Academic freedom in the classroom Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Academic freedom in the classroom - Essay Example They believe that the instructor’s profession has nothing to do with the social or political issues happening around them and they must strictly adhere to the academic syllabuses. On the other hand, some others believe that the learning of a student would not be perfect if he fail to learn from the surroundings. Students are living in the society and the basic aim of the education is to make the students capable of living a healthy social life and to make them good citizens. For that purpose it is necessary for them to learn about the present things happening around them as well. This paper discusses these two different views briefly. KEVIN BARRETT, a lecturer at the University of Wisconsin at Madison, who has a one-semester contract to teach a course titled â€Å"Islam: Religion and Culture,† acknowledged on a radio talk show that he has shared with students his strong conviction that the destruction of the World Trade Center was an inside job perpetrated by the American government (Fish, 2006). It is evident that Mr. Barrett has expressed only his opinion about the trade centre destruction. It is a fact that sometimes such premature opinion by a professor would mislead the students. On the other hand, in order to analyze different dimensions of an issue and also to develop critical thinking, such opinions might be helpful. It should be remembered that the topic academic freedom has nothing to do with the content. ‘Critics charge that the professoriate is abusing the academic freedom in four ways: (1) â€Å"indoctrinate† rather than educate; (2) fail to present conflicting views on contentious subjects, thereby depriving students of educationally essential â€Å"diversity† or â€Å"balance†; (3) intolerant to students’ religious, political, or socioeconomic views, thereby creating a hostile atmosphere in the classroom; and (4) interject material, irrelevant to the subject of instruction’ (Report "Freedom in the classroom, 2007) It is a fact

Has the development of Human Resource Management practices replaced the need for trade unions Essay Example for Free

Has the development of Human Resource Management practices replaced the need for trade unions Essay According to Phelan (2007, pp. 45-47), trade unions were the most powerful organizations after the industrial revolution. During the 19th and 20th century, management was largely mechanistic and the position of workers was not felt unless the force of the numbers was employed. As a result, the membership to the trade unions increased steadily to 1979 after which a sharp decline is evident. During the 20th century, Donna, Stephen and Roderick (2007, p. 832) report that over one third of all employees belonged to trade unions by 1979 before declining sharply o 13. % by year 2000. In their view, Gurpreet (2007, p. 85) and Hearnshaw (2007, p. 76) argue that the trade unions decline is an indication of the critical period that change must be embraced to create greater value of the production systems. According to Tove, Hammer and Bayazit (2009, pp. 405-406), the unions lacked the needed sensitivity to their members and held their views towards salaries and job security only. Under this model, unions failed to recognize the fact that if employees were guaranteed what the unions provided, they would lack their value. From their view point, Coca-Stefaniak, Hallsworth and Bainbridge (2005, pp. 361-363) argue that trade unions’ mandates lacked clear definition and therefore kept overlapping between political delineations to employees protection. Consequently, many leaders used them to settle political scores and stepping stones to power. Indeed, Marlow (2006, p. 54) points an accusing finger to this vagueness in executing their mandates that employees sought to distance themselves. A major question that arises at this point is what is indeed the future of the unions? Though many analysts appear to avoid answering the question directly, Pencavel (2003, p. 21) and Blanden and Machin (2003, pp. 121-122) suggest that the unions will indeed not fully die, but resilience of their roles will be evident when major problems occur. Comparison of human resources managements and trade unions Comparison of trade human resources and trade unions brings out the picture of two negating forces but geared towards achieving the same objectives. To begin with, trade unions were run politically and therefore involved a very wide spectrum of employees they dealt with. As a result, Gill (2009, pp. 41-42) explains it was very hard to address the demands of the different members with ease. On the other hand, human resources management is a discipline defined by clear cut professional outline that have key objectives. Redman and Wilkinson (2009, p. 121) explain that apart from this clear objectivity, human resources managers have a narrower spectrum, for instance, one company or institution, which makes it easier to address concerns of their subjects. The approach and consideration of trade unions as Marchington and Wilkinson (2005, p. 114) pointed out in their study, was based on a competitive model that was viewed as a major achievement for specific leaders. As a result, other options were locked out; a consideration that created controversy with economists and political elites. Marchington and Wilkinson (2005, p. 117) further point out that human resources managers consider conflicts to be critical aspects that must be addressed carefully in defining a better relationship and ultimately greater productivity. Though Jose and Fernando (2002, pp. 181-182), use of the term ‘militant’ when referring to trade unions has received sharp criticism, it is perhaps the correct term. Trade unions main method of addressing conflicts was use of strikes and demonstrations. As a result, they resulted to great losses to particular institutions, companies and even nations. Human resources managers however, balance between critical human qualifications, existing infrastructure and overall returns as dictated by the demand and supply of resulting products. Gill (2009, pp. 41-42) therefore concurs with Marlow (2006, p. 78) that everybody has his own niche and stands a better chance of advancing with ease. Modern roles of human resources a) Staffing and selection The roles of human resources have over the years changed with the rising demand to view employees as a responsive system as opposed to a rigid consideration Farber and Western (2002, pp. 398-399) explains that this role therefore creates a harmonic platform that proactively addresses key problems that necessitated the need for trade unions. Staffing and selection is done on the basis of merits; a consideration that give employees great security both locally and internationally. By conducting effective selection, the employees do not feel threatened, but are given a chance to improve on their skills which the organization they work for strongly struggles to retain while others remain opportunistic to outsource (Blanden and Machin, 2003, pp. 126-127). Unions are therefore rendered less essential as job security is indeed very high and payments highly sustainable. ) Rewarding compensation and motivation management To concur with Gill (2009, p. 90) conclusion, poor rewarding systems formed the basis of unions in the mid-twentieth century. At this time most production were privately owned, but most importantly, they lacked effective competition to trigger better compensation and motivation of their workers. Human resources managements’ greatest roles are indeed to assess performance, initiate the needed improvement ef forts and most importantly reward the best performers. In his theory of human needs, Robert Maslow argued that when employees are guaranteed the needed capacity for progression towards self actualization, other systems are easily foregone (Gill, 2009, p. 48). Unlike the trade unions that provided only raising the salaries, human resources create a roadmap for sustainability; a factor that Brewster (2004, p. 371) indicate directly disrupts their consideration for unionization. c) Employee’s development and modelling When refereeing to the current replacement of trade unions roles with human resources management, one cannot fail to focus on the modelling and development roles. Though trade unions train their members on different aspects of their relationship with their seniors and the employers, greater credit as Jose and Fernando (2002, p. 189), suggests, is given to human resources managements. As indicated earlier, trade unions lack the necessary specificity on their members who are highly diverse. Due to their smaller nature of operation, human resources have proved to be more effective in that employees are continuously modelled with close supervision with an aim of improving their place in an organization. Jose and Fernando (2002, pp. 188-190) add that modelling sets a clear role model and a definite roadmap to follow in addressing their concerns and issues. d) Negotiating and change management Unlike during the period of the trade unions, negotiations have taken a central position for all the employees. Brewster (2004, p. 368) explains that human resources management eliminates key bureaucracies and therefore brings the employees closer to the top leadership. Furthermore, human resources management facilitates teamwork to encourage involvement of all the workers in negotiating their views in an organization. To infer greater need for negotiations, Coca-Stefaniak et al (2005, pp. 366-367) argue that internal and external change agents often propose changes towards improving the welfare of the employees and ultimate productivity of the company. As a result, the need for trade unions to create either a rise in payments or even improved working conditions does not arise. Counterarguments In his view, Phelan (2007, pp. 4-75) suggests that trade unions roles will remain critical despite the current decline. He further points out that though many workers have shifted from the trade unions; their need will always be rekindled during the periods of major crisis. During the 2007-2008 financial crises, many workers turned to trade unions for protection of their jobs. Pencavel (2003, p. 25) cites the political interference in reducing the relevance o f the unions. As a result, strength of trade unions will always recur when new political elites with favouring views rise to power. However, the two counterarguments fail to acknowledge the great advancements in technology that facilitate easier detection of workplace problems, faster communication and precise assessment that assists in making the correct decisions to avoid major issues (Hearnshaw, 2007, p. 69). Conclusion and recommendations From the above discussion, this paper supports the thesis statement, ‘the critical roles played by human resources managements that greatly satisfies the customers, improves their earnings, secures their employment, and maintains the correct organization cultures have increasingly replaced the need for trade unions. Trade unions came out as strong movements that were very vibrant during the 20th century when clear professionalism lacked in running businesses and organizations. Human resources management came in with great specialization that is highly proactive and employees driven; a consideration that surpassed the major roles of the unions. However, counterarguments presented in the discussion are true and their roles will often recur during periods of major crisis in organizations.

Hand Controlled Car For Disabled Individuals Engineering Essay

Hand Controlled Car For Disabled Individuals Engineering Essay Introduction Definition of Car Car was defined as a motor vehicle with four wheels and normally driven by an internal combustion engine. The main function of car was used for the transport of passengers. Nowadays, a car is the most common transportation for personal use in travelling, working and also shopping (Kameda 2009). Generally, a standard car is invented for normal person who is capable to use both their hands and legs to control the oil pedal, brake pedal, steering wheel, shift lever and also the clutch pedal for manual car in transmission control. However, in this recent year, automatic transmission car is more popular than the manual transmission car and widely used around the world. For all knowledge, there are significant differences between an automatic transmission and a manual transmission. For example, clutch pedal and gear shift were not found in an automatic transmission car. Everything was automatic once we put the transmission of car into drive mode. However, automatic transmission only provide a narrow speed range while manual transmission can operate in a wide range of output speeds. With the automatic transmission, users can drive a car easily and no need to control the clutch pedal and also gear shift during driving journey. Therefore, the driving ability has become an important part in normal life. Disability Disability is generally defined as a physical or a mental impairment which can make our routine tasks more difficult or impossible. According to the World Health Organization, there was a distinction between disability, impairment and handicap. A disability is any restriction or lack of ability that caused by impairment to perform an activity in the manner or within the range considered normal for a human being. Meanwhile, impairment is any loss or abnormality of psychological, physiological or anatomical structure or function. Handicap is a disadvantage for a given individual, resulting from impairment or a disability that prevents the fulfillment of a role that is considered normal for that individual. In other words, this disability term is commonly used for individual functioning which includes physical impairment, sensory impairment, cognitive impairment, intellectual impairment mental illness, and various types of chronic disease. Disability not only effects on human organs or body parts, it may be effects on an individuals participation in life. Type of Disability Mobility and Physical Impairments Spinal Cord Disability Head injuries or Brain Disability Vision Disability Hearing Disability Cognitive or Learning Disability Psychological Disorders Hand Controlled Car A hand controlled car was a vehicle that uses both hands to operate the brake, accelerator and clutch. Hand controlled car was designed for the physically challenged people who cannot use both legs to operate the accelerator and brake pedals. Thus, with the assist of hand-controlled car, disabled individuals can acquire a driving license and drive safely on the road. Nowadays, there are several of hand controlled car in the market. For example, the invention of digital accelerator ring and the main hand brake in car for the driving without the use of both legs. This cars users just need to push the digital accelerator ring towards the steering wheel to accelerate and move the main hand brake downward to brake (Figure 1.1). Figure 1.1 The Digital Accelerator Ring and Main Hand Brake In addition, automatic transmissions car are strongly recommended for those disabled drivers so that they do not need to operate the clutch controller. Another example of hand controlled car was used a portable hand controls. For example, the product of TNT portable hand controls (Figure 1.2). Figure 1.2 Demonstration of using TNT portable hand controls Figure 1.3 Attachment of TNT portable hand controls in a car This portable device was designed for those disabled people such as amputees, paraplegics, and quadriplegics who cannot apply and maintain the pressure that needed to operate the accelerator and the brake pedal. With the invention of TNT portable hand controls, the user can use the left hand to operate the both accelerator and brake pedals; the palm is used to apply the brake pedal and the thumb is used to apply the accelerator pedal while the right hand is free to control the steering wheel (Figure 1.3). Aims and Objectives The main objective of this research study is to modify a car in order to enable disabled individuals drive safely on the road. In addition, the cost of hand-controlled car should low so that disabled individuals afford to owe a car. For the convenience of disabled individuals, the hand-controlled car must easy in maintenance as well. Literature Review A standard car was designed to be control by a normal person who is able to use their arms and legs for controlling accelerate and brake pedals, a steering wheel and also a shift lever. However operations using left and right arms and at least one leg are still needed for a car drive (Kameda 2009). This paper presented a joystick car drive system for a handicapped person using a wheelchair. With the help of this joystick drive system, a handicapped person can drive a car with his/her single hand. In this joystick drive system, there was a mechanical linkage connected to accelerate and brake pedals which is controlled by an operation lever. This lever only can be shifted in back and forward direction. Pulling the lever in the backward direction will accelerate a car whereas pushing the lever to the forward direction to brake a car. The demographics of the disabled and aging populations who are demanding to maintain their independence and mobility tested the driver licensing authorities to ensure that physical and cognitive difficulties are measured to an acceptable standard (Roake 2008). In order to compensate for reduced ability, servo system has been developed to enable severely disabled people to drive safely and pass the standard driving test. This development engineering interfaced with the vehicles primary and secondary controls which include electronic joystick devices to operate steering, braking and accelerator along with infra red or wireless systems to interface with vehicle electronic systems such as Multiplex and Can Bus electronic systems (Roake 2008). Shaheen (2001) described the recent findings on the driving-related physical and cognitive impairments faced by the elderly. Two major types of vehicle design and infrastructure adaptations were proposed: (1) modifications for private vehicle and (2) intelligent technology and support services for private vehicles (Susan A. Shaheen 2001). Adaptive driving controls, such as mechanical hand controls or electromechanical contact switches, now allowed even the most severely impaired to operate a vehicle. However, these mechanical functions are usually directed toward primary controls only, such as steering, braking, and accelerating, which limits the ability of drivers to operate secondary controls such as the horn, turn signals, ignition, and headlights (Quintin 1991). Vehicle control adaptations can be effective, simple, and inexpensive. For example, the use of simple extension bars to gear levers and lever release mechanisms for hand braking. Nowadays, there are several joystick systems available in commercial which were specifically designed for those drivers with limited strength in their arms and hands. However, (Ostlund 1999) concluded that the tested joystick system had several functional limitation which includes time lags, lack of feedback and risk of interference between steering and speed control. In this journal paper, a design called uncoupled control was compared with the conventional joystick design which called as coupled control. In coupled control joystick, the original lever was replaced with a forklike grip which developed for driver with tetraplegia. In other one hands, the joystick with uncoupled control was developed by modifying the joystick in order to transform the radial speed controlling motion into a linear longitudinal motion. Nevertheless, there were sensors and actuators equipped in this joystick system to monitor the drivers control commands and provide a force feedback to the driver. Theref ore, the joystick will back to neutral position if the driver released it. All tetraplegics and most paraplegics depend on mobility aids such as wheelchairs for short-range transportation (Bjorn Peters 2001). Therefore, in order to become a licensed driver, the right adaptation is needed. The purpose of this journal paper was examined the driver performance and limitations of drivers with tetraplegia and investigate the influences adaptation designs in drivers performance and imposed workload. There are two types of hand controls installed in a car simulator, one had two separate levers and the other had one combined lever for braking and accelerating. For the system with separate levers, the braking lever was controlled by pushing it forward, while the accelerator lever was moved radially downward. The combined lever system was operated by pushing the lever to brake and pulling to accelerate. However, both systems had their pros and cons. For example, in the single lever system, the driver was impossible to use both hands on the steering wheel, while the d ual lever system will prolonged the reaction time of transfer accelerator lever to brake lever especially in critical situation. Methodology Before I make further research about my thesis which entitled Hand Controlled Car for Disabled Individuals, I had search and read through some numbers of journal articles from database such as IEEE, Science Direct, and SpringerLink. For example the keywords that I used to search related journal articles were Disabled Vehicle, Hand Controlled Car, Handicapped Car and so on. Next, I decided to choose car Myvi as my car model to do the car modification for the need of disabled people in Malaysia. In my research study, I will create my own design in draft with the suitable dimension as well. In addition, I also need to find out the most suitable materials that can be used for the car modification. In the future, I will conduct some experiment tests, such as tensile test and stress test for the materials that was chosen to examine the characteristic of relevant material whether the material suitable to use for car modification or not. Besides that, I will also use Solidwork software to pr esent my own design unit in 3D. Materials Following are the criteria material of my design unit: Medium to high strength Good toughness Good surface finish Excellent corrosion resistance to atmospheric conditions Excellent joining characteristics Good workability Widely available Based on the criteria material that mention above, I suggest aluminium alloy 6061 as the main material of my design unit. Aluminium alloy 6061 is a versatile heat treatable aluminium alloy. Aluminium alloy 6061 consists various of components in its chemical composition (Table 1). Besides that, it has wide range of mechanical and corrosion resistance properties (Table 2). Generally, aluminium alloy 6061 is used in many applications such as aircraft structures, truck bodies, yacht construction and so on. Table 1 Typical Chemical Composition of Aluminium alloy 6061 Component Amount (wt.%) Aluminium Balance Magnesium 0.8-1.2 Silicon 0.4 0.8 Iron Max. 0.7 Copper 0.15-0.40 Zinc Max. 0.25 Titanium Max. 0.15 Manganese Max. 0.15 Chromium 0.04-0.35 Others 0.05 Table 2 Mechanical Properties of Aluminium Alloy 6061 Temper Ultimate Tensile Strength (MPa) 0.2% Proof Stress (MPa) Brinell Hardness (500kg load, 10mm ball) Elongation 50mm dia (%) 0 110-152 65-110 30-33 14-16 T1 180 95-96 16 T4 179 min 110 min T6 260-310 240-276 95-97 9-13 Results Figure 4.4 First Draft Design of Hand Controlled Car Unit Discussion According to the result above, I just did the sketching of my design unit. This design is easy to control, push forward to accelerate and pull backward to brake a car. However, this design occupies a lot of spaces in driver seat, thus the users will face some difficulty to enter and leave the car. For my future work, I will modify my design in order to increase the spaces for the movement of disabled people. Besides that, I will include the placement of wheelchair in consideration of my design.

The Whole Towns Sleeping and Terribly Strange Bed Essay -- English Li

The Whole Town's Sleeping and Terribly Strange Bed In this essay I will be comparing two (2) short stories 'The Whole Town's sleeping' by Ray Bradbury (1950) and 'A Terribly Strange Bed' by Wilkie Collins (1856). Both stories are about fear and they make us feel fear or are supposed to; they make the reader scared or frightened. Both stories have the same purpose, which is so scare the reader. I am going to compare the way Ray Bradbury and Wilkie Collins create tension, suspense, mood and tone. In the first few lines of 'The Whole Town's Sleeping', the author describes the setting for the story, "the little town was deep far away from everything, kept to itself by a river and a forest and a ravine", but before that he mentions that it is nighttime. Both stories are set at nighttime. This is because if it were set in the daytime it simply wouldn't be scary. The whole town wouldn't be sleeping and the narrator wouldn't need a terribly strange bed to sleep in. Collins has a different approach for the beginning of 'A Terribly Strange Bed', he describes the characters and what they were doing, which gives a different impression of the story, it doesn't seem like a scary story at first, because there's no obvious signs like in 'The Whole Town's Sleeping'. Ray Bradbury uses recreation to create interest to the story "In the downtown drugstore, fans whispered in the high ceiling air" He also use metaphors and similes such as "There were two moons: a clock moon with four faces" while 'A Terribly Strange Bed' doesn't have any recreation, metaphors or similes in its opening but still manages to maintain interest. Mood and tone are very important in both stories. Using certain adjectives, like "warm summer n... ...appens next. In Collins' story, you are told what happens next, and you finish the story quite pleased, like the narrator would be, instead of still scared like you are in the other story. Both stories are similar and different; the authors use different methods to make the reader scared. The stories have some similarities and others have differences. Ray Bradbury describes the scenery whereas Wilkie Collins describes the characters. Setting seems to be more important in 'The Whole Town's Sleeping' than it is in Collins' story and tension and suspense is used very differently in the both stories, Bradbury uses a sharp shock and then a steady buildup, then a false relief before a final cliffhanger and Collins uses a strange buildup to what seems like somewhat of an anti-climax and then re establishes the tension, for a gentle relief and a settled ending.

Word Activity

This Method may be considered as the predecessor of the conventional multiplication procedures. The method involves the use of arrays or tables, the sizes of which depend on the number of digits in the multiplier and the multiplicand, respectively. Unlike the conventional method, however, which altitudes numbers from right to left and from bottom to top, the grating method multiplies numbers from left to right and from top to bottom. This method also includes diagonals to be drawn along the corners of the array. One advantage of this method is that it performs multiplication operations before addition operations Bones Method.This method was introduced in 1617 by John Napier of Scotland in his attempt to reduce tedious calculations involving large numbers. His â€Å"bones or rod†, made a great impression on the Europeans and the Chinese. The principle behind he bones method may be considered as a mixture of the principles of the abacus and of the grating method. Each rod is div ided into nine squares, each of which is divided into nine squares, each of which is divided diagonally. The top square holds a number (1-9). The remaining eight squares in the rod hold the product of multiplying that number by 5, 6, 7, 8, 9.Once it is set up, it is easy to get the product of a single-digit number and any other value from the top squares and the left rod, because the numbers in the middle are used to obtain the product. Sluggard Method. With the introduction of paper, the Arabs and the Hindus were able to develop a method which may give the product of numbers up to 10 x 10. This method, which was then called the sluggard method, is similar to the finger-counting method in principle. In fact, it can be said to be the finger-counting method on paper. Because, likewise, one has to memorize the multiplication table from 1 – 5 before this could be applied.The â€Å"Arabic Numerals† System. The present number system is of Hindu origin, based on the use often fingers. This system was introduced in Europe by the Moors in the the century as a result of the expansion of the Moslem empire. It was modified in India in what is now called the â€Å"Arabic Numerals†. True numerals are still used in some parts of the Middle and the Near East. Directions 1 . Type the document below. Save using filename â€Å"lifter† 2. Follow the procedure to center a text. Save file â€Å"centered† 3. Change the font color of each of the line in the poem 4.Follow the procedure to right align the text. Save using filename â€Å"Activity† think that I shall never see a poem as lovely as a tree. A tree whose hungry mouth s pressed against the earth's sweet flowing breast, and lifts her leafy arms to pray. A tree that may in summer, wear a nest of robins in her hair; upon whose snow has lain; who intimately lives with rain; poems are made by fools like but only can make tree. 2. Follow procedures in paragraph indent 3. Use the font  "Arial†, â€Å"Bold Italic†, font size = 20 for the title. 4. Change the font style and font size of every paragraph. . Save files as â€Å"Activity† Dalai Lama Test This little exercise is fun. Take a few minutes out of your frantic day to enjoy a bit of enlightenment. Dalai lama personality test The dalai lama said read it to see if it works for you. Personality test. Very interesting. Just 4 questions and the answers will surprise you. Do not cheat by looking up the answers. The mind is like a parachute, it works best when it is opened. This is fun to do, but you have to follow the instructions very closely. Do not cheat. Make a wish before beginning the test!!! A warning! Answer the questions as you go along.There are only four questions and if you see them all before finishing, you will not have honest results. Don't look ahead, get a pencil and paper to write your answers as you go along. You will need it at the end. This is an honest questionnaire which wi ll tell you a lot about your true self. 1. Put the following 5 animals in the order of your preference. A. Cow b. Tiger c. Sheep d. Horse e. Pig 2. Write one word that describes each one of the following: Dog cat Rat Coffee them to the following colors (do not repeat your answer twice. Name Just one person for each color. ) Yellow Orange Red White Green 4.Finally, write down your favorite number and your favorite day of the week. Finished? Please be sure that your answers are what you really want. Look at the interpretations below: But first before continuing, repeat your wish. This will define your priorities in your life. Activity No. 7 2. Save your file using â€Å"Activity† 3. Follow the font format and its line spacing. Wish â€Å"Close your eyes and make a wish Angels will be there to blow you a kiss They will guide your way and Make your dreams come true Like what they did to me when I Ask for a friend like you† â€Å"It's harder to find a true friend than it I s to find a lover.In one's lifetime I can have many lovers; but to have Just One true friend like you is a blessing† â€Å"If one day you find yourself trapped in The dark, Just look up in the Sky and if you see one little tiny Light up there†¦ That's me Reminding you that I'm still there even Activity No. 4 1 . Type the document below using bullet style 2. Save your file using â€Å"Activity† International School of Asia and the Pacific Penance, Canaan International School of Asia and the Pacific has to offer you: The best of the Archdiocese of Autograph in Catholic Education; Priest educators committed to service of God's people.

Maternal Nursing Essay

A tool for assessment of health service systems to support maternal health and child health Health during early childhood and pregnancy has long term and wide ranging impacts on the general health of populations. Promotion of good health in pregnancy and childhood are therefore critical activities of primary health care services. Health service systems need to be organised to meet the specific needs of maternal and child care alongside the other major aspects of these services, such as acute and chronic illness care. Health care organisations require practical tools to guide efforts and evaluate changes in maternal and child health. This ABCD Systems Assessment Tool was originally designed for assessing primary care systems support for chronic illness care. The tool is based on the structure, content and principles of the Assessment of Chronic Illness Care (ACIC) survey (Bonomi et al. , 2002) and on the Innovative Care for Chronic Conditions (ICCC) Framework (WHO 2002). We have now adapted the Systems Assessment Tool for use in quality improvement activities directed at maternal and child health (MCH). This adaptation is based on key policy reports and research papers relevant to the Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander primary care sector (see list on last page). As for the ABCD Systems Assessment Tool for chronic illness care, this MCH Systems Assessment Tool has been designed for use with health services for Indigenous Australian populations. However, it is expected to be appropriate with minor adaptation for many other settings. The intended purpose of the tool is to support ongoing quality improvement initiatives through systematic assessment of a range of elements of health service systems that have been demonstrated to be important. The tool provides for †¢ an assessment of the state of development of health service systems; †¢ guidance on next steps in planning improvements in maternal and child health care; †¢ assessment of progress in achieving system improvement. As for the ABCD Systems Assessment Tool, this MCH Systems Assessment Tool incorporates the guiding principles of the ICCC Framework: evidencebased decision making; population focus; prevention focus; quality focus; integration; and flexibility/adaptability. Version 2. 1 Last Updated 30/03/07 Activities and programs relevant to maternal and child health care can be considered in three areas: a) Clinical Services for maternal health through individual health promotion advice, clinical preventive care and the early detection of illness (includes antenatal and post natal clinics/screening, case finding, brief interventions/counselling – generally health centre based, one-to-one activities) b) Clinical services for child health through individual health promotion advice, clinical preventive care and the early detection of illness (including child health clinics, screening, growth monitoring, case finding, brief interventions/counselling – generally health centre based, one-to-one activities) c) Community or Population based programs/activities, ancillary programs for maternal and child health (eg programs or activities designed to promote nutrition, breastfeeding, physical activity, oral/dental health, mental health, environmental health, and to reduce harm from cigarette smoke or alcohol) Each of these three areas of activities is important in the effective prevention and management of maternal and child ill health and the prevention of chronic illness in later years. The quality of systems in place to support each of these three areas of activities or programs may differ quite markedly within the same health centre or health service. The scoring form for this tool provides for distinct scoring of how systems support each of the areas. The prompts provided in this tool are intended only as guidance to some of the sorts of system issues that one might consider for scoring each item of the tool. These prompts are not intended to cover all relevant issues for all services. While there may be some overlap, the elements of the MCH Systems Assessment Tool can be applied separately to the assessment of systems to support a) services for maternal health; and b) services for child health. The use of this tool provides a score for the state of development of different aspects of health centre systems. These scores may be used as a guide for where improvement efforts might be focussed. The scores should be seen as a guide only, and services should base their priorities on the range of information available and the opportunities for improvement in different areas. We will welcome suggestions or feedback from services which use this tool.