Go therefore and make disciples of all nations Essay Example for Free

Go therefore and make disciples of all nations Essay Go therefore and make disciples of all nations. Matthew 28.14. What does this command of Jesus mean? Thomas Kee 9/10 In todays society people can make others into disciples without realising it. The world relies on a few people to act as examples and model Christians to set an example for others. These are people like Mother Teresa who stepped aside from the normal routine of life to give up theirs to help others. In 1948 Mother Teresa was granted permission to leave her post at the convent and begin a ministry among the sick. In 1952 Mother Teresa opened the Nirmal Hriday (Pure Heart) Home for Dying Destitutes in Calcutta. Subsequently she extended her work to five continents. The rich young man ( Matthew 19:16-30), A wealthy Jew asked Jesus what he needs to do to receive eternal life. Jesus answers him that he needs to obey the commandments. The man then asks him what he needs to do to be perfect. Jesus answered him that he needs to give up everything he owns and to follow Jesus. However, the man refused and walked away sadly. This story is an example of someone who cannot give up all his money to be a true disciple, but people like mother Teresa who give up everything they have to help the sick, poor and those in need. By doing this they help people on the road to discipleship by acting as examples. Happy are those who are humble, You can lead people on the road to discipleship by being a good Christian. You dont have to preach to them and show off how holy you are, but be kind, generous and helpful and they will learn from you. People can recognize you and learn how to be a good disciple from you, if you do missionary work in another country. If you have the money and time you could go to a poor country and set up a school or a hospital. For some this can be too much, so even small sponsorships or helping the local parish can set an example to others and make them think how they can help. By helping your local church you can set an example, you could help the priest in preparing the sermons or you could read at masses, Happy are those who are spiritually poor. Matthew 5v3 You dont have to make a great scene, but try to be discreet and people will recognize you. Those who are ashamed of me I will be ashamed of them on the last day. By standing up and defending the church against those who oppose it, others will notice you and follow you as an example. Thomas Kee 10/10 There are many people who have taken up the challenge of doing great good; each and every one of them is a great example to the world. Happy are those who are prosecuted for doing what God requires. Terry Waite was a special envoy to the Archbishop of Canterbury. He was a negotiator who was trying to free hostages in Lebanon but was taken hostage himself. For five years he was chained to a tiny cell 23 hours of the day. Throughout this time he didnt lose his faith I am not a man who wears his faith on his sleeves, Ive never believed it is an insurance policy: we dont live in a just or fair world. If you have faith you can say suffering neednt destroy, that something good can emerge from it. But faith is there to shape your life, not to give you special protection. Terry Waite Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, This commandment can present a problem in modern day context. Although it is the word of God, people may not be interested in the teachings of Christianity. For It is Gods wish and command that people should preach the word of God. By preaching you are giving others the chance to receive eternal life. There is nothing bad about Christianity, its morals are all good. People are not forced to become Christian, they have the choice. Against You may want to discover Christianity for yourself, you may not want it told to you. Preaching may put people off. It is wrong to force it onto people. In some countries it is illegal to be a practicing Christian. By preaching Christianity in these countries you are encouraging them to break the law. I believe it is a Christians duty to go out into the world spreading the teachings of Jesus Christ. However I understand that people will not always welcome Christianity into their lives. It is probably true that actions speak louder than words and by setting an example by being a good Christian is more effective then preaching in spreading the word of God. Bibliography Encarta 99 Class notes The Bible

The History Of Parenting Programmes Children And Young People Essay

The History Of Parenting Programmes Children And Young People Essay Education is a giant step forward to achieving sustainability. Education for sustainable development encompasses the three areas: the environment, society and the economy (Pace, 2010). ESD is meant to inculcate ideals and values about key sustainable issues such as poverty reduction, environment protection, human rights, democracy, and so on. The basic concept of ESD entails helping people to develop the right attitude and knowledge to facilitate decision-making and create a better future for themselves and others (UNESCO, 2011). In this regard, Parenting Programmes might help to orient both parents and children towards this new mind set. Contrary to popular belief, education begins at home. This is why parents should be the primary targets. Parsons (1959), states that the family is bounded by two irreducible functions which are the primary socialization of children and stabilization of adult personalities (Haralambos and Holborn, 2007). The quality of education a child receives will therefore be a determining factor to the type of adult he will develop into (Morawska et al, 2011). Dealing with a child is no easy task. However, very often parents tend to forget that the parent-child relationship is a two-way street. As a matter of fact, many parents lack the proper coping and communication skills to deal with conflict situations. There are several organizations, also known as Parenting Programmes, to assist parents to cope with emotional, behavioural and social problems in their children (Morawska et al, 2011). Research has indicated that children are very likely to face impaired educational development, adult mental health problems and even entry to crime, due to long-term consequences of these problems (Lindsay et al, 2008). Evidence indicates that Parenting Programmes have indeed contributed towards helping adults to better integrate their roles as parents. Some examples of these parenting programmes are the Incredible Years, Triple P and Strengthening Families, Strengthening Communities among others. The Parenting Early Intervention Pathfinder (PEIP) has shown great interest in the matter and funded 150 local authorities in England to deliver Parenting Programmes (Lindsay et al, 2008). The Incredible Years Programme in the USA dealt mostly with parents with children having conduct problems. The Triple P in Australia was based on a five-level intervention basis and was more beneficial for parents having mental health problems and relationship problems, therefore with children at risk. Home interventions were frequently required. Strengthening Families, Strengthening Communities was mainly designed for minority ethnic groups. Consequently, evidence indicated an increase in the level of activity, decrease in negative discipline and enhanced communication between parents and children (Lindsay et al, 2008). Education for Sustainable Development aims at creating better citizens of tomorrow. Parents, therefore, as primary agents of socialization should be able to grasp the concept of ESD, so that they can in turn pass it on to their children. However, this would be more effective if children were taught to adopt sustainable lifestyle since birth itself. Problem Statement Parenting programmes, termed as Ecoles des Parents in Mauritius, is a rather new concept. However, there are many existing policies and laws put into place by the Government to provide security and welfare for the children, and also Ministries such as The Ministry of Gender Equality, Child Development and Family Welfare and The Ministry of Education and Human Resources. There are many alarming issues that led to considering the need for such a programme. Firstly, the family, as an institution, doesnt stand as firmly as it did before, and with the increase in divorce rates, children often find themselves being brought up in broken homes. Moreover, degradation of family values has accentuated, and that adults are lesser involved in family activities but instead focus more on themselves. Juvenile Delinquency is yet another serious problem which is on the rise. This ranges from thefts, physical violence, and drug addiction to even rape. It is very common in households today, to see both parents working, sometimes even doing extra hours hence leaving a minimum amount of time to carry out family activities or simply have a conversation with the kids. Youngsters are nowadays lost in a virtual world, where social networks are the only means to communicate with what they call friends. Eventually, social life suffers and teenagers become virtual beings where face-to-face interactions are becoming more and more scarce. It is very important for parents to foster good relationships with their children. But parents cannot hope to do this when the child has already reached 16. This process starts right when the child is born. With so many problems on the rise, namely anti-social behaviour, juvenile delinquency, crime rate, teenage pregnancy, drug and alcohol abuse, we cant help but wonder: Have parents somehow failed to fulfill their roles? A pilot project was set up at La Valette, Bambous, which is actually a reconstituted village. Parents who attended the program were from poor regions of the island. The project Ecole des Parents was launched in October 2010 under the supervision of the Ministry of Gender Equality, Child Development and Family (Anon, 2010), and is focused towards helping parents to develop the necessary coping and communication skills to deal with their children and also to encourage group discussion between parents. Since the program has been introduced only recently, it is very difficult to get proper feedback about its effectiveness. Aims and Objectives Aims The aim of this study is to assess how the programme Ecole des Parents enhances the lifestyle of its participants and promotes sustainable development within the locality through education. Objectives The objectives of the study are listed below: To produce a comprehensive literature Review To assess how government promotes sustainable development through education To determine the need for parenting programmes To assess how Ecole des Parents has changed the lives of the participants To evaluate how Ecole des Parents eventually benefits the community To recommend measures which could improved the sustainability of the programme Research questions: What are the measures taken by the government to inculcate a sustainable lifestyle? Are parents failing to fulfil their roles? How far has the programme influenced family lives? What are the impacts of such programmes in the area where it has been implemented? What are the limitations of the programme and how we can tackle them? Flow of dissertation: Chapter 2: Literature Review In chapter 2, we will firstly be reviewing sociological perspectives on parenting support and education; we will then move on to an overview about existing parenting programmes and its effectiveness. We will then look at sustainable development and the importance given to education in achieving sustainability. Finally we will look at the Mauritian context, how and why Ecole des Parents was introduced. Chapter 3: Methodology In this chapter, we will identify what method can be best used to conduct our study, what are the variables which need to be taken into account while designing our questionnaire. We will elaborate about our sampling method and how data will be collected. Chapter 4: Results Discussion This chapter will include the analysis of our findings and a comprehensive discussion about the results obtained. Chapter 5: Conclusion and Recommendations Finally, we will conclude by summarising our findings and provide recommendations on how the programme can be improved. 2.0 Literature Review Sociological perspectives In order to explain the parent-child relationship, various theories have been used. Research has been conducted by dominant perspectives like social learning theory, attachment theory and parenting styles to understand parenting and the parent-child relationship (OConnor and Scott, 2007). The social learning theory is one of the most important models of the relationship between parents and children. Many theorists have used the social learning model in the way social conditions of parents may lead to poor child rearing. Robert Wahler (1965) conducted a programme which took into consideration the specific needs of lone mothers; he concluded that these mothers were more unpleasant with their children when others rejected them. A childs experience shapes his behaviour directly or indirectly. If the child is getting reward for his action, such as parental attention, he is most likely to repeat the behaviour while if the child is being punished, he is less likely to do the behaviour again. Attachment theorists have established parenting relationships according to ethology, cognitive psychology and control systems. John Bowlby was interested on detecting the nature, impact and function of the childs affiliation to his parent. This theory also focuses on important issues such as how far the relationship protects the child against harm and provides an emotional security. Baumrind studied four typologies linked with the outcome of children: authoritative, authoritarian, permissive and neglectful. Authoritative parents have children who were more decent and clever; those parents who were authoritarian, permissive and disengaged had lower results while authoritarian parents had the worst outcomes of the four child rearing types. As such, having an insight of what have been said by sociologists and psychologists about the influence of parental support on the education of their children will enable us to analyse how parenting programmes really enhance relationship between parents and children; family life; education success or failure and also their influence on society. In the next part we will be discussing about parenting programmes and its various aspects. Parenting Programmes Parenting is not a new concept, as many might believe. Society has had concerns about family life and childrens upbringing for very long. Unfortunately the realities of life at home, between parents and children, are not quite how we expect them to be. Parenting is undeniably an asset to shaping tomorrows adults, and through school the child is expected to grasp the concept of parenting and thus become model parents of the next generation (Jenkinson, 1995). The idea of School Parenting or Parenting Programs as it is known worldwide, might be the answer to the chaotic situation between parents and children. We should firstly circle the facts that led to considering the need for such a program. The generation gap has been increasing due to several factors over the years. To start with, the family, as an institution, doesnt stand as firmly as it did before. With the increase in divorce rates, children often find themselves being brought up in broken homes (Smith, 1970 1990). Moreover, U.S. Census data, shows that degradation of family values have accentuated since 1960, and that adults are lesser involved in family activities but instead focus more on themselves, leaving children to fend for themselves (Popenoe, 1993). Another serious issue to be considered is that of Juvenile Delinquency. Due to weak social relations, youngsters nowadays are more vulnerable to temptation. Statistical analysis reveals that the rate of crime among youngsters has increased ranging from theft, drug addiction to physical violence. However, sociologists believe that, these form part of the process of growing up and that such behaviours fade when adulthood is reached, for most. More importantly, it should be noted that, children who have received appropriate parental guidance, are less prone to engaging in such damaging activities (World Youth Report, 2003). With the advent of industrialization, both mothers and fathers have rushed to the big cities for jobs, supposedly for the betterment of the family and to secure the childrens future. Consequently, squeezing in between jobs and spending quality time with the kids have become a major challenge (Moen, 1989). The number of internet users, as at December 2011, was estimated to be 2, 267, 233, 742 (Internet World Stats, 2011). The internet, however, not only brought about positive changes to our lives, but also threats to our well-being. One such target nowadays is teenagers, who seem to associate more importance to virtual life than real life itself. Social networking sites are a means for youngsters to re-invent themselves by broadening their contacts. On the hand, research indicated narcissistic tendencies, health problems such as anxiety and depression, and alienation from social life through overuse of social networks. Parents are therefore advised to engage in as much social activities as possible with their children. They need to encourage dialogue and also monitor the teenagers ventures on social networking sites, so as not to create virtual teenagers (Rosen, 2011). A Childs socialization is crucial to determining what kind of individual he/she will eventually develop into. The socialization process is a means for the child to internalize appropriate norms, values and behaviours inculcated by the agents of socialization, namely the parents (Haralambos and Holborn, 2007). Therefore, parents as key agents should be given some kind of training so as to better understand what is really in the childs interest. After all, the relationship goes both ways, where mutual understanding is the core to establishing fruitful interactions for both parties. Types of parenting programmes Parenting Programs are one such incentive, where the central aim is to help parents gain insight to potential behavioural and emotional difficulties that children encounter (Morawska, et al, 2010). The Triple P-Positive Parenting Program is one such program, which starts with providing relevant information about parenting to parents, who are willing to cooperate. The Triple P-Positive Program operates on a five level basis, and comprises of parents of new born babies to 16 year old teens. Level 1 consists of helping parents to detect minor behavioural problems, and is directed towards promoting the childs development. Level 2 is mostly for parents with specific concerns about their child and they usually seek advice on how to tackle the problem. Level 3, is no different from level 2, but simply incorporates practice and self-evaluation sessions to deal with the problem in a more effective way. Level 4, however, gather parents whose children have more severe behaviour issues and may require health professionals. And finally level 5 includes home visits and intensive family interventions which are specific depending on the situation, for e.g. conflict between parents themselves, involving cases of depression (Sanders, et al, 2003). The Triple P-Positive Program also demands that parents abide by a set of principles. To start with, children need to feel safe and free to explore, experiment and play. Under no circumstance should parents hamper the healthy, natural development of a child. As primary agents of socialization, parents should educate their children and also be open for questions and dialogue. Discipline is important and punishment should have a limit. Parents should establish rules but should also consider childrens opinion. Parents should allow children the freedom to choose their own path to fulfil their dreams, rather than imposing their desires and expectations. Finally parents should respect themselves, and foster good communication with one another, so as to create a stable and healthy home (Sanders, et al, 2003). Other types of Parenting Programs include the Incredible Years and the Strengthening families strengthening communities Programs. The Incredible Years Program comprises of parents with children from 0 to 8 years. Like the Triple P program, Incredible Years help parents to gain better understanding of childrens behavioural problems. However, this program tackles the situation by encouraging parents to foster good relationships with one another, and by dealing with their own issues (Geoff Lindsay et al, 2011). The Strengthening Families Strengthening Communities (SFSC), most particularly deals with small ethnic groups, but still the primary concern being helping parents develop effective coping skills. However, the program also covers the cultural and spiritual aspects of society, for example engaging in community activities, following traditions, etc (Geoff Lindsay et al, 2011). Parenting Programs are alternatives geared towards helping parents develop effective coping and communication skills. Parents are also more aware of childrens side of the story, and thus can look for collective solutions to misunderstandings through dialogue. These may seem to be quite simple, but the truth is many adults do not know their roles as parents, and how to tackle conflicts. This is where Parenting Programs come into the picture. Thus, having proved the importance of such programmes to family, children and society, we will now look at the role the state plays in promoting parenting programs. The role of the state One of the main aims of the government is undoubtedly the safety of the citizens. The state should cater for the physical safety of children and social crime prevention, i.e. ways to promote adequate child rearing and decrease the risk delinquency in children. It may be considered right to link it to aspects of communitarians as a reinforced community and family relations help to form a safety network that a society deprived of its ties cannot offer. Safety of the citizens is probably the governments most important responsibility; however an economically stable and balanced community is also of high importance. Here providing education and welfare benefits, easing work and acting to support the family unit as an economic system are involved. Leaving the protective measures behind, other impacts on our expectations of the role of government should be taken into consideration. One of the most important is the Christohumanistic tradition that has guided the state and welfare organizations since years. Societies depend on shared values. Shared values are passed on through children. Values wont be passed on from one generation to the next unless they are reinforced by the parent child relationship. So parenting is a public as well as intensely private act. Hence societys interest is in the parent-child relationship. Families are crucial to the survival and development of shared values. (Straw, 2000) The governments contribution to supporting a rights perspective is obvious in its introduction of the European Convention on Human Rights into UK law. There has been an effort to attain sexual parity at work furthermore there has been the promotion of a childs perspective by setting up the Children and Young Peoples Unit and effort to improve children participation in the service development. Societal trends have shifted the state beyond preserving physical and financial safety to human centred, charitable caring and most importantly an increasingly modified and rights orientated relationship with families. Nowadays both parents and government are facing problems of having to regulate morality while having to abide an era of democratized relationships. Review of parenting programmes According to a study, by Roger Grimshaw and Christine McGuire (1998), group-based parenting programmes had a low public profile. Many parents found it interesting however they found it difficult to attend. Some thought that attending such a programme would mean being a bad parent. Those who were willing participate wished to go on a programme before their child turned 3 years old (Grimshaw and McGuire, 1998). Around half of the parents who attended rated the advice helpful while the rest found it less interesting and an eighth found that it was not a good thing. Those parents who attended the parenting schooling were quite happy with it. Concerning the style of the programme, parents found it important that the leader should be a parent. Instead of being told about what to do, they wanted to have options from which they could choose. Both parents and organizations thought that programmes should lead to: benefits arising from group support, for instance a supportive network of friends; a better relationship with the children; greater information on issues such as child health and development; and emotional benefits. The managers who set up the programmes and the coordinator had some common aims. However, managers were more prone to distinguish strategic objectives for the courses, for instance community development. Coordinators were more likely to get involved in the aims that had impacts on individual participants, like a rise in confidence. Children who were interviewed had lucid perception of the responsibilities that parents had in protecting, guiding and instilling discipline in them. Effectiveness of parenting programmes Parent education helps to improve caring and positive child rearing which is crucial in creating a good atmosphere for children. The risk of child abuse is more when parents do not possess the necessary abilities, back up and knowledge of child development. School parenting helps to increase the knowledge of parents on the development of children, to guide them in developing parenting abilities and make them familiar with the difficulties involved with child rearing. Parenting programmes takes place at different levels. For instance, community awareness strategies operate at the primary level; group training sessions and one-on-one programmes such as the triple P-Positive Parenting Programme operate at the secondary or tertiary level. However, all parenting programmes serve to increase parental knowledge and decrease stress. Parental schooling helps to reach these results by training parents behavioural management skills, ways to solve problems, and personal adaptation abilities. Parenting programmes are important aspects of dealing with families which are at risk. Recent audits evaluated that progress has been made in areas like preventing child maltreatment. Factors limiting the effectiveness of parent education There are various factors that can limit the effectiveness of parenting programmes. Parenting beliefs often unconscious are difficult to change; parents may make us of same ways of parenting even if they have come across new skills. Furthermore, courses which are not intensive do not have the desired impact on both children and parents. Parents who have psychological problems or a drug or alcohol addiction may have difficulties to grasp new skills and build better relationships; the parents own development needs may be an obstacle in being able to participate fully in the programme (Holzer et al., 2006). Cultural values, negative experiences with social service providers, language barriers, time commitment, scheduling issues, travel, and general lack of interest may reduce participation in parent education programs. Parental depression, drug or alcohol addiction, low level of education, domestic violence, marital conflict, remarriage, harsh punishment on children may decrease the effectiveness of parenting programmes. Moreover, parents with low education and low income are less likely to believe that the can control their childrens development. Also, parents that are hassled about their environment, for example violent neighbours may be less prone to gain from parent schooling (Solutions for America, n.d.). Limitations of parenting programmes Although parenting programmes have proved to be an effective measure to help adults become better parents and ensure a better inclusion of children in society, they have several limitations. One of the major disadvantages of parenting programmes is that it is discriminating in nature, for instance for a programme which is aiming at ensuring the welfare of the family, the children and society in general; research have shown that while delivering the course to families in risky groups the programmes are excluding families from other background who are facing difficult issues with their children (Lindsay et al., 2011). The second drawback, concerns ethnicity, some researches conducted in the United Kingdom have shown that attendance to parenting programmes vary greatly depending on the ethnicity of the parents (Patel et al., 2011). For example, the study conducted by Patel et al (2002) showed that out of eighty participants, 37.5% were white British, 18.8% were Pakistani, Asian and black British accounted each for 10% and other minority groups accounted for less than 10% each. Thirdly, the high level of drop out from the programmes is another limitation. According to Lindsay et al. (2011), there are 17%-19% of participants who quit the programme due to socioeconomic issue or other problems. Therefore, the programmes need to take into account motivational factors which will stimulate candidate to pursue the course till the end. Parenting programmes and sustainable development All parenting programs do one thing in common, that is, improving the lifestyle of its citizens by providing the right skills to the people in order to shapes the future of the youths and improves their quality of life. From this perspective, we can clearly see that the aim of parenting programmes is closely linked to the four pillars of sustainable development. For instance, by providing parents the required tools to become better guides for their children and improving their relationship, such programs are ensuring that the latter will become good citizens for the welfare of society. Secondly, parenting programmes enables the moulding of future wealth producers by ensuring that future generations have the required environment to grow up as respectable and responsible adults. Thirdly, through such programmes both children and parents learn to respect people different from them that is, from other culture, religion and so on; they also learn to be respectful towards their environment and manage resources accordingly for a better lifestyle. Sustainable development Sustainable development is a concept which has become popular during the 1970s and has been defined in various ways but the most recognised definition is from the Brundtland Report, (World Commission on Environment and Development, 1987) stating Sustainable Development is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.. This definition highlights that when setting up new policies, governments need to take into account features such as, resources available, respect them and work towards protecting them so as to ensure that future generations could also benefit from them. The terms sustainability and sustainable development is sometimes used interchangeably and although they seem vague in nature, they in fact consist of three main components, namely economic prosperity, social justice and environmental protection (GoodPlanet.info, 2008). The economics aspect involves the creation of employment, increasing production, income and wealth for everyone; and using new technologies to attain these objectives. The social component means that everyone should have access to justice, healthcare, participation in social activities, education and so on. Finally, the environmental component comprises good resource management and conservation (The Encyclopedia of Earth, 2011). Since the year 2000s, culture has been added as a fourth pillar to sustainability. With globalisation, the world has become a global village, as such for development to occur; governments need to take into consideration cultural diversity. In addition, cultural sustainability also implies the protection of cultural values, arts and heritage (Nurse, 2006). Below is a picture illustrating the four pillars of sustainable development and what are their aims (Just Focus, 2009). Source: Just Focus, 2010, available at http://www.justfocus.org.nz/tag/education-and-training/ The concern about sustainable development started in 1962 with the publication of the book Silent Spring by Rachel Carson which provided an insight of the relationships between the environment, the economy and the social well-being of people (International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2002). However, sustainable development is said to have started with the declaration of human right in 1948 as it promoted universal rights for freedom of speech, belief and movement (Pesqueux, 2009). In addition, it is only in the 1970s that the concept gain popularity, with the focus being mainly on the environmental component due to the increase awareness about the depletion of our resources due to the growth of human population. This lead the creation of several movements such as Green Peace or Chipko movement in India; it lead to the organisation of several major conferences such as the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development in Rio de Janeiro in 1992, also known as the E arth Summit or the World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg in 2002 (Sustainable Development in Government, 2011). Several agreements were reached during the Earth Summit, under the Agenda 21, pertaining to programmes leading to sustainable development in the twenty-first century (One World, 2012). Since then, awareness about our resources has been on the rise resulting in the emergence of new managerial concepts and responsible business practices, for example Corporate Social Responsibility which was adopted by business after the Enron case but also with changes in legislation. Furthermore, in line with the Rio summit, the Millennium Summit in 2000 lead leaders around the world to adopt the United Nations Millennium Declaration which consist of eight diverse goals, including eradication of poverty; universal primary education; combat HIV/AIDS among others, to be achieved by 2015 (The Encyclopedia of Earth, 2011). Therefore, it can be seen that sustainability can achieved through better health, alleviation of poverty or access to education; this leads us to the United Nations Decade of Education for Sustainable Development which was proclaimed in 2002 as a programme which promote education as an indispensable element for achieving sustainable development (DESD, 2002). Education for sustainable development As said above, the Decade of Education for Sustainable Development, 2005-2014 was launched in 2002 by the United Nations. It is a programme which is under the supervision of the UNESCO and whose target is to provide quality education for all, inculcate values, beliefs and behaviour for a better and sustainable future (DESD, n.d). However, the concept of using education to achieve sustainability was introduced much before, for instance as Pace (2010) mentioned, during the Tbilisi Conference in 1977, environmental education was proposed as a framework for sustainability. Both frameworks are quite similar except that the environmental education was more focus on the preservation of our resources whereas the DESD is a global approach aiming at achieving various issues such as alleviating poverty or disaster risk reduction (UNESCO, n.d.). At the Rio

Operations Management At Mcdonalds Management Essay

Operations Management At Mcdonalds Management Essay What is Operation Management? Operations Management is an activity of management which is concerned with the production and delivery of products and service to an organization. The operations functionis the part of the organization that is responsible for this activity. Every organization has an operations function Operation management is very important for any company. And by this function company can grow-up and moving in right way. For example Mc Donalds Mc Donald Corporation was Born in 1940s. It was the first fast food industry in the world market.   And who started a chain system in the world market. It serves some of the world favourite and famous food like French fries, Big Quarter Pounder, Chicken Nuggets and sausage McMuffin with egg as a breakfast. Mc Donald is the leading global food service retailer with more than 33000 local restaurants served by more than 1.7 million   employees p in 122 different countries. Mc donalds serves more than 49 Million customers around the world each and every day. More than 80% of Mc Donalds restaurant worldwide ran by independent local distributor and local public. Mc Donald corporation is grew from beginners and Every year they produce new product or scheme for   attract a customer. By latest news McDonalds introduce a new product as fruit maple oatmeal in its menu in 2011. Mc donald is using a Operation Management system for be in a International market. McDonld process McDonalds manufacturing process is completely transparent to the customer and in the market. Even A customer can see the process of the fast food and they can judge to hygienic standards at Mc Donalds by allowing them to enter where the process took place. A customer has allow to check the ingredients used in food. Inputs Material-Other procedures where the material use which can called a preparation. We have to prepare for all kind of material for making fast food. And Raw material are arranged acoording to the requirement. Example : Ready all kind of sauce, make a ready all vegetable and salads to ready for serve, burgers, Cheese, Chips and extra. Information -Information could do so to transform their informationalproperties. A change the possessionof the information. Example: Mc Donald research market to sell information. Store information about past experience and data about McDonalds Company. Facilities: McDonald has a all kind of facilities for making a food and preparing a food and servicing facility. They have buildings, equipment, plant and process technology of the operation. They provide a good arrangement for workers, servicing. They provide storage and administrative areas. The facility is designed by traditional techniques, scale plans, diagrams, and travel charring very lower cost. Staff   In the McDonalds the people who operates, maintain, plan and manage the operation. the term ‘staff to describe all the people in the Main operation, and any kind of operation. Transformational process The steps needed to transforming inputs into outputs. This is a Main part of transforming process. By transforming process Mc Donald handle a input and outputs servicing and It and maintain Quality services. Output The output has a required to the product and service by the customer. By output Mc Donald give aGood service to customer and satisfaction. They also believe to provide a quality product to a customer. Quality Management Mc Donald maintaining the quality of the goods and services so It can meet the minimum requirements laid by the corporation. For manage and maintain the quality of the product and services they must adobe a quality checks procedure. Quality in McDonald   is very important. And its depend on two main reasons. One reason that, its a legal requirements of the quality of fast food served. And Secondly ,to Maintain the good reputation about McDonalds Corporation earned over the years. Its   very difficult to maintain an quality of food   and therefore McDonalds carry on a number of practices to Double check that quality food is served. Some of these practices are the visited by the food inspector from the Food and Hygienic, supervisor checks etc. 4v challenges in Mc Donald The volume of their output; The variety of their output; The variation in the demand for their output; The degree of visibility which customers have of the production of the product or service. The volume dimension High-volume hamburger production is McDonalds, and they serve millions of burgers in the world each and every. Volume has most thing to implications for the way McDonalds operations are organized. First reason is the repeatabilityof the tasks people are doing and the systemizationof the worked where standard procedures are fix in a manual, with instructions with big volume of the job should be carried out. Also the tasks are systematized and repeated, it is worthwhile developing specialized fryers and ovens. All this given by low unit costs. Now consider a small local cafeteria serving a few ‘short order dishes. The range of items on the menu may be similar to the larger operation, but the volume will be more less than large operation.   And a degree of repetition will also be far lower. and the number of staff will be less. The variety dimension Mc Donald company offers a high-variety service. It may confine its   different type of   fast foods, servicing of people in the restaurant. In order to offer this variety it must be relatively flexible. Employee must have a good knowledge about customer like and dislike. So they can prepaid for that. The variation dimension MC Donald company has a variation dimension in a year. Basically Mc Donald has variation in products. Like, Hot food, and Cold drinks and Ice creams and different type of cold drinks. And Hot chocolates. Customers like cold drinks in summer times than in the middle of winter. And Customer like to drink Hot chocolates in winter time. They have different breakfast as per seasonal time. The visibility dimension Visibility is a slightly more difficult dimension of operations to envisage. It means how much of the operations activities its customers experience, or how much the operation is exposedto its customers. Generally, customer-processing operations are more exposed to their customers than material- or information-processing operations. But even customer processing operations have some choice as to how visible they wish their operations to be. For example, in clothes retailing, an organization could decide to operate as a chain of conventional shops. Alternatively, it could decide not to have any shops at all but rather to run an internet-based operation. Performance Objectives of every organization There are five performance objectives. Speed Cost Quality Dependability Flexibility Organizational structure of McDonalds, affects its performance and helps it to meet its objectives. The organizational structure of McDonalds has a big impact in helping the restaurant to have an effective performance and also boost it to meet its objectives. The production area of McDonalds by ensuring that there is enough food products, packaging for food in order for the restaurant to operate each day, and to requirement of the customers, and that customers needs are met properly. To do this McDonalds orders the food that it require from the suppliers in bulk whenever needed; this is essential due to McDonalds serving the food over a number of customers every day, the restaurant required to be good equipped with food items and packaging for the food so that it can run successfully and not have customers complaining due to the lack of food this According to my study McDonalds has two main performance objectives. Speed How much the time to customer has to stay for their product and the services its called speed. McDonalds aim for drive-thru is 90 seconds. But that is just regular documentation for the report not for every time. Here speed is main objective for McDonalds drive-thru performance, so they have to be accurate on that. If they cant keep that speed for serve the customer in drive-thru during busy time customer will unhappy with the services. For progress that performance McDonalds need to modify the policy and the system to serve the customer that will consume the time to chase the customers order in-time. For perform excellent process they have to follow the sequencing regulations, like when the customer will come first, than priority for that customer is high than the next customer. According to the sequencing system in McDonalds they wish First-In-First-Out Sequencing rules. Some time it could be change on order. If they make two different queues for serve the customer fast by customer s order number. It means two different queues for big and little order that will be supportive to McDonalds serving speed. Cost Cost is usually main objective for McDonalds. For organization complete in price, cost must be a significant objective. If they produce lower price product than it would be cheap for the customer. Most of the organization spends the money first for staff wages, after that machinery, stuff, tools and services. McDonalds provide low cost product. McDonalds food is very cheaper than other Companies food. Mc Donalds give an offer to customers in a meal deal, Burger, sandwich and   more number of people will be attracted by offer and McDonald average cost will decrease. Mcdonalda in some cost cutting strategy include are also investing in energy-saving to equipment Quality Mcdonalds food quality is as good as at used to be long time,this restaurant is already go through periodic inspections in item of quality food,in mcdonalds improving to tranning process and taking care of employees. Well i think the quality and menu at McDonalds needs to improve. Whats with the quarter pounders meat sticking out of the bun? Bun should be the same size as the meat, baru okay for the price that we are paying. For the past 20 years weve all been eathing the same thing, whats new Fold over, Quarter Pounder, Prosperity Burger, Big and Tasty Samurai Burger, Chicken Mc Deluxe all etc. CONCLUSION: We learn from above assignment that operations management is very important for any company as they have a partnership with the overall strategy of the organisation. Mc Donald used an Operation Management system in there channel. And by using a OM system Mc Donald company grow up year by year. McDonalds believes that the success of the restaurants and the company is achieved through the people it employs. MC Donald has a powerful five performance obejectives.The company aims to recruit the best people, to retain them by offering ongoing training relevant to their position and to promote them when they are ready.OM contributes to the strategy and they helps the organisation to gain competitive advantage. For an immediate basis, process planning can help the organisation reduce cost and gain cost advantages and therefore gain competitive advantage. Therefore the organisations must effectively manage the operations of the business as it has a massive effect on the strategy of the organi sation.

Freeganism: An Eco-friendliness Way of Living Essay -- Culture SubCul

The world is inhabited by numerous cultures consisting of different lifestyles. Freeganism is a subculture that is ordinarily unheard of. The characteristics are impressively diverse from those most would associate with everyday life. The capitalistic culture incorporates commodified food, organized structure, ‘hygienically clean’, easier accessible foods, and more individualization. On the other hand, a freegan culture is comprised of free food, a less organized structure, ‘dirty’ foods with a chance of being raw or rotten, slower food and lifestyle, and is more socially connected (Edwards and Mercer). Those living this standard of life are scavengers of the developed world, living off consumer waste in an effort to minimize their support of corporations and their impact on the planet. Grace Hutchins, a passionate supporter of this form of life, depicts it as dumpster diving to use resources that would go to waste, voluntary work that includes sharing huma n resources, such as time and skills, and finding ways to limit consumption and materialism in our own lives and those of others. A variety of reasons people choose to participate in the freegan lifestyle are more diverse than one would think. Uninformed bystanders may initially imagine the homeless scavenging bins to survive, but many members of the subculture dumpster dive with economic, political and environmental condition in mind. The primary purpose for most is to positively impact the environment by minimizing the amount of wasted food (Kurutz 3). By some, this act could be viewed as a symbolic, political act against capitalist overproduction and waste. Acquiring food from dumpsters can be for both individual consumption and the benefit of the surrounding community.... ...pollute the Earth with massive waste. Society has the choice between wasting life on working in order to purchase good which contribute to the destruction of the environment or living a ‘full satisfying life’, occasionally scavenging or working your self-sufficiency skills to obtain the necessities for contentment, eliminating waste, and boycotting everything. Works Cited Edwards, Ferne, and David Mercer. "Gleaning from Gluttony: An Australian Youth Subculture Confronts the Ethics of Waste." Australian Geographer Nov. 2007: 279-82. Academic Search Premier. Web. 12 Nov. 2010. Einem, Eric. Personal interview. 19 Nov. . Hutchins, Grace. Personal interview. 21 Nov. . Kurutz, Steven. "Not Buying It." The New York Times 27 June 2009: 1-4. Web. 13 Nov. 2010. Thomas, Sean. "Do Freegans Commit Theft?" Legal Studies 30.1 (2010). Web. 13 Nov. 2010.

The Portrayal of Gabriel Oak in Far from the Madding Crowd by Thomas Ha

In the novel Far from the Madding Crowd written by Thomas Hardy, I will be observing in detail the main character, Gabriel Oak, a young sheep farmer. I am going to determine how he is described as a heroic character in the first seven chapters. Gabriel Oak is portrayed to the reader as a heroic character in several different ways. In chapter one, there is no action or events. Alternatively, in the first paragraph, there is a description of Oak, which is mainly focused on his broad smile. His smile is compared using a simile, 'like the rays in a rudimentary sketch of the rising sun.' This immediately implies that he is a cheerful, good-natured character. Secondly, he is referred to with many different names. Farmer Oak illustrates his status, respect and authority. His Christian name, Gabriel has a reference towards the bible, as Gabriel was the good angel of God. Lastly, his surname, Oak, this may refer to wood as Oak is strong and durable which may represent his strength and durability. This is stressing the positive quality of Oak's character. The reader starts to get an encouraging image of Gabriel once reading the first two paragraphs. Farmer Oak's background is rather straightforward although he has had many jobs. He is conscientious and thorough as he cares greatly on how everything is presented and what people think of him. He was firstly a shepherd and then a bailiff before becoming a farmer. His father was a shepherd, so he had grown up on a farm learning the skills required from his dad. Moreover, the clothes Gabriel wore were not pretentious. I know this because on his working days he wore his clothes ... ...ently told everybody what had to be done to help and soon the fire was under control. Without Gabriel's good sense and bravery the fire would have been unmanageable. Oaks courage was admired by all of the spectators and many compliments soon spread through the crowd. Once Gabriel had found out that Bathsheba was in need of a shepherd, he was not too modest to ask her. He did not let what happened in the past effect his decision in asking her for a job and did not seem embarrassed. This shows his respect towards people and shows that he is a highly regarded man. All these positive qualities show that Gabriel Oak is a reputable man and is willing to help anyone, even if he does not know them. It shows that he is courageous and not a proud man. All of which portray to the reader that Gabriel Oak is a heroic character.

Roxanne Quimby

Why Is Roseanne Glumly successful? Roseanne is successful because she saw an opportunity to create something and went for it. She was persistent and dedicated to selling Burst's Bees products. She was a hard-worker, putting in 20-hour workdays. Her moneymaking skills helped her and her two children to survive. She has always felt that she was entrepreneurial because she was always in control.Reason's traits of being so debt-averse and cash aware helped drive the company to success, not having to rely on retailers that don't ay their bills within the 30 day limit. The company was completely debt-free, Roseanne never had a credit card, and they never took out a loan. She found a partner that was â€Å"on the same wavelength† as her who was more risk-averse than she was and had great ideas. Their partnership helped to grow Burst's Bees. 2. Life Style vs.. High Potential Venture. Your opinion on this?I think this Is a high potential venture, especially with the number of people lo oking for more natural products. The increase in consumers who are more aware of what they eat, where hey shop, and the ingredients that are in the products have increased exponentially. So, actually, this product caters to lifestyle as well. The venture has numerous possibilities and the product lines that could be created are endless. 3. Location Issues. Maine Vs.. North Carolina. Please list advantages and disadvantages.Maine (Advantages) * The business existed In the minds of the Maine employees; everyone had a mark on the process * cheap labor ($5 wages for the 44 employees – all welfare Moms) * Cheap land ($100/acre) Cheap rent for the schoolhouse (production plant) – $150 for the year (that was lust for the fire insurance) * Very few expenses ; No phone line -? so they were able to convince the local health food store to take messages for their orders Maine (Disadvantages) * High Transport Costs (Its location was too far from metropolitan areas; shipping and rec eiving were expensive) * High Payroll Taxes (being taxed 10% of payroll due to 20% unemployment) * Lack of Expertise (unskilled workers) * If the business stayed in Maine, Roseanne would have stunted its growth

Examine how the C.B.D (Central Business District) of Belfast changed along chosen transects

Aim: The aim of this investigation is designed to examine how the C.B.D (Central Business District) of Belfast changed along chosen transects, from one side of the city centre to the other. The study should also mark out the limits of the Belfast C.B.D. and to examine the character of the Belfast C.B.D For my investigation, I am studying these following areas; 1. High street 2. Donegal Place 3. Castle Street 4. Royal Avenue 5. Castle Lane 6. Ann Street 7. North Street 8. Bedford Street/ Dublin Road 9. Chichester Street 10. May Street 11. Howard Street Data Collection Procedure The three class groups studying Geography in Year 11 will be required to carry out measurements and observations along various stopping points on a transect, starting from the middle of the C.B.D (McDonalds) and following a road outwards towards the edge of the C.B.D. Each transect will be a distance of no more than 1 Km. Each class will be divided into three smaller groups and with a supervising teacher, will take the measurements shown in the Hypothesis below at regular intervals of 100 metres. Our class was divided into one group of 10, two groups of 9 and each of them will be given certain transects. Each class will choose a different transect and at the end, we will pool our results to get an overall impression of how the C.B.D. changes from one side to the other. Hypothesis I will be investigating the following 10 hypothesis; Hypothesis One: Belfast's CBD has one street / avenue which has the greatest land value, from which other street's land value drop. To measure this, I will be recording the addresses of the shops and I will make an inquiry to the land registry to find out the price of the land. Hypothesis Two: Pedestrian flow increases with increasing land value To measure this, I will be recording the amount of pedestrians in that transect, so I will need to count and record the numbers on a tally sheet. Also, I will use the information given by the land registrar. Hypothesis Three: Shop frontage increases with increasing land value. To measure this, I will need to measure the length of shop frontage; I will be measuring using a trundle wheel. Also, I will use the information given by the land registrar. Hypothesis Four: Building height increases with increasing land value. To measure this, I will be measuring the height of buildings along chosen transects, measuring in storeys and land use classification. Also, I will use the information given by the land registrar. Hypothesis Five: Vehicle traffic flow decreases with increasing land value. To measure this, I will be measuring the type of vehicles moving through transects both sides of the road. To measure, I will count and record the numbers on a tally sheet. Also, I will use the information given by the land registrar. Hypothesis Six: Street quality improves with increasing land value. To measure this, I will be measuring shopping and street quality by using the shopping/street survey index and measure the attractiveness for shoppers in an area of a C.B.D. Also, I will use the information given by the land registrar. Hypothesis Seven: Shop frontage decreases with increasing distance from the centre of the C.B.D* To measure this, I will need to measure the length of shop frontage; I will be measuring using a trundle wheel. Hypothesis Eight: Land value drops with increasing distance from the centre of the C.B.D* To measure this, I will be recording the addresses of the shops and I will make an inquiry to the land registry to find out the price of the land. Hypothesis Nine: Street quality deteriorates with increasing distance from the centre of the C.B.D* To measure this, I will be measuring shopping and street quality by using the shopping/street survey index and measure the attractiveness for shoppers in an area of a C.B.D. Hypothesis Ten: Vehicle traffic flow increases with increasing distance from the centre of C.B.D* To measure this, I will be measuring the type of vehicles moving through transects both sides of the road. To measure, I will count and record the numbers on a tally sheet. * Centre of C.B.D. means crossroads at Primark (Castle Street/ Donegal Place) Map of study Area For my investigation, I am studying these following areas; 1. High Street 7. North Street 2. Donegal Place 8. Bedford Street/ Dublin Road 3. Castle Street 9. Chichester Street 4. Royal Avenue 10. May Street 5. Castle Lane 11. Howard Street 6. Ann Street What is a C.B.D? The Central Business District (CBD) is at the heart of any city. It is the part of the city where most business is conducted. The Central Business District (CBD) is generally located in the centre of a town or city with all routeways leading to it, making it the most accessible place in the city. Consequently, it is the most intensively used part of the city and as a result competition for space to conduct business is great; therefore land values are high and only large businesses can locate there. That is why no houses can locate there. A History of Belfast Belfast lies in a geographical basin; it grew at the lowest convenient crossing point of the River Lagan, where the river Farset joined the main river. Rolling hills that are broken only by Belfast Lough, into which the River Lagan flows, surrounds Belfast. North of the Lough you'll see Cave Hill. Belfast is a new City. Three hundred years ago, it hardly existed, yet it has grown since, more quickly than any other city in the British Isles. In the 1500's Arthur Chichester established a Garrison site. Although not especially defensive in character, the presence of Belfast Castle indicates that there was a need for defense. It can also be described as a Wet Point Site, beside the River Lagan where there was an available water supply. It was a site rich in resources. E.g. stone and wood (needed for settlement). In prehistoric times the Lagan Valley was full of forest and swamps. There was also plenty of flat land for building and the area was also sheltered from strong northerly winds. Belfast grew at the lowest convenient crossing point of the river Lagan, where the river Farset joined the main river. A sand spit formed making fording easy. Belfast can also be described as a wet point site, beside the river Lagan where there was an available water supply it was a rich site in resources. Belfast is built on a good site because there were fertile soils, flat land and good reliable water supply. The bridging point meant that the area was passed on a regular basis making the area have good trade links- This was as well as the ports. It was near to many other big towns and cities via roads and port. In 1613, James 1st erected Belfast as a corporate borough. There was a castle and a few cabins, it was a garrison town. Belfast grew fast and in 1685, the population was 600. Belfast looked like this: This is the 17th Century Garrison Town. English and Scots were inside walls and the Irish were outside. Belfast grew to port and market with some administrative functions. Population by 1718 was 18,300. Belfast grew quite large and by the 19th Century it grew and looked like this: In 1785, Linen hall opened. 19th Century Belfast was a period of industrialisation (which meant rapid growth) Port facilities were strained and water supply was inadequate. Cotton industry created capital to improve resources In 1800, the first dock was constructed, in 1819; the first stream boat came from Liverpool. In 1823, there was gas lighting, 1830, machines spinning of linen yarn. 1836 saw the birth of Ulster Railway. From 1840's attempts were made to plan part of cities growth. 1851-population was 100,300. . Belfast Today in the 21st Century. Belfast City Centre is Northern Ireland's premier commercial, retail and administrative centre and its future well-being and prosperity are important, not only for the economy of the Belfast Urban Area, but for Northern Ireland as a whole. The C.B.D. plays a vital role as a focus for government, business, shopping, leisure, cultural and social activities, also at the hub of the transportation network. The City Centre has a significant number of assets which provide a solid foundation on which a build a new image for Belfast. The individual and beautiful setting created by the surrounding hills, the Lough and the River Lagan provides a unique context in which the other positive features of the C.B.D. can be appreciated. These include; 1. A compact shopping centre 2. A substantial office district 3. Good cultural and entertainment facilities 4. A good transportation infrastructure 5. A historic street pattern and a legacy of fine buildings and townscape 6. A significant waterfront resource