Hip-hop in the South Bron Essay

Hip-hop surfaced in the South Bronx and the northeast areas of New York in the early and mid 1970s. Hip hop was so named because of its intrinsic beat. Its popularity began to increase exponentially in the 1980s (Bertram, 1999, p. 42). Hip Hop exists not only in a musical form. Hip-hop as it is known today also represents a style of dress, a distinct language, a particular perspective of viewing the world as well as an expressive form that reflects the feelings of a large section of youth who were born between 1965 and 1984 (Aidi, 2004, p. 108). The hip-hop culture consists of at four distinct elements. Disc jockeying (DJ-ing), break dancing, graffiti art, and rapping (emceeing) are the avenues whereby hip-hoppers represent the sentiments of hip-hop (Marshall, 2006, p. 50). The movement has evolved from the streets of the Bronx into a highly commercially musical form with associated mega-franchises repeating the benefits of its success. Hip hop artists feature prominent among Americas top radio stations and on MTV. Hip hop has therefore moved from just a locally specific form to contain an international following (Bertram, 1999, p. 2). Rap has emerged as the most commercially successful aspect of hip hop and it is primarily through this expressive medium that the hip-hop culture is proliferated globally (Bennett, 1999, p. 2). Rap delineates a style of vocal representation in which rhyming lyrics are vocalized or rapped to the undertones of a continuous beat. This ‘breakbeat’ is created by a DJ who utilizes a twin-turntable record deck and combines portions of vinyl records into new music. Scratching is also a defining characteristic of rap music. Here on record is scratched to the beat of another record by using the needle on the record deck (Bennett, 1999, p. 2). Among the rap groups that were prominent during the initial development of hip hop Bennett (1999) notes the Zulu Nation which was formed by Afrika Bambaataa, a former member of a street gang. Hip-hop has now become an avenue for minorities to express social and political sentiments and to speak out against repressive systems. American hip-hop emerged as a successor to the civil rights and black power movements which sought to empower blacks in a racially segregated society. The musical form arose out of an effort to redirect resentment among the youth of the South Bronx away from gang fighting. The hip-hop movement therefore is inherently antagonistic to oppressive systems. The musical aspect of rap has been observed to encourage violence (Gordon, 2005, p. 367) and, according to Aidi (2004) it also brings pathology and dysfunction (p. 110). Its structure therefore makes it an area of contention among political actors who dislike the often negative, anti-establishment messages that it presents. Because of rap music’s particularly ‘gangsta rap’ support and promotion of violence, it has become a serious issue of concern for the white middle and upper classes which feel the most targeted by its messages. Hip-hop necessarily speaks to inner-city blacks, Latino youth and even white living in the suburbs who themselves have felt the effects of oppressive capitalist system. Hip hop’s prominence as a cultural form arises from its ability to connect intimately with the experiences of African-American youth since hip hop is about lending a voice to the otherwise underrepresented black community. As Bennett (1999) observes, hip hop ‘has always been and remains directly connected with the streets from which it came’ (p. 2). However hip hop is not strictly an African-American cultural form even though it has tended to be discussed exclusively in these terms. As hip hop developed it has been adopted by sections of the white US underclass who identify with the messages that it presents. While acknowledging that the hip hop movement did indeed emerge within the inner cities of America, Bennett (1999) suggests that its cultural resonance is not authentic to the experiences of African Americans within the inner city of the United States. Its broader roots are grounded in the historical situation of Africans in the diaspora. Therefore it is suggested that the real roots of hip hop is in the enslavement of Africans between the sixteenth and nineteenth centuries. Even though the slave trade and slavery have long been abolished, blacks within Africa and former slave colonies, such as the West Indies, have continued to struggle against the capitalist regimes of Europe and now America. Blacks within these regions have been migrating into the UK and the US in order to escape political and religious persecution or to secure a better standard of living and better opportunities for themselves and their families (Bennett, 1999, p. 3). Hip hop, like other music forms, therefore represent an avenue whereby these individuals can communicate shared feelings through the message of music as well as encourage organization and mobilization. Within rap music, artistes attempt to undo the economic dependency of blacks and to speak out against cultural imperialism through the promotion of art forms that are distinctly Africa. Therefore it has become increasingly evident that hip hop no longer appeals solely to youth within the African-diaspora but it attracts youths from very diverse socio-cultural backgrounds (Bennett 1999, p. 4). Globalization of culture has facilitate the movement of the hip hop culture across national boundaries and has also caused the development of distinct local forms of this now international art form (Dennis, 2006, p. 271). Rap is believed to have arrived in Colombia in the 1980s soon after its upsurge in the US. This was possible because of the cross movement of Colombians into the United States. In Colombia hip hop has established its presence and popularity among the country’s urban youth. Devotees to rap are predominantly mestizos. Afro-Colombian rappers are changing traditional perceptions of ethnicity and race through the performance of music (Dennis, 2006, p. 271). Afro-Colombians identify with the oppressive feelings felt by African Americans and therefore rap music has a particular appeal for them. Most rappers are also from the lower socio-economic classes and many have lived under extreme poverty. Additionally in terms of education, many of the artistes that are attracted to hip hop within Colombia have not completed high school and none so far have had a university education (Dennis, 2006, p. 272). Youths within Colombia experience racial discrimination, particularly within urban centers where young black Colombians come into direct contact with the dominant culture and racist ideologies and behaviors (Dennis, 2006, p. 274). The music of rap has been reinterpreted within the Colombian scenario so as to emphasize the performers’ ethnic-racial identities as well as the cultural significance of their localities (Dennis, 2006, p. 271). Artistes have been mixing rap with Afro-Colombian folklore and other Latin American and Caribbean expressions such as salsa and reggae. They promote the rights of ethnic minorities and advocate their cultural, musical and racial identity. Like the Colombian masochistic views, rap in this country is also male-dominated. It becomes evident that the Colombian hip-hop culture generally maintains Western concepts of male roles. On the rap scene Afro-Colombian rappers promote leftist, anti-capitalist, and anti-globalization sentiments. Few deal with matters of race or examine the issue of racial discrimination within the Colombian context. Dennis (2006) observes that it is not till recently that a few Afro-Colombian rappers have been addressing racial concerns through music. Some black rappers in Colombia are now using rap to celebrate their ethnic and racial heritage and also pointing to racial discrimination. Within the UK particularly within Newcastle upon Tyne hip hop has attracted a white following. The area consists primarily of the white working class. There is a small population of Asian and Afro-Caribbean natives residing in the area but these groups have little or no impact on Newcastle’s cultural environment. A small hip hop-following community has emerged within Newcastle and a few outlying areas such as Gateshead, Blythe and Cramlington but it is equally of little general cultural impact. Hip hop in Newcastle has an essential whiteness to it (Bennett, 1999, p. 6). Black conscious sentiments are echoed here. The followers, though not personally affected by the same oppressive issues as blacks, find intimate connections with the concept of blackness echoed by hip hop music. Its themes are also of relevance to the white working class community. These followers do not believe that hip hop can be understood only in terms of the African-American context. They therefore try to represent hip hop as a medium through with they can express their views on issues by which they are affected on a daily basis. They embrace the view, therefore, that hip hop music is able to identify with the experiences of the white working class youth in Newcastle (Bennett, 1999, p. 10). Newcastle hip hoppers have developed a form of self-styled local hip hop. Hip hop is therefore being modified by the youths in Newcastle so that it becomes a more localize mode of expression so that it resounds with the nature of their own particular local circumstances (Bennett, 1999, p. 15). Within the Czech Republic the adaptation of hip hop is primarily an underground movement. This movement is influenced by dissatisfaction with the local drug culture. Hip hop in the Czech Republic is therefore quite distinct from the American form. Hip hoppers here oppose the flashy ‘bling-bling’ emphasis of the western form. It rather represents a mixture of foreign and local elements but which is distinctly unique. Only three of the four forms of hip hop have been successfully adapted and manipulated within the Czech Republic. Break-dancing is probably the most popular but spraying and rapping are also practiced. DJ-ing has not been possible because of the absence of the necessary technology. Furthermore the Czech form of hip hop necessarily preaches a different message because the majority of Czech youth do not understand the language used in American rap, even if they study English in school (Bertram, 2003, p. 42). This barrier has therefore resulted in hip hop within the Czech Republic developing, according to Bertram (2003), a different soul. Even in Jamaica, the home of reggae, hip hop has had a significant amount of influence (Marshall, 2006, p. 49). Dancehall music, a variant of reggae, is said to have developed based on the strong hip hop influence on the country’s music. REFERENCES Aidi, H. (2004, Jul-Dec). Verily, there is only one hip-hop umma: Islam, cultural protest and urban marginality. Socialism & Democracy, 18(2), 107-126. Bennett, A. (1999, Feb). Rappin’ on the Tyne: white hip hop culture in Northeast England: an ethnographic study. Sociological Review, 47(1), 1-25. Bertram, D. (2003, Spring). Czech hip Republic hop. New Presence: The Prague Journal of Central European Affairs, 5(1), 42-43. Dennis, C. (2006). Afro-Colombian Hip-Hop: Globalization, popular music and ethnic identities. Studies in Latin American Popular Culture, 25(271-295). Gordon, L. (2005, Oct-Dec). The problem of maturity in hip hop. Review of Education, Pedagogy & Cultural Studies, 27(4), 367-389. Marshall, W. (2006, Mar/Jun ). Bling-bling for Rastafari: How Jamaicans deal with hip-hop. Social & Economic Studies, 55(1 & 2), 49-74.

A poetic form for philosophical contemplation Essay

‘The Ode is used as a poetic form for philosophical contemplation. ’ Compare two odes by Keats in the light of this observation Ode on a Grecian Urn and Ode to a Nightingale were written in May 1819, a time in Keats’ life which he devoted entirely to poetry. Both of these poems contemplate the poet’s approaching death, using stimuli of what is on the face of a Grecian vase and the song of a nightingale. There are differences and similarities between the two poems, and both will be looked at in the essay. Both of the above poems are odes. An ode is a form of poetry about emotion. First used by the Romans and Greeks, the form was revived in England in the 17th century. The form was popular among the English Romantic poets. A typical verse of an ode consists of a quatrain with a rhyme structure of ABAB and a sestet with a rhyme structure of CDECDE. However, Keats tended to be more liberal with his rhyme structures in his odes. Keats was born in 1795 and was the last born of the English romantic poets He became interested in poetry through his secondary school headmaster, who introduced him to Renaissance poetry and so the ode. Both of his parents died before he turned fifteen, so he became familiar with loss at an early age. His most famous sets of poems were his odes and these were written as Keats’ tuberculosis worsened in 1819. He died in 1821. There are two main themes in Keats’ odes: beauty and death. It is obvious beauty is looked at intently in Ode on a Grecian Urn, as the urn seems to tell the poet in the second to last line: ‘â€Å"Beauty is truth, truth beauty,†Ã¢â‚¬â„¢. Keats firstly tries to tell the reader what the urn’s figures think of beauty. They see happiness in beauty, as they are in ‘wild ecstasy’ to be with ‘fair’ women and listen to ‘pipes and timbrels’. Because they will be youthful forever, Keats tells them this is ‘all ye need to know’, as ignorance is bliss. Beauty is also looked at in Ode to a Nightingale The nightingale is similar to the urn’s individuals, because it is able is to ‘quite forget’ the horror of old age and can forever fly free above ‘hungry generations’ of people. Unlike the Urn, its ‘plaintive anthem fades’ without actually helping the author in any way.

Why Black and Minority Ethnics seem not to accept mainstream Essay

Why Black and Minority Ethnics seem not to accept mainstream opportunities like The Princes Trust 12 week development Programme - Essay Example llege students in the UK is the Princes Trust 12 week programme which â€Å"features confidence building, team events, challenges, outdoor activities and fundraising events† (The Birmingham Post, 2006). The program intends to give students from minority communities a chance to gain practical skills that would make a real difference to their community. But in spite of this promise, the statistics pertaining to student enrolment into this programme paints a disappointing picture. The rest of this essay will delve deeper into the underlying causes for this situation. Firstly, despite several flaws inherent in the 12-Week personal development programme, it has had its share of success as well. For instance, a team of young students participating in a Princes Trust 12-week programme run at Bournville College â€Å"chose to revamp the neglected memorial garden at Witton Cemetery. The memorial garden was created after the Second World War as a tribute to civilians who had lost their lives and was in desperate need of a facelift. Countless visitors have come to pay their respects since the gardens restitution, with its upkeep actively undertaken by many local residents.† (The Birmingham Post, 2006) Talking on the occasion of the team’s success, Steve Perkins of the Prince’s Trust noted that â€Å"this team is a great example of how a diverse group of people can learn to look at things in an entirely new way. The enthusiasm and commitment they put into this project after initially showing signs of apathy, has been exceptional." (Coventry Evening Telegraph, 2008) The story of one particular team member, Danny McErlean, who comes from an ethnic minority background, is quite exceptional. Having left school in his early teens and later running away from his home, Danny found refuge in youth hostels for a while. Throughout these years he was also involved in petty offences and drug abuse. It was in this troubled condition that the 12-Week programme offer came his way.

Research Investigation Dissertation Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5000 words

Research Investigation - Dissertation Example The state-of-the art facilities and other tourism infrastructure including stadiums, malls and urban transportation have greatly promoted the tourist sector, registering economic strides, generating a powerful multiplier effect on the economy. This positive growth in the economy has helped solve Dubai debt crisis in the United Arab Emirates region. Government debt crisis has been at the verge of increasing with companies like Dubai World claiming that they need more time to repay their debt installments. However, the economic turn point in tourism development has greatly contributed in managing Dubai debt crisis. This study aimed at examining the economic impact of tourism in Dubai and impact on its debt crisis. The research involved the use of both qualitative and quantitative methods of data analysis. A survey in questionnaires that would compare with UK tourists and Chinese tourists to Dubai was conducted. The researcher interviewed approximately ten students with knowledge about the Dubai economy and tourism. The primary data and secondary data was collected, analyzed and interpreted in graphs and charts. Increased growth of Dubai tourism sector has positive impact on the economy, helping in managing the debt crisis. CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 1.1 Rationale for Research Study Over the last three decades, Dubai’s economy was largely dependent and operated by oil and real estate, resulting to minimal sources of economic resources to drive the economy forward. Lack of diversification in industries to reduce the economic risks of a retrogressive economy and the economic powerhouse of Dubai should concentrate on diversified economic activities such as tourism, which will steer the economy forward and help reduce the economic crisis of Dubai especially on debt. The emerging global levels of tourism in the foreseeable future in Dubai are likely to contribute positively to Dubai economy, raising the economic gains of Dubai. Given the significant impact of touri sm on the economy of Dubai in a wider spectrum, accurate forecast of the demand for the tourism services is a fundamental aspect that will remain a key driver in alleviating and solving Dubai economic crisis of debt 1.2 Problem statement The study intends to address the key issue of economic significance of tourism plus its influence on the debt crisis of Dubai. The research will be embedded in addressing the tourism sector and demonstrating how progressive it has been for the past years and critically examine the economic value of it and bring out its importance in solving the economic crisis of Dubai’s debt. Unlike other Emirates of the United Arab Emirates, Dubai is not endowed with rich oil resources. Dubai in the process of attracting investors from around the world, developed and spent a lot of money on building roads and star hotels among other infrastructural developments to woo the international entrepreneurs. For various reasons, an economic crisis was evident with real estate investment collapsing. 1.3 Research Aim and Objectives 1.3.1 Research Aim The aim of this research study is to examine the economic impact of tourism in Dubai and its impact on its debt crisis. 1.3.2 Research Objectives The research will accordingly be directed by the following specific objectives. 1. To identify the tourism development of Dubai destination. 2. To identify the

E commerce. group project, MIS class Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

E commerce. group project, MIS class - Essay Example In the event that many people log into our site or share our advertisements and updates with their friends, we can safely conclude that the marketing aspect of the project is a success. Success would also be established by the increasing number of online donations or feedbacks. Social networks are bound to bring in plenty of feedback even those that are considerably impertinent. In an effort to isolate the effects of this kind of technology, the only thing that can really be done is actually ignore the irrelevant sort of feedback or response. The entire plan is to collect donations in the promotion of charity for the baseball team; any information pertaining to anything other than the main course is considered to be immaterial in all respects. There is always a chance of failure in every venture undertaken in business. In other words, there is no guarantee of success in this case. Therefore, in case of failure, the charity group will take to the streets and literally publicize our project to people by word of mouth. Needless to mention, it is much easier to persuade people on a personal level. All in all, we do hope that this project will work and that the reception will be worthwhile. It is a good thing what the baseball team is attempting to do for charity and we hope that the public perceives it as

Coral bleaching Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Coral bleaching - Essay Example The coral bleaching was first noticed in the 1980’s and since then the reef has been experiencing frequent and repetitive mass bleaching. Though salinity has been effectively prominent, there is also presence of toxic chemicals, UV radiation as well as reduced temperatures. By the period 2012 to 2040, the experience with coral reef is expected to become more frequent in bleaching. This is seen as the greatest threat to the reef system in the world. The intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has forecast that this will mostly be caused by the high summer temperatures which induce bleaching. Other places that will be greatly damaged by the bleaching include areas around the sea for example Indian Ocean where over 90 percent of the coral cover is lost in Seychelles, Sri Lanka, Kenya and Tanzania. Economists have also predicted mass coral bleaching occurrences in Hawaiian corals as well as warming of the ocean (Dove & Hoegh, 17). According to Raymond (2004), The International Tropical Ecosystems Symposium has therefore come up with ways of strengthening the network of marine managers. This will be achieved through engaging effective political and indigenous leadership in order to achieve sustainable management. Conservation of tropical marine and the costal ecosystems should also be improved in facing out the economical

High Budget Deficit and the Growth Rate of the Economy Essay

High Budget Deficit and the Growth Rate of the Economy - Essay Example The nation with high private saving will offset the moderate deficit financing in a much better way to provide for investment capital necessary for the growth of economy. Thus, for future economic growth national savings matter highly. National saving is the measure of the accumulation of financial and other real assets overtime. Future national income will largely depend upon this accumulated stock of assets. Unfortunately, deficit financing coupled with nil or negative private saving has made the national saving negative. In this perspective, deficit financing on a sustained basis cannot help US economy. Higher Interest Rates Macguineas (2011) argues that ever increasing deficit financing will exert upward pressure on interest rates thereby increasing the cost of capital. Budgetary deficits are financed through government borrowings. When government borrowings rise to a high level, the government may have to offer increased interest rates so that sufficient buyers are attracted to buy government debt. Obviously, higher interest rates will tend to retard the economic growth rate. Higher Borrowing Leads to Higher Interest Payments Increasing borrowings year after year will necessitate higher spending on debt-interest. Higher interest burden eats away the productive deployment of the capital necessary for the economic growth. As a result, the needy sectors such as education, health starve of the funds that are necessary to provide impetus to the economy. Defense Spending and Budgetary Deficit Korb et al. (2011) of the center for American Progress (CAP) argue that defense spending has created the current fiscal crisis. The experts from the CAP believe that the massive deficit is the result of increasing defense budget during 2004 through 2012. It...This essay offers a comprehensive review of the effects, that the high levels of budget deficit exercise on the economic development of the country, using the example of the US. In 2011, it was the third straight year when the gap between American government's income and spending remained negative to the tune of $1 trillion or above. In percentage terms, the deficit is hovering at around 10 percent of gross domestic product in last two years. This was causing serious concerns at several quarters on soaring national debt. The national saving rate is important for future economic growth and budgetary deficit has a direct bearing on national saving rate. Since last many years private saving is meager in the US and in last couple of years it has gone even negative. With such a low/negative saving, it is difficult to obtain economic growth and US productivity at desired rate. Ever increasing deficit financing will exert upward pressure on interest rates thereby increasing the cost of capital. Budgetary deficits are financed through government borrowings. When government borrowings rise to a high level, the government may have to offer increased interest rates so that sufficient buyers are attracted to buy government debt. Higher interest rates retards the economic growth rate. It can be concluded that when the government incurs debt, it is important to know what government does with that money. If the money are deployed for productive purposes, it can certainly help the economy of the present as well as future generations.

Why Should you learn another language Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Why Should you learn another language - Essay Example Today English is the official language in a large number of countries, an estimated number of people in the world that use English in communication or a regular base is 2 billion, so by studying English one become part of this diverse large population that uses English in their day today activities and communicate with citizens of most of countries in the globe, without any confusion in expressing our feeling and thinking (Halliday pp 38). Worldwide business are conducted in English, with the advent of outsourcing, bilingualism is used as a useful skill this makes the scope for employment much wider for those who speak English in foreign countries. successful functionality in international business require communication with other people through email, memos and reports which should be written in English hence the need to understand and express thoughts and ideas in English. The other importance of language is that it create a greater opportunity for a job moreover, with an enough amount of knowledge In English, the possibility of promotion in position is ever higher (Halliday, pp 38). In education research and academics there is an existence of over 2000 universities and colleges this implies that above 400 billion dollars are spent every year on research, by taking the example of US alone it offers an incredible array of opportunities to those who are able to function in an English only environment. English knowledge opens doors for study abroad and have access to more variety of educational courses, this equip one with the desired skills and knowledge that makes one conversant with the world trend academically (Alamin pp 2-345). Another importance of studying English language is that English is the language of technology and science, genetics, medicine and also computer science so if anyone is interested in any of this fields then

Extreme Importance of Alternative Energy Sources Research Paper

Extreme Importance of Alternative Energy Sources - Research Paper Example Forecasts show that coal, gas and oil supplies will last only for a few more centuries. Secondly, the use of fossil fuels poses a serious danger to the environment. The combustion of fossil fuels leads to the emission of chlorofluorocarbons, mainly carbon dioxide. This causes the ‘greenhouse effect’ which traps heat in the earth’s atmosphere, leading to global warming. The combustion of fossil fuels also causes atmospheric pollution and acidification of the environment. The environmental damage caused by oil spills in the wake of the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico is fresh in minds. Likewise, nuclear power is associated with the risk of nuclear accidents, such as Chernobyl and Fukushima, and the problem of disposal of hazardous radioactive waste. As there is no sign of energy use declining in the conceivable future, the environmental impacts of energy consumption, and the depletion of energy sources, assumes grave implications. It is clear that the need for al ternative, renewable sources of energy is the need of the hour. Energy consumption shows tremendous global variation, and â€Å"about a quarter of the world's population consumes three-quarters of the world's primary energy† (UN Document). About 20% of global energy consumption is in the USA. Again, it is estimated that the U.S. is responsible for about one-fifth of all human-produced greenhouse-gas emissions. Renewable sources of energy account for only 9.3% of the total US energy consumption (EIA). In this scenario, it is evident that the need for alternative energy sources should be a high priority for the government of the United States. It is heartening to note that President Obama has declared that â€Å"I know the country that harnesses the power of clean, renewable energy will lead the global economy in the 21st century† (qtd. in Scientific American).

Accounting Cycle Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Accounting Cycle - Research Paper Example An organization that depends on the accounting cycle to create outputs that are needed to evaluate the financial performance of an organization is the Security and Exchange Commission (SEC). The SEC mandates that public corporation release financial statements at least once a year. The amount of time that it takes to complete the accounting cycle is typically one year. Due to SEC regulations publicly traded companies have to compress their accounting cycles in order to release quarterly financial statements. The primary players that are involved in the preparation of financial statements are the employees that belong to the accounting department. The collective efforts of all accountants of a corporation allows the accounting cycle to run smoothly and serve its purpose of enabling companies to compile financial statements that show the financial performance of a corporation. Some of the users of the financial information formed by the accounting cycle include: lenders, employees, business partners, and shareholders. The person or job position that is responsible for the completion of the accounting cycle is the controller. The controller is considered the top accounting position in any organization. The controller is responsible for the preparation of the different steps that lead to the release of financial statements. Another important executive position that closely monitors the work of the accounting department is the chief executive officer (CEO). The CEO is responsible for the ent ire performance of an organization. They must comply with the demands of different stakeholders groups. A few decades ago the accounting cycle was created manually with the use of traditional accountings books such as the general journal and the ledgers. Accountants would manually keep track of the system through these two mechanisms and other tools to create an accounting information system. Nowadays technological advances have made the job of accountants much

The Australian Financial Review Essay Example for Free

The Australian Financial Review Essay According to the Australian Financial Review (2013), Tesco has agreed to form a 20/80 joint venture with China Resource Enterprises. This initiative occurs in the light of the declining retail environment in Europe and aims to combine Tesco’s 134 Chinese branches with 2,986 outlets from the China Resources Vanguard business. This deal will provide a strong platform for Tesco to enter the Chinese market and establish market leadership by improving its offering for customers within the region. Application Tesco’s planned expansion in China is the direct result of the declining economic environment in Europe, which has lead to a dramatic shift in sociocultural spending patterns. This has impacted Tesco negatively as a 0. 2% reduction in European private consumption from 2007 to 2011 (Roxburgh 2012) saw a ? 1 billion decrease in Tesco’s European sector revenue from 2009 to 2011 (Tesco 2009; Tesco 2011). As a response, Tesco has initiated a strategic alliance with China Resource Enterprises in a bid to solidify its market position in China. This alliance greatly assists Tesco in overcoming cultural differences as Inkpen and Tsang (2005) explains that firms operating in culturally distant nations can leverage knowledge from local partners to better understand host markets. This is important as the UK and China are dissimilar in a multitude of cultural dimensions (Hofstede 1984). Through this alliance, Tesco can overcome its liability of foreignness by utilizing the existing brand reputation of its partner since 45% of Chinese consumers display a high level of brand loyalty (Magni and Atsmon 2012), prevalent in a long term orientation focused culture. This alliance furthermore allows Tesco to transform into a multi-format retailer (Australian Financial Review 2013), which is consistent with changing consumption preferences signified by the increasingly popularity of hypermarkets. This multi-purpose shopping location has subsequently become a staple for consumers with average growth rates of 20% per annum since 2003 (Herring et al. 2012). This changing sociocultural trend provides Tesco with a myriad of opportunities in China. Analysis Tesco’s expansion strategy in China will provide numerous opportunities for growth. This stems from a mixture of Chinese economic and regulatory factors which contribute to an increasingly consumption-driven demographic. According to Woetzel, Li and Cheng (2012), regulatory initiatives on raising minimum wage levels have already increased disposable income per capita by 19. 7% in 2012. This combined with financial reforms aimed at increasing market competition will help expand private sector activity, in turn boosting employment and accelerating household income growths by 9% per annum. As a result of improving economic conditions, Woetzel, Li and Cheng predict national consumption to rise by 8% per annum and increase threefold from 30,000RMB in 2012 to 92,000RMB in 2030. These consumption patterns provide a myriad of sale opportunities for Tesco. However these benefits are overshadowed by an aging population and a reduction in the available workforce. According to Atsmon et al. (2012), China is experiencing rising life expectancies and falling birth rates, and estimates the proportion of population over 65 will increase from 10% to 15% in the near future. This is problematic as Bongaarts (2004) states public pension benefits impose serious economic burdens on the working population and may lead to a rise in taxation. This factor is worsened by a reduction in the available working age population which according to Evans-Pritchard (2013) has already increased salaries by 16% annually in the past decade. This may increase Tesco’s operating costs, which will reduce profitability. Although faced with an ageing population, Woetzel, Li and Cheng (2012) reveal that increasing government subsidies towards social security could strengthen China’s safety net. This combined with increasing urbanization and a rising middle class will spur consumption, counteracting the effects of an ageing population. Golley and Meng (2011) also provide evidence against labour shortages in China and state there is still an abundance of under-employed workers in rural regions. They argue unique Chinese institutions and policies have restricted migration into cities and regulatory reforms can see migrant workers double from 150 to 300 million, thereby negating significant salary increases. Corporate Social Responsibility and Sustainability Tesco has recently introduced a variety of sustainability and ethical sourcing initiatives, reflecting an increased commitment towards CSR. However these programs were only initiated after negative publicity generated by Friends of Earth (2005), which accused Tesco of using their market power to reduce supplier prices and operating energy intensive facilities. According to Becker-Olsen et al. (2006), this is a reactive rather than proactive strategy and confirms Piacentini et al. ’s (2000) study, which exposed that being recognized as a socially responsible company was the main reason food retailers adopt CSR rather than philanthropic reasons. Consequently, Tesco’s CSR initiatives can only be classified as a CSR grasp on Freeman and Hasnaoui’s (2010) continuum as they are merely strategies that ensure competitiveness. Although superficial, these CSR initiatives do however set standards for competitors and can encourage future CSR advancements as firms compete to be recognized as the most socially responsible retailer. Reference list Atsmon, Y. , Magni, M. , Li, L. , and Liao, W. 2012, Meet the 2020 Chinese Consumer, McKinsey Company, China, viewed 4 October 2013, Becker-Olsen, K. L. , Cudmore, B. A. , Hill, R. P. 2006, ‘The impact of perceived corporate social responsibility on consumer behavior’, Journal of Business Research, Vol. 59, no. 1, pp. 46-53. Bongaarts, J. 2004, ‘Population aging and the rising cost of public pensions’, Population and Development Review, Vol. 30, no. 1, pp. 1-23. Evans- Pritchard, A. 2013, ‘Shortage of workers to halt Chinas growth’, Sydney Morning Herald, 6 February, p. 6. Freeman, I. and Hasnaoui, A. 2010, ‘A four-nation study of the meaning of corporate social Responsibility’, Proceedings from the 7th Congres de l’Aderse, March 2010. La Rochelle, France. Friends of Earth 2005, The Tesco Takeover, Friends of Earth, London, viewed 5 October 2013, Golley, J. , Meng, X. 2011, ‘Has China run out of surplus labour? ’, China Economic Review, Vol. 22 no. 4, pp. 555-572. Herring, L. , Hui, D. , Morgan, P. , Tufft, C. 2012, Inside China’s hypermarkets: Past and prospects, McKinsey Company, China, viewed 4 October 2013, Hofstede, G. 1984, ‘Cultural dimensions in management and planning’, Asia Pacific journal of management, Vol. 1 no. 2, pp. 81-99. Inkpen, A. C. , Tsang, E. W. 2005, ‘Social capital, networks, and knowledge transfer’, Academy of management review, Vol. 30, no. 1, pp. 146-165. Magni, M. Atsmon, Y. 2012, ‘Wooing the Fickle Chinese Consumer’, Harvard Business Review, February, viewed 5 October 2013, Piacentini, M. , MacFadyen, L. , Eadie, D. 2000, ‘Corporate social responsibility in food retailing’, International Journal of Retail Distribution Management, Vol. 28, no. 11, pp. 459-469. Roxburgh, C. , Labaye, E. , Thompson, F. , Tacke, T. , Kauffman, D. 2012, Investing in growth: Europes next challenge, McKinsey Company, viewed 4 October 2013, Tesco 2009, Annual Report and Financial Statements 2009, Tesco, Cheshunt, viewed 5 October 2013, Tesco 2011, Annual Report and Financial Statements 2011, Tesco, Cheshunt, viewed 5 October 2013, The Australian Financial Review. 2013, ‘Tesco to form venture with Chinese retail giant’, The Australian Financial Review, 2 October, viewed 4 October 2013, Woetzel, J. , Li, X. L. , Cheng, W. 2013, What’s next for China? , McKinsey Company, China, viewed 4 October 2013,

The New Product Launch Marketing Plan Essay Example for Free

The New Product Launch Marketing Plan Essay Introduction The new product launch marketing, is a product, it has to be external to iPod, iPhone or any cell phone device. The product can send a message to display on the cell phone or iPod warning the user that the sound level is high dangerous to the ears. iPod Market needs and Market Growth. The current technology is focused on the electronic youth culture, in order to have a convenient product according to the actual customers’ daily life; engineers have designed sophisticated devices on its electronic artifacts. The music industry is not an exception, the music market is now replacing its CD for digital musical. Apple Inc. has developed an iPod device able to keep hundreds of music CD’s on it. It fits in small pockets, satisfying numerous customers’ needs for an easily portable device. The iPod has advantages like, it’s a small device, lightweight, cheaper than an iPhone with high-quality audio. It is an appealing choice for the enthusiastic customers that are looking for a high-fidelity sound and who are constantly looking for a high-quality music experience wherever they go. Also includes the Safe iPod Volume limit that lets the customer set the volume limit, depending on ear buds and headphones. SWOT Analysis When a company is about to launch a new product or improve upon an existing one, it is highly recommended that this type of analysis is done. SWOT stands for strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. Strengths and weaknesses are an inventory check on the company’s internal stance. Opportunities and threats are based on where the company stands on an external view point. â€Å"Distinguish between where your organization is today, and where it could be in the future. Keep your SWOT analysis short and simple, and avoid complexity and over-analysis since much of the information is subjective.† (Investopedia, n.d.) Strengths For Apple the company has had huge success in introducing a new innovative way to listen and download music. Both domestic and international markets are well aware of all Apple products. The lines are astounding when Apple releases a new product and the popularity is extremely vast. Apple’s strength lies in that popularity, the fact that millions of people have at least one of their products if not more than one. Weaknesses As popular as Apple is, sometimes their prices can be a little high for some of the average middle class socioeconomic class. On average, purchasing a mac book can set someone back a couple thousand dollars – easy. The iPad, iPod and iPhone are more of their items that are fairly reasonable, but some might have to save to purchase one. The recent change in the new product charging capabilities was a big letdown for many previous Apple customers. The change from their normal charger to the new 30 pin caused a vast amount of customers to repurchase chargers for their home and cars; or people had to buy adapters. Apple might want to consider their strategy in why the change was needed before implementing such a wide spread change. Opportunities Apple has the ability to create a new product that would allow for a safer way of listening to music. Many kids are now listening to movies and music on their devices at louder levels. Many parents will tell their children or teenagers to keep the music or movie at safe level, however, they do not always listen; and parents are not with their children or teenagers at all times. The opportunity is great for Apple to launch a device that would only allow the decibel levels to reach a safe limit. It could be in the way of something that is attached to the device or something innate in the device that could be part of a parental control. There is nothing on the market at this time, so Apple has the potential to tap into a market unknown and create something big. Threats While the market to create a product such as â€Å"Safe Play† would be great, the market may also not have enough demand to actually launch this product. Music should be played at safe levels to ensure that hearing loss does not occur; however, how many people will actually purchase this product. Is  there enough of a demand to offset the product costs, and will this product be worth the initial costs that it takes to market it and get it off the ground. Potential Competition With Apple being the leading company in the electronics market, there will always be companies trying to dethrone their success. An idea such as â€Å"safe play† would be great for Apple to develop a new device, this could garner new customers and keep current customers purchasing more. Samsung has always been the company to combat Apple the most, with their products being similar to Apple’s. Samsung is actually one step ahead of Apple with this current idea. In the newer Samsung phones—Galaxy S5, and Galaxy Note 3—when you have headphones plugged into your device, when you turn the volume up once you’ve reach a certain volume level there is a message that automatically appears on your phone to alert you about the causes of listening to loud music. Apple can now take somewhat of the same idea and make particular iPods with this feature. LG Electronics is another company that is continuously growing, and can possibly cause serious competition for Apple in the future. Along with Samsung and LG, HTC has been coming out with solid phone products that are catching customers’ eyes. Apple’s advantage is that they offer other products besides their phones. If Apple where to implement a new â€Å"safe play† technology, they can place this in all of their â€Å"I† products, iPod, iPad, and iPhone. Competition is something that no business can get away from, with Apple being the electronics giant that it is more and more companies will be attracted to take over within that market. The age of the Apple iPod and now the cellular phones with enough capacity to view movies or listen to songs has captured a significant consumer base. The product ideal to penetrate this potential market is a device that can be set to control safe levels of sound music. Tinnitus has been increasing as MP3 music era evolved. This problem has been known but nothing has been done to reduce the impact of listening to loud music. The constant ringing and loss of hearing is also a problem for young users. The device will have to be small enough to be portable and not distract customers. Easily attach to the headphones and allow the user three options, safe, manual, low. The product can be called â€Å"Safe Play†. Nothing guarantees the loss of hearing  but this device must be able to identify the decibels and reduce it to the recommended safe levels to prevent or reduce the effects of hearing loss. To date, only warning labels are what make the user the aware of the dangers of playing loud music over a long period of time. There is not product in the market addressing this problem to date. Justification for the product 10-question survey Safe Play is a product that will allow users to listen to music at decibels that is safe. By choosing a product that has not been identified in the market at the current time allows the business to enter the market with a monopoly type hold on the market. The rationale behind the choice of Safe play is to penetrate a new market by being the first to the potential overwhelming demand for product. The business can control pricing and allow for higher profit margins being the first to the introduction to the market. Thus when competitors try to penetrate the market there will be the existence of one business thus not allowing having such a control as original business. The business idea behind the SAFE Play product is to deliver a value that is conscious of the user and in return creating profit for the business. Survey 1 What age group will primarily use this product? 2 Is product going to be marketed to all users or to ages of consumers who do not like loud music? 3 What is the current trend of listening to music? CD player, car audio, portable devices, etc†¦ 4 What is the current average of the decibel that users listen to music? 5 Will product contain the user ability and accessibility to applications currently in high demand on the market today? 6 Do buyers want to have a safe mode of listening to music? 7 How will company deliver research to buyer to show buyer the potential harm of other devices? 8 How much is buyer willing to pay for this device? 9 Does the domestic and international markets have different buyer trends of how loud music is? 10 Does buyer care about safety? 11 How does buyer feel about listening to music at a safer level? Conclusion Learning Team A created a new product â€Å"Safe Play†. After the analysis of the factors that impact in the customers which determine the position thereof, it is essentially measured by SWOT, market growth and needs, as well as a survey to help with product development. This product, in turn, can and will be presented in the domestic and global markets. References Bell, D. (2014). Restrict volume on iPhone, iPod, and iPad. Retrieved from http://www.cnet.com Investopedia (n.d.) SWOT Analysis. Retrieved from http://www.investopedia.com/terms/s/swot.asp

Innate Immune System Components

Innate Immune System Components There are individual systems of the immune system, innate immunity which we are born with and it is non-specific. It is genetically based and passed on to our offspring and adaptive immunity in which we acquire through humoral and cell mediated immunity. Innate and adaptive immune systems are distinct systems but act together at numerous levels to develop a complete defense against invading pathogens. Both systems have mechanisms for distinguishing self from non-self, therefore, under normal situations they are not directed against the hosts tissues and cells. Innate Immunity Elements of the innate immune system (figure 1.8) have been known for many years. However, in the past few years there has been a greater focus on innate immunity and its role in protection against infection and tissue injury and its role in tolerance to self-antigens. Innate immunity defines a collection of protective mechanisms the host uses to prevent or minimize infection. The innate immune system operates in the absence of the specific adaptive immune system but is tied to adaptive immunity in many ways. The innate immune system is characterized by a rapid response to an invading pathogen or foreign or effete cells. In addition to the rapid response, it is also non-specific and usually of a short duration. Innate immunity lacks immunological memory and there is no clonal expansion of lymphocytes as seen in the adaptive immune response. The innate immune response is also important in directing the specific, long-lived adaptive immune response. The host defense mechanisms associated with innate immunity consist of a number of physical barriers (intact skin) and secretions accompanied by a number of serum factors such as complement, certain cytokines, and natural immunoglobulins. The cellular components of innate immunity include a number of cell types, many of which are found at potential points of entry of pathogens. Examples of these cells include natural killer (NK) cells, (figure 1.2), polymorphonuclear neutrophils (PMNs), macrophages (figure 1.3), and dendritic cells (DCs), (figure 1.2). The intact skin and mucosal tissues provide considerable protection against invading infectious agents. However, once the agents pass through the skin a number of important events take place. This includes activation of the complement cascade that triggers the development of a number of substances to attract phagocytes to the area. A number of antimicrobial peptides are produced at epithelial cell surfaces. These antimicrobial peptides play an important role in local defense mechanisms, disrupt bacterial cell membranes, and probably play a role in preventing skin infections. Antimicrobial Peptides (figure 1.4) Human ÃŽÂ ²-defensins are produced by epithelial cells in the mucous membranes of the airways and intestinal tract. Defensins are small cationic peptides that have broad antimicrobial activities against a number of microbial agents including Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, fungi, and enveloped viruses. Defensins are non-glycosylated peptides containing approximately 35 amino acid residues, and ÃŽÂ ²-defensins have six cysteine residues that provide a distinct structure. Stimulation of the epithelium by certain cytokines can induce defensin production. The exact mode of action of defensins antimicrobial activity is unknown. There are three defensin subfamilies: ÃŽÂ ±-defensins, ÃŽÂ ²-defensins, and ÃŽÂ ¸-defensins The Complement System The complement system (figure 1.5) is another important component of innate immunity. The system consists of 30 proteins found in serum or on the surface of certain cells. Activation of the complement system results in a cascade of biochemical reactions that ultimately ends in lysis and disruption of foreign or effete cells. Without activation, the components of the complement system exist as pro-enzymes in body fluids. As a by-product of the activation of the cascade, a number of biologically reactive complement fragments are generated. The complement fragments can modulate other parts of the immune system by binding directly to T lymphocytes and bone marrow-derived lymphocytes (B lymphocytes) of the adaptive immune system and also stimulate the synthesis and release of cytokines. Natural Antibodies Natural antibodies have been recognized for some time but recently they were described as a component of the innate immune system. Natural antibody is defined as an antibody that is found in normal, healthy individuals who have no evidence of exogenous antigenic stimulation. Natural antibodies are believed to develop in a highly regulated manner; they are usually found in low titer in serum and are low-affinity antibodies. A high percentage of the natural antibodies found in serum are of the IgM class. These antibodies are produced by a primitive B lymphocyte, called the B-1 lymphocytes. B-1 cells are usually CD5+ and considered to be long-lived and self-replicating. Natural antibodies play an important role as a first line of defense against pathogens and other types of cells, including precancerous, cancerous, cell debris, and some self-antigens. Toll-Like Receptors (TLR) TLRs (figure 1.6) are found on phagocytic cells, including mononuclear phagocytes, circulating monocytes, tissue macrophages, and endothelial cells, and are important components of the innate immune system. TLRs make up a family of cell surface protein receptors present on several cell types that function to recognize certain conserved molecular components of microorganisms and signal that microbes have breached the bodys barrier defences. TLRs serve as first responders in a mammalian host to recognize the presence of an invading pathogen. They also generate an inflammatory response to attempt to remove the invading agent. Phagocytosis (figure 1.7) Polymorphonuclear neutrophilic leukocytes have been well-known components of the innate immune system for many years. Detailed studies of PMN phagocytosis and intracellular killing of microorganisms have led to a better understanding of important defense mechanisms against invasion by pathogenic bacteria, fungi, and enveloped viruses. PMNs are attracted to the site of microbial invasion, recognize the microbe, become activated, kill the microorganisms, resolve the infection, undergo apoptosis, and are then ingested and removed by either macrophages or neighbouring endothelial cells to resolve the inflammatory response. PMNs arise as myeloid progenitors in the bone marrow. Specific growth factors and cytokines mediate the differentiation of myeloid precursors into mature PMNs. After entering the circulation, the PMNs have a half-life of about 8-12 h before undergoing a programmed cell death (apoptosis) and are reabsorbed through endothelial walls. The PMN turnover is about 1011 cells per day. Cytokines and Chemokines Cytokines and chemokines are small, secreted polypeptides that regulate essentially all functions of the immune system. Cytokines participate in determining the nature of the immune response by regulating or controlling cell growth, differentiation, activation, immune cell trafficking, and the location of immune cells within the lymphoid organs. Cytokines are a group of intercellular messengers that contribute to inflammatory responses through activation of the hosts immune cells. Cytokines are host-derived products that enhance the recruitment of circulating leukocytes as a response to the presence of pathogens. Cytokines also play important roles in leukocyte attraction by inducing the production of chemokines, which are known to be potent mediators of chemo-attractant activity for inflammatory cells. Chemokines and cytokines provide a complex network of signals that can either activate or suppress inflammatory responses Natural Killer Cells Initially, NK cells were referred to as non-specific lymphocytes because NK cells could kill certain virally infected and malignant cells without known prior sensitization. NK cells were known to resemble large lymphocytes morphologically and were referred to as large granular lymphocytes. Approximately, 10-15% of the lymphocytes circulating in peripheral blood are NK cells. NK cells are distinct from T- and B lymphocytes because they express neither immunoglobulin receptors nor T-cell antigen receptors. There are other distinctions including phenotype and function. NK cells have receptors that recognize major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I antigens. Because NK cells have cytotoxic properties, their function is highly regulated in their interactions in both the innate and adaptive immune systems. NK cells play important roles in innate immune responses and immune regulation. They communicate with other cells through a complex of both activation and inhibitory signals through cell surface receptors. Dendritic Cells The DCs develop in the bone marrow from hematopoietic pluripotential stem cells. Precursor DCs are constantly generated in the bone marrow and are released into the peripheral blood. After leaving the bone marrow, the precursor DCs home to a number of different tissues where they reside as sentinels waiting to interact with antigen. The precursor DCs express low-density MHC class II antigens and after encountering a proper stimulus differentiate into highly endocytic and phagocytic iDCs. Precursor DCs circulate in the environment and on contacting a pathogen produce cytokines, that is, ÃŽÂ ³-interferon, and undergo maturation to iDCs. The iDCs increased phagocytic and endocytic capabilities that lead to binding antigen by the iDCs and then maturation to mature DCs. Adaptive Immunity In contrast to innate immunity, adaptive immunity (figure 1.8) is flexible, specific, and has immunological memory, that is, it can respond more rapidly and vigorously on a second exposure to an antigen. Immunologic memory provides a more powerful response to a repeated exposure to the same foreign substance or antigen. Adaptive immunity is more complex because it provides the ability to respond very specifically. Innate and adaptive immunity responses interact effectively to enhance the bodys defense mechanisms against foreign or damaged host cells. Inherent in both innate and adaptive immune responses are the mechanisms to distinguish self from non-self. The primary blood cell elements of the adaptive immune system are T lymphocytes and B lymphocytes. These T- and B-cells provide the unique specificity for their target antigens by virtue of the antigen-specific receptors expressed on their surfaces. The B- and T-lymphocyte antigen-specific receptors develop by somatic rearrangement of germline gene elements to form the TCR genes and the immunoglobulin receptor genes. This recombination mechanism provides unique antigen receptors capable of recognizing almost any antigen encountered, and provides the specific immunological memory for a rapid, vigorous, and specific response to a later exposure to the same antigen. It is estimated that millions of different antigen receptors may be formed from a collection of a few hundred germline-encoded gene elements. For many years, innate and adaptive immune responses were studied as separate systems because of their different mechanisms of action. However, it is now understood that synergy between the two systems is required to provide adequate immune reactivity against invading pathogens. Innate immune responses, through their barrier and relatively broad types of actions, represent the first line of defense against pathogens. At the time the innate system is getting activated, the adaptive system becomes activated also. The adaptive response becomes evident a few days later because it requires time for sufficient antigen-specific receptors to be generated through clonal expansion/proliferation. There are multiple interactions occurring between the two systems, which results in the co-amplification of each respective response and leads to the ultimate destruction and elimination of the invading pathogen. B lymphocytes The primary function of B lymphocytes is the production of antibodies that are specific for a given antigenic component of an invading pathogen. Antibodies are encoded by the heavy (H)- and light (L)-chain immunoglobulin genes. Antibodies may be secreted or cell surface-bound on B lymphocytes. There are five classes of immunoglobulins: IgM, IgG, IgA, IgD, and IgE; and the classification is based on the isotypes of the H chain. B lymphocytes represent roughly 10-15% of the peripheral blood lymphocyte population and free immunoglobulins make up a considerable proportion of serum proteins. After an encounter with a specific pathogen and an antibody response is generated, the level of specific antibodies to that antigen decreases in serum over a relatively short period of time. However, immunological memory persists in the B-cell population, which is capable of rapid clonal expansion upon re-exposure to that same antigen. T lymphocytes Whereas B lymphocyte products recognize extracellular pathogens, T lymphocytes are adept at identifying and destroying cells that have been infected by intracellular pathogens. For T cells to recognize antigenic peptides, the peptide must be presented in the context of cell surface MHC class I or class II proteins. In other words, T cells can only recognize molecular complexes consisting of the antigenic peptide and a self-structure, that is, the MHC. Depending on whether the antigenic peptide has been synthesized within the host cell or ingested by the cell and modified by proteolytic digestion, either MHC class I or class II proteins are required. Proteins of the MHC are intimately tied to T-lymphocyte responses and recognition of antigenic peptides. The MHC class I proteins consist of three HLA classes: HLA-A, HLA-B, and HLA-C with hundreds of allelic variants of each. Structural studies have shown that class I molecules exist as cell surface heterodimers with a polytransmembrane ÃŽÂ ±-chain associated (noncovalently) with a nonpolymorphic ÃŽÂ ²2 microglobulin protein. The protein chains are folded in such a way as to form a physical groove capable of binding up to an 11 amino acid long peptide. Antigenic proteins are degraded by proteolytic enzymes to about this size for binding to th e MHC class I proteins for antigenic presentation. Antigenic peptides are bound in the groove of the HLA molecule and expressed to the cell surface for presentation to initiate a T-cell response. Humoral Immunity (figure 1.9) The human immunoglobulins are a family of proteins that confer humoral immunity and perform vital roles in promoting cellular immunity. Five distinct classes or isotypes of immunoglobulins (IgG, IgA, IgM, IgD, and IgE) have been identified in human serum on the basis of their structural, biological, and antigenic differences.1-4 IgG and IgA have been further subdivided into subclasses IgG1, IgG2, IgG3, and IgG4 or subclasses IgA1 and IgA2 on the basis of unique antigenic determinants. Multiple allotypic determinants in the constant region domains of human IgG and IgA molecules as well as kappa (ÃŽÂ º) light chains indicate inherited genetic markers. Finally, there are several immunoglobulin-associated polypeptides such as secretory component (SC) and J chain that have no structural homology with the immunoglobulins, but serve important functions in immunoglobulin polymerization and transport across membranes into a variety of secretions (e.g., saliva, sweat, nasal secretions, breast milk, and colostrum). This diversity of the immunoglobulin components of the humoral immune system provides a complex network of protective and surveillance functions. Human IgA Polymeric secretory IgA (figure 1.10) is composed of two four-chain basic units and one molecule each of SC and J chain (approximately 400,000 MW). It is the predominant immunoglobulin in colostrum, saliva, tears, bronchial secretions, nasal mucosa, prostatic fluid, vaginal secretions, and mucous secretions of the small intestine. In contrast, 10% of the circulating serum IgA is polymeric, whereas 90% is monomeric (160,000MW). Together, they constitute approximately 15% of the total serum immunoglobulins. Trimers and higher polymeric forms can exist, but in small amounts. Two subclasses of IgA have been identified (IgA1 and IgA2), which differ by 22 of the 365 amino acids. In terms of complement activation, IgA poorly activates the classical pathway. This process has been hypothesized as a host mechanism for attenuating inflammatory responses induced by IgG antibodies at the mucosal surface. In contrast, IgA reportedly activates the alternative pathway of complement to provide some direct protective functions. IgA, once bound to a bacterial or parasitic surface antigen, may bind CD89 (IgA receptor) on infl ammatory cells (monocytes, macrophages, neutrophils, and eosinophils), leading to their destruction by means of antibody dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity (ADCC). Moreover, its binding to viral or microbial surface antigens may restrict the mobility of microorganisms and prevent their binding to mucosal epithelium. Finally, secretory IgA can play an important first line of defense in antigen clearance by binding to antigens that leak across an epithelium and transporting them back across to prevent their entry. To summarize,  IgAs unique structure resists proteolysis and it functions to block uptake of antigen, bacterial o r viral attachment, limit inflammation induced by classical pathway complement activation, and promote microbial destruction through ADCC by binding to leukocyte receptors. Human IgD IgD (figure 1.11) is a four-chain monomer of approximately 180,000 MW with a long hinge region that increases its susceptibility for proteolytic cleavage. Although IgD is normally present in serum in trace amounts (0.2% of total serum immunoglobulin), it predominantly serves as a membrane-bound antigen receptor on the surface of human B lymphocytes. Despite suggestions that IgD may be involved in B-cell differentiation, its principal function is as yet unknown. As such, IgD is rarely quantified in a general workup of an individual suspected of a humoral immune deficiency or a B-cell dyscrasia. Hyperimmunoglobulinemia D with serum IgD levels >100 U/mL, however, has been noted in conjunction with periodic fever syndrome. This condition is a rare, autosomal recessive disorder that is characterized by recurrent episodes of fever accompanied by abdominal distress, lymphadenopathy, joint involvement, and skin lesions. It appears to be particularly responsive to anti-tumor necrosis factor ( TNF) treatment. Mutations that lead to this disease occur in the mevalonate kinase gene, which encodes an enzyme involved in cholesterol and nonsterol-isoprenoid biosynthesis. Human IgE IgE (190,000 MW) was identified in 1967 as a unique immunoglobulin that circulates in serum as a four-chain monomer. Although IgE constitutes only 0.004% of the total serum immunoglobulins, it possesses a clinically significant biological function by binding through its Fc region to the alpha chain on high-affinity receptors (FcÃŽÂ µR1) on mast cells and basophils. On subsequent exposure to relevant protein allergens from trees, grasses, weeds, pet dander, molds, foods, or insect venoms, IgE antibodies on mast cells become cross-linked. This process triggers the production and release of vasoactive mediators (e.g., histamine, prostaglandins, and leukotrienes) that can induce mild to severe immediate type I hypersensitivity reactions in sensitized  atopic individuals. Human IgG In healthy adults, the four polypeptide chain IgG monomer (150,000 MW) constitutes approximately 75% of the total serum immunoglobulins. IgG is approximately equally distributed between intra- and extravascular serum pools. Moreover, IgG possesses the unique ability to cross the placenta, which provides protection for the fetus and newborn. Human IgG has been subdivided into four subclasses on the basis of unique antigenic determinants. IgG1, IgG2, and IgG4 possess an MW of approximately 150,000, whereas IgG3 is heavier (160,000 MW) as a result of an extended 62-amino acid hinge region that contains 11 interchain disulfide bonds. IgG3s highly rigid hinge region promotes accessibility of proteolytic enzymes to sensitive Fc cleavage sites, which results in an increased fractional catabolic rate and a shorter biological half-life (7-8 days) than has been observed for IgG1, IgG2, and IgG4 (21-24 days). In terms of complement activation, IgG1 and IgG3 are the most effective, whereas IgG4 due to its compact structure does not readily activate the classical pathway of complement. IgG4 antibodies are also unique in that they appear to be functionally monovalent due to in vivo exchange of IgG4 half-molecules. As such, thi s is believed to lead to the formation of small IgG4 immune complexes that have a low potential for inducing immune inflammation. Moreover, IgG4 antibodies have the ability to interfere with immune inflammation caused by the interaction of complement-fixing IgG subclasses with antigen. Researchers in the field of allergy have speculated that IgG4 antibodies also scavenge antigen that prevents mast cell-bound IgE antibody from being cross-linked by antigen, and thus blocking IgE-mediated hypersensitivity reactions in atopic individuals who have undergone immunotherapy. Other important structural and biological differences among the human IgG subclasses relate to their Fc receptor binding, and the different binding sites on the constant region domains for rheumatoid factors, complement components, and bacterial proteins (protein A and protein G). Human IgM IgM (figure 1.12) is a pentameric immunoglobulin of approximately 900,000 MW that is composed of a J chain and five IgM monomers. Pentameric IgM constitutes approximately 10% of serum immunoglobulins in healthy individuals. Along with IgD, monomeric IgM is also a major immunoglobulin that is expressed on the surface of B cells where it serves as an antigen receptor. The C-terminal portion of pentameric secreted IgM differs from that of its monomeric cell-bound form. Secreted IgM has a mu chain with a 20-amino acid hydrophilic tail and a penultimate cysteine that facilitates polymerization. Cell membrane-bound IgM has a 41-amino acid membrane tail that contains a hydrophobic 26-amino acid segment that anchors the IgM molecule in the B-cell membrane lipid bilayer. IgM antibodies are clinically important because they predominate as an antigen receptor in early immune responses to most antigens. With a functional valency of 10, IgM antibodies are highly efficient in activating the classi cal complement pathway. IgMs actual functional valency, however, is only 5 due to steric hindrance among its many antigen-binding sites. Cell Mediated Immunity Cell Mediated Immune response (CMIR) (figure 1.9) is the functional effectors pf the immune response for phagocytosis, cell killing by cytotoxic T cells, NK and K cells Macrophage Activation While the production of antibody through the humoral immune response can effectively lead to the elimination of a variety of pathogens, bacteria that have evolved to invade and multiply within phagocytic cells of the immune response pose a different threat. Cell Mediated Cytotoxicity Cell Mediated Cytotoxic immune response is implicated in refusal of foreign grafts and the exclusion of tumors and virus-infected cells. The cells involved in these methods are cytotoxic T-lymphocytes, NK-cells and K-cells. NK cells Also known as the large granular lymphocytes are normally non-specific, MHC-unrestricted cells involved mainly in the elimination of neoplastic or tumor cells.   Once the target cell is recognized, killing occurs. K cells K-cells contain immunoglobulin Fc receptors. They are involved in Antibody-dependent Cell-mediated Cytotoxicity (ADCC). ADCC occurs as a result of an antibody being bound to a target cell surface via specific antigenic determinants expressed by the target cell. Once bound, the Fc portion of the immunoglobulin can be recognized by the K-cell. This type of CMIR can also result in  Type II hypersensitivities.

Bharat versus India Ideology Essay -- Hindu Bharatiya Independence

â€Å"Bharat† and â€Å"India† Two Ideas of an Independent Indian State Hindu revivalism has been a part of Indian nationalism almost since the independence movement itself began. However, it has gone through many forms and been embodied in many different organizations, often being ignored in the forum of Indian politics. However, the victory of the Hindu revivalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the elections since 1998 has forced many scholars to reconsider the history of such movements, to analyze the forms they have taken throughout the 20th century. This constant reshaping has allowed organizations like the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) to survive for decades, though with greater or lesser influence in different periods. Since Independence, it may be better to speak of a â€Å"Bharatiya† movement, rather than a Hindu revivalist or fundamentalist movement. Discussing the Bharatiya Jana Sangh (the first incarnation of the later Jana Sangh and Bharatiya Janata Party), founded in 1951, Hansen says: one of the most significant changes in relation to Golwalkar’s [a leader of the RSS] writings was the use of the term ‘Bharatiya’, which Richard Fox has aptly translated ‘Hindian’, a mixture of ‘Hindu’ and ‘Indian’ (Fox 1990: 64). The use of the term ‘Bharatiya’ thus signified an adaptation to the political realities of official secularism, which had made explicit references to ‘Hindu’ impossible and illegitimate outside the religious field. (Hansen, 85) Thus, almost since the founding of the RSS, it has stood for a complex mixture of religious and secularist ideas. This mixture has carried on to its affiliates, such as the BJP. â€Å"BJP leaders, among them Advani, publicly announced that they were irreligious and never went to ... ...ining their political strength. Instead of phrasing their position as a religious one, it has been displayed as a national and social one, allowing them to keep their traditional base of support, while gaining educated and middle-class voters with right-wing leanings. Bibliography: Andersen, Walter K. and Damle, Shridhar D. â€Å"The Brotherhood in Saffron: The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and Hindu Revivalism†. Westview Press, Boulder, 1987. Corbridge, Stuart and Harriss, John. â€Å"Reinventing India: Liberalization, Hindu Nationalism and Popular Democracy†. Oxford University Press, New Delhi, 2000. Engineer, Asghar Ali. â€Å"Lifting the Veil: Communal Violence and Communal Harmony in Contemporary India†. Sangam Books, Bombay, 1995. Hansen, Thomas Blom. â€Å"The Saffron Wafe: Democracy and Hindu Nationalism in Modern India†. Princeton University Press, Princeton, 1999.

Selfish Edna Pontellier of Kate Chopins The Awakening :: Chopin Awakening Essays

Selfish Edna of The Awakening  Ã‚  Ã‚   In   Kate Chopin’s, The Awakening, the reader immediately notices the sexual undertones of Mrs. Mallard and Robert’s relationship and the strained relationship between Mr. and Mrs. Mallard. There are always going to be women who do not want the routine â€Å"married with children† lifestyle, unfortunately in Edna’s time period that was the primary role of women. Had she been living in today perhaps she would have been without a husband and children, possibly totally devoted to a career in the arts and totally single. Back to her reality though: I believe she is unsure if she wants that one true love (supposedly Robert) or if she just wants anyone who will pay her a little attention and is fun (supposedly Alcee Arobin). Edna wants to be Wild and Free, not saying that there is anything wrong with that, but she needs to recognize it for what it is because she is really fooling herself. Edna’s husband is looking for the all devoted wife and mother and Edna is looking for anything that’s not conforming. Due to that it really strikes me as being ironic that she and Mrs. Ratignolle would be such good friends. I can’t tell if that is because secretly maybe Edna wish she could be happy with the life she is leading (like Mrs. Ratignolle) or does she want to have her around as a reminder of all she never wants to be. I found all of her â€Å"times of awakening† to be interesting because they usually included hr being very abrupt and uncooperative with her husband. She liked to wander off without him allot and only seemed to really be happy when quietly tucked away somewhere with someone else (not always a man). I found her to also be a bit vain in that she made sure she got something from everyone she allowed into her life but she didn’t really seem to give back. She was so angry with herself and the world that she was subjected to live the life that she was living that she sometimes wanted to make everyone else pay for it. Her husband and her were apart a lot, so that even if they had been in a good relationship the time apart would have still caused problems â€Å"I believe in out of sight out of mind, rather than, absence makes the heart grow fonder.

Comparing Two Biographies of the Genius Oscar Wilde Essay -- compare an

Comparing Two Biographies of the Genius Oscar Wilde      Ã‚  Ã‚   If someone had told Oscar Wilde during his life that for the next hundred years, people would still be taking the time to write about his life and accomplishments, he probably would have wittily declared it impossible for anyone to try to admire him as much as he admired himself.   However, two of his biographers, Frank Harris and Barbara Belford, have done just that.   Harris, in 1916, sixteen years after Wilde's death, published his biography, Oscar Wilde, as a memoir of his own cherished relationship with Wilde, for whom he had served as literary editor and friend.   Just this past year in 2000, after a popular film remake of An Ideal Husband, Belford published Oscar Wilde: A Certain Genius, a tribute to the man and the literary works for which he is famous.    Oscar Wilde provides an intimate portrait of the poet, playwright, and self-described aesthete.   Born one year after Wilde, in 1855, Frank Harris was much more than a contemporary.   He lived in the same London social circles, knew the same people, and participated in the same events as Wilde, often by his side.   Harris' biography, which is much more a recounting of the dialogue between Harris and his subject than a straight-forward narrative of Wilde's life, is directed to those outside the loop, those Victorians who misunderstood Wilde, viewing his life as just as one controversy after another.   By focusing heavily on Wilde's education and the intense scrutiny of his lifestyle by England's movers and shakers, he presents Oscar Wilde as an innocent genius whose enthusiastic love of the classics, art, words, and life in general made him a victim in Victorian 1890s London.   Harris uses the insight of his ... ...erent from the methods of Frank Harris.   It is worthwhile to read both accounts, as the two provide an enforced, fuller understanding of who Wilde really was.    One hundred years separate us from the physical presence of Oscar Wilde, and eighty-four years separate the biographies of Frank Harris and Barbara Belford.   Though conceived and written independently, they manage to tell the same story.   The story told is that of Oscar Wilde, aesthete and artist, writer and wit, a true genius who was, as many great minds are, ultimately misunderstood by the people of his day.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Works Cited Belford, Barbara.   Oscar Wilde: A Certain Genius.   New York: Random House, 2000. Harris, Frank.   Oscar Wilde.   New York: Carroll & Graf Publishers, Inc. 1916.

Whay Is There a Lack of Active Teacher Participation in Curriculum Development

Why is there a lack of active teacher participation in curriculum development? ED359 RESEARCH PROJECT Dharmendra . P. Sharma S99007424 Introduction and background In Fiji and in many Pacific Island countries there is a serious lack of active teacher participation in the curriculum development and implementation process. While there are some practicing teachers who write the curriculum in certain subject areas they are merely excluded from the decision making process regarding what is to be taught in schools and how it is taught.Curriculum development is considered a dynamic process and curriculum can be constructed through the work of the main stakeholders who are the teachers. However in most Pacific Island countries this may not be the case as the curriculum is sometimes referred to as a â€Å"Teacher proof† and â€Å"ready to teach† curriculum meaning that they do not have the liberty to choose from and modify certain aspects of the material given to better suit the classroom situation.From most of the research conducted in the past three decades it is clearly identified there is a serious concern regarding their involvement in setting the objectives, determining the teaching /learning approaches and the evaluation process . These aspects are largely taken care off by the Curriculum Development Unit. AimWith this is mind the aim of this research project is to investigate the reasons for the lack of active teacher participation in curriculum development and also to investigate strategies that would encourage more participation in every level of the decision making process when it comes to the development and implementation of curriculum in this country. After all teachers play a pivotal role in implementing the curriculum. At present the development and implementation are carried out by two different sets of people.The main research question therefore is why there is a lack of active teacher participation in curriculum development. This research project is justified as curriculum development is a universal issue and is of major importance in the pacific region as we try and adopt a curriculum which is suitable and relevant. The focus and the limitations The focus is mainly on the curriculum practices in Fiji with a few examples from around the region and some developed countries such as Australia and the United States. This provides a basis for comparison with the issues that we are facing.Studies from developed countries are also important in the sense that teachers in these countries have the liberty to choose from a given curriculum to be applied in the classroom. The main limitation of this research project is that curriculum change is a long term process and with the ongoing research in the areas of curriculum development there are many questions that are still unanswered. With the limited time and resources it may be difficult to look into all the areas of curriculum development. Another limitation for this project i s in regards to the Data collection.Getting views from all the Heads Of departments who are currently involved in curriculum development will not be possible as a result of time and financial constraints. Delimitations The study is delimited to Heads of Departments, Teachers with at least 5 years experience, Senior C. D. U officials and Principals of secondary schools. The research question The Main research question for this project is â€Å"Why is there a lack of active teacher Participation in Curriculum Development? † Since this is a sensitive issue in Pacific Education there are some prominent Pacific Academics Who have already looked into this Problem .Some of the issues that are highlighted in most of the available literature can be clearly divided into the following subtopics. Inadequate Training, The lack of Incentives, The role of principals and administrators, the role of the CDU and the school based curriculum development and the ten percent model. Literature revi ew Inadequate training The articles point out that most teachers are not taking part actively in curriculum development because they lack skills in that area. According to (Sharma) Teachers at times lack the necessary skills to take part in the curriculum development process.This is regarded as a major limitation in the area of School Based Curriculum Development which is applicable to Fiji. (Sharma, pp 5-8). In the case of Kiribati the case is more extreme as teachers in the field lack the basic teacher education in the first place. Tearo mentions that many of the teachers who remain in the teaching profession have no formal teacher training at all (Tearo,pp-9-11). This brings us directly to the issue of Teacher training. There is a need for relevant programs in the teacher training courses to deal with the issue of curriculum development and implementation. Thaman 1990) highlights the fact that the teacher education programs have not prepared the teachers for this new role therefo re they lack the necessary skills to actively take part . (Thaman 1990,pp 1-12) In the past teachers did not require teacher training in order to be posted to schools . This has a negative impact on the students educational achievements . Without this basic training in place curriculum development is definitely out of the question for most of the teachers. The lack of financial incentives A major issue while dealing with teacher participation in curriculum development is the issue of the remuneration.Most of the articles highlight the fact that the financial incentives provided are not attractive enough for the teachers. This scenario is directly related to the fact that the CDU lacks financial resources to adequately reward the teachers who at times have to spend the school holidays developing curriculum. In his report to the Fiji Islands Education Panel ( Sharma2001)clearly recommends the need for an increase in funding and resources that is allocated to the CDU in order to allow the Unit to play a more effective role in providing school based assistance to teachers. Sharma2001). (Young 1988) also highlights the plight of teachers In Canada where they felt that they were not adequately compensated for the time they spent in curriculum development activities. (Young 1988,pp109-121). In an invited plenary paper, presented at a regional conference in 1990 Thaman mentions that the teachers lack the professional and material support to be effectively involved in curriculum development process (Thaman 1990, pp1-12). The role of the Principal and administrators Another important reason that affects the degree of teacher participation in urriculum development is the role of the school principals. When the teachers have a favorable environment in school there is the possibility that their participation rates will increase . These includes the introduction of staff development programs. The Principals play an important role as according to (Sharma) they can help the t eachers change their attitude towards curriculum and also their profession in general. This is also a recommendation that was made to the education Panel in 2000(Sharma).There is also a challenge here for the teachers as at times the principals and administrators do not fully realize the important role teachers can play in curriculum development and they seem to adopt a narrow minded approach towards the role of the teachers . They do not allow them to participate in curriculum activities outside the school and also giving little recognition to the work of the teachers. Young 1988 clearly identifies the problem as ion her paper she highlights one of the critical findings.The administrators had a narrow view on the role of the teachers and the teachers received little recognition as well as the principals negative response to the release required by b the teachers to take part in curriculum development activities which at times required a two day release. (Young 1988,pp109-121). The Role of the CDU The Curriculum development Unit also plays an important role in encouraging a higher degree of teacher participation in Curriculum development.Although some teachers are involved in designing the curriculum they have little role to play when it comes to the decision making process on what is to be sent to schools as prescriptions. According to (Sharma 2001) some teachers expressed their concerns on the educational value of many curriculum materials sent to schools. (Sharma 2001). This is one of the reasons teachers do not feel like participating in Curriculum development activities as the prescriptions given by the CDU are making the teachers more passive and de-skilled.This leads to a more laid back approach and decreases the teachers desire to participate in curriculum development programs. School Based Curriculum development and The Ten percent model School, based curriculum development is also an initiative which will widely increase the rate of teacher participa tion. This is a move away from the more centralized models of development such as system and school based models. The teachers role in the curriculum development process cannot be overemphasized .The teachers can tasked with 10% of the over curriculum enabling them to work in areas of curriculum development in which they have most interest in. With this the teachers should be given more responsibility to develop curriculum at the school level. The curriculum can then be developed by the teachers themselves or in partnership with the parents and the communities. (Garret R. M 1990). Sharma also emphasizes the importance of school based curriculum development as teachers can be given the task of preparing curriculum for non-examination based subjects such as music and art& craft. Sharma) The school based approach and the 10% model are effective tools as they can boost the morale of the teachers and encourage them to be involved actively in the curriculum development process. These are the factors that are responsible for the low degree of teacher participation in curriculum development. Improvements in these areas are required in achieving an education system which will include teachers more actively in the curriculum development. Methodology Project Design The research method for this project is that of a Qualitative nature.The design is that of a case study . This research method and design are most suitable for this particular research project as there are multiple possibilities or outcomes possible for the research question. An Inductive nature of reasoning is synonymous with qualitative studies Samples are taken from populations to draw conclusions for the whole population. (Leedy&Omrod 2010). In this project interviews with teachers will provide a basis for drawing conclusions for teachers in general in regards to their response to the research question.Case studies are useful in evaluating any educational approach which in this case is Curriculum Developme nt. Sample & Population This study is aimed at the teachers who play the most important role in curriculum development and design as they are the implementers of curriculum themselves. CDU officials and Principals of Secondary Schools will also be aimed in this study as the secondary targets to clarify some of the issues raised in this research project. Data Collection and Analysis Data will be collected mainly in the form of interviews.For this purpose a recording device will be utilized as well as notes taken alongside. For the interviews prior arrangements will be made with the respectable institutions. Consent forms will be utilized for this exercise . The interviews will include open ended questions. The data collected from these interviews will then be organized thematically. Some of procedures utilized in organizing and analyzing data will be followed. This will include open coding, Axial coding, Selective coding, finding patterns and determining categories Results (Research findings)/DiscussionsThe teacher’s perspective on curriculum development From the several teachers who were interviewed and from the general talanoa sessions the data collected were assigned descriptive codes and the relationship s were used to determine common themes. This was an essential step to be used in presenting the research findings. From the interview with the several teachers from schools around the Suva area, the following categories were present after analyzing the data. * Experience/Inadequate training * Workload * Financial incentives * Teacher proof curriculum * External factors Experience/Inadequate trainingMajority of the teachers who were interviewed mentioned that they felt that more experience was required to take part in curriculum development activities . The normal selection criteria as mentioned by a senior education official in the C. D. U requires a teacher to have at least five years experience as well as to be the Head Of Department in that subjec t of interest to be considered by the C. D. U. The teachers also mentioned that being involved in Curriculum development was a task too difficult for them as they had taught that particular subject for only a certain number of years.A teacher who had 17 years of work experience admitted that she felt at ease while working as a curriculum developer and was never under any real pressure. Another interesting point mentioned was that most of the teachers did not undergo proper training in order to fully understand the importance of curriculum work in their teacher education programs. This as mentioned by some of the teachers was one of the major reasons for them lacking the general interest to take part on the curriculum development process. This goes well in line with the Research findings of Akhilanand Sharma.Where he mentions that Teachers may lack the necessary skills to take part in the curriculum development process. This is regarded as a major limitation in the area of School Bas ed Curriculum Development which is applicable to Fiji. (Sharma, pp 5-8). This clearly shows that if the teachers do not acquire the necessary skills, this becomes a limiting factor in their participation in curriculum development activities Workload Another area of concern for the teachers was the immense workload that they had as compared to the yesteryears . ith the introduction of the classroom based assessment and internal assessment there was more work for the teachers. Upon invitation by the C. D. U the teachers sometimes had to think twice as participation in curriculum workshops meant playing catch up later which can be a daunting task . This was one of the reasons given for not being actively involved in curriculum work. Young 1988 mentions that her study of teachers involved in curriculum work the teachers found little point in taking part when the materials produced were not necessarily used and on top of that it added to an n already heavy teaching load. Young 1988, pp11 9) Although this particular research was carried out in Canada from the informal conversations with the teachers there was a always a mention of the extra workload. – Financial incentives Although the teachers knew that it was important to contribute towards curriculum development majority felt that there was a general lack in financial incentives. Although amounts were not disclosed some teachers felt that that were not receiving the correct financial compensation for their time spent in developing curriculum.An interesting comment was made by one of the teachers as she mentioned that if curriculum review work was being funded by AID Organizations such as Aus Aid then the financial rewards were way better off than compared to being involved in curriculum activities with the local government. Thaman 1988 highlighted the plight for teachers as she mentioned that financial assistance to teachers in the form of allowances was merely enough to compensate the teachers for their ti me and effort and was minimal when compared to the huge amounts spent on overseas consultants. (Thaman 1988, pp4). This is certainly an area that needs to be looked into.However this depend on the current political and economic climate of the country concerned and also the policies that are in place in regards to financing curriculum development work. Teacher proof curriculum Most teachers believed that the C. D. U was providing prescriptions with largely ready to teach material and therefore the teaching becomes passive and the teachers are not challenged enough. Majority of the participants believed tha5t they were comfortable with this particular approach while come voiced their concerned as ready to teach materials were undermining the professional capabilities of the teachers.This seriously highlights the need to adopt the school based curriculum development model as mentioned by Sharma, where teachers select from whatever curriculum material is available and develop them for f urther use in the classrooms (Sharma). External factors There were other factors which were mentioned by the Heads of Departments . These included factors such as family commitment, the attitude of the principals towards their participation in curriculum activities. Some teachers mentioned that the principals at times had a negative attitude towards them participating in curriculum development activities.The curriculum development Unit From the interviews carried out at the curriculum development the data gathered can be categorized in the following areas * The actual process * The attitude of teachers * Financial benefits * The credibility of the C. D. U officers The actual process A senior education officer explained that the actual process in curriculum development. The Heads of departments who are selected for curriculum activities were done through recommendation from the C. D. U officials who conducted curriculum workshops in various schools.Upon selection the participants wer e trained in their respective areas. An interesting point to note here is that there are different groups assigned to the different tasks involved in the curriculum development process. While one group wrote the curriculum another group carried out the vetting and editing . This was required to make improvements to the curriculum produced. It verified the context, avoided repetition of concepts from another subject area and generally raised the standard of the curriculum material produced. At the point where decisions are made by the C.D. U on what is to be taught in schools the representatives of the teachers are informed of the implementation. The senior education officer also mentioned that some teachers may not be aware of the curriculum changes if the representatives fail to pass on the message to their colleagues. It is argued by Stenhouse 1975that prescriptions should be curriculum proposals that inform the teachers planning of the teaching and learning process rather than to determine the teacher’s plan of action. (Stenhouse 1975) The attitude of teachersAnother important point to mention that the C. D. U officials highlighted was that there were rare cases when the teachers rejected the offer to participate in curriculum work. This was mainly because of the fear of participating in curriculum development activities which was considered to be a higher level playing field as compared to teaching in the classrooms. As a result of this certain teachers had declined the offer to contribute towards curriculum development in their subject areas. Financial benefits Upon questioning the senior education officer agreed that financial ompensation may be a factor affecting certain teachers from participating in curriculum work. The Ministry Of Education has set aside a certain portion of their budget for curriculum development activities. The Officer mentioned that in certain cases the teachers who travelled from the rural areas had to file for claims on t he expenses incurred and it would take some time before they received their claims. There were some cases where the claims filed were not received on time and these may be the teachers who felt that they were not being compensated properly.The teachers generally had become money –minded and were not concerned about the important role they played in developing or reforming curriculum at the national level. The credibility of the C. D. U officers One of the major concerns that have been raised in many research papers is the creditability of the C. D. U officers in being part of the curriculum process. Upon questioning a senior education official mentioned that the selection criteria for the officials were very strict and personnel selected for positions within the department were highly qualified and carried the necessary experience.For example in senior positions most officials had more than a decade of experience. This is directly in line with the comments made regarding the department where Sharma 2001 mentioned that some C. D. U staff were not suitably qualified to develop and implement curriculum (Sharma p281) The Principals role in curriculum development. The principal plays an important role in facilitating active teacher participation in curriculum development. From the interviews conducted one very important theme can be derived. This includes Principal’s involvement in Curriculum developmentIt can be clearly identified that the principals are mostly willing to allow their teachers to participate in curriculum work. There was an exception however if the C. D. U requested the help of the teachers at a busy time in the annual calendar. If the Principal felt that the teachers performance in school would be affected he or she would not allow the teacher to engage in curriculum work. All the principals interviewed shared the same opinion. Development programs were also in place in collaboration with the C. D.U to facilitate the training of teac hers in the field of curriculum development . When posed with the question of their involvement in curriculum development, the principals mentioned that their first priority was the administrative affairs of the school simply meaning that curriculum development was not really a priority. As mentioned in a paper entitled â€Å"Principal a s a curriculum facilitator† Dr Sharma mentions that a contemporary secondary school principal is more involved in the administrative affairs of the school and as a result curriculum work is assigned top department heads .This has a major effect on the leadership and the supervisory role as a whole. (Sharma 1992, pp 18). One of the principals disagree with this notion stating that he was able to perform his duties as a leader by maintaining a balance between issues within the school and national issues such as curriculum work. Conclusion The research project makes an attempt to understand the reasons behind the lack of active teacher participa tion in curriculum development in the context of the Fiji Islands.The Research Question is to investigate the reasons for the lack of active teacher participation in curriculum development and also to investigate strategies that would encourage more participation in every level of the decision making process when it comes to the development and implementation of curriculum in Fiji. As a result of this the main target audience in the research includes the Heads of Departments who are actually involved in curriculum work at the ground level; the secondary target audiences are the Curriculum Development unit staff and Principals from selected schools from the Greater Suva Area.The Method use for this research is the Qualitative approach as there are multiple possibilities and outcomes for the study. From the small scale research conducted it can be clearly identified that there may be several reasons why teachers may not be actively participating in curriculum development. From the Tea chers perspective the reasons include the lack of training and inexperience, financial intensives and some external factors such as the role of the school, principals as they are the facilitators in encouraging active participation of teachers in curriculum development work.However from the information gathered at the C. D. U it can be stated that there may be some changes in the role that teachers play in the developing and implementing curriculum at the national level. Their role has become more active as they are being thoroughly consulted in all levels of the decision making process except the policy making of the Curriculum development Unit. As The research project was inspired by a paper written in the year 2000 it can be seen that there have been major reforms when it comes to the teacher’s role in curriculum development.It must be noted that the Principals also play an important role in encouraging teachers to be part of the curriculum process . It can be clearly iden tified from the data collected that there are programs in place which are focused at the professional development of the teachers. The principals therefore are facilitating and providing an encouraging environment for the teachers so that they can become active participants in the curriculum, development process It can be stated that in the coming years there will be a greater participation from the teachers in the curriculum development process.This is mainly due to the changes that are visible at present. With teacher education programs emphasizing curriculum development and the changing roles of the school principals it can be said that the future is looking bright as far as curriculum development is concerned in Fiji. References 1. Garret. R. M. 1990. The introduction of a school based curriculum development in a centralized education system ;A possible System†. In international Journal of educational Development,109(4)303-309. 2. Leedy. Paul D &Ormrod Jeanne E, 2010 Pract ical research, planning and design and design. Interenational Edition. New Jersey .Pearson educational Inc. 3. Sharma, Akhilanand. â€Å"Teacher Participation in curriculum Development-The Fiji context. † directions. . page. Web. 12 Aug. 2012. http://directions. usp. ac. fj/collect/direct/index/assoc/D1175398. dir/doc. pdf 4. Sharma, A. 2001. The National curriculum . In Learning together: Directions for education in the Fiji Islands (Ministry of Education Report of the Fiji Islands Education Commission/Panel 2000 pp278-89). Suva, Fiji: Government Printer. 5. Sharma, Akhilanand. â€Å"The Principal as a curriculum facilitator. â€Å"Directions. n. page. Web. 17 Aug. 2012. . 6. Stenhouse, L. 1975. An introduction to curriculum research and development, London: Heinemann 7. The National curriculum . In learning together: Directions for education in the Fiji Islands, Tewaeariki. â€Å"Strategies for optimizing the input of Teachers to Curriculum Development in Kiribati. †Å"Directions. n. page. Web. 17 Aug. 2012. . 8. Thaman, K. Helu. â€Å"Towards a Culture Sensitive Model of Curriculum Development for Pacific Island Countries. â€Å"Directions. n. page. Web. 16 Aug. 2012. . 9. Young, Jean. H. â€Å"Teacher Participation on Curriculum Development: What status does it have? † 3. 2 (1988): 109-121. Web. 17 Aug. 2012 Appendices For this project both structured and unstructured questions were utilized to gather the data required. For the teachers the questions mainly involved * Their involvement in the curriculum development process. * The quality of the materials produced at the C. D. U. * Whether the materials were teacher proof or not. * Their views on the reasons why they may not be actively participating in curriculum process if that is the case.For the C. D. U officers the questions involved * Explanations on the curriculum process. * Their views whether teachers were actively participating in The curriculum development process. * The sel ection criteria for the C. D. U officers For the principals the questions mainly involved * Their willingness to allow teachers to participate in curriculum activities. * Their involvement in Curriculum development. * The programs in the school that encourage professional development of the teachers. * Their views on the current state of affairs in regards to