American Religion: The Puritans and the Quakers

In the mid-1500's, England saw a new trend in the way people worshipped and practiced religion. The new movement called â€Å"Puritanism,† called for a life lived simply and spent in prayer, listening to sermons and worship in Church. The Puritans lived seriously and believed that celebrations such as holidays like Christmas and Easter as well as the arts like music and dance were unnecessary trappings to have in life. They believed that people should only be concerned about â€Å"godly† ways and plain living in order to reach heaven. This presented problems at that time for Queen Elizabeth.In those years, the queen was tasked with stabilizing the country and decided that to do this, England had to have a comprehensive Church that could accommodate the views of both the Protestants and the conservative Catholics (Emerson 18). Therefore, it was decided that the Church of England teach doctrines that would be acceptable to the Protestants and at the same time keep alive t he Catholic traditions used in worship. The compromise did not quite sit well as hoped. The Puritans believed that in religious worship, only the spiritual doctrines were the only things that were important.All other external articles such as ministry vestments were not only unnecessary but could be taken as evil. The Conservatives however, defended the use of such vestments as traditional symbols of status and identification. Due to differences of opinion with regard to the way worship and the Episcopal structure is conducted in the Anglican Church, separatist and underground groups were formed with the object of seeking reform in the religious practices. Due to conflicts that usually arise where there is a difference of opinion, some Puritans decidedto leave England and settle in North America. It was in 1620 that the ship the Mayflower docked and the first Puritans came to settle in Massachusetts (Barbour, and Frost 5) One of the other Reformist groups was called the Quakers. Unl ike the Puritans, the Quakers believed that religious worship was a personal and individual thing that did not require any intermediary in the form of leaders, priests or ministers. Like the Puritans, the Quakers also suffered the consequences of conflict and therefore some decided to migrate and settle in America as well.It was in 1677 that a group of Quakers led by William Penn set foot on North American soil and settled in the state of Pennsylvania. This settlement of opposing religious groups would have significant effect on the way religion is practiced and how other differing faiths would be treated. The Quakers held meetings were people gathered to sit quietly to reflect and pray in silence. They only spoke up when they feel God wanted to, and this privilege was open to both men and women. They practiced their faith by action always looking out to help the poor and establish peace.They also campaigned for women's rights as well as that of the Native Americans. Despite their s imilarities in terms of experience of persecution in England, subsequent emigration to America and ideals of a Utopia brought about by spiritual living, the fundamental beliefs of both groups differed thoroughly. Whereas the Puritans insisted on strict hierarchies, conformity to religion and the singular importance of doctrine, the Quakers propagated tolerance for all religions and races. They supported pacifism in the search for peace and equality with women in spiritualism.The Quakers also believed that doctrine takes second place to an individual's â€Å"inner light. † This kind of thinking angered the Puritans so much that any Quaker who was caught trying to preach in Massachusetts was either tortured or executed (Hall 130) Such was the treatment experienced by female Quaker preachers Ann Austin and Mary Fisher (Jones, Sharpless, and Gummere 27) who tried to preach to the Puritan community in Boston in 1656. Upon arrival at Boston harbor, their luggage were seized and sea rched for â€Å"heretical and blasphemous doctrines.† The women themselves were taken to prison and stripped before being confined in total darkness. It was only later that the captain of the ship that brought them was compelled to take them back to Barbados. These all happened despite the lack of any law declaring being a Quaker as illegal. Governor Endicott who was away from Boston at that time even said that had he been there, the women would never have been freed without some whipping. Later investigations as to why Boston was so hostile to the women reveal:It must be said in the first place that the judgment of the officials, and particularly of the ministers, in the Massachusetts Colony had been seriously prejudiced by rumours and accounts that had preceded the arrival of the two women. Anti-Quaker pamphlets had already come from the press in great numbers, and they were unsparing in their accounts of the new â€Å"heresy. † Some of these pamphlets were written b y ministers who, either before or after the publication of their attack, were settled in New England and were in high repute there. (Jones, Sharpless, and Gummere 29)Modern studies also reveal that the Puritans believed that the Quakers brought with them discord, rebellion and witchcraft that threatened to undermine the sanctity of the Puritan community. Because the Quaker tenets were so opposed to that of the Puritans, Quakers were viewed to represent a new spiritual empire that threatened to overthrow the spiritual empire which the Puritan in strict religious fervor was building. Another main difference between the Puritan and Quaker settlers was their treatment and dealings with the Native Americans.Due to their belief that every human being was born with the â€Å"inner light,† the Quakers treated the Native Americans as friends and equals. In his â€Å"Letter to the Lenni Lenape Indians,† William Penn states: â€Å"†This great God has written his law in our hearts, by which we are taught and commanded to love and help and do good to one another, and not to do harm and mischief one unto another. â€Å"† â€Å"†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ I have great love and regard toward you, and I desire to win and gain your love and friendship by a kind, just, and peaceable life; and the people I send are of the same mind, and shall in all things behave themselves accordingly.And if in anything any shall offend you or your people, you shall have a full and speedy satisfaction for the same by an equal number of honest men on both sides, that by no means you may have just occasion of being offended against them. â€Å"† (Soderlund 88) The Puritans on the other hand, viewed the polytheistic and unorganized nature of religion in addition to the â€Å"inadequate† clothing of the Native Americans as â€Å"sinful. † With their literal translation of the Bible, the Puritans viewed the Native Americans' regard for everything living in additio n to the one â€Å"Great Spirit† as idolatry.The Puritans also believed that only a select group of people was chosen by God to join Him in heaven. The Native Americans believed that in all men, were equally good in the â€Å"Great Spirit's sight. † The difference between the Puritan and Native American view of sin didn't help either. While the Puritans looked at man as â€Å"evil,† and life was only a temporary transit before the more important and worthy life with God, the Native Americans believed that man was made up of both good and evil and that life in the present was no different from the afterlife.(Culture Clash: The Puritans and the Native Americans) Both the beliefs fostered by the Puritans and the Quakers contributed greatly to ideals of America as it is today. The value of hard work, discipline and steadfastness promoted by the Puritans in conjunction with the equality and emancipation brought by the Quaker attitude of tolerance for race, gender and religion, are just a few contributing factors that has made America society the way it is today. Works Cited Barbour, Hugh, and J.William Frost. The Quakers. New York: Greenwood Press, 1988. Questia. 18 Sept. 2007 . â€Å"Culture Clash: The Puritans and the Native Americans. † 123HelpMe. com. 18 Sep 2007 . Emerson, Everett. Puritanism in America, 1620-1750. Boston: Twayne Publishers, 1977. Questia. 18 Sept. 2007 . Hall, Thomas Cuming. The Religious Background of American Culture.Boston: Little, Brown, and Company, 1930. Questia. 18 Sept. 2007 . Jones, Rufus M. , Isaac Sharpless, and Amelia M. Gummere. The Quakers in the American Colonies. London: Macmillan, 1911. Questia. 18 Sept. 2007 . Soderlund, Jean.. ,†Handwritten Letter to the Indians (Lenni Lenape)† William Penn and the Founding of Pennsylvania, a Documentary History. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 1983

San Diego School System

Question 1: What is the appropriate discount rate for a government agency such as the San Diego City Schools? The appropriate discount rate should be determined from the federal risk free interest rate plus a small risk premium. The federal risk free interest rate in 2002 averaged 5. 4%. Using this as the base, a government agency other than the federal government would need to add a small risk premium to compensate investors for the additionalrisk associated with being a school district instead of the federal government. San Diego would also need to add additional compensation to account for tax factors. With these factors in mind, San Diego should use a discount factor of approximately 7. 8% (5. 4% risk free rate + . 5% risk premium + 1. 9% tax compensation). Question 2: Calculate the ROI for San Diego’s ERP system. How can you quantify the soft benefits of the system and include them in the analysis? The soft benefits can be quantified through creative assumptions. These assumptions can come from experiences others had when implementing similar solutions or from drawing on similarities between other quantifiable benefits. Other principals compared their successful implementation like receiving an additional recruiting team, valued at $320K/year, this can be used as the estimate for Weiman’simproved recruiting due to the HR solution. Likewise, SDCS spent $400k/year on an internal audit team to provide access to HR data, this team could be disbanded with the implementation of an HR solution leading to a $400k/year benefit. Improved employee morale and productivity could be measured by a lower turnover rate, leading to lower training costs and recruitment costs, as well as higher output rates leading to lower clerical demands and improved service. {draw:frame} Question 3: With the information you have access to, what should Weimann present and recommend at the board meeting? Specifically, would you recommend going forward with the HR system implementation? If not, what alternatives would you suggest? Currently, payroll is managed through paper time cards and time sheets, leading to errors and wasted hours for correction. Over twenty eight different forms are used to process various pay actions. With an ERP HR solution, these forms could be simplified, transitioned to paperless and would become more convenient as a result. The ERP HR solution would also result in fewer errors, with employees checking in and out through the system instead of paper cards. Employees would also be able to frequently check their timecard and make payroll aware of any errors, before paychecks were distributed eliminating, or greatly reducing, the need for any out of period paychecks which increased payroll processing costs dramatically. Employee benefits are currently handled by the benefits department which also monitors payments by employees and the benefits status of each employee. With an ERP solution, employees could be held responsible for their own payments and ensure good standing by monitoring their accounts. Question 4: What are the risks associated with the project? Would you advise the school board of these risks? As presenting the program to the school board, risks would be brought up in order to ensure no corners were cut after initial implementation. In would be advised and urged that the risks of implementation are natural and inevitable with any technological system. As with any ERP system, many setbacks will be crossed. However, the benefits clearly outweigh the risks and should implementation succeed, the school board will greatly benefit with long term cost reductions.

What Are the Advantages of Jpepa?

Republic of the Philippines Department of Education Region IV – A CALABARZON Division of Laguna District of Liliw LILIW CENTRAL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL Liliw SUMMATIVE TEST IN SCIENCE VI I. Write the letter of the correct answer. _____1. Why plants called producers? They _____________. a. Consume food b. Make their own food c. Provide food for other organisms d. All of the above ______ 2. Why animals called consumers? They ______________. a. Do not eat plants b. Produce their own food c. Depend on other plants food d. Depend on plants for protection ______ 3.Which of the following can cause dead plants and animals to decay and turn into useful substances? a. Mosses b. Producers c. Consumers d. Decomposers ______ 4. Which of these materials is NOT needed during photosynthesis? a. Carbon dioxide b. Water c. Sunlight d. Oxygen _______ 5. The transfer of food energy from the producers to a series of consumer is called a. Food web b. Food chain c. Food cycle d. All of the above ________ 6. Plant gives off______ which animals and human beings breathe in order to live. a. Carbon dioxide b. Oxygen c. Carbon monoxide d. Hydrogen ________ 7.What activity can disturb the carbon dioxide oxygen cycle in an aquarium? a. Placing enough amount of water. b. Placing equal amount of plants and fishes. c. Putting too many fishes with small amount of plants. d. Placing the aquarium in a place where there is enough sunlight. ________ 8. Which is the correct sequence of organisms in a food chain? a. Rice grain chick hawk decomposers b. Chick hawk rice grains decomposers c. Hawk rice grains decomposers chicks d. Rice grains decomposers chick hawk ________ 9.What does a food web show? It shows a. A series of food links b. The role of the consumers c. A series of eating activities d. An interlink among food chain ________ 10. What is the role of producers in a food chain? a. They make their own food. b. They feed primary consumers. c. They replace nutrients in the soil. d. They provide oxygen in the air. ________ 11. Photosynthesis is performed by a. Herbivores b. Producers c. Primary consumers d. decomposers _________ 12. The role or profession of an organism in an ecosystem is its a. Habitat b. Consumption c. Ecological niche d. Production _________13.What happens in a food chain? a. Energy is lost to the air. b. Energy is transferred from producer to consumer. c. Energy is transferred from consumer to producer. d. Energy is increased from consumer to another consumer. _________14. Why are decomposers important? a. They break down complex wastes into simple materials. b. They provide carbon dioxide and oxygen to the soil. c. They deplete the soil of nitrogen and other minerals. d. They make the soil dry. _________15. What is transferred in a food web? a. Parasites b. Predators c. Energy d. Water II. Fill in the blanks. Choose your answer from the list below. 6. Plants are called_______________________ because they manufacture their own food. 17. _______________ ___ shows the path way of food from producers to a series of consumers. 18. When several food chains are interwoven and taking place in a particular community, a ___________________ results. 19. The chemical energy of food taken from the plants is trans fomed in the bodies of ______________________. 20. The_____________ is the main source of energy for all living things. ———————– Consumer Producers Sun Food Chain Food Web

American Environment History Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

American Environment History - Essay Example These environmental events were selected for these distinctively exhibit the impacts of socio-political and technological activities affect the natural environment. However, this paper acknowledges its limitations as there are other significant environmental phenomenon across the history of the U.S. Dust Bowl The Dust Bowl in the U.S. during the 1930s was an environmental disaster characterized by the erosion of the large portion of the Great Plains. Dust storms have brushed off top soils resulting in a 75 percent loss of the original land in the 1940s (Hornbeck 2012). This phenomenon affected Oklahoma, New Mexico, Kansas, Colorado, and Texas, whose lands dried up and blown away. Simply, the drought in this area caused the soil to dry up and converted into dust (Heinrichs 7). The Dust Bowl phenomenon has caused massive damages to the lives, properties, and livelihood of the people in the Great Plains during the 20th century. This environmental catastrophe may be associated with the i ncreasing development of the country. Prior to the incident, the Great Plains was considered to be a conducive area for living. Thus, human civilization and activities transformed the grassland into settlements (Porter 20). This is the first manifestation of how technology and advancement may reshape the conditions of the environment. Further activities and development in the area includes the rise of their economy, whereby encouraging the increase of population. As people inhabited the area, technological advancements like trains and farming activities were visible and increasing in the Great Plains (Porter 20). These human activities together with the improper land use contributed to the existence of the Dust Bowl. Again, this demonstrates how advancements and industrialization affect the environment. In effect of these poor practices and the drought, dusts were wiped of the land surface that covered most of the Plains. This has damaged agricultural land and domestication, which i n turn impact the lives and livelihood of many families in the Plains. Hence, food production in the area has become very difficult. For instance, 50 percent of the cattle in the Great Plains were destroyed while the others were given to the Federal Surplus Relief Corporation as it has become unfit for consumption (Timeline). Nuclear Power Generation Nuclear power is a technological advancement from aid communities in generating electricity at a low cost. According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency, nuclear energy or power stems from the â€Å"splitting of uranium† or fission, which in turn will produce steam to generate electricity. In the U.S., commercial nuclear power has been one of the most important sources of electricity with a 20 percent contribution to the country’s electricity source from the 90s to today (Rogers 6). Although nuclear power generation has less utilization, it cannot be denied that nuclear power has adverse impacts to the env ironment, which is evident in the environment in the 20th to the early 21st century. However, the country still continues to maximize nuclear power due to low operational costs and high reliability. This technological advancement impacts the environment through thermal pollution. That is, nuclear reactors is capable of producing â€Å"waste heat† (Hester and Harrison 93-94). A nuclear power plant may produce 50 percent more heat than

Report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 25

Report - Essay Example Global oil prices significantly fell sharply over the past nine months and this lead to considerable reduction in revenue for many countries exporting the product. The prices have fallen from an all time high of $110 a barrel to a low of $60 a barrel, a significant difference if $50 for a barrel. The trend in the fall of price of oil per barrel is likely to continue as the produced countries have resisted attempts to reduce the production that may increase the price of oil. Economists point to the surge in the United States production and tame economic growth in many countries as the leading causes of the oil price fall. The dynamic nature of oil prices in history has often been linked to stock prices. The ultimate way to validate, the assertion that the stock prices can be the result of changes in oil prices is only through empirical research. Most of the research on the relationship between these two variables are normally in the Western developed countries, and yet oil forms a sig nificant part of the economy of the GCC countries (Alabdulwahab, 2008). The relationship between changes in oil prices and stock markets in GCC countries are important for other significant reasons, other than the one mentioned above. These reasons include the specific characters of their GCC stock markets demands a deep understanding of the underlying oil to equity market relationship (Asia, 2012). The Gulf Cooperation Council, formed in 1981, and it comprises the six countries of UAE, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Qatar, and Kuwait (Arouri, Bellalah and Nguyen, 2011). This paper is a report that shall present the manner in which the changes in oil prices affect the performance of stock markets of the GCC countries Markets in the GCC have reacted sharply to the changes in the oil prices from July 214 to January this year. The last time the prices of oil peaked was September, and since that day the price of oil has fallen drastically by more than fifty

International Trade Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

International Trade - Essay Example Political realities do influence international trade. Countries that are facing political instability are most avoided for trade as there is great deal of uncertainty there, nobody knows when their policies do get amended and the trading partner has to face loss. Trade barriers such as tariffs and quotas are other political tools that are used by governments to control the amount and composition of international trade happening in their economy (Oh & Reuveny, 2010). There are also some countries that avoid much trade with each other due to their rivalry and differences that eventually affect their economies. India and Pakistan, besides being neighboring countries avoid much trade with each other. However, unofficial trade continues between them for many years amounting around billions of dollars. US has imposed embargo over Cuba (Schwab, 1999); at the same time ongoing trade between mainland China and Taiwan shows an example that trade can even flourish even in the presence of hostile relations (Yu, 1997). This world has now become a global village and there is huge interdependence of countries on one another. Under developed, developing and developed nations all require trade with each other to grow, sustain and flourish their nations. Importance of no nation can be undermine thus limitations of political influence is a better idea. As for today, no nation can survive and grow in isolationism (Fioretos,

Emotional intelligence- emotional intelligence vs. IQ in effective Research Paper

Emotional intelligence- emotional intelligence vs. IQ in effective mangers - Research Paper Example As it has always been, academic excellence has always been stressed as an appropriate preparation for an individual to make it life. Emotion on the other hand has been traditionally viewed as a weakness and irrelevant. It has been traditionally thought that emotion has no bearing nor use in professional endeavor and as such, been relegated as inferior to IQ especially in a workplace setting where leadership and management has always been equated with problem solving. This has been the case until EQ was introduced that it is now beginning to change the paradigms about leadership and work efficacy. II. Literature Review The idea of Emotional Intelligence can be first traced on the work of Thorndike (1920) who theorized that intelligence is not only confined to academics but also includes emotional and social component (qtd. in Mandell & Pherwarni, 2003). Later, investigators like Guilford (1967) and H. Eysenck (1995) presented that intelligence is such a multifaceted construct that it is composed of one hundred and twenty varying types of intelligence (qtd. in Lyusin, 2006). In 1971, Shanley, Walker, and Foley (1971) already hypothesized that social intelligence was distinct from academic intelligence, but could not support it with empirical evidence that emotional intelligence is a separate construct. This was later provided by Howard Gardner when he articulated his theory of multiple intelligences categorizing it as intra personal and interpersonal intelligences within within the framework of multiple intelligences (Gardner, 1983). His concept on intrapersonal intelligence or the capacity and competence to understand one’s self and apply it effectively in its relationship to others and in life in general as articulated in his concept on interpersonal intelligence served as the basic building block upon which future theorists built their research on (Carmeli & Josman, 2006). Gardner also proposed that there are eight types of intelligences that includes à ¢â‚¬Å"spatial, musical, intrapersonal, interpersonal, bodily—kinesthetic, naturalistic, and the traditional academic intelligence: linguistic and logical-mathematical. . . Later, Riggio, Murphy and Pirozzolo (2002) propose that these multiple forms of intelligence are possessed by effective leaders and these allow leaders to respond successfully to a range of situations† (Mandel and Pherwani, 2003:388). It was however Peter Salovey and John Mayer who formally developed the term â€Å"emotional intelligence† which landed its model in the field of Psychology that researchers later expaned on. The first version of the model was defined as the as the â€Å"the ability to monitor one’s own and other’s feelings and emotions, to discriminate among them, and to use this information to guide one’s thinking and action† (Salovey and Mayer, 1990 qtd. In Lyusin, 2006: 55). It was interpreted as a complex construct consisting of three types of abili ties; (1) the identification and expression of emotion as; (2) the regulation of emotions; and (3) the application of emotional information to thinking and action (Lyusin, 2006:55). This was later clarified by Mayer and Salovey that emotions contain information on how people or objects could connect at them (Mayer et al., 2001). The ability of connecting these emotions has led Salovey and Mayer to identify the four components of emotional intellig

Starting a Four-day Workweek Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Starting a Four-day Workweek - Assignment Example Several organizations have used it, and it is already proving to be successful in achieving its purpose and benefits. One of the companies that offer cosmetic products and a four-day workweek for its employees is Advanced Dermatology and Cosmetic Surgery Company. The company offers facials, waxing, cleansers, muscle relaxers, general skin care products, and several other cosmetic services (Advanced Dermatology and Cosmetic Surgery Company, 2015). Apart from cosmetic and skincare products, the company also offers cosmetic surgery. The company has an accredited surgery facility used to perform facelift surgery for outpatients under anaesthesia to improve the skin. The areas of the skin that are sagging are accessed by incision through the ear and the airline. According to Indeed, a company offering job search database, Advanced Dermatology and Cosmetic Surgery Company in Ormond Beach Florida, USA likes the four-day workweek because it leads to improved work-life balance and flexible work schedule, leading to higher productivity at the workplace (Indeed, 2015). Following this example, Skin Essentials can provide its employees with four-day workweek. My recommendation is that the policy should be implemented immediately so that employees can establish a work-life balance as soon as possible, and achieve energy-saving opportunity by reducing use of fuel on driving and commuting to the workplace.

A Stranger to Marxs Estranged Labor Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

A Stranger to Marxs Estranged Labor - Essay Example Karl Marx's Theory of Alienation gives us an idea about the dehumanizing effects of capitalism that affects the worker in the society. Marx's idea of worker alienation pertains to the worker being deprived of all his fundamental human qualities as a result of the production process.As the society develops, people become alienated and estranged from his work, his being, and his society. In his essay â€Å"Estranged Labor† from the Economic and Philosophical Manuscripts of 1844, Marx saw how the whole society must falls apart into two classes — property owners and propertyless workers. As a writer and journalist struggling to make a living, his observations on Germany’s poor and oppressive condition greatly influenced his writing ideas (Wheen, 2001). Marx saw how rich factory owners have set antagonistic conditions towards workers who are subjected to a mechanized process of production. He argues that in contrast to the pre-capitalist period wherein the worker owns the means and ways of production, the workers in capitalist societies have no control over the entire production process. As a result, Marx observed that â€Å"the object which labor produces confronts as something alien† because the product does not belong to the worker anymore. This paper aims to examine the capitalist society’s alienation of the worker and how our modern society alienates the worker from his product, its labor process, from his fellow workers and eventually from himself. By looking at the four aspects of alienation, I will be able to examine and apply his ideas in relation to my work. In this way, I will be able to verify the truthfulness of his ideas in my own experiences at the workplace. Estranged Labor: The Wordplay The word â€Å"estranged† is peculiar. It’s from a late 15th century old French word estranger which means â€Å"to treat as a stranger† or extraneus in Latin (Barnhart, 1988). Nowadays however, the word has tak en a different form to mean from â€Å"being removed from customary environment or associations† to a more interesting definition â€Å"to arouse especially mutual enmity or indifference in where there had formerly been love, affection, or friendliness† (Mirriam-Webster, 2011). It is this later form that Marx uses in his theories, and what he thinks will eventually lead to the uprising of the workers. From Small Shop Owners to Factory Workers The idea about the worker being alienated from the product, the process, his fellow workers and eventually from himself is understandable. In pre-capitalist society a worker would start his day by producing his own goods at his shop. It could be a weapon, a shoe, a tool or a simple an agricultural commodity. He would set out in his own speed and choice of production process. He would be able to change his production method or style as he communicated with his buyers. He would choose a payment to satisfy his own simple lifestyle an d to make sure that he had enough money to function in society. If he needed more money he might improve his products, perhaps develop new designs or qualities to enhance the function of his product. He would always be in close cooperation with the people around him and the society as he is greatly dependent upon them for the growth and development of his business. The kind of society I just described differs a great deal from the society we live in nowadays. Modern workers are not a part of the development process of the products they make. Usually, people produce things now in factories where they perform repetitive and closely monitored labor tasks by their managers and employers. This makes the entire process of work â€Å"impersonal† or â€Å"alien† to the worker. Worse, they are most often paid a low salary that does not reflect what they produce, but manages the capitalist to make a hefty profit. There would most often be fierce competition among fellow workers to get bonuses or a less meaningless job function. From this comparison over the state of workers in

Natural resistance mechanisms to HIV-1 infection Essay

Natural resistance mechanisms to HIV-1 infection - Essay Example There is currently no vaccine or cure for AIDS or HIV. The only known method is avoiding exposure of the virus. However a treatment known as post-exposure prophylaxis is believed to reduce the risk of infection if begun directly after exposure. Current treatment of HIV infection consists of highly active anti-retroviral therapy (HAART). This refers to combined therapy with three or more drugs, usually two that target the reverse transcriptase and one that targets the viral protease. Kimball's biology pages. 7 Oct. 2004. 24 Feb. 2007 Natural resistance to HIV can be considered at two levels: resistance to becoming infected with the virus and resistance to the virus if the person is already infected. The mechanisms of natural resistance in both cases are: Apoptosis. Apoptosis is a programmed death of the cells in multi-cells organism. During the HIV infection apoptosis is the main mechanism by which infected and uninfected CD4+ lymphocytes are eliminated. However apoptosis as a natural resistant mechanism to HIV infection has not been explored so far. Genetic factor.

History of Texas Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

History of Texas - Essay Example e Indians and the Spaniards, who then decided to adopt the encomienda system, which seemed to be less destructive to the Indians, but was exploitative in nature (Ewers 82). Initially, the Spanish priests and explorers had recorded thousands of ethnic groups who had dominated the region for approximately 300 years. The names of the ethnic groups changed frequently, and they ranged from 100 to 500 persons. In 1690, the population of Indians in Texas and North Eastern Mexico was estimated tom lie in between 86,100 and 999,000 people. 15,000 of the Indians used to live in the Rio Grande delta (Ewers 82). After the introduction of smallpox and slavery, the Coahuiltecans were decimated in the Monterrey region. Since the Spanish expansion was a remote one, the Coahuiltecans did not suffer significantly from the diseases that the Europeans introduced to them as well as the slave raids that they undertook in Northern Mexico. However, in 1718 after the mission that was carried out by the Franciscan Roman Catholic at San Antonio, the population of the Indians went down significantly because of the smallpox epidemics that began in 1739 (Ewers 83). Before 1825, most of the Indian ethnic groups had gone down, and those that remained were rapt by the Hispanic population that was situated in Texas as well as Mexico (Ewers 84). Therefore, it is evident that the introduction of epidemics to the Indians in Texas led to the elimination of the ethnic groups as well as their

My daughter smokes Essay Example for Free

My daughter smokes Essay We often think that refering people to supporting groups is enough to quit smoking, however how about if instead we educate them so that they wont even start smoking as walker mention peace on earth begins at home, meaning that we need to educate our children and surrounding about smoking and its concecuenses. Smoking not only causes health problems, it can also cause economic problems, and can harm those around you. Smoking can have many negative impacts regarding your health it can cause bronchitis, pneumonia, and emphysema. According to the center for disease control and prevention smoking causes 1 in 5 strokes in the United States, Menaning that a person that smokes has a higher risk of having a painful and agonizing death compare to a non-smoker person. Smoking can harm not only you but also those arounfd you. People who smoke in public make choicea for others. for example, when you smoke around a 5 year old tou are basically making a choice for them making them a second hand smoker. Also, when you start suffering smoking consequences you dont do it alone because you family will suffer along with you. In addition, smoking can not only cause health problems but economically as well. A packet of cigarettes cost o8.75 an avarage smoker smokes about 2 packets a day, which will make an average of 3200 to 6400 per year.this money can be used for food and or clothing. Also, because of the health problems that smoking will cause, smokers smokers will have to spend a alot of money on health care. In conclusion, we need to educate our familiar, and friends regarding smoking. Smoking its a very additive habit that will make you nicoti e dependent. Therefore when you try to quit it comes with withdrawal symptoms, to avoid withdrawal symtomps from smoking the best choice is to never start. Smoking will not only damege your health it will also damage you economically, and also thos around you.

Effect of Policy on Youth Offending Rates

Effect of Policy on Youth Offending Rates Introduction The purpose of this dissertation is to see if the government policy for youth offending has reduced the amount of youth offenders and also if government’s strategies are affective in order to tackle youth offending. Chapter 1 Define youth offending; what are youth offending and what crimes are classified as youth offending and what the major of youth crime activity is taken place. The change of crime in youths before and now. What is youth offending and what policies are used to deal with criminal activity youth offender. What types of crime are considered as offending for youth? What is Youth Offending?, Who Are Youth Offenders? Youth is considered in the criminal justice system a young person or child age from 10-17 as stated by the Youth justice board .A child or young person who breaks the Law and is guilty is classified as a youth offender. Youth crime can consist of different types of criminal actively such as anti- social behaviour, theft, assault and even murder. This is similar to adult crime as breaking the Law is considered as a criminal offence no matter the age. Youth crime can be proven to harm and be dangerous to the community. It could damage the future of the youth by having a life of crime. According to the House office Youth crime â€Å"harms communities, creates a culture of fear and damages the lives of some of our most vulnerable young people† (www.homeoffice.gov.uk) .The impact of youth crime has caused a disturbance within society which has resulted in policies changing quite often in order to overcome youth crime. Out of the youth justice system young could be a different margin for example from seventeen to twenty-one in general terms is classified as young In many countries crime committed by young people and children has become a major battle of politicians. Many politicians believe that youth offenders should be prepared to receive the punishment for the crime they have committed. According to (Simon,2000) â€Å" politicians across the political spectrum have demanded that if a young offenders are prepared to ‘do the crime’ they should also be prepared to ‘do the time’ and that in some cases they should do this ‘time in the same place as adults† (Pitts,J. (2003).) The government have become aware of youth offending and are taking it much more seriously the previously. Punishment has been considered is the main way youths should suffer the same as adults for the actions. Young people and crime have many similarities with the adult offenders. Both adult and youth may have a balance between â€Å"punishment, rehabilitation and deterrence and that between the rights and responsibilities (including the victims) of offender†. ( Pitts,J. (2003). p71) there are different types of sentences from discharges to custody and fines depending on the offence. The England and Wales criminal justice system identifies young people aged between ten and seventeen are classified as youth and are dealt with in a different justice system which is called the youth justice system. Youth offenders have its â€Å"own courts, custodial institutions, professional personnel and in many cases sentences† ( Kirton, D. (2005)) This has become the main part in the youth justice system as children and young people’s mentality and understanding are different to adults so therefore children and young people may not be fully aware and fully at fault for the offence. Youth justice system is a system created so treatment is the main priority of young people and children who are suffering from welfare and other problems as educational, poverty and drugs etc. The youth justice system would consider that the evidence regarding the youth offender and decided what is the best punishment or treatment need which is going to benefit the youth. This is done mainly to prevent the youth from offending again by tackling the problems before it could mean the youth is less likely to offend again. Some organisations consider twenty one year olds or even up to twenty five or thirty as young but according to the youth justice system over seventeen years of age is considered full responsible for the offence so the criminal justice system would deal with the case of over seventeen people. The youth justice believe that youths aged from ten to seventeen are not in the full state of mind compared to an adult for example if a ten year old was to kill someone they would not be liable for a first degree murder due to they cannot distinguish between right and wrong. some groups believe that youths who commit a offence should have the same punishments as adults and others believe that youths at ages from ten to seventeen cannot full be responsible for the action (Jamie bugler case two ten years old killed a child younger then them) Youth policies in the justice system regarding youth offending are mainly set by the government which have installed the youth justice board during the years of 1998 and 1999. Policies were set before by the government and still are mainly but the youth justice board is there to make sure organisations who are trying to prevent youth offending are doing their jobs. Policies such as the Crime and Disorder act in 1998 which was a policy set by the government to create multi-agency panels in order to achieve effectiveness and efficiency. Standards had to be achieved as it was consider as the biggest â€Å"shake up† in the youth justice system according to â€Å"Jack straw† (Pitts,J. (2003). P88). Policies could benefit for and against for example policies regarding social, economical, health and welfare were seen as the main policies for organisations who worked for youth offenders to apply such as the Treatment of youth offenders. Then policies regarding tougher punishments were put in to action now a more multi-agency with treatment and also punishment depending on evidence policy is present. Were it would be considered by a panel which would decided what would be the best method for the youth offender not to re-offend. The main policies regarding youth offenders are introduced by the government s rules and regulations for youth organisations, new legislations and Laws. The youth justice system was introduced policies in force were changing quite often as punishment was the main type of sentence but due to children and adults having their differences (mental, economical, knowledge). Duty of care for children and young people should be considered as from research according to Derek Kirton it could be said that many youth offenders suffer from poor welfare, economical issues, family, health and educational problems. Accoutring to the Home office statistics levels of youth offenders you have these problems are quite high. Punishment may not be considered the best method to help youths in welfare problems. As a result of this future policies changed in order to prevent youth offending by offering treatment instead of punishment. Policies may change depending on research and results as improvement may not be visible. The youth justice system is a system that is created to deal with young people who have offended as it is believed that the young should be treated differently for the offence as young people are not fully aware and knowledgeable as an adult. This system was first introduced in the nineteenth century as pressure from groups by the media, religious, and welfare believed that children are less aware of the offences they commit then an adult. Before the youth justice system was developed young people and children were no different to adults as youths would also be sentenced to the adult jail. After a short period of time when there was no differences for youths and adults, â€Å"industrial schools were introduced for seven to fourteen year olds convicted of vagrancy†( Pitts,J 2003).) as â€Å"Newborn 1995 † stated .these industrial schools were to keep youths out of adult prisons due to the level of corruption and brutality in the adult prisons. Youths and children would stay in the industrial school like it was a jail just for young people and children. The system for youths started to change even more as industrial schools started to expand and more children and young people were held there. As a result of this pressures from political groups due to the increasing level of crimes among youths was getting out of control and media and many off the public became aware of this. â€Å"Informal social controls and the drunkenness, vice, violence and crime to which gave rise† (Pitts,J 2003). It became a major scare as many believed that the justice system and other groups cannot control this crisis. As this crisis was mainly for social controls the media, police and politicians main priority was to control and to remove the crisis. As the level of crime was rising the method of the industrial schools should how unstable the policies and strategies were. it shows that the strategies and the policies of punishment is clearly not working as crime is escalating . During this time punishment was tough unlike today where children and young people have they own justice system and are not as tough on punishment as it was around two centuries ago. Then youths and children were punished similar as how adults were .The social controls were out of hand and it was decided by the government to create committees which would concentrate on the â€Å"treatment† (Pitts,J 2003)of the youth offender instead of punishment. The government created two committees which were â€Å"Gladstone committee and the Lushingto committee† (Pitts,J 2003) these committees were created to be less–tough on youths offenders as they believed that treatment instead of punishment would reduce crime. This may perhaps be that what the government wants to do deal with the problem before it occurs for example a child or young person may offend due to problems at home or even educational problems as a result the committees would try to help children or young people over come this problem as if not treated then a youth may be in a condition where they are not fully aware of offending (need example to back me up) custody was also introduced by the government as the offender could be confined. Treatment was also only offered if there was enough evidence to support the fact that the child was affected by any of the following sciences consisting of paediatrics, child psychology, criminology and penology. This was a newer form of youth justice introduced by the youth justice system, but responsibility was held by the juvenile courts according to (Pitts,J 2003). Chapter 2 Historical context of youth offending, what were the previous strategies and how were they implemented? What are the current strategies (ones that are used now) and what strategies are being considered for the future. What are the objectives of the strategies? The Youth Justice System. What it is, how it is used, the benefits and the weakness of the system. What are the objectives of the governments youth justice strategies. What objectives have been achieved and what are the aims of the government to achieve the target. Have the government met the objectives if so how The aim of the youth justice system is to reduce this major problem of youth crime by building safer communities and to tackle the problem of social exclusion (Home Office, 2008). Social exclusion has led individuals and groups to suffer as it has partitioned them to participate with society activities due to their socioeconomic factors. Chapter 3 What and How effective are the current strategies in place to deal with youth offenders.figures that show Yots etc are working , Talk about organisations such Yots, parenting schemes and other methods used by the government .. The positives and negatives, such as cost etc. what they are doing to try and achieve their aim. Talk about some youth programmes set up in order to reduce crime. Yots mainly but look at other services . In order to tackle youth crime the government introduced the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 where Youth Offending Teams (YOTs) where introduced. These teams are multi-agency bodies with the primary aim of preventing offending by children and young people†. Their aim is also to prevent young people from re-offending in which support is given to them by the YOTs (Bateman et al, 2005). One of the areas covered by youth offending teams is to tackle anti-social behaviour which includes â€Å"harassment of residents or passers-by verbal abuse, criminal damage, vandalism, noise nuisance, graffiti, engaging in threatening behaviour in, large groups, smoking or drinking alcohol under age, substance misuse, joy-riding, begging, prostitution, kerb-crawling, throwing missiles, assault† and â€Å"vehicle-related nuisance† (YJB, 2005 pg 5). The old youth justice, proved by the Audit Commission (1996) caused high levels of crime such as â€Å"vandalism†, â€Å"thefts and burglaries†. This system was confirmed to be â€Å"inefficient and expensive† as it resulted to a little being done to tackle youth crime and showed high levels of re-offending. The Audit Commission in 1996 established a report ‘Misspent Youth’ where many recommendations were highlighted for the new youth justice (Goldson, 2000). The key recommendation in the report was to carry out â€Å"intervening† with youth in the early stages of their career so that their offending behaviour can be targeted. The White Paper ‘No More Excuses’ also stated that YOTs will need to, â€Å"Deliver community intervention programmes to make youngsters face up to the consequences of their crimes and learn to change the habits and attitudes which lead them into offending and anti-social behaviour. The programmes might adopt techniques such as: group work; family group conferencing and mentoring† (Home Office, 1997) Chapter 4 Is the emphasis tough on crime or tough on comers of crime? Look at the punishment and sentencing, public perception look at differences like police want tougher laws on youths but social workers think education and rehabilitation programmes are better .look at the Hansard arguments and news articles to see. How effective are the current strategies in place. Are they reducing the level of crime among youths? Are there different punishments for youths? Level of youths reoffending. Look in to Suggestions instead of punishments Chapter 5 Which interest groups are involved in creating youth offending policies, look at statistics from 2002/03and 2006/07 and compare the data see if the rates are falling etc and which crimes where low and high. Argue for and against punishment and prevention and punishment and rehabilitation. See in the results if punishment becoming harsher is better than the welfare state before and what is happing now such as Multi –Agencies. Also look at which types of youth offend and reoffend the reasons behind this. The statistics from 2002/03 compared with 2006/07. What is found and where should the YJS change and forces on etc. The main aim of the Criminal Justice System (CJS) is to prevent crime, â€Å"the police alone have been relatively ineffective agents of crime prevention† due to crime being a â€Å"multi-faceted in both its causes and effects† (Bateman, 2007). Multi-agency is a process that the Audit Commission believed would play a vital role to divert young people from the courts and prevent them from re-offending in which programmes set up by the Youth Offending Teams which will help them to change and also to face up to the harm caused due to their behaviour (Goldson, 2000). Local authorities (LA) gained a huge statutory responsibility in which they had to implement a multi-agency response to youth crime; previously it had been up to the LA to determine how they did so. The Crime and Disorder Act (CDA) â€Å"required all local authorities with social services and education responsibilities to replace social services youth justice team† (Burnett, 2005 pg 106) with Youth Offending teams. Each team consisted of â€Å"representatives from the local probation and police services, health, education and social services† (Burnett, 2005 pg 106). 14 pilot Youth Inclusion and Support Panels (YISPs) were set up in April 2003 by the Youth Justice Board. This was to target those who were likely to be at the risk of offending, the age range targeted was 8-13 year olds (Youth Justice Board, 2003). The Youth Justice Board (YJB) was first established in 1998 by the Labour Government in which their focus was on the Youth Justice System. YOTs are monitored by the YJB where their performance is measured and aims and objectives are given to them resulting to broad range of expectations that YOTs are supposed to fulfil hence a need for a broad range of expertise within the teams. It is essential for YOTs to develop â€Å"efficient administration of justice† so that when a young person breaks the law; their case is handled and dealt effectively and efficiently. It is vital for the offender to take responsibility for their offence so therefore the YOTs aim is to confront the individual in an appropriate manner so that effective communication is implemented. This will enable them to intervene with one another and discuss factors which causes the individual at a risk of offending. Punishment must be given to the offender which is proportionate to the seriousness of their crime and encouraging reparation to the victims by the offender. Parent responsibilities are also taken account of by the YOT’s and are reinforced. YOTs work with a range of services and interventions such as, â€Å"housing authorities, social services, housing providers and voluntary groups† (http://www.yjb.gov.uk ). The YJB sets out corporate targets for YOTs annually. The corporate objectives for 2006/07 to 2008/09 are divided into 3 sections: Reduce offending and the use of custody Support the youth justice system to reduce the number of first-time entrants to the youth justice system by 5% by March 2008 compared to the March 2005 baseline. Support the youth justice system to protect victims and communities by reducing re-offending by young offenders by 5% by March 2008 compared with the 2002/03 baseline, working towards a 10% reduction by the end of the decade. Support the youth justice system to, between 31 March 2005 and 31 March 2008, reduce the size of the under-18 custodial population by 10% through the implementation of the minimising the use of custody work programme. Improve outcomes for children and young people Support the youth justice system to improve the assessment of risk and need for young people who have offended, and improve their access to specialist and mainstream services that will address the factors identified. To ensure that YOTs have action plans in place to achieve equal treatment at local level for comparable offences by different ethnic groups and to deliver targeted prevention activity that substantially reduces local differences by ethnicity in recorded conviction rates, by March 2008. Safe and appropriate use of custody To ensure that all girls under 18 years of age who are remanded or sentenced to custody are accommodated in secure establishments that are separate from adults by October 2006, and replace 250 places for boys in shared adult sites with separate facilities by March 2008. (source: YJB, 2005 pg 6) These aims will help the members in the youth offending team to stay focus on the targets and will direct them to meet them, they are also able to carry out an effective service by â€Å"monitoring the treatment of young offenders and reducing inequalities†, â€Å"improving access to mainstream services† which will help to â€Å"increase confidence in the youth justice system† (YJB, 2005 pg 6). There are key aims that Rose Burnett has identified that underpin Youth Offending Teams that focus on preventing offending and effective practice is made easier by a multi-agency approach, that can respond to young people in an holistic fashion. â€Å"Youth justice workers should join forces with other professionals† this explored the argument regarding young people being related to problems such as â€Å"truancy, drug abuse and family breakdown† each being handled by â€Å"separate agencies† (Burnett, 2005 pg107). Due to YOTs this would prevent a â€Å"duplication of effort, inconsistencies and differences in emphasis† if the team worked effectively together tackling these problems (Burnett, 2005 pg107). â€Å"All parties should share the aim of preventing offending† as over time the approaches to the youth justice have altered which has caused a lot of confusion regarding the purpose and function of the youth justice system. The government established the paper â€Å"No More Excuses† in which they have stated their â€Å"intention to break with the previous culture of youth justice† where young people’s offending was exempt due to a concentration being on their â€Å"needs rather than their deeds† (Burnett, 2005 pg 107). The paper clearly identified the aims of â€Å"reducing crime by young people† which were given to the members of the Youth Offending Team (Burnett, 2005 pg 107). YOT’s work in partnership who works in conjunction with all other departments in order to achieve the aims set out. The youth offending teams work in a range of services such as, courts and the prison services, they are also involved in complementary inter-agency initiatives, such as child protection committees and community safety partnerships. The goal is to provide a â€Å"joined up†, corporate approach to preventing youth offending. Both the Government and the youth justice board emphasised that YOT’s were not intended to belong to any of the individual agencies. This is a partnership approach which is between all the parties (Burnett, 2005). There are many advantages of multi-agency working within a Youth Offending Team alongside disadvantages which cause areas of concern and which will have to be taken account of. To begin with the advantages of multi- agency working, by working within a Youth Offending Team will result to knowledge and skills being shared. Each member of the team will provide one another with the required information on an â€Å"informal, ad hoc basis† therefore there will be no need for them to â€Å"write off for information or wait for a return phone call† (Burnett, 2005 pg 109). This saves time and communication will be more effective and efficient. By working in the same office was believed to be a great advantage due to a quick access to information and advice (Burnett, 2004). A holistic approach is achieved due to all the representatives of â€Å"all the relevant disciplines† being under â€Å"one room† (Bateman et al, 2005 pg 109). If however, cases do arise which â€Å"lay outside the expertise of the responsible officer† then there is usually someone with the required â€Å"experience, â€Å"knowledge† and skills in the particular area to handle the problem and also recommend suggestions (Burnett, 2005 pg 109). This therefore portrays that multi-agency teams appear to be very beneficial as they bring together â€Å"seamless youth justice service closer† (Burnett, 2005 pg 109). The â€Å"availability of representatives from different services facilitate the referral of young people to those services† (Burnett, 2005 pg 109. This reduces lengthy waiting lists and also â€Å"complicated referral procedures† that are likely to occur. Opportunities of â€Å"having the right person in the right place at the right time† (Burnett, 2005 pg 109) are increased which is hassle free and more convenient for individuals. For instance young people who offend and get into trouble, frequently may have mental health problems for this reason having a health worker in the Youth Offending Team, who is an employee of Children and Adolescent mental health services would improve the access of YOT kids to such mainstream services. The same theory can be applied with education and children out of school. This illustrates that multi-agency teams are well placed to reintegrate socially excluded young people into mainstream provision. Focusing on the disadvantages of multi-agency working shows that, a YOT consists of people from different occupational backgrounds; therefore, this may cause cultural differences especially in the process of decision making and may result to conflicts and misunderstandings between the staff. This will have a negative impact upon the service of the YOT and cause implications for effective practice. Each member of the Youth Offending Team is recognised as a team and not an individual therefore when problems do arise there will be a high risk on the group as a whole for example on effective communication amongst the individuals. Looking at recent statistics the â€Å"Let’s Talk about It† report states â€Å"for youth Offending Teams to work effectively, there needs to be effective joint working across specialities†, 15% of the YOTs consisted of problems due to joint working between the specialist health and substance misuse workers and case managers. The reason for these problems was due to â€Å"the lack of adequate procedures for the sharing of information that affected many Youth Offending Teams† (Healthcare Commission, 2006). The multi-agency members may be part of one team but may receive different conditions to their service. For instance the â€Å"operational managers might receive lower salaries than some of the practitioners under their supervision† (Burnett, 2005 pg 109), this shows that conflicts may arise between the staff regarding different rewards being attained. This is also explored by Sampson et al (1988) where it can be seen that the police are often more dominating which results to them ignoring the multi agency team which may cause conflicts among the members of the team and shows how tensions between partners with different priorities can arise. â€Å"The police are often enthusiastic proponents of the multi-agency approach but they tend to prefer to set the agendas and to dominate forum meetings and then to ignore the multi-agency framework when it suits their own needs† (Sampson et al, 1998). There has been a debate whether the team members in a Youth Offending Team should be generalist or specialists. Research carried out on behalf of the YJB found out that, in practice â€Å"many specialist health, education and substance misuse staff are under pressure to undertake generic youth justice duties†. This shows an ongoing â€Å"difficulty of obtaining specialist services from outside of the YOT and contributes to a dilution of specialist provision within it† (Pitcher et al, 2004). A Youth Offending Team consists of members from different occupations for example a â€Å"police officer† or an â€Å"education worker† (Burnett, 2005 pg 109), by working in a YOT the members may lose their real identity and profession and for this reason they may not be able to bring their â€Å"distinctive professional contribution† into the YOT. There is a problem about generic versus specialist work, this looks at whether members in the YOT do a bit of everything or do work relating to their specialism therefore causes identity confusion. The work of multi-agency partnerships sounds good but the main question is does it work once it’s put in practice? Data from the ‘Agency Public Protection Arrangements Annual Report 2005/06’ (pg 21) shows five years on from the implementation of the Criminal Justice and Courts’ Services Act 2000 which established the Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements, also known as MAPPA. Within the five years (2001-2006) multi-agency partnerships have gained an achievement on employing a safer society for all however there is still a lot for them to do and to ensure that â€Å"arrangements are fit for their purpose and are applied across England and Wales†. The main aim of the MAPPA is to make the â€Å"communities safer and reducing re-offending† (National Offender Management Service, 2005/6 pg 21). Multi-agency is something which was created by the government in order for public services could work together to reduce costs, crime and create a more organised justice system. multi agency is the way forward according to the government who believe authorities such as police, social workers , welfare and Yots will work together this is to have a better understanding of the situation and there for make a more accurate decision. Punishment, prevention and rehabilitation issues would descused regarding the youth offender. It would depend on the crime, social wellbeing, education, poverty etc. Although research shows that multi agency partnership works but there are also many areas and cases created that should be looked into for improvement. This can be seen through the case of Victoria Climbie which took place in February, 2000. Victoria aged eight was living with her aunt Marie-Therese and her aunt’s boy friend Carl Manning in London. Victoria’s parents had sent her with her aunt due them believing she would gain a better future but instead she was suffering abuse by Carl Manning that led to her death. Inquiries after her death took place by Lord Laming which showed that multi-agency partnerships are partly responsible for the death due to the doctors, police and social workers being aware of the situation which could have been tackled and could have saved a life but instead there was a lack of communication amongst the multi-agency’s which caused them to be under the assumption that another agency had taken control of the case. For this reason Victoria was unable to gain the support and treatment that she required. This case allowed the work of multi-agency partnerships to be looked into to point out the areas of concern that had to be developed upon. One of the major concerns was the lack of staff. New approaches were introduced regarding children which is evident in the Green paper in 2003 where there government established ‘Every child matters’ that enabled children to retrieve a better and healthier life, it also addressed many changes to the work of multi-agency partnerships work such as data being accessed by all members in the agencies and recorded accurately, finance was also given ( £100,000) in order for them to develop upon sharing information between each profession. Children were also give more rights in which they were able to contact more than one service at anytime and there was also a need for assessments to be carried out which would require multi-agency teams to share data. These points will enable each member of the team to work more effectively alongside one another (www.community-care.co.uk). Another problem that has encountered can be seen through a recent report called â€Å"Let’s talk about it† by the Healthcare commission (2006) which shows that there is a problem with health and education not meeting standards. The report shows that â€Å"children and young people who offend have more health needs than the non-offending population of childrenThe provision of healthcare for them has improved, but it remains inadequate†. Therefore the healthcare organisations are required to contribute to youth justice in their area in order to reduce the factors that play a part in offending. The report portrays findings from 50 Youth Offending Teams in England and Wales carried out from September 2003 to April 2006. The findings illustrate that services should be made more accessible for children aged 16 and 17 as this is the age where individuals are likely to carry out serious crimes. Healthcare workers within the multi-agency partnerships provided services for the offender based on their â€Å"experience† and â€Å"specialities† rather than the needs of the individual which can have a positive and a negative response. Data shows that from â€Å"2004 onwards, CDRPs required to undertake an annual appraisal of their health. To be changed to 6 months following a review†, however out of the â€Å"20 projects studied over 18 months: 4 had completed, 6 still aiming to implement plans, 6 had abandoned some of their plans and 4 had made very little progress† (Hedderman e

Retirement Issues In Malaysian Workforce Health And Social Care Essay

Retirement Issues In Malaysian Workforce Health And Social Care Essay Increasing life expectancy of Malaysians has raised the concern incredibly on retirement issues. In 2006, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) findings indicate that Malaysians life expectancy has increased from 1960 to 2006. Women life expectancy has increased from 55.9 to 76.5 years, a 20.6% increment, while men increased from 52.8 to 71.8 years, or 19.0% (OECD, 2007). More, latest statistical findings from United Nation Statistical Division (2010) provide that life expectancy at birth of Malaysians for women and men in 2005 to 2010 has increased from 72 to 76.7 years. With the longer life expectancy among Malaysian means without extending the retirement age, a typical Malaysian will have longer time to spend in their retirement life. According to United Nations data reviews, Malaysia are expected to have total number of 3.2 million individuals who aged 60s and above by 2020 (Yip, 2010). Furthermore, the Global Demographics Ltd also estimates that a 10% increment in the number of grey citizens will take place in coming 20 years from now (Hunt, 2009). These figures tell us that more Malaysians will be reaching retirement age and it is important to raise their awareness towards the importance of retirement planning now. Recently, Malaysian Governments announced that inclination of increasing the retirement age among civil servants in Malaysia is high. Retirement age may be set to 60 due to Governments plan of keeping experience civil servants to contribute for more human capital in nationals performance (Sarban Singh, 2010). This projection was made because it is estimated that Malaysia will lose up to one million civil workers in the early of 2011 (Sarban Singh, 2010). Despite changes made on the retirement age of government servants to 58, the mandatory retirement age for private sectors remain at 55 (Sarban Singh, 2010. In view of this, postponement issues on the public and private servants means that longer retirement life may by experience by most Malaysians (Sarban Singh, 2010). As life expectancy has increased much faster compared to retirement age, our country will have more retirees. If this happens, more challenges are coming ahead and different approaches must be taken on retirement plann ing as Malaysians are expected to have longer retirement life. As humans are bound with nature of biological aging process, shrinking in physical and mental strength is reality that no one can change (Yip, 2009). For that, continuous working becomes undesirable as age increases. Knowledge workers might be able to substitutes the physical strength with crystal knowledge and tacit knowledge gained through years of experience. However, for workers that rely much on physical strength might be a problem. Postponement of retirement age is not suits the physical strength workers because the physical body is unable to perform hard work in old age. Sometimes, they are not only having limited income but they only have limited education level. Retirement planning may serve as dreams but their income limit them to do so. Income earn is not enough for savings or investments. Proper preparation is needed financially to ensure that low income earners at least able to have minimum requirements to live and to ensure a bright future for them in retirement age. Existing retirement planning practices among Malaysians are basically relying much on savings, Employee Provident Funds (EPF) and children. Majority of them are not actively involved in retirement planning (HSBC, 2010). Although there are as much as 72 % of Malaysians having high propensity to save for retirement, 41% of them do not have a solid plan on how to build their retirement fund (Hunt, 2009). In addition, 77% of those who save for retirement rely much on fixed deposit and savings accounts which give low interest yield to them. Also, they failed to segregate part of their savings for retirement needs (Hunt, 2009). Monies put on the savings are in essence for all purposes without specific purposes for retirement (Hunt, 2009). What is alarming here is that majority of Malaysian might not insufficient source of income and there might be some risk involve if retirement planning is not done correctly during their retirement life (HSBC, 2010). Constant income scheme provided by EPF may seem adequate in the long run but it will never happen. Recent studies indicate that, 90% of EPF holders hold less than RM 100,000 in their accounts and almost 99.9% of the retirees withdraw their lump sum of EPF funds when they reach retirement years and surprisingly almost 70% of the retirees use up the money within 3 years (Hunt, 2007). EPF savings withdrawal in the early stage of retirement may create some risks during retirement (HSBC, 2010). In order to match with future insecurities, this action will without notice causes a poor retirement life. Solely depends on EPF savings may cause retirees to have a vulnerable financial position in their old age. To avoid this problem from happening, retirees awareness to act on retirement planning is strictly vital for an upcoming comfort and satisfaction in retirement life. Revolutions from ancient Asian culture to modern world today have changed the structure of a family mostly in the way how children treat their parents and expectation of taking care of them. Old forks are view as burden. Additionally, employing maids to take care of old parents will indirectly raise the living expenses. Thus, tendencies for some aging parents end up spending their life in old folks home is high. Family members or children supporting rate is relatively low today (Lee Law, 2004). Generation gap which indirectly affects the sense of belonging, responsibility, relationships and love towards aging parents has also lead to changes in cultural value (The Star, 2010). Late marriage and gap exist between children age is another issue affecting children support to their parents. Unique characteristics of each family have created different views on old parents retirement. Only strong family relationships may have higher chances to get financial aids and support from family mem bers (The Star, 2010). Therefore, it is advisable for pre-retirees to pay more attention on retirement planning to avoid end up living in old forks home. Worry-free retirement life cannot be easily reachable today compare to the past. Various impacts from macroeconomic events such as inflation, unemployment, and global recession may trigger the retirees in their retirement age. In 2008, due to increase in petrol price and global recession, Malaysias inflation rate was surged up to 5.4% high, a 0.6 % in year 2009 and now it is forecasted to be 2.0 % this year (International Monetary Fund [IMF], 2010). The impact from high inflation rate has lead to depreciation in value of ringgit, reduction in the consumers spending, and increases in cost of living over time (HSBC, 2010). No doubt, these will give a huge impact on pre-retiree of having insufficient money to spend or to save for the future reserves (The Star, 2010). Immeasurable increment in the medical fees and medical services are likely to reduce spending power and quality of retirees life over time (The Star, 2010). Addition to that, the MasterCard Asia Pacific predicts that old population will have to spend more next 5 years and will surpass RM 35 billion compared to last 10 years (The Star, 2009). These spending not only cover existing daily usage on products and services but also huge cost on medical fees and medical services (The Star, 2009). If this situation continues to trigger the pockets of each individual, greying population may have tendencies to live in financially poor conditions. Risk from all these unpredicted future events or increase in medical fees can be reduced if retirees do early retirement preparation to hedge for unfavourable events to happen. Without a proper retirement planning, increasing number of retirees might become a burden to government and society. Population restructure process not only increases the cost of government spending but may also serve a potential loss in human resources in labour force and affect the development of economy. Thus, consistent with the facts and issues raised above, preparation of retirement planning is important. Failure to derive proper retirement plan may cause various issues and impacts either to the individual, society, or government. Thus, the aim of this study is to examine the on the Malaysian awareness towards retirement planning, their plan for retirement, reasons for their retirement planning, barriers they face in planning for retirement and information and assistances they need for proper retirement planning. Through this study, more knowledge and understanding about planning behaviours in the context of Malaysian will be created. Background of the Research and Research Question Growing life expectancy among Malaysians over the past few decades have signalled that Malaysian will have longer time to spend in their retirement life (OECD, 2007; Yip, 2010; Hunt, 2009; United Nation Statistical Division 2010). Problems rise today for the preparation of retirement plan are generally due to natural biological aging process, types of workers, retirement age incremental policy, family cultural changes, unpredictable macroeconomic events, medical cost increases and many more. Pointing to existing poor retirement planning practices among Malaysians which relying much on savings, Employee Provident Funds (EPF) and children, proper actions must be done (Hunt, 2009; HSBC, 2010). These facts and figures highlight the raising concern and awareness of retirement planning among Malaysians is much needed. Through the view of all the poor or lack of retirement planning behaviour and challenges ahead that are going to affect the life of retirees, this research is important in cr eating new knowledge of better understanding of the underlying problems, barriers and factors face when doing retirement planning. Issues on retirement planning have been well studied in more developed countries such as in United States (e.g. Joo Grable, 2001; Taylor-Carter et al., 1997; Duflo Saez, 2002), United Kingdom (Sargeant, 2003), Hong Kong (Lee Law, 2004), and Singapore (Lim, 2002). These studies are targeted more to the Baby Boomer generation (e.g. DeVaney, 1995; Glass Kilpatrick, 1998; Josloski, Ekerdt DeViney, 2001; Lusardi Mitchell, 2007). On the other hand, wide scope interest mainly on issues related to women in retirement planning such as the longevity life of women compared to men, economic and psychological issues on women, factors affecting retirement planning and financial literate among women have been done and the result shows that majority of women do not plan for retirement (Glass Kilpatrick, 1998; Lusardi, 2006; Lusardi Mitchell, 2008). Findings found that women are less financial literate and are economically and psychologically weak in retirement planning (Glass Kilpatrick, 19 98; Lusardi Mitchell, 2008). Besides, some findings has also been directed on retirement income (Jing Lakshmi Malroutu, 1995), level of retirement planning preparation (DeVaney, 1995; Lee Law, 2004), antecedents or factors associate with retirement planning (Taylor-Carter et al., 1997; Kosloski et al., 2001; Duflo Saez, 2002; Lim, 2003; Lusardi Mitchell, 2008), retirement planning and satisfaction of retirement life (Elder Rudolph, 1999), retirement educational programs (Joo Graman, 1998; Hershey, Mowen Jacobs- Lawson, 2003), retirement planning information search (Joo Grable, 2001), marketing of retirement planning (Ekerdt Clark, 2001), and developing guideline for retirement planning (Greninger, Hampton, Kitt Jacquet, 2000). In light of the piece of evidence from the previous research focuses on retirement planning, there are lack of retirement planning can be observed in Malaysia (Hunt, 2009). There is no research has been done to access how Malaysian plan for their retirement in Malaysia till today. The relativity low per capital income among the Malaysians might limit the applicability of the studies conducted in more developed countries to Malaysia context (Muzaffar, 2010). Therefore, this study is paramount important, in particular, to explore or fill the research gap exist and to gain insight into a proper understanding on how Malaysians plan for their retirement. To address the research gap, this study focuses on the extent to which how Malaysians plan for retirement, reasons for their retirement planning, barriers they face in planning for retirement and information and assistances they need for proper retirement planning. Through this study, more knowledge and understanding about planning behaviours in the context of Malaysian will be created and a proper guideline to assist Malaysians in retirement planning and retirement preparation will be developed. To address this issue, the following research question is constructed: How Malaysians plan for retirement and why? Research Objectives The research objectives for this study include: To examine the Malaysian awareness towards retirement planning. To investigate how Malaysian prepare for their retirement life. To study factors affecting the type of retirement planning. To understand barriers or difficulties faced by Malaysians in planning for retirement. To understand type of assistance or information needed for Malaysian to properly plan for retirement. Significance and Justifications for the Study This study is important to explore more knowledge about retirement planning among Malaysians. As retirement planning is complex and personalizes, it is important to recognize a standard guideline or procedures to assist an individual to plan for retirement can hardly be effective. Therefore, this study opt for qualitative study to better understand the current retirement planning, reasons for retirement planning, barriers face during retirement planning and information needed for proper retirement planning among Malaysians. By exploring these knowledge and information collected from their heart and soul, these knowledge may use to identify different retirement needs and challenges face by Malaysians during their retirement planning, more effective and efficient information and guideline can be developed to accommodate different needs of individuals in planning for retirement. The outcomes of this study can be used by policy makers to identify the readiness and willingness of Malaysians in retirement planning. This information is important in helping Malaysians to facilitate and formulate better planning which ensure retirees to be independent in their financial support during their retirement age. Pre-retirees, retirees or individual may know how and what direction they must take to complete the journey of a successful retirement planning through the outcomes from this study. Addition to that, this will indirectly reduce the government burden to support them. Not only that, results from this study can also provide additional insights for policy makers to consider for the development of new policies to promote welfare of future retirees and better retirement life especially for economically and socially weaker group in Malaysia. Finally, information gathered from this research can be crucial for banks, insurance companies and other financial institutions in designing and marketing their future retirement planning products and services. Proper customer segmentation can ensure the products or services being delivered to the market more effectively. Fulfilments on special needs of different market segment the different can satisfy more demand and thus, facilitate better retirement planning among Malaysians. Research Scope and Limitation This study is conducted with the purpose of examine the retirement planning among Malaysians. As different people have different retirement needs and expectations, qualitative interviews are used to capture in-depth and rich information on Malaysians. Face-to-face interviews method is use in this study to focus on Malaysians awareness towards retirement planning, their plan for retirement, barriers they face in planning for retirement, reasons for retirement planning and information or assistance they need for proper retirement planning. At first, approximately 10 respondents made up from working adults in any part of Malaysia will be selected for convergent interviews. The interview will be audio recorded and transcribed. Next, another 20 to 30 interviews will be conducted for main data collection comprising semi-structured interviews will be conducted in Northern Malaysia, Central Malaysia, Southern Malaysia, and East Coast of Malaysia. Definition of the Key Terms Provide in the following format: Table 1: Definition of the Key Terms Key Terms Definition Source Financial Education Program A program designed purposely to give inform knowledge on ways and skills to perform financial-related decisions. Adapted from American Association of Retired Persons. (1992). Fact Sheet. Washington D.C. Peer Effects Retirement planning Will be further update on this on chapter 2 is complete. Organizational of Research This research is being organised into 3 main chapters which provide details for better flows of the topic under study. Chapter 1 gives the idea of how the current issues emerge real life situation on retirement planning and preparation for retirement planning. Also, it tends to identify the problems and research gap that exist in this study. Research objectives or research aim highlights the achievement needed towards this study. Other sub parts of this chapter are likely to find the importance of this research in fulfilling knowledge gaps exist in previous studies and knowledge creation in the end of this study. Justifications and limitation for this study emphasizes the importance of this study and how this study can fill up the knowledge gap exist. Finally, a table describing some key variables terms covered on this study is given for the sake of reference. Chapter 2 reviews related literatures from previous finding in the field of retirement. Next, the main context of the literature review such as the important issues on retirement planning is also being discussed here. Dependent variable and independent variables discuss the important variable exist in previous study. Summary gives a compact preview of what have been discussed earlier in this chapter. Chapter 3 emphasize on research framework development. First few parts explain what research methods, research instrument, sampling plan use in this study. The next part of this chapter provides comprehensive overview of the data collection method. How actually this data is collected throughout this study. Data analysis method further explains the tool or software used in the analysis part of this study. Chapter 2 Literature Review Introduction Retirement represents a stage of life where involvement in certain social activities and desirable conducts become narrow or fewer roles when the person reached the old ages (Parsons, 1942). Adequate retirement planning and preparation is needed to anticipate the new roles involve with the changes in major life activities (Atchley, 1982). Retirement life without planning requires continuous employment or working, lifestyle remains same with young age although that individual reaches retirement age (Lee Law, 2004). Lack of retirement planning preparation will generally bring some disappointment during retirement and yet preparation for retirement planning is not an easy task (Lee Law, 2004). Thus, planning for retirement is important (Volpe et al., 2006). Much of the literature on retirement planning focuses on studies to identify the relationship of socio-demographic factors to be related to the retirement planning (Lee Law, 2004; Joo Garman, 1998; Yakoboshi Dickemper, 1997; DeVaney, 1995; Joo Garman, 1998). Previous study emphasizes that income (Mitchell Moore, 1998; Kim, et al., 2005), age (Richardson Kilty, 1989; Joo Pauwels, 2002; DeVaney, 1995), gender (Yakoboshi Dickemper, 1997), education level (DeVaney, 1995; Joo Pauwels, 2002; Hogarth, 1985; Bernheim Garrett, 1996) and marital status (Glass Kilpatrick, 1998) are all important factors for ones behaviour towards retirement planning. DeVaney (1995) identified that income and age are important to guild pre-retirees in groundwork process of planning. In addition, gender differences also influence the early preparation for retirement planning (Yakoboshi Dickemper, 1997). Retirement education and certain related programs also affect the retirement planning behaviours (Joo Grable, 2001). There are number of studies have been conducted pertaining to retirement planning as discussed above. The sections below summarize further description on dependent and independent variables which are important to retirement planning. Summary parts provide a compact preview of what have been discussed in the whole literature reviews on retirement planning. Retirement Planning Over the past few decades, life expectancy has risen drastically of about 2 to 3 years for each decade and this number is expected to further increase in the future (Selene, 2005). As for the rising figures, financial planning for retirement becomes more important (Glass Kilpatrick, 1998; Grace, et al. 2010; DaVaney, 1995; Volpe et al., 2006). Retirement planning is vary from one another but can be observed by integrating individuals intention and behaviour that are partially different or unknown to one another (Hanisch, 1995). According to Parsons (1942), retirement is defined as a stage of life where involvement in certain social activities and desirable conducts become narrow or role less. Ming and Xiao (1995, p.17) found that having adequate income is the key to minimizing some of the problems during retirement. Income level is an important determinant for retirement wealth growth (Selene, 2005). Different types of planning will lead to different ways of wealth accumulations and lifestyle during retirement (Lusardi Mitchell, 2007). At the same time as retirement planning involves awareness and understanding of the problem underlies in life, individuals perception is strictly important to achieve the highest retirement satisfaction (Ming Xiao, 1995). Besides, Taylor-Carter, Cook and Weinberg (1997) identified that planning improves ones confidence and self-efficacy towards uncertainty typically in short or long time frame in retirement age. Although there are much researches interest on retirement planning, focus given to obtain a retirement planning guidelines in relations to the retirement planning is even more imperative to achieve a successful retirement plan (Greninger et al., 2001). Study concluded by Greninger, Hampton, Kitt, and Jacquet (2001) on retirement planning guidelines found that families should have completed their first 50 to 60% successful retirement savings goal by age of 50 and about 85 to 90 % by the age of 60. Moreover, asset allocation on more conservative investment is expected to be done within 3 to 5 years before retirement. With this, Taylor-Carter, Cook and Weinberg (1997, p. 286) found that Planning may enhance affective reactions to the financial and activity-oriented aspects of retirement, and informal transition. Earlier saving or planning for retirement may assure one to live with truly ideal and better quality life in retirement (Elder Eudolph, 1999). Demographic Variables Among the factors related retirement plans and decision, age, education level, gender, and household income are characterized as important demographic factors towards individual retirement preparation. Following parts will further discuss the demographic variables from the review of literature in details. Age A number of studies examine the effect of age on retirement shown that age to be related to retirement plan and decisions. Age has emerged as an important and consistent factor in human behaviour towards retirement planning (Richardson and Kilty, 1989; Joo and Pauwels, 2002; DeVaney, 1995). A procedural assumption found throughout the literature found that age help to guide pre-retirees in groundwork process of planning (DeVaney, 1995), lead to attitude and perception changes on retirement and also help to raise retirement confidence (Joo Pauwels, 2002). Lee and Law (2004) concluded that as age and income increases, individuals are more motivated to take action for retirement. This is supported by Montalto, Yuh and Hanna (2000) where as they found that planned retirement age are guided by reinforcement given from constant visit or review on the information needed for planning. Besides, age and income are found to be correlated in influencing ones behaviour towards retirement plannin g (Lee Law, 2004). DeVeney (1995) concluded that age and other demographic variables such as household income, educational level and household size are inter-related to guide pre-retirees in groundwork process of planning. Age has also shown to be important in the area of future educational program (Joo Garman, 1998). On the other hand, Malroute and Xiao (1995) uncover more compelling evidence on the factors affecting perceived adequacy of retirement income among pre-retired household, the finding suggest that different respondents age is likely to give different perception on income adequacy. Normally, on average individual tend to retire 3 years before the expected age (Zappala and Depolo, 2008) and the different between preferred and expected retirement age are: chronological age, perceive of income adequacy, work condition variables, and retirement attitudes. Education Level There are extensive studies on retirement covering education in general. The findings suggest that education is an important factor in affecting retirement planning preparedness (Hogarth, 1985; Joo Pauwels, 2002). Education enables individuals to explore more information relating to their retirement planning and that sources of information will influence their decisions, attitude and intention to do retirement planning (Hogarth, 1985; Joo Pauwels, 2002). Also, DeVaney (1995) addressed that the effect of education level may serve as a motivator or guidance for individuals to start the preparation for retirement planning. With the increase in age and educational level, individual tends to be more motivated to work on retirement planning preparation or take some action for their retirement (DeVaney, 1995). Joo and Pauwels (2002) found that higher educational level allows ones to experience and achieve greater confidence level in their retirement planning life. Men who had received higher education tended to be more confident in their retirement planning compared to those who had lower levels of educations (Joo Pauwels, 2002). The level of education and confidence found to be positively related (DeVaney, et al., 1995). On the other hand, older women are found to be less likely to have higher education in general because of limited education which had been given to them in the past (Lusardi, 2004). The effects of education on womens retirement makes women to be less financial literate or having knowledge on retirement and retirement planning (Lusardi, 2004; Lusardi Mitchell, 2008). Joo and Pauwels (2002) suggested that women participation in retirement planning increases as they receive education. In addition, Joo and Garman (1998) provide a good overview that education levels are significant to focus topic for future financial education programs. Highly educated people generally tend to posses and receive more knowledge relating to investing and knowledge on retirement planning compared to those who are less educated. According to Bernheim and Garrett (1996), education makes the possible of enhancing and exploring more knowledge and information on retirement for individuals and workers. Gender Gender differences are a significant predictor in retirement planning studies. According to Yakoboshi and Dickemper (1997), gender differences are the major influential factor for early preparation in retirement planning as male and female are generally will think and act differently upon their expectations and views. Males are found to be more ready and well prepared for retirement planning compared to women in general (Lusardi and Mitchell, 2008). In addition, Glass and Kilpatrick (1998) addressed that women are less prepared for retirement and this is generally due to women are lack of financial resources than men. Women are commonly found to be more economically and psychologically weak in retirement and are influenced by factors such as limited economic accessibility, low wage, pension scheme, gender prejudice and selection of career options in their intention towards effective planning (Glass Kilpatrick, 1998). Previous findings reveals that individuals either men or women who are more financially literate, richer, more tolerance to risk, and attitude towards retirement are among important factors in affecting an individual decision to engage in assistance in planning for retirement (Duflo Saez, 2002; Lusardi et al., 2007) and seek professional assistance in planning for retirement (Joo Grable, 2001). Gender differences do not bring any effect to the decision making on retirement as Joo and Grable (2001) highlight that the likelihood of both genders behaviour on professional retirement help-seeking are the same, but women involvement rate on professional help-seeking are slightly higher compare to men if they are given a chance. Women are more likely to seek financial advice from experts and those women who equipped with well financial knowledge tends to do well and more successful in their planning (Lusardi, 2004; Lusardi Mitchell 2008). Lusardi and Mitchell (2008) also pointed out that women are less financially literate to retirement planning compared to men. Majority of women do not have any plan to do their retirement planning and they depend much on the support from their family and friends in retirement age. On the other hand, Sunden and Surette (1998) identified that gender differences and marital status have significant relationships with investment decision on retirement planning. These factors will generate different level of assets distribution among women and men in retirement planning (Sunden Surette, 1998). Recent finding by Grace, Weaven and Ross (2010) indicates that males and females do not perceive and act for retirement planning in the similar way. Of an amount of 21 exploratory semi-structured interviews has been conducted to explore and identifying the differences, the result shows that males are likely to go for individual choice perspective while women tend to adopt life course perspective when it comes to retirement planning. Males tend to assume retirement as another stage of life in the future while women make no prediction on future life stages. Household Income A number of factors influence the individuals preparedness towards retirement planning. Kim, Kwon and Anderson (2005) identified that attitude and behaviour towards retirement are generally influence by household income. Household income is a critical measurement in some matter relating to retirement especially in retirement education program (Joo Garman, 1998) and professional financial help-seeking (Joo Grable, 2001). The findings by DeVaney, Gorham, Bechman, and Haldeman (1995) identified that household income is associated with the savings and investing behaviours in retirement preparation. Retirement preparation can only work when ones have enough money or wealth resources t