Public Library Essay

Library is something which has a lot of importance in everyone’s life. And specially in the life of school going children’s. It is responsible for teaching those children the moral values which are required a lot in further run of their life. Library is something whose importance cannot be neglected at any point of life. I consider myself to be very lucky as I was being provided with one of the best library by my school. My school had a big and efficient library. Almost all sorts of books required by student’s could be found in that library. And also there were many different types of magazines and newspapers in our library. We had a different room known as Reading Room adjacent to our library. It was the place where we used to take our books for reading them or making notes. No one was allowed to read books in library instead of teachers. Students till class 10th had two library period in a week. They had permission to issue books during those two periods only. Also they had to return the issued book within 15 days. No student till class 10th was allowed to keep books for more than 15 days. Keeping books with themselves for more than 15 days would require the student to pay a fine of Rs5 a day for each extra day. But this was not the case with senior students or students of class 11th-12th they were allowed to issue books whenever they wanted. There was no specific Library period for senior students. Also they had the permission to keep books with themselves till they want. They had to return books only during the time of examination. There were different sections in our library which were divided according to classes. The section for senior students mostly consisted of reference books. But they too had an option of issuing novels and other story books. Although due to study pressure there was hardly any student who issued novels or story books. Everyone issued references.

Health of Indigenous Peoples Essay

This essay seeks to demonstrate that whilst Indigenous health policy may have been on the Australian public policy agenda since the1960s, the gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous health has remained. A brief description of the lives of Indigenous Australians prior to the colonisation of Australia is given, followed by a description of various policies that have been introduced by the Australian government to combat these inequalities. This essay demonstrates why these policies have been inadequate, in turn highlighting why the incorporation of Indigenous knowledge in creating Indigenous health policies is important. This essay closes with a brief examination of the Closing the Gap policy, which is utilising the knowledge of Indigenous Australians in creating culturally sensitive Indigenous health policies. In conclusion, this essay demonstrates that by including Indigenous Australians in the policymaking process, we might be starting to close the gap. The health inequality of Indigenous Australians has long been a concern for Australia and the world. Whilst the overall health of Australia has continued to improve, the health of Indigenous Australians remains at levels below those of non-indigenous Australians. Whilst it may seem that there is a lot being done to address these issues, the statistics demonstrate that policies implemented to address these issues have not been effective (Australian Indigenous HealthInfoNet 2010; Australian Institute of Health and Welfare 2010, p. 29). The thesis of this essay is that whilst the government has been seen as attempting to address the issues of health inequalities of Indigenous Australians, it is only in recent times that the government has implemented programs that are anywhere near close to closing the gap between Indigenous and non-indigenous Australians. To demonstrate this thesis, this essay will firstly discuss the history of Indigenous health prior to colonisation. This will be done to highlight how Indigenous health has declined dramatically since colonisation. This essay will then discuss what the government has been doing since the 1967 referendum, in which Indigenous Australians were formally recognised in the Constitution, to address issues of health inequalities (Australian Indigenous HealthInfoNet 2010). In the next section, a discussion on the reasons why there is a large gap between Indigenous and non-indigenous health will occur. This will be followed by a discussion on the utilisation of Indigenous knowledge to provide adequate health services. This essay will finally discuss the current Closing The Gap policy (Australian Human Rights Commission 2011), which has been introduced to address issues that previous policies have failed to. This will be done to highlight the fact that whilst it may seem that as the Indigenous population require the knowledge and assistance of its non-indigenous counter parts, what is evident is that health of Indigenous populations has in fact declined since the colonisation of Australia. Failing to recognise the correlation between colonisation and declining health of Indigenous people, will only see a continuation of the problem rather than seeing a positive change. Whilst the information pertaining to the health of Indigenous Australians prior to colonisation in 1788 appears to be scarce, what is known is that Indigenous health has been on the decline since the arrival of European settlers. Indigenous Australians were considered to be healthier than those of their colonisers (Flood 2006, p. 120). Prior to colonisation, there was no contact with the outside world and therefore infectious diseases were minimal. Due to the introduction of new illnesses from colonisation, the population of Indigenous Australians declined (Carson 2007, p. 43). It was also common for Indigenous women to contract sexual diseases from the often non-consensual contact with the colonisers (Carson 2007, p. 44). Health was also impacted upon by change in diet. Prior to colonisation, Indigenous Australians maintained a diet of protein and vegetables due to the animals and plants available to them (Flood 2006, p.120), as well as the exercise they maintained from hunting and gathering (Flood 2006, p. 122). After colonisation, the Indigenous diet included many foods which saw an increase in obesity, diabetes and heart disease (O’Dea 1991, p. 233). It was not just the introduction of disease and change in die that impacted upon Indigenous Australians’ health. Anthropological studies surrounding Indigenous culture have shown that Indigenous populations have close ties to the land, as the land is incorporated into their sense of being. Pieces of land belonged to particular groups of individuals, and the objects from the natural landscape were considered to be part of their history (Carson 2007, p. 180). It was the failure of colonisers to understand this worldview that has contributed to the deterioration of mental health amongst Indigenous Australians, as they were forced off their lands and into settlements and reserves (Carson 2007, p. 49). This contributed to the feeling of being disconnected from land and family, exacerbating feelings of not be longing, lack of identity and low self-esteem (Ypinazar et al.2007,p. 474). As one can see, the issue of health amongst Indigenous Australians is a complex one, complicated by the differing world views of Indigenous and non-indigenous Australians. It is due to this lack of understanding that has resulted in a myriad of health policies that have attempted to address the issue of health inequality of Indigenous Australians. The first health policy to address the health issues of Indigenous Australians was implemented in 1968, with thirty five adjustments made between then and 2006. Without going into the details of every amendment or new policy, what was common throughout this timeline, was that there were various bodies and institutions created to address the issues that had not been adequately addressed previously, responsibilities were allocated by the government to the states and territories, and programs were implemented to address health issues. Change in governments also meant that policies were constantly changing, which meant that the ways in which health issues were seen and therefore addressed also changed (Australian Indigenous Health InfoNet 2010). When attempting to implement a policy that will adequately address the issue, what has been found is that comparative analysis has been used to determine how health issues have been addressed in other countries. Whilst this kind of analysis may be sufficient in some circumstances, it does not suit such a situation where our Indigenous population’s culture and worldview is unlike that of any other. For example, whilst health issues may be similar to those of Indigenous populations elsewhere, worldviews which impact upon health and wellbeing will vary and may not be able to be applied from one culture to another (Tsey et al.2003, p. 36). One event that highlights the differing views on how issues should be addressed, was the closing down of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission (ATSIC) by the John Howard Government in 2004 (Australian Indigenous Health InfoNet2010). What was significant about this was that Indigenous health policy had been the responsibility of ATSIC. This action effectively removed the responsibility of Indigenous health from the Indigenous people and placed the responsibility with mainstream departments that were also responsible for non-indigenous health. By doing this, the government had wound back many years of work to address the health inequalities of Indigenous Australians, perceiving Indigenous Australians as a culture that could not look after themselves and needed instead the knowledge and expertise of the superior colonialists (Kay & Perrin 2007, p. 19). By removing the responsibility of Indigenous health from ATSIC and placing it in the hands of a body that was also responsible for non-indigenous health, the government failed to understand the intricacies of Indigenous Australian culture and the implications that this kind of action can have on Indigenous health. Whilst the overall health of Australians is amongst the top third of Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare 2010, p. 8). There is a clear disparity between Indigenous and non-indigenous health, when one considers that even in this day and age of modern medicine, Indigenous Australians are expected to live twelve years less than their non-indigenous counterparts for males, and ten years less for females (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare 2010, p. 29). So what are considered to be the reasons for this inequality? What has already been highlighted, is that Indigenous health has suffered from the introduction to changes in diet, introduction of diseases both airborne and venereal, and the impact upon mental health due to dispossession of land and loss of kinship. Mental health issues can also be connected to the economic and social disadvantage of many Indigenous individuals, which can lead to substance abuse and other issues (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare 2010, p. 33). The failure to adequately address mental health issues has resulted in deaths by suicide being the second biggest reason for deaths by injury (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare 2010, p. 30). These figures demonstrate that policies have clearly not been working. A salient point to note is that Indigenous Australians are the least likely group of the whole population, to access important health services. So what are the reasons behind this lack of access to services? It can be as simple as the kind of service that an individual receives. From personal experience of serving Indigenous customers, tone of voice can be misinterpreted. What may be considered polite in most circumstances, can be misconstrued as being conceited by others. Use of language can also be a barrier. For example, (again from personal experience), language has to be altered to manoeuvre these barriers, such as replacing the term ‘bank account’ with the word ‘kitty’. Other barriers may include the fact that in remote communities, health professionals may also be the town judge, which may deter Indigenous people from accessing the services from a person who might have also been responsible for sentencing an individual or a member of their family (Paul 1998, p.67). Barriers such as the remote locations of individuals in comparison to the services, and the cost of services also have to be taken into account. For example, if a service is some distance away from an individual, the cost of travelling may be too high. The cost of services close by may also be too expensive for individuals, or individuals may receive poor treatment due to either being turned away from services, or mistreatment due to racialist beliefs. This may result in individuals travelling long distances due to this very mistreatment in their own communities (Paul 1998, pp.67-68). The misconception that all Indigenous Australians are one group of people can also result in culturally inadequate services, deterring individuals from accessing important health services (Paul 1998, p. 68). This lack of understanding about Indigenous cultures when providing health services has resulted in a rise in the provision of health services that are either run by Indigenous individuals, or have been created in consultation with Indigenous individuals, to ensure that the services being provided are culturally adequate. An example that highlights this can be seen in the creation of a program in 1998in the Northern Territory that was attempting to address the health inequalities of Indigenous children (Campbell et al 2005, p. 153). There were many problems with this programme because the people that were overseeing the programme did not have cultural knowledge that was a factor in the health and wellbeing of the children. What resulted was a program which was implemented in an Indigenous remote community, which utilised the knowledge of Indigenous people from the community itself. This allowed for the programme to be altered when issues were addressed and individuals within the community were able to provide solutions to issues, rather than being told what was going to happen by an outside authority (Campbell etal. 2005, p. 155). Whilst this programme realised that a bottom-up approach was more beneficial than a top-down one which usually occurs in policy implementation, there were issues because the programme also involved people from the outside that were there to manage the programme, who were unwilling to give total control to the community, generating feelings of disempowerment, resentment and marginalisation (Campbell et al. 2005, p. 156). Whilst there are many examples of programs that have been implemented to address the health inequalities of Indigenous Australians, one that deserves mentioning because of success that it has had are the men’s groups in Yaba Bimbie and Ma’Ddaimba Balas (McCalman et al. 2010, p. 160). What was found was that these programs were successful because they were run by Indigenous men who had direct knowledge of the cultural issues and needs of the community as they also lived there. They were also successful because the men felt included in their communities by having control, rather than being controlled by an outside source. Due to these men’s groups, individuals were able to come together and share their concerns about their community, and as the others also were from the same community, they were able to contribute to solutions to the problems by feeling able to speak freely about their concerns. One such concern was anger management issues, which were exacerbated by the social issues that the individuals faced (McCalman et al. 2010, p. 163). Whilst, issues like this may seem to be separate, they in fact contribute to other areas, as has been mentioned earlier in regards to mental health and suicide, which flow on to other members of the community, when there may be no one in the family who is able to earn an income, which contributes to poverty. This may in turn, render an individual unable to access services as previously mentioned. As one can see, when individuals who are directly impacted by issues, are included in finding solutions to address these issues, there is more success than when they are not included. It is the understanding of this that has seen the implementation of the Close The Gap policy (Australian Human Rights Commission 2011). This policy is based on the understanding that the concept of health is different in the eyes of Indigenous Australians than that of non-Indigenous Australians (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare2009). This policy has sought to reduce the gap of inequality between Indigenous and non-indigenous Australians by reducing the gap in life expectancy by 2031, halving mortality rates of children by2018, ensuring equal access to early childhood education by 2013, halving the gap in the area of inability to read and write by 2018, halving the gap of individuals who attain their Year 12 education by 2020 and halving the gap of unemployment rates by 2018 (Gillard2011, p. 2). Various programmes have been implemented to address these issues, with a common theme of inclusion. That is, the programs all involve Indigenous Australians who have a better cultural understanding than non-indigenous Australians. This has allowed for individuals to work with their own communities, various levels of government, non-government organisations and businesses (Gillard 2011, p. 6). By doing so, it has provided individuals with a sense of control and purpose over their own lives, which has seen a decrease in the mortality rates of Indigenous Australians (Gillard2011, p. 12), as well as a reduction in the rates of reading and writing problems (Gillard 2011, p. 14). There has also been a significant increase in the numbers of Indigenous Australians aiming towards their Year 12 qualifications (Gillard 2011, p. 16), as well as a decrease in the number of unemployed in the Indigenous population (Gillard 2011, p. 17). Whilst these figures are promising, one has to look at some of the programs that have been implemented as a result of this policy, to see if lessons have been learned from past mistakes, or if similar mistakes are being made. One such program that is deemed to be addressing issues of inequality is the Welfare Payment Reform act, which allowed the government to withhold portions of welfare payments (Gruenstein 2008, p. 468). This was to ensure that portions of the payment were going to required living expenses before going to things such as alcohol. Whilst this may seem as though it is an important step in addressing issues within communities, what is important to note is that policies such as these are in direct violation of the Racial Discrimination Convention because they directly target Indigenous individuals solely because they are Indigenous and are not necessarily in need of intervention (Gruenstein, 2008, p. 469). Whilst the Closing the Gap policy has good intentions, it can result in actions that treat Indigenous Australians as a homogenous group, rather than recognising the variation of issues. In conclusion, this essay has demonstrated that Australia has come a long way in addressing the issues of inequality amongst Indigenous Australians. It has been demonstrated that Indigenous Australians were in good health prior to colonisation, and only since colonisation has the health of Indigenous Australians has declined. This essay has also shown that the different governments have varied between allowing Indigenous Australians self-determination, or be included in the process of policy making, to the government seizing control of the issues, excluding the Indigenous community from decision making. Whilst it has been shown that the government has been addressing issues for well over 40 years, it has only been in recent times that issues of inequality have begun to be adequately addressed. By understanding that it is Indigenous Australians who are better able to understand their issues, which stem from the actions of non-indigenous peoples and allowing Indigenous Australians to take control of their own lives, will we start to close the gap of health inequality between Indigenous and non-indigenous Australians.

Maritime bussines Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Maritime bussines - Essay Example The international trade remains successful first of all because of the improvement in marine transportation (The Long History of Shipping Company). However, besides the advantages, recent global changes also brought some problems and changes shipping organizations have to solve and adapt to. The given paper will discuss the issue of adaptation in relation to shipping organizations. The main stress will be made on the necessity for such adaptation. These advices on success and adaptation might serve as a model for shipping organizations, which go through difficult times. Notwithstanding that shipping organizations sometimes have problems they are very successful in development and their business is thriving. The typical problems frequently met by the companies are delays in delivery, problems with documents, and problems with communication. Information technologies development made it possible for shipping companies to control the ships and provide the needed level of security. Â  Today the main task of shipping originations is to adapt to the developing of new technologies, especially in creating new systems of controlling and spreading the data. Modern shipping organization needs a modern database to track the information, and thus having correct information is the key element of the successful functioning of the company. The absence of a good database in any shipping organization might even indirectly lead to its closing, and much has already been said about it. Any organization needs the ability to adapt to the changing environment, as it is always influenced by the limited resources and increasing competition. Only a few organizations are able to develop a strong plan of adaptation looking for opportunities of modernizing their techniques and making marketing strategies work effectively. Shipping company should be was mainly concentrated on the issue of information technologies,

Roots of the Texas Judiciary Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Roots of the Texas Judiciary - Essay Example For the elections of the district judges and the Chief Justice, the two houses of Congress conducted a joint ballot. For lower court judges, their elections were conducted through a popular vote. County courts for each county were also established. This judicial structure was retained for the 1845 to 1869 constitutions (Womack, tshaonline.org). In 1845 however, Supreme Court district judges’ roles were discarded and consequently replaced by two associate justices (Womack, tshaonline.org). Another change was in 1850 when the positions of Supreme Court Justices and district judges were made elective; potential candidates for these positions were previously appointed by the governor with the authorization of the Senate (Womack, tshaonline.org). The appellate court of last resort-the court of appeals was formed after the constitution of 1876 (Womack, tshaonline.org). The court was given authorization of appeals in criminal, county court and probate cases. In addition, the Supreme Court neither had the ability nor the will to review the court of Appeals decisions. However, the full intention of the court of appeal was to decide the civil appeal from the district courts by abandoning the supreme courts, but unfortunately, the Court of Appeal did not succeed in its mission leading to the deterioration of the Supreme Court’s work. According to Womack, the second plan to relieve the supreme court was through the establishment of an intermediate level of appeals for cases that were civil in nature, which became possible when the Constitution was amended in 1891 (tshaonline.org). With time, the number of cases in need of attention by the courts increase and this led to an increased in the number of judges to nine by 1978 (Womack, tshaonline.org).

Knowledge management, social networks and innovation Coursework - 2

Knowledge management, social networks and innovation - Coursework Example Knowledge Management (KM), in this regards, is considered the sole requisite to enhance innovation that would act as an added advantage for organisations to maintain their dominance in the global environment. Hence, organisations in the present era are maintaining its competitive edge based on the efficient handling of strategies, such as OL as well as KM (Prange, 1999). Hence, with the developments in the concepts of practice and technology orientation, the organisations are illustrating, the general concepts sustained within the diversified business world (Argyris, 1999). In this context, the paper convolutes on creation of knowledge as well as transfer within organisation. The organisational dynamics will be duly elaborated based on the needs of social dynamics and engendered innovations. Furthermore, the paper inclined towards addressing the complex problems that are prominent within the business domain to enhance the ability of the organisation to assess knowledge. Correspondingly, by addressing the development within the domain of technology, the paper develops a better understanding of the diverse applications of changing business needs. With changing environment and dynamic needs of business, OL has become a major area of interest among business personnel that might help them to develop the quality of operation. Continuous development within the research and development field, as well as in the technical field has in turn acted as a stimulus for integrating OL into the system of business operation (Argote & Miron-Spektor, 2005). With the need to maintain a continuous process of growth and sustainability within the global edge, the organisations are fostering continuous learning process too (Schulz, 2011; Torlak, n.d.). It must be noted in this context that learning is often attributed as a prerequisite for developing the ability of employees in general by enhancing their capacity to perform within the global domain. OL herewith refers to a

Strategy (Business) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Strategy (Business) - Essay Example Johnson & Scholes (1999) define stakeholder as, â€Å"Stakeholders are groups or individuals who have a stake in, or expectation of, the organisation’s performance.† Stakeholders all have power, someone has a formal power invested in a position of authority or it could be the social power of being able to persuade others to support or oppose the policies of the organization. For example NGOs and social watch groups often exert such a power on the company forcing the organization to adopt or abandon some decisions. For example an oil producing company has to remain watchful for any pollution in the seabed, a construction company has to make sure that it doesn’t spread too much of building material on the lanes and bylanes, blocking the easy movement of general public. People with higher power could be the company’s most useful supporters or most dangerous opponents, depending upon the prevailing dynamics. Different companies have different set of stakeholders with different levels of power structures. Shareholders (medium and big): This type of shareholder is interested in better dividend rates as well as better performance and public relations of the company. He keeps an eye on macro as well as micro level factors. Banks and Financial Institutions: Banks and Institutions are not only interested in better showing, but they also wish the company to diversify in more areas, open more facilities as that involves more business for banks and Financial Institutions (FIs). Customers: Customers want value for their money; they can wield pressure by way of asking for better quality at reasonable prices. They need to be pampered by the company, otherwise there is an inherent danger of their opting for alternative products or the products of rival companies. Lower level Employees: These stakeholders are interested in their salaries at the end of the month, not involving themselves in the strategic decisions. They

Basel III Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Basel III - Essay Example When the housing bubble collapsed before the financial crisis, the asset-backed securities loss value and many banking firms faced insolvency and required federal bailouts. This paper will review the Basel Accords and the economic impact on banks because of the Basel Accords. Basel I and II background Basel I, which centered mainly on credit risk, came into existence in 1988 and became legally enforceable in the G10 nations in 1992 (Barron, J 2011). The goals of Basel I was to mandate that banks preserve enough capital to absorb losses without creating universal difficulties. Basel I was criticized for being inadequate in its assessment of assets to risk categories because assets with different risk composition would be categorized into the same risk groups. The Basel III established the amount of reserves required by banks to avert losses and cushion the financial industry against possible future financial catastrophes. Basel II was created in June 2004 after concerns arose with Bas el I because of the regulatory arbitrage. Basel II was seen as a more risk-sensitive standard that applied bank’s own approximates of risk in deciding minimum capital demands. Basel II placed measures on the amount and usage of a bank’s capital to cover the risks they experienced. One of the fundamental modifications suggested by Basel II is the heightened sensitivity of a bank’s capital obligations to the risk of its assets: the quantity of capital that a bank has to capture is to be directly associated to the riskiness of its underlying assets (Drumond, I 2009). Because Basel II connected the riskiness of banking institution lending with the funds it held, basically making higher risk transactions have elevated reserve requirements than lower risk ones (Barron, J 2011). A chief concern of the Basel II imitative was the practice of securitization. Banks grouped risky loans into asset-backed securities and sold the securities to investors. This practice allowed the banks to move the risky assets off their balance sheets. This process allowed financial institutions to decrease their capital obligations, take on increasing risks and augment their leverage ('FOCUS: The Business Impact of Basel III' 2010).