A Rough Patch for School Music Programs Essay - 590 Words

It came to my attention that there was clearly a problem when all that the band directors addressed at band concerts, from the local school concert to the district performance, was that the music programs were currently going through a rough patch. Budget cuts, an increased focus on â€Å"test† subjects, and loss in popularity of music activities have caused the quantity and quality of high school musicians to decline. With all of the impressive benefits of being a musician, it is crazy that student instrumentalists are an endangered species. Especially in this time of recovery from the recession, budget cuts have forced music programs to decrease exponentially, or shut down altogether. There are countless cases from all different types of†¦show more content†¦Research findings show that 21% of seniors in the class of 2004 have participated in school music ensembles, a decline of about 10% from 1982. Teenagers today enjoy listening to rap and pop songs rather than compositions by old men Tchaikovsky or Beethoven. Even if high school bands do not play classical music, there is a distinct difference between current music and band music. Also, teenagers today are exceedingly preoccupied with their studies, extracurricular activities, and jobs. Therefore, one usually has to decide which activity to focus on more or completely – sports or music, both activities that are equally time consuming. High school athlete participation has increased for the 24th consecutive year so far. Sadly, music does not prevail; th ere are not nearly as many student participants in high school music programs. The population of high school musicians in the US is shrinking. This is due to both schools putting music programs on the chopping block to save money and focus on core subjects, and students who today seem to have lost more interest in musical activities. Now more than ever, kids are less exposed to music activities in school, thus there is a smaller chance of one becoming involved in the music program. Even so, purchasing new instruments for the student and school is now difficult. Furthermore, the reduction of music educators leads to an overall poorer teaching of musicality. School musicShow MoreRelatedWellness, My Physical And Emotional Well Being1232 Words   |  5 Pagesstrengths and weakness are. Growing up my aunt used to tell me â€Å"life will put you in situations that will target your weaknesses, it’s then when you’ll experience growth†. Till this day I keep my aunt s advice in mind when I’m going through a rough patch. As a college student I often struggle with finances because, I have no financial support from anyone. My finances have the lowest score of all my areas of development because, the only time I’m financially stable is on pay day. With my financesRead More Summary of A Separate Peace by John Knowles Essay4280 Words   |  18 PagesSummary of A Separate Peace by John Knowles As the novel opens, Gene Forrester returns to Devon, the New Hampshire boarding school he attended during World War II. Gene has not seen Devon for 15 years, and so he notices the ways in which the school has changed since he was a student there. Strangely, the school seems newer, but perhaps, he thinks, the buildings are just better taken care of now that the war is over. Gene walks through the campus on a bleak, rainy November afternoon, revisitingRead Morepreschool Essay46149 Words   |  185 Pagespublication is the second of a three-volume series designed to im ­ rove early learning and p develop ­ ent for California’s preschool m children. Young children are naturally eager to learn. However, not all of them enter kindergarten ready for school. All too often, children are already lagging behind their classmates, and this circumstance can impede their continued learning and development long past kindergarten. High-quality preschool teaching contributes to children’s longrange socialRead MoreRetail Store Design and Layout15254 Words   |  62 Pagesconsciously being aware of it. Most modern stores layout revolves around forms like grid layout, racetracks and free forms. Using 3-D software to design the stores. On entering the basic information about the store site onto the computer, the program starts generating the two-dimensional drawings of various segments of the store then assembles them into 3-D shapes. These 3-D images help in better understanding of the spatial ideas, thus giving a more realistic picture of how a store would lookRead MoreUAE Consumer Lifestyle Analysis42818 Words   |  172 PagesRetirement 33 Unemployment 34 Table 36 Employed Population: 2005-2009 34 Table 37 Employed Population: 2010-2020 34 Table 38 Unemployed Population: 2005-2009 34 Table 39 Unemployed Population: 2010-2020 35 Learning 35 School Life 35 University Life 36 Adult Learning 37 Table 40 School Students: 2005-2009 37 Table 41 Higher Education Students: 2005-2009 38 Eating (including Soft Drinks) 38 Shopping for Food and Drinks 38 Dining in 40 Dining Out 40 Cafà © Culture 40 Table 42 Consumer ExpenditureRead MoreInvestment and Economic Moats46074 Words   |  185 Pagesit easier for students to transfer credits to public universities—is not at all easy to get. Having accreditation is a huge competitive advantage by itself, because a degree from a nonaccredited school is worth far less to students than one from an accredited school. Moreover, only accredited schools can accept federally subsidized student loans, and because these are a huge source of revenue for most nonelite educational institutions, potential competitors are put at a further disadvantageRead MoreLogical Reasoning189930 Words   |  760 Pageslogical—to reason logically. It demonstrates the usefulness of logical reasoning as a means to making more effective decisions about your own life—decisions about what to believe and decisions about what to do. The chapter begins a systematic program of study of all the major topics regarding logical reasoning. Along the way, the book focuses on developing the following five skills: (1) writing logically, (2) detecting inconsistency and lack of clarity in a group of sentences, (3) spotting issuesRead MoreVarian Solution153645 Words   |  615 PagesCentral High School has $60,000 to spend on computers and other stuï ¬â‚¬, so its budget equation is C + X = 60, 000, where C is expenditure on computers and X is expenditures on other things. C.H.S. currently plans to spend $20,000 on computers. The State Education Commission wants to encourage â€Å"computer literacy† in the high schools under its jurisdiction. The following plans have been proposed. Plan A: This plan would give a grant of $10,000 to each high school in the state that the school could spendRead More_x000C_Introduction to Statistics and Data Analysis355457 Words   |  1422 PagesIntroduction to Statistics and Data Analysis This page intentionally left blank Introduction to Statistics and Data Analysis Third Edition Roxy Peck California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo Chris Olsen George Washington High School, Cedar Rapids, IA Jay Devore California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo Australia †¢ Brazil †¢ Canada †¢ Mexico †¢ Singapore †¢ Spain †¢ United Kingdom †¢ United States Introduction to Statistics and Data Analysis, Third EditionRead MoreOne Significant Change That Has Occurred in the World Between 1900 and 2005. Explain the Impact This Change Has Made on Our Lives and Why It Is an Important Change.163893 Words   |  656 Pagesworld by humans vastly exceeded that of any previous era in history. In a century where human communities globally and individuals locally had the potential to be much more intensely connected by new communications technologies, state-sponsored programs to achieve autarky, a global epidemic of ethnic strife, uncontrolled urban growth, and the dissolution of extended family ties in many societies divided nations and communities and isolated individuals to an extent unparalleled in recorded human

Patterns of Social and Ethnic Residential Segregation...

PATTERNS OF SOCIAL AND ETHNIC RESIDENTIAL SEGREGATION AMONG SOCIAL GROUPS ETHNIC MINORITIES Residential segregation can be explained as special appearance of social inequality, unequal distribution of social, ethnic, etc. groups. The spatial objective reflection of the complicated system of social relation can interpret the socio-economic structure of the city, and the allocation of different social groups. Appears in space in segregation curve where higher and lower social classes are much different at social hierarchy. The segregation indicates of the social groups at the very bottom of the social hierarchy were significantly lower than those of the top social group, and the segregation curve has the #61640;-shape. Due to the fact†¦show more content†¦The lack of housing choices for minorities have meant that the quality of suburbanization that they have achieved is distinctly different than that achieved by more advantage groups. For ethnical minorities the freedom to choose where they wish to live is simply not a reality. For example, in the USA black suburbanization is characterized by expansion of the urban ghetto population to areas just outside city limits African Americans are the most residentially segregated racial or ethnic group in America Regardless of their socioeconomic status, they are forced to persevere without the same equal housing opportunities as white Americans. Residential ethnical segregation was developed through discriminatory policies and local acts of racism. Federal and local government housing discrimination, private discrimination, and exclusionary zoning practices have resulted in the continuation of intentional discrimination against minorities, many of whom still remain disenfranchised members of society. The devastating effects of residential ethnical discrimination on the quality of life for minority families and for culture at large represent the importance of initiating policies to integrate residential neighborhoods. Without the efforts of integration, the negative effects of decades of bigoted housing policies will be exacerbated, therefore perpetuating the existence of segregation and racial division. TheShow MoreRelatedStructure Of The Paper : The Article Is Presented Using The Journal Style Scientific Paper Format989 Words   |  4 PagesIV. Structure of the Paper: The article is presented using the ‘Journal-Style Scientific Paper’ format. The authors introduce the topic of ‘ethnic segregation in post-Soviet cities’ within the context of Soviet immigration policies. The purpose of the study â€Å"explores how inherited segregation patterns have evolved in the city of Tartu, Estonia† (Leetmaa ,162) in the post-Soviet period marked by Estonian statehood and a free-market economy. The historical material is divided into four sections: 1)Read MoreUrban Segregation And Its Effects On Residential Preferences Shaped By Liberal Market Forces And National Identity890 Words   |  4 PagesThe authors introduce the topic of â€Å"inherited residential segregation patterns† (Leetmaa) among ethnic groups in post-communist Tartu, Estonia within the context of immigration policies implemented during the Soviet communist era. Using two dimensions – â€Å"preferences and segregation –ethnicity and neighbor affluence† (Leetmaa ,163), the study explores the possible causes of residential segregation in post-Soviet Tartu and its effects on residential preferences shaped by liberal market forces andRead MoreThe Theory Of Social Disorganization Theory908 Words   |  4 Pagesaccounts for the unequal pattern of crime by race and ethnicity, in which the violent crime rate in minority neighbourhoods is often higher than in white neighbourhoods. 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This body of research connects school districting, and the affordability of residential housing to the creation of segregated White and segregated Minority public schools districts. Second, research focused on the impact of segregation on student academic performance (Card, D. Rothstein, J., 2005). This researchRead MoreThe Unequal Separation Of African Americans1453 Words   |  6 PagesAfrican Americans as a whole agree that racial segregation has affected their chances of employment, residency, education and access to proper health facilities. Many have stories and experiences of being qualified for a job but being turned down for being African American. Several experiments have been conducted where an African American would attempt to view homes in diverse neighborhoods and be turned down and white co-workers or friends would call immediately after and be invited to come in.Read MoreRacial Profiling : An Issue Longstanding And Troubling Among Minority Groups913 Words   |  4 PagesNixon 1 Jada Nixon Dr. Hunte ENC 101 30 September 2015 Racial Profiling Introduction Since the birth of our nation, racial profiling has been an issue longstanding and troubling among minority groups and still continues to exhibit severe consequences in communities. Racial profiling can be defined, according to the American Civil Liberties Union, as the discriminatory practice by law enforcement officials [or security personnel] of targeting individuals for suspicion of crime based on the individualRead MoreRacism Towards Negros : The And Worst Parts Of American Society1832 Words   |  8 Pageshad to undergo many trials concerning equality. In 1865 all Negros were finally released from their enslavement, but the racism towards them didn’t disappear overnight. Racial discrimination is evident in many elements that affect health, including social status and employment because racism is one of the main barriers in our society to the attainment of health care. Employers, co-workers, and peers may favor one or more people over African Americans because of their skin color. In To Kill a MockingbirdRead MoreEssay about vulnerable population1581 Words   |  7 Pagesvulnerable population Vulnerable populations are groups who are not well integrated into the healthcare system because of ethnic, cultural, economic, and geographic or health characteristics (WHO). This isolation puts members of these groups at risk for not obtaining necessary medical care, and thus constitutes a potential threat to their health. Commonly cited examples of vulnerable populations include racial and ethnic minorities, the rural and urban poor undocumented immigrants, and people

Boosting of Efficiency by Aravind Eye Hospital

Question: Discuss about the Boosting of Efficiency by Aravind Eye Hospital. Answer: Introduction McDonaldization is reconceptualised concept generated by a sociologist, George Ritzer in the year 1993. The concept has been generated based on the attributes that is manifested by the society of a fast food centre. The concept is based on the reconceptualization of scientific management and rationalization (Verhoeven 2015). The concept helps in generating the idea of homogenization of cultures globally that would persist cultural version. The concept of McDonaldization is gaining much attention in various aspects and cultures as it helps in adapting the concept of gloabalization (Ahuvia and Izberk-Bilgin 2014). The aim of his report is to analyse the concept of McDonaldization by adhering it to the case of Aravind Eye Care Centre. This paper would help in assessing the business model that is followed by the organization with respect to the concept. It would have helpful to state the scalability of such models that is followed within the organization, thereby stating the positive and negative impacts associated with it. Some recommendations have been stated in order to mend the negative aspects and would help in overcoming certain persisting issues. Background of the company Aravind eye hospital aims at promoting eye health all over the world. It has been started by Dr. Govindappa Venkataswamy along with his sister and brother in law n the year 1976. The eye hospital has started within a rented house with ten n=beds and three supervisors associated with it. Since then the hospital has been quite successful in analysing the growth in services provided, which has increased the number of beds associated t the firm to 1900. The hospital has been successful in providing its desired services to 1.9 million blind people. Along with its healing services to the blind, the hospital has collaborated with international institute for community ophthalmology that helps in providing a training program to the eye workers from the low-income countries around the world. Aravind is known as one of the largest eye hospitals that have been successful in handling 900 corneas per year. The hospital has been successful in generating certain eye camps programs that helps in crea ting eye care awareness in India. At Aravind, the average number of surgeries per doctor is 2000 per year. Aravind looks to multiply its benefits by hiring and training local doctors and surgeons. Even though Aravind pays slightly more than the government hospitals, seven to ten doctors leave each year. The reason is, since Aravind is non-profit organization, it is unable to compete pay wise with private practice institutions. Business model of Aravind The business model under which arriving d operates its sources is quite different from any other business in the health sector. It has a striking similarity to the fast food industry, thereby applying the concept of McDonaldization into its functions. The hospital aims at running under the same principle on which the organization has been initiated, thereby expanding their services throughout the world, yet providing the same services among the large amount of people without compromising with their quality. Aravinds business model has been quite efficient for the firm to generate one of the worlds most famous eye care services globally thereby imparting low-cost procedures that helps in offsetting the cost of delivering such high costs services. Aravind advertises its services quite elaborately that helps in generating an increased in the demand of the patients all over the world, who could get high class service at a low cost of transaction (Haripriya et al. 2016). Implementation of technological up gradation in the organization has been termed as one of the most important achievements of the hospital that has been quite beneficial in generating the improvements that could be witnessed in their services being provided. The doctors, surgeons and nurses of the hospitals are connected to each other with the help of video conferences, instant messaging, online patient questionnaires, and with the use of web cams. The hospital has collaborated itself with the University Of Berkeley Information Technology Centre with the low cost Wi-Fi connection. This has helped the organization in enabling the access to the patients at a remarkable low cost service (Do et al. 2014). Application of McDonaldization in the business By enabling the concept of McDonaldization to be adhered to the working of the Aravind eye hospital, it could be stated that the organization has been successful in implementing certain facts that would be quite logical in enabling a successful business associated to the firm. The business model of the organization has been formatted in such a manner, that it is quite efficient in providing a level of self-sustainability allowing them to use all incorne towards the expansion if the processes being generated by the hospital (Waring and Bishop 2015). It allows the patients free of costs or low costs healing procedures and plans that would help the patients in giving the money to the hospital when they are able to. Aravind's business model originally focused on just eye surgery and care, but after time it expanded into manufacturing in order to create low cost lenses. This change in the model was necessary because importing the lenses from the west was too expensive, and in order to com ply with their vision of providing eye care to the disadvantaged, they needed to come up with a way to lower costs. Another way they have put into their system to help them reach more clients is by using a two-tiered pricing structure. Scalability of the business model The structure generated by Aravind hospital is quite efficient in approaching the obstacles that are found in the cataract surgery industry. The vital attributes of the Aravind model is that the hospital has been sustained in providing quality care and services at low and affordable costs. They are quite effecting in providing the services to both the poor and the rich section of the society, in spite of being self-sustaining in nature. The model followed by the organization could be easily replicated by the other firms of the world, where there s a large population in the need of a social cause. The procedures that are followed by Aravind hospital is quite efficient as they follow high standard protocols of clinical activities and procedures along with administrative movements undertaken. The hospital has been successful in expanding 200 centres all over the world in accordance to their consultancy services being provided and aims at expanding more in the rear future (Zebardast et a l. 2016). The model that is followed by the hospital is quite scalable in the developing nations of the world in association to the fee system followed, quality of care, high aspirations and management techniques. Negative aspects A business model is expected to bear certain flaws in it., in spite of being too appropriate n nature. There would be the persistence of certain negative aspects that acts as friction to the processes of business. The business model that is followed by Aravind eye hospital is based upon the reliance of maintaining a strong client base. It needs a strong client base that would be efficient in undertaking the costs of maintaining the services of the firm (Thiel et al. 2016). The locational features of the firm also act as a factor of success for the model to work. If the quality of workers is diminished in the area attempted, then the Aravind system will not run as efficiently or effectively as intended. Another flaw that has been associated with the firm is that it has a high turnover rate as they are unable to pay their staffs as much as they might expect. Recommendations In order to aim at improving the quality of the services of the hospital and generating capitals and investments to sustain the services, it is quite vital for the firm to collaborate and align themselves with several institutions . These collaboration with certain companies would help them in expanding their services and providing high class service to the patients without facing any complications in future. Conclusion McDonaldization is considered as one of the most beneficial an effective concept of instigating a successful business prices within the framework of the organization. Aravind eye hospital has been quite important in generating extreme high-class services by operating in the field. They have been critical in their decision making thus far, and we feel confident that they will only become stronger as time goes by. Overall, though, it really is an excellent business model, and is doing a great deal of good for the people of india and all over the world. Reference Ahuvia, A. and Izberk-Bilgin, E., 2014. 13 Limits of the McDonaldization thesis.Brands: Interdisciplinary Perspectives,19, p.268. Do, A.T., Ilango, K., Ramasamy, D., Kalidasan, S., Balakrishnan, V. and Chang, R.T., 2014. Effectiveness of low vision services in improving patient quality of life at Aravind Eye Hospital.Indian journal of ophthalmology,62(12), p.1125. Haripriya, A., Chang, D.F., Namburar, S., Smita, A. and Ravindran, R.D., 2016. Efficacy of intracameral moxifloxacin endophthalmitis prophylaxis at Aravind Eye Hospital.Ophthalmology,123(2), pp.302-308. Thiel, C.L., Schehlein, E., Saeedi, O., Schuman, J.S., Robin, A.L., Venkatesh, R., Ravindran, R.D. and Thulasiraj, R.D., 2016. Environmental Life Cycle Assessment and Costs of Phacoemulsification at Aravind Eye Hospital in Pondicherry, India.Investigative Ophthalmology Visual Science,57(12), pp.5575-5575. Verhoeven, P., 2015. Corporate communication or McCommunication? Considering a McDonaldization of corporate communication hypothesis.Journal of Promotion Management,21(2), pp.288-298. Waring, J. and Bishop, S., 2015. George Ritzer: Rationalisation, Consumerism and the McDonaldisation of Surgery. InThe Palgrave Handbook of Social Theory in Health, Illness and Medicine(pp. 488-503). Palgrave Macmillan UK. Zebardast, N., Kavitha, S., Palaniswamy, K., Sengupta, S., Kader, M.A., Raman, G., Reddy, S., Ramulu, P.Y. and Venkatesh, R., 2016. Angle Closure Phenotypes in Siblings of Patients at Different Stages of Angle Closure.Ophthalmology,123(7), pp.1622-1624.

Challenges of Six Sigma in Healthcare free essay sample

So why in this tough economic climate, would a company willingly spend â‚ ¬12,500 on a training programme and how, as many Third Party Auditors ask, â€Å"can you measure the effectiveness of that training? † In this article we look at how two companies took the decision to pursue Six Sigma Black Belt Training with SQT Training Ltd and how their initial expense, turned into a wise investment. The Black Belt programme involves 20 days training carried out over a 4 month period (1 week per month) with the delivery of a strategic company project, the key outcome.Our first company, an electronics manufacturer in Ireland, sent two delegates on the programme, each armed with a key problem to be investigated. The first problem or project concentrated on increasing the reliability of a non-core but nonetheless necessary, screen manufacturing process. At the start of the first project the screen reject rate from the screen manufacturing process was in excess of 50% ; high quality sc reens could be purchased from a trusted Japanese source but at a high cost and with a 9 to 12 week lead time. We will write a custom essay sample on Challenges of Six Sigma in Healthcare or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page The strategy taken was to use the Japanese screens as a Benchmark and compare their characteristics with those from the local process. To be comparable, the variation in the local screens would have to be reduced from a standard deviation of 5. 8 to 3. 1 (roughly 46%). By forming a team of process experts and utilising a number of analytical tools, the input variables were narrowed down from an initial total of 132, to a short list of just 11. A Design of Experiment (DOE) was completed using the four most likely variables at various settings or levels.From this experiment a linear model was derived which showed the relative impact of each of the variables on the standard deviation. Using the new model the trainee Black Belt was able to determine the optimum process settings, which confirmed that the process standard deviation could be reduced by 40% resulting in a 20% unit cost reduction and an 80% lead time reduction. The resultant savings were in excess of â‚ ¬125,000. Fig 1. Printed patterns from the screen manufacturing process show the before and after surface area variation. | |Before: Wavy surface area (SD = 5. 8)| After: 40% improvement (SD = 3. 5)| The second project successfully reduced the defect level of specific components being shipped to one of their European customers from 611 ppm to approximately 45 ppm. This project proved more difficult as most of the defects were due to ‘special cause’ variation but using tools such as process mapping, failure mode and effects analysis and mistake proofing, ppm reduction was achieved and more importantly sustained, generating annual savings in excess of â‚ ¬114,000. . The absence or difficulty to obtain the baseline data on process performance is another major challenge while applying Six Sigma in health care sector. Hospitals, clinics, long-term care facilities and the like are characterized by thousands of processes, sub-routines and communications. In the typical environment, it is not unlikely that two to three or variations will exist in routine processes from shift to shift.While lots of data is captured, it is often not the right information, nor in a form that lends itself to the statistical quality analysis of Six Sigma. 3. There will be lots of data available in the health care sector, however, most of the time these data are not readily available for its analysis. 4. For health care industry, it is often a struggle to identify processes which can be measured in terms of defects or errors per million opportunities. 5. Another barrier to Six Sigma deployment in health care industry is the psychology of the workforce.Not to be forgotten among the barriers to Six Sigma Deployment in healthcare organizations is the psychology of the workforce. While the corporate business community struggles with deterioration of employee loyalty and commitment in the wake of accounting scandals and relentless downsizing, healthcare providers still attract employees who are passionate about their work. 6. Last but not the least, it is important to present recommendations using the business language rather than the statistical language.