Thursday, October 31, 2019

See des Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

See des - Essay Example re concerned, much of the motivation that get people to patronize matches has to do with personal thoughts of people about the sporting discipline in question, players involved in the game, competing teams, and other social factors. Though the need for marketing strategies is generally necessary, a lot of the respondents pointed to the fact that they attended the game because of the performance of the two teams of the day. Greater part of the respondents also indicated that they are selective of the kind of games to watch based on the performance of the teams involved and whether or not they have personal favorites among the players taking part in the game. Some others also pointed out that their presence had no linkage with marketing done by the teams but that they were there as part of their social curricula activities. The researcher can therefore conclude that for people to get more students to games, they ought to create very good personality marketing for their teams and player s. This is because if the teams and their players have very good image in the eyes of the students, they students will go and watch their games as part of their social relaxation activities. Interview someone who works for a retail store about how they choose which products the store sells. You will have to interview an owner or manager who is involved in the product decisions. A clerk at a store will not know how the products are picked. You can interview them about a particular product line (like snow boards or stuffed animals or soft drinks) or new products. This question should include some detail-not just â€Å"what people buy is what we keep†. The popularity of a product is determined by the public promotion and popularity of the product. This is because the interviewee indicated that there are shoppers who come to the shop and ask for specific products because they have heard advertisements on the products. This confirms the saying that buyers take decisions based on what

Tuesday, October 29, 2019

Why Chinese communist party-led governance in China is stable and Essay

Why Chinese communist party-led governance in China is stable and sustainable - Essay Example Chinese Communist Party formed the strategy to achieve a peaceful rise after the entry of China’s economy into rapid growth period. An important role in this was played by the introduction of the Open Door Policy and the Reform in China. Times changed for better during the second half of the 20th century as the world moved from war toward peace. This very important change had a far-reaching impact on all of the world in general and on the developing countries in particular. In the present age, when development and cooperation is sought by most countries, the peaceful rise strategy of China has become consistent with the global trend. Sun Yat-sen expresses this notion in these words, â€Å"World progress is like a tidal wave. Those who ride it will prosper, and those who sail against it will perish† (Yat-sen cited in Jianmin). Chinese communist party-led governance in China is stable and sustainable because of its prudent strategies and foresightedness. Political Trends Mao’s Cultural Revolution caused the state economy to collapse. China was left in a profound identity crisis and required radical restructuring of its national character. Deng Xiaoping’s first challenge after his resumption of power in 1976 was to address this exigency with acceptable values and norms (Lu and Simons). Since 1978, the ruling Communist Party in China has directed the country’s foreign policy at development of strategic partnership with China’s old Western enemies and moved China’s economy toward capitalism.... etween the ideological strategies and fervor that worked during the yenan years, the prevailing condition of peasantry, and demands of the developing economy in China (Pradnyawati 33). â€Å"In  the  post ­Mao  Zedong  era,  the party  ideology  has  successfully  shifted  from  that  of  class struggle  to  one of  economic  development† (Zheng 13). In contrast to Mao, Xiaoping’s pragmatic leadership placed emphasis on economic development of China and relinquished mass political movements. The leadership adopted policies of economic reform at the Third Plenum in December 1978 in order to expand rural incentives and income, boost experimentation in enterprise autonomy, attract foreign direct investment, and reduce central planning. The plenum resolved to accelerate the process of legal reform. After resurgence of the conservatives resulting from military intervention in Beijing on 4 June 1989, the process of economic reform slowed do wn. It was Xiaoping’s visit to China that gave economic reform a new impetus in early 1992. At the 14th Party Congress, Xiaoping’s renewed efforts to make Chinese economy market-oriented got official sanction. Many pro-reform young leaders were rising to top positions at that time. Xiaoping made management of economy in a way that prioritized improvement of living standards in China his primary policy objective even if that required adoption of capitalist measures. Xiaoping’s economic openness policies were publicly endorsed by the Communist Party Politburo. Ever since, China has placed emphasis on economic openness. This has played a great role in China becoming the second largest economy in the contemporary world. State and society The Chinese leadership proceeded toward increasingly pragmatic positions in a variety of fields

Sunday, October 27, 2019

HIT Governance, Regulations and Policy

HIT Governance, Regulations and Policy Melchor Abejon   The management and leadership of an organization play a significant role in determining the effectiveness of information technology. The use of Health Information Technology (HIT) to improve the healthcare service delivery is constantly increasing, thus it becomes an imperative for every Health Care Organization (HCO) to have an effective Information Technology (IT) governance in place to ensure that the use of HIT aligns with the strategic goals and objectives of the organization, and to effectively prioritized the limited resources. As the Chief Information Officer (CIO) of the academic healthcare system, the purpose of this paper is to: Define IT governance and describe the characteristics of a well-developed IT governance mechanism that are desirable for the organization. Create an assessment of the current state of HIT governance in the organization. Create an assessment of the organizations HIT governance capabilities. Definition of IT Governance Gartner (2017) defines IT governance as the processes that ensure the efficient and effective use of IT in enabling an organization to achieve its goals.   It is composed of the processes, relationships in reporting, committees and roles that an organization develops to make decisions about IT resources and activities, and to manage the execution of the decisions. These decisions involve defining project management approaches, setting priorities, determining budgets and addressing IT problems. Characteristics of a well-developed IT Governance Mechanism Wager, Lee and Glaser (2013) has given the following characteristics of a well-developed HIT governance mechanism as enumerated below: Objective and fair. Organizational participants should view governance as objective, fair, well-reasoned, and having integrity. The capability of governance to govern is highly dependent on the willingness of the organizational participants to be governed. Efficient and timely. The governance processes should be efficient and not bureaucratic. It should arrive to decisions quickly. Makes authority clear. A good IT governance enables committees and individuals who have decision authority to have a clear understanding of the scope of their roles and authority. Capability to evolve. A good IT governance mechanism should evolve as the organization, its environment and the use of technology in the organization evolves. Assessment of the Current State of HIT Governance and Capabilities of the Organization Methodology Basing from the described current IT governance structure of the organization in the scenario, and as the CIO of the organization, I believe that a good way to start in establishing a consideration to implement a new health IT governance structure for the organization is to assess the current health IT governance structure. The assessment will include identifying the organizations current maturity by completing a baseline assessment using a qualitative tool which is the Informatics Capability Maturity Model (ICMM) developed by the United Kingdoms National Health Service. The tool will not only assess the current maturity of the organizations health IT governance, but it also determines how capable the organization will be to improve its current health IT governance in order to achieve its strategic objectives. The ICMM also provides an easy quick starting point for organizational level discussions on informatics capabilities and highlighting the most essential areas for consideration . Procedure. Using the ICMM tool, I will evaluate my organizations HIT governance current status and capabilities by assessing five different dimensions. In each of the dimensions are five levels of maturity that ranges from basic (least mature) to innovative (most mature). For each maturity level, I will compare the characteristics and recognize my organizations appropriate position based on the maturity scale. Below are the five dimensions that will serve as my basis for my assessment: Management of information. In this dimension, I would assess the organizations procedures for data collection, data management, and sharing of information across the organization. Assessing this dimension would also enable me to understand the organizations capability in information security, information availability and reliability. A high score in this dimension indicates that the organizational participants or users have access to the right information at the right time. Use of business intelligence. In this dimension, I would assess the organizations approach to analyzing and presenting data to produce the needed information for decision making in the organizations business and clinical area. Assessing this dimension would also enable me to understand the organizations capability to monitor key performance indicators and metrics, ability to communicate essential information and as well as on how the organization invest in its strategic assets such as IT. Use of information technology. In this dimension, I would assess the organizations innovative use of IT. Assessing this dimension would also enable me to understand the organizations transfer of information, methods of information capture, and in sharing and reporting of information. Business and informatics alignment. In this dimension, I would assess how the organization considers and values informatics as a strategic asset in meeting its goals and objectives. Assessing this dimension would also enable me to understand the organizations focus of corporate resources on business activities, strategic plans, organizations activities that are relevant to current strategies and the organizations focus on outcome and results of activities within the organization. Change management. In this dimension, I would assess the organizations approach to realizing the benefits of informatics enabled business change. Assessment of this dimension would also enable me to understand the capability of the organization to realign its strategy and activities through periods of change and as well as capability of the organization to deal with complex changes and readiness for change. After a thorough analysis and determination of my organizations HIT governance status and capabilities based on the ICMMs maturity scale, the result of the assessment will be brought up to the senior leadership of the organization for discussion and identification of areas in the organization that have the potential for informatics capability improvement. A low score across all five dimensions would probably suggest for either a need for improvement or change in the organizations health IT governance structure. After discussing the results with the senior leadership and identifying the need for improvement or change, evidence or evidences will be collected to support the assessment and a proposal for capability development actions has to be created. The last step would be to develop strategies that would reflect the actions agreed upon by all stakeholders in the organization. This could be improving the current health IT governance or identifying a potential health IT governance structure that would be appropriate for the organization. Basing from the described health IT governance of the healthcare system in the scenario, an IT governance structure that enables effective prioritization of competing initiatives is absolutely needed. After improving or implementing a new IT governance structure for an organization, it is imperative that the progress has to be reviewed again through reassessment using the ICMM tool. References IT Governance. (2017). Retrieved February 27, 2017 from http://www.gartner.com/it-glossary/it-governance/ Nelson, R. Staggers, N. (2014). Health Informatics: An Interprofessional Approach. St. Louis, MO.: Elsevier Mosby. United Kingdoms National Health Service (n.d.). Informatics capability maturity model (ICMM) tool. Retrieved February 26, 2017 from http://content.digital.nhs.uk/article/4933/ICMM-tool Wager, K.A., Lee, F.W., Glaser, J.P. (2013). Healthcare information systems: A practical approach for health care management (3rd ed). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass

Friday, October 25, 2019

Genetic Defects in Cystic Fibrosis Transmembrane Conductance Regulator

Abstract: The main goal of this paper is to explain what Cystic Fibrosis is and also to explain what the causes of Cystic Fibrosis are. Cystic Fibrosis is caused by a mutation in a gene called Cystic Fibrosis Transmembrane Conductance Regulator (CFTR). Cystic Fibrosis is known as one of the most common life-shortening disease. More that 1,000 mutations in the CFTR gene have been found in people with Cystic Fibrosis. Most of these mutations change single protein amino acids in the CFTR protein and it deletes a small amount of DNA from the CFTR gene. I am going to explain what happens when the CFTR proteins is functioning normally and when it is diseased. Introduction: What is Cystic Fibrosis? Cystic Fibrosis is a genetic disorder that affects the exocrine gland of the lungs, liver, pancreas, and intestines, causing progressive disability due to multisystem failure. Thick mucus and less competent immune system are the results for lung infection. Less secretion of the pancreatic enzymes is the main cause of fatty diarrhea, poor growth, and the lack in fat-soluble vitamins [1]. So far there is no cure for cystic fibrosis. In the United States 1 in 3,900 children are born with Cystic Fibrosis. Most of the people who have CF die at young age, many of them in their 20s and 30s due to lung failure, but with the introduction of new treatments the life of persons with CF is increasing to ages as high as 40 or 50[1]. Results: Cystic Fibrosis is caused by a defect in the gene called Cystic Fibrosis Transmembrane Conductance Regulator (CFTR) [2]. The gene makes a protein that controls the water and salt that come in and out of cells. When the protein is working normally the body produces mucus, sweat, saliva, tears, and dig... ...inhaling antibiotics that are used to treat chronic and acute affections. [1]. Lung transplantation has become increasingly common for people wit Cystic Fibrosis. Liver transplant have also been successfully with patient with end of liver disease. Scientist are trying to find a way to keep the ion channel open longer in order to allow more time for ion exchange. A few attempts of gene therapy were successful, but failed to produce a long term result [6]. Literature Cited: www.Wikipedia.org [1] www.Chronicillness.suite101.com/article.cfm/what_causes_cystic_fibrosis[2] www.ghr.nml.nih.gov/condition=congenitalbilateralabsenceofthevasdefiniton[3] www.ionchannels.org [4] www.google.com/images [5] www.respiratory-lung.health-cares.net/cystic-fibrosis-complications.php [6] http://www.ornl.gov/sci/techresources/Human_Genome/posters/chromosome/cftr.shtml [7]

Thursday, October 24, 2019

Bureaucratic Politics and Intelligence in the Falklands War 1982 Essay

The Farklands war began on Friday, 2 April 1982. The fight was between Argentina and the United Kingdom (UK). The main dispute was over Farklands Islands and South Georgia and the other Islands known as South Sandwich. The fatalities of the violence included many people such as left-wing activists, trade unionists, students and even journalists. The Farkland Island was well known for its abundant supply of oil within its territorial waters. Argentina had already occupied the islands which was a British colony. Their main aim was to relocate attention from economical and social problems at that particular time (Grant, 2000, 3). Therefore, it was a political contrive by the Argentine political government to break away from its own state of social conflicts. Jorge Rafael Videla’s military dictatorship as part of the Operation Condor carried out the state terrorism. The Farklands conflict marked the great use of modern weapon systems under the military theorists. All the main elements of military theory came into practice at that period. This included several elements such as public enthusiasm, national determination, opportunity and miscalculation. Additionally, the war was itself an inquisitive combination of modern high-tech warfare and low-tech. The British forces were much outnumbered on the war ground. They never had the exact air true covers and only what they had was the aircraft that came with the task force. The bureaucratic politics played a major role in ensuring the victory of the British during the Farklands war. For instance, four factors are said to have neccessitated the British success. This includes, effective and sufficient training of the military, good leadership by the political leaders who gave them a lot of support, courage in the army and above all the Britain’s closest supporter, the United States. The endorsement of the United State’s policy towards the Farklands conflict provides an adequate evidence of how bureaucratic politics was involved during the war. The proper response of the above mentioned policy was properly constituted and played at the highest levels of the Reagan administration. The process was mainly confined entirely to the executive branch which was by that time dominated by the conformist view of the America’s place in the whole world. On the other hand, Graham T. Allison’s bureaucratic politics did not support the acceptance of the foreign policy goals. The president Reagan’s leadership style, the relationship of assorted personalities, conflicting interpretations of national interest and the opposing bureaucratic imperatives played a main role in creating a situation that was being characterized by disperse power and multiple actions in the war (Gustafson, 1998, 14). During the 1982 Falklands war, the Thatcher government attempted to assume an isolated and remote colony in the South Atlantic as British sovereign territory was very important in ensuring the mobilization of the media and also the support for the war recovery campaign. The re-imaginative process also included the role of the rural imagery. Additionally, the government-imposed censorship enhanced positive reporting of the war campaign. During the Falklands war, there were some negotiations between the two sides to avoid war but an agreement was never reached. This means that the use of diplomacy had failed in the Falklands Islands (Mauro, nd, 3). The main reason that constituted to this disagreement is that, there was a lot of misconstruction between the British and the Argentines. For instance, The Argentines never believed that the British would retaliate and on the other hand, the British always fought to believe that Argentina wanted a peaceful solution. Regarding the president’s personalities they were required to remain and appear very strong in terms of the diplomatic principles. The diplomatic solution was however not reached in the Falklands due to the political self-preservation, practical obstructions and diplomatic principle that were being practiced by the political leaders. During that time of war, the Argentina’s rulers were under the General Galtieri, a murderous, unpopular military junta. When they invaded the Falklands islands, they decided to make themselves less unpopular at home with the forces of Argentine prejudice behind them. This enabled them to be aware of all what was happening in the world around them and support Galtieri invasion and occupation. Margaret Thatcher together with her government in Britain was at that particular time very unpopular at home too. As a result of 1982 defeat, a vicious and incompetent dictatorship was overthrown in Argentina and then democracy was restored back (Robert, 1988, 428). The army was subjected to a civilian rule and was also transformed into modern professional institutions that were devoted to regional integration and peace. The Role of Intelligence in Explaining the War of Falklands 1982. The Britain intelligence professionals disregarded signs of political unrest and particular military intelligence communications from Argentina. As a result of their ignorance, they were vulnerable to surprise attacks. Another factor that contributed to the acceleration of the Falkland conflict was the neglected United State diplomatic efforts and reactions. The British were enjoying the privilege to access the U. S intelligence in their policy making. Intelligence was only considered to be the main determining factor in making of foreign policy that was being used during the war (Justin, 2007, 6). Application of intelligence enabled the successful conduct of the military operations of the Britain and the Argentina government. Domestic ratification of international agreement which seemed so much peculiar was applied during the Farkland war. In win-set game theory, the agreement was only possible if those win-sets overlaps and the larger each win-set and more probably they overlap. However, the smaller the win-sets, the more the risk those negotiations between the parties will finally break down. This was the same case that applied during the prolonged pre-war Anglo-Argentine conciliation over the Farklands islands. Tentative agreements were opposed in one capital or the other. This was mainly caused by political reasons when it became vivid that the earlier British and Argentine win-sets did not overlap at. As a result, the war became virtually inevitable. The negotiations were interpreted in terms of a bureaucratic politics model of level 11 politicking The armed forces of Britain were much closer to those of the United States and their air forces worked together during the Falklands war. The Britain also had well collaboration of weapons programme which was very strong in the nuclear area (Sean, 2007, 9). Additionally, there was much co-operation on human intelligence between Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and the Britain’s Secret Intelligence service (SIS). The intelligence services included satellite photos, unmanned aerial vehicles and other defense intelligence staff. Therefore, the Britain found it much easier to re-conquer Falklands because of the American intelligence. The Argentines used up-to date intelligence together with their detailed skills and knowledge. For instance, the Argentine ships were sailing to and around the Falkland Islands testing the Argentine defenses. During the Falklands conflict, France seemed to be very helpful to the Britain in support of intelligence. For instance, President Mitterrand instructed the French intelligence services to help the Britain track the movements of an Argentine ship that sailed close to France and Spain and was suspected of trying to get French-made military hardware. Additionally, the selective discharges of French signals intelligence were of great benefit to the Britain during the Falklands war. References Gustafson, L 1988, The Sovereignty Dispute over the Falkland (Malvinas) Islands, Oxford University Press, New York Justin, V 2007, Argentina and Britain: the lessons of war, viewed 5 August 2010 from Mauro, J nd, The Falklands Islands War: Diplomatic Failure in April 1982. Wake forest University, viewed on 5 August 2010 from Robert, D 1988, Diplomacy and Domestic Politics: The Logic of Two-level Game. International Organization, Vol. 42, No. 3, p. 427-460. Viewed 5 August 2010 from Sean, M 2007, Some Reflections on the Falklands War and the Kitsch-left Now Viewed on 5 August 2010 from Grant, C 2000, Intimate Relations, viewed 5 August 2010 from

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

How does the media affect policing? Essay

The media displays a negative and positive image when it comes to police officers. Society sees both sides from the media reflecting how they view police in their own communities. In our communities we also see police getting shot or often finding themselves in a bad situation. The police are here to protect us and to serve the communities to the best of their abilities. The negative images we see and hear are police that are corrupt or brutally beating harmless suspects. The positive images would be that they have saved an innocent life in a hostage situation. The media portrays the police in many different ways. We need to realize that the police are on our side and that they are human just like everyone else. The television shows that we see on television today are both helpful and harmful to the profession. For example, â€Å"Cops† is based on real life situations and we actually see what they go through on a daily basis. This profession is very dangerous and you have to be prepared for whatever comes your way. This show is helpful because it gives society an inside look at police officers in action. The show â€Å"NYPD Blue† portrays corrupt cops and is therefore harmful to how society sees police officers. The show that I feel impacts policing is â€Å"CSI.† It impacts policing because it shows that it’s just not one person that solves a crime; it takes a team to solve a crime. It often times takes patience and a different point of view to solve long tedious crimes. This is one of my favorite shows because there are so many technological advances today that help the police do their jobs to the best of their ability. In the future technology is going to play a key role in all aspects of law enforcement.

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

Krugmans book

If you take Krugman's book and any and all other articles he has written on the crises in Japan, anyone can tell that he thinks Japan needs inflation. According to him, Japan needs to print sufficient money to ensure many years of rising prices (i.e. rising by more than 3%). Given that nominal interest rates cannot fall below zero, inflation is the only way to generate the negative real interest rates that are needed to reverse the "liquidity trap" that Japan finds itself in. Japan's problem, excessive savings, is so ingrained that even interest rates of a bit less than .5% are insufficient to get firms to make use of all Japanese' unspent incomes. The only way to make them reduce their savings rate is to make their money depreciate (i.e. to eventually become worthless) if it is not spent. They are not spending due to the fact that the prices keep falling and the Japanese will hold out until the first sign of price increase. I think that at this point it is safe to say that the more an economy produces at a cost lower than it sells for, GDP in general will rise. Firms in Japan are abstaining from this production because the labor prices are to high and they don't buy machinery that will increase production because the prices are still dropping. If a firms economic advisor is allowed to step in and make predictions about the economy and when to buy, the firm will undoubtedly wait to the last moment where they think they can get any and all materials necessary for production the cheapest. With this in mind, Krugman would argue that there remains two problems with a policy of printing money; one that he noted, and one that I would add and that does go beyond the state , which Krugman confines himself to. Krugman noted that the Japanese Central Bank would have a "credibility problem" if it adopted an overtly inflationary policy (and it would have to be overt to have the desired effect). The problem is that people w...

Monday, October 21, 2019

Hunting and Gathering vs Sedentary Living Essay Example

Hunting and Gathering vs Sedentary Living Essay Example Hunting and Gathering vs Sedentary Living Essay Hunting and Gathering vs Sedentary Living Essay Gathering and Hunting Vs. Sedentary Living There are many events in the past that changed the course of history. The Neolithic Agricultural Revolution marked the transition between gathering and hunting to sedentary lifestyles. There were benefits to this change that have lasted until societies today. As well as benefits, there were also costs that effected people’s lives. The role of men and women shifted and things were slowly started changing to a world that is much like society today. Moving from gathering and hunting to sedentary living had its advantages. One of the advantages was the increase in their writing system. Writing was needed to keep track of the new flow of records coming in. As civilizations began to grow and thrive more people needed to be accounted for and these records needed to be recorded. It got to the point where the prehistoric pictures and murals weren’t enough. The civilians used symbols to account for the needs of the town. The creation of writing is beneficial also because it makes it possible for societies today to be aware and knowledgeable of the way that life was before them. It was also possible for laws to be set for the town’s people to see, and abide by them. One example of this is Hammurabi’s Code. Hammurabi’s Code was posted in the town and people were able to access it. The code set up rules for an ordered society. An ordered society was beneficial because since people were now becoming settled, there were new interactions that were unusual people didn’t know how to act around these situations. â€Å"Law codes give us an idea of a people’s sense of justice and notions of code† (Reilly 58). It also shows us how past societies, especially early civilizations lived their daily lives and kept order. There were other benefits of transitioning to a sedentary lifestyle such as the creation of centralized governments. Creating these governments along with the codes enforced order in the society and ensured the safety of the citizens. Another benefit was the creation of irrigation systems and farming. Farming is an imperative need to societies. People get their produce from farming. The creation of the irrigation system helped transfer the water from the surrounding rivers to the town so that they can farm crops. Also, the creation of stone tools helped make it easier to tend these crops. These tools also helped weave clothing and other needs for the new civilizations. The development of farming also was useful for domestication. By the villagers having an ordered way of growing and collecting food, the animals got drawn to the crops so they are easier to capture and tame. Farming also led to people settling down. People no longer had to go elsewhere to look for crops and herbds because they grew them in the community. Along with benefits, there were costs to moving to a sedentary lifestyle. For example, it changed people’s lifestyles. As gatherers, people were able to move freely and do as they please. There was nobody to tell them what to do such as leaders and tyrants. Once civilizations started to form everything had to be in order so there were changes. People were being told what to do and they suddenly didn’t have the opportunity to be nomads. This made it hard to adjust to third new society. As shown in the movie N! ai, the Story of a ! Kung Woman, this led to sickness in the village. People were dying left and right. Settling down also led to the introduction of slavery. People were set into social classes and people of the lower class were forced to do the labor that the upper-class didn’t want to do. Slavery was not here when there were Hunter- Gatherers because one more hand meant one more mouth to feed. They did things for themselves. There were also issues of social class. Citizens were classified by their occupation and what they could bring to the community. The commoners or lower class people with the less respected jobs ere always treated differently no matter what it was. With this shift in society also came the change of the status of men and women. Before settlement women held power and respect. People respected them because they were responsible for the farming which was the main way of acquiring food aside from hunting. Men and females were fairly equal in part. After settlement, the role of a female slowly began to digress and men became more powerful. In Mesopotamia as early as 2300 BCE inscriptions for ‘slave girl’ appear earlier than those translating as ‘slave male† (Reilly 31). There was also a high demand for female slaves as opposed to male slaves. In Marjorie Shostak’s Nisa: The Life and Words of a ! Kung Woman, she revealed how women weren’t able to speak their mind above a man. Men had final sa y in decisions and women were just there to back it up. Also young females were forced into marriage by their parents, but as mentioned before, the male parental figure would make the final decisions. In conclusion, the shift from a nomadic lifestyle to settled lifestyles has shown great change in the way that things were ran. The primary and secondary accounts listed in this essay helped readers see the emphasis that this change has on society today. There were sacrifices that people had to make in order to accommodate these changes. Even though one of these sacrifices had to be things such as equality of the sexes, this change still has marked something greater; a gateway for the development of future societies.

Sunday, October 20, 2019

Amazon in ECommerce

com has revolutionized the selling and purchasing of all products over the internet. It started with selling books over the internet and progressed in selling almost all consumer goods within a short span of time. Its engineering and quality principals make sure that all the various standard compliances are met and justified for improving the system behavior for its customers. Customers have now moved from the brick and mortars model, a traditional model for purchase of products, to the click and mortars model for ease of access, anytime anywhere access, take part in auctions and avail several promotion offers and gifts. The very perspective towards retail buying has been changed by Amazon.com. The virtual store concept is quite likely followed by many retailers after the success of Amazon.com and they have created a benchmark for its products and selling models define the very success over the long period since its inception. Question 2: Comparisons have been made by giant bookstore retailer Barnes Nobles and Amazon.com. Barnes and Noble operate dozens of bookstores in many local communities. Yet Amazon.com’s reach goes anywhere and everywhere with the Web. What, in your opinion, should Barnes and Nobles do to compete with Amazon.com? Answer 2: Barnes and Nobles must identify the very future requirements for its physical bookstores and come up with â€Å"click and mortars† model for fetching the right customer focus and model. Identifying the competition around and the changing outlook of the customers towards decision making for purchasing products is the greatest differentiator for change. The decision making for taking the business of Barnes Nobles over the internet would make sure that all the various present disadvantages would be capitalized upon. The brand mark of Barnes Nobles makes sure that every activity towards the envelopment of skyrocketing technologies would develop into a mammoth in promoting its success and growth. Only setting up the website is not enough. The representation model, sound engineering techniques, quality standards and affiliation techniques makes sure that its representation over the internet is strong and makes a presence really promising. Question 3: In order to more quickly realize and sustain its profitability should Amazon.com have remained a solely clicks based e-business (without warehouses) selling only books? Why or why not? Answer 3: Amazon’s decision to cater to several products would definitely move its primary base of selling books to other products. This is a sort of erosion of its primary brand which it created for selling books. The very brand creation and sustenance for selling books online had created a larger market share for book selling. The various bookstores at that time were in greater risk concerning their sales as Amazon grew in its market share for selling books. It was a brand which no one could deny. Its decision towards clicks business for selling other products over books makes sure that monopoly was broken to some extent and other small to medium sellers in the market found opportunity to make some business. These created a balanced view for existence in the marketplace allowing every dimension of sellers and customers to interact for good. Another reason for making the right move is for long term business continuity and spreading its wing to several other products which did not make it to the internet in that era. Amazon’s decision to be clicks based business must be changed into â€Å"clicks and mortars† business model for improving its supply chain by making it efficient and effective. The effective supply chain would cut down extra costs of transportation and shipping and would in turn create trust for its safety and quality policies. Warehouses would make sure that timely delivery of products can be made at lesser costs, which otherwise would create a sense of misunderstanding and evolve privacy and security aspects to a larger scale. Question 4: How can Amazon.com complete Bezos’s vision? What do they need to do to individualize their services to 25 million customers? Answer: 4 Amazon.com must fetch the customers according to their tastes and product liking. The following can be the various options that can be exercised: Provide a survey with questionnaires of what is important, how it can be bettered, what else is desired and so on. The survey questions would serve quite helpful in fetching the right suggestion from its customers to in turn get them everything they desire. The adoption of B2B and C2C model where various sellers and buyers can meet for selling the products of their choice. This would help users to customize according to their preferences so that more number of customers is fetched for purpose. The customer logs must be duly analyzed for fetching the right decision and data mining approaches to the vast data can be devised for getting the facts out for better customization of products and services. Request boxes and techniques must be presented so that in case a customer fails to find exactly what he desires, he can make a request for the new product. This would help to fetch the needs in micro detail for better capturing of the customer base. The above approaches would enhance Bezos’s vision to cater to individual needs and demands. Amazon is a virtual reseller, one of the main new intermediaries (Sarkar, 1996.) They are an electronic-commerce only intermediary; business and customer relationship management (CRM) is conducted purely via their website; a virtual marketplace with no direct contact between buyers and sellers. Amazon have created a virtualized value system through their accelerated ordering, delivery and payment of goods and services, while reducing operating and inventory costs associated with traditional bricks and mortar stores. This model demands a change to bring every buyer and seller to meet for catering individualized services. References Sarkar, M., Butler, B. Steinfield, C. (1996) Intermediaries Cybermediaries. Amazon in ECommerce com has revolutionized the selling and purchasing of all products over the internet. It started with selling books over the internet and progressed in selling almost all consumer goods within a short span of time. Its engineering and quality principals make sure that all the various standard compliances are met and justified for improving the system behavior for its customers. Customers have now moved from the brick and mortars model, a traditional model for purchase of products, to the click and mortars model for ease of access, anytime anywhere access, take part in auctions and avail several promotion offers and gifts. The very perspective towards retail buying has been changed by Amazon.com. The virtual store concept is quite likely followed by many retailers after the success of Amazon.com and they have created a benchmark for its products and selling models define the very success over the long period since its inception. Question 2: Comparisons have been made by giant bookstore retailer Barnes Nobles and Amazon.com. Barnes and Noble operate dozens of bookstores in many local communities. Yet Amazon.com’s reach goes anywhere and everywhere with the Web. What, in your opinion, should Barnes and Nobles do to compete with Amazon.com? Answer 2: Barnes and Nobles must identify the very future requirements for its physical bookstores and come up with â€Å"click and mortars† model for fetching the right customer focus and model. Identifying the competition around and the changing outlook of the customers towards decision making for purchasing products is the greatest differentiator for change. The decision making for taking the business of Barnes Nobles over the internet would make sure that all the various present disadvantages would be capitalized upon. The brand mark of Barnes Nobles makes sure that every activity towards the envelopment of skyrocketing technologies would develop into a mammoth in promoting its success and growth. Only setting up the website is not enough. The representation model, sound engineering techniques, quality standards and affiliation techniques makes sure that its representation over the internet is strong and makes a presence really promising. Question 3: In order to more quickly realize and sustain its profitability should Amazon.com have remained a solely clicks based e-business (without warehouses) selling only books? Why or why not? Answer 3: Amazon’s decision to cater to several products would definitely move its primary base of selling books to other products. This is a sort of erosion of its primary brand which it created for selling books. The very brand creation and sustenance for selling books online had created a larger market share for book selling. The various bookstores at that time were in greater risk concerning their sales as Amazon grew in its market share for selling books. It was a brand which no one could deny. Its decision towards clicks business for selling other products over books makes sure that monopoly was broken to some extent and other small to medium sellers in the market found opportunity to make some business. These created a balanced view for existence in the marketplace allowing every dimension of sellers and customers to interact for good. Another reason for making the right move is for long term business continuity and spreading its wing to several other products which did not make it to the internet in that era. Amazon’s decision to be clicks based business must be changed into â€Å"clicks and mortars† business model for improving its supply chain by making it efficient and effective. The effective supply chain would cut down extra costs of transportation and shipping and would in turn create trust for its safety and quality policies. Warehouses would make sure that timely delivery of products can be made at lesser costs, which otherwise would create a sense of misunderstanding and evolve privacy and security aspects to a larger scale. Question 4: How can Amazon.com complete Bezos’s vision? What do they need to do to individualize their services to 25 million customers? Answer: 4 Amazon.com must fetch the customers according to their tastes and product liking. The following can be the various options that can be exercised: Provide a survey with questionnaires of what is important, how it can be bettered, what else is desired and so on. The survey questions would serve quite helpful in fetching the right suggestion from its customers to in turn get them everything they desire. The adoption of B2B and C2C model where various sellers and buyers can meet for selling the products of their choice. This would help users to customize according to their preferences so that more number of customers is fetched for purpose. The customer logs must be duly analyzed for fetching the right decision and data mining approaches to the vast data can be devised for getting the facts out for better customization of products and services. Request boxes and techniques must be presented so that in case a customer fails to find exactly what he desires, he can make a request for the new product. This would help to fetch the needs in micro detail for better capturing of the customer base. The above approaches would enhance Bezos’s vision to cater to individual needs and demands. Amazon is a virtual reseller, one of the main new intermediaries (Sarkar, 1996.) They are an electronic-commerce only intermediary; business and customer relationship management (CRM) is conducted purely via their website; a virtual marketplace with no direct contact between buyers and sellers. Amazon have created a virtualized value system through their accelerated ordering, delivery and payment of goods and services, while reducing operating and inventory costs associated with traditional bricks and mortar stores. This model demands a change to bring every buyer and seller to meet for catering individualized services. References Sarkar, M., Butler, B. Steinfield, C. (1996) Intermediaries Cybermediaries.

Friday, October 18, 2019

Poor Communication Between Doctors and Nurses Speech or Presentation

Poor Communication Between Doctors and Nurses - Speech or Presentation Example Many patients die because some nurses fail to pass some important information about the patients to the doctors. Therefore, effective communication between nurses and doctors should be encouraged to promote positive patients’ outcomes. Purpose The program’s purpose is to promote effective communication between doctors and nurses in hospitals. Additionally, the project aims to reduce the negative effects of poor communication between doctors and nurses by creating awareness. It would be fundamental for the program to state the aspects that constitute appropriate communication within the hospital surroundings. Target population The target populations for this program are the board and the health leaders within the broader care system. Additionally, the program targets doctors and nurses in all the hospitals. I would also be fundamental to include patients because their response is crucial. Benefits of the program The programs will benefit the nurses, doctors, and patients . Effective communication between nurses and doctors improves the relationship between the two professional groups, which in turn enhances job satisfaction and productivity (Gordon, Buchanan & Bretherton, 2008). Most nurses complain about their poor relationship with doctors. Researches show that most nurses never get job fulfillment because of their poor relationship with doctors. The nurses feel inferior in the work places because they experience social stigma. This is because doctors are considered more important that nurses and they should be the ones making the final decisions (Coombs, 2004). Additionally, proper communication between nurses and doctors will help in reducing patients’ deaths in hospitals. Lack of communication increases the occurrences of medical errors in hospitals causing unexpected patients’ deaths (Gordon, Buchanan & Bretherton, 2008). Researches prove that medical errors are among the five major causes of deaths in the country. Approximately 98,000 patients die in the US because of the medical inaccuracies that result from poor communication (Rosenstein & O’Daniel, 2009). Nurses do not usually participate in decision-making processes in most hospitals. This makes nurses to assume that the doctors comprehend everything and they fail to give the doctors some vital information, which they do not know about the patients. This leads to giving of wrong prescriptions, which worsen the patients’ conditions. Nurses are always the closest individuals to the patients compared to all other healthcare team members. Therefore, they always have better assessments of the patients’ needs. However, they are always reluctant to share their observations and assessment results due to poor communication systems in hospitals. Therefore, the program will help in upgrading the health care systems in hospitals by improving communication (Coombs, 2004). The projects will also help in lessening the shortages of nurses. Researc hes show that for last five year, the numbers of nurses has been declining (Gordon, Buchanan & Bretherton, 2008). This has resulted into a shortage of nurses in many countries. This is because they are treated as inferior individuals in the work places. Consequently, most people prefer being doctors because they are accorded additional value than nurses are. Improving communication between doctors and nurses will make the nurses to feel worthy, and many people will be

Case 5 Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

5 - Case Study Example The p-value can also be termed as the probability of obtaining the exact value for a model built around two hypotheses are neutral or null. The other one is the hypothesis under testing. In case the p-value is less than or equal to the threshold value previously set, one discards the neutral hypothesis and the test on the hypothesis is considered valid. The concept of p-value can be applied in several fields. In approach of Ronald Fisher, p-value is a key concept where uses it to measure the weight of the data alongside a specified hypothesis and as a standard to ignore data that does not have anything to do with any alternative hypothesis, which is instead a feature of the Neyman-Pearson approach. It should not be contracted with the significance level in the above approach defined by Neyman-Pearson approach. Essentially, the p-value does not in itself give support reasoning about the likelihoods of hypotheses, nor selecting among unlike hypotheses–it is just a measure of how possible the data have happened by coincident, supposing the null hypothesis is correct. Arithmetical hypothesis experiments making use of p-values are normally applied in many fields of science and social sciences, such as economics, criminal justice and criminology, psychology, biology, and sociology (Tai, Bee, and David 21). Regression is a degree of the relation among the average worth of one variable and conforming worth of the additional variables. In the other hand, coefficient is the numerical quality placed before and reproducing the variable in an algebraic. Regression can also be referred as the factor that measures some possessions. Regression scrutiny generates an equation to define the statistical interaction between one or more forecaster variables and the same reaction variable. The p-value for each term examines the null hypothesis that

Web Development for Information Management Coursework

Web Development for Information Management - Coursework Example System†,â€Å"Boston Pizza†, â€Å"Zuppler Online Ordering Menus†, â€Å"Funny Cow Fast Food†, â€Å"Hoagies & Wings, LA†), it was observed that there is an underlying trend that is generally followed while designing food delivery websites. Usually, a food provider hosts a website with a URL that depicts the food company’s name or some memorable association to it; a name that the customers can easily remember. On the homepage of the website is displayed the logo of the company, contact details and a detailed menu of the company’s food items with pricing, the delivery time, availability and cost for all the items. The customer is given the option to select food items from the menu displayed on the homepage. Whatever item the customer selects, it is added to an item’s cart that displays the total accumulated billing of the order so far along with the items selected. Once the customer is done selecting the items, he/she selects the check-out option from menu. In case, the customer is new, he/she provides some personal information (i.e. contact detail and delivery address) to register to the site and place the order. This information is stored within a database maintained by the food providers. In case, the customer is not new, he/she can use the login details from the past orders. The personal information will be retrieved automatically based on these details and the order will be placed automatically. The payment is done either online by provide credit card details or by hand on delivery. Once the order is placed, a notification is sent to the food provider regarding the placement of an order. This could be through sms, fax or a notification on the system running at the provider’s work area. The orders can be grouped into ‘completed’, ‘active’ and ‘pending’. Once the provider accepts an order, a confirmation is sent to the customer, either through an email or sms. The staff starts preparing the ordered food. Once the food is prepared, it is

Thursday, October 17, 2019

Investment in a social media strategy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Investment in a social media strategy - Essay Example As a result of social media there have been pervasive changes in the way individuals, communities, and organizations. Lately, there have been improvements in the ways in which business organizations make use of social media to get in touch with the public. This is because of developments such as globalization which makes it very hard for business organization to use face-to-face communication for customer service. This paper aims at discussing how a business organization can use social media for customer service. Customer service is a very important aspect of business management. The customer service is in most cases referred to as the process of identifying and fulfilling the needs of their customers. The customer service is considered to be very important because in most cases it is always the only way through which customers can contact a business organization. Given the fact that business organizations have been satisfying the needs of their clients as one of the primary goals, customer service is one of the most reliable ways of determining if they are fulfilling this part of their goal. Customer service can also enable a business to know in which ways they should improve in order to completely satisfy the needs of their customers. Customer service is also a channel through which customers can make inquiries on goods and services produced by a certain business organization (Shaw, Dibeehi & Walden 2010, p. 111). There are various factors that promote the use of social media for customer service. One of such factors is the manner in which the use of social media enables business organizations to deliver better customer service. Researches have proved that twitter is in most cases the first option for customers who want to make pre-purchase inquiries. This proves that many people can be attended to through social media customer service. This is enhanced by the fact that a very big percentage people in the

Corporations and How They Have Changed From the Beginning of the Research Paper

Corporations and How They Have Changed From the Beginning of the Twentieth Century Until Now - Research Paper Example Lastly, the paper will explore when people should demand the government aid to rebuke or persuade activities of corporations. Introduction The American economy underwent significant maturity during the twentieth century. The changes in the economy were accompanied with the emergence of numerous corporations. Technocrats emerged and replaced business barons; high salaried managers became the executives in these corporations. As a result of the rising number of corporations, organized labor movement emerged. Moreover, the technological developments witnessed during the 1980s and 1990s brought with it a new culture of entrepreneurship that gave rise to tycoons (Drehle 48). With globalization, corporations had the opportunity to expand their operations to international borders. As such, companies opened foreign branches that helped to increase profitability and gain a large customer base. Discussion Through subsidies, special taxes, and special protocols, the federal government significa ntly contributes to the protection of corporations. Tax subsidies emanate from selective tax legislation aimed at benefiting some industries in the economy. The industries that reap maximum benefits from tax subsidies include corporations. Subsidies enhance the corporations to increase their returns in the market where they operate. Tax subsidies may be applied in a number of variables in a Corporation. For example, the federal government can decide to offer subsidies in terms of labor or land (Drehle 50). Special taxes and subsidies may take the form of general investment tax credits that may be made available to corporations. For example, the federal government can decide to favor productive methods that are capital-based. In its view, the federal government argues that tax subsidies play an essential role in promoting economic growth and economic stability. The federal government should make concerted efforts to develop, promote, and foster international and domestic trade by off ering subsidies to corporations (Drehle 51). As a result, trade barriers will be removed and this promotes free trade in the American economy. The reduction of trade restrictions benefits the entire economy since some trade rules hinder economic development. Tax reductions and offering of subsidies to corporations can be justified; therefore, the federal government has an obligation to subsidize corporations. Subsidies and reduction in taxes mean that the corporations will have an opportunity to manufacture goods in large quantities. Therefore, corporations will sell goods to consumers at reduced prices. As such, consumer exploitation by middlemen and businesses will be minimized. Thus, it can be concluded that distinct taxes on corporations serves to protect consumers from buying goods at extremely high prices (Drehle 51). Through the use of subsidies and tax reduction, the government guards the corporations against quiting the industries in which they operate. Some economic activi ties would not take place in the absence of subsidies and special taxes. Therefore, subsidies protect the business and normally lead to low imports and high exports (Drehle 52). The benefits of subsidies on businesses extend to employees working in these corporations. As a result of subsidies, corporations can pay their employees high wages. Consequently, the government will get high revenue from taxation of individual income. The federal gove

Wednesday, October 16, 2019

Disposal of Industrial Wastewater and Alternatives Essay

Disposal of Industrial Wastewater and Alternatives - Essay Example It is not surprising to meet industrial sewer water spilling on the surface. Notably, no one seems to see the impact that the industrial sewer water has to the society. Water serves the society in almost all aspects. Arguably, industrial functions, domestic functions, and environmental functions require water. This certainly means that all process in both environmental setup and industrial set up require water. It is right, therefore, to argue that water is the source of human livelihood. That well said, environmentalists argue in favor of processes or activities that preserve sources of water. Constant awareness creation has acted in the recent past as a tool that used by the environmentalists to enlighten the society about the consciousness in preserving nature. On the other hand, development conscious think tanks work proposals that aim at creating more opportunity that would lead to development.   Industrialization and activities relating to it have often featured in their-ever-changing- development agenda. Industrialists site a number of reasons that support their course in the society. First, industrialization creates opportunities for the society such as employment. These opportunities promote the well-being of the society. Second, promoting industrialization ideology creates an opportunity for trade among countries or states. Trade brings products to the proximity of the consumers. What would happen when there is no trade? Would people be able to get products they need in the society? Holding social fabrics together entails a number of factors, which must promote the existence of people. Do we argue that environment has limited opportunities to offer to humankind? Probably not, but exhausting the opportunities in the environment would create a detrimental outcome to the society.

Corporations and How They Have Changed From the Beginning of the Research Paper

Corporations and How They Have Changed From the Beginning of the Twentieth Century Until Now - Research Paper Example Lastly, the paper will explore when people should demand the government aid to rebuke or persuade activities of corporations. Introduction The American economy underwent significant maturity during the twentieth century. The changes in the economy were accompanied with the emergence of numerous corporations. Technocrats emerged and replaced business barons; high salaried managers became the executives in these corporations. As a result of the rising number of corporations, organized labor movement emerged. Moreover, the technological developments witnessed during the 1980s and 1990s brought with it a new culture of entrepreneurship that gave rise to tycoons (Drehle 48). With globalization, corporations had the opportunity to expand their operations to international borders. As such, companies opened foreign branches that helped to increase profitability and gain a large customer base. Discussion Through subsidies, special taxes, and special protocols, the federal government significa ntly contributes to the protection of corporations. Tax subsidies emanate from selective tax legislation aimed at benefiting some industries in the economy. The industries that reap maximum benefits from tax subsidies include corporations. Subsidies enhance the corporations to increase their returns in the market where they operate. Tax subsidies may be applied in a number of variables in a Corporation. For example, the federal government can decide to offer subsidies in terms of labor or land (Drehle 50). Special taxes and subsidies may take the form of general investment tax credits that may be made available to corporations. For example, the federal government can decide to favor productive methods that are capital-based. In its view, the federal government argues that tax subsidies play an essential role in promoting economic growth and economic stability. The federal government should make concerted efforts to develop, promote, and foster international and domestic trade by off ering subsidies to corporations (Drehle 51). As a result, trade barriers will be removed and this promotes free trade in the American economy. The reduction of trade restrictions benefits the entire economy since some trade rules hinder economic development. Tax reductions and offering of subsidies to corporations can be justified; therefore, the federal government has an obligation to subsidize corporations. Subsidies and reduction in taxes mean that the corporations will have an opportunity to manufacture goods in large quantities. Therefore, corporations will sell goods to consumers at reduced prices. As such, consumer exploitation by middlemen and businesses will be minimized. Thus, it can be concluded that distinct taxes on corporations serves to protect consumers from buying goods at extremely high prices (Drehle 51). Through the use of subsidies and tax reduction, the government guards the corporations against quiting the industries in which they operate. Some economic activi ties would not take place in the absence of subsidies and special taxes. Therefore, subsidies protect the business and normally lead to low imports and high exports (Drehle 52). The benefits of subsidies on businesses extend to employees working in these corporations. As a result of subsidies, corporations can pay their employees high wages. Consequently, the government will get high revenue from taxation of individual income. The federal gove

Tuesday, October 15, 2019

Factors affecting growth and development Essay Example for Free

Factors affecting growth and development Essay Introduction There are numerous factors that could potentially affect how an individual grows and develops. As Beyoncà © was growing up she may or may not have experienced factors that could influence on how she lives and what her future plans out to be. In this assignment, I will explain different situations for 5 life factors that may determine how someone lives. One of these is the biological factor. This is anything that affects how someone develops for example FAS. The second factor is environmental, this affects how someone develops due to their surroundings e. g. someone who is asthmatic. Thirdly is the socioeconomic factor, which according to Classroom.synonym.com (2017) â€Å"are the social and economic experiences and realities that help mold ones personality, attitudes, and lifestyle. The factor can also define refine regions and neighborhoods.† Next is the genetic factor this factor is based on things that affect an individual’s development because of their DNA. Finally is the lifestyle factor this is where the life that someone lives can affect how they develop physically, intellectually, emotionally and socially. Biological A biological factor that I would be explaining is Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS), which ultimately is an avoidable condition caused by the heavy consumption of alcohol that the pregnant mother is in taking. When an individual is pregnant the baby depends on them to be able to survive and grow, this process is done from the mother passing nutrients and oxygen from her blood, into the unborn baby’s placenta which then travels to the baby’s bloodstream. The mother will also help with the removal of waste and CO from the unborn baby. When a mother drinks alcohol it gets into her bloodstream which then eventually will pass through the placenta, which separates the mothers and baby’s blood, then entering the baby’s bloodstream. Mackintosh. M (2017) says that â€Å"drinking alcohol in the first three months is linked to miscarriage and birth abnormalities.† This is due to the high rate of alcohol in the baby’s blood which reduces the rate of oxygen ca using hindering the development of the baby’s lungs, heart and brain. There are many reasons on why someone may want to drink alcohol whilst pregnant. One reason could be that they are addicted to alcohol meaning that they can’t usually stop without the help of other people. Another reason could be that the mother just simply is totally clueless of her pregnancy, therefore, has carried on as normal for the first couple of months of the pregnancy. However, for many of the different reasons, there are people who are willing to help to ensure the safety of you and the unborn baby. An individual living with FAS will normally have visible physical effects such as distinctive facial features which include: a small head, narrow eyes and a smooth philtrum (the area between the nose and top lip). However, these features are more apparent when they are younger. It is known for some people who have FAS to have learning difficulties such as such as problems with thinking, speech, social skills, timekeeping, math’s or memory and mood, attention or behavioral problems – such as autism-like behavior or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). (NHS.UK, 2017) According to psychiatry.emory.edu (2017), â€Å"Children and adolescent with FAS and other alcohol-related disorders may be developmentally delayed, have mental retardation or have problems with specific learning differences or disabilities. These conditions are often associated with social, emotional, behavioral, and academic problems.† When these and other deficits are not identified early in life, children may be viewed as being deliberately â€Å"bad† or having â€Å"emotional† problems when, in fact, they are unable to act in ways that caregivers ask of them. Such labels can be very damaging to self-esteem.† Environmental There are many environmental factors that could affect an individual’s development, physically, intellectually, emotionally, and socially. For this factor, I will be explaining the effects of ‘Damp and Overcrowded Housing’. Dampness in buildings are mainly caused by the condensation of moisture in the air, the moisture settles and create perfect environments for bacteria such as fungi to grow. For example, If the mold/damp is present on a painted or wallpapered wall, it would cause the paint or wallpaper to peel away from them. If the mold continues to grow, it increases the risk of respiratory problems such as coughs and asthma, this is more likely for children. Many families live in a house that thrives with mold and dampness, leaving them open to the effects. There are many children who will experience asthma attacks due to the mold and overcrowding, resulting in them missing vital days of school. Which then lowers their chances of getting good qualifications, decreasing the chances of getting well-paid jobs. Living in poor quality housing will also affect an individual’s mental state, they may end up being depressed and stressed, due to the pressures that they are put under. The effects of stress can lead to behavioral problems such as eating disorders, physical problems such as nausea and dizziness, and cognitive problems such as memory loss, (Helpguide.org, 2017). It may also result in miscarriages or premature births which isn’t really good for the mother or the child. Due to there not being enough room in the house it could cause fights and relationship pressures to occur. Living in a damp and overcrowded house can also lead to other environmental factors such as discrimination. Discrimination affects both the children and adults of the family. For example, if a child, living in a house that has damp went to school some children may bully that individual because their clothes may smell like damp. This will affect how they make friends, because they may be wary about how people will react to them due to the past or ongoing situations of where they have been bullied. â€Å"Children from low-income families often forgo events that most of us would take for granted. They miss school trips; can’t invite friends round for tea; and can’t afford a one-week holiday away from home. While studies show that there are more play areas in deprived areas, their quality is generally poorer. Vandalism, playground misuse and danger of injury all act as deterrents to using what otherwise might be good facilities.† (cpag.org, 2017) Socioeconomic Income is the money that an individual or household gets and according to myaccountingcourse.com (2017) expenditures â€Å"are payments of currency or barter credits for necessary inputs (goods or services). This could be anything from purchases equipment to hiring employees. Obligatory settlements or payment of liabilities such as invoices, receipts, and vouchers can also be considered expenditures.† Both expenditures and income can affect an individual’s life in positive and negative ways, â€Å"your income has a greater impact on your health than lifestyle choices.† (Therecord.com 2017). An individual living in a high-income family may experience many positive interactions and opportunities that people who may be living in a low-income family may not experience. However, there are some disadvantages of being in a high-income family is that others may take advantage of them, for the money. Another disadvantage that applies to both high and low-income families i s that the individuals within may start to become ungrateful towards things and not think of others. Children who live in low-income households tend to struggle more than others with a higher income in many situations in life for example education or health, this is the secondary effects of an individual being poorer. Children living in poorer households are more likely to have low attendance/punctuality at school and are also more likely to get behavior referrals due to ‘bad behavior’. Lowered attendance leads too many missed lessons which put them behind hindering their intellectual development and their behavior which is seen as socially wrong would impact on them making friends. â€Å"Education is the process of learning. It includes the difference in the level of education that somebody has received and the qualifications that somebody has,† (classroom notes, 2017). Children from around the age of 5 may start to experience being bullied, due to their family income by other children, this can cause emotional outbursts triggering them to act out or even being extremely weary and quiet. Bullying can cause an individual to be emotionally unstable which will have impacts on their sexual relationships in future life. According to jrf.org.uk, (2017) â€Å"income influences many different outcomes at the same time, including maternal mental health and children\s anxiety levels and behavior.† Someone living in a high-income family will physical dress up well and they may have the latest fashion trends, whereas someone living in a low-income family may appear to have scruffy or large clothes that may most likely be handed down from a family member. Genetic The genetic factor that I will be explaining in this assessment is cystic fibrosis (CF). Cystic fibrosis is a genetic disorder which causes a mass production of mucus to build up throughout the individual’s organs in their body. An individual will only get CF if both biological parents were carriers of the gene. This means that parents that don’t have CF have a possibility of conceiving a child who has and shows CF. this disorder is very harmfully for an individual it affects their lungs due to the buildup of mucus in the pathways which then leaves them open to infections. Cysticfibrosis.org.uk (2017), states that â€Å"Cystic fibrosis can cause the pancreas to become blocked with mucus, and when this happens enzymes required for digesting food cannot reach the stomach. People with CF often need to take more than 50 tablets a day to help digest food and keep respiratory symptoms in check.† Someone who has cystic fibrosis will have a lowered life expectancy the average life expectancy of someone one living with CF is 41years old. Cystic fibrosis affects someone’s daily life because for treatment an individual will have to go through daily routines such as physio and taken tablets. These help to control the effects of CF. â€Å"Living with a chronic disease, such as CF, can be emotionally challenging. Although moments of sadness and anxiety due to the uncertainty of your health may come and go, depression and persistent anxiety should be treated as part of your overall health and emotional wellness.† (cff.org, 2017). Due to appointments, a CF patient may experience a low attendance at school or college, the missing lesson will then have intellectual development issues on the individual because they have missed out on key information that the teacher has given out. This disadvantages that individual compared to their peers which might cause them to feel isol ated. Lifestyle For this factor, I will be explaining about the use and misuse of substances. There are 2 types of drugs that someone may use these are: medical drugs such as paracetamol are usually prescribed by a doctor, to either relieve pain or to cure illness. Mackintosh. M (2017), explains that â€Å"recreational drugs such as alcohol and tobacco are taken by people because they like the effects that they have on their bodies, but they are addictive. Heroin and cocaine are illegal recreational drugs that are very addictive.† There are 3 main categories of drugs these are depressants, stimulants, and hallucinogens (cause hallucinations or sensations and images that seem real though they are not). These will all influence an individual, however, the effects will be different depending on the type of drug that they have taken. Depressants such as alcohol and heroin tend to reduce the activity of an individual’s nervous system for a while. Some people will drink alcohol because they are feeling low/stressed, however, the effects of the alcohol cause the person to feel even lower so then they would drink some more, and the cycle will then continue. This may result in an individual beige pendant on alcohol which is a gateway to addiction. According to Wikipedia.org (2017), â€Å"alcohol intoxication affects the brain causing slurred speech and delayed reflexes.† Stimulants such as caffeine, speed up the reactions of the nervous system resulting in high performances in sports. According to Drugfre eworld.com (2017), â€Å"Stimulants can be addictive. Repeated high doses of some stimulants over a short period can lead to feelings of hostility or paranoia. Such doses may also result in dangerously high body temperatures and an irregular heartbeat.† This can cause individuals to feel socially cut off from everyone, which will affect them socially and emotionally.

Monday, October 14, 2019

Religious Festivals Across The Globe

Religious Festivals Across The Globe Public all over the world are well recognizable about festival. Festivals are large celebrations with plenty of food, drinks, dance and music. Every country has their own festival and celebrates it attractively at a assured time. Generally people celebrates the festival with their happiness, there are many festival in the world like, Cultural festival, Religious festival, Music festival, Art festival, Fair festival, Film festival, Actor festival etc. But these festivals are much differing to the country to country. In this task there are two festivals would be described, first one is Religious festival and final one is food festival. This is known to important that two countries are different continent are considered of this festival. So they are set lower 2.Country of choice: To accomplish this task, It has been chosen two countries for describe. First one is Jordan and another last one is Libya. Jordan and Libya is the two Muslims country of the world. In general these two countries are very close to the many festivals but they have much difference as well. In general the countries are same about the religious festival. In order to complete this task of will compare three topics about origin, celebration and significant. 3.Religious festival of Jordan: 3.1.Origin: Religious festival is the most common festival of all over the world. The entire nation in the world organizes the festival. Jordan is a Muslim country; they have a huge history about the religious festival. According to the Muslim history the Jordan has two major Religious festivals first one is the Eid-ul-Fitr and another one is the Eid ul Azha. They have many other festivals such as miladunnabi, Lilatul barat. 3.2.Celebration: The Jordanà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢s celebrates their religious festival. On that day they invite their neighbor relatives and their friends. Especially on the EID day they invite their friends by the EID cards. In this day people are gets up early in the morning and take part of mutual embracing .They prays their prayer and complete their all religious function. At the end of the celebration they goes to home each other. They deliver their friend sweets, cake, and many other traditional foods to their guest just after receiving warmly. 3.3.Significant: The significant of the Muslim festivals are same to the country to country when the other the festivals are different. Islam is the old religion in the world. The Is lam has a traditional history while all of them known as traditional festival. The Jordan is the north South African Muslim country. Religious festival is the most important one for the Jordan culture when the whole nations are the Muslims. Eid ul-Fitr come the end of the fasting month of Ramadan. This festival come with the significant of Islam like, empathy for the poor, charity, worships, etc. It is main teaching of Islam which name is fasting. Fasting is known to extol fundamental distinctions, lauding the power of the spiritual realm, while acknowledging the subordination of the physical realm. 4.Food festival of Jordan: 4.1.Origin: Jordan food festival is holding a traditional history for the long time, all the people of Jordan participate their food festival for holding their tradition. The general people participate in the Jordan Food Art Festival which takes place during July August at the Radisson Hotel in Vienna. The festival aims to attract consumers to dine Jordan food at the hotel and to motivate them to travel to Jordan. There remains tambala with a trip to Jordan to be won and we will have a desk in the foyer of the hotel with our Jordan brochures. 4.2.Celebration: In cooperation with the Jordan Embassy in Vienna, JTB participates in the National Day festivities at the Radisson Hotel within 15 June in every year. There also have the à ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒâ€¦Ã¢â‚¬Å"Grand Opening Ceremonyà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ã‚  of the Jordan Food Art Festival which takes place there in July August. 4.3.Significant: Food festival is the very important aspect within the Jordanian culture. In most villages, urban, meals are a community event with the immediate and extended family present. In addition, food festival is commonly used by Jordanians to state their generosity and liberality. Jordanians by nature are very hospital people and, often, it is presented within minutes of a persons invitation to a local house. Because of that the Jordanian feels so proud about their food and their festival. There is so much more to Jordanian food than mere ingredients. There is a history of generosity and rich cultural traditions that come with your dish. Bon hunger. 5.Religious festival of Libya: 5.1.Origin: The Libyan religious festival is traditional it comes after the holy month of Ramadan .One of the biggest festivals in the Islamic chart marked by visits to the mosques and the homes of invited their friends and neighbors, families, wishing them a happy Eid, and celebrations crossways the country. All kids and youthful public wear yarn new dress, panjabi, pajama, tupi and varitis of traditional dracess receive new presents, participate and have fun. 5.2.Celebration: Eid al-Adha is celebrated annually on the 10th day of the 12th and the last Islamic month of Dhu al-Hijjah of the lunar Islamic calendar Eid al-Adha celebrations. Start after the Hajj, The annual pilgrimage to Mecca in Saudi Arabia by Muslims worldwide, descend from Mount Arafat. The date is approximately 70 days (2 Months 10 days) after the end of the month of Ramadan, i.e. Eid-ul-Fitr. Ritual observance of the holiday lasts until sunset of the 13th day of Dhu al-Hijjah. 5.3.Significant: It before mentioned that there are two major sacrificial banquets in the Muslim religious history, the first banquet is the Ramadan and the second most important banquet is the sacrificial banquet, which comes after the Haj or pilgrimage to Mecca, in recognition of Ibrahims devotion to Allah. When Allah instructed Ibrahim to sacrifice his sun Ismaeil, to test his belief and devotion, Ibrahim took his sun to a secluded spot, placed his neck on a stone, and as about to sacrifice his son, Allah sent him a ram instead and instructed him to spare the life of his son. Ever since Muslim all over the world go on to sacrifice once a year. 6.Food festival of Libya: 6.1Origin: Food festival is one of the most popular festivals in Libya. The total nation appreciate this day because this day is consists of their cultural history. In the ancient time of Libya, all the people of the nation participated on this day. Actually it was a great day of them. Because it was not depend on their religion and state that is why it gave them more charm. 6.2.Celebration: The Libyan food festival just like an exhibition as their other function, on that day the people of the Libyan give very natural food as the presentation to the very simple people as their relatives and friends. Different types of food would include their food list, but that type of list would not include on the other time. It was known as the food festival of Libyan nation. 6.3.Significant: Every nation has a significant of their festivals. It is specifically true for the Libyan food festival. All of people take parts in the food festival even the VIP person. It was their ancient tradition. All levels of the people in Libya take is very importantly. 7.Conclusion: Every country has their own festival. Every process mentioned in the guideline has been completed. In order to complete this task there has been followed a vest assessment. This task is for cultural study just for two countries named Jordan and Libya. These two countries are rich for their cultural festival mainly in religious and their food festival. On the above performance the whole assignment is designed for the religious and food festival of these countries.

Sunday, October 13, 2019

Deaf :: Personal Narrative Writing

Deaf The fresh wound didn’t seem like it would be such a problem until I saw the blood trickling out. Sure, when I had cut my self by grabbing a piece of saw palmetto, I felt my skin ripping and quickly retracted my right hand. However, my want for adventure to explore the tree island overcame the small bit of pain I felt. An adrenaline rush helped me overcome all of the annoyances pushing through the dense brim of the island, like palmetto leaves and spider webs, as well as the myriad of other obstacles upon finally penetrating. First there was the ground that wasn’t as firm as I thought it was; my right sneaker falling victim to the deceptive scattered branches that littered the floor, probably only inches thick, allowing water to creep in and wet my sock. Then there were the dead branches that I tried to use as a bridge to avoid this, which snapped under my overbearing 150 pounds. And of course every branch was connected to the last by a series of intricate spider webs; every one I ducked to get under just happened to have a neighbor right underneath. The list goes on. But the small wound where the palm of my hand met my thumb didn’t seem like it would be a big deal until I was back in the boat. I didn’t realize that it would trigger such intense emotions and drag me so deep into a pit of despair. Sitting there, about to row towards the professors, a bead of sweat dripped into the wound. Not only did I realize that this tiny cut would be a bother until it scabbed, but the pain of a half a day’s rowing suddenly caught up. Then I realized that the â€Å"adventure† of walking through the tree island had felt more like a difficult mission than the fun time I had expected. This got me really upset. Here I thought I was doing so well, because I had canoed various times before, and I had walked through equally difficult vegetation. So why was I so upset? Why was I so damaged, and in so much pain? I wanted to scream! Instead I let out my frustrations on the mosquitoes, swatting them away while my canoe partner fought his way back into the canoe. Deaf :: Personal Narrative Writing Deaf The fresh wound didn’t seem like it would be such a problem until I saw the blood trickling out. Sure, when I had cut my self by grabbing a piece of saw palmetto, I felt my skin ripping and quickly retracted my right hand. However, my want for adventure to explore the tree island overcame the small bit of pain I felt. An adrenaline rush helped me overcome all of the annoyances pushing through the dense brim of the island, like palmetto leaves and spider webs, as well as the myriad of other obstacles upon finally penetrating. First there was the ground that wasn’t as firm as I thought it was; my right sneaker falling victim to the deceptive scattered branches that littered the floor, probably only inches thick, allowing water to creep in and wet my sock. Then there were the dead branches that I tried to use as a bridge to avoid this, which snapped under my overbearing 150 pounds. And of course every branch was connected to the last by a series of intricate spider webs; every one I ducked to get under just happened to have a neighbor right underneath. The list goes on. But the small wound where the palm of my hand met my thumb didn’t seem like it would be a big deal until I was back in the boat. I didn’t realize that it would trigger such intense emotions and drag me so deep into a pit of despair. Sitting there, about to row towards the professors, a bead of sweat dripped into the wound. Not only did I realize that this tiny cut would be a bother until it scabbed, but the pain of a half a day’s rowing suddenly caught up. Then I realized that the â€Å"adventure† of walking through the tree island had felt more like a difficult mission than the fun time I had expected. This got me really upset. Here I thought I was doing so well, because I had canoed various times before, and I had walked through equally difficult vegetation. So why was I so upset? Why was I so damaged, and in so much pain? I wanted to scream! Instead I let out my frustrations on the mosquitoes, swatting them away while my canoe partner fought his way back into the canoe.

Saturday, October 12, 2019

Alexs Restaurant, an ethnography Essay -- Personal Narrative Waitress

Alex's Restaurant, an ethnography The Wiseguys (scene one): *These four old guys (definitely into their late sixties, early seventies) sell cars at one of the dealerships on the boulevard. I would bet fifty dollars that they all work for Cadillac. They come in once a week, on Friday afternoons. They love me. They like to give me a hard time, ask why I don’t love them anymore, when I’m going to run away with them, etc, etc. They are caricatures of car salesmen but are obviously unaware of this. They hold court in Eat Well like it’s 1965 at the Sands, talking in loud voices and telling stories about one another to each other. (â€Å"This guy here, one time he says to me, ‘Paulie’†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ) It has been suggested to me that perhaps these old guys are, in fact, aware of their stereotypical niche and of the roles that they assume by coming to have lunch in the restaurant. This is certainly possible and is something that hadn’t occurred to me, so natural and seemingly without irony is their behavior. For the younger generation(s), irony is something that is nearly always acknowledged, either articulated (the perennial gesture of finger-quotation-marks) or thinly disguised as humor. For older people, however, participation in ironic or staged situations need not necessarily be acknowledged. Most of their boisterous comments--well, nearly all--are addressed to my chest. Ordinarily I would comment on this; put a stop to it at once. Ordinarily, that is, if I wasn’t at work. As a self-defined feminist, I am outspoken and assertive when I feel that I am being demeaned or stereotyped. At work, however, I find myself confronted with strange challenges. I am forced to walk a line between power and respect. I am not at liberty to chastise or even... ... had become stifling, claustrophobic, and to be able to bring my perspectives as a student to bear on it was a (surprisingly great) relief. From a feminist perspective, this is a rich area for study. I would like to further explore the subject, to study the relationship between the server and the served†¦as â€Å"the relationship between the waiter and diner is problematic because of the blatant purchase of human service that is involved† (Finklestein, p. 56). This is true, and is further complicated by gender expectations and prejudices. True, attitudes towards these public-private taboos are changing, but there is much to be learned as we continue to adapt. Sources: Dining Out, by Joanne Finklestein, NYU Press, 1989, Chapters 1-4 Woman, Culture and Society, by Michelle Rosaldo, Stanford Press, 1974, pp.17-42. Updated by Jeff Tobin on January 23, 2001

Friday, October 11, 2019

Reflective Writing on Marketing Essay

During your time at university you will spend a lot of your time thinking – thinking about what people have said, your reading, your own thinking and how your thinking has changed. The thinking process involves two aspects: reflective thinking and critical thinking. Rather than being two separate processes they are closely connected. (Brookfield 1987) Reflective thinking Reflection is a form of personal response to experiences, situations, events or new information. It is a ‘processing’ phase where thinking and learning take place. There is neither a right nor wrong way of reflective thinking; there are just questions to explore. The reflective thinking process starts with you. Before you can begin to assess the words and ideas of others, you need to pause and identify and examine your own thoughts. This involves revisiting your prior experience and knowledge of the topic you are exploring. It also involves considering how and why you think the way you do. The examination of your beliefs, values, attitudes and assumptions forms the foundation of your understanding. Reflective thinking demands that you recognise that you bring valuable knowledge to every experience. It helps you therefore to recognise and clarify the important connections between what you already know and what you are learning. It is a way of helping you to become an acti ve, aware and critical learner. What is Reflective writing? Reflective writing is: * Your response to experiences, opinions, events or new information * Your response to thoughts and feelings * A way of thinking to explore your learning * An opportunity to gain self-knowledge * A way to achieve clarity and better understanding of what you are learning * A chance to develop and reinforce writing skills * A way of making meaning out of what you study Reflective writing is not: * Just conveying information, instruction or argument * Pure description, though there may be descriptive elements * Straightforward decision or judgement (e.g. about whether something is right or wrong, good or bad) * Simple problem-solving * A summary of unit notes * A standard university essay Why you are asked to do this type of assignment * To make connections The idea behind reflective writing is that what you learn at university builds on your prior knowledge, whether it is formal (education) or informal (gained through experience). Reflective writing helps you develop and clarify the connections between what you already know and what you are learning, between theory and practice and between what you are doing and how and why you do it. * To examine your learning processes Reflective writing encourages you to consider and comment on your learning experiences – not only WHAT you’ve learned, but HOW you did so. * To clarify what you are learning Reflecting helps you to clarify what you have studied, integrate new knowledge with previous knowledge, and identify the questions you have and what you have yet to learn. * To reflect on mistakes and successes Reflecting on mistakes can help you avoid repeating them. At the same time, reflecting on your discoveries helps identify successful principles to use again. * To become an active and aware learner * To become a reflective practitioner once you graduate and begin your professional life How to write reflectively What to discuss * Your perceptions of the course and the content. * Experiences, ideas and observations you have had, and how they relate to the course or topic. * What you found confusing, inspiring, difficult, interesting and why. * Questions you have and conclusions you have drawn. * How you solved a problem, reached a conclusion, found an answer or reached a point of understanding. * Possibilities, speculations, hypotheses or solutions. * Alternative interpretations or different perspectives on what you have read or done in your course. * How new ideas challenge what you already know. * What you need to explore next in terms of thoughts and actions. * Comparisons and connections between what you are learning and: * Your prior knowledge and experience; * Your prior assumptions and preconceptions; * What you know from other courses, units or disciplines. Writing style As it concerns your thoughts, reflective writing is mostly subjective. Therefore, in addition to being reflective and logical, you can be personal, hypothetical, critical and creative. You can comment based on your experience, rather than limiting yourself to academic evidence. * Reflective writing is an activity that includes description (what, when, who) and analysis (how, why, what if). It is an explorative tool often resulting in more questions than answers. * Use full sentences and complete paragraphs. * You can usually use personal pronouns like ‘I’, ‘my’ or ‘we’. * Keep colloquial language to a minimum (e.g. stuff, guys) * A reflective task may allow you to use different modes of writing and language: * Descriptive (outlining how something is or how something was done) * Explanatory (explaining why or how it is like that) * Expressive (I think, I feel, I believe) Tips for your reflective writing process 1. Think of interaction, event or episode you experienced that can be connected to the topic. 2. Describe what happened. 3. What was your role? 4. What feelings and perceptions surround the experience? 5. How would you explain the situation to someone else? 6. What might this experience mean in the context of your course? 7. What other perspectives, theories or concepts could be applied to the situation? References Brookfield, S 1987, Developing critical thinkers: challenging adults to explore alternative ways of thinking and acting, Open University Press, Milton Keynes. Acknowledgement: The preceding material was adapted from The Learning Centre, The University of NSW. Used by permission. Additional notes: Steps for writing a reflective paper: 1.Start your self-reflection paper with an introductory paragraph. This introduction should help set the stage for the reader and should contain the main point of the paper. This would be a good paragraph in which to include information about how the subject and the material impacted your life, whether it reinforced your current views or caused you to change your way of thinking. 2.Write a paragraph or two about the impact the lecturer, classroom/tutorial discussions or the textbook material had on you during the course. Describe emotions you felt you felt or changes you experienced in your personal life due to the topic or the subject. If your opinions on different subjects changed due to these factors be sure to provide your previous opinion and explain why you changed your stance. If your opinions did not change, explain why. 3.Describe a moment during the class that was the most eye-opening for you. One example would be if during a lecture/tutorial the lecturer/tutor used a specific story or analogy to help explain the material that made the lesson really clear for you. Reflect on how you felt when you finally understood the lesson and how that lesson might have impacted the way you think. 4.Write a paragraph explaining how the information from the subject has impacted the way you will think, act and feel in the future long after the semester is over. You may want to include how this subject has changed how you approach other subjects in your degree or life in general. 5.Give feedback in your paper and share your opinions and ideas about how the subject can be improved. Share what you liked about the subject and what material helped you learn the most. Finish the paper by writing a conclusion that summarizes the main points of the paper. This is just one way of structuring reflective writing. Whichever approach to reflection you use try to bear in mind the following key points: * Reflection is an exploration and an explanation of events – not just a description of them. * Genuinely reflective writing often involves ‘revealing’ anxieties, errors and weaknesses, as well as strengths and successes. This is fine (in fact it’s often essential), as long as you show some understanding of possible causes, and explain how you plan to improve. * It is normally necessary to select just the most significant parts of the event or idea on which you are reflecting. If you try to tell ‘the whole story’ you will likely use up your words on description rather than interpretation. * It is often useful to ‘reflect forward’ to the future as well as ‘reflecting back’ on the past. Vocabulary aid (adapted from University of Portsmouth, Dept for Curriculum and Quality Enhancem ent) The following are just a few suggestions for words and phrases that might be useful in reflective writing. Obviously, using these words and phrases will not in itself make you a good reflective writer. 1.Description There is no suggestion of specific vocabulary for any descriptive elements of your reflective writing because the range of possible events, ideas or objects on which you may be reflecting on is so great. However, if you are describing an idea, for example a theory or model, it is usually best to use the present tense e.g. ‘Buyer behaviour theory recognises†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ (not ‘recognised’). Events, of course, are nearly always described in the past tense. 2.Interpretation | | {aspect(s){elements(s){experience(s){issue(s)Idea(s)| Was (were)| For me, the [most]| {meaningful{significant{important{relevant{useful| | | | | learning| {arose from†¦{happened when†¦{resulted from†¦| Previously,}At the time,}At first}Initially,}Subsequently,}Later,}| I| {thought (did not think)†¦{felt (did not feel)†¦{knew (did not know)†¦{noticed (did not notice)†¦{questioned (did not question)†¦{realised (did not realise)†¦| | [Alternatively,][Equally,]| This| {might be{is perhaps{could be{is probably| {because of†¦{due to†¦{explained by†¦{related to†¦| | This| {is similar to†¦{is unlike†¦| because| | [Un]like†¦| this| {reveals†¦{demonstrates†¦| 3.Outcome Having| {read†¦{experienced†¦{applied†¦{discussed†¦{analysed†¦{learned†¦| I now| {feel†¦{think†¦{realise†¦{wonder†¦{question†¦{know†¦| | [Additionally,]}[Furthermore,]}[Most importantly,]}| I have learned that†¦| | I have significantly} slightly}However, I have not [sufficiently]}| {developed{improved| {my skills in†¦{my understanding of†¦{my knowledge of†¦{my ability to†¦| | | This means that†¦This makes me feel†¦| | | This knowledge {isThis understanding {could beThis skill {will be| {essential{important{useful| {to me as a learner [because†¦]{to me as a practitioner [because†¦]| | Because I| {did not†¦{have not yet†¦{am not yet certain about†¦{am not yet confident about†¦{do not yet know†¦{do not yet understand†¦| I will now need to†¦| | | As a next step, I need to†¦| | | More on Reflection What is reflection? A simple definition of reflection can be ‘consciously thinking about and analysing what you are doing and what you have done; thinking about what and how you have learnt. There is a lot of theory behind reflection that can be very complex. Most of the theory relates to seeing reflection as part of the cycle of learning (Figure 1). Initially students focus on knowledge, comprehension and application of subject matter. These three levels of learning are the easiest especially if the application is in a limited context e.g. worded problems from a text book. For higher levels of learning (application of knowledge in real world problems) you must be able to analyse, synthesise and evaluate as shown in Table 1. Reflection is a key part of moving into these higher levels of learning. Figure 1. Leaning cycle and examples of each phase Table 1 Six levels of learning Increasing Difficulty| Process| Explanation| | Knowledge| Recognition and recall of information and facts – describing events| | Comprehension| Interprets, translates or summarises given information – demonstrating understanding of events| | Application| Uses information in a situation different from original learning context -| | Analysis| Separates wholes into parts until relationships are clear – breaks down experiences| | Synthesis| Combines elements to form new entity from the original one – draws on experience and other evidence to suggest new insights| | Evaluation| Involves acts of decision making, or judging based on criteria or rationale – makes judgements about| Why reflect – what are the benefits to the student? Learning is both an active and a reflective process. If you look at the learning cycle in Figure 1 you can see that reflection or thinking about what you have done and how and why you did it, form an integral part of learning. Because learning is often subconscious, we don’t realise that we have gained new knowledge or understanding until we stop to contemplate a particular activity. Reflection then, is a way for critical analysis, problem solving, synthesis of opposing ideas, evaluation, identifying patterns and creating meaning. Reflection will help you reach the higher levels of learning. Most students are focused on the lower levels of learning. â€Å"What do I have to know and demonstrate to pass the exam?† This is a very short-sighted approach to your time at university. You will not be able to remember all the facts and knowledge you have learnt in subjects unless you can fully understand, analyse and evaluate them. As you progress through your degree you will continually need information and knowledge from other subjects and this knowledge will build on previous knowledge. You must be able to attain the higher levels of learning in order to be successful in your degree and later in your professional life. Your learning and the need to learn will not stop with the end of your university degree. Most aspects of learning are common to all disciplines but sometimes there are different emphasises on certain learning skills. For example, generally speaking at university more emphasis is placed on the understanding of the methodology and the processes of problem solving. In this context, reflection will help you to detach yourself from the facts and put them into a larger context. Higher level courses at university as a business student bring a closer interaction between academic work and practical experience. Reflective practice here is critical in providing opportunities to identify areas for improvement and evaluation of the overall outcome including your decision making processes. Reflection can help bridge the gap between theory and practice and will enable you to understand your own thinking and learning. Another benefit is that it encourages you to look beyond your academic accomplishment and recognise the depth and range of other transferable skills. University is more than learning about facts and figures, it is a life experience. You will not learn everything that you need in your professional life at university. Your learning will be life long, so take some time to think about what skills you bring with you to university and what you learn along the way. How do I ‘reflect’? Reflection does not mean that you sit in the lotus position, humming meditative chants. Reflection can be active and need not take away from your ‘study time’. It is an important tool that can be used in all your university and professional work. Opportunities for reflection should occur before, during and after activities. That way you can take note of your learning starting point, assess your progress through the project and critically evaluate your learning at the end of the activity. Look critically at what you have done, what you’re team did and what the outcomes were. You need to ask yourself the why, how and what type of questions. Introducing Reflection Reflection is an important part of your learning whether you do it consciously or not. But what exactly is it? An excellent description of reflection can be found in the Harry Potter novel ‘ The Goblet of Fire’. In the paragraph below Dumbledore, the chief wizard and head teacher, is talking to Harry about having excess thoughts! ‘Harry stared at the stone basin. The contents had returned to their original, silvery white state, swirling and rippling beneath his gaze. â€Å"What is it?† Harry asked shakily. â€Å"This? It is called a Pensieve,† said Dumbledore. â€Å"I sometimes find, and I am sure you know the feeling, that I simply have too many thoughts and memories crammed into my mind.† â€Å"Err,† said Harry who couldn’t truthfully say that he had ever felt anything of the sort. â€Å"At these times† said Dumbledore, indicating the stone basin, â€Å"I use the Penseive. One simply siphons the excess thoughts from one’s mind, pours them into a basin, and examines them at one’s leisure. It becomes easier to spot patterns and links, you understand, when they are in this form.’ (Rowling 2000) During the semester and in your reflective writing we are asking you to think about the process you have been through, how these events affected your behaviour, to think about what you have learnt, and to evaluate your performance. By writing these things down it will give you the opportunity to clarify your thoughts and to spot the patterns and links. Reflective writing examples As an example, look at the following two critiques – one is a better example than the other! [King (2002) Development of Student Skills In Reflective Writing, p 16, http://www.csd.uwa.edu.au/iced2002/publication/Terry_King.pdf ] 1.I woke up late because my alarm didn’t ring. My own fault, but there you are. By the time I had finished my breakfast (my usual bowl of cornflakes, and a cup of black coffee with three sugars), I had missed my bus (that’s the number 9a, picked up at the bus stop outside Halfords), which had left on time (just for a change).So I got to University, and by the time I had found the right room, I was over 30 minutes late for the OOPR2 Exam. Unfortunately, the invigilator wouldn’t let me take the exam because it was â€Å"against University regulations†. Didn’t he realise how important it was for me to pass that exam? My overall grade depends on it, and now I stand to have a resit in September when I wanted to have my holiday in Ibiza.| 2.I was over 30 minutes late for my exam, which meant I was not allowed to sit it. This will have repercussions on my degree mark, and on my holiday plans. This is the first time I have actually missed an exam, but not t he first time I’ve actually been late to exams and important interviews. I have learned that:†¢ I need to improve my time-keeping for critical events†¢ The University has strict rules governing late arrivals at exams†¢ I need to be better preparedThe reasons that I arrived late were:†¢ My alarm clock didn’t ring because I forgot to reset its time after daylight saving on Saturday night (although I had reset all the other clocks in the house).†¢ I totally rely on the alarm clock ringing – I have no back-up system†¢ I rely on my bus – a break down or it leaving early would also cause me to be late†¢ I did not know in which room the exam was; if I had, I would still have been a few minutes late, but at least I could have sat the exam.In order to improve the situation for next year, I plan to:†¢ Have a process to check all the clocks in the house when the clocks are due to change†¢ Make sure I have a back-up alarm system (using my digital watch) for all days when it’s important to get up early†¢ On exam day, aim to catch the earlier bus †¦ its only 20 minutes earlier.†¢ Possibly consider missing breakfast, and buying a sandwich on the way from the bus to the exam room. I do believe that a good breakfast is important though!†¢ Make sure I know the correct room well in advance of the exam, by checking each room number when I first get the timetable.I suspect I need to reflect more on my priorities – this degree is really very important to me.|