Health and social unit

In my report I will show my understanding and knowledge of the importance of communication skills in care settings and about values involved in care practices. I have chosen to do my report on educational settings and I will focus on how individuals with specific needs communicate In both group Interactions and one-to- one interactions. I will do this by working in a class on both Thursday and Friday mornings where the pupils have specific needs.I will observe the communication with the teacher and students and also the communication between the students and myself when I take on the role of the teacher. Also, I will take into account the barriers that effect communication such as; cultural differences, Language differences, difficulty In understanding accents and physical tattletales such as hearing problems or speech difficulties. I have chosen to focus on Individuals with specific needs as I am interested in how people with specific needs communicate.For example, a woman named Hel en Keller who was born in 1880, was oaf, dumb and blind and learned to communicate through feeling the vibrations of a person's face when they spoke. I also would like to see how practitioners react and respond to Individuals with specific needs; how they adapt their voice and body language to slut the student. For example, how they change the tone, pitch and pace of their voice to get the student's attention or how they change their facial expressions to show they're unhappy with the students.I also want to see how they follow the care value base to ensure they are treating all of the students correctly ND providing quality service. Know that communication is very important, especially in health and social care settings, as effective communication skills help the practitioner develop an appropriate relationship with the service user, the service practitioner is likely to have regular interactions with service users and the family and friends of the service user. Interactions occur for a variety of reasons in care settings, such as when people give and receive information.The communication cycle is very important as interpersonal interactions in care settings involve two-way communication. I will change the names of the students, teachers and the school throughout my report to maintain confidentiality and their privacy. By doing so, I am following the care value base. Setting the scene: I did my two interactions at Round Hill Secondary School with a class of year 7 students who all had specific needs. Most of the students have reading levels below average and have certain needs that must be met in order for them to learn effectively.The school is a local authority school in statutory services, education is compulsory and provided by law. The school has around 1000 students all aged 11-18 years old. It is the only secondary school in the town and the town has a population of approximately 14,750 people. Many people are unemployed and Working class' and many stu dents are on pupil premium which means that the school is provided with additional funds for disadvantaged students so they are given the same opportunities as other students.The classroom in which the students are taught in is bright and colorful with posters on the walls and some of the student's work on the walls. There are three tables of 6 and a table of 4 pointing towards the whiteboard and teachers desk. There are around 14 students in the lass I am helping in. The students in the year 7 class (EGG) are all aged 11-12. Williams KS sub level is b which is above average; however his attitude to learning is a 3.Ethane's KS sub level is a AAA which is below average and his attitude to learning is a 1. Grace's KS sub level is c which is also above average and her attitude to learning is a 4. The Care Value Base The care value base is a set of values which give guidelines on how the practitioner should treat the service user. It also outlines the rights service users have and what they should expect from health care services. The care value base is very important for anyone working in or using health care services.It is important for clients as it helps them promote their rights by outlining what they should expect from practitioners so they can identify when they are being treated unfairly or incorrectly. Many laws are against discrimination. For example, the equal opportunities legislation prohibits discrimination; the sex discrimination act, the race relations act and the Disability Discrimination act. All care workers must treat all service users without unfair discrimination as this could affect a person's self- incept and lead to loss of self-worth.The care value base helps practitioners to ensure they treat all their clients correctly and equally and ensures that practitioners meet the needs of all service users. For example, It is important for practitioners to avoid any stereotyping or prejudice behavior and ensure that they treat every client as an individual, taking into account the clients personal beliefs, likes and dislikes, and background to provide quality care. Any violation of the care value base made my practitioners can lead to dismissal. It is therefore very important The Care value base transmissions:Promoting anti-discriminatory practice Maintaining confidentiality of information Promoting and supporting an individual's right to dignity, independence, health and safety Acknowledging an individual's personal beliefs and identity Protecting individual's from abuse Promoting effective communication and relationships Providing individualized care AI Types of communication: There are many different types of communication that practitioners will need to use to provide good quality service which meets the needs of each individual service user such as; Non-verbal communication, Written communication, Verbal immunization, Electronic communication and Communication for individuals with specific needs. These are all ways in which the practitioner uses to meet and respond to the service user's physical, intellectual, emotional and social needs.They will need to use these ways of communicating to: Give information, Understand information, express thoughts and feelings and exchange information so that the person they're communicating with can fully understand what they're saying. Verbal communication involves using the mouth and sound to communicate ideas and thoughts for example through words, sounds, speaking, and language. Strong and clear verbal communication gives us the ability to explain our ideas through spoken words and also allows us to listen to other people's ideas and understand them. When communicating verbally, the person must be able to actively listen to the other person's message that they're sending, paraphrase, clarify and respond.An example of verbal communication I observed in EGG was when a student asked the teacher what they had to do through speaking, and the teacher answered by r epeating her instructions and explaining each part of the task. Non-verbal communication is communication that doesn't involve sound or language. For example, this can be body language, facial expressions and gestures such as sign language. An example of non- verbal communication that I observed was when the teacher asked the students if they understood the task before she moved on to the next one, she asked them to show her a thumbs up if they were confident and understood the subject, and to show a thumbs down if they needed a bit more help.This gesture is a simple way for the teacher to find out how her students feel about the topic so that she can make sure she is meeting all of the student's individual needs. Written communication s when ideas are written down for somebody else to see and understand. For example, written communication can be reports, worksheets and letters. An example of written communication that I saw was when the teacher asked the students to draw an arrow i n their book at the end of their work and put a smiley face on the arrow where they think they are, the face being far to the right meaning fully communication that I witnessed, this allows the teacher to see how each individual student feels about their work to Judge their understanding when marking it.The teacher explores ways in which the students can express themselves and get their linings about the topic across to her in simple ways such as these which help her provide the students with the quality care, teaching and learning that they have a right to. Another example of written communication is when the teacher wrote out the whole task on the whiteboard so that the students knew what they had to do. Formal and Informal Communication The language register (the degree of formality or informality) changes depending on the situation a person is in. Formal communication is most likely to be used when a person communicates in an ‘official' way, such as when a care worker is p resenting their care organization. For example, answering the telephone and saying â€Å"Good morning, Round Hill Secondary School, How may I help you? † Can make the person feel respected and valued.Whereas If the care worker answered the phone in an informal way such as â€Å"hello, what's up? † it could be perceived by the person the care worker is communicating with as being disrespectful or even rude. However, informal language might put a service user at ease and make them feel more comfortable. (Promoting effective communication and relationships) Another issue with informal communication is ‘speech communities'. People from different localities or ethnic groups, for example, may use different phrases or words which might not be understood by others and could lead service users to feel excluded and uncomfortable. However, using formal language could lead to the same problem.For example, a person who doesn't work in a hospital isn't likely to understand the technical terminology that the nurses use, such as ‘Myocardial Infarction', but would understand the term ‘heart attack. Using technical terminology might create barriers for people who are not part of that ‘speech community and it is wherefore important to communicate with appropriate language to suit the individual service user. In EGG, the teacher asked a student to ‘multiply 100 by 4' the student didn't understand the question as he didn't understand the terminology used. By using the term ‘multiply instead of times' the teacher confused the student. This shows that terminology can act as a barrier to good communication. The conversation Sandwich Conversations have a beginning, a middle and an end.At the beginning of a conversation a person has to create the right atmosphere and at the end of a conversation a person should leave the right feelings behind. For example, I created the right atmosphere when starting a conversation with a student by sho wing them that I was relaxed. I did this by keeping my muscles relaxed and avoiding tension. My tone of voice also showed I was relaxed as I used a calm voice with varying tone which also showed that I was being friendly. I left the right emotions behind after the conversation took place by smiling. Open and closed questions: While working in EGG, I took into account the questions I was asking the students.I used mainly open questions to encourage the students to speak to me and lead to silences which can make people feel awkward. By using open questions, I encouraged the students to discuss their thoughts and feelings with me. Open questions are likely to encourage the person you are communicating with to give a longer answer. In some situations it is important to use open questions as the person who you're communicating with is more likely to give a better response which can give opportunities to carry on the conversation smoothly and comfortably. I used open questions to develop conversations with the students that can be quiet or shy and encourage them to talk to me. For example, I asked one of the students, â€Å"What were you doing last lesson?Which required an answer other than yes' or ‘no? However, In some situations, such as a Job interview, Closed questions are more likely to be used as they are quick and easy to answer and usually give the questioner the facts they require, for example â€Å"Are you happy? † is a closed question, it only requires a yes' or ‘no' answer. The questioner also usually keeps control of the conversation. Closed questions are more likely to be used in formal situations. I also used probes and prompts to encourage the students to carry on speaking. For example, when a student told me they did not enjoy History, I said, Why not? O encourage them to tell me why they didn't enjoy it.Closed Questions I could have used: Open questions I used to encourage the students to communicate with me: Do you not like mat h's? Why don't you like math's? Did you have breakfast today? What did you have for breakfast today? Do you like school? What do you like about school? Proximity and Personal Space: The space between people during a face-to-face conversation can sometimes determine how friendly the conversation is. In different cultures, people have different views of how close people should be when they're talking. If a care worker eats too close and enters a service user's personal or intimate space without permission they could be seen as being aggressive. Edward T Hall described four levels of proximity: Intimate distance which suggests a closer relationship between individuals if their intimate space is entered, For example, Hugging. Personal distance which usually occurs between people who are family members or close friends. Social distance which is usually between people who know each other well, such as a co- worker. Public distance, Physical distance at this level is often used in public s peaking situations. Talking in front of a class full of students or giving a presentation at work are good examples of such situations. In EGG I witnessed a student who was in trouble being reprimanded by a teacher, who obviously felt that their personal space was being invaded.I know this as Firstly, they turned their face away, then they took a step back and put their hands in their pockets (a defensive action) and lastly the student walked away. In order for strong communication to take place, the communication cycle has to be used effectively. The communication cycle is the process of us thinking of an idea e want to communicate, for example thinking about a task we want to do. Deciding how we're going to communicate the idea, e. G. Speaking about the task. Sending the message. (speaking) The other person then receives the message for example through hearing it, decodes the message, and if the message is understood by the person, they will give you feedback and send a message ba ck.This process is repeated again and again throughout conversations. An example of the communication cycle being used badly was when I observed during a group interaction using verbal communication with three students, myself ND the teacher, The teacher sent a message verbally to the three students explaining the task she expected the students to complete- To work in a group, roll two dice and then multiply the number on the first dice by the number on the second dice and write it down. Some of the students in the group I was working with didn't understand what they had to do as the noise in the classroom from other students served as a barrier which meant that they could not hear the entire message.However, one student in the group, Ethan, listened to the message, decoded the message and understood what he had to do and was able to repeat the message to he other two students, as well as showing them what they had to do successfully as they both listened and understood what he was saying. I then asked the two students what they had to do and they both explained the task correctly, showing that the communication cycle was used correctly between the students and understood. Another example of the communication cycle being misunderstood was one I came across whilst helping in the specific needs class in a one-to-one situation with a student named Adam and myself.There was music playing in a different room and it distracted Adam which served as a barrier to effective communication as the music as a distraction which made hearing the complete message I was sending difficult. Adam couldn't concentrate to listen fully what I was asking him to do and I could see by his blank facial expression and how he started fidgeting by not sitting still that he didn't understand what I had said, I had to repeat what I said and I could see he still didn't understand me as he frowned and looked down at his work and nodded. This is an example of the communication cycle not being en coded correctly as the message I was sending wasn't received and understood and Adam couldn't return the message and he tried to hide the fact he didn't understand. If I hadn't â€Å"read† his facial expression and body language I wouldn't have known this.Examples of the care value base principles being used in the classroom: A principle of the care value base is that all service users have the right to be respected. Another is promoting anti discriminatory practice. I noticed that the students raised their hand when they wanted to ask a question or answer something and waited patiently until the teacher asked them to speak. By doing this, all of the students would be able to speak without being interrupted and all get a turn to answer, getting their point across. If a student interrupted another student when they were speaking, I noticed that the teacher did this, she raised her voice slightly and quickened the pace of her voice to show that the student had done something wr ong.She also changed her body language to show that the student had done something wrong by widening her eyes slightly and also crossing her arms. This way of taking turns to speak promotes equality and respect and encourages the students to treat everybody fairly in later life, regardless of who they are. Another principle of the care value base is maintaining confidentiality of information. An example of this being used effectively that I noticed whilst in the lesson was that if the teacher was away from her laptop during the lesson or had to leave her laptop for any reason, she would always lock it and close it so that none of the students or anybody except herself could access the student's records or any other file on it.She would also keep any information about the students on paper in a locked drawer so nobody except herself could access them. Another example of respecting the student's confidentiality and privacy, when the teacher is speaking to an individual student one-on- one she talks quietly so that what he is saying cannot be heard by others. For example, The teacher was telling one of the students what she had done wrong in her work and explaining that she had to set it out differently to make it easier. When she did this, she lowered her voice so only the student she was speaking to could hear and she also bent down so she was at eye level with the student.This made the student more relaxed and comfortable and didn't give any messages to make the student thinks he had done something wrong. An example where the teacher showed respect while seeking to ensure that a student named Sam didn't cause harm to himself or others around him was in situation where Sam lost his temper and showed aggressive behavior due to another student being disrespectful toward him. Sam was about to approach the student to physically harm him, I know this as he had fixed eye contact with the boy and his muscles were tense. When the teacher noticed what was happening, she quickly raised her voice and told Sam to stop what he was doing and calm down.When she did this, she stretched her arm out in front of Sam with her palm out to show that he must stop what he was doing and she also looked over his shoulder when she was doing it so she didn't look directly at him as that could be seen as aggression. She asked the two boys to leave the classroom and followed them out so that they didn't disrupt the rest of the students in the class any more than they already had. This is an example of both verbal and non-verbal communication as the teacher used spoken language to tell Sam to stop and also body language to effectively send the message to him. Comparing the teacher's quick pace and raised voice in this situation to the calm, slow voice with varying tone when she uses giving instructions, this shows how changing your voice can convey different meanings and effectively get your message across to others.AAA My interactions with the clients/Students: While w orking in a one to one situation with a student named Grace, I had to be aware of the body language and voice I was using as these can send different messages to the student. I made sure I had open body language by moving my chair outwards so that I could sit on an angle facing her instead of sitting straight forward as this could make me seem more approachable. I also kept my arms open and feeling intimidated. I kept my facial expression friendly by smiling slightly. I also had to be aware of proximity and kept out of her personal space as entering this could aka the student feel uncomfortable, awkward or even intimidated.To help the students practice their spelling in a fun way after they had a spelling test, they were allowed to use plasticize to shape letters and then place them on a board to spell words. I noticed that Grace asked me to shape a lot of the letters even though she could do them herself. I asked her why she wasn't doing them herself but made sure to smile slightly and raise the pitch of my voice a little bit so that she didn't think I was angry with her. She said she couldn't do them although I knew that she could as I had seen her do it before. I encouraged her to shape the letters by asking her to try and telling her that if she couldn't I would help her and then praising her when she did.I noticed that when she was praised this encouraged her to do more letters quickly and correctly. I noticed that praising the students made them want to complete tasks correctly. I also followed the care value base by promoting independence as I encouraged Grace to try before I would help her shape the letters. I also followed the care value base as I tried to interact with each student for an equal amount of time each lesson and I encouraged them to interact with me by ending them positive body language. I also promoted effective communication and relationships, for example, I assigned two students a task such as to hand out plastic wallets to each stude nt in the class.AAA: In order for me to be able to deepen and widen my understanding of how communication is used within health and social care settings and not Just what I observed in educational settings (EGG), I used a range of sources such as text books, websites and videos to understand the factors that affect good communication and also the values involved in care. The sources helped me understand why the teacher communicates in the way that she does, such as using appropriate language and body language to suit the students to get her message across to them and they also helped me understand why the Care Value Base is used. Barriers to communication: The term ‘barriers' refers to when communication becomes blocked so that good communication cannot take place. This can be through a person not being able to see, hear or receive the message such as when a person has visual disabilities or hearing disabilities.For example, a student named William who had visual capabilities could not see the white board to check his spellings which lead to him getting out of his seat and moving closer to the board each time he wanted to check a spelling. This situation have disrupted other students and also prevented William from completing his work in time. This situation could have been easily prevented by the teacher taking the time to read Williams SEEN plan which would make her aware of his visual disabilities and allow her to plan a way for William to be less affected by them, such as planning to seat him in closer proximity to the board or giving him the peelings on a sheet of paper. Communication can also become blocked when a person can't understand the message or misunderstands the message.There are many different barriers that can prevent effective communication from occurring ‘norms' which may be confusing or hard to understand for somebody outside of that religion. For example, it might be normal for a Muslim woman to cover her body with loose fittin g clothes as the Islamic religion requires her to cover her body except from her hands and face. A person from outside of that religion may be confused or even offended by this dress code. Environmental barriers. Such as space and noise. Language barriers. For example, a student from another town may have a different accent which might be hard to understand for other students. Emotional barriers. For example, Fear can stop a person from doing something they want or need to do. Disabilities.Such as physical disabilities for example being in a wheel chair. However, people can overcome barriers by learning more about them, finding different ways to communicate and being calm and patient. I noticed that there were simple rules that the teacher had set for the students in her lassoer which made the lesson run more smoothly with less interruptions. For example, when the students were to get their math's folders, they had to get them one by one in the order of the register. This way there would be no crowding around the folders and chance for the students to get distracted by other students or any barriers which could get in the way of the lesson.Whereas if all the students had to get their folders from a cupboard all at the same time, it would take more time and could unsettle the class. Comparing this to the way students get their folders in the ordinary year seven class, where one person from each table gets the folders for everyone on their table, the ‘ground rules' or ‘norms' that the teacher had set for the students in EGG help to overcome barriers and ensure that the lesson is used effectively and no time is wasted. (Promoting and supporting an individual's right to dignity, independence, health and safety) AAA: Conclusions. From my time in EGG I have come to the conclusion that a number of things can effect communication; Body language, Proximity, Appropriate language use, barriers, the type of voice used.I know that Communication is not Just spea king and listening and a person must take into account all of the possible things that can affect A person must think about what message their body language is sending to the person they're communicating with and whether it's appropriate to convey their feelings, such as whether they could be seen as aggressive or assertive. For example, open and closed body language can determine whether or not a person feels comfortable speaking to you. They must think about how the tone, pitch and pace of their voice can portray their feelings such as when I was angry or annoyed at student I would raise the pitch of my voice and quicken the pace of my voice. Think that one of my strengths when communicating is body language.I think I use the correct body language to suit my feelings and the situation I am in and I am aware of the messages that I am sending through my body language. However, I think I could improve my facial expressions when communicating with the students as they sometimes send t he wrong impression. For example, in one situation when I was angry with a student I smiled slightly which confused the student as she didn't think I was being serious. I should have kept my lips pressed together and widened my eyes that I was angry with the student. I understand that throughout all communication in health care service the care value base must be used correctly and appropriately in order for quality service and strong communication to be provided.The values involved in care help both the practitioners and service users develop a strong relationship through communicating effectively as the care value base outlines what to expect for both practitioners and clients. The main conclusion that I have drawn from my research for this report is that good use of communication is n essential tool for anybody working in care services and in everyday life. Strong communication skills are essential for a teacher, as I observed in EGG, to enable learning and provide quality teachi ng to the students. It is also essential that practitioners, such as teachers, follow the care value base rules to improve the client's quality of life by meeting their physical, intellectual, emotional and social needs.The teacher empowered her students by promoting the seven values; Promoting anti-discriminatory practice, Maintaining confidentiality of information, feet, Acknowledging an individual's personal beliefs and identity, Protecting individual's from abuse, Promoting effective communication and relationships and Providing individualized care. Observing policies are essential in order to protect the students from harm or abuse (protecting individuals from abuse) and to build appropriate professional relationships with clients and co-workers (Promoting effective communication and relationships). Teachers should always be trying to improve the quality of their teaching and find ways to provide quality education for each individual student. (Providing individualized care).

Traffic Signal

He was the one who had emancipated Springfield from the corrupted governmental also reduced the crime in Springfield by introducing new laws and revamping the judicious system. Mr. Duncan had made some important changes for Springfield which improved it ,so he was extremely crucial for the well being of the city. The police found the dead body on 1 8th October at 5 am. When Mr. Ducat's death had spread across the news, the S. P. D realized that no one in their department was good enough to take charge and solve the murder. So Blake Cross from the N. Y. P. D was called to solve the case.Blake had a great reputation of solving difficult cases, once he solved a case with just a parking ticket! This time he had a lot of pressure on him as he was investigating the case of the Mayor. When Blake started searching the crime scene he found an asthma inhaler,so he suspected it had the murderer's fingerprints ,then he send the asthma inhaler to the forensic department to see if there were any p rints. The lab found the prints of Ben Cohn,he was of the opposition party of Springfield. Ben also fit as a classic murder suspect as he was Mr. Duncan nemesis.He also threatened to kill him a month ago. When the police went to interrogate Ben ,they found that he had a perfect alibi. He said that he was at his friend Scotty James house. The police checked with Scotty and he confirmed that they both were at his house. But Blake still thought that Ben was the one who murdered him and know Blake knew that Scotty was lining about Ben not killing Mr. Duncan. Blake was suspicious so he scrutinized Scotty lifestyle,recent behavior,counterparts scrutinizing Scotty for 1 day he found something that was very weird.Scotty salary was 40000 dollars per onto,but Blake found out that Scotty had a secret account in which he had 100000 dollars put in this month. So Blake knew that Ben had pawed Scotty to keep his mouth shut about the murder and to make a fake alibi for him. This time Blake went to Scotty personally to make him accept that he lied about Ben. Blake did a very clever thing to make Scotty admit that he lied,he told him that he would send him to jail for the crimes he committed earlier and never got caught for etc unless he admitted that Ben murdered Mr. Duncan.

Movie Review: Singin’ in the Rain

Movies such as Chicago, Moulin Rouge, and Singin’ in the Rain are part of a file genre that places emphasis on music, dance, and song.   This genre is known as the Musical.   The power of the songs in Musicals explains why many people who have not seen the movie are still familiar with its title song â€Å"Singin’ in the Rain.†Ã‚   Aside from the memorable scores and lyrics, Musicals showcase the singing and dancing skills of their stars.   The critical and commercial success or failure of a Musical hinges not only on the storyline, as is the case with films of other genres, but the talents of the actors who bring the movie’s songs and dances to life. Singin’ in the Rain contains a number of elements that make it stand out from other American Musicals such as Chicago and Moulin Rouge.   The atmosphere of Singin’ in the Rain is light and happy which is accomplished by the character’s brightly colored clothing and the inclusion of relatively few night scenes.   This is not the case in either Chicago or Moulin Rouge, both of which have darker elements within them.   Because the theme of Singin’ in the Rain is more playful than the serious theme depicted in Chicago, there is a greater degree of entertainment in Singin’ in the Rain.   This movie was designed to be viewed by an audience seeking pure entertainment—an audience that need only sit back, relax, and enjoy the film from beginning to end. Many modern musical productions are far more costly than was Singin’ in the Rain; however, even with the discrepancy in production costs, several clever and memorable musical numbers from Singin’ in the Rain remain popular today. Because scripting and storyline are superseded in Musicals by choreography and score, the scenes most often remembered in a Musical are specific numbers contained within the film.   One of my favorites from Singin’ in the Rain is Cosmo Brown’s (Donald O’Connor) performance of â€Å"Make ‘em Laugh.†Ã‚   The song’s lyrics and the number itself reveal that Cosmo is Don Lockwood’s (Gene Kelly) sidekick.   It’s clear that Cosmo’s job is to keep Lockwood laughing and to prevent him from concern over anything bad. Cosmo’s enthusiastic performance in this number is easily the most comedic of the film.   Singin’ in the Rain is filled with mise-en-scà ¨nes, and Cosmo’s â€Å"Make ‘em Laugh† number uses mise-en-scà ¨ne to its fullest.   Every bit of setting, including the props and the people in this number are used by Cosmo as show instruments. Given the movie’s title, it isn’t surprising that the most famous number is Gene Kelly’s (as Don Lockwood) performance of the song â€Å"Singin’ in the Rain.†Ã‚   Narrative Convention dictates that rain signify sorrow or loneliness much as tense music in a horror movie signifies danger; however, the gloom one might expect to infiltrate Kelly’s performance simply does not do so.   Instead, this beautifully choreographed athletic dance and song number stands as Lockwood’s proclamation that he has succeeded in his career and in his heart.   Each step Gene Kelly performs is deliberate—each movement designed to thrill the audience the way Kelly’s Lockwood is himself thrilled by his fantastic fortune. The use of mise-en-scà ¨ne in the number â€Å"Singin’ in the Rain† does not detract from Kelly’s performance: it augments it.   His wearing a felt hat allows his facial features to be seen without the rain’s moisture obscuring his emotions.   The umbrella he carries adds a gentleman-like quality to his movements.   The street on which he dances remains basically deserted and is perfectly illuminated by the well-placed snug lights.   Personally, I think it is the most enjoyable rainy scene I have ever viewed in a movie. My only critical comments are centered on a portion of the film’s latter half during which time Lockwood, Cosmo, and R. F. Simpson (Millard Mitchell) are planning to make the musical film Dancing Cavalier.   This is followed by the surreal performance â€Å"Broadway Melody† which I found unnecessary.   The woman in this scene seemed to have come from nowhere, did not have a clearly defined relationship with Lockwood or Kathy Selden (Debbie Reynolds), but the odd emotion that was present in the number might be representative of American ideals. Singin’ in the Rain falls within the expected boundaries of the Musical.   The ending is predictable (but not unsatisfyingly so) and relatively little tension exists: the lovers meet serendipitously, and there is really no threat to their relationship. Singin’ in the Rain is from the 1950’s, and because of this, some younger people might not find the movie’s content satisfying; however, anyone, regardless of age, who can appreciate the outstanding singing and dancing performances of the movie’s characters will come away from the film satisfied.   In addition, part of this film’s content reveals the early development of movies from the silent era forward, and much of this is not only interesting but humorous as well. I admit to having been initially skeptical about enjoying this movie due to its age, but I found myself entertained throughout the entire film, and honestly, I can say that Singin’ in the Rain is the best Musical I have ever seen. Reference Freed, A.   (Producer), & Donen, S. & Kelly G. (Directors).   (1952).   Singin’ in the rain.   [Motion picture].   United States: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.   

Interview of Health Care Leader Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

Interview of Health Care Leader - Essay Example My role is to advise and guide my students that can motivate them to engage in scholarly work. Moreover, I have to prepare nursing conferences to educate the trainee nurses about several aspects of clinical nursing. I have to maintain clinical components. I always try to contribute to the academic community through effective leadership roles. How would you describe a leader? A leader is an individual who have a clear vision. A leader can provide strong commitment and drive his or her team towards the vision. Effective leadership skills can make it happen. Leadership is the process of social influence. A person can enlist the support and aid of other associates in the triumph of a common task. Effective leaders expertly organize a group of individuals to accomplish a common objective. In healthcare sector, leaders need to manage and control each and every healthcare team of doctors, nurses and support staffs. It can help the organization to maintain its organizational vale. Effective leadership in healthcare organization will help to take care of the needs of patients who seek for significant treatment and care. What are important qualities or characteristics of leaders? A leader needs to have positive attitude, behavior and personality that can drive a group of people towards the developed objective. A leader needs to be trusted by other. He or she should have superior integrity and honesty. A true leader should be enthusiastic about his or her work and responsibility. He or she should have the dedication and passion to develop several innovative strategies to achieve successful project outcome. A good leader should be confident about his decision making ability. He or she should have the capability to undertake calculated risk under the decision making process. A good leader should provide commitment to the excellence (Maxwell, 2005). He or she should maintain high ethical standards in the decision making process. Moreover, a leader in a healthcare organizatio n should motivate all the staffs within the team to provide effective performance. Effective motivation process can enhance group performance. It can directly reflect in the profitability of that organization. What is your personal philosophy of leadership? A leader is an important person who can lead a crowd in the direction where the objectives and goals can be successfully accomplished. A good and team oriented leader generally acknowledges a problem and gives solution to it. He or she can attract the people preaching and sharing his or her view of giving solutions to the problems. For example, during an emergency situation a good healthcare leader have to take a quick decision within a fraction of second. Effective undertaking of calculative risk can save a life of a patient during an emergency situation. Moreover, effective leading skills can enhance collaborative group work. In addition to this, a good leader has the ability to undertake effective future strategies to achieve organizational objectives. What learning experiences have had the most influence on your own personal development as a leader? Leadership is tough but quite interesting. An individual can avail effective leadership skill through significant work experience and continuous practice. Talent or skill is another important aspect that can transform a hardworking individual to a good leader. In my personal development as a leader, I had to work very hard on my expertise and talent. Sheer

The questions below are of a generic nature Essay

The questions below are of a generic nature - Essay Example However, according to many experts the situation is not yet under control. The world is still passing through the worst economic and financial times. Stock markets are showing sluggish movements and recently there have been sharp decline in the international stock markets. Large financial institutions have collapsed which has been the biggest shock to the financial world. Rescue of these banks have involved huge amounts of money for bail outs. The government of the respective countries have provided lump sum amount of money (that have run upto many trillion dollars in the United States alone) to these failed banks for rescuing them. In the United States the Federal Government has followed the Keynesian theory of economics. As recession set in, policymakers have not left the economy to the forces of the market that might autocorrect the market and improve the condition of low aggregate demand. They have intervened with fiscal and monetary policy changes, so as to augment economic acti vities in the country. Interest rates were reduced as an immediate response to the crisis (Velde, 2008). This paper looks at the causes of the GFC and the responses of the government to this crisis. The main aim of this article is to research the protectionist activities of the governments in reflex to the harm caused to these economies by recessionary pressure. In this light the preventive measures of the governments have been studied to understand the course of action adopted by the global economy to prevent the recurrence of a situation similar to the Great Depression of the 1930s. Causes of the GFC The causes of the GFC are manifold and analysts have not come to any particular agreement about the actual reasons that have eventually led to the financial crisis of such a huge dimension. Yet it is commonly agreed that GFC has occur due to the combined effect of the shocks faced by the real estate market in the United States and the European countries on one hand, and the increasing risk premia for the corporate firms and the investment banks on the other (Stoeckel, 2009). The shocks in the global financial market have potentially created strong contractions in international trade. The root to the financial crisis can be traced to the collapse of a number of large and influential financial institutions in the United Sates and the Europe. Among them, the most notable mortgage bank failures are Lehman Brothers, Northern Rock and Bear Sterns. As these banks filed for bankruptcy, a wave of apprehension ran through the most established financial markets of the western world. In this situation, banks curtailed their lending facilities to other banks which increased the risk premium on interbank borrowing. This rate increased steadily from near 0 to 5 per cent. On corporate bonds this risk increased to more than 6 per cent. In spite of efforts by the government to increase liquidity levels in the market, the financial markets crashed inevitably. The economic slowdown started with the shelving of big corporate projects. Therefore, the primary borrowers in the economy (i.e., the large corporate firms) stopped lending money from the banks. On other side of the coin, obtaining credit for commercial purposes became difficult. This causes the great financial crisis. Since credit facilities dried up, corporate firms had to revise their investment decisions. They faced a

WHAT IS WESTERN CIVILIZATION Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

WHAT IS WESTERN CIVILIZATION - Essay Example The development of societies therefore is major component that emphasizes the changes and corroborates with the wider imperatives associated with Western civilization. The emergence of Western civilization is often linked to Greece and Roman civilization of Europe where resurgence of art and culture and increased trade activities became the fundamental of advancing society. The consolidation of political power through trade and commerce was the highlight of the era that witnessed dramatic changes in political, social and cultural environment of Europe. The changes were mainly due to advancing knowledge in the area of science and technology and greater awareness of art and culture. Major discoveries and invention in the area of science and technology can be contributed to this period. Great artists and scholars like Michelangelo, Leonard da Vinci, Copernicus, Galileo, Botticeli etc were few of the prominent artists and scholars who had made significant impact on world and are still acknowledged for their work. Western civilization is also referred to European countries and the new world which owed its origin to the European colonization. The New World or the contemporary America is intrinsic part of Western civilization. The tremendous advancement of American society in all areas vis-Ã  -vis socio-cultural and political environment has been vital element that has contributed to its rapid growth into Western civilization. Indeed, the judicious use of knowledge and its development into most powerful democratic state of the world has been recognized by everyone. The science and technology was used for social advancement with envious competencies and socio-cultural and political tenets were interpreted through accrued knowledge rather than through religious guidelines. These were key components of emerging new models of Western civilization. Western civilization is integral to the advancing knowledge that is exploited for socio-economic and political

American history of business 1865-present Research Paper

American history of business 1865-present - Research Paper Example Each American year in the historical era is documented besides its prevailing economic, social or political phenomenon, thus these classifications are done in terms of units. The units are mainly clusters of years, each of which major transitions were taking place in all realms. However, each cluster of years since 1865 was marked by a contentious issue that required immediate response from the concerned groups (Olson, 2007). These units are investigated in regards to the following divisions: unit 1 (1865-1876) Industrial Revolution, railroads, development of corporations, finance, communication, labor, and introduction of trusts. Unit two (1877-1920) explains about the Impact of Roosevelt's "New Nationalism" vs. Wilson's "New Freedom" and welfare capitalism. Unit 3 (1921-1945) views Technology, consumer spending, introduction of the automobile, and the Great Depression. Unit 4 (1946-1976) looks into Postwar prosperity, organized labor, and the Taft-Hartley Act, while unit 5 (1976-pr esent) is regarded in terms of NAFTA, computer age, and the economic downturn in American business. The major players in regards to the transformations that were taking place in America included the political leaders, immigrated people from other continents, laborers and activists dominating various economic, political, and social realms (Olson, 2007). The discussion in this paper is aimed at the establishment of the history of American business since 1865 and up to the present date. The various units will be carefully examined to enhance the comprehension of the business issue in the aforementioned years. Unit 1 (1865-1876) In unit one, business in America consisted of Industrial Revolution, railroads, development of corporations, finance, communication, labor, and introduction of trusts. There was rapid development in America in this period, rendering America become a leading industrial continent in the global context. The industrial revolution was facilitated by the abundance of natural resources that were exploited to yield useful industrial products. Adequate land was also available that could be utilized in the production of agricultural raw materials, serving as industrial raw materials in the set up industries. The prior and prevailing construction of railroads provided an ample ground for the required industrialization, since the industrialists could penetrate to the deepest parts in search for industrial materials. Availability of adequate labor acted as a long-term rationale to the fast-paced industrial revolution that took place in America. The period was also significant in seeing the Asians and Mexicans rapidly immigrate to America in search for labor, thus the industrializing America gained a favorable ground for the required activities. The ideal presence of rivers that were navigable provided a ground for the cheap extraction of industrial energy as other related items of requirement. The Americans had also enough capital, which served as the major contributing factor to the aspect of industrialization (Ripper, 2008). The development of railroads was rapidly taking place in this period in a bid to meet the immediate needs for transport and industrial increment. The more the railroads continued to expand, the more the industrial expansions took place in America. The opening of these railroads in all places in America saw the creation of more farms, markets, towns in areas that

To what extent can personality traits predict a persons leadership Essay

To what extent can personality traits predict a persons leadership abilities - Essay Example To begin with, it is important to explain why Hitler was a bad leader. He certainly was responsible for the deaths of millions of people. That in itself is bad. But we know above all that Hitler was a bad leader because he left his country in ruins. He, more than anyone else—including the allies—was the reason that Germany was a divided, destroyed country in 1945. His erratic, haughty, and morbid personality could have predicted that terrible result (Robertson 1963). To begin with, history is important to putting Hitler's personality into perspective. World War One was a disaster for Germany. Many say that the war began as a result of German aggression ended with a German defeat. The winners of the war, Britain and France, were not in a mood to forgive after the terrible destruction of previous four years. They wanted maximum reparations from the German people for their losses during the war. That is why they chose to impose the Treaty of Versailles. The treaty was dest ructive for the German economy. Into this mess came Hitler, promising a revival. He promised a new Germany that would last a thousands years and would be a guiding light to the world. What type of man was he? Hitler was a failed painter. He came from a background that was not very good. He behaved erratically and had trouble making good relationships with people. He had grandiose ideas about himself, but throughout his life until that point had been a failure in everything he did. These were not the personality traits one looks for in a leader. Usually, people seek leaders from good background, who have confidence and credentials. Hitler managed to appeal to people because he blamed other people for Germany's suffering. He told Germans that they were not responsible for the tragedy that had befallen them. He told them to look elsewhere. He said he would lead them out of the wilderness (Robertson 1963). This was all very appealing. He was able to take over by force based on this argu ments. Rather than revolt against him, Germans accepted him as their leader. But what his personality and his qualities gave to the German people was more death and more destruction. Because of his erratic personality and poor qualities, he made multiple mistakes in starting and prosecution the Second World War. His actions led to a new and this time total defeat for the German nation. He was the worst kind of leader and many of his personality qualities would have predicted this. Among the most serious mistakes Hitler made based on his personality was attacking the Soviet Union in 1941. The truth is that one of his main personality qualities was paranoia: this is not a good quality to have in a leader. He suspected everyone around him at all times, including the leaders of other countries with which he made deals, such as Stalin. Since the remilitarization of the Rhineland in 1936, Hitler had been on a roll, winning success after success. He had successfully taken over Czechoslovak ia and Austria, and he had done what seemed impossible: the invasion of Poland and France. His western front could be threatened only by Britain, which was in no position to do so. His major concern was with the Eastern front. That was not a problem because he had made peace with Stalin in what was called the Ribbentrop-Molotov compact. This had divided Poland. The truth was that Stalin didn't care what Hitler did to Europe. Stalin didn't care if Hitler took the whole continent so long as there was peace between the two

SmartDust Speech or Presentation Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

SmartDust - Speech or Presentation Example The communication protocol has truly transformed and broadened our horizon. The evolution of SMAR DUST is the development of the century. The technological advent under SMART DUST has facilitated mankind in a manner never imagined before. SMART DUST is not a dust collector, it is control system. This is a system not to control dust, but to control what we want it to. Be it climate forecast, temperature change, vibration upset, computation devices; SMART DUST is service provider for all these monitoring items. Cory Doctorow quoted, "technology is a way of organizing the universe so that man doesn't have to experience it"; truly SMART DUST is the realization of this fact. The monitoring of any surveillance parameter is now possible through SMART DUST. SMART DUST is smart solution for power conservation; reasonable reduction is size and power requirement has been achieved through SMART DUST revolution. The SMART DUST technology is simple solution, it merely comprises of "very compact, autonomous and mobile nodes, each containing one or more sensors, computation and communication capabilities, and a power supply". Mobile networking and systems community has advanced after successful evolution of SMART DUST.

Social Movement Theory, The Explanatory Value of Social Movement Case Study

Social Movement Theory, The Explanatory Value of Social Movement Theory - Case Study Example The root cause for the existence of social movement has been deciphered to be discomfort and isolation within society. People come together to form collective associations only because they are not able to dwell within society in a stable and peaceful manner. Islamic activism in the Middle East is one of the main forms of such discomfort because it has brought to light the kind of violence and terrorism that a group of people are subjecting to in the name of God. This social movement theory helps individuals to come to terms with their wants and needs and form organizations and societies among their own with a view to achieving all that they desire without getting into conflicts with others. However, this has not been as successful as writers and thinkers would have liked, and proof of that is the violence that has been suppressing the Middle East. In order to understand the key concepts of this theory, one must gauge into the political sphere within which the movement develops; every political atmosphere contains a very dynamic interest and consists of government intervention whether positive or negative, constraints on the people, and challenges that need to be faced by the people forming the organization. Similarly, the concept of Intifada had also been incepted within a very politically and economically exploited environment due to the unbearable lifestyle that Palestinians were forced to survive under the purview of. Anwar Al-Awlaki for example, became the face of Western Jihad because of the tensions that were going on in Egypt. He took on a form of his own movement with a view to make progress within his country and try and surmise the demands that the already powerful aspects of society had. It is not an easy task to simply eradicate every ‘wrong doing’ that occurs in society. This is directed towards these social groups that take to violence and terror when their

Fostering citizen Information Literacy Essay Example for Free

Fostering citizen Information Literacy Essay For social and economic developments in a country there has to be a good information system (IFLA 2003). For an empowered nation all the citizens should have an easy access to information most especially the developing nations. This will make the citizens make decisions easily hence develop the country. Libraries should be well equipped and structured with programs that will enhance information flow amongst the citizens (Chagari 2005). Libraries should therefore be used to transform nations by providing for their information needs. Information literacy is the process by which information can be extracted from various sources, analyzed and used correctly for decision making. This is the main mission to be achieved in the information age (Australian Library and Information Association 2001). Current information literacy is a necessity in the societies. Opportunities are availed in the modern societies whether cultural or educational requires citizens to be information literate (Drotner 2005). Information literacy will be a motivation factor to many people to acquire knowledge in pursuing their studies through out their lives hence personal empowerment (Chagari 2005). Fostering citizen Information Literacy According to Chagari (2005), public libraries have played a very important role in fostering information literacy amongst the citizens. Public libraries have actively engaged in giving information based services to citizens that have no access to the required information. All the disadvantaged groups or individuals have been identified and everyone including the sick, disabled, unemployed or low income earners has access to information without discrimination. Public libraries have helped in nurturing information literacy in many ways. These included through instructing the users. Tutorials have been made to help train the library users on how to access the required information and use it. There are printed materials in many public libraries to guide the users on how to access the required information (Chagari 2005). These handouts enhance learning and usage of such facilities. Librarians can also provide reference materials to the library users. The librarians may identify certain area and show the learners how to carryout a research in that area thereby lessening their work. The areas chosen may be on specific research areas for example; The users may be showed how to use references available in written materials, how to access online materials using online interactive models. For instance the virtual reference desks connected to internet. Interactive databases can be used to help in decision making. All these methods will enhance learning as a result of improved access to information (Chagari 2005). Public libraries have promoted collaborations amongst various library users and researchers. Through the public library usage, a teacher learner partnership is most likely to be formed. Librarians have to interact with other researchers based on different fields to get the relevant information about the information they have. Through this collaboration information literacy is enhanced (Chagari 2005). Both governmental and non governmental organizations have partnered to help gather information about a particular problem or issue in the organization. This has also been observed through local associates and writers dealing with literature. Promotions and marketing have been done by the public libraries to create awareness amongst the citizens about information literacy. This is to ensure that the citizens’ requirements are met. To ensure every citizen is aware of such services, public libraries have used electronic, printed and vocal communication means to create awareness. Internet, newspapers and televisions have been used to help disseminate such information. Information literacy awareness has been popularized in many countries hence an awareness to the citizens (Chagari 2005). There have been posters or bill boards to help distribute materials about information literacy, training programs, talks, exhibitions and meetings. All these are aimed at creating awareness to the public to encourage citizens to take part in information literacy programs. There has online library sites created to allow for online access of the library information. It may at times require face to face meetings to negotiate on the legal requirements between the local and governmental organizations. Public libraries have made it possible to allow for the arrangement of materials depending on events hence to attract people (Libraries for lifelong Literacy 2004). Revenues have been collected from such services. The revenue collected can be used in developing the systems to be more efficient to the users (Chagari 2005). Suggestions have been made to help support certain groups for instance the women groups to make them computer literate (Kargbo 2004). Public libraries have suggested for both public and private bodies to support adult trainings on areas such as sanitation, nutrition, health, consumer rights, management of food, water, income amongst others (Chagari 2005). These are areas that require public interests to develop a country hence a way to involve many citizens. Such training promotes empowerment hence citizenship. Public libraries have come up with the youth training programs. The libraries provide for the youths needs and hence empower them to meet their goals. Information literacy institutions have been established. There have been associations formed between colleges and research libraries to help develop library attendants. This ensures that the librarians can assess well and ensure improvements in the information literacy programmes available (Chagari 2005). Most undergraduate programs have been advanced to include the information literacy programs. To nurture information literacy amongst citizens, there has to be public libraries in the countries. Through the libraries citizens will get access to information easily and also embrace the new technology of acquiring skills. Government should ensure a global access to information and communication materials or devices (Lough 2002). The only way that societies can ensure active participations in cultural, social, political and economic development is through the digital divide (Bennett 2001). Technology is very fundamental for citizenship in the modern society (BECTA b 2001). There has been an increased use of technology amongst the societies (Home Office 2001b). Computer usage has been introduced in most homes, schools, offices and hence an increased access to information (Home Office 2001a). Countries have introduced computers in their libraries. This is in order to provide equal access to information and enhance digital information access (Serbia 2004). Digital information access in the public libraries will promote information literacy and at the same time provide an extended learning opportunity to the citizens. IFLA as the international body that represents the interests of library users and information service providers requires an equal access to information amongst the citizens. According to Serbia (2004), there are policies and rules that have been formed to ensure standards in public libraries. The standards are based on services as follows; purposes and roles, financial and legal structures, customer or user satisfaction, development strategies, attendants’ qualifications and the management and marketing. All public libraries have to meet quality services based. All public libraries have to have their mission stated somewhere to show the citizens the services they provide. These may include free access to information communication technology to all irrespective of the age to foster and support information literacy. There has been emphasis from governments worldwide on corporate responsibility in developing our nations. A publication has been made on information literacy to promote citizenship empowerment by the UNESCO (Correia 2002). The document was aimed at assessing the policies that govern literature study and to give a way forward to ensure information literacy programmes are implemented in all countries worldwide. In developing countries there is a lot of information available to the citizens. This mass information requires a lot of management to make more useful to the citizens. Librarians have been trained and employed to aid the public library users in accessing such information efficiently (Qvortrup 2007). To promote information literacy, citizens are therefore required to have the basic knowledge to find the required information and use it appropriately on their own. Public libraries have transformed societies in many ways. This is because the libraries have broadened their roles in the societies not only to benefit everyone but also to empower citizens through equitable access to information (Konera 2008; Stipanov 2005; Howley 2004). According to Collection Development Policy (2003), for public libraries to foster information literacy for the well being of the citizens there has to high standards of integrity and services adopted. The librarians should learn how to interact well with the information systems and at the same time how to take good care of the citizens as learners. The librarians should foster intellectual freedom to facilitate information flow and decision making. The librarians should also respect intellectual property hence exercise their power or responsibility on their duty. Clients rights should always be protected giving them access to the required information always. The librarians should be sensitive to the citizens’ requirements or suggestions to ensure all their needs are catered for adequately. Supporting Citizen Information Literacy Public libraries have supported information literacy in many ways. Public libraries use computer systems to store records of information available in the libraries. According to Chagari (2005), computer and networking devices have facilitated learning during the programs organized for information literacy. Through multimedia materials the learners’ participation was enhanced. Coaxial cables have popularized in many countries hence used in many libraries to reach many users through networking. Networking is very cost effective especially when used to access people that are geographically away from each other. Through using the coaxial cables both rural and urban residents can be reached. Information access can also be achieved any where provided you are within the network. The training programs can be video taped and telecasted to targeted groups anywhere within the country (Chagari 2005). With both entertainment and educational opportunities provided by the computerized programs citizens can be easily attracted and motivated to acquire the required information. Mass media communication has been used to broadcast the information literacy programs. Radios, televisions and newspapers can be easily accessed by the majority in many countries. These can be used as tools to sensitize people on the need for information literacy. Librarians have dealt with the context based programs to help them identify the areas of importance to most users for instance political, social, cultural and economic. This was based on the fact that to optimize participation from the citizens their areas of interest must be tackled (Chagari 2005). This encourages citizens to strive for the best in life. The librarians are therefore supposed to ensure every citizen is aware of such services. According to Serbia (2004), communities are different depending with the nation. The requirements of such communities will be different depending on their cultural and social differences. Structures and systems to be devised in the public libraries will therefore be different (BECTA b 2001). Each public library in each country should therefore have their own vision and mission to state their service objectives. The mission statement will help address the individual needs of the public library users. This will also show the technology to be put in place. Opinion on Public Library Preparedness for fostering and supporting citizen information Literacy According to UNESCO public library manifesto (1994), public libraries had their mission since 1994 (Forsyth 2005). Amongst their missions was to ensure equal and reliable access to information for all citizens. It follows that public libraries started emphasizing on information literacy from that time. Institutions were formed to facilitate information literacy. Public libraries came up with policies to ensure its services are free of charge and available to every citizen. Public libraries opted for a nation wide network to facilitate researches and information sharing globally (Hancock 2004). All these were to be funded and hence implemented in all libraries. In this sense, I think public libraries were prepared to ensure equal access to information by citizens. Public libraries have developed programs to help attract, train and develop different members of the societies (Chagari 2005). I think this is a sign of preparedness and they still want to involve more and more. Public libraries have trained their staff to facilitate their ability to train the library users, manage the information in the libraries and collaborate with other people to ensure learning. There is increased level of management in many libraries. Information access has been enhanced for instance the librarians have arranged the information depending on the events or certain topics and authors for easy access. In my own opinion, public libraries have been well prepared to nurture and support information literacy in societies. This is because other than the traditional information sources, libraries have embarked on technology use allowing the citizens to get access to information from various sources. This ensures increased availability of information to the citizens. Public libraries have availed information in video or disc tapes, portable disks. Information has also been simulated and recorded to help in demonstrations where human beings are likely to be exposed to high risks (Chagari 2005). According to John (2002), a library should be able to provide the following services to the users or citizens. Similarly, a library is a place to provide the citizens with information, informing and helping them in making decisions (Centre for Citizenship Studies in Education 2002). I think public libraries should therefore keep the citizens up to date with the information about their daily life and provide them with the adaptive features. Public libraries have provided all these services hence a sign of preparedness to create awareness to promote citizenship. It is my opinion that public libraries have been well prepared to support and promote information literacy amongst citizens. With the advancement of technology this was going to be easily achieved. Public libraries have embraced technology making all citizens computer literate hence bridging the gap between the digital divide. This shows how determined public libraries are to ensure every citizen has access to the required information as a sign of empowerment. Public Libraries have come up with projects that promote sharing, support and researches through organized meetings, conferences, forming partnerships (John 2002). I think this is in order to facilitate quality training, gather the required information and to reach as many citizens as possible Public libraries have even cooperated with other organizations to lend information materials, purchase jointly or even achieve joint storage facilities hence share the costs. This is a sign of preparedness. The libraries are ready to help citizens acquire the required information at all costs. According to Bundy (2003), there was a research done in 2002 to help find out the educational requirements of international students. The research was aimed at identifying the difficulties experienced by the students in access information. Information is power and hence acquisition of the right information by every citizen is a sign of empowerment. I think, public libraries therefore wanted to ensure everyone has access to the right information everywhere. In this sense the libraries prepared well to provide for everyone and hence an equal chance to meet their goals as individuals. I have a strong opinion that public libraries have been well prepared to foster and support information literacy to citizens. Information is a democratic tool and hence can be used to achieve democracy. Information alone may not guarantee democracy one has to struggle to know how to use it well in decision making (Bundy 2003). This calls for information literacy. Public libraries have been on the front line to sensitize all citizens on various issues that affect our societies. Through public libraries various groups in our societies have been trained and informed about cultural, political and economic factors that affect them. I think public libraries have prepared well for information literacy amongst citizens. Since the emergence of technology, there came a need for information literacy. Public libraries formed institutions like National Forum on Information Literacy (NFIL). Such institutions have been used by many countries to ensure their citizens get access to information or to be information literate (Bruce 2002). NFIL has been used by many countries to solve the library issues to foster information literacy in our institutions (Durrance 2005). I think that all the countries that participated in NFIL wanted to ensure non-discriminative access to information by all citizens hence empower all to build our nations Conclusion Library Information literacy is a process of getting access to information, retrieving it and manipulating it to be used in decision making. In most countries worldwide citizens are accessed to basic information only. This is not enough to empower the citizens and promote citizenship. There is therefore need to train people on ways of getting easy access to the required information (Bawden et al 2002). With the advancement in technology Internet and computer use has enhanced the way information can be accessed globally. There are universally used standards to enhance information access (Boaz et al 2000). Through computer use and networking devices information access and reliability has been enhanced. A global reach can be achieved through networking or using the network cable like coaxial (Chagari 2005). There are increases information sources other than the traditional ones. I think this promotes information access, flow and management in the societies. People can even access the library information online anywhere in the world. This an added advantage to most tourists, researchers and students. Reference: Australian Library and Information Association. 2001, Learning for the Future: Developing Information services in Australian schools. Australian School Library Association and Australian Library and Information Association. 2nd ed. Curriculum Corporation, 2001. Bawden, David and Robinson, Lyn. 2002, Promoting Literacy in a digital age: Approaches to training Information Literacy. Learned Publishing, Vol. 15(4). P 297-301. BECTA b. 2001, British Educational Communications Technology Agency The ‘Digital Divide’: A Discussion Paper. Bennett, M. 2001, Reaching those in need. Benton Foundation Buildings, Books and Bytes: Libraries and Communities in the Digital Age. Public Library Journal,Vol. 16 (4), p. 105-7. Viewed on 23rd May 2009. Available at http://benton. org/Library /Kellogg Booz, Allen Hamilton, 2000, Achieving Universal Access. Viewed on 23rd May 2009. Available at http://number10-gov. uk Bundy, A. 2003, Opportunity and accountability: Information literacy and libraries in Higher education Paper presented at the Tertiary Alliance Libraries Group. Information literacy Seminar University of Waikato, Hamilton NZ 4 September. Viewed on 23rd May 2009. Available at http://www. library. unisa. edu. au/about/papers/opportunity-and-accountability. pdf. Bruce, C. S. 2002, Information Literacy as catalyst for educational change; A background paper, July 2002. White paper prepared for Unesco, the US National Commission on Libraries Information Science, and the National Forum on Information Literacy. Viewed on 23rd May 2009. Available at http://www. nclis. gov/libinfor/infolitconf. pdfme/papers/bruce-fulpaper. pdf Centre for Citizenship Studies in Education. 2002, University of Leicester. Viewed on 23rd May 2009. Available at http://le. ac. uk/education/centres/citizenship Centre for Democracy and Technology. 2002, Bridging the Digital Divide: Internet Access in Central and Eastern Europe. Chagari, S. 2005, 140 SI Management and Marketing with Information Literacy Information capability building: Role of information Literacy Programmes. Viewed on 23rd May 2009. Available at http://www. ifla. org. sg/IV/ifla71/papers/043e-Chagari. pdf Collection Development Policy. 2003, A statement on free access to information. Viewed on 23rd May 2009. Available at http://www. strl. nsw. gov. au/CDP%20Appendices. pdf Correia, A. M. R. 2002, Information Literacy for Effective and Active Citizenship. White paper prepared for UNESCO, the US National Commission on Libraries and Information Science and the National Forum on Information Literacy for use a the Information Literacy meeting of Experts, Prague, the Czech Republic. Drotner, K. 2005, Library innovation for the knowledge society. Scandinavian Public Library quarterly, Vol. 38(2): 20-23. Viewed on 23rd May 2009. Available at http://www. splq. info/issues/vol38_2/07. htm Durrance, J. C. 2005, The Vital Role of Librarians in Creating Information Communities: Strategies for Success. Viewed on 23rd May 2009. Available at http://www. si. umich. edu/helpseek/Publications/LAMApub. htm Forsyth, E. 2005, Public libraries and the millennium development goals. IFLA journal, Vol. 31(4): 315-323. Hancock, V. E. 2004, Information Literacy and long life learning: Information Literacy For Lifelong Learning. Viewed on 23rd May 2009. 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Role of Social Networking Sites Towards Social Change Essay Example for Free

Role of Social Networking Sites Towards Social Change Essay Social Networking Sites (SNS) is a group of Web sites that provide people with the opportunity to create an online profile and to share that profile with others (Barnes, 2006). The top ranked SNS in India are Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, LinkedIn, Orkut, Google plus, etc. Besides electronic media, print media, Mobile phones and e-mails, SNS occupy a large space in every individual. When the first social networking site (classmate.com) was created in 1995, it just acted as a mere friend finder which helps the user to find their old friends and build relationship. Later looking at the huge success of networking sites hundreds of sites were created all around the world. Orkut was one of the famous SNS in India. When the traditional media is subjected to certain restrictions and pre-censorship in certain countries, the new media offers complete freedom of expression. When the mainstream media questions central or state’s functioning against people it is subjected to restrictions. Though a very few media provide unbiased news, most of the Mainstream media are owned by corporate companies whose priorities are celebrity issues, cricket, inaugurals of showrooms, commercialized entertainment, sensationalized talk shows and so on. SNS allow individuals to share their views and opinions. Apart from restrictions and censorship, individuals can share photographs, videos and links related to the social issues which can add volume to their views and also as a justification. Individual SNS users act as an opinion maker through networking sites. People those who follow them or in their friends circle comment their views on the posts. As it is networked the status update is shared by friends and friends of friends too. A medium is considered as an Alternative medium only when it notices the unnoticed, hears the unheard screams, expresses the feelings of marginalized groups, questions the authorities and challenge the biased mainstream media. No doubt social networking sites does all. It also serves as a source for the mainstream media. It helps to form communities, organize people together, changes the government. Social networking Sites Social Networking Sites (SNS) is a group of Web sites that provide people with the opportunity to create an online profile and to share that profile with others (Barnes, 2006). The top ranked SNS in India are Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, LinkedIn, Orkut, Google plus, etc. Besides electronic media, print media, Mobile phones and e-mails, SNS occupy a large space in every individual. The reason behind is most of the colleges, universities and work places are bonded with internet. Social Networking succeeds in a big way because it directly interconnects individuals and provides opportunity for us to design our own space. They help individuals to connect with their friends, family and even with strangers. These sites act as a platform to express our views. It also helps us to built and form communities of similar tastes. â€Å"Social networking tools give senior leaders the power to communicate instantly and with great regularity and consistency with globally diverse teams† (Elaine Varelas, 2010) When the first social networking site (classmate.com) was created in 1995, it just acted as a mere friend finder which helps the user to find their old friends and build relationship. Later looking at the huge success of networking sites hundreds of sites were created all around the world. Orkut was one of the famous SNS in India. After 2006 the concept of Facebook became a great success followed by twitter and recent Google plus. These sites can be used as public blogging, resource sharing, reflecting one’s views on any social issue. These sites pave a way for freedom of speech and expression. They can share what happened around them, with their views; find followers and likes for their updates. Freedom of Expression According to the Constitution of India Article 19 refers to freedom of speech and expression. With no other law or article for media, article 19(1)(a) says that all citizens have the right to freedom of speech and expression, which means the right to express one’s feelings and expressions freely by writing, painting, printing, spoken words or any other mode. Also the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), a declaration adopted by the United Nations General Assembly. According to UDHR Article 19 says that everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers. When the traditional media is subjected to certain restrictions and pre-censorship in certain countries, the new media offers complete freedom of expression. When the mainstream media questions central or state’s functioning against people it is subjected to restrictions. Though a very few media provides unbiased news, most of the Mainstream media are owned by corporate companies whose priorities are celebrity issues, cricket, inaugurals of showrooms, commercialized entertainment, sensationalized talk shows and so on. They hardly cover the common man’s sufferings and even if covered poor facts make the issue seem worthless. Thus by ignoring the human rights violations at different levels a common man suffers, media is moving far away from people centered issues. Many people who are with sources but doesn’t get a right platform to express themselves because of gatekeeping process. Most of the human rights violating issues are also neglected in many mainstream medi a. So there is an urge for an alternative medium which brings out all the social issues around the world. Networking sites – a platform to share For many years, technology research overlooked the role of the user as a significant variable in studying technology and media. Influenced by early mass communication theories, such as the hypodermic needle model, media users were studied as an undifferentiated mass audience. This theory suggests that mass media can shoot messages at an audience and can have a universal, homogeneous effect on them. (Wimmer, R. D. Dominick, J. R. (1994). SNS allow individuals to share their views and opinions. Apart from restrictions and censorship, individuals can share photographs, videos and links related to the social issues which can add volume to their views and also as a justification. Through networking sites people can be organized, form groups, communities etc. Networking sites offer various options and settings which can be a good one for discussions and opinion forming. Recent trends in Social Networking Sites towards Social Change This century’s most popular revolution began at Egypt on January 25 which brought out the importance of social networking sites and the power of Tweets. It is strongly believed that the fall of Hosni Mubarak was because of Twitter and Facebook. â€Å"†¦.the Egyptian revolution took off more quickly, spread to more people, became more universal, and scared the heck out of a dictator more effectively because of social media. Social media didnt cause the revolution, but it was essential to its success† (Josh Bernoff) Libya also became liberated from Muammar Gaddafi, the de-facto ruler of Libya. Social networking sites bought an end to Gaddafi’s freedom, socialism and unity†. Srilankan Tamil genocide on 2009, millions of people was killed in Srilankan war. Thousands were sent to refugee camp. The Srilankan media cleverly censored the war killings in their media and several other international reporters were sent back to their countries from Srilanka. But, news, photos and videos from war fields were uploaded via blogs and networking sites by fellow refugees, victims of war. They spoke about the cruelty of genocide. This brought world nations’ attention to take action against Sri Lankan president at international court for genocide and war crimes. The Jammu and Kashmir state government banned Short Message Service (SMS) service in Jammu and Kashmir realizing that it was the medium through which people were communicating and spreading information across. But Facebook and other social networking sites have largely nullified the government’s plans†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. â€Å"Kashmir Unrest†, a community page created by a student user, has around 600 members. The user has made passionate appeals on the page to take the campaign against rights abuses to international level† (Adil Akhzer). The photos of the atrocities, clashes between the protesters and army personnel, video recording of the cold blooded murders received worldwide coverage. According to Khurram Parvez, coordinator of the Jammu and Kashmir Coalition of Civil Society, â€Å"They (government) are monitoring whosoever writes what, with traditional Kashmiri media dominated by the official Indian viewpoint and public meetings and protests banned, young people in the disputed Himalayan region have turned to social media to â€Å"make their voices heard in the world and to share information†. Social networking sites †¢ enable individuals to share them with friends †¢ enable people to see how many others share their perspective. †¢ enable people to coordinate activity and get the word out about protests, social issues. †¢ enable people to comment their views on their friend’s posts and retweet it. SNS as opinion makers With the help of SNS an individual can become an opinion maker. People those who follow them or in their friends circle comment their views on the posts. As it is networked the status update is shared by friends and friends of friends too. With the help of SNS so many issues such as Lokpal bill, Mullai periyar dam gained national attention. The Jan Lokpal Bill, also referred to as the citizens ombudsman bill, is a proposed independent anti-corruption law in India. Anna Hazares fast was successful in mobilizing the support of thousands of people in the virtual world of social media. Hazare had over 500,000 mentions through status updates and comments across top social networking sites, including Facebook and Twitter in the country. Social Networking Sites have become one of the status symbol among youth film promotion is a successful marketing strategy. One can create a discussion forum on the internet as opposed to other forms of marketing where the information is open to only being seen and consumed. The interactivity factor on the internet leads to exponential popularity for a film(Nabeel Abbas). Filmmakers create fan pages on websites like Facebook, Twitter, blogs, by building special official websites as well as by tying up with networking sites like Zapak and Ibibo, which offer various customized applications and games related to a movie. Social networking sites – promoting human rights issues When there was a very strict gatekeeping in media on certain issues, the mainstream media have to edit or eliminate issues from the news room. So those issues were kept on eliminated for decades and decades. Media also prioritized their TRP’s and crossed out many of the issues. These filters increased whenever the society faces a problem, the people discussed what media says, but they are never given a chance to reflect their views as Mainstream media acted as a one way medium. There was a very less feedback from the receiver side and it was hardly reflected. Social networking sites and blogs act as a platform for the citizens to express their grievance and criticisms either in public or within their friends’ circles. As the network sites enables the user to choose their circles through which their updates, photos or videos can also be shared by their friends. Conclusion A medium is considered as an Alternative medium only when it notices the unnoticed, hears the unheard screams, expresses the feelings of marginalized groups, questions the authorities and challenge the biased mainstream media. No doubt social networking sites does all. It also serves as a source for the mainstream media. It helps to form communities, organize people together, changes the government. People must be aware of the power of social networking sites. As the coin has both sides SNS are also unenthusiastic in some cases. The posts, tweets etc are an individual’s opinion about some issue. All those updates can’t be taken as a valid proof. They reflect the particular individual’s opinion on some issues. People must have media literacy and real sense for proper utilization. According to Comscore, a marketing company, India is the world’s seventh largest social network site visitor in 2010. It has been growing as a giant alternative medium due to the accessibility of new medium. SNS can’t be compared with Mass Media, but when the (SNS) mediated group communication grabs the attention of the mainstream media it becomes a powerful social medium. Non- professional writers and common people also show much interest on sharing their views on social issues especially on human rights issues. Apart from writers, journalists and intellectuals, women especially house wives use networking sites. They share themselves, find similar survivors. SNS can also be used as a medium which rejuvenates people. â€Å"People feel that the internet is the only democratic medium available,† (Khurram Parvez).

Impact of Public Smoking Ban

Impact of Public Smoking Ban For decades, Malaysia has severe problems with cigarette-smoking issues (Mackay 1996). Currently, smoking has been recognized as the major drug killer in Malaysia, bringing with its huge human and economic costs. As a result, afflictions caused by cigarette smoking have taken the lives of around 3,500 Malaysian citizens in each year (Facts About Tobacco Smoking 2008). There are 3 types of smokers, namely social smokers, casual smokers and chain smokers. The Malaysian government enforces laws to reduce smoking rates so that Malaysian citizens can enjoy healthy lifestyles. Cigarette smoking accounts for a massive 25% of all deaths in Malaysia, with smoking-related deaths making up of three out of five of the top causes of death in Malaysia (Mackay 1996). In addition, a research shows that the percentages of lung cancer incidents have been increased at a rate of 17% a year (Smoking Statistics 2002). According to the result of a survey on cigarette smoking rates in Malaysia, there were 3.6 million smokers in the year 2000. Nevertheless, the number is expected to rise dramatically by 2025. It was also found that about 49% of Malaysian males smoked cigarettes in the year 2000 while the number will be expected to reduce by 30% by the year 2025. By 2025, it is estimated that 4% of all Malaysian women who smoke cigarettes are those of 15 years of age and above. The research also shows that most of the smokers start smoking in their youth. Therefore, it is clear that the smoking rates are the highest among the younger generations (Prostar n.d.). 1.3 Aim of research The aim of this research is to identify the different types of smokers and evaluate the effectiveness of law implementation on cigarette smoking by the Malaysian government in order to reduce smoking rates and possibly to ban smoking in Malaysia for the benefit of Malaysians health. 1.4 Methodology A survey was conducted to collect the data about the different types of smokers namely social smokers, casual smokers, chain smokers and the opinions of smokers towards cigarette smoking with a questionnaire. A sample of 20 participants between 11 and 50 years old was taken for this survey. 2.0 Types of Smokers 2.1 Social Smokers Social smokers are defined as people who smoke mainly or only in social settings and in the presence of others (New Straits Times 1997). Social smokers are also known as occasional smokers (Morley et.al 2006). In addition, social smokers are much more likely to have relatives or friends who smoke than those who have never smoked. Figure 1 above indicates that 27% of smokers are social smokers. 2.2 Casual Smokers Casual smokers are defined as people who smoke on many but not all days and also smokers who know how to control on their smoking, going from smoking daily to only smoking occasionally (New Straits Times 1997). Based on the research, it was found that only 9% of smokers are casual smokers (Figure 1). Therefore, the problem with casual smokers is that they do not think that they are addicted. They think that they can switch their desire to smoke on and off and that they have a full control over whether or not they want to smoke (Turner 2008). 2.3 Chain Smokers Chain smokers are also known as addicted smokers who smoke in a chain of cigarettes, one after another. Chain smoking is the practice of lighting a new cigarette immediately after one is finished, sometimes using the previous cigarette to light the next one. It is a sign of addiction and gives the smokers a constant source of nicotine that allows smokers to feel a sense of calmness (Windale n.d.). Based on the survey, 64% of the smokers are chain smokers which contribute the largest number of smokers in this survey (Figure 1). 3.0 Advantages of cigarette smoking 3.1 Economical Contribution The tobacco industry has contributed to the countrys major economy in terms of employment (be it in manufacturing, agricultural and health sectors), earnings, exports and taxes (The Economics of Tobacco Policy n.d.). It was shown that RM1.8 million in indirect taxes and RM683 million in corporate taxes had contributed into Malaysian government revenue. Based on a research, it was indicated that 7.8% of the Malaysian governments income tax revenue was contributed by indirect taxes from the tobacco industry while approximately 3% of the Malaysian governments income tax revenue was derived from corporate taxes within the tobacco industry. 3.2 Mental Relief 3.2.1 Stress Relief Based on the relief survey conducted in figure 2, 38% of the smokers consume tobacco to relieve their stress. Therefore, cigarette smoking is one of the stress management tools for those who suffer from work-related stress as well as family-related stress. A cigarette contains over 4000 different chemicals which could cause cancer (Healey 2001). The poisonous and addictive drug in tobacco which is nicotine could reduce smokers stress levels and it could increase heart rates up to 21 beats per minute and also stimulates the nervous system to make the smokers feel a sense of relief or relaxation (Healey 2001). Besides, smoking creates a numerous conditions that could help the smokers with anxiety and depression (Smoking and mental health 2007). 3.2.2 Memory improvement It is found that nicotine in cigarettes may improve memory and prevent Alzheimers and Parkinsons diseases. Other than that, it is proven that nicotine can help in improving learning ability and memory problems associated with hypothyroidism. In addition, Victorian doctors also recommended smoking as a means of sharpening the wits and boosting concentration (Derbyshire 2008). Based on the survey conducted, 43% of the smokers feel that smoking cigarettes can help them to improve their memory (Figure 2). 4.0 Disadvantages of cigarette smoking 4.1 Health effects 4.1.1 Lung cancer In Malaysia, lung cancer is now an increasingly significant cause of death. It is classified as the most common cancer caused by cigarette smoking in Malaysia. Based on the 2003 National Cancer Registry of Malaysia report, lung cancer accounts for 13.8% and 3.8% of all cancers in males and females respectively. To be more precise, Malaysia has faced 1,758 cases of Malaysians who are diagnosed with lung cancer annually in 2003(Acting against lung cancer 2006). 4.2 Environmental effects According to Tobacco Control, the research shows that cigarette smoke usually produces more air pollution as compared to the diesel car exhaust. From the scientific research, it shows that a cigarette contains over 4000 different chemicals including many toxic substances (Healey 2001). Therefore, the cigarette can create air pollution, the cigarette buds are also a major blow to the environment hygiene (Impact of Butt Littering n.d.). In addition, cigarette smoke also causes potential fire hazards if the lighting cigarette is not put out immediately (Slovenian Young Minds n.d.). In addition, about 3,000 lung cancer deaths in non-smoking adults each year are caused by the exposure of tobacco smoke from smokers. Also, an increased risk of lower respiratory tract infections is recorded in infants and young children whose parents smoke in their presence. 5.0 Actions taken by the government 5.1 Legislation 5.1.1 The Control of Tobacco Products Regulation 1993 The Malaysian government has tried to curb smoking among Malaysians by implementing the Control of Tobacco Products Regulation in 1993. This regulation was enforced in 1993 under the Food Act 1993, which all direct advertising and sponsorship are prohibited as well as the requirement of fixed health warnings, and also ceiling levels of tar (20mg) and nicotine (1.5mg) are displayed(Tobacco Unit Malaysia 2003). Besides, smoking restrictions are applied at public places and specific places such as air-conditioned places. Those places are normally set as no smoking zones while tobacco sales to any person under the age of 18 years old is strictly prohibited. This regulation is also amended to strengthen the restriction towards the total ban of tobacco-related promotions, the requirements of more effective health warnings, and the limitation to the availability of cigarettes, and the lowering of tar and nicotine levels in order to extend the existing non smoking zone. 5.1.2 Tobacco Control Act This act will be replacing The Control of Tobacco Products Regulation 1993 to be the prominent comprehensive legislation for tobacco control in Malaysia. The function of this act is to fit in all relevant provisions and country obligations stated in the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (Tobacco Unit Malaysia 2003). 5.2 Augmentation in taxation of cigarettes According to the Maybank Investment Bank Berhad, raising taxes on tobacco is one of the most effective ways of reducing the amount of people who smoke. Therefore, the Malaysian Government has taken steps to increase the tobacco taxes by at least 11 per cent in 2009 in order to discourage smoking among Malaysians and cuts its budget (Malaysia may raise tobacco taxes n.d.). ÂÂ  Meanwhile, the Malaysian government also tends to raise cigarettes price by 40% (World Health Organization 2008). Albeit the decision of the Malaysian government has diminished demand of smokers but government revenues need were not affected. 5.3 Restriction on advertisements and other promotions The advertisements and promotions of smoking or tobacco products should be restricted in Malaysia. In Malaysia, some restrictions have been implemented for the descriptive labeling of cigarettes, such as lights, ultra lights, low tar or mild on their packaging. Besides that, cigarette manufacturers are forbidden from promoting cigarettes (Government puts the squeeze on cigarette makers 2008). Therefore, to argue against the cigarette advertisements, the Malaysian government has intervened to introduce anti-smoking campaign to promote the dangers of smoking by placing advertisements during prime time warning. Based on statistics, it was indicated that among 4 million smokers, 1,000 smokers died due to tobacco-related diseases every year. In this case, the Malaysian government had implemented all kinds of legislation to reduce the percentages of death from tobacco-related diseases. 5.3.1 Packaging and labeling ÂÂ  http://www.smoke-free.ca/warnings/warningsimages/malaysia/Malays4.jpg ÂÂ  http://www.smoke-free.ca/warnings/warningsimages/malaysia/Malays12.jpg Diagram 1: Samples of health warning on cigarette packages The Malaysian government has amended the Control of Tobacco Products Regulations 2004 on World No Tobacco Day (WNTD), May 31 to urge tobacco manufacturers to display health warnings on cigarette packages. The health warnings such as lung cancer, mouth diseases, heart diseases and unhealthy infants graphics should be displayed on cigarette packages to warn smokers of the consequences of smoking (Health Ministrys tobacco rules get thumbs-up 2008). In addition, all packages are required to include pictorial warnings that could cover 40% of the front of the packages and 60% of the back of the package (Government puts the squeeze on cigarette makers 2008). 6.0 Conclusion More effective actions should be taken by the Malaysian government to ban smoking in public areas such as hospitals, clinics, public lifts, toilets, air-conditioned restaurants, public transport, government premises, educational institutions, petrol stations, internet cafes and shopping complexes. Heavy fines could be an alternative to punish those who smoke in public areas. Besides, the Malaysian government could include the reinforcement of rules and regulations on smokers who continue to smoke. Even though tobacco contributes significant tax revenues to Malaysian government, we should also be aware of the increasing costs on health care to curb health problems derived from smoking. We cannot totally ban smokers from smoking cigarettes, our government should play a leading role to educate all generations about the negative effects of smoking. Incentives and taxes should be imposed to curb health problems such as heart diseases and lung cancer. Therefore, the Malaysian government sh ould enforce tougher laws on tobacco smoking in order to have healthier Malaysian.