Alternative Medicine And Placebo Effect Health And Social Care Essay

Alternate medical specialty is going more widely used, particularly in the United States wellness attention system and it is suggested that more than 80 % of the universe ‘s population usage complementary and alternate medical specialties ( CAMs ) ( Mainardi, Kapoor & A ; Bielory, 2009 ) . In 2000, a BBC study into the usage of CAM in the United Kingdom showed that one fifth of population had used some signifier of CAM in that twelvemonth ( Ernst & A ; White, 2000 ) . Alternate medical specialty takes the signifier of many methods. There are five chief classs of CAM which include ; alternate medical systems, biologically based therapies, manipulative therapies, mind-body theories and energy therapies ( Mainardi, Kapoor & A ; Bielory, 2009 ) . The most popular therapies in 2000 were osteopathy, chiropractic, stylostixis, homoeopathy and hypnotherapy ( Ernst & A ; White, 2000 ) . The term â€Å" placebo consequence † is normally used in the literature, but a consistent definition is yet to be agreed on ( Brinkhaus, Pach, Ludtke & A ; Willich, 2008 ) . The Latin definition of the word â€Å" placebo † means â€Å" I will delight † ( Niggemann, & A ; Gruber, 2006 ) which can be described as a positive curative result, happening after intercession of a physiological or psychological response ( Williamson & A ; Rankin-Box, 2009 ) , and can be dominated by ends, desires, outlooks and associated emotions ( Teixeira, Guedes, Barreto & A ; Martins, 2010 ) . The placebo consequence can be described as a neurophsyiological phenomenon ( Campbell, 2000 ) , and by looking at different illustrations of alternate medical specialty, the biological and psychological accounts of the consequence can be explored.AcupunctureAcupuncture is an ancient signifier of health care and focuses on handling unwellness through stimulation of the organic structure Ã¢â‚¬Ë œs self-healing powers ( Williamson & A ; Rankin-Box, 2009 ) . Acupuncture is based on ancient Chinese medical specialty and works to equilibrate the energy flow, â€Å" qi † , in the human organic structure by infixing acerate leafs into specific points on organic structure called â€Å" acupoints † which are located along â€Å" acmes † , which are the waies of energy in the organic structure ( Goddard, Shen, Steele & A ; Springer, 2005 ) . The effects of stylostixis on hurting can ensue in physiological and/or psychological responses of the organic structure, but grounds suggests there are biological foundations in this therapy ( Lundeberg, & A ; Stener-Victorin, 2002 ) . By looking at grounds for statements from a biological and psychological position, one can discourse the use of the placebo consequence in this type of alternate medical specialty. Biological Position Surveies utilizing antielectron emanation imaging ( PET ) and functional magnetic resonance imagination ( functional magnetic resonance imaging ) have demonstrated some biological grounds for the usage of stylostixis, proposing that there is more to the therapy than merely a curative consequence ( Teixeira et al. , 2010 ) . This can be explained by the activation of certain encephalon countries in the cardinal nervous system ( Goddard et al. , 2005 ) . With the usage of functional magnetic resonance imaging and PET scans, there is grounds that when specific points on the organic structure are subjected to acupuncture, there is activation in specific parts of the encephalon. This allows one to distinguish between existent stylostixis and outlook ( Lewith, White & A ; Pariente, 2005 ) , demoing that stylostixis does hold a biological account. The limbic system may besides be involved in the emotional production of laughter and shouting which is common in stylostixis ( Campbell, 2000 ) . Evidence demoing that there is inactivation of the amygdaloid nucleus and hypothalamus during stylostixis, implies that there is a specific function for the limbic system in stylostixis therapy ( Hui, Marina, Liu, Rosen & A ; Kwong, 2010 ) . Hui et Al. ‘s ( 2010 ) work supports the biological foundations in the usage of stylostixis, but besides recognises the of import function of emotion in the therapy, which would supply grounds for the use of the placebo consequence. Lundeberg and Stener-Victorin ( 2002 ) emphasis the importance of biological deductions in effects of stylostixis. They describe how the physiological stimulations of musculus contractions and certain organ maps are similar to effects of exercising, i.e. the release of endogenous opiods and Pitocin in both stylostixis and exercising ( Lundeberg, & A ; Stener-Victorin, 2002 ) . Lundeberg ‘s earlier survey with Andersson ( 1995 ) besides found that stylostixis excites the same receptors and afferent nervus fibers in the stirred tissue as in physical exercising ( Andersson & A ; Lundeberg, 1995 ) . Psychological Position Acupuncture is based on the organic structure ‘s self-healing powers ( Williamson & A ; Rankin-Box, 2009 ) , so there is ground to reason whether stylostixis effects are merely a psychological ( placebo ) response with small biological account ( Enck, Klosterhalfen & A ; Zipfel, 2010 ) . Goddard et Al. ( 2005 ) depict how the placebo consequence is utilised in therapy, non merely by the esthesis of the needle, but chiefly the attending, compassionate attention, self-awareness and transition of outlooks involved in the process ( Goddard et al. , 2005 ) . Expectation is a cardinal facet of non lone stylostixis, but many other types of alternate medical specialty. Astin et Al. ( 1998 ) conducted a reappraisal into why people use CAM and found that the chief grounds were ; the patient ‘s deficiency of response to conventional intervention, the patient ‘s petition, belief in efficaciousness and fewer inauspicious effects ( Astin, Marie, Pelletier, Hansen, & A ; Haskell, 1998 ) . It is the belief and outlook of utilizing alternate medical specialties which demonstrates grounds for the placebo consequence, and it is the people with high outlooks about the effects of stylostixis who show more response than those who do non believe in the intervention ( Teixeira et al. , 2010 ) . This psychological factor is of import in stylostixis as the effectivity of the intervention and reconstructing the natural flow of critical energy ( Hui et al. , 2010 ) involves bodily centripetal stimulation ( Andersson & A ; Lundberg, 1995 ) and if the patient does non believe in the procedure, they will non experience the same effects ( Goddard et al. , 2005 ) . Other facets of the therapy involve the attending and interaction between the patient and healer. A reappraisal into the increased usage of CAM in the UK showed that one of the factors forcing patients off from conventional wellness attention is the dissatisfaction of the patient-doctor relationship, which attracts people to a more holistic method where the intervention was more individualized ( Little, 2009 ) i.e. in alternate medical specialty. The individualized, manual scrutiny agencies increased communicating between the patient and healer and this societal communicating can be in the signifier of touch. The psychological importance of touch plays a cardinal function in stylostixis and the patient ‘s experience consequences in feelings of improved self-image, increased self-worth and well-being. These positive feelings are what patients base their beliefs about the effectivity of stylostixis on and believe their organic structure is mending ( Campbell, 2000 ) . This shows how alternate medical specialty utilises the placebo consequence where it is the patient ‘s belief that has the greatest impact on the efficiency of the therapy. The ambiance involved in alternate medical specialty plays a function in the result, and consequences show that when patients carry out their ain stylostixis after being taught the process, they report that their ain attempts are less successful than when the healer provides the attention ( Campbell, 2000 ) . This demonstrates once more the importance of psychological factors which provides grounds for the usage of the placebo consequence.HomeopathyHomeopathy falls under the alternate medical systems class of alternate medical specialty ( Mainardi, Kapoor & A ; Bielory, 2009 ) and can be defined as â€Å" a curative method utilizing readyings of substances whose effects when administered to healthy topics correspond to the use of the upset ( symptoms, clinical marks, pathological provinces ) in the single patient † ( Swayne, 2002, cited in Ernst, 2005 ) . It is a widely used type of alternate medical specialty and uses the basic premiss that â€Å" like is cured by like † ( Shang et al. , 2005 ) . Homeopathic medical specialty is used with the purpose of exciting a individual ‘s innate capacity for self-regulation and self-healing ( Weatherley-Jones, Thompson & A ; Thomas, 2004 ) . By researching the biological and psychological grounds, one can understand the use of the placebo consequence in this type of alternate medical specialty. Biological Position Homeopathic medical specialty can be used to supervise internal fluctuations via centripetal feedback through splanchnic or bodily perceptual experience, and patients interpret their feelings as positive or more negative emotional feelings ( Teixeira et al. , 2010 ) . This shows support for the biological position for utilizing alternate medical specialty, where patients construe how their internal organic structure province feels, which consequences in the healing procedure. Thompson ( 2010 ) looked into the usage of alternate medical specialty in menopausal adult females and chest malignant neoplastic disease subsisters, and provides grounds that reveals an association between intervention of homeopathic medical specialty and betterment of symptoms and quality of life for the patients ( Thompson, 2010 ) . Thompson discussed the clinical benefits of homoeopathy and concluded that the benefits can non be explained by the hypothesis that the therapy is merely a placebo consequence ( Thompson, 2010 ) . This grounds supports the impression that there is biological grounds behind homoeopathy, nevertheless, compared to acupuncture, there is significantly less grounds for this type of alternate medical specialty. Psychological Position Homeopathy is similar to acupuncture in the manner that the non-specific curative effects of the doctor-patient relationship, the personal intervention and deficiency of inauspicious effects all contribute to making positive outlooks of the therapy ( Teixeira et al. , 2010 ) . This relationship between outlook and the consequences of therapy provides grounds that this type of alternate medical specialty uses the placebo consequence, by trusting on patients ‘ beliefs that the therapy will work. Therapists might utilize techniques to reenforce these beliefs by utilizing verbal suggestions during the intervention and making a suited environment. The patient-therapist relationship plays a cardinal function in homeopathic therapy, and the healer can organize powerful confederations with their patients by sharing strong beliefs ( Shang et al. , 2005 ) . Homeopathy is a holistic method and focal points on handling the whole individual, so making non-therapeutic effects will heighten the patients ‘ beliefs that the therapy is mending them. It is besides the belief that the physicians understand the unwellness and the effects of the intervention that enhances the patients ‘ outlooks that the methods will work and therefore will increase their opportunities of recovery ( Margo, 1999 ) . Developing trust and strong relationships could take clip to organize, but over clip patients go more confident in the therapy, which consequences in new beliefs about wellness, unwellness and the organic structure being formed ( Barry, 2006 ) ( Weatherley-Jones, Thompson & A ; Thomas, 2004 ) . The grounds shows how the placebo consequence is utilised in homoeopathy by working towards a positive curative result ( Williamson & A ; Rankin-Box, 2009 ) , and maintained by developing patients ‘ outlooks of the alternate methods of intervention. Research has suggested that many scientists think that the usage and effects of homoeopathy violates natural Torahs and some conclude that any clinical consequence must be a placebo consequence ( Linde et al. , 1997 ) ( Niggemann & A ; Gruber, 2006 ) . However, one must take into consideration that this is simply another manner of looking at the grounds, and there is support for viing theories.To What Extent Does Alternative Medicine Utilise the Placebo Effect?By critically looking into the biological and psychological facets of stylostixis and homoeopathy, the extent to which the placebo consequence is utilised in these methods can be generalised to other types of alternate medical specialty. In footings of the grounds for both sta tements, stylostixis shows valid grounds that there is a biological footing back uping the therapy and surveies utilizing functional magnetic resonance imaging and PET scans have shown that specific encephalon countries are activated when specific acupoints are stimulated ( Teixeira et al. , 2010 ) ( Goddard et al. , 2005 ) ( Lewith, White & A ; Pariente, 2005 ) . Homeopathy besides has a biological footing behind the therapy and research has shown an association between homeopathic intervention and positive effects on patients ‘ wellness and quality of life ( Thompson, 2010 ) . There is a important sum of psychological support for the usage of alternate medical specialty, chiefly because alternate medical specialty is a move off from conventional medical specialty. A motivation for increased usage of alternate medical specialty develops when there is a deficiency of response to conventional intervention. The usage of CAM is prevailing in patients with Alzheimer ‘s disease, multiple induration, malignant neoplastic disease, A back jobs, anxiousness, concerns, and chronic hurting ( Astin et al. , 1998 ) , where there is no specific medical intervention. Astin et Al. ( 1998 ) predict that as the general population ages, the incidence of chronic unwellnesss will besides increase, which will take to increased usage of such interventions ( Astin et al. , 1998 ) . Other facets of the effectivity of such interventions are linked to the psychological experience involved. The ambiance, the patient-therapist relationship ( Barry, 2006 ) ( Weatherley-Jones, Thompson & A ; Thomas, 2004 ) ( Little, 2009 ) ( Campbell, 2000 ) and the outlooks of the results of alternate therapies ( Shang et al. , 2005 ) ( Margo, 1999 ) ( Teixeira et al. , 2010 ) ( Goddard et al. , 2005 ) are all key in both stylostixis and homoeopathy, which all contribute to the use of the placebo consequence. In decision, holding demonstrated the biological and psychological statements for the usage of the placebo consequence in stylostixis and homoeopathy, one can generalize to alternate medical specialty as a whole and say that the placebo consequence plays an of import function in the effectivity of these signifiers of interventions. There has been a high degree of research into the usage of alternate medical specialties, and although CAMs are widely used across the universe, there are few empirical surveies looking into the safety and efficiency of such interventions ( Tilburt et al. , 2009 ) . This is because alternate medical specialty plants by handling the individual as a whole, and efficiency of such methods rely on outlooks and belief on portion of the patient. This, hence, supports the impression that the placebo consequence plays a important function in the sensed result of alternate processs.Word count – 1959 words

French and Indian War Essay

Many people came to the colonies looking for freedom to practice their beliefs unhindered, start a new life, or make economic gain. Both England and Great Britain wanted the land in the new world so they fought The Seven Years’ War, or the French and Indian War. During the war, Britain allowed the colonies to function mostly independently in a practice called salutary neglect. When the war was over, Great Britain tried to assume tighter control of the colonies. However, a long period of salutary neglect had changed the colonists’ thinking and way of life. After the war, the colonies wanted to govern themselves, wanted to keep their economy from being drained and restricted, and wanted their rights just as English citizens back in the homeland. After the war, the colonies wanted to continue in the political system they enjoyed during the period of salutary neglect. During the war, the colonies stayed close with their mother country as they fought the French and the Indians but mainly governed themselves. The colonists were more than willing to serve in the war with the British regulars. As the war progressed, the colonists realized they were not treated with the same respect as British regulars (Doc C). They began to resent the British regulars but continued fighting because the threat of the French still loomed over them. After the war was over, the hand of the British government began squeezing the money out of their economy with tax laws in which they had no say (Doc H). The colonists were not necessarily angry about the taxes but instead what it meant for their political freedoms. They were most outraged by the lack of representation in a Parliament that saw them solely as a source of revenue (Doc F). Parliament was irritated that the colonies were not making them enough revenue to pay the war debt and tried to regulate the economy by seizing control of the various colonial governments. The colonies were also forbidden to settle past the Appalachian Mountains, a vast amount of land they had won in the war (Doc A). The colonies no longer needed protection from the French and wanted to govern themselves apart from the overbearing mother country.

Sales and Inventory “Sheryn “

Chapter 1: Introduction I. INTRODUCTION In today's business environment, even small and mid-sized businesses have come to rely on computerized sales and inventory systems. Certainly, there are plenty of small retail outlets, manufacturers, and other businesses that continue to rely on manual means of inventory tracking. Indeed, for some small businesses, like convenience stores, shoe stores, or computer shops, purchase of an electronic inventory tracking system might constitute a wasteful use of financial resources.But for other firms operating in industries and features high volume turnover of raw materials and/or finished products, computerized tracking systems have emerged as a key component of business strategies aimed at increasing productivity and maintaining competitiveness. Moreover, the recent development of powerful computer programs capable of addressing a wide variety of record keeping needs—including inventory management—in one integrated system have also c ontributed to the growing popularity of electronic inventory control option.Computers began from a wild imaginative idea to the world’s highly prioritized tool. Computers today are now used as a substitute to manual processes and other past inventions like the radio, television, etc. It is now used by people for much simpler, easier and faster way to do things. Some used it as a hobby, and some use it as a job. 1. 1Background of the Study We the graduating students needs 1. 1. 1 History Memory Hub Computer is located on the 2nd floor of Lotus Mall, Nueno Ave.Imus city Cavite was a branch of the main shop located in the Robinson Mall. Its operation started back in 2007 who owned by a Chinese businessman who decided to invest his money in a right business opportunity like a desktop computer packages shop. Back then , in 2008 it become successful and the consumer demanded fore more. So the owner decided to expand its branch population here in the Cavite. 1. 1. 2 Mission and Visi on Why do we need a mission ? A Mission Statement defines the organization's purpose and primary objectives.Its prime function is internal – to define the key measure or measures of the organization's success – and its prime audience is the leadership team and stockholders. Why do we need a vision ? Organisations need to know where they are heading and what they are trying to accomplish and to state this clearly for getting there is dependent on the efforts of a large number of people – not all of whom can just be assumed to instinctively know what the collective goal is. An institution’s vision statement is thus an articulation of its major goals and ambitions.The organisation which does not articulate its vision for the future will not necessarily fail, indeed it may continue to ‘tick over’ quite nicely, but nor is it likely to thrive. It stands less chance of growing, expanding and improving because it has no clear idea of what direction o r form this growth, expansion or improvement should take. Not every good idea can be funded and not every opportunity pursued. Without a clear idea of where the institution is heading there is no sound basis for prioritising these decisions, resulting in an institution which is paddling as hard as it can, but making little real progress.Vision Statements also define the organizations purpose, but this time they do so in terms of the organization's values rather than bottom line measures (values are guiding beliefs about how things should be done. ) The vision statement communicates both the purpose and values of the organization. For employees, it gives direction about how they are expected to behave and inspires them to give their best. Shared with customers, it shapes customers' understanding of why they should work with the organization. 1. 1. 2. 1 MissionWe Memory Hub Computer wants to Give the best service and good quality to our valued costumers and make sure you will get best offer and best product. 1. 1. 2. 2 Vision Memoryhub Computer’s bring you a cheapest price but highly and good quality products. 1. 2 Statement of the Problem 1. 2. 1 General Statement of the Problem Based on our observation the manager is too busy in making a sales and inventory so we decided to make a program that can solved their problem no more hassle, time consumming and effortless and that program is a computerized sales and inventory by the used of computer the manager can do the task faster . . 2. 2 Specific Statement of the Problem Taking down sales and inventory manually it is a problem? Yes, because in our generation we have a lot of modern technology so that you can work faster and easier. So our group aim is to make a program that computerized by the used of computer you cannot write it in a paper , you can do your task less effort and time consuming. 1. 3 Objectives of the Study 1. 3. 1 General Objectives One of the problem in Memory Hub Computer is the manual s ales and inventory we decided to make a program that can solve their problem and that is Computerized Sales and Inventory. . 3. 2 Specific Objectives Having a computerized Sales and Inventory system they can filter, sort and searching data quickly by the used of computer rather than taking down ineventory mannually. 1. 4 Significance of the Study can create a system to support In the implementation of the enhanced computerized billing system, Cavite Landmark Marketing Incorporated and One Magnolia Place Realty’s will have a more secured business transaction. One Magnolia Place Realty employees will benefit this study in everyday transactions pertaining to their tenants billing payment and information.The importance of this study is to make a comparison between the current the project that was given by ourinstitution,Datacom Institute of Computer Technology. 1. 5 Scope and Limitation Scope means the extent of your investigation. Limitations are the limits or things you did not investigate, or the reasons why your conclusions may not be valid. The â€Å"scope† section is where you list what you are doing. The â€Å"bounds† section is where you set the boundaries and you list some thing explicitly that you are not doing because they are outside the bounds of the project.At first, having two sections sounds redundant, but it removes ambiguity. Try to imagine questions and head them off. You might know what you mean by â€Å"high school† but some people reading your work may have different interpretations. Don't assume too much about your readers. Limitations are the circumstances which are not considered in the thesis because of some reasons like if a student interprets the relation between inflation and interest rates then the limitation can be the 100% accuracy of data.Moreover, all the situations which can limit the interpretation of data are considered the limitations. It is very important to describe the limitations in thesis, so t hat the reader may know about the circumstances in which the researcher has conducted the thesis. . 1. 5. 1 Scopes The proposed system of Memory Hub Computer is designed to have an ability of filtering,sorting,searching, storing and saving data. It can access by the used of username and password but it has a limitation.You can make your inventory faster by the used of computer. You can do other task fast. You can consume your time wise. 1. 5. 2 Limitations All programs has a limitations , so our system design has an ability of serching , storing and saving but it has a limitation like you cannot edit data without the permission of manager because it has a username and password. Another one is you cannot put the number of stocks, the stocks that left, and so on without computer because it is computerized.

International Financial Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words - 1

International Financial Management - Essay Example Moreover, Wall-Mart also has projected plan to invest further 37% of its US $ 13.05 million and 38 percent of US $ 12.5 million of capital investment in the international market for the year 2013 and 2014 respectively. Significant portion of the above mentioned investment is aimed at adjustments and capturing e-commerce retail sales in US, Brazil and China (Wal-Mart, 2013). In light of the Wall-Marts decision to invest and since the conditions of the world are constantly changing; therefore, underlying report is aimed at exploring factors that affect the foreign direct investment in specific context to China. The report will provide comprehensive review of foreign direct investment arena of China that determines its attractiveness. Furthermore, assessment of the FDI scenario of China with reference to global financial crises and the current position will be highlighted. Finally the improvement recommendations will be made. IMPORTANCE OF INVESTMENT AVENUES ASSESSMENT Foreign Direct In vestment, in accordance with the definition of World Bank, is investment leading to ten percent stake ownership by an organization that is not domestic by origin. MNC’s have been making investments in foreign investments since past 200 years but these investments centrally constituted portfolio investments than green field business purpose, wholly owned subsidiaries or joint ventures (Vardar, 2011). Liberalization of economies led to the relaxation of paths for the foreign investors by removing barrier (Vardar, 2011). Factors that drive multinational corporations towards investment in international arena are concretely dependent on either the objective of growth of diversification. Though increasingly important driver of the country’s economies; FDI also benefits extensively to the investing companies in response to taking risks and costs in international markets. Companies usually undertake foreign investment decisions when export and licensing such as tariffs and quo tas etc are prone to increased costs and risks than benefits. Alike, Wall-Mart many other corporations such as Coca-Cola, Exxon Mobile, Tesco, Starbucks, Nokia etc all have invested their stakes in the foreign markets. Complimenting to growth and diversification, factors that influence international investment are highlighted as follows: Significant reduction in transportation cost is gained. Attractive markets may turn unprofitable on shipping or transporting of products in bulk from local market to long distance markets. Internationalization and FDI stake in market, according to internationalization strategy, gets attractive once the cost, difficulties and limited level of control in licensing mode restrains corporations from gaining actual benefits from international markets. Investment in international markets also forms an important dimension of strategic behavior of gaining dominant position in the international market. This factor adds significant value to the firm in compari son with competitors by gaining first mover’s advantage. Stages of the product’s life cycle where demand of the product increases to considerable extent in the international markets leads to firm’s investment in the international market. In most instances, the maturity stage of product’s life cycle leads to FDI in international market. Each country in the world offers some advantages that are not offered by many other markets or locations in the world. Other than market

Qualitative Comparison Comparing the Political Systems of China and Research Paper

Qualitative Comparison Comparing the Political Systems of China and Russia - Research Paper Example The trends that have made China to overcome Russia, but are debatable. Political Factors China has systematically emerged as a world power majorly due to the political organization of China’s communist Party’s, whose policies have brought economic and social change with tremendous growth. Consequently, the private sector has expanded due to political and legal protection of the political class. The party has integrated itself with the private sector, with a good section of the entrepreneurs being members of the China Communist Party. Most of them were members of the party before going into business and some were allowed to join the party because of their business success. The Chinese capitalists have remained loyal to the China’s Communist Party and have not agitated for any change. Many businesses attribute their success to the policies of the party and its support. The party has promoted their business interests, leading to economic power and the economic wealt h being harmonized. The party has therefore survived and inspired national pride and increased its influence around the world (Naugton). The party has tried to balance economic growth and social economy. This has led to raised rural living standards. The state has provided income subsidies and eliminated tax on gain. The party has also tried to deal with poverty as a way of creating a harmonious society. The party has continued to reinvent itself over time beginning by being a social progressive party, to totalitarian tyranny, to developmental dictatorship. Today it protects private property and showing interest in representing the entire population. The party still has some weaknesses by choosing elites leaders and being harsh protestors. It has continued to enjoy the support of the majority in society due the perception that it promotes industrialization, economic growth political stability and social mobility (Dicks) Russia is on the other hand having moved from communism to demo cracy has faced many challenges leaving it unconsolidated democracy and almost becoming autocratic. The systems within the party are dominated by executives and the legislature. It has been a democracy in which the state control the media heavily and with civil society and non-governmental organization heavily muzzled. However, Russia is still considered freer that during the Soviet Union, despite people not being free to express themselves or to read what they would wish in the press. The security instruments were used to punish all the perceived threats and to restrict their freedom. The murder of journalists who covered the conflict between the state and the society brought to the fore the level of human rights abuse (Ghania). The quality of democracy in Russia has been low economy growth has been impeded by corruption, crime rates, diseases poor healthcare. Russia is generally lacking modern infrastructure and rule of Law. It has widespread corruption and poverty. All these got worse under Putin’s rule. These rivalry between government and business as government tried to take over valuable companies and accuses business leaders of tax evasion. This trend led to falling of stock prices. This perceived government intimidation and rough treatment leading to many businesspersons being scared, resulting in stagnation (Dicks). Economic factors The economic trends that may

International Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words - 1

International Law - Essay Example International law is based on expediency between nations and contracts, as in treaties or trade agreements that operate formally on an international level between countries and their citizens mutually. In addition to these types of expedient agreements, there exists also a corpus of idealistic international law that is best represented by international organizations and their membership charters, as well as the declarations of human rights and other specific rights of women, children, and minorities that these constituencies have produced. When asking whether or not international law is really law, the question revolves around the actual legitimacy of the process through which these agreements were created, via legislature or counsel of a minority of representatives from a select group of nations, but more specifically, as to whether any legitimate structures exist that can comply adherence to the standards of international law through enforcement measures. In summary, the main aspec t of the question goes to the heart of enforceability in international law, and whether the sovereignty of the nation-state as it relates to domestic autonomy can ever be overcome by organizations like the UN. As M.W. Janis wrote in Introduction to International Law, â€Å"There is a root problem faced by those who practice international law. The problem is so fundamental that it is often assumed rather than analyzed. It stems from the fact that the world is broken up into tens of independent nation-states, each purporting to provide certain essential human services - e.g. defense-education, law, more or less exclusively to the people living within that state's boundaries. Insofar as a nation-state is thought to alone provide such services, we think of it as sovereign. The nation-state political system and the notion of sovereignty impact on most every aspect of human activity. Look at their effect on the idea of law. Taken to an absolute point, the notion of sovereignty might impl y that the only extant laws were those of nation-states.†1 In simplest terms, the violation of the borders of one nation-state by another is considered an act of war. International law governs the legality of invasions and self-defence among nations based in agreement such as the Geneva Conventions and other treaties on the use of weapons. It is regarded as paradoxical to apply law to war, even in the conduct of armies, as technically war is a state emergency and a fight for survival where both sides may be expected to do anything to win militarily. As history recognizes that the victor will determine the way the terms of the battle are recorded for posterity, it also acknowledges that the winning side in war will dictate the terms of the peace to the defeated. Furthermore, political regimes change domestically, and international law is as full of broken treaties as civil law is of broken contracts. Yet, people rarely ask if contract law really exists in the same manner that t hey question international law. For the most part, this is due to the fact that civil courts are recognized authorities in society, and their ability to enforce contract law is taken for granted, or understood within an expectation of risk management. The lack of supra-national authority with the powers of

Job Materials Portfolio Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Job Materials Portfolio - Essay Example Customer service experience is another mandatory requirement since people to hold this position will have a lot of exposure to the customer. Therefore, one should have the necessary experience to serve customers in a hospitable manner hence making sure that the customer comes back once more. I have chosen to apply for a sales associate in Zara this is because this is the field I have got a lot of experience. In fact, I have studied a course related to sales in the college and this makes me feel that this field can be my best. In fact, I am looking forward to developing my career very much in sales. The opportunity with Zara will give me an opportunity to learn more on what selling really entail. These include selling, restocking and merchandising. Zara is an American company that deals with fashion for both men and women. This means that the company sells clothes to the American population bearing in mind the essence of fashion. For instance, every time designers keep on introducing new fashions in clothes market. This calls for business people to be so keen when it comes to deciding what customers need in order to survive. Zara takes into consideration customers’ preferences in a great way to make sure that their wishes are given priorities when designing their out fits. The company’s mission is to provide excellent customer service. This means that the organization works hard to make sure that they provide perfect services to their customers. This can be achieved through various methods which include involving customers in developing their designs. This means that the organization goes extra miles to make sure that they obtain necessary information from customers in terms of their fashion preferences and tastes. In addition, they use their sales associate to merchandise their stores hence creating a visible image to their customers. Zara Company started its operation in

The adventures of Huckleberry Finn Norton critical edition Term Paper

The adventures of Huckleberry Finn Norton critical edition - Term Paper Example Briden, Jane Smiley and T.S. Eliot are examined. One of the major critics examining Huckleberry Finn is David Carkeet. Carkeet examines Twains story from a number of critical perspectives, but perhaps his most overarching take on the subject examines the various narrative techniques Twain utilizes throughout the novel. Within this context Carkeet pays particular emphasis on the nature of dialectics utilized in the novel. In these regards, he distinguishes between dialectics including: the Missouri negro dialect, the extremest form of the backwoods South-Western dialect, the ordinary Pike-County dialect (Twain, and Colley). Carkeet notes that it is necessary to make this distinction as without it the novel would simply sound alike, however not succeeding. Within this context then, Carkeet examines the various dialectics for their linguistic elements within the context of the novel. In these regards, Carkeet argues that Finns dialectic himself can be viewed as the norm to which other dialectics are then varied upon. In a way then, F inns dialectic becomes the a sort of majority dialectic spoken throughout the novel through which the other dialectics are understood in terms of a prism. It follows then that in differentiating further dialectics, Twain does so as a purposeful means. For instance, Carkeet argues that one of the major predominant dialectical changes is implemented by Twain to distinguish between race. Another factor Carkeet considers is the relation between these dialetics articulated by Twain and the sorts of dialectics implemented in the actual mid-nineteenth century. In considering this last point, Carkeet notes that there are significant divisions between the novel and the real-life dialectic. One major point in these terms is that Finn himself utilizes different variations on his own dialectic throughout the novel,

Paper #1 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Paper #1 - Assignment Example He termed the use of such secrecy as an abominable precedent. He also thought that rebellions among the citizens were a normal medicine to the political organic body of the new. The bill of rights introduced into the constitutional processes the safeguards and defenses of the rights of the individuals which were more critical to the stability of the confederation. When the bill of rights was introduced, Jefferson believed that the nation would then safeguard individual liberties in a more concrete manner (Nash & Graves 120). When the Bill of Rights was introduced, the ordinary citizens were adequately represented and their rights defended along constitutional lines. Moreover, the laws made it possible for popular participation of the citizens which had the effect of easing some of the tensions and civil unrest or protests. Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton had differences regarding the nature of the confederation in a constitutional sense. However, the question of political parties also pitted the leaders in philosophical differences. Jefferson believed in a weaker central government and stronger and autonomous states. This was contrary to Hamiltonian convictions. As a very prominent and influential secretary of the treasury, always insisted in the strengthening of the federal government and made a lot of financial programs of taxation to modernize the state. Hamilton insisted in some interpretations of the constitution to favor greater federal controls which Jefferson detested. These included the creation of a National, Federal Bank and several taxation laws. Their differences emerged principally on Jefferson’s consideration that the Federal government needed not tax the ordinary citizens too much. d. As president, Jefferson drew back from his weak central government philosophy to engage in some actions that outraged even the Federalists. Discuss some of those actions and the Jeffersonian rationale behind them. As

The Hitlers Success in Using the Principle of Fascism Essay - 32

The Hitlers Success in Using the Principle of Fascism - Essay Example To begin, it is noteworthy that Thomas Hobbes played a significant role in the intellectual movement whose goal was to free the emerging modern science from the classical and scholastic heritage. As indicated by traditional political rationality, on which the idealist notion is based, individuals can control their desires through reason and can work for the benefit of others, even at the cost of their own merits. They are consequently both sane and good executors, fit for recognizing good and bad, and of settling on good decisions (Doyle, 1997). They are likewise habitually social. With incredible expertise, Hobbes attacks these views. His people, to a great degree of individualistic instead of good or social, are liable to â€Å"a never-ending urge to force after power that sometimes ends in death† (Doyle, 1997). They subsequently definitely battle for power. In setting out such thoughts, Hobbes helps a percentage of the essential originations simple to the realist convention in global relations, and particularly to neorealism. These incorporate the characterization of personal inclination as self-absorbed, the idea of global disorder, and the view that legislative issues, established in the battle for power, can be legitimized and mulled over deductively. Secondly, Hobbes indicates that the reasons behind the economic and political conditions after German’s defeat in World War I. Hobbes agree that WWI led to despair and hopelessness among Germans. It is evident that many other different social groups rose to support Nazis and Hitler’s political ambition. Since the end of the First World War, the growth agenda has experienced radical changes (Ivan, 2006). This has led to numerous challenges to other countries and in contrast, for many years, this agenda has been quite reliable.   

The ompany Apple Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The ompany Apple - Research Paper Example This paper studies Apple, the company’s history and changes over a period of time. The story began in the Santa Clara Valley of California, then known for its fruit orchards, world know it as Silicon Valley after Apple. Steven Paul Jobs and Stephen Gary Wozniak (Woz) were introduced by Woz’s neighbor, Bill Fernandez. Bill and Woz worked together for building their first computer from parts discarded by local companies due to cosmetic defaults. They named it after their favorite beverage, â€Å"cream soda computer†. Those days computers were discouragingly expensive. Woz was compelled to design computers on paper. He concentrated on minimizing the number of components in order to design as clean electronics as possible. After withdrawing from college in 1971, 16-years-old Steven Jobs met 21-years-old Woz. Jobs convinced Woz for mass production and selling of the computer design he made. The duo, Woz, the engineer, and Jobs, the marketing maven, worked amazingly we ll and the rest is history (O’Grady 1-2). Jobs needed computer parts for his class project; he called Bill Hewlett at his home and asked him. Hewlett not only gave him required parts, but also gave him a summer job at HP assembly frequency counters as an appreciation of the initiative Jobs took. Woz went back to academics and enrolled into University of California, simultaneously, he joined hands with Jobs who convinced him for the dream of owning a company (O’Grady 2).On his mother’s indication, Woz built â€Å"blue boxes† by following the instructions in 1971 issue of Esquire. The born marketer, Jobs purchased the parts and sold them in the dorms for $150 each under the alias Oaf Tobark. Jobs shared the profits with Woz alias Berkeley Blue, whose job was to build devices (qtd in O’Grady 2). Woznaik joined Homebrew Computer Club in 1975.HCC was an early computer enthusiasts’ group, several of Silicon Valley pioneers remained a part of the c lub at some point. Woz’s first major project was the Computer Conversor. Woz’s assistance was solicited by Alex Kamradt for developing a video-teletype machine for company’s minicomputers. Stimulated by teletype and inspired by an Altair 8800, Woz integrated a dedicated microprocessor into his lowly teletype and transformed it into a completely functional computer (O’Grady 2-3). Woz could not afford purchasing Central Processing Unit (CPU); therefore, he worked at HP and kept tinkering with Altair at home. As MOS Technology released their 6502 processor for only $20, Woz adapted his 6800 paper designs to run on MOS processor. Woz completed Apple I and demonstrated it at Homebrew Club. Jobs immediately identified its potential to sell it to the hobbyists (O’Grady 3). Apple I stood out because a standard television was used as a monitor when other computers had no display at all. No doubt, it was faster than teletype at that time, but its speed was n ot exceptional. In terms of design, Apple I was the pioneer. Woz was a maven when it comes to minimizing the number of chips in a certain design. He minimized price and complexity by simplifying the debugging process. His chip reduction strategy was the most cherished and respected among his peers. Apple I had boot code on a Read Only Memory (ROM), later Woz added loads and save programs to cassette on Paul Terrell’s suggestion (O’

The need for humans in the delivery of services in the evolving hospitality industry Essay Example for Free

The need for humans in the delivery of services in the evolving hospitality industry Essay Assignment overview: To write an academic and speech report, encouraging student creativity. Overall aim: The student is to consider how he/she would imagine the evolving role of humans in the service delivery process in the hospitality industry based on historical research, contemporary thinking, and future predictions. Learning outcomes (from the CRS): 1. define the principles and practices of marketing management as related to service management. 2. analyze the nature of services marketing within the hospitality industry. 3. recognize opportunities for research that can be applied in a marketing consulting environment. Organization methodology: Imagine that you are about to give a conference address to a high level audience from the industry. Your address is titled: The need for humans in the delivery of services in the evolving hospitality industry† Consider how you imagine the evolving role of humans in the service delivery process in the hospitality industry based on historical research, contemporary thinking, and future predictions. Your conference speech is to be supported by an academically written paper which will underpin your  actual address. You therefore need to submit (a) an academic paper and (b) a speech (in the appendices). The speech can be written in any style you wish based on the readership, e.g. conference delegates and media. However, it needs to be professionally presented and be coherent with the academic paper. The academic paper needs to: i. include some of the following terms: culture, creativity, destruction, disruption, experiences, industry examples, innovation, key writers, perceived risk, relationships, the service offer, and any relevant theoretical models; ii. have a standardized front cover sheet with the statement of authorship, with page numbers, using 1.5 spacing, with a clear and tidy font style and size; iii. follow Glion academic conventions (e.g. APA referencing, good scholarly writing, etc); iv. be submitted through the Turnitin link on the course site in Moodle, and submitted to Reception between 13h00 and 15h00 both on 30th April 2014. Your academic paper will be graded using the Glion Graduate School Assessment Criteria (overleaf), with 20% for each criterion. Think carefully what the 5 criteria within KASAP will reward! Word count: Paper – 1600 words Speech– 2000 words (in appendices, and also available for conference and media distribution – think of your audience!) Resources available: Library resources as well as any academic article on Moodle, that is relevant to the topic. Add the performance benchmarks with weights for each graduate skill assessed Graduate skill assessed Below standard 70 – 79% 80 – 89% 90 – 100% Weight Knowledge Inadequate facts or concepts collected. Limited in scope and very descriptive in style. Knowledge irrelevant for purpose. Develops and demonstrates a limited depth of knowledge in a complex and specialized area or interdisciplinary area and/ or applied areas where they are working towards current limits of theoretical research or understanding. Develops and demonstrates great depth of knowledge in a complex and specialized area or interdisciplinary area and/ or applied areas where they are working at current limits of theoretical research or understanding. Develops and demonstrates an excellent depth of knowledge in a complex and specialized area or interdisciplinary area and/ or applied areas where they are working at current limits of theoretical research or understanding to challenge contemporary thinking or paradigms. 20% Analysis Data has not been sufficiently well analyzed to draw appropriate conclusions. Argumentation and discussion is very limited or shows a lack of understanding of the evidence collected. Demonstrates limited ability to deal with complexity and scope in the knowledge base where the applications of paradigms, concepts and theory have not been sufficiently developed. Limited selection of tools and techniques for problem solving. Deals with some levels of complexity and applies concepts, theory and paradigms. Clearly recognizes lacunae and/ or contradictions in the knowledge base and makes appropriate selection of tools and techniques for problem solving. Deals with complexity and applies a wide range of concepts and theory where lacunae and/ or contradictions in the knowledge base have been clearly identified and discussed. Makes appropriate selection of tools and innovative techniques for problem solving. 20% Synthesis and Creativity Unable to find, categorize idea and rely information in an acceptable way for  this level. Synthesizes some information/ ideas and creates a more limited redefinition of existing knowledge with limited scope to new situations. Autonomously synthesizes information/ ideas and creates responses that expand or redefine existing knowledge and/ or develop new approaches to new situations. Autonomously synthesizes information/ ideas and creates responses that challenge existing knowledge and/ or develop innovative solutions to new situations. 20% Application Lacks originality in the application of knowledge in professional level context. Applies a very limited range of professional skills and shows no understanding of how the outcomes of work in the area may be applied. Demonstrates some originality in the application of knowledge in professional level context. Applies a limited range of professional skills and shows some understanding of how the outcomes of work in the area may be applied. Demonstrates originality in the application of knowledge in a variety of professional level contexts. Applies a range of professional skills and reflects on current practice. Shows an understanding of how the outcomes of work in the area may be applied, to inform judgments to the development of practice. Demonstrates originality in the application of knowledge in a wide and often unpredictable variety of professional level contexts. Applies a significant range of complex professional skills, practices and techniques and reflects on and subsequently mo dified practice. Shows an understanding of how the outcomes of work in the area may be applied, to inform judgments and make original contributions to the development of practice. 20% Presentation Does not meet a number of key requirements and fails to follow an acceptable style. Often unclear and untidy Organized and coherently structured work. Presents ideas to facilitate comprehension in an orderly manner with acceptable referencing and minor errors of detail. Work coherently and comprehensively organized and structured. Presents ideas with considerable attention to detail which facilitates effortless comprehension in an orderly  manner and accurate referencing. Presented work with exceptional clarity that demonstrates ability to attend to all detailed aspects of organization and structure of discussion and all supporting evidence. The work has the qualities consistent with published material. 20% Plagiarism: Plagiarism is the act of presenting another’s ideas or words as one’s own. Cheating includes, but is not limited to, the intentional falsification or fabrication of any academic activity, unauthorized copying of another person’s work, or aiding and abetting any such acts. Particular care must be taken when presenting information that has been obtained from an internet site. Should this information not be correctly referenced then you are guilty of plagiarism and will be penalized accordingly. Statement of authorship Following the title page of your assignment there should be a page on which you sign a statement that the work included in the assignment is your own work except where appropriately referenced. The following statement should be included in your assessment Statement of Authorship I certify that this assignment is my own work and contains no material which has been accepted for the award of any degree or diploma in any institute, college or university. Moreover, to the best of my knowledge and belief, it contains no material previously published or written by another person, except where due reference is made in the text of the work. I also understand that under no circumstances should any part of this assignment be published, including on the internet, or publicly displayed without receiving written permission from the University.

Electronic Surveillance in Intelligence Services

Electronic Surveillance in Intelligence Services Overview It will be argued that the increased use of electronic surveillance is unlikely to lead to the demise of human intelligence sources, this assignment will show that the two will work together and that regulation will ensure that that they will both enhance each other. It will be suggested that these two types of surveillance will continue to work alongside each other, which each being more useful in differing circumstances and therefore electronic surveillance will not replace the need for human intelligence. Main Body In recent years a combination of developing technology, concern about confession evidence and the changing nature of, especially, financial and drug-related crime has led the police and other law enforcement agencies to adopt increasingly sophisticated and intrusive, methods of investigation. Much of this has been largely hidden from public view and unregulated. Incorporation of the European Convention on Human Rights by the Human Rights Act 1998 will mean that privacy can only lawfully be interfered with if it is necessary to do so, and if it is carried out in accordance with law. The common law approach that the police can do what they want as long it is not prohibited by law is no longer acceptable. The Government introduced legislation or risk exclusion of evidence and challenge in both domestic courts and the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR). The result is the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Bill, covering the interception of communications, the power to demand communica tions data and decryption of unintelligible material, the use of covert operations and surveillance, and establishing a tribunal to deal with complaints. The scope of the warrant procedure is significantly expanded by the Bill since it will now include interceptions of private telecommunications systems, and will clearly cover the interception of mobile telephones, e-mails, and other computer communications. Under s. 26(3) of the RIPA intrusive surveillance occurs when a surveillance device is used or an individual is actually present on residential premises, or in a private vehicle, or it is carried out by such a device in relation to such premises or vehicle without being present on the premises or vehicle. Residential is defined in s. 48(1) of the RIPA as premises used as living accommodation, while premises includes movable structures and land. The definition excludes common areas of residential premises and clearly does not cover office premises (s. 48(7)(b)). Thus, covert surveillance of office premises falls within the term directed, rather than intrusive, surveillance. Section 26(3), read with s. 48(7), offers only a partial definition since it would cover all forms of covert surveillance taking place in relation to residential premises. Some forms of such surveillance can be treated as directed surveillance, as indicated below, and it is in relation to residential premises that an area of uncertainty is created as to the category into which surveillance falls. Under s. 32(3) of the RIPA authorisation of intrusive surveillance is on the grounds of the interests of national security, for the purpose of preventing or detecting serious crime or of preventing disorder, in the interests of the economic well-being of the UK. Proportionality requirements are introduced under s. 32(2): the authorising person must be satisfied that the action to be taken is proportionate to what is hoped to be achieved by carrying it out. Authorisations for such surveillance are granted by the Home Secretary under s. 41 or, for police or customs officers, by senior authorising officers, who are the highest ranking police officers. There is provision for the grant of authorisations in a case of urgency by persons of equally high rank, other than the senior authorising officer. (Christie v United Kingdom 78-A DRE Com HR 119) Under s. 36, the authorisation will not take effect until it has been approved, except where it is urgent and the grounds for urgency are set out in the notice, in which case the authorisation will take effect from the time of its grant. Under s. 38 senior authorising officers can appeal to the Chief Surveillance Commissioner against decisions of ordinary Surveillance Commissioners. The Commissioners have responsibility for the destruction of material obtained by surveillance, under s. 37, but there is no requirement that material no longer needed for proceedings and no longer subject to an authorisation must be destroyed. The provisions for authorisations under ss 33, 34, 35 and 36 mirror those under the Police Act 1997, Part III in that, under s. 35, notice must be given to a Surveillance Commissioner and, under s. 36, the authorisation will not take effect until it has been approved, except where it is urgent and the grounds for urgency are set out in the notice, in which case the authorisation will take effect from the time of its grant. Under s. 38 senior authorising officers can appeal to the Chief Surveillance Commissioner against decisions of ordinary Surveillance Commissioners. The Commissioners have responsibility for the destruction of material obtained by surveillance, under s. 37, but there is no requirement that material no longer needed for proceedings and no longer subject to an authorisation must be destroyed. Under s. 43 authorisations can be granted or renewed urgently orally by senior authorising officers or in writing by persons authorised to act on their behalf in urgent cases. If , under s. 43(3)(a), an authorisation is granted or renewed by a person entitled to act only in urgent cases, or was renewed by such a person or orally, it ceases to take effect after 72 hours. Section 42 provides special rules for the intelligence services which overlap with those of s. 5 of the Intelligence Services Act 1994. Under s. 42 the security and intelligence services can undertake intrusive surveillance on grant of a warrant. The grounds are under s. 32(3). As far as intrusive surveillance is concerned, the function of the services in support of the prevention or detection of serious crime is excluded where the application is by a member of GCHQ or the SIS. Under s. 44(3) a warrant authorising intrusive surveillance issued by a senior official, and not renewed under the hand of the Secretary of State, shall cease to have effect at the end of the second working day after its issue. In the case of other warrants that point will be at the end of a period of six months from t he day of issue or renewal. As is obvious from the most cursory examination of RIPA, the distinction between intrusive and directed procedures will be significant in all cases of covert activity because the level of authorisation required and the triggering conditions differ substantially. In the case of the police cell it is crucial, yet RIPA fails to provide an explicit classification of the cell in these terms. It is particularly disappointing that Parliament failed to pre-empt challenges to such an apparently widespread police practice by providing a definitive answer to this problem. It seems bizarre that in interpreting such a recent statute expressly designed to regulate covert activity the matter turns on peripheral matters of definition. The confusion on this point in RIPA cannot be underestimated: the Court of Appeal in Mason called for urgent clarification of whether the police cell is now governed by intrusive or directed surveillance under RIPA. Although the new Code of Practice issued under s. 71 of RIPA now suggests that cell bugging is intrusive surveillance, this is such an important issue for the suspect and apparently such a commonplace police technique that it is submitted that it ought to be dealt with on the face of the statute. The use of human beings to provide information is a valuable resource for the protection of the public and the maintenance of law and order. In order that local authorities and law enforcement agencies are able to discharge their responsibilities, use is made of ‘undercover’ officers and informants. These are referred to as ‘covert human intelligence sources’ or ‘sources’ and the area of work of undercover officers and informants to whom this procedure applies will be referred to as ‘source work.’ In 1999 the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) and HM Customs and Excise published a set of Codes of Practice on Standards in Covert Law Enforcement Techniques. The Codes have no legal basis but are recognised by the police, HM Customs and Excise and the Government as providing authoritative guidelines, and these replace previous guidance issued by the Home Office. (See (www.homeoffice.gov.uk/ripa/ripact.htm).) As the accompanying Declaration on ethical standards and covert investigative techniques states, the working practices set out in the Codes seek to achieve a balance between the requirement to work within a defined framework for the safeguarding of civil liberties and the maintenance of a robust approach to the tackling of crime and criminality. In its reduced form the substance of this statement is a desire to ensure that covert techniques are fair and effective. (Murfield: 2001) Section 3 of this Code, Surveillance in or into Public Places, is of relevance to the type of operation considered here. This section is applicable to the planned deployment of covert surveillance resources against the public at large, in order to meet a particular law enforcement need, or against specified individuals in public places where no interference with property is intended. The Code goes on to provide that: Before giving authorisations for surveillance into public places where no unlawful interference with property is proposed, the authorising officer must be satisfied that the proposed surveillance is a reasonable means of achieving the desired result. Manna from heaven operations provide an opportunity to manipulate a combination of circumstances which may lead to an offence being committed. According to the widely accepted routine activity theory, offending is determined by the convergence in space and time of three factors: (i) a likely offender, (ii) a suitable target and (iii) the absence of a capable guardian. In the light of this obvious concerns arise over the planning of this type of operation as the police have varying degrees of control over all three factors. By choosing the location of the operation they have some influence over who may be exposed to the temptation offered, also over the presence of a capable guardian, and they have absolute control over the target, i.e. the type and value of the property used. The 1997 and 2000 Acts require the Chief Surveillance Commissioner to keep under review (with the assistance of the Surveillance Commissioners and Assistant Surveillance Commissioners) the performance of functions under Part III of the 1997 Act and Part II of the 2000 Act by the police (including the Royal Navy Regulating Branch, the Royal Military Police and the Royal Air Force Police and the Ministry of Defence Police and the British Transport Police), NCIS, the NCS, HMCE and of the 2000 Act the other public authorities listed in Schedule 1 and in Northern Ireland officials of the Ministry of Defence and HM Forces. The Intelligence Services Commissioners remit is to provide independent oversight of the use of the powers contained within Part II of the 2000 Act and the 1994 Act by the Security Service, Secret Intelligence Service, GCHQ and the Ministry of Defence and HM Forces (excluding the Royal Navy Regulating Branch, the Royal Military Police and the Royal Air Force Police, and in Northern Ireland officials of the Ministry of Defence. It is important to consider the effect that the human rights has on both electronic surveillance and human surveillance and its conflict with the RIPA. The substantive rights of Schedule 1 to the HRA may be said to fall into two groups. The first, which includes Article 6, covers a number of fundamental rights; they include the right to liberty under Article 5, the right to a fair hearing under Article 6(1); the presumption of innocence under Article 6(2); minimum rights applicable to everyone charged with a criminal offence under Article 6(3), including the rights to legal assistance of his own choosing and to examine or have examined witnesses against him and to obtain the attendance and examination of witnesses on his behalf under the same conditions as witnesses against him. Articles 8-11 and Protocols 1 and 6 may be said to cover a more developed conception of human rights; the rights provided include the right to respect for privacy under Article 8, and rights to the freedoms o f expression, association and assembly under Articles 10 and 11. Articles 8-11 indicate a structured approach to state interference with the guarantees. To be justified, such interference must be prescribed by law, have a legitimate aim, be necessary in a democratic society and be applied in a non-discriminatory fashion (Article 14). (Uglow: 1995) The European Court of Human Rights main concern has been with the necessary in a democratic society requirement; the notion of prescribed by law has been focused upon to some extent but usually with the result that it has been found to be satisfied. (See Malone v UK (1985) 7 EHRR 14) The legitimate aim requirement will normally be readily satisfied; as Harris, OBoyle and Warbrick point out, the grounds for interference (under paragraph 2 of Articles 8-11) are so wide that the state can usually make a plausible case that it did have a good reason for interfering with the right. (Harris et al, 1995 at p290) As has been demonstrated the use of electronic surveillance is complicated and heavily regulated. However it is useful and can work alongside covert human intelligent. It is worthy of considering some of the technicalities of the two forms of surveillance. There are some difficulties with electronics such as that it may not work and it can fail. However this can also be a problem with human covert surveillance in so far as the operations can fail, and the potential defendant can fail to be present, therefore there are equal difficulties with both of these methods of surveillance. Covert Human Surveillance will still require corroboration and can prove to be unreliable. The other difficulty that is raised in relation to covert human surveillance is its interaction with the human rights act. In the case of R v Lawrence, Hope, Stapleton, Stapleton, Bravard and May (3 August 2002, CA) this was considered. This was a case of VAT fraud, involving a loss of  £ 11 million. Evidence had been obtained by a covert surveillance device or probe which had been authorised under Pt III of the Police Act 1997. The appellants submitted before the Court of Appeal that the probe was a breach of Art 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights and that the provisions in the Police Act concerning intrusive surveillance were incompatible with the Convention. Dismissing the appeal, the court held that the probe did not breach Art 8. Covert surveillance was compatible with the Convention where it was authorised by law; such authority was provided by the Police Act. The surveillance was necessary in a democratic society for the prevention of disorder or crime. It was also proportionate. Article 8(2) was therefore complied with. The Police Act 1997 has been overtaken by Pt II of RIPA, which introduces regulatory procedures for various forms of surveillance which, until now, have had no basis in statute. RIPA provides for more stringent scrutiny than the Police Act. However, as with the Police Act and Art 8, Pt II of RIPA provides for no restriction on the use of evidence so obtained. Rather, RIPA is concerned with the various forms of surveillance described in s 26. Once authorised under s 27, the s 26 surveillance will be lawful in relation to that authorisation. Sections 28, 29 and 32 require that the covert surveillance be necessary and proportionate. Therefore in conclusion it is argued that the increased use of electronic surveillance is unlikely to lead to the demise of human intelligence sources, this assignment that the two work well together and that they are both heavily regulated. Regulation will ensure that the two will work together and that they will both enhance each other. It is suggested that these two types of surveillance will continue to work alongside each other, which each being more useful in differing circumstances Bibliography Cases Christie v United Kingdom 78-A DRE Com HR 119 Malone v UK (1985) 7 EHRR 14 R v Lawrence, Hope, Stapleton, Stapleton, Bravard and May (3 August 2002, CA) Legislation Intelligence Services Act 1994 Police Act 1997 Regulation of Investigatory Powers 2000 Regulation of Investigatory Powers (Covert Surveillance: Code Of Practice) Order 2002 (SI 2002 NO. 1933) Journal Articles S. Uglow, Covert Surveillance And The Echr [1999] Crim Lr 287. D. J. Harris, M. Oboyle and C. Warbrick, Law Of The European Convention On Human Rights (1995) At 290 P. Mirfield, Regulation Of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 (2): The Evidence Provisions [2001] Crim Lr 91 Books Feldman, Civil Liberties and Human Rights in England and Wales (2nd edn, 2002); S H Bailey, D J Harris D C Ormerod, Civil Liberties, Cases and Materials (5th edn, 2001); N Whitty, T Murphy S Livingstone, Civil Liberties Law: The Human Rights Act Era;

The role of icts in addressing challenges in higher education

The role of icts in addressing challenges in higher education ABSTRACT One of the most common problems of using Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) in education is to base choices on technological possibilities rather than educational needs. In developing countries where higher education is fraught with serious challenges at multiple levels, there is increasing pressure to ensure that technological possibilities are viewed in the context of educational needs. This paper argues that a central role of educational technology is to provide additional strategies that can be used to address the serious environmental and educational challenges faced by educators and students in higher education. The educational needs manifest in Indian universities include addressing general lack of academic preparedness, multilingual needs in English medium settings, large class sizes and inadequate curriculum design. Using case studies from one higher educational institution, this paper shows how specific and carefully considered interventions using ICTs can be used to address these teaching and learning concerns. These examples serve to demonstrate some ways in which teaching and learning may be enhanced when uses of educational technology are driven by educational needs. The paper concludes that design of educational technology interventions should be driven by educational needs within the context of a broader teaching and learning strategy which requires buy-in of both educators and learners. INTRODUCTION It has been suggested that information and communication technologies (ICTs) can and do play a number of roles in education. These include providing a catalyst for rethinking teaching practice (Flecknoe, 2002; McCormick Scrimshaw, 2001); developing the kind of graduates and citizens required in an information society (Department of Education, 2001); improving educational outcomes (especially pass rates) and enhancing and improving the quality of teaching and learning (Wagner, 2001; Garrison Anderson, 2003). While all of these suggest the potential impact of ICTs in education in general and India in particular, it is still difficult to demonstrate the potential of technologies in addressing specific teaching and learning problems faced by Indian higher education institutions. The thesis of this paper is that the potential of ICTs is sandwiched between increasing pressure on higher education institutions from government to meet the social transformation and skills needs of India, and the varying student academic preparedness, large class sizes and multilingualism currently experienced in these teaching and learning contexts. Our thinking aligns with others (such as Kirkup Kirkwood, 2005; Wagner, 2001) who argue that it is the contextualized teaching and learning needs that ought to drive the ICT intervention, rather than the technology itself. In India, contextualization of teaching and learning requires a tightrope walk between higher education imperatives and social-cultural context of the educational landscape. This paper illustrates by means of examples drawn from one higher education institution how educational needs can drive design of learning environments and technological use. The question driving this paper is: How may educational technology interventions address theteaching and learning challenges faced by Indian higher education institutions? We discuss the general and specific educational challenges. These challenges then provide a context for an ICT intervention framework which is described and examples of the use of this framework in curriculum projects are discussed. CHALLENGES FACING HIGHER EDUCATION IN INDIA General challenges Currently, higher education in India is under increasing pressure to meet the social transformation and skills needs of the new India (Kistan, 2002). At the same time it is under immense external and internal pressure to improve on its policy and delivery performance (De Clercq, 2002). One of the indicators of social transformation in education is increasing the demographic representation among graduates and reducing the demographic difference between student intake and graduate throughput. The National Higher Education Plan (2001) outlines the role of higher education institutions in the new India: The key challenges facing the Indian higher education system remain as outlined inthe White Paper: ‘to redress past inequalities and to transform the higher education systemto serve a new social order, to meet pressing national needs, and to respond to newrealities and opportunities (White Paper: 1.1). (Department of Education India,2001.) Furthermore, recent government policy has added pressure on higher education institutions by linking funding to throughput. In other words, unlike in the past when institutions were funded on the number of registered first year students, funding is now linked to graduate throughput. Improving efficiency and addressing the equity needs of the country raises conflicting challenges for higher education institutions (Scott, 2004: 1). These challenges are exacerbated by the fact that most students enter university under-prepared and therefore require more support to bridge the gaps in the required knowledge and skills (Paras, 2001). Furthermore, in 2005 quality assurance audits1 focusing on the institutional management of core functions of teaching and learning, research and community engagement were conducted at Indian higher education institutions. The challenge for higher education institutions is therefore not only about increasing throughput in terms of numbers and the diversity of i ts student population but also involves ensuring quality educational provision. The Indian government has identified the use of ICTs for teaching and learning as an important priority. For example, the e-Education policy states: Every Indian manager, teacher and learner in the general and further education andtraining bands will be ICT capable (that is, use ICTs confidently and creatively to helpdevelop the skills and knowledge they need as lifelong learners to achieve personal goalsand to be full participants in the global community) by 2013. (Department of EducationIndia, 2004: 17) Thus, the ultimate goal of the policy is the realization of ICT-capable managers, educators and learners by 2013. Read together with the National Higher Education Plan, these two policies have ramifications for instructional designers, educators, students and researchers. The underlying argument of this paper is that the realization of the policys goals largely depends on the extent to which current educational challenges are re-conceptualised in the context of the role that ICT can play in teaching and learning. The current focus on teaching and learning coupled with growth in educational technology in Indian higher education institutions (Czerniewicz et al., 2005: The role of ICTs in higher education in India61) requires that we begin to ask questions about the ways in which educational technology contributes to addressing the educational challenges in the new India. As is the case in higher education globally, Indian higher education is under pressure to increase participation fro m diverse groups of students and to produce the skills required for a rapidly changing society. In the UK, for example, participation in higher education has increased since the 1940s but participation of higher socio-economic groups still exceeds that of lower socio-economic groups (DFES report, 2004). While similar, these challenges take particular forms given Indias unique history. For example, global disparities are defined in terms of class; in India the educational disparities are manifested along racial lines due to the political, economic and social policies of the pre-1994 era. Redress of marginalised groups and social transformation is therefore central to the policies of post-1994. The Indian government has made it clear that one of its aims is to achieve equitable access to higher education for previously disadvantaged learners, with diverse educational backgrounds (Hardman Ngambi, 2003). Education is viewed as one of the key mechanisms of achieving social transformation. It is in this educational context that new opportunities for educational technology have arisen. Although we are aware that educational challenges demand multi-pronged approaches, which may include both traditional teaching approaches and innovative non- digital instructional designs, it is the role of educational technology that is the focus of this paper. Specific teaching and learning challenges The major teaching and learning challenges facing higher education revolve around student diversity, which includes, amongst others, diversity in students academic preparedness, language and schooling background. Teaching and learning in higher education in general can largely be characterised as follows: [] instruction that is too didactic, a lack of personal contact between teachers andstudents and among students, assessment methods that are inadequate to measuresophisticated learning goals and too little opportunity for students to integrate knowledgefrom different fields and apply what they learn to the solution of real-world problems.(Knapper, 2001: 94) Teaching and learning in Indian higher education fits the above description but in addition it has to contend with deep-rooted complex issues and problems stemming primarily from a previously racially divided and unequal education system. In addition, large classes are an endemic feature of most university courses posing an additional challenge in the teaching of a diverse student population. Indian higher education institutions are faced with a myriad teaching and learning challenges. In this paper we focus on a few of these: academic preparedness, multilingulism in a first language context, large classes and inadequate curriculum design. In the next section, we look at ways in which ICTs have been used to respond to these challenges at one Indian higher education institution. Academic preparedness Students from disadvantaged educational backgrounds as well students from privileged backgrounds generally enter higher education with gaps in the knowledge and skills required for studying particularly in key areas such as mathematics (Paras, 2001, Howie Pietersen, 2001) and science. Given the pressure to increase the diversity of the student population of Indian higher education, assessing students potential for success in higher education has gained increasing importance, particularly since the school-leaving certificate is currently viewed as an inadequate measure of a students potential for success in higher education. In a country such as India, for instance, school-leaving certification has had aparticularly unreliable relationship with higher education academic performance especiallyin cases where this certification intersects with factors such as mother tongue versusmedium-of instruction differences, inadequate school backgrounds and demographicvariables such as race and socio-economic status (Yeld, 2001; Badha, et al, 1986;Scochet, 1986; Potter Jamotte, 1985). (Cliff et al., 2003) Alternative placement tests have therefore been used in conjunction with school-leaving certificates to admit students with potential into higher education studies (Cliff et al., 2003). Consequently, many of these students may be under-prepared in that they may not possess the necessary language or mathematical proficiencies required for higher education or may have gaps in the foundational disciplinary knowledge. Furthermore, university tasks present challenges for under-prepared students (Hardman Ngambi, 2003). Although support programmes to address academic under-preparedness of students from both advantaged as well as disadvantaged groups are offered at many Indian higher education institutions, they are resource intensive. It is therefore worth paying attention to additional resources and expertise offered by educational technology. Multilingualism in a first language environment India is a multilingual society with 11 official languages. This diversity is reflected in the student population of Indian higher education institutions. A recent study by Czerniewicz Brown (2005) on higher education students and academic staffs access to and use of computers in five Indian universities found that 39% of respondents spoke English as a home language and 54% spoke other languages. At the University of Cape Town, on average 65% of the student population declared English as their first language while 35% have home languages in the other Indian official languages and other international languages (Spiegel et al., 2003). English is therefore a second or foreign language for many Indian higher education students. In most black Indian schools, English as a subject is taught as a second language. Higher education students from disadvantaged educational backgrounds therefore have to learn in their second or third language. A considerable body of research (Cummins, 1996; Gee, 1990) has shown that language and academic success are closely related and that academic language proficiency is far more difficult to acquire in a second language. Students learning in their second or third language are therefore at a disadvantage which is compounded by poor schooling background. The relationship between language and academic success is reflected in the throughput rates of English second language students when compared to the throughput rates of English first language students. At the University of Cape Town, for example, the difference in throughput rates between English first language and second language students in 2002 was more than 20% in several degrees/programmes (Spiegel et al., 2003). Large classes The growth of mass higher education has made large classes an endemic feature of several courses at higher education institutions. Large class sizes make it difficult for teachers to employ interactive teaching strategies (Nicol Boyle, 2003) or to gain insight into the difficulties experienced by students. Large classes pose problems for all students but students who are under-prepared are particularly affected. It is these contexts that provide useful opportunities for educational technologies. Curriculum design Curriculum design is a relatively under-engaged area within higher education debate, policy formulation and practices (Barnett Coate, 2005). Pressure to transform curricula at a macrolevel to the needs of industry and the economy in India is reflected in the National commission on higher educations policy framework (1996) for higher education transformation. There is a strong inclination towards closed-system disciplinary approaches andprogrammes that has led to inadequately contextualised teaching and research. Thecontent of the knowledge produced and disseminated is insufficiently responsive to theproblems and needs of the African continent, the southern African region, or the vastnumbers of poor and rural people in our society.In response to policy intentions, Indian higher education has implemented a curriculum restructuring policy aimed at the development of inter- or multidisciplinary degree programmes (Moore, 2003). While policy has resulted in curriculum shifts on a macro le vel, curricula contents at a micro-level are driven by disciplinary specialists. Undergraduate curricula remain predominantly theoretical but require that students have some knowledge of the contexts to make sense of theory. In this paper, we are concerned with the way in which ICTs can play a role in shaping curriculum design at the micro-level. ICTs open up new ways of accessing information thereby changing the relationships between students and between students and their teachers. Access to primary sources in the form of video, audio and photographs which may be contained in digital archives have the potential to influence the content of curricula because it makes previously inaccessible information available. In addition, ICTs enable lecturers to transform their teaching practices by facilitating student-student discussion and collaboration or by simulating ‘real-world problems thus providing students with authentic learning experiences. In this section, we discussed some of the teaching and learning challenges experienced by educators and students in higher education. In the next section, we examine the role of educational technology in responding to these challenges and provide some examples. RESPONDING TO THE CHALLENGES Since the teaching and learning challenges are multi-faceted, multi-pronged approaches are needed in order to attempt to solve some of these problems. Dede (1998) postulates: [] information technology is a cost-effective investment only in the context of a systemicreform. Unless other simultaneous innovations in pedagogy, curriculum, assessment, andschool organization are coupled to the usage of instructional technology, the time and effortexpended on implementing these devices produces few improvements in educationaloutcomes and reinforces many educators cynicism about fads based on magicalmachines. We infer from Dede that there are several inter-related factors that influence improvements in educational outcomes. Thus together, pedagogy, curriculum, assessment and organisation contribute to bringing about improvements in the educational process. Although educational technology is not the panacea for educational challenges, it does leverage and extend traditional teaching and learning activities in certain circumstances and hence has the potential to impact on learning outcomes. Knapper (2001) argues that: [] technology may be a good solution for some instructional problems, and in some casesit may be a partial solution. But in other instances technology does little to address thefundamental teaching and learning issue or even worse provides a glitzy butinappropriate solution to a problem that has simply been misconstrued. (Knapper, 2001:94) The trick is to identify situations where educational technology will be appropriate and when and how to use educational technology in these situations. There are times where technology may not be useful and may indeed be counter-productive. However, there are many times when educational technology offers a solution for problems that would be difficult, cumbersome or impossible to resolve in a face-to-face environment. Numerous manuals, websites and articles have been devoted to suggesting, explaining and modelling the ways that educational technology can be used to support teaching and learning. We agree with Laurillard (2001) that it is important that educational technology-based resources be appropriately matched to both teaching and learning activities. Table 1 adapted from Laurillard (2001) usefully explains how educational technology can be integrated into the curriculum. Laurillards guidelines are useful in that they provide a framework which relates ICT-based resources to particular teaching and learning activities. The guidelines therefore suggest particular uses of ICT for particular teaching and learning situations. The effectiveness of ICTs for teaching and learning, however, is largely dependent on how much the context is understood. Thus, there is a need to relate educational technology to actual challenges experienced by both students and lecturers in the Indian educational context. OHagan (1999) suggests that educational technology can be used to present and provide content, assess students learning, provide feedback, scaffold student learning and enable peer-to-peer collaborative learning. The choice of appropriate teaching and learning activities is dependent on a range of factors such as the curriculum or course objectives; i.e. the purpose of the teaching and learning, the educators preferred teaching approach, the learning styles of the student and the nature of the curriculum content. Although we advocate that teachers should use the teaching approach that suits their paradigm of teaching and learning, we believe that the use of educational technology provides teachers with opportunities for traversing an entire continuum of possibilities as may be appropriate to their teaching needs. Educational technology creates affordances for a range of different teaching and learning activities which the teacher may not have used or considered. Table 1: Teaching and learning events and associated media forms Responding to the challenges: examples from curriculum projects The affordances of educational technologies provide ways of being sensitive to wide-ranging and differing learning needs. In this section, we describe some curriculum projects that have attempted to respond to some of the educational challenges faced by students at the University of Cape Town (UCT). For the sake of brevity only overviews are provided. Using interactive spreadsheets to develop mathematical literacy skills As discussed above, many under-prepared students entering university have potential but do not possess the relevant mathematical literacy skills required for certain courses (Frith et al., 2004). These students are often expected to pursue an extended undergraduate degree programme that offers additional support to address mathematical literacy skills. In this case, the teaching challenge is that of finding ways of developing students mathematical literacy skills. Selfcontained interactive spreadsheet-based tutorials were developed for use on the mathematical literacy support courses at UCT and were used in conjunction with face-to-face lectures. A typical tutorial consisted of interactive presentation of relevant mathematics content, examples and exercises. Students were able to work at their own pace and receive immediate feedback. Frith et al. (2004: 163) found that ‘while the lecture room tutorial taught students how to calculate the various statistics, the computer tutoria l was more effective in giving them an understanding of the concepts and they retained better what they had learned. This effect, they argue, is possible due to the shift in emphasis in the computer-based tutorials away from mechanical calculations to demonstrating conceptual understanding. This curriculum project illustrates how educational technology was used to complement teaching and learning and to support the development of students mathematical literacy skills. Using educational technology to develop academic literacy in an economics course Economics at university level poses particular difficulties for students since lecturers assume prior knowledge of the economy. Unfortunately, many students from previously disadvantaged communities have very limited knowledge of the economy at the start of their university careers. Under-prepared first year students encounter further difficulties due to a lack of academic literacy skills. The Industry Research Project (Carr et al., 2002) was designed to address economic literacy while simultaneously dealing with language and communication skills of UCT economic students. Interactive excel spreadsheets in conjunction with short writing tasks in the form of online discussions, short essays, reports and presentations were used in academic development economics courses at UCT. These tasks or activities provided a range of opportunities for students to develop understanding of economic discourses through writing in economics. Although Carr et al. (2002: 5) found it difficult to measure t he impact of these tutorials, which formed a small part of the first year economics curriculum, they observed that the interactive spreadsheets were effective teaching tools in that tutors were able to focus students attention on economics issues rather than procedural issues and that the quality of articles produced by students improved due to the online feedback provided during the process of drafting articles online. This curriculum project demonstrates the use of educational technology in conjunction with face-to-face activities in addressing students academic literacy skills. Using educational technology to manage tutorials in large classes Commercial-Off-The-Shelf (COTS) based tutorials system called MOVES were developed around Excel and Word to teach computer literacy to first year Information System students at UCT. MOVES incorporated computer-assisted marking techniques and provided feedback to lecturers and students. The significance of this project is that it typifies the problems of teaching a large and diverse class. The computer literacy levels of these students are diverse, with some students not havingtouched a computer before to students who have had home computer and internet facilitiessince the age of five. The immediate challenge this diversity poses on teaching is that it isnot practical to pitch the lecture at an appropriate level to meet all students at their level ofknowledge. The other challenge is in providing feedback messages that are relevant anduseful to individual students. (Ngambi Seymour, 2004: 255). Ngambi and Seymour (2004: 257) report that the MOVES tutorials saved time for tutors since tutorials were marked and results captured electronically, lecturers had access to student performance and students found the immediate feedback useful in that misconceptions could be dealt with immediately. The significance of this project is that it illustrates how educational technology is used to facilitate teaching and learning in large classes. Influencing curriculum design Many university courses are theory driven and assume that students have knowledge or real world experience and can therefore make the links between theory and practice. Students often have limited experience or practical knowledge and therefore have difficulty in understanding theory. Deacon et al. (2005) report on the use of educational technology to simulate film editing. The Directors Cut was produced and used in a Film and Media course at UCT to provide students with insights into the practical processes involved in filmmaking without engaging in the actual process of editing. Exposing students to actual editing is expensive and impractical in a large course. The intervention provided individual students with an authentic learning environment through a simulation. Students sequenced film clips, hence simulating the role of an editor through a simplified version of the editing process. In this way, the focus is on key learning aspects of film narrative and spectatorship and linked theory to the ‘practice of film editing. Similarly, Carr et al. (2004) report on an International Trade bargaining simulation developed for an economics course where students assumed the role of national trade negotiators representing specific countries. Lecturers and tutors assumed the role of World Trade Organisation (WTO) officials in a semi-authentic process designed to teach students negotiation and bargaining skills similar to those required by professional trade negotiators. The two projects reported here exemplify ways in which educational technology was used to impact on the design of the respective curricula by providing students with experiences which are difficult to provide in face-to-face environments. CONCLUSION Indian universities face increasing pressure from government to meet the needs of social transformation in education. Indian government policy on social transformation in education requires increasing the representation of Black Indians and women among students and graduates and significantly improving the graduation rates and throughput of Black Indian students. Given the social-historical context of India, meeting the educational challenges associated with this noble goal requires re-conceptualisation of how educational technologies are applied so as to make an impact. The paper has proposed a model for teaching and learning activities that are associated with media forms. The model has been substantiated with examples of the application of educational technologies to teaching mathematical literacy, academic literacy, management of large classes, and ways of influencing curriculum design. Our argument is that technology alone is not a solution to the educational challenges faced in India. The challenges lie in identifying and conceptualising ways that educational technology can usefully contribute to student learning experiences, curriculum and pedagogical designs. The paper demonstrates and argues that educational technology has a key role to play in Indian higher education as one of the strategies for addressing teaching and learning concerns. This challenges learning designers to rethink the role of educational technology within broader educational interventions that are shaped by educational needs rather than being technologically driven.