOTAL SA Company specicalises in selling elastomer-based products (Total, 2012). The company also sells adhesi ve products. Another major product of TOTAL SA Company is classified as electroplating items. The bulk of the company’s profitable products falls under the petroleum market segment. The investments are used to foster company’s trading and shipping of petroleum chemical finished goods (products). Moreover, the investments and loan amounts are used to sell the finished goods (Baumol, 2009). The raw petroleum extracts are processed into finished goods. The TOTAL SA Company finished goods include the top selling Liquefied Petroleum Gas products. Another finished product is home heating gas. A third finished product is asphalt petroleum products. The fourth finished good type, asphalt, is used in the paving of the highways and smaller roads. The fifth finished good classification, lubricants, is a very popular lubricating product group (Total, 2012). Further, the investments and loans are used to generate a big share of the global energy market segment. The funds are used t o realize generating an increase of 2.5 percent production output every year (Total, 2012). The funds are used to maximize the company’s scarce asset resources. The scarce resources are used to expand the oil production facilities (Fabozzi, 2011). The company continues to set up new oil production facilities in new oil fields. The investments and loans are used to quickly set into motion cost reduction activities. With cost reduction, the

Elie Saab, Fashion brand strategy analysis Essay

Elie Saab, Fashion brand strategy analysis - Essay Example The paper "Elie Saab, Fashion brand strategy analysis" discovers the Fashion brand of Elie Saab and its strategy. During 1982, after he attained 18 decades, the generally self-instructed fashioner stared his individual design shop inside Beirut locale with a representative minimum of ten. Before long his notoriety quickly rose above Beirut's outskirts, drawing in ladies from developed community who fancied chic Elie Saab apparel. During 1990 he extended his vicinity into Europe via introducing his 2nd lead shop inside Paris. During 1998 Saab Elie became the earliest non-Italian fashioner to end up an individual of the ICNM, and that similar decade he exhibited his foremost assortment away from Lebanon, in Roman Empire. During 1999, youthful fashioner started his ready-made dress inside Milan. Be that as it may, Elie Saab got his glory, during 2002 when he clothed Berry Halle in favor of Oscar festival winning this award that decade. The following day, he got to be world celebrated fa shioner. The brand’s outward look comprises of the exceptional outline of the outfit, which underscores the lovely bends of lady body. The mark style is stunning shining weaving quality utilization of bands as well as sheer materials, exceptional manually-beaded fixing and valuable stones. Everything that creates Saab apparels a showstopper amongst other night dresses. Identity of the brand concerns making each lady feels akin to a queen. Elie Saab succeeded to create well-known extravagance and traditional tailoring.

Global Logistics Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Global Logistics - Assignment Example Now the main reason behind this feasibility study is that an optimum route and port has to be selected for the transport and shipment of goods from factory and port to the warehouse at Jabel Ali. Also the transportation cost has to be kept in mind so that it doesn’t put load on the cost of the product. The transportation vehicles, their cost and size has to be aligned with the size of the lot produced and the cost incurred in transporting goods to the port in the longer run. This measure will be calculated by comparing lot size, minimum expenditure and time that will be incurred in transportation of material as time is the most critical factor in many cases. Also there are various type of options available during logistics and shipments of goods and various costs incurred with these. The main reason for mentioning this is that the new Factories have been established in territories which are new for the company and the company is not familiar with working of transportation, shi pment and labor costs of these regions. For this survey of these regions has to be done so that a tentative cost structure could be drafted. On formulation of this cost structure further measures will be taken to select an optimum line up or partners so the process of collection of goods from the manufacturing site to its transportation to port through logistic partners and then shipment to the distribution through freight forwarding partners is cost effective and has optimum time line. PROCEDURES (selection of Partners) : Next a suitable selection of trustful Freight forwarders will be done who shall transport the goods from India and Brazil. Now the selection shall involve various steps which shall be quite critical in finding the most suitable freight forwarder. First phase shall include pooling of such forwarders who have a reputable name in the industry and are capable enough to ship the given amount of container each week so that no delay is faced and no risk of inventory stoc k out is faced at the warehouse in Jabel Ali. Now this phase shall give us an opportunity to gather contact with forwarders which shall be useful in future and we’ll have a thorough idea of the market rates. In the next phase the forwarders will be requested to submit their bids for contract. These bids will be thoroughly checked and the one best suited to company’s policy shall be short listed. The criteria for short listing will not be only limited to the best rates given to us but actually the freight forwarding companies who have more inclination to make us their clients rather than just try to get this order. Third phase shall require short listing of the companies and terms will be dealt with them to form long term strategic alliance which shall be mutually beneficial for our company and the forwarding partner. Final phase will be to decide the most trustworthy and beneficial company to partner with. After final agreements and terms are settled the chosen forward er is given contract of forwarding the containers and in return the company promises us the best service. SELECTION OF PORT The selection of port shall be quite critical as it’ll decide the time required to ship container from source to destination i.e. from India and Sao Paolo to Jabel Ali. The main reason behind this step being the most critical is that even if every process i.e. production, logistics etc are following proper schedule but the port selected is a little far away than it’

Mexican Culture Essay Example for Free

Mexican Culture Essay Food if one of the aesthetic identification of culture and tradition as it marks its progress from generation to generation, and history to history. Mexican cooking began with the arrival of humans in Mexico and as various cultures influence their cuisine, the tradition and cultural background of their menu have began to evolve. Mexican food, as we know it today, has had its primary origin in the 16th century from the introduction of European plants and food products by Spanish conquerors. This traditional mix-up has provided modification in their cuisine, which is currently evident in the Mexican food tradition. Aside from its exquisite delicacy and characteristics, Mexican food provides therapeutic function and use commonly in homemade treatment proceedings. The herbs and ingredients in the Mexican food are the key points for the provision of therapeutic action. Mexican herbs are unique in their own way. The characteristic of these herbs are the essential contributing factor for this therapy to be possible. In the course of our discussion, the Mexican culture, evidently in terms of food- wine and restaurants, shall be the primary focus of the study. The involvements of wine and food, in the sense of therapeutic action, as the primary traditional influence shall be elaborated and defined in the study. The influence of food and herbs in Mexican traditional therapy shall be also tackled in the course of discussion. Lastly, we shall explore the San Francisco California Bay and the Mexican celebration of Cinco de Mayo. The Mexican culture possesses a heritage in every unique aspect that greatly denounces its aesthetic value. Home or Traditional Therapies – Food and Herbs The Mexican traditions are composed of exquisite herbs and ingredients that provide therapeutic effects. The traditional home of Mexicans possesses no or less frequently refrigerating facility, supplies designed for classical lifestyle, and tradition rich in practical home-therapies; hence, they are more accustomed in their traditional therapeutic intervention utilizing their natural sources. In fact, Mexican possesses evident indulgence in their traditions that they prefer to have their food, and other home condiments in natural estate or made from nature-oriented proceeding. This greatly improves their health conditions, and provides them with practical source of therapeutic interventions. The basic feature of Mexican foods is its unique way of expressing its spiciness and traditional aroma. One of the spices that provide therapeutic effects in the body is the Capsaicin, which is a primary constituent of peppers such as the jalapeno and the habanero. Capsaicin has several uses, including use in personal defense sprays and as to relieve arthritis pain. When first applied to skin, capsaicin causes local heating and irritation. However, after repeated use, the area becomes desensitized to pain without loss of the sense of touch (Fox Whitesell, 1997 p. 550). Capsaicin pepper has been found to work as an anticoagulant, thus possibly helping to prevent heart attacks or strokes caused by the formation of clots in blood vessels. It also stimulates the production of endorphins, which is the body’s natural painkillers, and kills the stomach bacterium known to cause ulcers. Another pepper is the Cayene, which is an important constituent of Mexican hot sauce. Cayene adds the spicy zip to many ethnic foods, such as Thai and Mexican food, and can be used in marinades and barbecue sauces. This pepper is rich in vitamin C, A, B-complex, E and other minerals (Balch, p. 147 2003). Another food ingredient of Mexican foods that possesses therapeutic aid is the pumpkin seeds. The seeds from the pumpkin, also known as pepitas, are popular ingredient in Mexican dishes, and are available with or without their shells. This pepitas provide essential means of treating constipation due to its fiber content. Moreover, it is blended with Mexican traditional recipes such as burittos or Nachos, not only to provide exquisite taste but also to institute unique flavoring. These pepitas are high in calories and insoluble fibers, which help primarily in inducing in digestive tract thereby facilitating decrease of occurrence of constipation (Gilbert, 2000 p. 178). In terms of Mexican wine, it provides unique blends of tradition served in stemmed glasses. Wine is the usual pair of Mexican foods in order to suit the spiciness of the dishes. Mexican wine classifications possess the usual red and white wine, which are primarily obtained from fruits mixed with spices. The northern end of Baja California is one of the places in Mexico that is known to brew wine at its best (Dumois, n. d). Citizens of Mazahua and Otoml living in Central Mexico drink pulque from childhood, because of both its nutritional properties and scarcity of water. Pulque is an alcoholic beverage obtained from maguey, which composes primarily of complex fruit sugars (Peele Grant, 1999 p. 93). Wine quickens the pulse, raises the spirits, and prophylactic against disease and as a dietetic aid. It is also used as medicine in acute and chronic diseases. Wine is proven good for cardiovascular system, especially in reducing risks of arteriosclerosis or other cardiovascular-degenerative disorders. Food Herbs Mexican Traditions Mexican diet of today is rich in a variety of foods and dishes that represent a blend of pre-Columbian, Spanish, French, and more recently, American culture. The typical Mexican diet is rich in complex carbohydrates, provided mainly by corn and corn products, beans, rice, and breads, The typical Mexican diet contains an adequate amount of protein in the forms of beans, eggs, fish and shellfish, and a variety of meats, including beef, pork, poultry, and goat. Because of the extensive use of frying as a cooking method, the Mexican diet is also high in fat. The nutrients most likely to be inadequately provided are calcium, iron, vitamin A, folic acid and vitamin C (Spark, 2007 p. 258). In many cultures, food has symbolic meanings related to family traditions, social status, and even health. Indeed, many folk remedies rely on food. Some of these have gained wide acceptance, such as the use of spices and herbal teas for purposes ranging from allaying anxiety to preventing cancer and heart disease. Mexicans use these herbal teas as dietary or reducing drinks to induce further or hasten metabolism as well as digestive functions. In fact, herbal teas are healthy enough that the old Mexican traditions practice its drinking almost everyday. This tea is composed of basic Mexican herbs, such as cinnamon, parsely, etc. , and blended with intrinsic Mexican spices; hence, some of their teas are blended with mild spiciness (Insel etal, 2004 p. 9). The traditional Mexican diet is rich in fresh vegetables, which are generally used only when in season. The spices used in Mexican cooking are common to many cuisines, and yet, there are a number of seasonings that are unique to Mexican food. Chile peppers are used as a dry spice as well as a fresh ingredient. There are many types, with the most common being ancho, habenero, jalapeno, New Mexican green, New Mexican Red, poblano and Serrano. These peppers range from mild, like poblano, to the extremely hot habanero. Other herbs and spices that flavor Mexican cuisine are anise, cilantro, cinnamon, clove, cumin, garlic, marjoram, Mexican oregano and thyme. The herbs and spices, particularly the Mexican oregano and chilli peppers, are used in various ceremonies and traditional celebrations. The chilli peppers are given to tests the spice tolerance of participants during fiestas. Oregano, on the other hand, is believed by locals to alleviate various diseases and administered via its boiled leaves. Oregano is another traditional Mexican her that cures fever, cough and colds, sore throat problems and sometimes used to treat bruises, insect bites and mild pruritic or fungal infection when used in topical preparation (Koeller La France, 2005 p. 222). Another Mexican herb that provides utmost therapeutic effects is Ginger, which is technically a rhizome or underground stem. This is used in variety of meals ranging from simple porridge to complex traditional meal. Mexican ginger is good at alleviating gastrointestinal tract symptoms, such as motion sickness, gastric musculature or tachygastria and gastric immobility. It is usually prescribed by the locals for treating hyperacidity, and abdominal pains related to acidic conditions. Moreover, ginger is also used to treat conditions involving throat spasms by functioning as a throat relaxant and relieving throat irritation (Koeller La France, 2005 p. 222). Mexican culture and tradition involves variety of herbs that are, basically, the ingredients of most of their traditional meal such as the ever-famous burritos and nachos, and the wines and teas provide therapeutic benefits as well. San Francisco California Bay The Mexican American population is evidently present in the San Francisco California Bay area. From the San Franciscos Mission District to San Jose, Chicanos possesses the highest population index, ranging from 65% to 80% of the residents, in the San Francisco Bay Area. Mexican immigrants feel at home in these areas already even if they are living with American citizens. However, population project is one major problem occurring at this point. Demographic studies predict that the greatest population growth rates of Mexican immigrants will be from the influx of undocumented individuals. Mexican immigrants are also expected to have high fertility rates, creating a younger generation of American-born children whose immigrant parents make an â€Å"at risk† population (Gilbert, 2000 p. 178). Cinco de Mayo and Mexican Restaurants Talking now about the famous Mexican restaurants found in the area, Cinco de Mayo Taqueria is the starting point of discussion. The name of Cinco de Mayo meand 5th day of May in Spanish, and denotes a regional celebration or holiday. Although this is not an obligatory holiday, there are lots of individual going and participating in this one time per year celebration. Cinco de Mayo, or May 5, commemorates the Mexican victory over the French army at The Battle Of Puebla in 1862. It is not, as many people think, Mexicos Independence Day, which is actually Sept. 16. During this Cinco de Mayo, many people are turning to tequila and cerveza, Spanish for beer, to celebrate another holiday that for some means nothing more than another excuse to drink exorbitant amounts of alcohol. Commonly misinterpreted as Mexicos Independence Day, Cinco de Mayos meaning has been clouded by partying. In Mexico, Cinco de Mayo is celebrated throughout the country, especially in the state of Puebla and in Mexico City. Military parades complete with marching bands and traditional music, pay tribute to all the soldiers, civilians and heroes who gave their lives for their country. The celebration lasts all day, with food, dancing, mariachi bands, laughter and fellowship (McClenahan, 2005). Ironically, celebrations of Cinco de Mayo are more widespread and elaborate in the United States. Mexican American communities in states such as Texas, California, and Arizona celebrate this occasion with parades, fairs, marchias, folkloric dance, and the best of all is the Mexican cuisines (McClenahan, 2005). Moreover, Cinco de Mayo of 1989 illustrates how women worked to bridge ethnic and racial groups in a public way while expressing their own identities. Cinco de Mayo is an ethnic festival, which is the same as St. Patrick’s Day, that has transcended ethnic barriers. The Mexican community and even other ethnic diversion from different places and culture gather in this party. In the United States, Cinco de Mayo is a major cultural festival, wherever significant numbers of people boast Mexican descent. Throughout the Southwest, people of all ethnicities gather to eat Mexican food and drink Mexican beer, wine and other alcoholic beverages (McClenahan, 2005). People from other ethnic origins join this huge festivity every year and celebrate the Mexican culture. The basic interest of other ethnic groups in joining this celebration is rarely due to historical reasons, but most of the time, to celebrate the exquisite characteristics and features of Mexican culture. Reference Balch, P. A. (2003). Prescription for Dietary Wellness. Avery. Dumois, L. (n.d. ). INSIDE MEXICO THE SERIES: THE SPIRIT OF WINE.Retrieved November 11, 2007, from http://www. mexconnect. com/mex_/travel/ldumois/ldcwine1. html Fox, M. , Whitesell, J. K. (1997). Organic Chemistry. Jones and Bartlett Publishers. Gilbert, M. N. (2000). Virtues of Soy: A Practical Health Guide and Cookbook. Upublish. com. Insel et. al, P. M. (2004). Nutrition. Jones and Bartlett Publishers. Koeller, K. , La France, R. (2005). Lets Eat Out! : Your Passport to Living Gluten and Allergy Free. R R Publishing. McClenahan, B. (2005, May 5). Oregon students celebrate Cinco de Mayo. University Wire, (n. d. ). Central Mexican Culture. Retrieved November 11, 2007, from Colibri: http://www. colibrimexicanbistro. com/ (n. d. ). Mamacita. Retrieved November 11, 2007, from Mamacita: http://www. mamacitasf. com/ (n. d. ). Tres Agaves. Retrieved November 11, 2007, from Tres Agaves: http://www. tresagaves. com/about. html Peele, S. , Grant, M. (1999). Alcohol and Pleasure: A Health Perspective. Psychology Press. Spark, A. (2007). Nutrition in Public Health: Principles, Policies, and Practice. CRC Press.

Programs to Improve Education in the US

Programs to Improve Education in the US Chapter 1: Introduction Topic. The current education debate in the U.S. has centered on preparing all scholars to be college and career ready by equipping them with scholastic, technical, and employability competences by the time they graduate high school (Hein, Smerdon, Lebow Agus, 2012; Stone Lewis, 2012). However, the competences gap between what employers seek and what scholars-future labor market candidates-possess has raised concerns about how the educational system prepares high school scholars to become college and career ready to meet the needs of the labor market (Stone Lewis, 2012). Without providing the scholastic, technical and employability competences that will help American teens transition smoothly into careers and college, many teens will continue to be underprepared for the labor market while employers react by grieving the existence of a competences gap among labor market candidates (Halpern, 2009; Stone Lewis, 2012). Lerman (2008) agrees that that policymakers have attempted to address the competences gaps and workplace changes, due to global labor market changes, by enhancing educational attainment through more requirements scholastic initiatives. These achievements though, have neglected the possibility for other learning models. Lerman thus alleged that more schooling does not make you more successful for careers. Similarly, Cappelli (2008) affirmed that, while education is a good fundamental for success, having scholars take more rigorous scholastic courses will not ensure that they will be prepared for the labor market and that should be a cause for distress. Cappelli (2008) has further alleged that there is a problem with competences gaps which ultimately lays in scholars work-based skills. Thus, while scholastic competences are considerable, employers are fascinated in how scholars can translate their education into productive practices in the workplace. Overview of the Research Problem Research shows that, despite reforms to raise scholastic achievement among high school scholars, approximately 40% of American teens, do not attend or complete college (Lerman, 2009) and subsequently enter the labor market inadequately prepared (Stone Lewis, 2012). When the focus is getting more teens into college, despite the evidence that a large majority of scholars do not complete their degrees or get jobs in their fields, society risks creating scholars who neglect their vocational futures since their choices may lack a clear connection to their goals. Scholars sometimes enter college with no clear direction (Zimmer-Gembeck Mortimer, 2006). Halpern (2009) agrees that the implicit assumption in the U.S. that everyone needs some type of traditional, post-secondary education to be abundance in the labor market since most of the educational reforms have rested on the belief that all scholars should be encouraged to pursue college degrees. Symonds, Schwarz, and Ferguson (2011) and Skills (2010) agrees that identifying alternative career pathways is essential to preparing scholars as the traditional, scholastic, classroom-based method is not suitable for the majority of American teens as it often causes such scholars to disengage from learning and graduate from school without the competences to succeed in careers or higher education. In that regard, when scholars are well prepared for careers or education, high levels of unemployment are reduced, scholars are given a sense of purpose and direction, and the time spent floundering after high school is reduced (Hamilton, 1990; Taylor Watt-Malcolm, 2007). Focusing on college and career readiness means that all scholars at the high school level can be engaged in relevant learning experiences that meet their needs and learning styles, and ultimately the needs of the labor market (Stone Lewis, 2012). Recent reports by Center for Social Organization of Schools tell us that only 75% of scholars leave high school with a diploma. In nearly 2,000 of the nations high schools, graduation is not the norm. Only 69.2% of the scholars graduate after four years (Barton, 2007; Center for Social Organization of Schools, 2008; edweek. org, 2009). Many scholars enrolled in schools are not fully engaged in the educational process due to lack of a clear connection between high school work and personal goals (Bottoms Young, 2008). The Partnership for 21st Century Skills revealed in its 2007 survey that 80% of voters say the competences scholars need to learn to prepare for 21st Century careers differ from what they needed 20 years ago (Partnership for 21ST Century Skills, 2010, and Vockley-Lang, 2007). Community and industry stakeholders also believe schools need to do a better job of keeping up with changing educational needs (Barton, 2007, Partnership for 21st Century Skills, 2010 and Vockley-La ng, 2007, Walker, 2008). Successful learning to achieve life and career success requires active engagement. Engagement is defined as a school participants involvement in both learning and overall activities. Since a scholars engagement is often measured by a scholars overall achievement and school involvement, a closer look is required. Engagement is considerable for all scholars in school, whether urban, suburban, or rural, and regardless of socioeconomic background. Disengagement is a higher order factor composed of correlating factors occurring over a gradual period (Balfanz, Herzog, MacIver, 2007. Scholars may experience a loss of scholastic motivation, which leads to detachment from school and its expectations, while reducing effort and classroom involvement. Scholars in prosperous environments, when they become disengaged, may learn less than they could or miss opportunities; however, they are often provided supplemental chances to meet expectations. The consequences of disengagement vary within different socioeconomic background. The scholars most affected are from disadvantaged backgrounds, in high poverty, and urban high schools. These scholars are less likely to graduate and h ave fewer opportunities for second chances and future success (National Academy of Sciences, 2003). According to Reschly and Appleton, Engagement is the primary theoretical model for understanding the dropout and is, frankly, the bottom line in interventions to promote school completion (Reschly Appleton, 2008). Career and Technical Education programs engage scholars by providing opportunities for them to learn competences that lead to industry credentials or certification (Office of Vocational and Adult Education, 2008). Despite current federal initiatives to spur reforms in American education such as the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB) and Race to the Top (2009), both containing goals of making American teens competitive in the global economy, the competences gap in the United States (U.S.) has not increased (Cappelli, 2008; Christman, 2012; Lerman, 2012). A mismatch between the competences employers want and what scholars-potential employees-present in the labor market continues to exist. scholars, employers, and demographic changes, concerns with high school dropout and scholastic achievement, high college incompletion rates, and a competences gap in the labor market have generated interest in how best to engage scholars and make them college and career ready (Alfeld, Charner, Johnson Watts, 2013; Darche, Nayar Bracco, 2009b; Guy, Sitlington, Larsen Frank, 2009; Lerman, 2012; Stone Lewis, 2012). This challenge has caused policy makers, educators, and employers to seek solutions to the education and training of scholars that enhance their competences to meet employer needs. Calls have been made for educators to provide multiple career pathways for American teens and to provide work based learning activities that promote practical, and scholastic, learning (Symonds, Schwartz Ferguson, 2011). Statement of the Problem Over the past couple of years, several educational initiatives (No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 [NCLB]; Race to the Top, 2009) have been developed to increase the scholastic achievement and presumably the competitive advantage of American high school scholars. Despite the well-placed intentions of these initiatives, concern still exists that the educational system is not adequately preparing scholars with the competences needed to enter the labor market or to pursue higher education as the effects of these reforms have been modest (Lerman, 2008; Stone Lewis, 2012). The educational policy that emphasizes high-stakes testing and advancing the number of scholars entering science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields has marginalized a considerable proportion of high school scholars whose learning styles, and scholastic and career interests, do not align with educational reforms or the needs of the labor market (Lerman, 2008; Symonds, W. C., Schwartz, R. B., Ferguson R., 20 11; Stone Lewis; 2012; Trilling Fadel, 2009). Thus, even though enhancing schools is necessary, there is not a sufficient response to the labor market and global and technological changes. This study sought to address the gaps in the literature on internship programs targeted at teens in the United States. Notably, while internships have been abundance in other developed countries, little research has been conducted in recent years on internships targeted at adolescents in the U.S. Research on internships in the U.S. has focused on adult internships typically in their mid- to late twenties Hence, this study sought to address the gaps in the literature on the internship program targeted at teens in the United States. Deficiencies and Limitations in the Evidence This case study will provide an in-depth description of one internship program. The study focused on one program could be perceived as a limitation. Although the findings may apply to other organizations, generalizations of the findings to other contexts such as an established program or another industry may have severe limitations. A single case would provide additional insights and boost the findings of the study. Purpose of the Study This study will describe an internship program targeted at adolescents and aimed at addressing the employer skill needs. Examining the experiences of scholars, employers and educators engaged in internships. In the Career Technical and Education programs of the 21st century scholastic competences are stressed. In North occupations, educators, and Technical Education educators are accountable for both the skill proficiencies and scholastic gain of Career and Technical Education scholars. The indicators that require the blending of scholastic and Career and Technical Education are mandated through Perkins funding that North Carolina receives to fund local and state Career and Technical Education achievements. Accountability in Career and Technical Education is guided by the Carl Perkins Career and Technical Education Act of 2006 and other legislation, including No Child Left Behind. North Carolina is required to establish performance indicators in eight areas: 1S1: scholastic attainment: reading and language arts, 1S2: scholastic attainment: mathematics, 2S1: Technical attainment, 3S1: Completion, 4S1: Graduation rate, 5S1: Positive placement, 6S1: Nontraditional participation, 6S2: Nontraditional completion, Performance indicators 1S1, 1S2, and 4S1 are tied directly to No Child Left Behind. Because of this accountability model in place for North Carolinas Career and Technical Education programs, scholar enrollment is a major concern because enrollment can affect the formulas used to calculate performance levels. The context of this case study of an industry education partnership, will take place in one public school district in North Carolina, its 28 schools serves approxiately 17,370 scholars. The Career and Technical Education department offers courses such as Apparel, Robotics/Tech Ed., Furniture/Cabinetmaking, Accounting, Health Science, Agriculture, Culinary, Marketing, and Business. At the turn of the twenty-first century, the most considerable legislation in school reform was passed into law. The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB, 2001), promoted higher achievement standards, required schools to hire highly qualified educators, allowed for school choice, and changed school district spending. This sweeping reform in the education system caused considerable change and placed more focus on scholastic achievement using standards-based curriculum with standardized testing in core scholastic subjects (Rush Sherff, 2012). Since this change in education reform has occurred, a shortage of workforce ready individuals along with decreased confidence in the viability of Career and Technical Education programming exists (Gray, 2002; Bray, 2011). Further, high schools are forced to offer more rigorous, scholastic-focused courses to meet standards and high stakes testing requirements, forcing schools to forgo what has been a historically considerable part of secondary education (Siegel, 2009). Such focus on standards and raising the threshold for test scores results in insufficient time for hands-on activities and cooperative learning. Further, the standards for high stakes testing, as required by the No Child Left Behind Act, narrow the enterprise of education (Lewis, 2002; Parkison 2009). At the school, district, and state levels under NCLB, schools needs for meeting NCLB expectations have damaged the impact of Career and Technical Education programs. Some professionals view Career and Technical Education programs as an extra and therefore Career and Technical Education programs maintain diminished value in helping to raise school achievement scores or encourage scholar success. Because of this perception, school administrators have been forced to reduce parts or entire Career and Technical Education programs from their scholastic offerings, decreasing the value and quality of Career and Technical Education programs (Haussmann, 2012). The United States is experiencing a shortage in workforce ready high school graduates due, in part, to the change in curricular offerings in high schools across the country (McNamara, 2009). Employers have determined that teens entering the workforce lack basic soft competences such as teamwork, interpersonal communication, and organizational competences. McNamaras (2009) findings report that more than 80% of employers were concerned about soft competences deficiencies among workers. On the technical side, secondary indicators for scholastic success included industry standards (Gordon, 2008). The increased funding on a local level has strengthened technical competences of scholars through integration and provide experiences in all aspects of an industry (Gordon, 2008). Besides, integration of curriculum and a broad program of study, the Perkins Act also sought to improve, expand, and modernize Career and Technical Education programs. The funding provided for modernization of current Career and Technical Education programs has been given to provide activities to prepare special populations and mainstream populations for high-skill, high-wage, and high-demand occupations that lead to self-sufficiency (Gordon, 2008). Throughout the last two decades, there has been a renewed belief that Career and Technical Education can impact the scholastic performance of scholars. Daggett suggested that scholars need both scholastic and Career and Technical Education competences. Daggett (2013) stated: If Career and Technical Education is to remain a viable program in secondary schools, it is essential that Career and Technical Education leaders and educators be able to prove that Career and Technical Education contributes not just to the applied workplace competency demands of business but also to the scholastic proficiencies of its served scholar populations on state scholastic tests. While schools are aiming to integrate and modernize their Career and Technical Education programs to prepare scholars for these occupations, industry has helped shape their mission. Employers have been willing to pay higher salaries for higher levels of competences and certifications in the nonprofessional workforce (Ausman, 2009). Some schools and programs have recognized this and have reached out to industry to match the needs of their scholars success and the needs of industry. Programs such as High Schools That Work (HSTW) have sought to increase scholars readiness for college and better prepare their scholars who would seek immediate employment (Gibbs, 2006). These programs help meet the needs of industry, while also matching the rigorous ambitions of current legislation for schools under No Child Left Behind (Gibbs, 2006). In the PBS documentary Making Schools Work, Joyce Phillips, principal of Corbin High Schools in Kentucky, shared that nearly 80% of all high school scholars need a hook something that makes them want to come to school and have a desire to learn. She believed programs integrating high scholastic standards and rigor, and a comprehensive program for Career and Technical Education focusing on certification and skill development, are the answer to hooking those 80% high school scholars (Gibbs, 2006). Integrating competences-based technical education with scholastic rigor in the traditional curriculum such as reading, writing, math, and science can give these scholars an opportunity in a variety of arenas following completion of high school. Hiring trainable employees is becoming increase difficult because most scholars seeking employment have little work history, limited educational credentials, and a brief rà ©sumà © (Ausman, 2009). Experts predicted in 2010 over 80% of jobs would require scholars to have additional training beyond a high school diploma (Ausman, 2009). Current programs and curriculum in Career and Technical Education are cognizant of this alarming statistic and the need to provide scholars with competences and training in industry besides scholastic preparation for college and beyond (Ausman, 2009). Despite Career and Technical Education of the past being thought of as a track for scholars who would not need the scholastic rigor and demands of the college preparatory curriculum, research has proven that Career and Technical Education engages and motivates scholars by giving them real world opportunities and challenges that will enhance and provide connection to their education (Harris Wakelyn, 2007). Recently, employers have communicated with educators to tell schools what competences are needed, and these collaborative achievements often include the scholastic rigor necessary to prepare for schooling beyond high school (Ausman, 2009). It is now estimated that over half of all scholars choosing to take part in some Career and Technical Education curriculum at their school are taking the bulk of their courses within the college preparatory curriculum (Harris Wakelyn, 2007). The achievements of schools to restructure curriculum and increase rigor come in the wake of high dropout rates and stagnant college completion rates over the past several years (Harris Wakelin, 2007). Entrepreneurial philanthropists such as Bill Gates have been challenging public schools over the past decade to include more relevant experiences and real-world practical application to their curriculum, which some find obsolete. At a 2005 conference, Mr. Gates stated that nearly 70% of all scholars who dropped out of high school claim they would have stayed more engaged and not dropped out if the school offered more engaging, real world learning opportunities (Harris Wakelyn, 2007). This call to action was just what Career and Technical Education programs across the country needed to hear because of their ability to give scholars the opportunity to learn in applied settings (Harris Wakelyn, 2007). Organizations no longer bear the primary responsibility for their workers career development, instead expecting each individual to take on that responsibility (Adamson, 1997; Conlon, 2003; Graham Nafukho, 2004. Career Development, which has a long history and rich theoretical base and human resource development, a relatively young field of study still developing and refining its theoretical base (Lynham, 2000; Swanson, 2001; Torraco, 2004;). Contrary to what many people believe, theory is not intended to be haughty pontification about a scholarly topic. Instead, the development of theory, specifically in emerging fields such as Human Resource Development, should lead to explanations that aid practitioners and scholars alike in using and explaining issues that impact people and organizations. The refinement of theory is also an considerable aspect of theory building and in the established field of career development scholars are now calling for the convergence of existing career development theory into a framework to address the current theoretical inadequacies (Savickas, 2001; Zunker, 2002). The Carl D. Perkins Act (2006) specified that local education agencies applying for federal funding illustrate in their local planning systems how career guidance and scholastic counseling be provided to Career and Technical Education scholars including linkages to future education and training opportunities (US Department of Education, 2012). A career development coordinator can work with Career and Technical Education scholars to develop realistic plans of study, assist with registration, and serve as an advocate for Career and Technical Education scholars. During middle school scholars explore and understand a variety of careers while developing a scholar portfolio that includes career interest inventories, learning style inventories, and the development of four year plans. The transition from middle to high school can present challenges for scholars due to the increased in rigorous coursework and scholar expectations (Breakthrough Collaborative, 2011). Therefore, effective career development and advisement activities are an influential factor in Career and Technical Education course selections in secondary education. Career development and advisement activities can be provided from a variety of individuals including parents, educators, and counselors. In their study, Manzi, Palma, and Schultheiss (2005) found that to strengthen the connection between school and future result, choices, and school counselors could provide children with experiences that more clearly link scholastic subject areas with various occupations. This concept supports the notion of a program of study that combines a rigorous Career and Technical Education and scholastic curriculum directed by a scholars career interest. According to Kalchik and Oertle (2012) program of study provi de a means for exploring options, organizing course selections and planning for transition while developing knowledge and competences. Despite the presumed relationship between Career and Technical Education and career development, a gap continues to exist between the two because Career and Technical Education courses alone do not provide the essential components available within a career development program (Kalchik Oertle, 2012). Therefore, comprehensive career development plans that incorporate scholastic and career courses meet the college and career readiness goals outlined in the Common Core State Standards (CCSS, n. d.). A comprehensive career development program assists with the development of programs of study that are developed at the eighth grade with the help of the school counselor and parents with the scholar prior to transitioning to high school. However, emphasis on career development that could help steer Career and Technical Education programs have not been greatly emphasized in our educational systems, although early educators stressed the importance of vocational competences to a childs overall development (Gutek, 2011; Lewis, M. V., Kosine, N. R., Overman, L., 2008). McComb Beverage (2012) suggest that when career development programs are not put into place during the adolescent stage, scholars may face difficulty making career choices upon graduation from high school. Mei, Newmeyer, and Wei (2008) conducted a study on the factors that influence a scholars career choices by analyzing the relationships among learning experiences, career self efficacy, career interest, and career choices. Mei, T., Newmeyer, M. D., Wei, P. (2008) found that interventions are needed to provide scholars with a comprehensive career development program that helps scholars develop self-efficacy in their desired careers through practical learning activities. In a study to understand the factors that influence enrollment in Career and Technical Education programs at an occupational center, Gene (2010) examined the human and other factors while exploring the most effective communication strategies that accurately present the advantages of Career and Technical Education. Gene (2010) found the factors that influenced scholars to enroll were having a high school career plan, earning credits toward high school graduation, and a job shadowing someone in the field where they were fascinated. McComb-Beverage (2012) found that self-efficacy can be an influential component to an adolescents career planning process. Supers (1992) life span theory depicts his life-span rainbow as a model for the practice of career development and counseling. The life span theory helps to develop conceptual design instruments for career assessments. A model of Career Development, Maturity, and Adaptability, Model of Importance and Determinants seeks to draw on matching theory and its knowledge base, on developmental theory and its wisdom, and on phenomenology or personal construct theory. It seeks, too, to portray what we know about person-environment interaction (Super, D. E., Osborne, L. W., Walsh, D. J. Brown, S., Niles, S. G., 1992). Career assessments including The Strong Inventory, The Career Development Inventory, The Adult Careers Concern Inventory, and the Saliency Inventory conceptualize the career interest of an individual (Super, Osborne, Walsh, Brown, Niles, 1992). North Carolina Career and Technical Education programs are required to provide a Career Development Plan (CDP) on all scholars when they are transitioning to postsecondary education that includes a variety of inventories to gauge the scholars career interests and learning abilities (NC 5-Year Career and Technical Education State Plan, 2008). Career counseling to enhance career development can be implemented within programs and institutions with the use of assessments and inventories as designed by Super (1992). McComb-Beverage (2012) found that lifespan coupled with an effective career development program can assist adolescents in creating realistic goals for the future. The learning style of individuals can also play a vital role in their course selections and their career and college goals because style of learning determines how an individual processes each new experience. As a model, Career, and decisions are influenced through lived experiences. Kolb and Yeganeh (2009) explained, For many, this learning style choice has become relatively unconscious, comprised of deeply patterned routines applied globally to learning situations. Mindfulness can put the control of learning back in the learners hands. Therefore, assessing scholar learning styles during the career development process can help guide scholars in making informed decisions during and after high school. Career guidance and a variety of inventories are essential tools for transition from school to work where Friedman (2007) suggests that individuals should be provided with tools that make them lifetime employable. In order for scholars to gain both Career and Technical Education and scholastic competences, scholars must be recruited into Career and Technical Education programs. If low enrollment becomes an issue for a Career and Technical Education, they could be held accountable for various performance standards, including scholastic gain. Low or declining enrollment is a concern for Career and Technical Education educators and administrators due to the standards mandated in the Carl D. Perkins Vocational and Applied Technology Act of 1998. Administrators in state agencies and local Career and Technical Education departments agree that accountability is the key aspect in Perkins III. Because Congress gave more flexibility to the states in dividing funds, they expected in return to see positive results from the supported Career and Technical Education programs. Therefore, through the accountability model, Career and Technical Education must show its contribution to scholarly achievement, progr am completion rates, and the placement of scholars in postsecondary education and the workforce. To meet accountability expectations, states had to develop systems that measure performance using three or four specific indicators. Social literacy contract. Historically, vocational education, now titled, Career and Technical Education began as an apprenticeship agreement for individuals to learn a skilled trade prior to entering the workforce (Lynch, 2006). In the early nineteen- hundreds, Career and Technical Education expanded into a program that was ultimately offered in schools to supply both the industrial and agricultural workforces with skilled workers. School reforms, such as the Smith-Hughes National Vocational Education Act of 1917, required specific skilled training to retain scholars in secondary schools and provide trained workers for semiskilled occupations (Gordon, Daggett, McCaslin, Parks, Castro, 2002). The landmark legislation, The Carl D. Perkins Act of 1984, confirmed politicians belief that Career and Technical Education is an considerable contributor both economically and socially. According to Gordon, Yocke, Maldonado, and Saddler (2007), the Perkins Act emphasized improvement in scholas tic achievement and the preparation of school-aged individuals for postsecondary education and work. Career and technical education is often viewed as way to prepare scholars of lower socioeconomic standing for the work force. This belief was characterized when a U.S. Department of Education employee characterized Career and Technical Education programs as preparing scholars for careers as shoe repairers (DAmico, 2003). The Career and Technical Education stereotype prevails in the minds of many administrators with the thinking, as Gray (2004) stated, It prepares scholars only for work after high school, and its scholars are mostly male, too often minorities, economically backward, and destined for dead-end jobs. The attitudes of administrators may not be overt in those stated beliefs. Those attitudes are unrecognized paradigms as deeply ingrained as are underlying sexist attitudes and racial attitudes. On April 24, 1997, former Assistant Secretary for Vocational and Adult Education Patricia W. McNeil addressed the Senate Labor and Human Resources Committee. In her statement, she discussed the importance of career and technical (vocational) education for the 21st century. McNeil stated: We need a new vision of vocational education if we ensure that scholars are prepared for the information age of the 21st century. That vision must reflect the rapidly changing demands of our economy and society brought on by new technologies, global competition, and changes in the organization of work. Our vision must reflect the knowledge and competences that workers, citizens, and family members will need to be abundance in a world that is dramatically different than the one that existed when we got our formal education. We must envision new kinds of schools. I believe it is considerable that we think about vocational education as an integral part of our achievements to reform secondary schools and improve postsecondary education. There has been an expansion of Career and Technical Education in the United