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Key Terms

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Key Terms

The New Frontier was a legislative initiate by President John F. Kennedy that was about spending massively on social reforms as well as welfare programs. It included ambitious new projects like space exploration and the Peace Corps.

The bay of pigs was a failed invasion carried out in 1961 by the CIA during President Kennedy’s administration on the Gulf of Cazones in Cuba.

The Berlin wall was an enclosure that divided the city of Berlin in half between 1961 and 1989 and restricted access to West Berlin from East Berlin and adjacent areas.

The Cuban Missile Crisis was a military and political standoff between the US and Soviet Union that was caused by the installation of Soviet nuclear missiles on Cuba less than 100 miles from the shores of the United States.

The student nonviolent coordinating committee was a group of civil activists that gave a voice to younger blacks in the civil rights movement.

Freedom Riders were civil rights activists rode into segregated Southern States on interstate buses in 1961 and years that follow in protest of the Supreme Court Decision on Morgan v. Virginia and Boynton v. Virginia.

Nonviolent civil disobedience is challenging the government and its policies through non-violent means.

The March on Washington was a huge protest on August 1963 attended by half a million people challenging the inequalities African Americans faced 100 years after they became free citizens.

The Black Power movement was a crusade for political and social issues whose promoters believed in equality of all Black people, self-sufficiency, and racial pride.

The Civil Rights Act of 1964 banned segregation in public places and outlawed job discrimination on the basis of race, religion, skin color, national origin, or sex.

The Economic Opportunity Act of 1964 established the Head Start Program that was created to prepare school going children for success in public schools.

Medicare is a program that gives health coverage for people over the age of 65 and people with disabilities regardless of income. Medicaid is a state and federal program that provides medical cover for people for low-income people.

The Voting Rights Act of 1965 was a law signed by President Lyndon B. Johnson with the aim of bringing down legal barriers that hindered African Americans from exercising their legal rights.

The Tet Offensive was a series of coordinated attacks on over 100 cities and outposts in South Vietnam by the Communist government of North Vietnam.

The Gulf of Tonkin Resolution gave President Lyndon Johnson the authority to take needed measures to repel any armed attacks on the United States forces and to prevent further aggression by North Vietnam.

The Silent majority was a time coined by President Richard Nixon that meant a larger contingent of Americans did not feel part of the dissent voices that defined the time period around Nixon’s presidency.

The Great Society was a local program by President Lyndon B. Johnson administration that established social welfare programs sponsored by the Federal Government.

President Johnson Policy on communisms and social issues

President Kennedy through his young and energetic White House strived to create their informal contact with foreign affairs administration. Kennedy worked to build a democratic firewall that locked out communism although he was failing in South Vietnam. His work in Vietnam was part of his plan to stop the spread of communism. He faced the threat of Castro and his resolve to spread communism to other developing nations in America with support from the Soviet Union. He authorized the Bay of Pigs invasion which was a huge failure and tarnished his name as a defender of freedom because of his interference in the internal affairs of a sovereign nation. He went on to collect millions of dollars to expand America’s combat forces to keep up with the Soviet Union’s Khrushchev’s military challenge.

Kennedy proposed his domestic agenda in his “New Frontier” speech. Kennedy was active with Civil Rights Laws in his quest to halt the biggest crisis at the time. He wanted the support of Democratic Southern Senators because he felt the weight of pushing too hard for Civil Rights. He succeeded in the enactment of the Civil Rights Act. He also succeeded in tax cuts, advocated for mental health issues, worked for affordable housing, equal pay for all genders, among other agendas.

Divisions and the Achievements of the Civil Rights Movement

The Civil Rights Movement had a group of moderates who were willing to negotiate with the courts and the white man and included NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People) and UL (National Urban League). CORE and SNCC were radicals that advocated for violence if prompted. They did not agree with NAACP and UL who thought they were too radical.

The Civil Rights movement achieved the enactment of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which were laws that ensured African Americans could enjoy constitutional rights. They ended segregation in the Armed Services, segregation in public schools, contributed to the enactment of the Civil Rights Act of 1957 protecting voter rights, the voting Rights act of 1965, and the Civil Rights Act of 1968

President Johnson’s War on Poverty

President Lyndon B. Johnson put measures to provide healthcare for the poor as a way to fight poverty. He enacted the Head Start program to ensure low-income children succeeded in public schools. The Great Society called for an end to poverty and racial injustice and provided an opportunity for every child.

America’s Motivation in the Vietnam War

Americans involved in the Vietnam war was part of its plan to curb the spread of communism. President Kennedy was focused on ensuring that developing nations did not adopt communism and President Johnson continued this legacy.

Why Nixon Won the Presidency

Nixon campaigned on a platform that reached the “Silent Majority” which included the Working and Middle-Class Americans. He gave the promise of bringing America together. His election was also aided by his promise to find peace with Vietnam. Americans wanted to get out of the Vietnam Quagmire desperately.

TimeLineAssignment

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TimeLineAssignment

When were you born

Mr. Clifford was born in 1940 and cannot remember the precise date or month.

Tell me about your childhood

I grew up in in a family of 6 in Charlotte, New York City, His family had just moved there because his father was searching for a job at one of the manufacturing industries in the city. Although he was white, he did not have much privileged because his family led a modest life with limited resources. He states that he had what one would call a normal childhood. I lived the curious years, did the mischief, but overall I was a disciplined child with profound academic ambitions. Not many children then considered education as important as he did.

Tell me about your teenage years.

The 1950s were not favorable years for most Americans particularly those in the economic class Mr. Clifford’s family was in. He did not use the time to develop, explore, rebel or be mischievous, rather he had to work at a cotton mill to help his family navigate the economic hardships of the period. He was considered a man by the time he was 13 as warranted by circumstance.

How did each of the following influence you?

Great Depression

I feel that the great depression affected me through the increased government intervention that resulted and most importantly the formation of social assistance agencies. A working man like himself could salvage something after years of labor through increased government intervention such as the creation of elaborate retirement schemes.

World War II

World War II gave the world computers through the Colossus, which was the first programmable, electronic, digital computer. As an academic and one of the privileged people to use a computer during the early years, Mr. Clifford considers it the most important aftermath of World War II. This is because it is something that still exists and influenced his work considerably.

Atom Bomb

As a lover of art, Mr. Clifford believes 20th Century, music, TV, films and literature was profoundly affected by anxieties created by the atom bomb. He says that he has been influenced by a popular culture that began to grapple with the power of these bombs.

The Korean

Mr. Clifford admits that he did not feel the direct effects of the Korean War. However, it is after this war that the American military presence across the globe intensified creating a nation that is feared with a citizenry that feels safe from external threats. He believes that he feels safe because of the years of military activities across the world to ensure the world lives in an orderly fashion.

Space Program

Space technology has impacted greatly on everyday life, reiterates the interviewee. Mr. Clifford is not your typical 80-year-old. His cognition is perfect and he is so engrossed in technology. The use of GPS is the most dependable thing today and an important tool for him in particular. Mr. Clifford still drives that is why he believes the GPS is very necessary for him. This was a technology developed in space technology but has turned crucial in everyday life.

Civil Rights Movement

I noticed that the interviewee focused on the long term effects of a particular issue. The greatest achievement of the civil rights movement shaped according to him is the free society that he lives in today. He believes that the Civil Rights Act of 1964 that resulted from years of activism is still as relevant today as it was during its enactment. The greater social and economic mobility of minorities has created an economically robust society, which means he can enjoy the benefits he is enjoying today.

Vietnam War

Mr. Clifford admits that he interacted with the Vietnam War more profoundly through reading. Reading the Vietnam War made him cynical and suspicious of America’s institutions. It is one of the events that compromise the notion that patriotism was serving one’s country. This war fueled the suspicion that American leaders were lying in war and created the basis of more distrust with the modern wars with Asian nations.

Watergate

Mr. Clifford believes that distrusting the government has become more common recently thanks to the Watergate scandal. The involvement of President Nixon in the Watergate cover-up begs the question of how many times have heads of state done the same thing and the truth never came out. It has influenced his way of thinking somehow and led him to condemn President Trump on the issue of using Ukraine to better his chances at the presidency. It is more likely that this is another cover-up.

Computers

Computers define every aspect of his life. He spends almost 80 percent of his time relying on computers. His phone especially controls various crucial aspects of his life; talking to loved ones, scheduling, entertainment, learning, and so forth. He does not use gadgets as liberally as he used to but he does most things around his house using smart home technology. He believes the idea that old people cannot be tech-savvy is utterly misplaced, he is living proof.

Persian Gulf War

The Persian Gulf War has considerably impacted the economy of this nation. Mr. Clifford continues to suggest that the war consumed a lot of resources that would have been channeled to improve various sectors because the war was avoidable to a significant extent. The economic hardships such as the struggles with the health care system and paying for treatment are partly because of misjudged prioritization of public resources.

Current events of today

The 911 instilled fear in Mr. Clifford as an American citizen. It has also created in him an involuntary suspicion of Middle Eastern people.

The Corona Virus currently ravaging through the world has affected and influenced every aspect of his life. He is particularly wary of the mortality rate among people his age. He does not want any interactions and now lives alone with his dog. He will not be allowing any visitors going forward.

These days mostly social issues because of social media and the news affect Mr. Clifford. Twitter, in particular, is a platform where Most Americans among other people of the world share social issues such as video evidence of police misconduct. There are also numerous posts of violence and evidence of a rotten society. Just by scrolling through his timeline, he comes across posts that trouble him more than anything in this world does.

Is the Affordable Care Act the Solution to Healthcare Problems in the U.S

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Is the Affordable Care Act the Solution to Healthcare Problems in the U.S.?

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Is the Affordable Care Act the Solution to Healthcare Problems in the U.S.?

The Affordable Care Act (ACA) has brought dramatic changes to the United States healthcare landscape. The law stretched the eligibility of people for Medicaid, expanded new markets for those with no employer coverage and provided subsidized premiums for those with modest income (Silvers, 2013). Since its adaptation in 2010, approximately 20 million Americans have registered for insurance, and 24 million have gained access to subsidized or free health care made possible by the expansion of Medicaid and Marketplace tax credit (Obama, 2016). However, it has been subject to political headwinds with calls to repeal or modify it to incorporate more goals. This paper seeks to discuss why it is unlikely to solve the nation’s healthcare problems. There is a twist, however, there is no better alternative, and it appears that it might be the lesser of several dysfunctional proposed legislations.

The first problem of the ACA is what it inherently sought to counter, and that is healthcare costs. It is so ironical to call it expensive, but unfortunately, it is. The united states spend close to $10,000 per person every year on healthcare double the amount sent in other wealthy countries (Obama, 2016). Although the cost of care has been growing modestly in the last few years, it is still more rapid than the economy. The ACA has not been able to contain cost but house bills proposed to counter it has nothing to offer in this regard according to experts.

The other problems with the ACA are the unstable individual markets with insurance providers ditching specific markets, especially rural areas leaving people without an option. Some areas have been left with a single insurer and although the issue needs it is not such a catastrophe. Again, the senate health bill does not appear to increase the stability of these markets. A statement from the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) suggests that the ACA will be able to hold firm the markets for another decade (Kurtzleben, 2017). The difference between the senate health bill and the ACA is again not clear here, adding to the confusion on whether to repeal the latter or not. The main take away here is, however, that the ACA is a long way from solving our health care problems.

The other problem with the ACA is the rising premiums. Policy payments have risen sharply in markets under ACA for diverse reasons. The Senate bill is believed to address the increases but not without a price. Lower premiums sound good, but they are not sufficient to attract lower-class Americans to purchase insurance. According to the CBO, not many modest earners would pay for any plan (Kurtzleben, 2017). The price for these plans will be shifted to deductibles meaning purchasing the proposed policies will result in greater out-of-pocket expenditure on care under the existing legislation. Somehow, the nation goes back to where it began.

In conclusion, the rising cost of health and premiums, unstable individual markets, among other problems indicate that the ACA will not solve health care problems in the nation. However, there is no superior alternative being proposed at the moment.

References

Kurtzleben, D. (2017, June 30). Obamacare Has Problems. The Senate Health Care Bill Doesn’t Solve Them, Experts Say. Retrieved from https://www.npr.org/2017/06/30/534756511/senate-bill-leaves-key-problems-with-health-care-system-unresolvedObama, B. (2016). United States health care reform: progress to date and next steps. Jama, 316(5), 525-532.

Silvers, J. B. (2013). The Affordable Care Act: objectives and likely results in an imperfect world. The Annals of Family Medicine, 11(5), 402-405.

Is the Affordable Care Act the Solution to Healthcare Problems in the U.S.

Name

Is the Affordable Care Act the Solution to Healthcare Problems in the U.S.?

Institution

Date

Is the Affordable Care Act the Solution to Healthcare Problems in the U.S.?

The Affordable Care Act was a health care legislation enacted during the Obama administration and brought dramatic changes to the United States healthcare landscape. The law intended to raise the number of insured people make access to health care through the reduction of the cost burden (Silvers, 2013. The law stretched the eligibility of people for Medicaid and expanded new markets where policies were available for purchase for those with no employer coverage. Its carrot and stick approach requires every adult to have coverage or otherwise incur a fine. The population with moderate-income coverage receive subsidized premiums to purchase policies in these new markets. Since its adaptation in 2010, approximately 20 million Americans have registered for insurance, and 24 million have gained access to subsidized or free health care made possible by the expansion of Medicaid and Marketplace tax credit (Obama, 2016. Despite the evident success, the law has been subject to political headwinds with calls to repeal it or modify it to incorporate more goals. This paper seeks to discuss the problems of the Affordable Care Act and why it is unlikely to solve healthcare problems. There is a twist; however, there is no better alternative, and it appears that it might be the lesser of several dysfunctional proposed legislations.

The first problem of the Affordable Care Act is what it inherently sought to counter, and that is healthcare costs. It is so ironical to call it expensive, but unfortunately, it is. The united states spend close to $10,000 per person every year on healthcare double the amount sent in other wealthy countries. Although the cost of care has been growing modestly in the last few years, it is still more rapid than the economy. The ACA has not been able to contain cost but house bills proposed to counter it has nothing to offer in this regard according to experts.

The other problems with the ACA are the unstable individual markets with insurance providers ditching specific markets, especially rural areas leaving people without an option. Some areas have been left with a single insurer and although the issue needs fixing according to Larry Levitt, the senior vice president at the Kaiser Family Foundation it is not such a catastrophe. Again, the senate health bill does not appear to increase the stability of these markets. A statement from the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) suggests that the ACA will be able to hold firm the markets for another decade (Kurtzleben, 2017). The difference between the senate health bill and the ACA is again not clear here, adding to the confusion on whether to repeal the latter or not. The main take away here is, however, that the ACA is a long way from solving our health care problems.

The other problem with the ACA is the rising premiums. Premiums have risen sharply in markets under Obamacare for a variety of reasons. The Senate bill is believed to address the increases but not without a price. Lower premiums sound good, but they are not enough to entice lower-class Americans to purchase insurance. According to the CBO, not many low-income people would purchase any plan (Kurtzleben, 2017). The price for these plans will be shifted to deductibles meaning purchasing the proposed policies will result in higher out-of-pocket spending on health care under the current law. Somehow, the nation goes back to where it began.

Medicaid changes will result in lesser coverage, meaning under the proposed laws, 22 million people will be uninsured, and 7 million fewer people will be enrolled by 2026. This has been the biggest blow to the Republicans calling for the repeal of the law and pushing the senate health bill.

In conclusion, the rising cost of health and premiums, unstable individual markets, among other problems indicate that the Affordable care act will not solve health care problems in the nation. However, there is no superior alternative being proposed at the moment.

References

Kurtzleben, D. (2017, June 30). Obamacare Has Problems. The Senate Health Care Bill Doesn’t Solve Them, Experts Say. Retrieved from https://www.npr.org/2017/06/30/534756511/senate-bill-leaves-key-problems-with-health-care-system-unresolvedObama, B. (2016). United States health care reform: progress to date and next steps. Jama, 316(5), 525-532.

Silvers, J. B. (2013). The Affordable Care Act: objectives and likely results in an imperfect world. The Annals of Family Medicine, 11(5), 402-405.

Rhetorical Situation

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Rhetorical Situation

I am not so proud of my reading habits and I wish I spent more time reading. Successful people read an average of 50 books a year and that is where I would like to be. I am not doing this only as a recipe for success but to improve my vocabulary and writing skills. I am not sure if reading articles online counts because I do a lot of that. I mostly enjoy entertainment articles and magazines. Although I am not where I am in terms of reading, I believe is a very essential aspect of life and working to do better.

Active is simply with a clear motive to understand and assess it for its significance. It should not be misunderstood as just reading and re-reading because without proper determination it becomes an ineffective way to understand and learn. Active reading entails critical engagement with the content which is done properly, re-reading becomes unimportant.

The elements of a rhetoric situation interact to determine the type of argument that will generate the most effect on the audience in question (target audience) depending on circumstance. The five elements of rhetoric situation include:Purpose

This is the reason for writing, persuade, instruct, inform or persuade. There is no writing without purpose. Before beginning the essay, the writer predetermines what the intended effect the writing is to have on the audience.

Audience

An audience is an individual or group who takes action on the writing. Understanding the personality of the audience informs the best technique and language to deliver the message.

Genre

Genre is an element that accomplishes the social and cognitive work of a piece. Using the patterns of a genre that appeals to an audience is a guiding element in essay writing that accomplishes its purpose and allows me as a writer to establish a functioning connection with the audience.

Stance

This is the attitude or tone used in the essay. The tone guides the conveyance of a particular message in the essay and affects the reader in an intended way. Stance affects how the reader receives the message presented in the essay.

Media/design

This is a method of communication using visuals. The essay should enable the reader to see the items as the writer sees them.

Overview of the Problem.

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Overview of the Problem.

Short staffing in the med/surgical unit has been a significant concern in the Local Community Hospital with its impact felt both by the nurses, patients, and hospital management. The nurses are strained as they attend to the patients; they do not have quality time to visit the patients so that they can help them in their healing process. The patients also struggle to get enough attention as they may require to make enquires and other services that the nurses provide. The hospital management also is strained to live up to the promises of providing adequate health care to its patients. This issue of a nurse-patient ratio is also a thorn in the flesh for the management as the nurses once in a week stage a demonstration calling for safe staffing. The issue of understaffing by the administration it also impacts the relationship between the Hospital management and the nurses’ representatives. The management ought to come up with a scheme that will oversee the employment of nurses so that the patient-nurse ratio will be one to one. With appropriate planning, this is achievable. If appropriately staffed, the unit would consist of eight Registered Nurses, a Charge Nurse without an assignment, a “STAT” Nurse that floats from group to unit to assist with whatever may be helpful to them at that time, and six Nurses. The suggested six nurses attend to five patients each.

Literature Review.

An Act relative to patient safety and hospital transparency relates to how the nurse staffing ratio affects the access to health care and security of the patients. It is true that a one to one ratio between patients and nurses will improve safety and health care access, but this ratio cannot be achieved. Therefore, there should be a safe ratio between the nurse and patients. According to MacPhee (2006), 86% of the nurses say they cannot spend quality time with the patient to give them primary education on their health problems, and 90% of the nurses are unable to help patients and patient families emotionally. Improved ratios, whereby a nurse can attend to a manageable number of patients, will enable patients to receive quality health care as well as access to vital information. However, most hospitals put profits first to patient health care. Thus they minimize the funds for nurses’ salaries, consequently having fewer nurses at the same time admitting more patients. Such a move by the hospital management limits the time that a nurse gets to spend with the patients, as well as the nurses, are strained, which can lead to their ineffective at work. Annals of intensive care study in 2017 found out in their 845 patients’ research that 95% of the patients survived when the hospital enforced the agreed nurse to patient ratio. Thus this report suggests that a reasonable rate guarantees a better survival chance for the patients.

The nurse staffing that will be adequate to handle the hospital patients was the principal finding in the report of the Institute of Medicine Committee on the adequacy of nursing homes and hospitals. The number of nurses in a hospital determined the quality that the patients receive in a particular hospital. However, the quality of the care a nurse offers depends on issues such as personal knowledge and experience. Experience and vast knowledge enable a nurse to have better ways in which they can deal with a different scenario, thus handling the patients better. Human factors such as fatigue play an essential role in the quality of services that a nurse offers. The nurse is a human; therefore, their state of mind should be taken care of: when they work for long, they can do shoddy work as Schwab et al. (2012) notes. The patient’s needs also affect the quality of service a nurse offers to the patients. A troublesome patient is likely to be attended to for a short period compared to a cooperating patient. Working conditions also play a significant role in determining the quality of service that a nurse can offer. For instance, hospitals that remunerate well, pay for extra working hours, and treat their nurses with dignity; their nurses provide quality services to the patients since their individual needs have been satisfied. Maslow, in his hierarchy of needs, insists on this idea and suggests that when individual needs have been met, then they work effectively. This paper indicates that quality health care can be assured provided other factors that affect it have been taken into consideration.

The American Nurses Association has advocated for safer staffing, and this has been their clarion call. The nurses are essential components in the healthcare sector; they are the people who spend the most time with the patients; thus, they hugely contribute to the patients’ healing. When hospitals are understaffed, it leads to several worst-case scenarios. For instance, when the hospital is understaffed, it can lead to patient deaths, more infections, patients’ falls, and medical errors. This can be attributed to nurses working for long hours, compromising the care for the patients, and driving the nurses away from the bedside according to Dunton et al. (2004). When the ratio of nurse to the patient is so high, such issues are bound to occur. Therefore, there is a need that hospital management should have a better nurse-patient ratio, which will facilitate better service delivery to the patients. A manageable number of patients by the nurse is equal to good health care. With the suggested ratio of one nurse to five patients, it will enable a nurse to have enough time to share information with the patient and help them. Also, the errors which are likely to be caused due to the burden of work are eliminated, thus ensuring proper health care. The American nurses association also advocates for legislation that will force hospital management to employ enough nurses according to the capacity of the hospital.

According to Patterson J (2010), nurses in the national health system are concerned that due to large influx patients, the nurses have been overstretched. The overworking of the nurses cannot, therefore, guarantee the safe and quality nursing of the patients. For instance, not only does understaffing affect patient care but also the nurses’ job satisfaction and burn out. As Aiken et al. (2005) notes, nurses working in understaffed hospitals had complaints on job satisfaction nurses with heavy workloads also experienced burnout. The understaffing of the nurses indeed affects them since they have several tasks to carry out as well as spending long hours while working. This affects the nurses working efficiency, which in turn leads to treatment inadequacies. With the proposed changes, nurses will be able to work within their human limits as they look forward to delivering better care and services to the patients. A ratio of one nurse to five patients should be considered and acted upon.

The change process.

I would propose a Quality Improvement Team to be formed; this team will oversee the changes in terms of the nurse to patient ratio as well as the communication channel. The team will deal with the process of proposing that the hospital management can adopt to employ nurses to meet the demands of the patients. The team will include the chief executive officer of the hospital, one member of the hospital management, the head of the nurses, a nurse, and a doctor. The members should give their issues of concern and how nursing affects their various departments to have better formulae to employ more nurses. With the input from the multiple departments, the Quality Improvement Team can come up with a comprehensive plan that will deal with understaffing and a way to provide better health care to their patients. With such a plan in place, a proper channel of communication breakdown should be established. In this case, the information should be breaking down from the upper cadre to the lower staff. That is, the information should flow from the chief executive officer to the manager in charge of nurses, then the nurse in charge it gets to the nurses in general and vice versa. Such a protocol will ensure a centralized way of communicating. Therefore, nurses will be aware of the source of information.

References

Schwab, F., Meyer, E., Geffers, C., & Gastmeier, P. (2012). Understaffing, overcrowding, inappropriate nurse: ventilated patient ratio and nosocomial infections: which parameter is the best reflection of deficits?. Journal of Hospital Infection, 80(2), 133-139.

Aiken, L. H. (2005). Improving quality through nursing. Policy challenges in modern health care, 177-88.

Bost, N., Crilly, J., Wallis, M., Patterson, E., & Chaboyer, W. (2010). Clinical handover of patients arriving by ambulance to the emergency department–a literature review. International emergency nursing, 18(4), 210-220.

Dunton, N., Gajewski, B., Taunton, R. L., & Moore, J. (2004). Nurse staffing and patient falls on acute care hospital units. Nursing outlook, 52(1), 53-59.

MacPhee, M., Ellis, J., & McCutheon, A. S. (2006). Nurse staffing and patient safety. Canadian Nurse, 102(8).

The Common Core Standards

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The Common Core Standards

About the Common Core

The Common Core contains academic standards in English and Mathematics considered to be of high quality. The set of standards contain goals that outline what students should be knowledgeable about by the time they are done with each grade. The Common Core was bent on making sure all learners leave high school with the right information to prosper in college, career, and consequently life irrespective of where they are from (CCSSI, n.d.). The Common Core ware created to respond to the need for consistent learning outcomes in the entire country.

Developmental Appropriateness for Learners

Some people claim that the Common Core standards may not be developmentally suitable with its problems concentrated in the early grades. Kindergarten children are not ready to read, though they are required to by the standards. What these people do not acknowledge is that experienced professionals from K-3 teachers to early childhood experts developed these standards. The standards are created to fit the requirements of the 21st Century labor market and the challenges of today’s higher education.

States incorporated these standards into their school systems because they set rigorous, measurable objectives for every child, ensuring that there will be more candidates for college and students on the path to careers. The Fordham Institute conducted an analysis of the Common Core Standards and reported a significant improvement over most states’ academic expectations. There was also greater comparability between states, and districts-all teachers have a tool on best practices and ways to track student growth.

The implementation process may not be doing the Common Core justice, but the States are still running through with them. They are continuing to run the program because it is setting clear, consistent expectations for students in terms of college and career preparations. Out of all the 45 states that adopted the standards, only Oklahoma has replaced them.

For those questioning the appropriateness of these standards in terms of development, they should first remember that there is no clear-cut information on when a child is ready to learn anything that is scientifically backed. Then again, a child’s cognition changes, and these standards are in line with the capacity of 21st Century children. Usually, by saying the Common Core Standards are developmentally inappropriate, what critics mean is, “this is too hard.”

There is no reason to perceive that the literary benchmarks set by the Common Core for kindergarten are too hard. The National Centre for Education Statistics reports that 2 in three children at the kindergarten level recognize letters from the alphabet both in lower and uppercase before they enter kindergarten. Knowledge of the alphabet is one of the “foundational skills” projected under these standards. No parent would want their children to graduate kindergarten without knowledge of the alphabet. Sixty-one percent of children come to kindergarten with more than two concepts of the common core, such as understanding that text is read from left to right.

Why is it called the common core?

It is called the common core because it is a singular academic standard for the entire nation (Trachta, 2018). This, however, does not ring true in practice because only 34 states and the District of Colombia are still fully committed to it. in other states, however, it has been a benchmark for custom state standards. Some states have repealed part of the Common Core, or others have developed their own version. Since every state uses it as a benchmark and is creating custom versions, its common status somehow still reigns.

What the Common Core means to me

The people raising controversy over these standards have not had the time to interact with them at the same level as teachers. Getting to know them reduces the anxiety about how these standards will affect classrooms and students. The Common Core, to me, is an opportunity for teachers to create curricula that can help struggling students catch up using materials that match the Common Core. By standardizing education outcomes, the Common Core is the answer to educational inequality. With proper teacher training, the challenge of adjusting a curriculum to the Common Core is reduced, and teachers can now be able to take advantage of it fully.

Why I support the Common Core

The first reason why I support the Common Core is that it is not an absolute requirement but rather a guide. Those people that disregard these standards do it based on rigidity, which is not correct. The Common Core is adopted by states in different ways, in ways that suit their needs and does not require teaching specific text. The Common Core is just but a recommendation that only works to satisfy certain standards despite the means. This is why it is so useful and practical. I support it because I understand that it is not a rigid set of rules but a dependable benchmark that will achieve great results in developing students that are ready and heading towards college and excellent careers.

I believe that the goals of the Common Core are very sensible, especially in those states that have been ranking below average or far below in these essential subjects. By using a standard that is used in almost every state, the whole nation educates its children and future leaders at the same level. The use of Common Core is an assurance that students will receive a high-quality education. I support this because it will change the statistics, which see 60 percent of students joining colleges needing remedial classes in Math and English, or only 34 percent of eighth-graders showing adequate knowledge of grade-level math and the 30 percent of high-school graduates failing Military entry exams (Riley, 2014).

References

Common Core State Standards Initiative. (n.d.). About the Standards. Home | Common Core State Standards Initiative. https://www.corestandards.org/about-the-standards/Riley, B. (2014, March 25). Why I Support Common Core Standards. National Review. https://www.nationalreview.com/2014/03/why-i-support-common-core-standards-bob-riley/Trachta, A. (2018, March 28). Don’t Be Afraid to Ask … What Exactly IS Common Core? Niche. https://www.niche.com/blog/what-is-common-core/

Introductive to Leadership and Trait Perspective

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Introductive to Leadership and Trait Perspective

Discussion A: Similarities and Differences in Management

People mistake management to be similar to leadership, but in essence, the two are different concepts. The main dissimilarity between the two is that for leaders, they have individuals follow them while managers act as supervisors. Leadership is about convincing people to comprehend and trust in a vision that the leader has set for the company. Management, on the other hand, is about administering and ensuring that the daily operations of the organization are happening accordingly (Popovici, 2012). In simple terms, leadership is about motivating, while management is about organization.

Leaders are usually about motivation and praise for the success of followers while and work to generate drive in people. Managers, on the other hand, are fixated on faults and suggesting solutions. Leaders create an image of what where the organization should be and work to increase engagement to turn that vision into actuality. They consider people to be beyond just skills and activate them to be a part of something bigger. They are aware of how important it is to be able to create functioning teams that work together rather than working autonomously.

The similarities between leadership and management are that they all work to allocate the available assets in an efficient way. They have one goal to maximize earnings and establish a strong bottom line for the organization. Both managers and leaders are working towards a goal. Their roles involve influencing the environment and the work structure. Both managers and leaders work towards a vision. Both roles involve working with people and providing direction, although the way they do this is unique to each.

In conclusion, leadership and management are not the same; however, they are interdependent. The confusion might come from the similarities of both; however, leadership is the art of providing direction for people, while management is about strategic planning and defining purposes and ensuring they are followed. Leadership requires self-awareness and self-direction.

Discussion B: Choosing a New Director of Research

According to the traits presented in Tables 2.1 and 2.2, Sandra should select Kelsey Metts. Kelsey is the best candidate because she is able to combine two traits that are not usually found in the same person. These two traits are intelligence and sociability. This trait is helpful in this situation because intellect is possibly linked to leadership. Kelsey is very intelligent, as indicated by her MBA at Harvard and the fact that she graduated first of her class in such a competitive institution. With this kind of trait, a person like Kelsey is not expected to be sociable because intelligent people are usually pre-occupied with their thoughts or may have difficulties communicating with others because of the complexity of their ideas. And the intelligent effect becomes counterproductive (Antonakis, House, & Simonton, 2017). Since Kelsey is a very sociable person, the combination of these traits become very beneficial. The evidence of the success of all her four products might be a testimony of the importance of having these two qualities. The sentiments that Kelsey should one day be the president of her own company adds to her viability for this position. Sociability and human relations are very important for any leader.

The problem of high IQ and leadership is that it generates negative effects. It is important for leaders to be intelligent, but when the intelligence score goes too high, the benefits become negative as the high IQ starts to meddle. This may be explained by the inability of people with high IQ to interact with people and become sociable. A leader should be a person that is able to use words to help people comprehend and follow a certain vision. Without proper interaction and meaningful communication with subordinates, leaders can be perceived to lack self-confidence, another very important trait in leadership.

References

Antonakis, J., House, R. J., & Simonton, D. K. (2017). Can super smart leaders suffer from too much of a good thing? The curvilinear effect of intelligence on perceived leadership behavior. Journal of Applied Psychology, 102(7), 1003.

Popovici, V. (2012). Similarities and differences between management and leadership. Annals-Economy Series, 2, 126-135.

To assess the development of j.g a toddler

Name

Course

Tutor

Date

Development assessment

To assess the development of j.g a toddler brought to an emergency room due to elevated temperature one needs to first summarize the current condition. An examination done on j.g revealed that he had an elect posture with his abdomen still large and protruding and a swayed back. His height was two inches and he weighed 32 pounds. The other physical exam vitals revealed that had a pulse of 146 and his respiration was 56. An examination on his mouth revealed that he 15 baby teeth in total. J.g was able to walk around obstacles. He could also hold the toy in one hand. At one moment he was also seen opening the zipper of his jungle green jacket. After he was given a toy car he could only manage to squat while playing with it. It was noticeable that sometimes he was able to balance on one foot but fell often. It was also observed that j.g could throw the toy underhand without losing his balance though once in a while he could fall.

The stage of development

J.g according to Erickson is in a toddler stage of development. He is two years old. At this stage J.g is expected to put on clothing, brush his teeth with some help, combines word and know over 50 words. He is also expected to use pronouns which include (me you mine I). He should also be able to follow to step commands, know his body parts, kick a ball, throw a ball overhead and walk up steps. His speech is expected to be half understandable.

The behavior revealing the stage after interaction with the nurse

After he was given a toy car he could only manage to squat while playing with it. It was noticeable that sometimes he was able to balance on one foot but fell often. It was also observed that j.g could throw the toy underhand without losing his balance though once in a while he could fall. He could also hold the toy in one hand ( Kagan 2004). At one moment he was also seen opening the zipper of his jungle green jacket. J.g was also able to open the door of the examination room by turning the door knob. He was also able to grasps a pen on the table and scribble on a book that was lying beside it. It was also observed that j.g could climb the chair and the low lying sit in the examination room. An assessment of his cognitive development revealed that his eye and hand movements were better coordinated and he could put objects together and take them apart. He also seemed fascinated and engrossed in figuring out situation. For example when his mother at one moment left the examination room he seemed engrossed looking for her. He recognized familiar person and differentiated them from strangers. For example he was able to recognize a neighbor who had come in with the mother. He was also not friendly to stranger and rejected them when they tried to hold him. When j.g language was assessed it was revealed that he had broken linguistic cod meaning that much of his talk had meaning to himself. He could utter three to four words statement and used conventional words to form more complete sentences. When his social emotional development was assessed it was revealed that j.g used physical aggression when angry.

Growth and development study

The expected cognitive development characteristics at this stage are as discussed below. First and foremost j.g is expected to have better coordinated eye and hand movements meaning that can put objects together and take them apart. An example of this is fitting large pegs into pegboard. Another cognitive character expected at the stage is using objects for purposes other than intended for example pushing a block around for a car or a boat. The toddler is also expected to look fascinated and engrossed when figuring out a situation. For example he stare for long moments trying to figure out where a ball has rolled, what has caused some particular noise and maybe where a cat has ran past. The child at this stage is also expected recognize familiar person and knows where they are. The child notes the absence of the familiar faces (Tassoni 2002). The child at this stage also finds a hidden object by looking for it at its last hiding place. This was termed by Piaget as object permanence which occurs at the sensorimotor stage of a childhood theory of cognitive development. The child is also expected to recognize and expresses pain and where it’s located.

The social emotional development expected at this stage includes showing signs of empathy and caring. For example the child may comfort another child if hurt or frightened. The child may use physical aggression if angry or frustrated. The child watches and imitates other children as they play but seldom interacts with them. The child at this stage is also expected to be bossy with the parents and the care givers.

Assessment of the j.g cognitive and social emotional development

As it is expected for a child at this stage of development j.g showed cognitive development characteristic which included pushing around a newspaper around as a car. The child as expected at this stage may use objected for purposes other than intended (Keshan 2004). J.g pushed round a newspaper lying on a seat as a car. J.g seemed fascinated and engrossed figuring where is toy had fallen. He stared for long moment and looked around. J.g was able to recognize the face of the neighbor who had entered the examination room with his mother just as the child at his stage able to recognize familiar faces. He cried for the mother who had gone out and rejected the nurse who was a stranger. A social emotional development character that was depicted by j.g was bossing his mother around. He asked for chocolates and cried to have his jacket removed. He wanted to leaved and kept crying and telling pointing at the door and pulling his mother’s hand.

There nursing considerations to be borne in mind regarding cognitive and social emotional characters of child at this stage

First and foremost the nurse can be able to lead the child to tell him or her where he is feeling the pain since at this stage the child is able to recognize and express pain and where it is located. The child could point at his teeth and the nurse could be in a position to know that it is suffering from tooth ache. The nurse should be aware that at this stage the child may reject stranger and cry for familiar faces and he or she should be in a position to entice the child so as it may not reject him or her. The nurse should avoid as much as possible making the child angry or frustrated because they result to physical aggression which is common at this stage.

Common health problems

There are a number of common health problems that are associated with a child at this stage. Constipation is one of the very common health problems of a toddler at this stage. It is defined usually as the passage of hard and painful stools or going for about four days without bowel movement. Constipation is most commonly caused by a diet that is low fiber and also by drinking too much milk and not drinking enough water (Brown 2003). Diarrhea is also a common problem that is cause by a viral infection. It is advisable to call a pediatrician if the diarrhea has blood or has prolonged. The child at this stage is till teething and may have problems of swelling and painful gums. Vomiting is another common health problem at this stage and usually accompanies diarrhea as a part of viral infection (Brown 2003). Stuffy nose or sneezing is also very common and it is caused by irritation from smoke, dry air or dust. Another common healthy problem is upper respiratory infections. These are very common and they include symptoms of a clear or green runny nose and cough. They are usually caused by common cold viruses. The best treatment is to use salt water nasal drops. Diaper rashes are very common but they usually clear up in 3-4 day. Most of the toddler at this state may be learning how to use a portable toilet but most of the times they use diapers. The child at this stage is very vulnerable to accident and it may get injured. Fall example it may fall and get bruised. The child may use things like knife as toy and could end up get if there was no one watching at the moment. Thus accidents are common health hazards for a child at this stage.

Appropriate play activities

Children at this stage begin to play with other children but usually it is parallel play because children at this stage are very self centered and usually play alongside each other but it sometime before they actually start to play. The child may probably not be willing to share thing and may be very possessive. All play is physical for child a child at this stage that is why it’s very ideal to make a wide variety of playthings available to the child. Each of them stimulates his growth in body and brain in different ways. It is important to closely supervise children that are playing together and reassure them that the other will not be keeping its toys. Some of the appropriate activities that the caregiver could play with the child are pretend games (Simmers 2008). For example one can pretend to be an animal by walking like one. The care giver can also play ball games with the child. The child can also be left to play with other children or alone but care should be taken to ensure that the pay thing are not harmful and will not injure the child. For a child to develop motor skills at this early age the child could be give art supplies. The care giver must make available different types of paper and large sized crayons and pencils so that the child could use them in sketching (Simmers 2008). The child could also be supplied with toys that make patterns for example felt boards, magnetic boards and peg boards with large pegs. The child may be also supplied with toys to manipulate. At the age of 2 years the may still enjoy knobbed wood pieces but is getting ready to move jigsaws of up to 20 pieces.

References

Brown. J (2003). Common health problems with toddlers. United States. University Press.

Keshan. S (2000). A parent’s guide to child care. United States. Routledge.

Tassoni. P(2002) .Certificate child care and education. Stoke on Trent: Trentham Books.

Simmers. l (2008). Development of a child mind and body through play. United States: Harvard Press.

Kagan. J (2004).The stages of a child growth. Indiana. wiley

Analysis-of-ABC-Company-1

Analysis of ABC Company

Student’s Name

Institution Affiliation

Analysis of ABC Company

ABC Company is a manufacturing company that concentrates in building cedar roofing and siding shingles. The current annual sales of the company are around $1.2 million, a 25% rise from the last year. The company has aviolent growth target of achieving $3 million annual sales in next 3 years. The Chief Executive Officer of the companyis keen to search additional goods that can influence the present employee skillset of ABC as well as the production facilities. The Chief Executive Officer is working on a new opportunity. The Chief Executive Officeris planning to use some of the shingle scrap materials to construct cedar dollhouses. This new product line would increase additional raw materials and will take lesser time toproduce in comparison tocedar shingles. Although this product line will need extra expenses, it will generate extra revenue and gross profit and will assist in achieving the growth targets.

Risk Profile

Risk can be called as the ambiguityinvolved in a given thing or event. Risk is observed in every part of life. Two types of the risks are faced by business enterprise as well namely, Systematic Risk and Unsystematic Risk. The Systematic Risk is in-built to the whole market known as un-diversifiable risk or market risk (Brealey, Myers & Marcus, 2003). It cannot be diminishedby using diversification instruments and influences all the business enterprises. Unsystematic Risk can be called as the risk related to a givenbusiness and it can be certainlydiminished. Another name forunsystematic risk is diversifiable risk (Hilton, Michael & Frank, 2006). Therefore, it can be said that identification of the risk involved is very necessaryand diminish it by implementing variety of instruments. Examples of systematic risk are economic conditions, governmental law, policies, natural calamities etc. Examples of unsystematic risk are strike, governmental regulation for a particular type of manufacturer, poor relation with suppliers etc (Ross, Randolph & Bradford, 2006). 

Systematic Risk can be controlled by the management of this company as well; instead they should pay some attention in managing the unsystematic risk (Brealey, et, al. 2003). The possible unsystematic risk faced by the company includes; expected price of product, manufacturing of new goods, whether there will be enough demand for new goods; choosing of supplier for extra requirement of raw material, whether current facilities will be able to manage the new production and method of financing i.e. debt or equity (Williams & Robert, 2002).

ABC COMPANY

Cash Flow Statement

For the year ended 31st Dec, 19×2

Cash from Operating Activities:

Cash Received from customers (Note – 1)$1,260,000

Cash Paid to Suppliers and Employees (Note – 2)$1,080,000

Cash Generated From Operations$180,000

Less: Income Tax Paid –

Cash Flow before Extra-ordinary Items$180,000

Cash Flow from Investing Activities:

Purchases of Equipment$(100,000)

Cash Flow from Financing Activities:

Dividend Declared$(100,000)

Net Increase/Decrease in Cash and Cash Equivalents:$(20,000)

Cash and Cash Equivalents As at beginning of the year$70,000

Cash and Cash Equivalents As at End of the year$50,000

Note – 1:Calculation of cash received

Total sales $1200000

Less: Opening Balance of Debtors $180000

Add: Closing Balance of Debtors$120000

$1260000

Note – 2: Calculation of cash Paid to Suppliers

Cost Of goods sold$800000

Less: Opening Stock$280000

Add: Closing Stock$350000

Total Purchase$870000

Add: Opening Balance of Creditors$210000

Less: Closing Balance of Creditors$250000

Total Cash Paid$830000

Add: Selling and Distribution Expenses$250000

$1080000

Sources & Uses of Funds

Sources:

Operating:Cash received from debtors

Investing:None

Financing:None

Uses:

Operating:Payment to suppliers

Investing:Purchase of equipment

Financing:Payment of dividend

Steps for improvement of cash flows

Implementation of following techniques will assist in improving the cash inflows from debtors:

Providing discount on early payments (Williams & Robert, 2002).

Regular reminders for payment.

Discount on immediate cash payments.

Automated system for accepting payment like credit card, debit card (Hilton et al, 2006). 

Implementation of debt factoring.

Evaluating credit worthiness of the client before granting debt.

Similarly, to improve the cash outflows, the company shall try to avail the benefits offered by the creditor or the lending institutions.

Financing Options

Any new investment or project or expansion of existing project can be made by two ways namely, by taking money from lenders or owners. These are known as debt financing and equity financing.

Advantages of Debt Financing:

Control over ownership

Interest paid is tax deductible

Flexibility

Less complicated in terms of paper work

Disadvantages of Debt Financing:

Principal borrowed is to be repaid and creates an obligation on borrower (Ross, Randolph & Bradford, 2006). 

Excessive debt increases the riskiness and affects the reputation of the company.

Advantages of Equity Financing:

Money taken is not required to be repaid.

No obligation of regular interest payments.

Disadvantages of Debt Financing:

Ownership is lost.

Requires complex paper work at the time of issuance.

Statement Showing Product Cost for the Expansion Product

Particulars Calculation Amount

Units produced and expected to be sold 5000 units

Machine Hours 5000 Hours

Direct Material 5.60 x 5000 28,000

Direct Labor 4.00 x 5000 20,000

Factory Overhead Variable 1.00 x 5000 5,000

Fixed –

Selling Expenses Variable 0.20 x 5000 1,000

Fixed –

Total Cost 54,000

Statement Showing Total Cost of Existing Product, Expansion Product and overall cost of Products

Particulars Existing Expansion Total

Units produced and expected to be sold 80,000 units 5,000 units 85,000 units

Machine Hours 40,000 units 5,000 Hours 45,000 Hours

Direct Material 104,000 28,000 Direct Labor 224000 20,000 Variable Factory Overhead 40000 5,000 Variable Selling Expenses 16000 1,000 Fixed Factory Overhead 198000 198000

Fixed Selling Expenses 191250 191250

Total Cost 773250 54000 54,000

Cost per unit 9.67 10.80 9.73

The cost of existing product has increased due to the expansion by $0.06 per unit.

Calculation of Selling Price for the new Expansion Product

Particulars Calculation Amount

Total Cost 54000

Profit Margin on sales 40% on sales

54000 x 40

60 36000

Total Sales 90000

Selling Price 90,000 / 5,000 18 per unit

Sales Mix:

Existing: 80,000 units

Expansion: 5,000 units

Statement Showing Contribution margin and Break Even Points

Particulars Existing Expansion

Sales 1,160,000 90000

Variable Cost 384,000 54000

Contribution 776000 36000

P/V Ratio 66.70% 40%

Total Sales 1250000

Total Contribution 812000

Total P/V Ratio 64.96%

Fixed Cost 389250

Total Profit 422750

Break Even Sales =Fixed Cost

P/V Ratio

=389250

64.96%

=599,215

Sales Mix Ratio 80:5 or 16: 1

Break Even Sale :Existing =563,967

Expansion =35,248

Year Cash Flows PVF @ 12% Product

0 Outflow $ 42000 1 (42,000)

1 Inflows $15000 0.8929 13,394

2 $13000 0.7972 10,364

3 $10,000 0.7118 7,118

4 $10,000 0.6355 6,355

5 $6,000 0.5674 3,404

Net Present Value (1,366)

Net Present Value of the proposed investment = $(1,366)

Depreciation =42000/ 5 =$8,400

Year 1 2 3 4 5

Savings in Fixed Overhead 15000 13000 10000 10000 6000

Less: Depreciation 8400 8400 8400 8400 8400

Savings Before Tax 6600 4600 1600 1600 (2400)

Less: Tax – – – – Savings After Tax 6600 4600 1600 1600 (2400)

Add: Depreciation 8400 8400 8400 8400 8400

Cash Flows 15000 13000 10000 10000 6000

The straight line method of depreciation will lead to increase in the fixed cost. There will be no effect on the cash flows because non-cash item like depreciation is not taken into account while calculating cash flows.

The equipment shall not be purchased because the net present value from equipment is negative.

Conclusion

The new project does not seem to be going well with the company as there is increase in the per unit cost of existing product, its manufacturing is quite time taking, demand for the product cannot be estimated with certainty. All these lead to doubt regarding the achievement of target profits and cash flows. The net present value of $1,366 is generated from the new equipment.

Preparation of detailed budget with fixed and variable cost is the responsibility of Controller and Management Accountant. He is liable for maintaining up to date cost records and ensuring effective cost controls. He is responsible for ensuring that production is carried out with the rules, regulation, laws laid down by the government. An effective production process required continuous monitoring, and any imperfections shall be modified.

The Chief Executive Officer shall work strategically by proper planning, evaluation of market conditions, analyzing the resources available, detailing the resources needed. The market for the product shall be stimulated by implementing promotional instruments. Extensive marketing will lead to increase in the demand for the goods. Healthy relationships with stakeholders like customers, suppliers, lending institutions, regulatory authorities shall be maintained. In production process, the cost can be decreased by reducing the waste, increasing the efficiency and adequate training and motivation of employees.

References

Brealey, R.A., Myers, S.C., & Marcus, A. J. (2003). Fundamentals of CorporateFinance. 7th edition.. Boston : McGraw-Hill

Hilton, R. W., Michael, M., & Frank, H. S. (2006). Cost Management: Strategies for Business Decisions. Boston, MA: McGraw-Hill. Print.

 Ross, S. A., Randolph, W., & Bradford, D. J. (2006). Fundamentals of Corporate Finance. 7th ed. Boston: Irwin/McGraw-Hill. Print.

Williams, J. R., & Robert, F. M. (2002). Financial and Managerial Accounting: The Basis for Business Decisions. Boston, MA: McGraw-Hill. Print.