Practical Life Exercises Montessori Free Essay

DMT 104 Practical Life (Assignment One) Montessori in the Absorbent Mind writes that â€Å"the hands are instruments of man’s intelligence†. It is therefore critical that children develop the ability to control and coordinate their hand muscle so that these can come into contact with the environment in intelligent ways. Discuss the principles underlining the practical life exercises and how it fosters independence in children. Introduction A child in the first six years becomes a full member of her particular culture and family group absorbing language, attitudes, manners and values of those in which she comes in daily contact.A child develops properly if they are in an environment full of affection, love, caring and support. They feel comfortable and safe when they find a secure and lovable environment. Children learn according to their abilities. In the first six years of life they do this by imitating those around them. To support this we should provide them a physic al and social environment suitable for them. We should provide the children with the tools they can create by themselves.Children are able to explore, investigate and fulfil the natural curiosity about the world around them. The child's purposes are not to complete the task as much as to construct the self. In addition, Dr Maria Montessori developed her philosophy of education based upon actual observations of children. She said children prefer work than play, and they can only be in their natural self, when their natural self is satisfied through work. It’s also through work they acquire independence, order, the power of concentration and be normalized.Exercises of Practical Life were introduced and were recognized at the very heart of Montessori Education for it provides the opportunity for the child’s development of physical co-ordination, social skills, emotional growth as well as cognitive preparation. Practical Life Activities are the first activities the child i s introduced to within the Montessori environment. These exercises are prepared based on activities children witnesses in their day to day life. That is why children can immediately satisfy their inner needs and desires by mastering these exercises independently.Also Practical Life area allows children to do the things what adults do every day, for example cleaning, dressing or greeting people. As we know that children construct their knowledge by themselves through their life exercises. Motive of Practical Life Exercises Practical Life Curriculum area has four main direct aims; Order, Co-ordination, independence and Concentration. Dr Maria Montessori observed that children need order at a specific sensitive period in their development. I f not provided during this period the opportunity is foregone. A routine is very important as well as a place for everything and everything in its place.This offers the child for orderly self construction. Co-ordination refers to coordinating large and small muscle movements as well as eye-hand co-ordination that reflect the respective development of child’s mental life. In the practical life exercise of Montessori they learns to concentrate, to develop the fine-gross motor skills-i. e. controlling the muscle, to develop language, to develop the mathematical concepts, they will be good in care of environment, they will be good in logical steps and they are ready to complete the cycle of activity.This is will be the good basement for the children not only in the early childhood, but throughout in life. â€Å"If teaching  is to be effective with young children, it must assist them to advance on the way to independence. It must initiate them into those kinds of activities, which they can perform themselves. We must help them to learn how to walk without assistance, to run, to go up and down the stairs, to pick up fallen objects, to dress and undress, to wash themselves, to express their needs, and to attempt to satisfy their desires through their own efforts. All this is part of an education for independence. † – TheDiscovery of the Child by Maria Montessori MM, pg. 56~57 By giving the exercise of practical life in his early years of the child, he goes through a period when he wants to or likes to learn to do all the work he sees the adult doing. At first, he likes to learn the works at home. This age will pass, but if it is used, the child will know how to do everything well in the home environment. He will grow intellectually. It requires real intelligence to run a modern home. The indirect aim of Practical life exercise is to meet the child’s needs, to encourage and facilitate development, and to facilitate the child's adaptation to the world.It is very important that the child is given freedom to do these exercises at a time the child pleases; he should be allowed to try, make mistakes and correct his mistakes by himself without any help. The satisfaction of completing an activity drives the child towards independence. â€Å"Man achieves his independence by making efforts. To be able to do a thing without any help from others: this is independence. If it exists, the child can progress rapidly; if it does not, his progress will be slow† The Absorbent Mind, chapter. XIV, pg 155 The power of Concentration is one of the most calming activities for a child.This is something which is controlled by the child and it challenges his body and his mind. With concentration the child is able to focus on purposeful work. I’ve witnessed to the concentration that my 3 and half year old niece had for folding her little brothers’ nappies. The pile of nappies was two times bigger than her, I thought, she would be bored and leave, but for my amazement after 45 minutes I could see that she has folded all nappies very neatly and have kept one on top of another and was ready to be placed in the drawers. Within the Montessori classroom deep concentration can be acquired through the ‘Silence Game†.To achieve silence requires effort and the attention of the will, and maximum control of self-consciousness of every movement. Montessori thought of the silence lesson as a means for bringing children to this higher level of spiritual awareness. Practical Life Exercises aid the child in his journey towards normalization As a result of learning Practical Life Exercises in the Montessori environment, the child starts to develop confidence, self-esteem, he grow towards independence, mutual aid and co-operation, profound spontaneous concentration, attachment to reality and most importantly child's joy of learning is supreme.All these help the child to lead towards normalization. The normalized children possess a unique character and personality not recognized in young children. Children needs a carefully prepared environment It is important to provide the child an environment to work on activities of their own choice at their own p ace experiencing freedom and self discipline while developing towards independence. Even though materials in Practical Life area are the least standardized, exercises needs to be carefully thought and designed. A prepared environment should consist of purposeful and meaningful materials and properly trained instructors.When preparing materials the teacher needs to consider few principles of the Montessori Practical Life materials which satisfy Childs’ development needs. Firstly she needs to make sure that each material we give the child should have a definite purpose, for an example the mat is laid to mark the area of his workstation, handling the spoon develops child’s skill of spooning which leads to independence. Secondly materials should progress from simple to more complex design and usage. As a preliminary exercise for transferring solid objects we could give the child a spoon and later, it could progress to tweezers, chopsticks.Also it should be designed to prep are the child indirectly for future learning’s such as writing, mathematics and scientific concepts. We prepare the child for wiring by teaching them the pincer grip, using thumb, index and middle fingers to hold objects and by left to right and top to bottom concepts, so that these orders naturally incarnates in the child’s mind. The mathematical concepts such as judgement of capacity and volume, division, calculation and exactness includes in activities of spooning, pouring and sweeping.The activity, transferring water using a sponge gives the child the scientific concept of weight. The child could feel the weight of the sponge defers when the water is absorbed and when the water is released. Dr. Maria Montessori said, â€Å"Each individual should become aware of his own errors. Each should have a means of checking, so that he can tell if he is right or not. † Absorbent Mind, Chapter XXIV, pg 247 So she included the path to perfection, which she called â€Å" the Control of Error† within the materials itself so the child would be able to observe the activity he completes and understand his own mistakes.If a child has finished working on the dressing frame with large buttons, and he can see that buttons has gone through wrong buttonholes or buttoning halfway or seeing only half of the button come up the flap, these would be his control of errors. He has the opportunity to guide himself to correct his own mistakes. â€Å"Never help a child with a task at which he feels he can succeed. †-Maria Montessori. Furthermore when preparing the activity in the Montessori classroom the directress need to make sure that all materials are kept together in a basket or a tray and grouped accordingly to the level of development.The activity should have its unique location and be reachable to the child so that the child could use the materials of their own choice and return the exercise, leading to independence and self-discipline. Also it is important to be providing attractive and clean child friendly and child size materials. Each activity should be limited in quantity. In a Montessori classroom the directress plays a major role. She needs to be properly trained, be a good role model and she should be able to develop and maintain a happy and rewarding teacher-child relationship. The first essential is that the teacher should go thru an inner, spiritual preparation – cultivate certain aptitudes in the moral order. † Her Life and Work, Chapter XVIII, pg 298 The teacher’s prime objectives are to maintain order in the prepared environment, facilitate the development of the child, and encourage independence and self-sufficiency. Practical life activities can be divided into the following 4 categories: Exercises in each of these categories provide the opportunity to do purposeful work and are designed to teach the child life skills, so that they may become confident to do their daily chores at home. Care of the self: includes activities such as hand washing, dressing, and personal hygiene. These activities embody the foundations of self-esteem. The exercises are designed to provide the child skills need for his sole independence. In order to gain independence, the child needs to establish will and discipline in order. The child needs to build himself and learn to take care of himself * Care of the environment: includes activities such as washing chairs, dusting, raking leaves, cooking, feeding animals, watering plants, composting, recycling and job time at the end of the day.These activities promote the beginnings of community awareness and embody the foundations of an ecological ethic. They learn that they are a part of the environment and learn to respect and develop a sense of responsibility towards the environment. Also the child will gradually learn how to gain greater control of his gross motor movements so that he would be able perform more complex tasks later on. Some of th e activities such as washing of a table can be carried out as a group task, which helps the child to be socialized. Social relations and courtesy: Maria Montessori called these exercises Grace and Courtesy. They include developing skills in greeting visitors, participating in a conversation, self-assertion, resolving conflicts, initiating and maintaining friendships. These exercises are focused on developing will power, establish a proper posture, greet people, excuse one and interrupt when necessary. Maria Montessori considers the Social Grace and Courtesy activities as the most important exercises in the practical life curriculum.She felt that when children are first brought into a Montessori classroom, emphasis must be placed on social grace exercises. * Development of Motor Skills: this includes many exercises involving hand/eye coordination, carrying objects, self-expression through movement as well as initiating and inhibiting actions and impulses. The Silence Game is an examp le of a group activity in which children have to restrain impulses to speak or move for a short period of time in order to report on what they may have experienced in the interim.The particular exercise will be appropriate for any particular child will depend on that child’s individual development and interest. ans it is only possible to give a very general indication as to whether an exercise is ‘early’, ‘immediate or ‘later’. So each and every activity indirectly helps them to develop the language, mathematics movements and social awareness. To give an opportunity to exercise and co-ordinate body movement is one of the aims of the exercises of Practical Life activity.Movement is so important for the young children; children need to move. Movement is very important to the child; because it contributes not only for the physical growth also intellectual and spiritual development of the child. â€Å"Through Movement, he acts upon his external en vironment and thus carries out his own personal mission in the world. Movement is not only an impression of the ego but it is an indispensable factor in the development of consciousness, since it is the only real means which places the ego in a clearly defined relationship with external reality. The secret of childhood by Maria Montessori pg-97 Conclusion Practical Life exercises teach children to care for themselves, for others, and for the environment. They involve a wide variety of activities such as carrying objects, walking, polishing, sweeping, dusting, lacing, mainly activities that are done in day to day living. It is divided into four major areas namely: movement, care of self, care of environment, and grace and courtesy.These activities are Montessori’s response to the child’s need for movement, order, independence, among many others; they are basic activities that enable the child to explore his environment and eventually make him one with it. Through practi cal life exercises, he learns to refine his movements, becomes conscious of his body and of what his body can do. He learns how to move and act in a socially accepted manner, thus helping him in his task of adaptation. He learns the ways of social living and becomes comfortable and confident in his society.These exercises also teach the child to complete a task following a step-by-step procedure. This sequential ordering of tasks prepares him for the logical task that awaits him in mathematics. Likewise, activities in these areas are presented in isolation in order to help the child focus his attention only on a particular task. Practical Life Exercises refines movement, providing a foundation in early learning, attitudes and dispositions. Practical life exercises also provide children a sense of accomplishment as they engage in real, meaningful work with tangible results.The familiar home-like environment of the practical life corner allows children to gain independence, order, con centration and confidence as they carry out thoughtfully prepared activities. This leads to normalization. BIBLIOGRAPHY Montessori, Maria, The Discovery of the Child, page 56-57, published 1967 Montessori, Maria, The Absorbent Mind, Chapter XXIV, page 247, published 1967 E. M. Standing, Montessori, Maria, Her Life and Work, Chapter XVIII, page 298, published 1998 Montessori, Maria, The secret of childhood, page 97, published 1966 Montessori, Maria, The Absorbent Mind, Page 155, published 1967

Microsoft Office Program: Helfpful to Student’s Studies Essay

I. INTRODUCTION In this fast reaching world, the studies of every individual become more complicated. We have now going beyond the imagination of each human being and applying this through technology. Merely fact, technology is a very big help in the lives of each learners specifically to the highschool students here in Gonzalo Aler National High School. The school adapted technology as one of the most important tools in learning and computer is one of the best examples. Computer is one of the best systematic knowledge that can be used. Using this product of technology, learners challenged to be maximized in their learning by being more creative and become more interested in studying. Today, computer does not just help to the student but it is an essential one to give courage and help improves the skills of individual. With the ever increasing population of computer technology, it is almost impossible to find an educational establishment that does not use it. Computers are becoming a more and more important within education as both a learning tool for students and for keeping records of all individuals at the school. Computers allow students to access more information more easily and the introduction of the internet means that this information is available to hand 24/7. Whether this is a good prospect or not is something that is debated frequently. For every factual and accurate piece of information that can be found on the internet, there are ten false ones. This has lead to a demand for school based websites and computer software that students can use without the risk of being fed false information. Computers allow students to collect this data quickly and efficiently and learn skills such as finding relevant information and producing it in a way that can be read by others. As most students will have computer facilities at home, teachers can set them homework projects that wouldn’t have been possible with just the facilities available in library books. The internet and computer software programmes can also be used by students to carry out tests for revision purposes. Computers in educational establishments are not just important for the student’s learning. The technology can also be used by teachers and administrators at the schools to keep a record of all of the students’ details and progress. Computer databases make searching for an individual student’s information quick and easy and it can be updated in an instant. Having all of these details on file and in depth means that, should there be any queries further down the line, it is easy to track any grades, disciplinary actions or absences all in one place. In most work environments, Microsoft Office can be used. It’s user friendly and not as complicated as some may think. Microsoft Office is the world’s best and famous work program for studying, personal use, and office work. Microsoft Office includes Access, Excel, Outlook, Power Point, Publisher and Word. In the following pages, the three most useful and helpful apps will be discussed. II. DEFINITION A. MICROSOFT WORD It is software which is used for the typing and office work and contains different facilities to the users to save their time and get their work in an efficient manner. The Microsoft word was developed by the Microsoft Corporation in the year 1983. The name which was given to this software was the Multi-tool word which was designed for the specific systems to run on that. But later on there were many systems which were used to developed for the other systems as well. The software was designed for the IBM, personal computer and Macintosh. So the commercial popularity is very high of this software as we compare it from the other computer software which are providing the similar facilities. B. MICROSOFT EXCEL Excel is fundamentally a spreadsheet program, featuring cells, rows and columns for labeling and organizing data. Columns and rows meet to form many individual cells, each one generally representing one data point or piece of information. After developing a spreadsheet, you can perform many manipulations of the data. C. MICROSOFT POWER POINT Microsoft Power Point is a presentation program. It enforces learning and retention by displaying images and text to complement the oral presentation PowerPoint features transitions and animated entrances for pictures and text. Audio and images can be embedded, and slides are able to be advanced with an automatic timer. Power point is a just like the name says a powerful tool for learning. It is basically electronic slides where a person can embed files such as texts, music, pictures, diagram, or whatever else you like. III. USES Microsoft Word is used to: †¢Typing and office work and contains different facilities to the users to save their time and get their work in an efficient manner. †¢Create, view, edit, save and print documents. †¢Spell check more than 50 languages †¢Writing business letters to their clients. From one paragraph or 4 pages, it’s where they will have their letter written up and printed. There are also different tools MS Excel is a powerful Microsoft computer program used for: †¢creating spreadsheets. (Upon entry of the data into a spreadsheet, you can perform many kinds of analysis, from mathematical operations to automated graph creation.) †¢One excellent use of Excel is its ability to carry out formulas (aka functions). For instance, if you’d like to use Excel to track expenses, you can perform a SUM operation to tally expenses in different categories of a budget †¢If more complex operations are required—such as numerical data analysis—you can create a graph and Excel will perform a regression analysis on the data, finding the best equation. For anyone who has struggled to find an equation, MS Excel can help MS Power Point †¢It is used to present words and pictures in a slideshow format, usually viewed on a projector in front of classrooms and auditoriums. †¢It can be used to create great presentations not only for the business world but also in the classroom or for own personal use. IV. IMPORTANCE Microsoft Word Microsoft Word is a word processing software. Using this software you can write letters, applications, documents etc and create tables, make hyper links to the world wide web, insert formatting (bullets, numbering etc), pictures, micros and many more. It is as important to write a document as a pen to a paper. It takes low disk space and can be easily downloaded and uploaded on the world wide web. This was offered for the business and individuals to help them to accomplish their work in a better way and which can save the time of the people and provides them with the great tools so that they can work on that. So this is the reason the system is very popular in the market. It is licensed software any one who wants to use this software he need a Microsoft license in order to use this software. So this is very good software which is released in the market. Microsoft Excel Though such a description makes Excel sound relatively simple, this is not so. It has the ability to perform complex operations, save time and improve efficiency dramatically in the process. Whether being utilized at home or in the workplace, MS Excel can be an invaluable program when it comes to many analytical tasks. Excel is perhaps the most important computer software program used in the workplace today. That’s why so many workers and prospective employees are required to learn Excel in order to enter or remain in the workplace. From the viewpoint of the employer, particularly those in the field of information systems, the use of Excel as an end-user computing tool is essential. Not only are many business professionals using Excel to perform everyday functional tasks in the workplace, an increasing number of employers rely on Excel for decision Widely used by businesses, service agencies, volunteer groups, private sector organizations, scientists, students, educators, trainers, researchers, journalists, accountants and others, Microsoft Excel has become a staple of end users and business professionals. The beauty of Excel is that it can be used as a receiver of workplace or business data, or as a calculator, a decision support tool, a data converter or even a display spreadsheet for information interpretation. Excel can create a chart or graph, operate in conjunction with Mail Merge functions, import data from the Internet, create a concept map and sequentially rank information by importance. MS Power Point PowerPoint allows speakers and teachers to have a visual aid, which can greatly enhance the presentation. PowerPoint presentations enable teachers to increase the quality of written material and visuals they present to the students in the class. The alternative to PowerPoint presentations are using blackboard/whiteboard, and flip charts. Though to completely eliminate the use of blackboard, the PowerPoint offers some distinct advantages. First the PowerPoint presentations can be made in advance, thereby effectively increasing the time available to the teacher to teach. Also the PowerPoint makes it possible to provide a much richer quality of visuals including multicoloured complicated diagrams and pictures. PowerPoint is a wonderful tool for learning in both a student and teacher-directed situation. It can add a new dimension to learning allowing teachers to explain abstract concepts, while accommodating all learning styles. Used properly, PowerPoint can be one of the most powerful tools for disseminating information ever known. Employed inappropriately, PowerPoint could potentially confuse students and make learning a difficult process. V. BENEFITS Microsoft Word is a word processing program that was first released in 1989. It is used to create and save papers, manuscripts and other written works. The program affords a number of important benefits to users. What are the benefits of Microsoft Excel? The advantages of MS Excel are many–especially to users who take some time to get acquainted with Excel’s features.   One benefit is timesavings. Excel saves you time by offering an intuitive GUI (graphical user interface). A key feature of this interface is the Ribbon, which prominently displays icons for the tools you’ll likely use most often. When you think of what Excel excels at, you likely think of data manipulation first: sorting, filtering, tabulating and calculating data. Each of the tools to do these tasks is immediately available on the Home tab of the Ribbon. Timesavings from other tabs Reduced Need for Conversion Tools What Are the Benefits of Using PowerPoint and Slide Presentations in the Classroom? Interaction and Engagement oPowerPoint and slide presentations hold student attention through the use of video, graphics and music. Because students today are so technologically advanced, tools that involve technology such as slide shows increase student involvement and interaction. Ability to Capitalize on Modern Media The Internet provides current events coverage and the latest information on an enormous number of topics. Slide show tools allow you to incorporate text, video, audio and photos from the Internet easily, allowing you to share the most recent information using media that engage students. Integration of Multiple Sources Using PowerPoint and slide shows, you can integrate multiple sources in your classroom presentations. For example, you easily can incorporate photos of student work, video from a field trip, related content from news sources and the latest expert research into a single presentation. Availability of Instruction Rather than handing absentee students written notes of a lesson they missed, you can replay your lesson or presentation using a slide show. Absent students receive the same instruction as those who are present, so they do not fall behind. Cooperation and Collaboration Teachers can share lessons and presentations simply using a file-sharing system or flash drive. Teachers can share the workload of creating presentations. Furthermore, a student seeing more than one teacher’s presentations is exposed to more than one point of view. The benefit is that you are engaging students not just through words, but also through visuals. Some students learn better by hearing, but other students learn better by seeing. So, immediately you can see the benefits of engaging students through the visual means. Also, it provides for some excitement in that it breaks down the daily routine of lectures. VI. DISADVANTAGES Using Microsoft Word Although popular, MS Word has some distinct disadvantages over other word processing alternatives. Learn about the disadvantages of using MS word as your default word processor. Microsoft Word is the number one word processing program in the world. However, being number one in the marketplace doesn’t mean that it is the only choice to consider. MS Word has some distinct disadvantages that make other word processors attractive alternatives. Part of the Microsoft Office suite of productivity software, Word has grown to become an application that can do it all. Being able to do it all also means that Word can be a complicated application when you just want basic word processing capabilities. Using MS Excel As with many tools there is a definite learning curve to using Excel. Because it is so versatile and can do so much it is difficult sometimes to know where to start. If you are using excel to write a paper then the disadvantage would be, excel is not meant to do that, Word would be the Microsoft program to use. The trick is knowing if it is the right tool for the job. It is possible to write a paper with Excel and it is possible to create a database with it. You can even send email using Excel 2007. This is like asking what are the disadvantages of using a hammer. The only disadvantage is that it may not be the right tool for the job. Excel is meant to crunch numbers. Using MS Power Point PowerPoint is not used for delivering video presentations but rather static images and text The disadvantages of Microsoft PowerPoint are that: †¢You will not be able to change any slide during a PowerPoint presentation for any mistake that you have made until you close the presentation down and edit the slide in the normal view. †¢If you are doing the presentation in a dark to a semi dark room, it is difficult for you to get eye contact with your audience while doing the presentation. †¢If you have different parts at the end or beginning, which should be after the third or fourth slide, then you will need to skip through the rest of your slides. When you had to skip through some of the slides in the presentation to get to the correct point and by doing this, it will distract your audience and your audience will not focus on the rest of the presentation that you need to give. †¢When you are doing the presentation, you will lose where you are because as you give the presentation, you will not have anything to see what you next slide is and that means you will need to keep looking at your presentation that you are giving, to remind yourself what slide is before the current one you are on and what slide is the next one after you have finished on the current slide you are on now. †¢When you are giving your presentation, you will need to keep moving, which means if you keep moving quite a look, then you will be distracting the audience, which will make them not concentrate on the rest of the presentation that you need to do. †¢As you are doing your presentation, the speed of the presentation may increase, so it makes it much more difficult for you to explain each of the points that you have put in the presentation and also it makes it more difficult to read out your notes that you have made for the points that you have put in the presentation. †¢When printing out the slides for the presentation, it will lower the concentration of the audience because they know what slide is coming up next, so that means they will not even bother listening which will then lower the effectiveness of the presentation, that you are giving. †¢When creating your presentation, it will be easier to add too many words, so that all the words will not fit on the screen, which will make it much harder for the audience to read the points that you are making. †¢When presenting the presentation, the person who is doing it makes them very dependent on the computer because they need to keep clicking the mouse or pressing a button to advance the slides in the presentation, which means they cannot get into giving their full heart to the presentation. CONCLUSION: A computer is a great thing for a student to have, mainly because of word processing (Microsoft Word). Students can take notes in classes easier without any issues due to handwriting, smudging, or cramping. Students can also make easy to make, easy to present, and easy to view (in other words visually appealing) presentations (Powerpoint), which are a great alternative to posters or speeches. Other programs allow for easy data organization (Excel). As technology is more and more incorporated into education, books will have special activities or quizzes online, or teachers will demand typed work. Some classes (mainly in college, however, some high schools are beginning to integrate online quizzes and materials into classes) take place entirely online. Microsoft Office is very beneficial to everyone and anyone once you get the hang of it. You won’t regret learning and practicing, it has a lot to offer you. Today, a computer does not just help a student†¦ it is essential to one. BIBLIOGRAPHY ï‚ §Books:Encyclopedia American, Volume 26- For the definition of computer ï‚ §http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsoft_Office ï‚ §www.Dmac-Unibase.com ï‚ §What is MS Excel? | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/about_6734885_ms-excel_.html#ixzz2KMqUxfVz ï‚ §What is MS Excel? | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/about_6734885_ms-excel_.html#ixzz2KMqquKdU ï‚ § http://EzineArticles.com/724646 ï‚ §http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Sheri_Graves ï‚ §http://www.brighthub.com/computing/windows-platform/articles/61181.aspx ï‚ §www.triadsemi.com ï‚ §eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/facts_5008796_using-powerpoint-slide-presentations-classroom.html#ixzz2KN1iHhvg ï‚ §http://www.ehow.com/facts_5565422_microsoft-power-point.html#ixzz2KMu4S06q ï‚ §http://www.historyandtheology.com/?p=574

Public Sector Policies & Issues in Management Assignment Essay

The part of the economy concerned with providing basic government services. The composition of the public sector varies by country, but in most countries the public sector includes such services as the police, military, public roads, public transit, primary education and healthcare for the poor. The public sector might provide services that non-payer cannot be excluded from (such as street lighting), services which benefit all of society rather than just the individual who uses the service (such as public education), and services that encourage equal opportunity. Public sector as a boon (1) Employment: Various public sectors operating in India needs lot of manpower & this provide employment to unlimited individuals according to their education, experience & abilities. (2) Economic Development: Economic development mainly depends upon industrial development. Heavy & basic industries like iron & steel, shipping, mining, etc. are required for supplying raw materials to small industries. Huge capital is required for establishment of such heavy & basic industries. This capital required for these industries is easily & readily made available by public sector but it is practically not possible for a private sector to run these industries. (3) Sound Infrastructure: Rapid industrial growth in a country needs sound infrastructure. Infrastructural industries require huge capital for construction of Roads, Railways, Electricity & many such industries. Private sector is unable to have such huge capital & that also without any high return but public sector can easily afford to provide all infrastructural facilities. (4) Protection to Sick Industries: Public sector, to prevent sick unit closing down, takes over their responsibility & prevent many people from getting unemployed not only this but it prevents unnecessary locking of capital, land, building, machinery, etc. (5) Regional Development: Private sector usually neglect backward area. But public sector organizations set up their units in economically backward areas. By this public sector removes regional imbalance & brings regional development. (6) Government Control: Public sector is wholly controlled & managed by the Board of Directors or other officers appointed by government. (7) Service Motive: Public sector organizations are working with the only motive of providing public utility services to society at large irrespective of profit. (8) Monopoly: Public sector is purely government monopoly. It does not face any type of competition from any private sector. Public sector is working on monopoly, semi-monopoly or oligopoly basis. (9) Modal Employer: Like a good parent, public sector is very much concerned with its employees. It take proper care of its employees & provides job security, sound wages, proper working conditions, training and welfare facilities. (10) Economies of Operation: Public sector due to its large scale operations enjoys economies of large scale operation. Public sector as a bane (1) Inefficiency: Inefficiency results due to the size of the organization. (2) Incentives: There is a lack of incentive for employees to perform if there is no share in the profit or there is an absence of other motivators such as productivity bonuses – accelerated promotion; (this factor can also apply in the private sector if the employee is not given any incentive to perform). (3) Interference: Political interference can occur. They interfere with the free market forces. Hence, Public sector is a Boon to the Indian economy. The Public Sector Enterprises have been the mainstay of the Indian economy and were set up with the purpose to achieve self-sufficiency in production of goods/ services serve the broad macro-economic objectives of higher economic growth facilitate long term equilibrium in balance of payments and Ensure stability in prices and create benchmarks for prices of essential items The government-owned corporations play a pivotal role in the economic development of emerging economies because their participation is higher in the industrial and commercial activities of these economies. Resource constraints and limited scope of the private sector in the early stages of development and planning have set the stage for predominance of the public enterprises in these economies. Thus, public sectors in the leading developing countries of the world (including the countries in the BRIC region) play a very important role. Investments in public sector enterprises have also been greater and have continued to accelerate growth in core sectors of a developing economy (such as railways, telecommunications, nuclear power, defence etc. ). Many a times, public enterprises were created to operate in areas of national and international trade, consultancy, inland, and overseas communication and construction services; as a result, overall profits of the public sector have not been restricted to certain sectors. In other words, the public sector is a heterogeneous combination of basic infrastructure industries, industries engaged in providing trade services, consumer goods industries, etc. Role and Relevance of public Vs private sector in current economic scenario In the earlier lessons you have studied about the various forms of business organization existing under private ownership or in private sector. By private sector, we mean, economic and social activities undertaken privately by a single individual or group of individuals. They prefer to do business in private sector basically to earn profit. On the other hand public sector refers to economic and social activities undertaken by public authorities. The enterprises in public sector are set up with the main aim of protecting public interest. Profit earning comes next. Besides the difference in the objective, the enterprises in both these sectors also differ in many other aspects. In this section let us know the differences between the enterprises of public sector and private sector. Role of Central Public Sector Enterprises Infrastructure: Public sector has made a very valuable contribution in the development of a strong infrastructure and the provision of social and economic overheads, which is an essential precondition for rapid economic growth. This includes development of transport and communication, power, irrigation, education, research and training public health services, housing etc. Strong Industrial Base: Public sector has also made a notable contribution in laying the foundation of strong industrial base. The development of basic and key industries, has all along taken place in the public sector, These industries include iron and steel, heavy machinery, heavy engineering, heavy electronics, heavy chemicals, minerals and oil, cement, fertilizers, etc. The development of these industries in the public sector has laid the foundation of a strong rapid and broad-based industrial growth and has enabled the country to attain self-reliance in a number of industrial items. Export Promotion: Some public enterprises have done much to promote Indian exports. The state trading corporations and the minerals and metals trading corporations have done a wonderful job of promoting exports in all parts of the world. Hindustan steel ltd, the Bharat Electronics ltd are some of the public enterprises which are exporting increasing proportion of their output and earning foreign exchange. Role of Private Sector Enterprises The private sector is usually composed of organizations that are privately owned and not part of the government. These usually includes corporations (both profit and non-profit), partnerships, and charities. The importance of private sector in Indian economy has been very commendable in generating employment and thus eliminating poverty. Further, it also effected the following – Increased quality of life Increased access to essential items Increased production opportunities Lowered prices of essential items Increased value of human capital Improved social life of the middle class Indian Decreased the percentage of people living below the poverty line in India Changed the age old perception of poor agriculture based country to a rising manufacturing based country Effected increased research and development activity and spending Effected better higher education facilities especially in technical fields Ensured fair competition amongst market players Dissolved the concept of monopoly and thus neutralized market manipulation practices Basis of difference Private sector enterprises Public sector enterprises 1. Objective Maximisation of profit. Maximise social welfare and ensure balanced economic development. 2. Ownership Owned by individuals. Owned by Government. 3. Management Managed by owner and Managed by Government. professional managers.

Seed germination lab Report Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Seed germination - Lab Report Example On the other hand, the suit case is the coat of the seed which covers the seeds. Lunching represents the nutritive germinating seedling source. The food for a seedling which is germinating can be stored in a section of the embryo like the fleshy cotyledons of the seed. It could also assume the other categories including the endosperm that forms the special starch-rich storage tissue that covers the embryo. It may not be easy to classify a seed as being dead. Once it fail to germinate under proper conditions and having the dormancy mechanisms broken is when a seed can be classified as being dead. Different companies of seed mostly test the seed germination before they sell their seeds. The test results, the percentages of germination, are always indicated on the packet of the seed. Different crop seeds lose their viability fast after some years. In this case, some few long-lived seeds would be identifies. One example is the mustard seeds that display good germination in each fifty yea rs. For any seed, the rate of germination is the basic indicator to the manner in which the seed will perform while in the field. The rate of germination can be expressed in the form of percentages. A ninety percent rate of germination from one hundred percent will germinate in the presence of good conditions of growth. The information on germination is vital in calculating the optimum rate of germinating together with assisting in determining whether some seeds have the ability of producing appropriate crops. In this study, we sought to ascertain the rates of germination at different phases of water intake. Results of this experiment indicate that during the process of germination, highest water intake occurs during the first phase. As shown in figure 01, between zero drops and 15 drops, water intake is highest. This is followed by a reduced water intake phase II and increased water intake in phase III. The results, as well shows that water intake by the germinating seed take a

Employment tribunal & employment appeal tribunal Case Study

Employment tribunal & employment appeal tribunal - Case Study Example However, if shares of a business is transferred or either machineries or assets are being transferred to a buyer, then, TUBE regulation will not be applicable. There is a category of employees’ namely self-employed worker who is also known as an independent contractor. These independent contractor offer services for a business through a contract for services. This category of contractor is not an employee of a company as they are offering the business with high-skilled or specialised skills. These self-employed persons can offer their services for a business through an umbrella company or as a sole trader or through a limited company or through a partnership. It is to be noted that an employee works for a business through a contract of service whereas an independent contractor works for a client’s business through a contract for service. To determine whether a person is an employee or an independent contractor, HRMC offers an employment Status Indicator (ESI) kit that e mployees or contractors can use to decide whether they are self-employed or employee of that business (Contractorcalculator.co.uk 2010). A self-employed contractor is an individual who is really carrying on a business for themselves if he or she assumes accountability for the failure or success of the business and is either a staff or an employee of the business. Thus, a self-employed contractor is somebody who is a sole trader and not employed through a service company or through their own limited company.

Apple Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Apple - Case Study Example This pricing strategy will increase the net income since customers purchase will purchase more devices from Apple Inc. #2 Apple should not change its promotional strategy of television advertisement since currently use of advertisement has proven to increase the popularity of a company to the customers and maintenance of sales. The television advertising adopted by Apple has increased the customers awareness about products sold by Apple and so far sales made has increased with high margins increasing the net income of the entire company. Apple has a strength over its competitors since it sells both hardware and software products. Customers buying devices like iPads are compelled to get services from Apple such as the iTunes (Mittan 12). Apple focuses in manufacturing devices for entertainment, media and music production. It somehow do not take part in the growth of information technology especially in school where other companies like Microsoft has dominated such markets (Mittan

Analysis of Plato's Views of Justice and Poetry Essay

Analysis of Plato's Views of Justice and Poetry - Essay Example However, given Plato’s perception of justice, this appears to be an implausible argument within the point of view of The Republic. Certainly, Plato’s further analysis of the poets in Book Ten is appealing and commonly believed to be his ultimate conclusion on the issue; however, Socrates’s argument, which is found in Book Three, makes the argument of Plato quite unappealing to readers, which are placed in a shaky position that invites one to regard justice and poetry together, specifically, as being interdependent. Hence, this paper examines both these arguments. This paper attempts to demonstrate that the issues of justice and poetry, which are widely viewed to be independent themes in The Republic, are not merely interconnected essentially but vital to one another in the theoretical or philosophical mechanism of comprehending them. The connection between justice and poetry involves the following premises: as Plato rejects the legally oriented conceptualizations of justice, in which interactions and relations between citizens are characterized by definite approaches to acting, he likewise denounces an accurate, or legally oriented, knowledge of poetic symbols. However, this has a direct relationship as well: the legalistic fallacies of justice and poetry uncover their cure at the hermeneutical stage. ... In contrast, legalistic refers to the similarly improper, or truthful, understanding of the figurative and metaphorical components of poetry, specifically, what Socrates calls symbolic sense. Thus, if this feature of poetry is misinterpreted or overlooked, it must look like that poets tell lies and hence incorrectly depict reality. Hence, it is not quite appealing to use the prohibition of the poets as a contemplative affair that becomes vital to the examination of the nature of justice. Specifically, as Plato determines the way in which an individual should identify with poetry, this consequently indicates how the nature of justice is to be interpreted. In other words, this paper argues that the philosophical interpretation of justice entails a ‘poeticization’, which implies that the essence of justice is a fact which can be revealed only in the identification of the philosopher in accordance to the poetic feature of existence. Hence, this paper claims that in The Repub lic, the issue of the essence of poetry provides an interpretive means through which the philosopher can be harmonized with the essence of justice. This basic relationship reconstructs the very old conflict between philosophy and poetry, envisioning their bond as dynamic and fruitful, although argumentative, opposed. The argument of Aristotle seems to be an important revision of Plato’s thoughts on the connection between ‘phronesis’ as the statesman’s wisdom, and the capacity to put this wisdom in practice. Plato hence talks about the connection between ‘phronesis’ (wisdom) and ‘techne’ (art) in his conceptualization of justice. Conclusions The absence of frankness in The

Respect and the Attica Correctional Facility Research Paper

Respect and the Attica Correctional Facility - Research Paper Example After three days of negotiating the state police opened fire after tear gas was dropped on the rioting inmates. The death toll came to 29 inmates and 10 hostages which the state tried to claim came from ‘zip guns’ which are homemade guns that inmates sometimes make and that some had their throats cut. In the end, it was proven that all died of real gunshot wounds and that the inmates had not had any zip guns. The state police had killed them all. The corruption in the prison included not only brutal punishments by the guards on the prisoners, but racial discrimination and punishment that was based upon the color of skin a man wore (Danver, 2011). There were many consequences from the actions taken in this riot. After the riots one of the inmates, Frank Smith was made to lie naked on a table with a football balanced on his chest. He was told that should he let the ball fall he would be castrated. The guards also established other tortures including making naked men run a gauntlet of nightsticks or crawl through glass. Frank Smith and others who had been treated with these punishments filed suit against the prison in 1974. He received four million dollars in a civil suit against the facility with 23 other prisoners receiving a settlement of eight million dollars. Although the consequences of the riot caused prison reform to take place, the prison remains a hard line prison with tough restrictions on inmates who are considered to be some of the most dangerous (Danver, 2011). The question is if they are dangerous because of the conditions imposed and the new construction of social living that they are forced to conform under. The Attica Correctional Facility of today is only moderately... The term respect is one that is very important in the construction of social order in the Attica Correctional facility. The facility is known for housing some of the worst criminals in the United States, leaving the structure for abuse open from both inmates and guards where people have largely forgotten about those who enter into those walls. Respect, therefore, is won through violent and physical confrontation. This allows those in the culture within the walls to determine who has status and who will be the weaker section of the population. While male dominated codes and structures are at the core of the hierarchy, there are some unique concepts in a prison that already has a great deal of structure. Male dominance is at the center of this construction of social order and at the core of male dominance is the need for having respect, showing respect, and earning respect. Some prisoners earn respect just to keep them safe while others earn it to gain power among their peers. The one solidarity that is common among all the prisoners is against the guards. From the evidence of the 1971 riot and the restrictions that are enforced on the behavior of men in the prison system that this nuances and subtleties of life in Attica are often built upon the fragile amounts of freedom they are given. Without the development of structures of respect, they would be lost to the oppression that the guards and the system impose.

America Shopping Cart Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

America Shopping Cart - Essay Example Thirdly, it saves on parking and petrol costs that would have been incurred if one went out shopping the traditional way. In addition, there are no salesmen involved in the process of shopping online, which implies that there are no additional costs. Moreover, online shopping provides a good shopping environment where one has the freedom to shop the way they wanted to shop. Finally, online shopping assists in the case of buying presents to people overseas if one shops online, which eliminates the cost of importation. Despite these disadvantages, online shopping has varying disadvantages. In this case, that it takes a longer period of time in delivery of products bought online than traditional shopping. Secondly, the shopper does not get the advice they may need on the product which is mostly provided by the seller unlike in the case of traditional shopping. Thirdly, the buyer may get the rejected products that have been brought back by other buyers. In addition, the buyer incurs expenses in postage of the product to his residence. It is not possible to test the products hence they is a high risk of purchasing a wrong product. According to (Popcorn and Marigold), traditional shopping was mainly used before the emergence and innovation of online shopping. Like online shopping, traditional shopping has some advantages although they differ from advantages of online shopping. First, the fact that one can see and test the product they want to buy before they actually buy the product makes an individual make an informed decision. Secondly, one gets the product immediately they purchase it, which is crucial when the goods are needed urgently. In addition, traditional shopping provides for direct communication between the seller and the client and this provides a better chance for bargains and in-depth details about the product. Moreover, this

Operations Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Operations Management - Essay Example All these are issues that would be beyond the controllable limits of the parent company, thereby making the business operations vulnerable to the ever-changing international scenario. A good example here would be of the current banning of online gambling in the US due to passing of new legislature by the Congress. This law inhibits the payments from banks and credit cards to be made to gambling sites and punters. Now sites based in other countries would be gravely affected by this drastic change in their operations, while incidentally, they have no control over the circumstances. Though there are strong rumors that international site owners paid millions of dollars to Washington lobbyists to get this stopped, yet the inevitable happened. Hence, this issue single handedly has changed the direction of the future of many sites. The basic element of economics being at the forefront always, one would go by the notion of demand and supply. However, being novel product, even though a dire need for the product may not be there, yet the demand for it would have to be created. And the crucial word here is 'customer'.

Unemployment in Brazil after the Financial crisis of 2008 Essay

Unemployment in Brazil after the Financial crisis of 2008 - Essay Example The tax cuts made the corporations use the money to keep already employed and even hire new ones despite the harsh economic times. The actions though not much helped to lower the unemployment thereby saving the economy from collapsing. The trends witnessed in the year 2009 and 2010 shows unemployment lower in 2010 was lower than in 2009, on average it showed a decrease of 61% between the two years. Unemployment has a direct bearing on Brazil’s debt, at the time unemployment began to improve in 2009 – 2010 fiscal year, the country debt was on the decline, and trade increased and thus exports were up due to favorable climate to conduct business (Turner, 2012). Unemployment rate is the number of unemployed persons divided by the total labor force, where the labor force is the number of unemployed plus the number of employed persons. Employment rate measures the percentage of employable people in a country’s’ workforce who are aged 18 years and have either los t their job, or unsuccessfully sought jobs during the last month. This workforce is supposed to be actively seeking employment. Unemployment Rate =Number of Unemployed/ Total Labor Force. Unemployment rate in Brazil is averaged 8.84% from 2001 to 2013, reaching an all time high of 13% in 2004 and record low of 4.60% in December 2012 (OECD, 2013). In Brazil, unemployment measures the number of people actively seeking employment as a percentage of the labor force. This is measured monthly in the major metropolitan cities of Brazil. The  summary is as represented below: Table 1 Brazil metropolitan areas 2003 -2009 Unemployment Rate in Percentage points Year Recife Salvador Belo Horizonte Rio de Janeiro Sao Paulo Porto Alegre Curitiba Total 2003 13.8 16.7 10.8 9.2 14.1 9.5... This essay offers a modern analysis of the issue of unemployment in the Brazilian economy and reviews federal measures, introduced by the government to fight this problem. The international financial crisis after the 2008 September had a considerably negative impact on Brazilian economy, leading to a significant increase in the unemployment level. Unemployment is the situation arising from a willing and able person to undertake paid work responsibilities, being unable to get a job. There are several classifications of unemployment. Demand Deficient Unemployment occurs in recession or a period of low growth. Voluntary Unemployment happens when workers prefer not to work. Frictional Unemployment occurs when workers are in between jobs. Structural unemployment occurs as a result in inefficiencies in the labor market resulting from a mismatch of skills or geographical location. Classical unemployment occurs when wages are artificially kept high above the equilibrium leading to excess supply of labor Employment and economy are directly related in any country. Any change in the economy whether positive or negative, has an implication in employment. Brazil’s unemployment rate is seen on the decline thanks to federal measures introduced by the government. Programs meant to protect workers such as the expanded unemployment insurance were of great significance during the period of economic recession. Additional efforts were put in place aiming towards the sustained supply of credit and recovery of the growth trajectory of the economy.

Activity theory Essay Example for Free

Activity theory Essay Cognitive changes: There are several changes that occur with aging, one of which is cognitive slowing. The slowing that occurs in all cognitive tasks where speed of response is a component is considered the most pervasive cognitive change in developmental aging. The probable locus of slowing is in the central nervous system (Bob McCallum, 1998). Pigment lipofuscin builds up in the brain during old age and it gradually results in brain degeneration. The aged brain weighs less, the lateral ventricles tend to be dilated, and the ribbon of cortical tissue is narrowed (Hurlock, 1986). Such degeneration is held accountable for a decline in the brain’s capacity to function. But the average person’s intelligence is not likely to be seriously impaired before age 70 or 75 (Peterson, 1989). With good physical and mental health, adequate educational levels, and intellectual stimulation, it appears that there is not as a great decline in intellectual abilities with age as previously thought, especially in the 60 to 75 age group. Emotional changes: Emotional changes over the adult life span are a topic of considerable importance for psychotherapists working with older adults. At the psychological level, the older adults are more difficult to arouse but also have more difficulty returning to a state of calm once aroused (Woodruff, 1985). The accumulation of experiences leads to more complex and less extreme emotional experiences in later life. A review of research, using the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory with older adults, noted that older adults were lower on scales associated with anger, impulsivity, and confusion and argued that people may become less impulsive with maturity (Gynther, 1979, in Bob McCallum, 1998). It was concluded that as a whole, emotionality in older adults may be both more complex and subtler than that of younger adults. Theories on Aging Attempts to understand and explain the lives and activities of those who appear to age successfully have led to the different formation of theories on aging. There are fourmain theories: (a) Disengagement theory: It is based on the notion that as people age they progressively withdraw from social, physical, and emotional interaction with the world. As they gradually disengage themselves, the society too withdraws from its engagement with the aging person (b) Activity theory: It stresses that older people should remain active as long as they possibly can. When certain activities and associations must be given up (for example, employment), substitutes should be found because life satisfaction is highly dependent upon continued social, emotional, and physical involvement. In a positive environment older people generally moved toward activity and informal contacts, rather than disengagement (Butler, Lewis Sunderland, 1998). (c) Socioenvironmental theory: This approach is based on the understanding that people respond to the social meaning of events. Two factors that affect the meaning old people place on events-and thus their interaction patterns-are the physical proximity of other persons and the age homogeneity of an environment (Gubrium, 1973, 1975, cited in Butler et al. , 1973). (d) Developmental theory: Erickson (1963) and Peck (1997) present a theory that describes human development in terms of progression through a series of stages. Old age is a stage of life in which the individual must try to balance the search for ego integrity with a sense of despair. Out of this conflict emerges wisdom the human virtue most commonly associated with old age. The negative emotions associated with this stage, are in part a result of the limitations of a person’s physical and psychological energy (Butler, Lewis, Sunderland, 1991). (e) Biological or medical perspective. Moberg (2002) further elaborates this physical and psychological decline and it’s effect on the elderly. Highlighting aging from the biological/medical perspective of physical decline along with losses of friends, employment, mobility, income, and so forth, has contributed to a pervasive negativism among biosocial scientists that is evident in their different way of talking to (hardly with) elderly persons, avoidance of touching seniors, and other indications of ageism. Opportunities for service are withdrawn from many who are retired, even in churches that use the Bible with its high value for elders, so ‘disengagement theory’ becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. Time spent in solitude and meditation can be wholesome, contrary to assumptions of ‘Activity theory’ that lonely outer activities are worthwhile, for being alone is not the same as being lonely!

Synthesis and Optical Characteristics of AgO Thin Films

Synthesis and Optical Characteristics of AgO Thin Films Synthesis and Optical Characteristics of AgO thin films Fabricated by Chemical Bath Deposition Method 1EZENWA I. A., 2OBIAGAUZO P. O. 3EBEH L. N. ABSTRACT Binary thin films of silver oxide using chemical Bath method (CBD) have been grown and characterized. Absorbance spectral data of the films were obtained using a Shimadzu 1800 UV- VIS spectrophotometer. An Olympus optical microscope at 100X magnification was used to examine and produce micrograph of the grown thin, which showed that the films have crystal structure and have small grain sizes. A bandgap of 1.62eV and a refractive index range of 1.1- 2.31were obtained. INTRODUCTION Binary thin films are thin films that contain exactly two different elements. Binary thin film had been grown and characterized by many researchers for various applications, examples are; Ag2S (Ezenwa et al., 2012), FeS (Uhuegbu, 1989), ZnS (Ndukwe 1999), Ag4O3, (Bielmann et al, 2002), Silver being multivalent, have various phases like Ag2O, AgO, Ag3O4, Ag4O3, and Ag2O3 by interacting with oxygen (Bielmann, Scheallar, Ruffieux, Groning, Schlapbach, 2002).These oxides have different crystalline structures leading to a variety of physiochemical, electrochemical, electronic and optical properties. The most observable and stable phases are Ag2O and AgO (Garner and Reeves, 1954). Ag2O thin films have been widely studied due to their wide range of applications. The recent interest in silver oxide is for its potential use in optical memories. Photoactivation of silver oxide leads to nanosilver clusters (Hou, Ouyang, Chen et al 1998).These nanoclusters emit fluorescence and also exhibit plas monic behavior. These properties have a wide application range from ultra high density optical data storage to plasmon photonic devices (Tominaga, 2002).They are also used as a sensor for gas detection and photovoltaic materials, studies have shown that silver oxide films have a wide range of energy band gap of between 1.2 and 3.4eV(Dierson, Rousselot, 2005). The major routes used for silver oxide films deposition are reactive sputtering of silver metal in an oxygen-containing argon atmosphere and electron-beam evaporation of silver metal. Another method is the pulsed laser deposition technique (Raju, Kumar, 2011),this method takes place in gaseous phase, hence requiring high temperatures. These high temperature methods also limit the type of substrates used in high temperature resistant substrates. Alternatively wet chemistry and electrochemical methods have been used as low temperature method.Wet chemistry methods generally require the substrates to be dipped inside the precursor solution for days to form thin film materials at temperatures of up to 200Â °C, while electrochemical deposition grows thin film materials on conductive substrate at lower temperatures (

Environment Of North East India North Eastern Region History Essay

Environment Of North East India North Eastern Region History Essay CHAPTER 2 The North Eastern region shares borders with Bhutan, Nepal and China on its North, Myanmar on its East and Bangladesh on its South and West, approximately 60% of Indias land borders. It is the only region in South Asia to be situated amid five countries. The jungles of South East Asia sweep down from Bhutan and Arunachal Pradesh across seven other nations Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Kampuchea, Malaysia and Vietnam-spanning political boundaries regardless of physical frontiers. The region provides access for China to the Bay of Bengal and the Indian Ocean. Lhasa is 1200 Km from Kolkota Port and Kunming is 550 Km from Sittwe port in Myanmar. Nepal is dependent on Kolkota port for all its trade. Similarly Bhutans economy is linked to India through Assam and West Bengal. Myanmar is a gateway for India to South East Asia through this region and Bangladesh is a prominent wedge between Indian mainland and its North East States. Each one of these countries is in a state of influx a nd economic turmoil, constrained by legitimacy issues. There are political, economic and boundary grievances as a fallout of small- big power syndrome. They are providing sanctuaries to the insurgent groups from the North Eastern region. Fake Indian Currency Notes (FICN) in large quantity is finding their way into the North East from the neighboring countries. The region has an area of 2.6 lakh sq.km (8.06% of Indias land area)  [1]  while its population is 39 million plus (3.73 % of Indias population)  [2]  . It has estimated483 ethnic tribes with a comparable number of languages and dialects  [3]  . The region has immense geo strategic importance and the ongoing insurgencies and the implementation of the Look East Policy is a matter of grave concern to the Government and the strategic planners of the country. Ethnic coalitions, oral traditions and lifestyles based on respect for nature have mattered more in these regions than frontiers. Here men and women, with common origins but different nationalities, share a racial, historic, anthropological and linguistic kinship with each other that is more vital than their links with the mainstream political centers, especially at Delhi, Dhaka and Rangoon, or Yangon. Neighbouring Countries of the North Eastern Region Bangladesh Geo -Strategic Location. Bangladesh is bounded with India almost entirely on three sides with Assam (263 km.), Meghalaya (443 km.), Mizoram (318 km.) and Tripura(856km.) except for a small but significant border in the southeast with Myanmar. There are hardly any natural obstacles as the area consists of jungles, hills, plains and riverine stretches. It is thickly populated and cultivation is carried out right up to the border. The Indo-Bangladesh border is a porous border with illegal immigration and anti national activities from Bangladesh. To curtail the above, the Government of India had sanctioned the construction of border roads and fencing in two phases. The total length of Indo-Bangladesh border sanctioned to be fenced is 3,436.59 km.; out of which about 2,735.12 km. of fencing has so far been completed and is expected to be finished by March 2012.  [4]  C:UsersabcDocumentspaasInternal Security _ India_filesnorth_east_india.jpg This border is contiguous with Myanmar state of Rakhine (old Arakan), thus gains importance. Its geo-strategic location is of significant value to the two strategic rivals, China and India, because in the north Bangladesh is separated from the Himalayan kingdoms of Nepal and Bhutan by a strip of Indias territory, which is known as the Siliguri Corridor  [5]  .The Siliguri Corridor (narrowest is 21 Km) is regarded as a very sensitive strategic land for India. If this land connection is blocked in future by any internal or external elements, India would find itself cut off from its strategic part of the Seven Sisters states, so in that situation the only alternative way for India to reach its important part of land is a strategic corridor through Bangladesh. China enjoys access to the Bay of Bengal through Myanmar. Bangladeshs proposal to connect it with Kunming by a road through Myanmar could be an alternative route for China. Indias geo-strategic location is also important for Bangladesh because Bangladesh energy security strategy relies on the import of hydro-based electricity from Bhutan or Nepal, so Bangladesh needs a route for access through India. Successive governments in Bangladesh except Awami League were reluctant to help North East India get access to the Bay of Bengal through Chittagong port as well as by allowing transit. However, after Sheikh Hasina came to power Bangladesh has also agreed to use their territory for transportation of goods on specific purposes. Bangladesh Foreign Minister Dipu Moni also indicated that Dhaka would welcome Indian support for Chittagong Port development where China is also bidding.  [6]  With a growing Islamist agenda, the erstwhile East Pakistan had emerged as the primary staging ground for the ISI-Directorate General of Forces Intelligence (DGFI) operations in the North East. The erstwhile East Pakistan was aiding the Mizo and the Naga separatists before 1971. The DGFI, as is well known, is a smaller prototype of the ISI and was created in 1978 by Gen Zia-ur-Rahman, and presently it is this organisation that has taken the initiative to launch forward intelligence capabilities in the North East. After the assassination of Sheikh Mujibir Rehman in 1975, there had been a transparent shift of the foreign policy of Bangladesh towards China. Bangladesh has been acquiring their defence and development needs from China. In 2002, both the countries had signed an agreement on Defence Cooperation which covers military training and defence production. The Bangladesh Armed Forces are equipped with tanks, frigates, missile boats and fighter jets from China.  [7]   Migration .Migration from the erstwhile East Bengal/ East Pakistan and the present day Bangladesh to eastern and North Eastern parts of India has been an ongoing phenomenon  [8]  . Only after the partition of India in 1947, following which the political boundaries changed has this age -old tradition become Illegal. This cross- border movement of people is due to a number of interrelated factors: economic, environmental, religious and political. Bangladesh is one of the most populous and poorest countries in the world. Hence Bangladesh is a major source of labour, but mainly of low skilled and unskilled workers. This immigration in the North East was focused in Assam because of tea, oil and coal industries and the demand for labour. From Assam the immigrants are going to other states of the region. In recent times, Nagaland, along with Mizoram, Tripura, Arunachal Pradesh and Manipur has attracted a large number of immigrants. In Mizoram, migration from Bangladesh and Myanmar has b ecome a serious issue. The influx from across the border has resulted in demographic transformation which has led to tribal insurgency in the states. Indo Bangladesh Relations. With the Sheikha Hasina government in power in Bangladesh, Indias relations with that country seem set to improve. Bangladesh lies contiguous to Indias sensitive North East, which has been the focus of destabilization through anti Indian insurgencies supported by China, Myanmar and also Bangladesh, singly and jointly with Pakistan. However the security related issues need to be addressed. The issues include the safe havens provided to the Indian Insurgent Groups like the United Liberation Front of Assam (ULFA), activities of the Islamic Groups such as the Muslim Liberation Tigers of Assam (MULTA) and the People United Liberation Front (PULF), passage of arms and ammunition through and from Bangladesh. The visit of the Bangladesh Prime Minister from10-13 January 2010 promised to launch a new phase in the ties between the two countries. Three agreements were signed fight against international terrorism, organized crime and illegal drug trafficking, mutual legal assistance in criminal matters and mutual transfer of convicted prisoners. If despite internal resistance from anti Indian elements and the bureaucracy, India Bangladesh relations can be steadily transformed, it will considerably improve the political and economic dynamics of the region. Bangladesh can play a positive part in linking the eastern region of South Asia to Myanmar, Thailand and beyond. A solution however has to be found, to the problem of illegal Bangladesh migration into India.  [9]  The Prime Minister of India was on a two day visit to Bangladesh from 06-07 September 2011, during which many agreements less the Teesta River were signed. The boundary issues to include the 111 Indian Enclaves (17,158 acres) and 51 Bangladesh Enclaves (7,110 acres) were agreed upon. Water Problem. Water has been a major issue in India-Bangladesh relations. There are 54 shared rivers between India and Bangladesh. The two have till date signed only the Ganges Water Treaty in 1997. While the Treaty has helped the two countries to arrive at a mutually acceptable solution on the sharing of the water of the Ganges; Bangladesh remains apprehensive about Indias intentions on several other water-related issues such as the sharing of the Teesta and Indias proposal on the interlinking of the rivers.  [10]   Myanmar Geo Strategic Location. Myanmar has a land border with India (1645 km) and Bangladesh. Four Indian states (Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur and Mizoram) border Myanmar (Kachin Chin states and Sagaing Division). Myanmar is often perceived to be a buffer state between the two Asian giants of India and China and also a connecting nation for India and other Southeast Asian nations. Myanmar is geographically, dominating the Bay of Bengal and the Andaman Sea and this is where the spheres of influence of India and China overlap. Its strategic location provides Myanmar with an opportunity to play a significant role in both the geopolitics and geo-economics of South and Southeast Asia. It can serve as a land bridge between India and prospering economies in the East and South East Asia. Also having good relations with Myanmar will allow India to check on the growing influence of China in the region. In addition, the availability of natural gas, oil, coal, zinc, precious stones, timber and some deposits of Uranium in Myanmar gives an economic dimension to its strategic significance. With the interplay of market forces across the borders, Myanmar could be both a favoured destination and a crossroad for other Southeast Asian countries and for India, but in reality it has failed to attain either of these primarily because of its internal political problems. Unlike China, the grim realities of military dictatorship, isolation from rest of the world and several economic sanctions from West have restricted the nation to achieve economic success over time. The Chinese have made full use of this situation and have been stripping Myanmar of its natural resources. Administrative Map of Myanmar The central Irrawaddy River valley is the hub around which Myanmar is organized. The valley has the hill areas where the population is of primarily the Kachin, Chin, Shan, Karenni and Karen people. These people are self organized and have their own armies and regular forces and they have been fighting the national army since a long period. However, these hill regions which are populated by the minority are ethnically divided from within. They have migrated from China, Bangladesh, Thailand, Cambodia and India. Due to this reason, the western Myanmar which has the Chin population is not similar to the Karen in the eastern Myanmar in any manner. Similarly there is no common factor in terms of language and culture between the Shans and the ethnic Burmans except for the Buddhist religion. In the case of the Arakans, their feeling is that they are not connected with the rest of Myanmar. The Indo- Myanmar border has no border fencing and not clearly demarcated, which allows people to freely cross with neither any security outpost dotted along or within even a few kilometers of the boundary. Communication infrastructure on both sides is poor particularly on the Myanmar side it is abysmal. The area is poorly developed and ineffectively administered. Historical Background. It was in the 13th Century that the Chinas Yuan dynasty invaded Myanmar and it has been since then under the shadow of the Greater China. However, it is interesting to mention that at around the same time, Myanmar became the home of an Indian business community which became a great support to the British in holding Myanmar as a part of Greater British India. In 1948, it became a Union of Burma, which made it a sovereign independent country. During the period 1958-60, there was serious politico-ethnic turmoil. In March 1962, General Ne Win, led a coup after which he suspended the constitution of Burma and ruled the country with a military council and also supported one party system known as the Burma Socialist Programme Party (BSPP).This resulted in a spate of insurgency movements by the ethnic groups like the Kachin Independent Army(KIA),the Shan State Army( SSA),the Arakanese Revolutionary Army(ARA), the Chin National Army(CAN)and the National Party of Arakan (NUPA) against the Rangoon Military Junta. There were serious repercussions of the insurgency and the separatist movements in the Sagaing Division, Chin Hills and the Arakan Region of Burma. It had a major affect on the politico-strategic environment of the eastern areas of India and Bangladesh. In the Indian states, Manipur, Nagaland and Mizoram were directly affected by this, drug trafficking, narco-terrorism from the Golden Triangle and the political brinkmanship between the Burmese Military Government and the pro democracy movement led by Dow Aung Suu Kyi, daughter of General Aung San, who had been assassinated in July 1947. Myanmar governments writ does not extend over the entire country particularly along the border regions. The Myanmar army is poorly administered. If they are to render meaningful support in the long term, it will have to be upgraded. There is a compete diversity in Myanmar, which has a population of 56 million. Majority of the population is Burman and the minority groups are Shan, Karen, Mon, Rakhine, Chin, Kachin, Kayan, Danu, Akha, Kokang, Lahu, Rohingyia, Tavoyan, and Wa. Indians and the Chinese are the minority groups in Myanmar and there has been discrimination in their treatment by the Myanmar Government for autonomy and self determination. The Chinese because of the economic interests and the trade have gained an added advantage. Chinas overriding concern is a stable Myanmar to give its landlocked southwest access to the Indian Ocean, as well as oil, gas and timber to feed its booming economy. The Indian community is not a homogenous group which is also a drawback. Myanmar is a part of the Golden Triangle including Laos and Cambodia. It is the second largest producer of illicit opium accounting for nearly 80% of worlds drug supply. It is a major narco-trafficking nation and money laundering continues to hi nder the overall anti-drug efforts in the country. North East Region is affected through illegal trade of narcotics, stones and arms from that country into the hinterland of India. Thus there is a need of military co-operation between Myanmar and India to control the drug trafficking, weapon smuggling and support to the insurgents. india_weapons-smuggling croped.jpg India has taken initiative to improve her economic relationship with Myanmar by keeping possible doors open for bilateral engagement, like investment, infrastructure, trade and other co-operation. Trade with and through Myanmar would revive Indias Northeast and make both the nations prosperous. Also, Myanmar being Indias gateway to ASEAN, it is the only country of this group, which has a land and maritime boundary with India. Thus with India becoming a summit level partner of ASEAN and a member of the East Asia Summit, improved relations with Myanmar can be beneficial in many respects. Besides, Myanmar and India are members of other sub regional groupings such as the BIMST-EC and the Mekong Ganga Cooperation. The recent planned infrastructure development of road, rail and waterways from Indian side are all steps in the direction of establishing economic and business connections with Myanmar. In 1992, following the breakup of the Soviet Union, the Indian government launched its Look East Policy, which in the words of the then prime minister was a strategic shift in Indias vision of the world and Indias place in the evolving global economy.   Since that time, a number of initiatives have been pursued to increase ties, largely in trade relations, between India, members of the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) and other Asian states.   As Indias gateway to East Asia, the Burmese military regime has found itself in a key geo-strategic position, giving it a strong hand in negotiations with India. In 2000, relations between India and Myanmar improved with the formation of the Mekong Ganga Cooperation and also by becoming the biggest purchasing player of the exports of Myanmar. Though the Indo Myanmar Friendship Road was completed in 2001, India has not been able to exploit its potential by reaching the markets of Southeast Asia. Indian companies have been involved in negotiations with Myanmar in the fields of onshore and offshore explorations of oil and gas and hydropower projects. Kaladan Multi Modal Transport Project .The construction of the Kaladan Multi Modal Transport Project commenced in 2010 and is likely to be completed by 2015. This would facilitate Indias North Eastern Region to be linked to the Bay of Bengal through Myanmar using the road and waterway of the Kaladan River through the Arakan State. The ports on the route at Kaletwa, Paletwa and Sittwe will be constructed by the Indian Government, while the highway linking Paletwa and Myeikwaon on the Indian side will be constructed by the Myanmar Ministry of Construction. The distance between Sittwe Port and Haldia is approximately 12 hours sail and with Vishakhapatnam it is 36 hours sail.  [11]   The cargo vessels will travel along the Kaladan River in Sittwes eastern bank to berth at Sitpyitpyin in Paletwa, where a port will be built. From the port, a highway will be constructed to the border area of Myeikwa to facilitate the flow of commodities to Mizoram, which is located about 160 km from the port. Kalewa in Myanmar will be linked with Moreh in Manipur covering a distance of 160 Km and there will also be an up gradation of the Roads Rhi-Tidim and Rhi-Falam, as part of the project. With this project the entire North East will have direct access to the South East Asia for direct trading. This will facilitate the North East region, an access to the sea route. Moreh on the NH 39 and the Indo Myanmar border is an important post where border trade is carried out. Tamu is the border town of Myanmar, which has better infrastructure facilities than at Moreh. The Chinese have benefitted from the trade as their cheap electronics, silk goods and a wide range of goods have been smuggled to the Indian market through this area. This is something which should become a cause of worry for India. Due to the location of the Sittwe port not very far from Kyakpiu port of Myanmar and Chittagong Port of Bangladesh it gains a serious geo -strategic importance with Indias presence. China is providing support to Myanmar in developing the Kyakpiu port and constructing a road and oil-gas pipeline connecting Kunming. China has also proposed to develop Chittagong port and Sonadia deep sea port located seven kms off the Cox Bazaar. The construction of Sittwe incidentally comes close on the heels of Myanmars elections and release of Aung Sun Swu Kyi. India, in spite of the international pressure has remained engaged with Burmese military junta since 1993 keeping in mind its strategic importance. Visit of Than Shwe. During Than Shwes visit to India in July 2010, the two nations resolved to increase trade by up to $1 billion per annum. Than Shwe expressed his satisfaction on the construction, maintenance and repair work of the Road Tamu- Kalaywa- Kalemyo connecting Moreh in Manipur to Myanmar by the Border Roads Organisation of India and thereafter handing over most of the segments to the Government of Myanmar. It will commence construction and revamping of the Road Rhi -Tiddim with financial grants from India. India agreed to give a grant of $ 10 Million for agricultural machinery and also give technical assistance to manufacture the same in Myanmar. India had agreed to provide assistance in the implementation of the Tamanthi and Shwezaye power projects on the Chindwin River Basin in Myanmar. A third Border Trading point will be made functional at Avankhug- Somra( Nagaland). India will provide fast inshore and offshore boats and interceptors to patrol rivers and deltas. Treat y on mutual legal assistance in criminal matters to combat transnational organized crime, terrorism, drug trafficking, money laundering and smuggling of arms and explosives was signed. Both, Oil and Natural Gas Commission Videsh and GAIL have a 30 percent stake in two gas producing blocks in Myanmar as part of consortium which is supplying the hydro carbon gas to China. They also are a part of the pipeline project which will link the two blocks to China. Than Shwe reiterated Myanmars support for Indias bid for permanent membership of the United Nations Security Council. He also conveyed his support for Indias candidature for a non-permanent seat in the UNSC for the term 2011-2012. A strategy of increased security cooperation and a strengthened collective effort to fight the insurgents and combat terrorism along the border of the two countries was agreed upon .There is a global arms embargo on Myanmar, but India is not part of it. However there are worries that the Myanmar military may use the weapons and other military equipment, such as helicopters, sold or donated by India for the crackdown on insurgents, against ethnic civilians. Insurgency. There is close social and cultural affinity between the tribal population on both sides of the Indo- Myanmar border, particularly in Nagaland, Manipur and Mizoram. The area on the Myanmar side is infested with insurgent groups camps and due to logistics and hostile terrain, the Myanmar Government has not been able to exercise sovereignty and is a constraint for anti -terror operations. There are rebel militias in the Shan State. Some of the insurgent groups have been active against Yangon for over four decades. This was the reason why the Naga and the Assamese groups have been finding refuge on the Myanmar side. For many years India has faced an insurgency in the remote north-east of the country, with insurgent groups frequently operating from bases inside Myanmar. Myanmars military co-operation with the Indian Government in dealing with these groups has been reportedly linked with an Indian government offer to supply a variety of military hardware such as tanks, aircraft, artillery guns, radar, small arms and advanced light helicopters. In April 2007 it was reported that Indian and Myanmar security forces were conducting joint military operations along the 1,643-km Indo-Myanmar border to neutralise insurgent groups. Any military operations in this region must be undertaken along with a social uplift programme,  otherwise, it would be only a police action. It is doubtful whether the military regime is ready for such social action. India has been engaged in peace parleys with both factions of NSCN for some time now.   Carrying out joint or closely coordinated operations in areas of their proximity without jeopardizing the peace talks will require a lot of finesse. The area of operations is astride the routes of flourishing drug trade and traffic as well as arms traffic. Vested interests, including those from the Myanmar Army and criminal elements involved in such traffic will also have to be tackled. In the month of January 2010, an agreement was signed between India and Myanmar to conduct joint military operations in North East and Myanmar against the Indian insurgents hiding in the dense jungles of Myanmar. The aim was to ensure that no insurgent can escape to the other side when facing the heat on one side. The security forces were also to be more vigilant on the border against smuggling of drugs, arms and other goods. China has always been a staunch supporter of the military junta  [12]  . Myanmar gave China an assurance over an important crude oil pipeline and promised to maintain stability along the border after unrest in August 2009 pushed thousands of refugees into Yunnan. Indias concern over the transit, permanent and training camps and other support by Myanmar on their soil to the Indian Insurgent Groups (IIGs) including ULFA has made an affect. They have endeavored to launch counter-insurgency operations. Besides ULFA, NSCN (Khaplang), Peoples Liberation Army and United National Liberation Front from Manipur too have their camps within Myanmar territory. Some of these camps are in the Kachin province bordering China; the other outfits have been operating from areas bordering India. Cross border smuggling of small arms from South East Asia and Chinas Yunnan also exists.NSCN(K) and the Myanmar Government have signed a bilateral cease fire agreement on 9April 2012. While China has long maintained a friendly relationship with Myanmar, India appears to have changed its position on the regime over the last decade. Indias past calls for the release of Aung San Suu Kyi as well as for a national political reconciliation process seem to have been replaced by a policy of engagement rather than sanctions as a means to exert influence over the military administration, and a new pragmatic stance  which allows it to take advantage of new investment opportunities wherever they appear. Shift of USA Stance. United States Secretary of State Hillary Clintons two day visit in December 2011, the first of its kind after the 1950s to Myanmar has been a welcome step as compared to imposing sanctions on the Military Junta Rule. This step is primarily to shift the focus of Myanmar from China which was gaining an excessive grip over the country.USA has now shifted its focus to Asia Pacific where most countries were getting concerned about the rise of China and it assertiveness. She had discussions with the President Thein Sein and Ms Aung San Suu Kyi , leader of the National League for Democracy Party.USA has lifted sanctions against Myanmar. The change in trend in Myanmar of liberalization and to have good relations with the countries of the world will have a major impact in Asia. By taking initiatives to open talks with the USA and other neighbouring countries it will be able to develop into an energy and natural resources base in the sub-continent, China and the South East Asia. Kunming, which is an important place in the Yunnan Province of China, will play an important role in South East Asia as it can become the hub of the rail and the river routes. Aung San Suu Kyi, leader of the National League for Democracy has joined the parliamentary system which has been crafted by the Generals. It is a quasi -civilian government in which a quarter of the seats are reserved for serving military soldiers. The government under President Thein Sein is being seen as a government which will bring reforms and this can be viewed by his actions of freeing political prisoners, relaxation of the media control, the trade unions being legalized and the most important one being of dialogue with the ethnic minority rebels. Nepal Geo Strategic Location. Nepal shares a close geographic proximity with India and China, the two acknowledged nuclear weapons states and major powers in Asia. Nepal is closer to Tibet, which is a disputed area between India and China, and is home for 12,000 Tibetans refugees. India and Nepal have signed a Treaty of Peace and Friendship in 1950 which guarantees the open border. Nepals open frontier with the heartland states of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and West Bengal makes India extremely vulnerable. Nepals geo-strategic location is beneficial for China and India but it is a threat for Nepal, because Nepal lies between two powerful rivals. Nepal is most unlikely to face direct foreign military invasion because of its geopolitical location but its potential to become a safe haven to hostile groups is possible. Nepal has energy resources; due to which it also gains importance. India Nepal Map Maoist Insurgency. Nepal has undergone major crisis since the commencement of the Maoist insurgency in 1966. This had resulted in the country being taken hostage by some state and non state actors. The effect of this has been that the agricultural production is declining, the unemployment rate has soared up to 60 percent, most of the industries are closing and there have been regular bandhs and strikes. The law and order situation has deteriorated and the common man feels unsafe, more so in the eastern hill regions of the country. In November 2006, a Comprehensive Peace Agreement between the Communist Party of Nepal -Maoists (Later called UCPN- Maoists) was signed, resulting in constitution assembly election in 2008.The politico -economic state of Nepal has worsened after 2006.It has affected the balance of trade, Indian currency is not available, banking and financial institutions have failed, poor supply of electricity and supply of petroleum products is undependable. The Governmen t has not been able to find a solution for integrating and rehabilitating the 19000 odd Maoist insurgents. The Unified CPN- Maoists have finally joined the Government.  [13]  The United Nations Mission (UNMIN) ended their term in January 2011.They had played an important role in ensuring the ceasefire agreement with the Maoists and also supported in the conduct of the elections in 2008. China is becoming more assertive in demanding equal treatment with India in terms of the latters respective treaties with Nepal. With the Maoists now becoming a strong political force in Nepal, and given their ideological compulsion to be seen as drawing Nepal closer to China, coupled with their periodic ranting calculated to inflame public opinion against India, the political terrain has become more favourable for China.