Examination of the Literature Review Essay Example for Free

Examination of the Literature Review Essay I selected Guidetti and Tham’s (2002) paper because I am fascinated by the work of occupational therapists. They are tasked, by the nature of their profession, to assist people with impairments or disabilities in achieving competence in their daily activities and consequently, they empower these individuals to grab hold of their limitations and transform them in a fashion that nurtures their sense of control and brings peace of mind to their loved ones who lives with them. The paper sought to elucidate the strategies utilized by occupational therapists in their self-care intervention process with neurologically-impaired clients, specifically those who had had stroke or spinal cord injury. The study tapped the qualitative research design. Specifically, it employed a modified phenomenology approach called EPP (empirical, phenomenological, psychological) method in generating and analyzing the data. The purpose of EPP method is â€Å"to describe the essence, structure and character of the studied phenomenon† (Guidetti Tham, 2002, p. 260). Although it informs the research question, the literature review (as well as the reference list) is not sufficient to build a platform for the â€Å"need to provide a definition and description of the concept of self-training and the typical therapeutic strategies used by therapists† (Guidetti Tham, 2002, p. 258). It lacks relevant scientific texts. It is understandable that there is no existing study on the subject, but there is more scientific information in the literature about the therapeutic strategies in adjacent fields which could add valuable background to the introductory problem identification as well as to the incisive discussion of the results later on. In the introduction section, the scholars presented the important variables of the research question finely (i. e. , meaning of self-care, therapeutic strategies), but failed to include a review of empirical literature, simply stating that â€Å"there is a lack of empirical studies identifying the therapeutic strategies in self-care training† (Guidetti Tham, 2002, p. 258). Although the statement may be correct, there are still many relevant studies worth reviewing that would guide the inquiry. It may not necessarily be those on self-care therapeutic strategies utilized by occupational therapist with persons who have neurological disorders, but also those studies on strategies used by the same professionals on rehabilitating persons with orthopedic injuries, lymphedema or amputees which do not specifically addressed the phenomenon, but may have implications for the study. In addition, the physical therapy literature on similar issues could also add important insights. A look at the reference list of the article reveals that it is limited in three ways. First, five of the papers in this list were written by either one of the same two authors, in collaboration with other scholars. Second, there are only three occupational therapy journals where they garnered articles for the review (i. e. , Occupational Therapy International, American Journal of Occupational Therapy, and Clinical Rehabilitation). Finally, the doctoral dissertations/theses reviewed in the paper came only from Sweden. This is not ideal especially in a journal with international circulation. The authors could have scoured articles from other journals of similar discipline that are available like British Journal of Occupational Therapy, Journal of Occupational Science, OT Practice, International Journal of Therapy and Rehabilitation, Journal of Integrated Care, etc. Further, they could have utilized the abstracts available in the Dissertation Abstracts International to offset the Swedish-focused dissertation reviews in the study. In qualitative studies, an in-depth, exploratory literature review is vital to discover what currently exists in the body of knowledge about the concerned phenomenon (Taylor Bogdan, 1998). Thus, the article’s literature review and reference list in this regard only supported halfway the research question. Much could have been done. References Guidetti, S. , Tham, K. (2002). Therapeutic strategies used by occupational therapists in self-care training: A qualitative study. Occupational Therapy International, 9(4), 257-276. Taylor, S. J. , Bogdan, R. (1998). Introduction to qualitative research methods (3rd ed. ). New York: John Wiley Sons, Inc.

Essay --

Evan Smeenge Professor Stabler HST 303 01/31/14 From Ideal to Destruction John Gast’s painting titled American Progress perfectly portrays the idea of manifest destiny that engulfed the minds of Americans. Portrayed in the right side of the painting is indubitable western influence with boats, a bridge in the distance, and trains with little or no track in front of them which allows the mind to conclude the newcomers are pushing west. In the middle of the landscape are horses, buggies, and covered wagons, showing a slight increase in modernity compared to what is shown in the far left of the painting, Indians or better known by 18th and 19th century Europeans as savages. Gast also places the portrayal of western influence in the light portion of the piece, and the old primitive way of live portrayed by savages on the dark side of the piece. This is not coincidence, primitive behavior was viewed as improper and it needed enlightenment this is precisely what Gast presents in American Progress. In the bottom left corner an animal shows its teeth, which could be a signal of the dangers to moving west. What is probably noticed first however is the woman in the center of the painting. The angel, the guiding light of Manifest Destiny the one who is bringing the light that you see so prominently in the right side of the painting. Manifest Destiny was thought of as God’s call to bring western enlightenment to the west. Those who were enlightened and civilizations created by those who were enlightened were viewed as utopian. However, eleven years before Gast painted American Progress was the start of a war that rattled America. Westward expansion and subsequent acquisition of the west was fought over and the utopian ideal Gast portrays was... ...h and the South wanted the territory for themselves. The North wanted to expand its industrial fingers to better their economy, but the South wanted more land for plantations to also better their economy. First, the Wilmot Proviso established popular sovereignty as the new factor that decided what side was going to obtain the land. This angered the South because they were frightened that their voice would be lost, and subsequently slavery would be demolished. However, the North felt anger after Stephen Douglass proposed the Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854, which repealed the Missouri Compromise of 1820 and allowed any white male settler to decide if the new territory would be slave or free. With Southern white men trying to make the territories slave territories, the North were furious and started bleeding Kansas, which arguably was the spark that ignited the Civil War.

Cultural Sensitivity Paper Essay

The culture that I have chosen to write about for this paper is the culture of India. It can be both a demographic culture and a spiritual culture, depending on the particular beliefs of the client. The people of India have multiple beliefs about health. India has both conventional and traditional beliefs about medicine and illness. Food and religion are giant factors when it comes to certain Hindu people, depending on his/her personal beliefs. People from Indian culture hold the preparation of food and the food itself in very high esteem. An exercise of Indian culture that is widely accepted includes only eating certain types of foods, not eating certain foods during illness or not eating any food at all according to the type of illness contracted. This practice is called â€Å"apathyam and pathyam† (in Sanskrit). It has also been said that if this practice is followed correctly than the majority of diseases and illnesses can go without being treated by medicine. Religion is also a major part of the culture in India when it pertains to disease and caring for illness. The majority of the people living in India practice Hinduism. According to most Indian religions, the people believe that it is vital to bathe regularly under running water. This can be problematic for patients that are confined to the bed or that have urinary catheters or colostomy bags because he or she may feel â€Å"unclean† and in some cases believe that he/she is unworthy to pray. Vegetarianism, meditation or prayer, and karma are other facets of Hinduism that might affect one’s beliefs about illness and seeking care or illness. Each caretaker for a person of Indian culture or someone that practices Hinduism must be aware of the practices and traditions concerned with both and must be willing to provide sensitive care accordingly. This can majorly affect whether or not an individual will choose to seek care. If a client thinks that their caretaker will not be willing to assist him/ her according to their cultural or religious beliefs, the client may chose not to s eek care at all, which could negatively benefit them. The main concern would be to let the client know that you are willing to abide by and care for them in accordance to the client’s beliefs. If the caretaker is unaware of some of the stipulations, the caretaker should be unafraid to ask. Most times the client will be happy to help give you the knowledge you may need to care for him/her. As a caregiver for a person of Indian culture or who has a strong Hindu belief system I would be interested to know the details of â€Å"apathyam and pathyam† so that I could respectfully assist them with the clients diet if he/she becomes ill. I would also assist them in any way I could with bathing so that the client could feel like he/she is â€Å"clean† enough to practice prayer or meditation freely. Knowledge about client’s personal beliefs is vitally important to the extremely personal role a caregiver could play in a client’s life.

Cultural and Ethnic Diversity Essay

The different beliefs, characteristics and looks of different ethnicities give more diversities in a place. The differences in cultures create color in every region. It allows people to understand each other and respect each other’s differences and beliefs. On the other hand, these differences are emphasized too much that instead of being the key to a harmonious living, leads to gaps, differences and even fights (Singelis 4). In a certain region, diversity is inevitable especially in a place like the United States. The United States is the melting pot of many cultures. Over the years, the country has become the destination of people from all over the world to achieve their dream. It seems that each state has its own taste of a different culture. Aside from that, immigrants have slowly settled in the country making it much more diversified. You wouldn’t be surprised that there is a little China Town in every state. There is also a growing number of Muslims in the country. This is a good sign for us as it shows that the war does not hinder our Muslims brothers to reside in our country. They are also given the freedom to stay here whenever they want. Other nationalities such as Filipinos, Indians, Japanese and Koreans have chosen to stay in the Land of the Dreamers. The Americans are known for their quest in reaching our dreams. And that is probably one of their best attributes. It is also probably one of the reasons why a lot of people choose to settle here. They too think that they will reach their dreams by going to America. Despite the diversity that has evolved in our culture, there is still this distinct American taste that is present is the American culture. This distinction in each culture paves way for people to know each other. (Singelis 152) Each culture, ethnicity is proud of its heritage. American families, for example, are very particular in implementing the American culture. American parents taught their children to love their country and have pride that we are Americans. This is, after all, the Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave. Our families teach us to be good Americans by passing on the value of citizenship, American holiday celebrations and traditions, leadership, entrepreneurship, competition and positive attitude. On the other hand, each culture is like that. The media plays a huge role in exposing the differences in each culture. Movies, documentaries all feature distinct qualities of each culture. These differences are somehow exposed in wrong way. Most of the time, cultures are perceived based from what people hear about them. I really think that the differences in cultures and ethnicities are given too much emphasis without being aware of it. In effect, this led to conflicts and gaps between cultures. It is a sad fact that instead of being united especially in these times of crisis, we are still separated by our personal beliefs. The media would be a really good help in promoting unity. It would help if similarities are focused and if people will be taught to respect one another’s beliefs too. A good example of this would be the movie Gran Torino. The movie is about an American old guy who lives near a bunch of Hmong people. Hmongs are people from China, Laos, Vietnam and Thailand who came to the United States to find their fortune. They decided to live altogether in one neighbor so that they too can perform their traditions and gather often. The American guy and some of the Hong’s turned out to be true friends and depended on each other. It was good to see the culture of the Hmongs in the movie. It was an eye-opener to many of those who have watched it. The only similarity between the American and the Hmongs was that they both wanted to live peacefully. It happened when they got to know each other and respected their own beliefs (The Gran Torino 1). Movies like Gran Torino should be featured more often. I think it is a good thing to showcase the different distinction of each culture especially the minorities. These minorities deserve their recognition from the world. Maybe with given much time, people should get to know the history, beliefs and traditions of the many cultures and ethnicities especially if they are just in the neighborhood. It is good to know that we are uniting for the sake of living peacefully and harmoniously. Work Cited Singelis, Theodore. Teaching about Culture, Ethnicity and Diversity: Exercise and Planned Activities. California: SAGE Publishing, 1998. â€Å"The Gran Torino. † 2008. Retrieved 20 February 2009 .

10 Facts About Chongqing, China

10 Facts About Chongqing, China Chongqing is one of Chinas four direct-controlled municipalities (the others are Beijing, Shanghai, and Tianjin). It is the largest of the municipalities by area and it is the only one that is located far away from the coast. Chongqing is located in southwestern China within Sichuan Province and shares borders with Shaanxi, Hunan, and Guizhou provinces. The city is known as being an important economic center along the Yangtze River as well as a historical and cultural center for the country of China. Population: 31,442,300 (2007 estimate)Land area: 31,766 square miles (82,300 sq km)Average elevation: 1,312 feet (400 m)Date of creation: March 14, 1997 10 Must-Know Facts Chongqing has a long history and historical evidence shows that the region was originally a state belonging to the Ba People and that it was established in the 11th century B.C.E. In 316 B.C.E., the area was taken over by the Qin and at that time a city called Jiang was built there and the region the city was in was known as the Chu Prefecture. The area was then renamed two more times in 581 and 1102 C.E.In 1189 C.E. Chongqing got its current name. In 1362 during Chinas Yuan Dynasty, a peasant rebel named Ming Yuzhen formed the Daxia Kingdom in the region. In 1621 Chongqing became the capital of the kingdom of Daliang (during Chinas Ming Dynasty). From 1627 to 1645, much of China was unstable as the Ming Dynasty began to lose its power and during that time, Chongqing and Sichuan Province were taken over by the rebels overthrowing the dynasty. Shortly thereafter the Qing Dynasty took control of China and immigration to the Chongqing area increased.In 1891 Chongqing became an important economic center in China as it became the first inland open to trade from outside China. In 1929 it became a municipality of the Republic of China and during the Second Sino-Japanese War from 1937 to 1945, it was attacked heavily by the Japanese Air Force. However much of the city was protected from damage because of its rugged, mountainous terrain. As a result of this natural protection, many of Chinas factories were moved to Chongqing and it quickly grew into an important industrial city. In 1954 the city became a sub-provincial city within Sichuan Province under the Peoples Republic of China. On March 14, 1997, however, the city was merged with the neighboring districts of Fuling, Wanxian, and Qianjiang and it was separated from Sichuan to form Chongqing Municipality, one of Chinas four direct-controlled municipalities.Today Chongqing is one of the most important economic centers in western China. It also has a diversified economy with major industries in processed food, automobile manufacturing, chemicals, textiles, machinery, and electronics. The city is also the largest area for the manufacture of motorcycles in China.As of 2007, Chongqing had a total population of 31,442,300 people. 3.9 million of these people live and work in the urban areas of the city while the majority of the people are farmers working in areas outside the urban core. In addition, there is a large number of people who are registered as residents of Chongqing with Chinas National Bureau of Sta tistics of China, but they have not yet officially moved into the city. Chongqing is located in western China at the end of the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau. The region of Chongqing also includes several mountain ranges. These are the Daba Mountains in the north, the Wu Mountains in the east, the Wuling Mountains in the southeast and the Dalou Mountains in the south. Because of all of these mountain ranges, Chongqing has a hilly, varied topography and the average elevation of the city is 1,312 feet (400 m).Part of Chongqings early development as an economic center of China is due to its geographic location on large rivers. The city is intersected by the Jialing River as well as the Yangtze River. This location allowed the city to develop into an easily accessible manufacturing and trading center.The municipality of Chongqing is divided into several different subdivisions for local administrations. There are for example 19 districts, 17 counties and four autonomous counties within Chongqing. The total area of the city is 31,766 square miles (82,300 sq km) and m ost of it consists of rural farmland outside of the urban core. The climate of Chongqing is considered humid subtropical and it has four distinct seasons. Summers are very hot and humid while winters are short and mild. The average August high temperature for Chongqing is 92.5ËšF (33.6ËšC) and the average January low temperature is 43ËšF (6ËšC). Most of the citys precipitation falls during the summer and since it is located Sichuan Basin along the Yangtze River cloudy or foggy conditions are not uncommon. The city is nicknamed the Fog Capital of China. Reference Wikipedia.org. (23 May 2011). Chongqing - Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia.

Popular Culture Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Popular Culture - Essay Example In most cases, popular culture is used to refer to the cultures of low class citizens as opposed to the official culture of the high in the society. TV shows and other forms of mass media are often used to depict how people in a certain society are expected to behave (Ashby, 2010). Grey’s Anatomy is about the lives of surgical interns who are residents of a fictional hospital known as Seattle Grace Mercy West Hospital. The series shows the interns as they evolve into experienced doctors under the care of their more experienced mentors. Although the show revolves around the everyday lives of the doctors, it is worth noting that much emphasis is put on their personal lives as opposed to their professional sides. A typical day starts with the interns arguing about who should take care of a certain patient. This ends after the intervention of a hospital superior who is charged with the responsibility of assigning duties to the interns. The main theme of the series is the interacti ons that take place between patients and the doctors as well co-workers (Rhimes, 2005). On the other hand, Family Guy is about the adventures faced by Peter Griffin’s family. Griffin is an American- Irish catholic, a blue-collar worker and has a well-known Rhode Island. In addition, he speaks with a deep Eastern Massachusetts accent. His wife is known as Lois, a homemaker who plays piano. The two have three children, a teenage daughter by the name of Meg. Chris is their teenage and overweight son who resembles his father in several ways. Stewie is the youngest son but he has adult mannerisms. In addition, they have a dog by the name of Brian, who has anthropomorphic characteristics and can engage in human conversations as well as drink martinis (MacFarlane, 1998). Similarities The two TV series are based on relationships between people in a family setting and among friends. Although Family Guy focuses on the lives of the Griffin family, it is of paramount importance to note t hat the relationship between the family and their neighbors is highly explored (MacFarlane, 1998). In Grey’s Anatomy, the resident interns are like a family because they have to stay together until they done with their internship (Rhimes, 2005). Relationships are not easy in the two series because of the differences that exist between the characters. The interns are always arguing about the patient one will attend to and this is evident when Griffin is not happy with the paraplegic police officer, Joe Swanson. This happens despite the fact that Swanson has not done anything wrong to the Griffin’s family, but he is told that he is unwelcome in their restaurant. In addition, family feuds are evident as seen in the way the Griffin’s treat Meg. This is because they believe that she is timid and unable to fit in school. Although Stewie is the youngest, he is considered more intelligent than his elder siblings. Moreover, Brian, the dog is held in high esteem than Meg and Chris despite the fact that the latter resembles his father in several aspects (MacFarlane, 1998). Just as the hospital superiors are the heads of the interns in the hospital, Griffin is the head of his family. The superiors make most of the decisions irrespective of what the interns want. Whenever they find the interns arguing about patients, they do not take time to consult the interns before coming up with a solution (Rhimes, 2005). On the same note, ideas from Meg and Chris are not welcome to the family because

Strategic Management Assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Strategic Management Assignment - Essay Example b) In the case of a university of your choice, state what you believe to be their core competences and how they show themselves to their several stakeholders. Â  (15 marks) In the pursuit of its mission, all universities must be committed to holistic development of human being and to uphold truth, virtue, character formation, personal integrity and academic excellence. All universities for that matter must have its vision, mission and statement of purpose. They must all have competencies in administration, instruction, research and extension services. This is true to all universities who are mandated to follow and maintain accredited standards and rules that are set by government to ensure that they will perform and function in accordance to constitutional, legal and executive orders. Universities, as center for excellence, should not only be perceived of its educational services but also as a melting pot for tourism, sports, arts, humanities and culture. It’s a social struct ure which helps the country develop human resources to contribute for development, peacebuilding, understanding an appreciation of diversity, and as resource-engine for national growth. The measure of its performance achievement is the number of students who passed and top the bar, government licensure examinations, and its contribution to social developments through research and extension of services. The academe’s competencies provide an integrated approach and system for quality education to promote national identity, cultural consciousness and moral integrity. Graduates of these universities are human resource supply to required regional and national manpower for national development. It must also pioneer in research and extension to lead economic upliftment of communities so that people will lead superior lives. In addition to its traditional function, universities should promote and accelerate integration of graduates to the mainstream of national body politics. Hence, it must also actuate as tool for national policy formulation in addition to its traditional function as an institution of higher learning. Question 5 George Hull is the Chief Executive of a growing industrial company developing and marketing its own products for the brush making machinery, government defense and mobile phone industries in UK. Until now, Hull has organised the company on Functional lines but is having doubts that this structure will serve his new strategy for growth in each market sector. a. What is a Functional organisation and what advantages and disadvantages do you believe this structure possesses when looking to further grow the business. (10 marks) Functional organization emphasizes the role of top positions throughout the business structures to deal with business’ problems and its functional authority restricts itself to guide all departments to ensure performance quality and uniformity in its operations. Often authorities are specialists appointed to m anage relevant or key positions. For instance, a managing director or marketing director is designated to

Religion and Military Mission Planning Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Religion and Military Mission Planning - Essay Example â€Å"A mission-planning system may accommodate either deliberate (scheduled) or ad hoc (unscheduled) planning and may operate in either a benign or hostile environment† (Seares). Military missions are planned when there is a need to control certain factors that are influential upon a certain community/communities in the state or the state as a whole. Most of the times, military missions are planned for the confiscation of property or land when another party, force or country has unjustifiably occupied it. Religion is often neglected in the planning of military missions because there is no religious concern. Another reason why religion has been conventionally neglected in the planning of military missions is the fact that a vast majority of the military missions were unexpected. The military missions had to be planned in a great hurry with very limited resources. In addition to that, religion has been neglected in the planning process because there is no interlink between the two. Religion lays a code of ethics, whereas there is no consideration of ethics in war. War means bloodshed. In the past, war was inevitable for many countries when there were some that wanted to conquer others. The question was of basic survival, not of religion. So religion was neglected in the planning process. Although religion should be considered in every walk of life, yet there is little, if any, guidance provided by any religion regarding the planning process of a military mission. Some religions do emphasize upon a need to fight for the right, even if you have to get martyred for that, but there is little if any, guidance regarding how individuals should go about it. Planning requires strategic thinking and thoughtful decision making. It has no concern with religion, except for certain situations i.e. how do militants offer prayers in the

Very womanly in behavior Essay Example for Free

Very womanly in behavior Essay Lina Wertmuller’s Swept Away original full title in Italy â€Å"Travolti da un Insolito Destino Nell Azzurro Mare dagosto† which means â€Å"By an Unusual Destiny in the Blue Sea of August†. The main setting of the movie was basically the ocean and the island where the two lead characters where stranded. The setting in the movie reflects a lot about the temperaments of the characters. It didn’t serve just a simple background but also speaks for itself and consequently telling a story. The vast blue ocean symbolizes power and beauty of Maria Angela Melato’s character. She is rich and beautiful. Just like the ocean, once you are under her vastness and beauty you cannot do anything but to sail by her command. The ocean is beautiful but also full of wrath. By a mere look, it is hard to predict what the ocean can do. It can destroy huge ships in a blink of the eye or it can give you a smooth cruise experience when it is serene. Very womanly in behavior. On the other hand, the island symbolizes domination. Whoever has access to resources dominates. As a matter of fact, that is exactly what happened to the characters of Giovanni and Maria Angela when they got stranded in the island. Since the character Maria Angela grew up rich and spoiled, she was not oriented to labor and hardship. However during her stay in the island she had to follow whatever the character of Giovanni wants since he has the resources. There were scenes in the movie when Maria Angela had to wash Giovanni’s clothes in exchange for food. In general, as aforementioned, the setting of the movie tells a story. The romantic sceneries of the dusk and dawn in the ocean view are very endearing. Somewhat telling that however wrathful a character something, there comes a point when it calms down shows love.

Labor Market For University Graduates Economics Essay

Labor Market For University Graduates Economics Essay For quite some time, Egypt has suffered chronic unemployment with the unemployment rates hovering during the past decade well above 9 percent. Like several other developing countries, the unemployment problem in Egypt is prevalent among university graduates. In 2008, almost 17 percent of Egypts labor force had a university degree. University graduates, however, represented approximately one third of the unemployed labor versus 2% of illiterates (CAPMAS 2008). The noticeably high unemployment rates among university graduates represent a heavy drain on the countrys scarce human and financial resources. Those distortions in the graduates labor market in terms of skills needed by employers and those offered by workers are mainly the outcome of prolonged policies that failed to promote economic growth and increase employment. Although, Egypt took a concrete steps and adopted active labor market policies towards the youth, the mismatch problem still exists. Gobbi (2005) diagnosed this phenomenon as follows: the existence of poor data on the labor demand needs, it is difficult to cope with dynamics of the labor market, only 5% received guidance from the authority to training centers and finally the low quality of the training due to lack of funds, shortage of competent trainers, scarcity of modern equipment and innovative methods, and insufficient course duration. Those distortions highlights the need to understand the status and imbalances in the university graduates labor markets and identify appropriate strategies to reduce unemployment and improve the well being and opportunities of the university graduates. Although individual welfare in Egypt is correlated with university graduation,[1] the labor markets for university graduates has not been sufficiently efficient. The inefficiencies are an outcome of the particular structure and features of those markets on both the demand and suplly sides. There is an extensive body of research literature that examines the main features of the labor markets for university graduates in Egypt. The research suggests that the field of study— classified according to academic department—has a significant effect on the labor market for the university graduates. For instance, it is likely that the medical school, pharmacy and engineering graduates may—on average—achieve better labor market outcomes in comparison with the holders of Bachelor of Arts degrees. Moreover, the nature of the university ownership (public, private or foreign) may affect its graduates labor market opportunities and expected lifetime incomes. Further, there is an increasing tendency towards recruiting graduates from foreign universities/sections. Hence, graduates from Arabic sections in commerce and law —for example— dont have the opportunity to penetrate the labor market. The same applies to faculties that do not generate the re quired skilled labor for the society like humanities and agriculture (OECD and IBRD-The World Bank 2010). Gender-specific differences—particularly on the demand side—have been observed to influence the labor market decisions and potentials for the university graduates leading to unequivocal male dominance. This is manifested by the staggering 71 percent representation of males in the total number of employed university graduates. Other personal, demographic, spatial and household characteristics influence the graduates labor market decisions importantly, marital status and location of residence. According to the 1998 and 2006 Egyptian Labor Market Surveys, unmarried women experienced faster transition from university-to-work vis-à  -vis married women. Alternatively, university graduates in urban areas represent almost 70 percent of the total number of employed university graduates owing to the low number of job opportunities suitable for their skills in the rural region. The rural university graduates access to employment and wage potentials is further curtailed by the hig h economic costs of migration across the rural urban divide generally because of the higher costs of urban reallocation. The above characteristics imply that the university graduates labor markets in Egypt are highly segmented. They are also influenced by non-competitive forces, which act as barriers to equitable access to employment opportunities and to fair wage compensations. Hence, personal, clan- and family-based connections and networks, communal norms and opportunistic rent-seeking behavior can pay for having a good job and raise the probability of accessing the labor market. As in many developing countries, there is a mismatch between Egyptian university graduates labor market realities and its institutions. Moreover, Employment Guarantee Scheme established in the 1960s lead to lowering the quality of education at all levels, and the growing number of graduates led to queuing for government jobs (Birdsall and OConnell 1999). Examining the characteristics of informal workers in 1998 and 2006 marked the increase in the share of youth (20-29 years old) among informal workers. Moreover, the share of university graduates has increased slightly over this period suggesting that more university graduates are informally employed in 2006 than in 1998 (Wahba 2009). Based on what shown above the Egyptian educational expansion is not translated into higher productivity and income for graduates, instead it induces diminishing returns. The reasons behind that are the shortage of Egypts education policy to efficient-enhancing discipline necessary for enhancing the graduated workers competitiveness in the export market, and the labor market regime and regulations that leads to an increase in the cost of labor and rigidities in the labor market (Birdsall and OConnell 1999). Therefore, it is of paramount interest that all players in the graduates labor market- the government, the university system administrators, employers and graduates themselves- must endeavor to put an end to this vicious circle. The main object of this research is to analyze the structure of the labor market for university graduates in Egypt and suggest pragmatic strategies to increase its efficiency. Because of the statistical deficiencies of the labor market data in Egypt, the proposed research will be based on a new stylized dataset for the supply and demand for university graduates. The remainder of this proposal is divided as follows. II. Objective The proposed research aims at informing the Egyptian decision makers in addressing fundamental policy issues concerning the supply and demand of university graduates and their movements in the labor markets. Consequently, the analysis should be able to improve the decision makers understanding of the different factors driving unemployment not only among university graduates but also in the overall economy via studying the processes and market and non-market institutions involved in the flow of university graduates in and out of establishments, university graduates (mis)match with jobs and the distribution of university graduates across sectors. Importantly, the study will consider the determination of the wage structure and the relationship of vacancies and unemployment cross different sectors and year of graduation. Specifically, the research will cover the following main issues. 1. Analysis of the structure of the Egyptian university graduates labor markets. This includes an overview of the relative wage/earnings structure (including all types of benefits) and the sources of wage inequality by type of employment, job, gender, enterprise, demographic characteristics, region, etc. The study will aim at examining the university graduates labor supply and demand sides. Hence, the study shall explore the different dimensions of the incentives that graduates have—including the various factors that affect their reservation wages—to provide labor services and to offer a specific number of hours of work per week and per year. The study shall differentiate between the incentives facing men and women separately, which determine the observed choices for the uses of time including the role of wages and job characteristics (stability, private/government, etc.), years of experience, family status, wage differentials by sex, informality, paid/nonpaid jobs, fam ily/personal income, type of enterprise, marital status and other households, community environment, firms and sectoral characteristics. 2. The main object of study shall aim at providing a detailed taxonomy of the structure of the demand for Egyptian university graduates. The study will generally aim at identifying the incentives of different firms and enterprises to hire graduates and the factors that influence job openings hires. In addition, different elasticities shall be estimated to evaluate the firms years of experience/skill graduates demand mix considering the prevailing relative wage, costs of production and market and non market institutional arrangements. Particular emphasis will be given to government and public sector demand for graduates that is influenced by both socioeconomic and political considerations. Finally, the study shall evaluate whether too much education is being produced relative to the needs of the different employers and whether there is a mismatch between the job characteristics and the graduates qualifications. 3. The study will examine the effect and role that grades have to play in the Egyptian university graduates labor market by type and spatial allocation of university and by type of employment private/public/government, formal/informal, temporary/tenured/seasonal, etc. The study shall consider the effect of grades on job and career prospects when entering the labor market. It will also examine whether or not these effects are transitory and whether they change (positively/negatively) over time. The study, therefore, shall test and analyze the relation between grades and annual wages—per formal and per actual hours of work—at different time intervals (years) after graduation to capture the age impact of the university graduates final grades. 4. The study shall examine the effect of minimum wage on the number of hours worked and on the structure of the wage distribution across sectors in Egypt focusing on university graduates. The study will determine the discrepancies in the length of the period needed for the youngest inexperienced vs. the older workers to decide exiting the minimum wage and identify graduates who would be most probably affected. The study shall extend the employment and wage effects of adopting the minimum wage policy on both the formal and informal sectors. This should provide the decision makers with guidelines for the design of an appropriate minimum wage policy that takes into consideration the profile of minimum wage employees and their productivity. 5. The study aims at measuring the intergenerational economic and social mobility among university graduates in Egypt by measuring the degree to which the graduates circumstances at birth, family background and ties with and membership in different communities can affect their employment and wage level. In addition, the study will probe into how status in the social hierarchy system changes throughout the course of the graduates career based on their own effort. The findings of the study will be employed to analyze the linkages between key socioeconomic variables including education attainment, persons skill and quality of performance, wage rate, job security and stability and equitable access to opportunities. Differences in opportunities—owing to the individuals own rank within the family/community, place of residence e.g., urban/rural, upper/lower and other relevant socioeconomic and demographic characteristics—will be identified. 6. Policy evaluation—based on the findings derived from the studies 1-5—to formulate policy informative guiding principles and design doable strategies for reducing unemployment and incidence of joblessness among Egyptian university graduates, increasing their earning potentials and employment opportunities and promising them better access to the labor markets both at the present time and in the future. The strategies shall be cast within an amenable format that can be easily implemented by the decision makers. III. Data Sources Graduate survey Survey on the labor market outcomes of graduates from the higher education system in Egypt, data will be collected through a multistage stratified random sample. The strata are all the academic departments and the graduation year. There will be an oversampling for the private schools to deal with their absent in the past. The questionnaire will study some demographic characteristics ,the job situation of graduates, type of the job and duties characteristics, educational requirements for the job, the match between their studies and their graduate job (education-job match), past jobs (jobs history). They were also asked whether they had taken any postgraduate studies or any training programs (training purpose, type of training and the corresponding cost), and if they had any experience with mobility. To study the effect and role that grades have to play in the Egyptian university graduates labor market, the questionnaire should have question about the cumulative grade that the graduate got on the final year of school. For some cases, when the GPA will be available, the graduate score will be converted to have the same grade system. Specific section with detailed questions for graduates who were unemployed and some other questions about the communities surround the graduates. This survey will be conducte d quarterly to capture the seasonality effect. Establishment survey The survey sample should represent all establishments in all economy sectors. Multistage stratified sample will be conducted. Some establishment characteristics will be taken into consideration such as the geographic region, public or private establishment and establishment size. Some specific sub surveys could be conducted: informal survey and micro-survey for enterprise that has less than 5 employees. The questionnaire will study all things that encourage different establishments to hire graduates, all the socioeconomic and political considerations that are related to hiring new employees. Some establishments require special training programs, so there will be some questions about the purpose of the training program, the cost, and the places that provide such training. It is important also to ask about the factors that influence new job openings. There will be also questions about the annual wages, working days, formal and actual working hours, cost of production and full- and part-time workers who are paid a wage or salary and some other questions about the communities surround the establishments. The survey will be conducted at the end of the fiscal year. To test the design and check its feasibility, a pilot study will be conducted for each of the two surveys. IV. Expected Budget Level Estimate US $ Overall Project Costs Human Resources Lead Economist Economic Expert(S) Statistics Expert(s) Economic Researchers Statisticians Conducting the survey Software and Equipments Workshops and Eeminars Bibliography Amer, M. 2007.Transition from Education to Work. Egypt Country Report. European Training Foundation (ETF) Working document. Birdsall, Nancy and Lesley OConnell. 1999. Putting Education to Work in Egypt. Central Agency for Public Mobilization And Statistics (CAPMAS). 2008. Labor force Sample Survey. www.capmas.gov.eg Chen, M.and J. Vanek. 2005. Informal employment: rethinking workforce development. In Good Jobs, Bad Jobs, No Jobs Labor Markets and Informal Work in Egypt, El Salvador, India, Russia, and South Africa. Ed. By Avirgan, T., L. Josh Bivens and Sarah Gammage. Global Policy Network. Economic Policy Institute. El Zannaty and Associates. 2007. School-to-work Transition: Evidence from Egypt. Employment Policy Papers; 2007/2. Employment Policy Department, ILO. El-Haddad, A. 2009. Labor Market Gender Discrimination under Structural Adjustment: The Case of Egypt. Working Paper #003, SRC/CIDA Research Program on Gender and Work. Social Research Center, The American University in Cairo and the Canadian International Development Agency. El-Mahdi, A. and M. Amer. 2005. Egypt: Growing Informality, 1990-2003. Chapter 1 in Good Jobs, Bad Jobs, No Jobs Labor Markets and Informal Work in Egypt, El Salvador, India, Russia, and South Africa. Ed. By Avirgan, T., L. Josh Bivens and Sarah Gammage. Global Policy Network. Economic Policy Institute. Galal, Ahmed. 2002. The Paradox of Education and Unemployment in Egypt Working. Egyptian Center for Economic Studies (ECES). Paper No. 67. Gobbi, M. 2007. Flexibility and security in labour markets of developing countries. In search of decent work for all Employment. Paper No. 2007/6 Policy Papers Employment Policy Department, ILO, Geneva. Gobbi, M. and N. Alena. 2005. Towards a New Balance between Labour Market Flexibility and Employment Security for Egypt. ILO. National Tripartite Symposium on Employment Policy in Egypt (16-17 January 2005, Cairo). Kenawy, Ezzat Molouk. 2006. University Education and its Relation to Development in Egypt. Journal of Applied Sciences Research, 2(12): 1270-1284. OECD and World Bank. 2010.Reviews of National Policies for Education: Higher Education in Egypt. Pauw, Kalie, Mornà © Oosthuizen, and Carlene van der Westhuizen. 2006. Graduate Unemployment in the Face of Skills Shortages: A Labour Market Paradox. Development Policy Research Unit. DPRU Working Paper 06/114. Radwan, Samir. 2002. Employment and Unemployment in Egypt: Conventional Problems, Unconventional Remedies. Egyptian Center for Economic Studies (ECES). Working Paper No. 70. Wahba, J. 2009. Informality in Egypt: a Stepping Stone or a Dead End? Economic Research Forum Working Paper No. 456.