HNC Summer School Project Briefing (Mechanical Engineering) Essay

HNC Summer School Project Briefing (Mechanical Engineering) - Essay Example expected limit, the automatic system through its sensors will be able detect the change in temperature and automatically activates the coolants to propel in order to decrease the temperature. The project outline and describes the design and the working principles of an automatic cooling system. The design of a cooling system will encompass the use of sensors to control the temperature change as well as the use of a thermistor. Primarily, a thermistor is a kind of resistor whose resistance varies or fluctuates due to temperature change. The thermistor consists of a sensitive material which is able to detect even small changes of temperature variation. The change in temperature will be converted to electrical signal and carried to the amplifier. The amplifier then augments the electric signal and send it to the comparator. At this juncture, analysis is done by the comparator by comparing both the input signal and the reference signal. Principally, the relay device is activated when the input signal is larger than the reference signal which control temperature at different capacity levels. Likewise, the propeller is deactivated by the relay device when the temperature drops gradually below the limit. This process will be repeated continuously as long as there is a temperature change. Fundamentally, Manufacturing, industrial and mechanical machines or other appliances are ineffective in one way or another but majorly due to heating effect due to lack or inadequate coolants. These machines are subjected to heating effect while under operation. Sometimes the heating effect might be too high and unmanageable interfering with the operation of the machine thus can lead to inefficiencies. The heating effect lowers the effectiveness of the machines at the same time increasing the operational and maintenance costs (Allen and Lasecki, 2001). Most of the coolers which have been used since time in memorial requires more manpower to operate and are time consuming. Introduction

Sns Recruiting - Legal and Compliance Issues Essay Example for Free

Sns Recruiting Legal and Compliance Issues Essay 1. Introduction The use of social media in the hiring process has important legal ramifications that employers need to be aware of. While the content and postings by job applicants on social network sites is in the public domain, considerable legal problems exist for employers over the use of the obtained information if it infringes upon legally protected areas of privacy. This section discusses compliance issues primarily in the United States and also in Japan. Recently, there has been a lot of publicity over some employers requesting Facebook password and login information from job applicants. While this practice caught the media’s attention, the reality is employers have been using social media to investigate job applicants for years. According to a survey conducted in 2011 by Reppler, a social media monitoring service in the US, 91% of the recruiters and hiring managers stated they have used social networking sites to screen prospective employees. And, 69% of these recruiters and hiring managers revealed that they have denied employment to job applicants due to something they found on an applicant’s social networking site. Employers therefore need to be very cautious when using information that is obtained from social media when making hiring decisions. In litigation happy US, this can be a veritable minefield. Though the technology has outpaced the law, employers should be sure that the information they receive does not lead them to liability under the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), or under various state and federal employment discrimination laws. 2. Pre-employment Background Check What is FCRA? FCRA governs pre-screening obtained from outside agencies. This law sets out various requirements and rules for pre-employment background reports, called Consumer Reports. Under the FCRA, employers must provide to job applicants (and employees) a disclosure that consumers report/background check will be performed and the employer should obtain the individual’s authorization to proceed with the check. Checks include medical, criminal and credit histories etc. FCRA states, among other things, that the most accurate up-to-date information must be used when screening and evaluating an applicant for employment. Companies who conduct their own in-house background checks does not fall under FCRA, but also face risks in crossing legal and ethical boundaries. Both will be discussed below. Importantly, the  FCRA requirements do not apply to employers who perform their own background checks. Thus, for example, if the employer’s own human resources personnel, or if the hiring manager, performs social media research on a job applicant, the FCRA does not apply to those actions. This searching is facilitated by the availability of smart phone applications for this type of research. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC), which enforces the FCRA, has already warned a few of the companies providing these smart phone applications, but the FTC has not yet determined that an employer’s use of these smart phone applications is subject to the FCRA. Consequently, employers should be sure to understand the requirements and procedures of the FCRA, and are recommended to consult with an employment attorney. Employers should also be sure to monitor the â€Å"apps† they are using to learn whether the FTC has decided about a certain smart phone application. As the law evolves so must an employer’s behavior. 3. Privacy and Anti-Discrimination Laws The topic of privacy is much more volatile. First let’s discuss from the job applicant perspective. Some argue that the applicant has surrendered the right to privacy by putting this information out there on a public forum and that they should be mindful of what they post. Some describe as akin to putting out your garbage out on the street. You have given up reasonable expectation of privacy and anyone is free to go through it. Most people would find that quite intrusive; especially if someone were to come across personal photos, and other effects, even worse, factor their findings into an employment decision. Others say that an applicant has a reasonable expectation of privacy and personal information should not be viewed or considered. Whatever your position on the matter, consider the purpose for making such a query. Is it in search of information that can’t be found during a high-quality interview and testing process? Is it job-related or just a quick open-ended sea rch to discover if the applicant meets one particular person’s standard of decency? Employers must therefore pay very close attention to privacy and anti-discrimination laws. For years, employers have been counseled not to invade employee privacy and not to base any employment decisions on ‘protected characteristics’. By reviewing social networking profiles and information, employers are learning about job applicants’ religious beliefs, marital status, family relationships, race,  ethnicity, medical conditions, and other information that cannot be used to make an employment-based decision — protected characteristic information that is considered â€Å"taboo.† As a result, employers must take care when performing such research. Ultimately, should a discrimination claim arise, the employer will have the burden of proof to demonstrate that the decision to reject a job applicant was based on a legitimate non-discriminatory reason. Once an employer reviews a candidate’s online profile, a court will assume you are aware of that person’s â€Å"protected characteristics† that are often part of their online postings. But what if a candidate’s profile suggests that he or she may not be appropriate for the position or even shows a lack of candor about their background or abilities? Here are a few such scenarios: * A female candidate has numerous postings on her Facebook account about her ‘dog’ of an ex-husband who constantly skips his time with their children, causing her to miss work at her current job. * An applicant has applied for a job that requires heavy lifting and a lot of walking but whose online profiles reveals that he uses a cane. * Or postings of pictures of a job applicant getting drunk and acting stupid, or comments that reveal ignorance or bigotry. Wise counsel advises treat it the same way you would if you had gained the knowledge via the interview or in a resume. Similarly, certain applicants may allege discrimination if the employer subjects them to additional scrutiny because they have an â€Å"Internet presence† or holds them to a higher standard while viewing and considering the information as opposed to those applicants who do not have social networking profiles. One practical method or work around being suggested is to only allow someone who is not involved in the hiring of the specific position to be the person who conducts the social media background check. Then, when the social media background check is completed, that person can summarize the job-related information that may be helpful in considering the applicant. They don’t have to make no mention of the â€Å"protected† information (race, religion, medical condition, etc.) that would otherwise get the employer into trouble. This way, the hiring manager, or ultimate decision-maker, receives only the job-related information, and can demonstrate that the information unknown to him or her had nothing to do with the decision to hire another candidate. Furthermore, before the job opening is even posted, employers should be clear about what they are really  looking for in a social media background check, and whether it is necessary for the particular position. For example, the importance and extent of a social media background may depend on the position the company needs to fill (for example, a CFO position versus a seasonal stockroom employee). Certainly, employers should doing enough pre-hiring due diligence to avoid potential claims of negligent hiring, but they must balance those concerns with finding out information that exposes them to liability for discrimination. 4. Evolving Legislation Landscape As reported earlier in this section, some employers are reported to be going further than just simple web surfing to research job candidates. Some have started to ask job applicants to provide the company with their Facebook username and password, and/or to require applicants to login to their Facebook accounts during an in-person interview. This situation has prompted legislative movements in the US this year. Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and Charles E. Schumer (D-NY) requested the US Department of Justice (DOJ) to determine if these employer requests violate the federal Stored Communications Act (SCA) or the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA). They also asked the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) to determine whether employers who request login/password information are violating anti-discrimination statutes. State legislators, including those in California, Illinois, Maryland and New Jersey, have also jumped on the bandwagon and have introduced legislation that aims to prohibit this practice. For example, in California, on March 27, 2012 Senator Leland Yee, (D-SF), introduced the â€Å"Social Media Privacy Act† (SB 1349) to the legislature. Senator Yee’s proposal would add new sections to the California Labor Code and Education Code prohibiting private and public colleges, universities, and employers from â€Å"requiring, or formally requesting in writing, a student or an employee, or a prospective student or employee, to disclose the user name or account password for a personal social media account, or to otherwise provide the institution or employer with access to any content of that account.† While this piece of legislation is considered simple, and will need to be refined, the law is attempting to catch up. In general, employers should think twice, and  consult an employment attorney, before establishing a practice of requiring employees and applicants to turn over login information. And, though the law is evolving in this specific area, employers should understand that such a practice might have many â€Å"non-legal† ramifications, like, the company losing talented employees and/or potential employees who refuse to give access to social media login credentials. Furthermore, such policies may lead to lower employee morale and distrust. 5. Japan As in the US, there are similar risks for employers and recruiters crossing ethical and legal boundaries when using personal information as part of the hiring process. Stringent local privacy data laws have been enacted in Japan (Act on the Protection of Personal Information April 1 2005) but as in the US, a gap between technology between new and evolving realities of the internet and the existing law. So companies do face a risk here although it is recognized that resort to litigation is less here than in the US, and that recruitment using SNS is not being as embraced by companies here in Japan. Under the PPI Act companies or business operators having acquired personal information are required to promptly notify the person of the purpose of utilization. But as in the US the legal situation regarding social medial is also a legal grey area and will remain so specific legislation is enacted. The tricky balancing act between a right to personal privacy and a right to conduct an investigation or recruiting; helping the selection of a fitting candidate, and protect against negligent hiring claims. There are some guidelines and limits to what a recruiting company may do, but companies would be well advised to consult with local attorneys and to consider developing their own social media policy 6. Final Comment on Compliance There are several moving parts to the whole Internet, social media, recruiting, screening dynamic; many of which have yet to be defined. Social media related law is evolving. So the debate rages on†¦but without a doubt, the use of the Internet and social networking sites related to employment and hiring decisions will be finding its way into courts more and more in the not too distant future.

Investigate the impact of video gaming on society to determine whether it leads to aggressive, violent, anti-social behaviour

Investigate the impact of video gaming on society to determine whether it leads to aggressive, violent, anti-social behaviour Abstract Video games have become one of the favorite activities of adolescents worldwide. A growing body of research is linking video game play to violent, aggressive and anti-social behavior. The purpose of this study was to Investigate the impact of video gaming on society to determine whether it leads to aggressive, violent, anti-social behavior. The first aim of this study was to document the different type of video games and how they work through electronic devices and also to examine associations among video game exposure and the impact it has on school grades and obesity levels. The second aim was to indentify factors which lead to violent, aggressive and anti-social behavior and the extreme lengths in which advertisers and players reach to enjoy the benefits of video games. In addition this study also presents brief outline of the current ratings and censorship on video games in Australia. The overall result of the study revealed that adolescents who expose themselves to greater amounts of video game violence were more were more likely to perform more poorly in school and increase obesity levels. The research also suggested that exposure to violent video games may increase angry and hostile feelings while interacting with peers, teachers and adults. Other results include that the encouragement of violence and the use of weapons like guns, knives, pipes and bombs in video games can ultimately lead to real life situations of violence. The study also goes to length by examining some video games which have been banned due the violent and inappropriate content. The study altogether reveals that modern technology for example video games have an association with many current issues in society like violence, obesity and the extreme addict adolescent have to video games. Section One: Introduction The impact of video games has become a controversial issue in modern times. The gaming industry has grown enormously through the evolution of modern consoles, games and accessories. The hype that surrounds new technology and technology gadgets is unprecedented even in the world of gamers. Video games now play a huge role in society affecting many people around the globe. According to many studies, Video games can increase aggressive behavior and emotional outbursts and decrease inhibitions in many people. (Kardaras 2008). Teenagers are mostly affected by video games because nowadays in many of the richer countries it is perceived as a necessity in their lives, rather than a privilege. This paper provides an investigation into the impact of video gaming on society to determine whether it leads to aggressive, violent, anti-social behaviour. For the purpose of this examination the information has been broken up into six sections. The first section examines what video games are and the different types of games found in the gaming industry. Next I look at how video games have an impact on society and then the possible factors which lead to aggression, violence and anti-social behaviour. Section five explores how video games have been used to form a second life. The final section will discuss how effectively game ratings restrict anti-social and adult content The information presented in the first three sections is instrumental for the factors which lead to aggression, violence and anti-social behavior. There is no question that video games have an impact on society and it has become a huge problem in recent years. One thing that is certain is that the gaming industry is growing rapidly which increases the impact of video games on the society. Section Two: What are video games and the different type of video games? A video game is an electronic game that involves interaction with a user interface to generate visual feedback on a video device. The electronic systems used to play video games are known as platforms .There are many different platforms which video games can be played on. These are personal computers and video game consoles. These platforms range from large computers to small handheld devices (Video Game 2009) Video game platforms have become very common in households around the world. The Australian Bureau of Statistics completed an extensive investigation into the Australian Gaming industry and the results clearly show that gaming is widespread in society and that it continues to grow. Some of their findings include: The Australian games industry is worth an estimated $140 million per year Australians spend over A$2 million per day on interactive computer games Annual compound growth of the industry is 12.3% 12.5 million games were sold in 2006 6.1million video game consoles have been sold since 2000 3.6million Australian households have a video game console 4.8million Australian households have an internet enabled PC which is capable of playing games (Booker 2008) The platforms continue to evolve and become more and more sophisticated with time. Some platforms have been designed so that a gamer can access their video games at any time; for example with the PSP (play station portable) a gamer is able to carry his console around with him/her anywhere. The Wii console set a new precedent for the gaming world, trying to create a physical gaming experience. When it was released in December 2006 it was the fastest selling gaming console in Australian history, In the first four days of its launch in December 2006, 32,901 Wii units were sold nationwide (Moses 2006). It bought a new dimension to the industry; its main selling point was that it had games that allowed gamers to exercise reducing the need for outside activity and trying to curb obesity. Due to the revolution of new game consoles there are many different types of games which are being played these days. These games range from action to puzzle to driving games. According to Caruana, Caruana and Bruner 2009 the seven different types of game that can be identified are action, adventure and role playing, arcade, strategy, simulation, driving and puzzle games. Action games usually have a large amount of violence due to their fast-paced nature. Many of these games fall under the category of mature rated games which are inappropriate for children. Some games are milder but may contain suggestive themes. Action games may allow the user to play person against person or person against animal/alien. Some examples of such problematic games include Halo, Star Wars, Jedi Knight and Enter the Matrix (Caruana, Caruana Bruner 2009) Adventure and role playing games are usually less graphic than action games and typically have an element of surrealism and fantasy. Many times these games are combined with a role playing element and allow the character to initiate dialogue. These adventure and role playing games are designed to be less intense than action games; they often do include violence. These games tend to be among the most addictive due to the narrative fantasy themes. Examples of this genre are Starfox Adventures and Billy Hatcher. (Caruana, Caruana Bruner 2009) Arcade games can be almost anything from the violent Street Fighter to the classic Pacman. This category includes games that cover the entire spectrum of ratings. Many older arcade games have been updated and turned into 3-D. Some examples are Pacman and Soul Caliber 2. (Caruana, Caruana Bruner 2009) Strategy games most often involve tactical movement of troops and/or players. These games may be warfare based or may be as simple as chess. The content of many of these games can be appropriate for children but they tend to be difficult to play. Combat is often slower paced and allows time for strategic thinking. Some examples are Advanced Wars I II and Chessmaster 2000 (Caruana, Caruana Bruner 2009) Simulation games are often aircraft simulations. You get to fly a jet or a helicopter. Most have nothing more to them than the destruction of enemies; rarely do they use excessive language. Some games in this category include Secret Weapons Over Normandy and SimCity. (Caruana, Caruana Bruner 2009) Driving games are most often racing, but some are also crash derby or mission-based. Players usually get a choice of car and get better and better cars over time. Some of these games are Project Gotham Racing, ATV Offroad Fury, and the highly offensive Grand Theft Auto. (Caruana, Caruana Bruner 2009) Puzzle games are rated for everyone. They all involve thinking and logic skills. A common puzzle game is Tetris. Many others are Tetris-like or involve color matching skills. Many games incorporate puzzle aspects but are not true puzzles. Some of the puzzle-incorporating games fall under Action or Role-Playing games. (Caruana, Caruana Bruner 2009) Section Three: How do video games have an impact on society? Adolescents and children are the groups most exposed to video games. They are at such crucial stages in their development and highly influenced by their environment which is why they are deliberately targeted time and time again by the gaming industry and advertisers. It is a common belief in society that they are becoming increasingly exposed to games that cause some to become violent, aggressive and antisocial. According to Gentile, Lynch, Linder and Walsh (2004) the average child in the USA aged 2-17 years old plays video games for seven hours a week. This average masks wide differences between boys and girls and children of different ages. There is a gender difference in the number of hours spent playing games. In modern studies it has been shown that adolescent girls played video games for an average of five hours a week whereas boys averaged thirteen hours a week. The two aspects of video game use that are of interest are the amount of time involved and the content. With respect to content, researchers have been most interested in violent games compared with non-violent games. Although not all studies have differentiated between violent and non-violent content this is an important distinction as it is likely that the effects of amount of play and the content of games may be independent of each other. For example most evidence suggests that amount of play affects school performance whereas violent content affects aggressive outcomes (Gentile, Lynch, Linder Walsh 2004). Although Greg Thom reports that The games which have the most positive impact on users are educational games which help users with the enhancement of visual and communication skills (Thom 2009). A good indicator of the negative effects of video games is its impact on school and grades. School performance is very essential for many adolescents and their families all around the world. Performance at school will offer more opportunities for the students in the future. While students are provided with these opportunities for the future many adolescents around the world choose to spend hours on video games rather than focusing on studies. Video games can have some positive aspects but studies have shown a negative association between the amount of video game playing and school performance for children, adolescents and college students. Games can be played in moderation but for many who are avid gamers it becomes more important than other things that they should be focusing on. Studies show a fairly consistent negative connection between leisure video game play and grades. For example, high-school students who report spending more time playing video games or who report spending more money on video games had poorer grades in English classes. This indicates the huge impact it has on students because students are addicted to the enjoyment of different games. The content of the games being played certainly could affect the relationship between amounts of play and school performance (Gentile, Lynch, Linder Walsh 2004) However, regardless of content the amount of play could affect grades negatively by displacing time spent in other educational and social activities. This suggests that electronic media can influence learning and social behavior by taking the place of activities such as reading, family interaction and social play with peers. If the average child plays video games for seven hours week, those are seven hours that the child is not engaged in reading, homework or participating in creative activities. The content of the games being played certainly could affect the relationship between amounts of play and school performance The overall impact that video games has on students affects them both mentally (addiction of the game) and physically (lack of movement and exercise). Video games become a necessity in their lives leading them to forget other responsibilities like school and social interaction. As shown before with the impact of video games on school performance affecting adolescents, it can be said that adolescents are also affected by video games through the increasing obesity levels. Numerous studies have shown that sedentary behaviours like watching television and playing computer games are associated with increased prevalence of obesity(Dehghan, Akhtar-Danesh Merchan 2005) The cause of teenage obesity is generally because of lack of physical activity combined with unhealthy eating habits. Society has become very inactive especially adolescents because they have become addicted to video games which becomes part of their daily routine rather than their regular exercise. Adolescents spend hours sitting in front of computers, video games or televisions. One survey showed 43% of adolescents play video games for more than two hours games per day (Teen Obesity Statistics 2009). Obese teenagers may also suffer from depression which can lead to a viscous circle of staying at home watching TV, snacking and gaining more weight feeling worse about themselves (Teen Obesity Statistics 2009). This cycle attracts people to play video games because it can be played at home and they are able to snack during their games. It harms a video gamer both mentally and physically which further increase obesity levels. Obesity is one of the biggest unsolved issues around the world with USA having the highest obesity levels in their population. According to research, 14% of adolescents in the United States are overweight. This figure has nearly tripled in the last 20 years (Teen Obesity Statistics 2009). This clearly indicates that obesity is an enormous problem for adolescents in the USA and countries with advanced technologies such as video games consoles like the PS3, PSP and Xbox 360. Section Four: Factors which lead to aggression, violence and anti-social behavior. Violent video games have been a high discussion issue for many years now. Many violent video games have been linked back to aggressive, violent and anti social behavior, for many the line between reality and fantasy is lost through their addiction. For many gamers they are able to live out their fantasies for example in the game Second Life in this game players are able to live their fantasies to the point where they can no longer make the distinction between whats real and whats not. Even though the games on their own dont make a person aggressive violent or anti-social they are still a contributing factor. In modern times games are designed to be entertaining, challenging and sometimes educational. Many companies and advertisers want to push the boundaries, so games are released where it is better to kill people, attack police and drive dangerously, all illegal acts in real life. Recent content analyses of video games show that as many as 89% of games contain some violent content and that about half of the games include serious violent content towards other game characters. Therefore among the games being purchased and played by youth, a majority contain violence. The popularity of video game violence has driven much research on the possible harmful effects on children and adolescents. (Gentile, Lynch, Linder Walsh 2004). Although violent video game exposure is related to negative social outcomes, some experimental work suggests that video game exposure independent of content is related to improvements in certain types of cognition and learning. (Barlett, Anderson and Swing, 2008) With some research for positive outcomes of video games, the negative outcomes are clearly more evidence of negative outcomes through surveys and analysis. For example a meta-analysis by Anderson and Bushman (2001) found that across 54 independent tests of the relation between video game violence and aggression, involving 4262 participants, there appear to be five consistent results of playing games with violent content. Playing violent games increases aggressive behaviors, increases aggressive awareness, increases aggressive emotions, increases physiological arousal and decreases pro-social behaviors. These effects are strong and have been found in children and adults, in males and females and in experimental and non-experimental studies. These modern games due to consumer demands are made to have violent and disturbing scenes in them. Research by Anderson has suggested that exposure to violent video games may increase angry and hostile feelings while interacting with peers, teachers and adults which leads users to violent behavior. (Anderson et. al. 2004) Perhaps the best example of violent video games influence over adolescents is the case of Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris. They opened fire in their Colorado high school in 1999, killing 13 people. Experts made a link back to the continuous playing of video games by these two young men. Reports revealed that Harris and Klebold played a lot of violent video games including Wolfenstein 3D, Doom and Mortal Kombat. Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold enjoyed playing violent video games and these games played a role in their violent acts at Columbine High School. Eric Harris had actually modified a version of the game Doom and placed it on his Website. In his version there were two shooters, extra weapons, and the other people in the game couldnt shoot back. Eric and Klebold essentially acted-out their version of Doom on innocent classmates (Holmes 2005). The dramatic rise in violent shootings by teenagers many of whom have been like to be play violent video games is fueling the argument that video game violence translates into real-world situations (Layton 2007). In many violent video games players are encouraged to actively participate as a character by choosing how they will interact with other characters including which weapons will be used while fighting or attacking other characters. Weapons often include guns, knives, pipes and bombs. (Anderson et. al. 2004) In cases of extreme violence like the case of Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris as described above encouragement of violence in video games can ultimately lead to real life situations of violence. The addictive nature of video games can cause anti- social behavior. Often gamers can connect with people around the world without even meeting them or knowing who they really are. From the comfort of your own home, one can communicate via countless chatrooms, twitter, msn, facebook, email and my space; the list goes on and on. The easy access of the internet and the speed which one can do it eliminate the need to go out and socialise in order to meet people. Time spent on video games results in time lost socializing and interacting. Although reports by Greg Thom suggests fun games which encourages teamwork and friendship, can lay the groundwork for positive interaction between children, leading to better behavior and academic results show some positive connection with video games (Thom 2009). The negative linkage with video games is shown more with players spending hours alone on a video game which isolates them from the rest of the world physically, which weakens their social skills. Basic social functions are forgotten. The video game player does not know how to handle social behavior. One cause of the anti-social disorder is even more time spent in front of video games. Another cause is isolation, aggressiveness, and disregard for rules and regulations. An initial addiction of video games can easily turn into a psychological anti-social personality disorder (The Dark Side of the Internet). Section Five: Second Life: Escape from reality. The gaming world has developed enormously in the last ten years. Today there are virtual reality games invented for users to interact with other users online in a whole new world. Second Life is a program that has taken the world by storm. The second life offers similar worldly commitments like business, leisure and friendship. When there is a place to turn and virtually become anything you want to be, why would any user want to leave that fantasy life. This virtual world promotes itself as an escape from reality. Second Life is a 3D virtual world created by its residents thats bursting with entertainment, experiences and opportunity. The Second Life Grid provides the platform where the Second Life world resides and offers the tools for business, educators, nonprofits, and entrepreneurs to develop a virtual presence (Holmes 2005). The main in-world activity is the building of interactive objects using a scripting language that is theoretically designed to be simple enough for those with no previous programming experience. This fits in with Second Lifes stated goal of encouraging widespread group participation and creativity. Objects can be either donated to the world or can be brought for Linden Dollars the Second Life currency. Once you have been through the Second Life orientation a user will be able to explore the world of Second Life. There are so many things to do in Second Life. Just about anything you can do in real life you can do in Second Life. Some of these things which you can do in Second Life are shopping, partying, attending events and having sexual relationships. These types of activities make Second Life such a popular game because it allows users to live a life of fantasy and glamour. Although with all the fantasy of Second Life there has been cases were inappropriate actions have taken place. While Second Life has taken technology to new heights the platform also has been severely criticized for interesting many visitors and turning them into Internet addicts (Linden Lab 2009). The attraction of second life is that users can enter a world that would allow them to be whatever they want and have a life different to their real one. When one can turn into a millionaire with mansions and cars at their disposal, why would they want to go out into the real world. Section Six: Overview of ratings and censorship in Australia. The intention of a rating system is to restrict people from playing certain games. It is designed to provide users with adequate information to make informed decisions. However the current system is open to manipulation quite easily whether that be by corrupt retailers or careless parents. Games that are rated MA15+ or AO are at risk of falling into childrens hands. With pirated media rampant in society a game that is banned in your country could be located and downloaded from a destination where is has been released. Two of the main reasons that games are banned are because they promote anti-social behaviours and expose users to high violence and adult content. For example Marc Ecko Getting Up: Contents Under Pressure was banned, for amongst other things, its glorification of graffiti (List of banned games 2009). While one could argue that it is harmless, the fact remains that graffiti costs approximately 300 million each year in Australia, which families end up paying for with higher cost for services, rates and insurance premiums. Of the thirty three games that have been banned in Australia fourteen of them contained images that were deemed inappropriate for users and considering that the average age of a video gamer in Australia is 30 years old that is indicative of just how explicit the content is (List of banned games 2009). There are already issues in todays society with children being exposed to images/cultures which are not appropriate. The game, Phantasmagoria goes so far as to have a rape scene in it. Without censorship games like these that are highly inappropriate could easily make their way in to children hands. Ratings are vital because they are a tool by which companies must abide to produce a game that can be made available to the masses. However while it is possible to control the content of what hits the shelf, it is what happens once they have been bought that remains the issue. Section Seven: Conclusion The impact of video games is enormous and is increasingly affecting people around the world daily. From street fighter to FIFA 09 these games are impacting society through mental and physical conditions. People are becoming addicted to games and they are impacting some people in a way that they act like the characters they play in the games. In one case, a murder, as explained in the essay, was linked back to the playing of violent video games. Young people in society are mostly attracted to video games. Games with contain violent content and lead aggressive and anti-social behavior are reaching our childrens hands. One question which we should ask Are we to blame the video game companies for producing very harmful games, the parents for buying inappropriate games for their young children or the young people who play the games?. The impact of video games on society is evident with the gaming industry estimated to be worth millions and the development in technology over the years. The research revealed that an estimated 6.1million video game consoles have been sold since 2000.Video games impact society in many ways like school performance, obesity levels and violent behavior. Many games have been banned for there violent and inappropriate contain for example in Australia the game Phantasmagoria was because of its caused huge controversy with rape scenes in it. The issue of video games and there negative effects is evident as shown in the essay. The gaming world had has become so dominant that people are playing games more and more every day because of the releasing of different games daily. The adventure and role playing games were found to be among the most addictive due to the narrative fantasy themes. With new technology like PS3 players allowing the users to use the internet for daily purposes like online banking and shopping. The gaming world has come part of many peoples life and it has either affected them positively or negatively. In many cases gamers have been affected negatively with outcomes like violent, aggressive and antisocial behavior from the exposure to video games and there inappropriate contain in some cases. There is no definitive solution to the issue of gaming and the effect that it has one the user. There needs to be more regulation and parents should become more aware of what they are allowing their children to play. Ultimately, people need to be more conscious of separating the gaming world from the real world and try and maintain a reasonable balance between reality and fantasy. For many the line between reality and fantasy is lost through their addiction of gaming. Reference list: Anderson, C.A. Bushman, B.J 2001. Effects of violent games on aggressive behavior, aggressive cognition, aggressive affect, physiological arousal, and prosocial behavior: A meta-analytic review of the scientific literature. Psychological Science, 12 , pp. 353-359. Anderson, C. A., Carnagey, N. ., Flanagan, M., Benjamin, A.J., Eubanks, J., Valentine, J. C. (2004). Violent Video Games: Specific Effects of Violent Content on Aggressive Thoughts and Behavior. Advances in Experimental Social Psychology, 36, p. 199-249. Barlett, C. P, Anderson C.A, Swing, E.L (2008) Video Game Effects- Confirmed, Suspected, and Speculative: A Review of the evidence, Simulation Gaming, vol. 40, pp. 337. Booker, L 2008, Australian Bureau of Statistics Releases Data On Local Games Industry, viewed 4 September 2009, http://www.kotaku.com.au/2008/04/australian_bureau_of_statistics_releases_data_on_local_games_industry/#. Caruana, V, Caruana, C Bruner O (2009), Types of Video Games, Focus on the Family, viewed 28 June 2009, http://www.focusonthefamily.com/entertainment/mediawise/parents_guide_to_video_games/types_of_video_games.aspx. Dehghan, M, Akhtar-Danesh, N Merchant, A. T (2005) Childhood obesity, prevalence and prevention, Nutrition Journal, vol. 4, pp.24 Familari, P 2009, Virtual games, real pain, Herald Sun, 3 October, p. 15. Gentile, D.A, Lynch, P.J, Linder, R.H Walsh, D.A 2004, The effects of violent video game habits on adolescent hostility, aggressive behaviors, and school performance, Journal of Adolescence, vol. 27, pp. 5-22. Holmes, L 2005, Violent Video Games Produce ViolentBehavior, viewed 6 September 2009, http://mentalhealth.about.com/cs/familyresources/a/vidgameviolence.htm. Kardaras, E 2008, The Effect of Video Games on the Brain, Serendip, viewed 2 September 2009, http://serendip.brynmawr.edu/exchange/node/1742 Layton, J 2007, Do violent video games lead to real violence? , viewed 25 June 2009, http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/video-game-violence.htm. List of banned video games 2009, Wikipedia, viewed 28 July 2009, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_banned_video_games#Australia Linden Lab 2009, Linden Lab Research, viewed 2 September 2009, http://lindenlab.com/. MacDonald, A 2009, Violent video rating under scrutiny again, Hearld Sun, 28 September, p.20. Moses, A 2006, Wii breaks Xbox sales record, The Sydney Morning Herald, December 14. Teen Obesity Statistics 2009, Troubled Teen 101, viewed 4 September 2009, http://www.troubledteen101.com/articles42.html. The Dark Side of the Internet, A social, psychological and economic study of the positive and negative impact the internet has on children and families, viewed 27 June 2009, http://people.hamilton.edu/bhouse/DoWeEncourage/DoWeEncourage5.html. Thom, G 2009, Videos part of game plan for happy kids, Hearld Sun, December 10. Video Games 2009, Wikipedia, viewed 1 July 2009, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Video_games#cite_note-0. Weinstein,B 2009, Second Lifes founder responds to criticism, MetaVerse Journal, viewed 4 September 2009, http://www.troymedia.com/NewsBeats/Technology_News_Beat/2009/06/TMC062609.htm.

Poets Use Of Mockery As Diction In Poem :: essays research papers

Poet's Use of Mockery As Diction in Poem The poet's use of mockery as diction conveys his disillusioned attitude toward the men that plan the battles without actually fighting in them. Using the words â€Å"If I were fierce, and bald, and short of breath,† to describe the majors allows the reader to picture the majors as old, fat, out of shape men that spend their days â€Å"guzzling and gulping in the best hotel† safe from any danger. Fierce, bald and short of breath give the reader a negative feel for the majors as they are not described in any positive manner. These terms cause the reader to feel disgust for the majors. The poets use of the words guzzling and gulping with their alliterative effect cause the reader to consider the majors as gluttons gathered at the table. When the reader completes his mental picture of the majors in the best hotel, the imagery of glory hogs is complete. The poet's diction choice, "Reading the Roll of Honor. `Poor young chap, ' I'd say - ` I used to know his father well; Yes, we've lost heavily in this last scrap.' " of casual language attempts to make the war seem carefree and nonchalant. The word "chap" conveys an casual attitude towards the heroes as people. It seems to elevate the status of the majors to a false superior position. "Scrap" makes it seems as if the soldier's death occurred on a playground, not a battlefield. It seems to trivialize war in general. "And when the war is done and the youth stone dead, I'd toddle safely home and die - in bed." The poet's last lines give the reader an insight into the true wishes of the soldier. The youth stone dead allow the reader to acknowledge the finality of death and the wasted lives of the young soldiers while the old, fat men are Poets Use Of Mockery As Diction In Poem :: essays research papers Poet's Use of Mockery As Diction in Poem The poet's use of mockery as diction conveys his disillusioned attitude toward the men that plan the battles without actually fighting in them. Using the words â€Å"If I were fierce, and bald, and short of breath,† to describe the majors allows the reader to picture the majors as old, fat, out of shape men that spend their days â€Å"guzzling and gulping in the best hotel† safe from any danger. Fierce, bald and short of breath give the reader a negative feel for the majors as they are not described in any positive manner. These terms cause the reader to feel disgust for the majors. The poets use of the words guzzling and gulping with their alliterative effect cause the reader to consider the majors as gluttons gathered at the table. When the reader completes his mental picture of the majors in the best hotel, the imagery of glory hogs is complete. The poet's diction choice, "Reading the Roll of Honor. `Poor young chap, ' I'd say - ` I used to know his father well; Yes, we've lost heavily in this last scrap.' " of casual language attempts to make the war seem carefree and nonchalant. The word "chap" conveys an casual attitude towards the heroes as people. It seems to elevate the status of the majors to a false superior position. "Scrap" makes it seems as if the soldier's death occurred on a playground, not a battlefield. It seems to trivialize war in general. "And when the war is done and the youth stone dead, I'd toddle safely home and die - in bed." The poet's last lines give the reader an insight into the true wishes of the soldier. The youth stone dead allow the reader to acknowledge the finality of death and the wasted lives of the young soldiers while the old, fat men are

Islamic Culture

MUSLIM CULTURE Muslim culture generally reflects the traditions and customs of Muslims that they adopt for a perfect and respectable life in the society according to the lessons of Quran. Muslim culture is a giant combination of diverse cultures, That’s because Muslims live in various countries all over the world. Most of the practices are common faiths and guidance for all Muslims no matter what country or even content they reside in.. These basic faiths and belives are based on the teachings of Islam. The Muslim culture is a subject of debate for many people who lives in different parts of the world and belong to diverse communities.Muslim culture represents the unification of brotherhood where all Muslims are bound to practice a common religious phenomenon. Source of this culture comes from the teachings provided by the Holy Prophet Mohammed (P. B. U. H) and Islam (Bouhdiba, 2003). Muslims are the followers of Islam and the Islamic (Abrahamic) religion. Word â€Å"Muslimâ €  originally comes from an Arabic term which means â€Å"Followers of Allah† because the Islamic religious deliver. Muslims believe on one God and admits that Allah is incomparable and Islam is a religion which provides them with a complete code of life.Teachings of Quran are unaltered revelations from Allah. Muslims enter the world of Islam from almost all races, cultures and nationalities around the globe. Muslims have diverse traditions, dress, foods and languages (Murray, 2004). The distribution of Muslims in the world varies in strength. About 15% Muslims are those who live in Arab countries. 5% of Muslims are in Africa. The world’s largest Muslim population lives in Indonesia. Significant parts in Asia are occupied by Muslim community. Almost all of the Central Asia is dominated by Muslims. Over one billion people in the world are Muslims.Muslims brought ancient civilizations of Rome, Persia, Egypt, India and Greece with them. Muslims preserved these cultures in their libraries and cities and cherished the great Islamic peace of art (Bouhdiba, 2003). The practice of Muslims is based on five pillars of Islam which are basically five obligations. These five pillars are Shahadah, Salat, Zakat, Sawm and Hajj. A life of a Muslim revolves around these five pillars of Islam. Islamic culture represents different aspects of Islamic life, which includes wedding traditions, clothing, foods, arts and crafts etc. (Kirabaev, 2000).There are many sources of a well-defined Muslim culture. Three of them are: Local tradition , The Hadith and , The Quran. Muslim culture is derived from Quran, Hadith and the local customs. The word Islam means submission to the will of Allah. Islam is considered to be the second largest religion having one billion followers. 2. 7% Muslim population have been recorded in the United Kingdom (Murray, 2004). Muslims have a faith that Islam revealed in Mecca (Arabia) about 1400 years ago. Islamic culture is a resource academia for the illustration of cultures and traditions of Islamic people.Arabs were the first to depict and demonstrate Muslim culture to the world. Islam originated in Arabia in the seventh century. Islamic empires have been expanded and Muslims got assimilation from different cultures like Indonesian, Berber, Malay, Indian, Pakistani, Turkic and Persian (Kirabaev, 2000). Arabs never used force to invite people from other religions into their sect. some embraced Islam in the reign of Holy Prophet P. B. U. H while many are converters. Arabic language is a common language of this religion. Arabians were living in deserts before the conquest of Islam and used science and art in their everyday living.Muslims have specific style of poetry and arts. Muslims have spread their language and religion through their way of life, arts and crafts as well as scientific fields. Arabians have developed different interests and tastes taking influence from other cultures mainly Persian and Greek. There are 22 countries in the Arab world with 180 million populations. Arabs can speak more than one dialect and share some common beliefs and values of Arab or Muslim culture. Majority of Arabs in Arab countries are Muslims. Many Arabs are Christians as well like in Egypt, Iraq, Palestine, Syria and Lebanon.Muslims and Arabs do not drink alcohol and eat anything which is Haram in Islam. Muslims observe Fast during the month of Ramadan. Muslim women used to wear scarfs on their head and cover their body with long dresses. Muslims offer prayer five times a day after observing ablution and then they recite Quran that provide them comfort to their soul. Islamic religion and the Arab culture provide emphasis on a good health and issued several ways and means to follow the tips of a good health by having a good diet and proper hygiene practices. Muslims have introduced a modern theme of medicines with a confidence in their way of treatment.In the Muslim world, elders are respected due to their exp erience. Men are the protectors of their family and women are required to show their obedient attitude towards men (Murray, 2004). Islam prohibits eating those foods and drinks which are considered haram or unlawful in this culture. It would be a sin if any Muslim commits a mistake eating and drinking forbidden foods and drinks respectively. Foods considered unlawful include pig meat, drinking alcohol and carrion. If meat is not slaughtered according to Islamic rules, it is considered unlawful. The place where the Islam originated is Mecca, Saudi Arabia.Muslims believe on prophets (one lac twenty-four thousand). For Muslims, the sacred building is mosque where they can pray and worship Allah. Major Muslim festivals are Eid-ul- Adha, Eid-ul-Fitr and Ramadan (Kirabaev, 2000). The prophet Muhammad P. B. U. H was born in Mecca in 570 A. D. in Saudi Arabia and is regarded as a Holy founder of Islam. The prophet Mohammad P. B. U. H was sent by Allah as a last prophet of Islam. However, Ad am was the first prophet of Islam. Many prophets came before Muhammad (pbuh) which includes Jesus, Jonah, Elias, Solomon, David, Aaron, Moses, Abraham and Isaac.Islam has different ideology for non-monotheist religions since relationship of Islam with religion like Hinduism varies depending on religious outlook. This variability persists today as well. Islam is a religion of liberty and open-mindedness giving the lessons of tolerance and patience (Murray, 2004). Islam forbids to pain on the living things. Islamic artists have developed an art of Arabic calligraphy. The calligraphers have learnt the art of calligraphy from Quran using Arabic language that expresses the beauty in the form of Quranic verses.Islamic architecture has covered religious and secular styles of architecture from Islamic foundation that has influenced the construction and designs of buildings in the culture of Islam. The architectural types in Islam are fort, palace, tomb and mosque (Kirabaev, 2000). Muslims b elieve in Allah, angels, holy books, prophets, the day of judgement and belief in predestination. Shia and Sunni are the dominant groups in Islam. Education is made to be a compulsory practice in Islam. Islam has its own political and economic theory and encouraged free trade policy.The economic system in Islam is based on the instructions and orders provided by Allah in Quran. Islam has favored democracy and liberty of thoughts. Muslims have incorporated different languages, arts and law from other religions but they preserved the integrity of Muslim culture and traditions till the end (Bouhdiba, 2003). Work cited: Bouhdiba, Abdelwahab. â€Å"The Different Aspects of Islamic Culture. † Springer Publishers,2003. Kirabaev, N. S. â€Å"Values in Islamic Culture and the Experience of History. † Routledge Publishers, 2000. Murray, Stephen O. â€Å"Islamic: Culture, History and Literature. † Springer Publishers, 2004. .

A firework display Essay

The dull, murky water of Lake Windermere was surrounded by the happiness and laughter of the anticipating audience. Children spontaneously danced round the hypnotising bonfire, only to be outshone by the dazzling fireworks as they spiralled into the pitch black sky. Fragrant delicious smells filtered through the air as food was prepared. Bright lights and heckles from the games stalls lured the children in like a lion to its prey. Bonfire Night at Lake Windermere is a night to be remembered! Fireworks lit up the sky like the neon glow of the Northern lights. The sounds and colours exploding from them were phenomenal. A colossal rocket pierced the night sky as it crackled and popped skyward to its doom. Catherine wheels spun like banshees trying to escape the clutches of its captor, finally slowing to an undramatic end. Sprays of crimson lava spewed from the fountain firework like a mini volcanic eruption. Everyone seemed to stop and watch in wonder as the blood red haze from the traffic light entranced them, the spell finally broken when a wave of aluminous green light gave them the signal to move along. Juices drizzled and sizzled from the burgers. The smell of salt and vinegar wafted through the air, as succulent hot dogs were grilled on the barbecue. Children buzzed around like bees pursuing the sweet smelling nectar of popcorn and candy floss as it lingered in the air. Bonfire night favourites, sticky toffee apples and treacle toffee, are being devoured messily, but tasted as sweet as honey. Parents despair as over enthusiastic children scream and shout, only to be tamed by the promise of treats from the eager stall owners. Fluffy animals are dangled everywhere. Delightful squeals echo around the amusements stall, as the game is finally conquered and victory is obtained and the priceless spoils are handed over. Excited children hopped around the raging crackling bonfire as they magically created mystical images with glowing sparklers. Cold, weary parents are drawn to the warmth and comfort of the roaring flames, as it slowly breathed life back into their chilled bodies. The heat turned their faces red like fresh juicy cherries. The bright yellow and orange flickering blaze captivated and memorised the crowd, and the inferno roared like a dragon as  it spat and spluttered singed wood and charcoal. Like a cat, the flames licked the scrawny Guy Fawkes at the top. He stood there, lifeless, dressed in tatty old clothes with bright red eyes, and looked like the devil as he was engulfed and consumed by the intense fire. Smoke filled the air. It tasted bitter, and snaked and slithered into the watching eyes of the crowd making them glisten and sting. Couples, hand in hand, romantically sauntered down to the icy waters edge. Together as one they would light their lantern, kiss gently, and then snuggle together to watch as it gracefully glided and twirled across the glistening lake like a prima ballerina. The silence, tranquilly and romance was broken as children raced to the lake eager to be the first one to light one of the special lanterns. Their hands shook as they tried so hard to be careful with the wafer thin lantern. As they cautiously set the lanterns down onto the rippling water, it gradually edged its way into the dark unknown. The once murky dark lake was now lit up like a Christmas tree, with fireflies shimmering across its surface. Bonfire Night drew to a close. Tired, weary children were snuggled up like little lambs in their parent’s arms, all ready for their warm cosy bed, their favourite teddy bear, and a good night kiss from Mum and Dad. Couples arm in arm gradually walked home. A relaxed and content glow on all their faces after a fun filled evening. The once raging bonfire was now just glowing embers twisting and turning like fireflies. The night sky returned to its peaceful existence. The smell of gunpowder was everywhere, and the lake mirrored the night sky with the lanterns twinkling like stars.

Free Essays on A Lesson Ive Learned

During the course of a lifetime, everyday life throws many obstacles our way. Many of these obstacles have potential to change our lives in either big ways or little. Many of these obstacles are caused by decisions that were made, but may have not been the greatest ideas. The consequences of these mistakes can ruin trust, break friendships, even do as much as cause bodily harm to ourselves as well as others. There are no ways to prevent accidents. The particular lesson I chose to write changed the way I drive. I learned my most significant lesson so far in life, when I was 17. I was in a car accident with two of my friends (Juan and T.J.) who were also 17. T.J. was hurt bad and it was my fault. The Tuesday that Juan, T.J., and I left Woodward High School at 1:30 pm in my 1989 Cutlass Supreme was a very warm sunny day. We just wanted to get out and enjoy the nice weather and listen to some music. We thought nothing could spoil our moods, or the great weather. That could be no further from the truth. Everything was great as we drove to Juan’s house on Bancroft and locust listening to music. I was driving Juan was in the passenger seat and T.J. was behind Juan. Then in the matter of seconds, our world was spinning, literally, and the damage was done. I stopped at a stop sign, on page and locust, looked both ways, and pressed the gas pedal. Not even halfway through the intersection another car (that must have been too far down the street for me to see) hit me on the passenger side causing my car to spin all the way around, and caused my friend T.J. to go into a seizure immediately. I was terrified as I looked back and saw T.J. shaking tremendously his eyes roll ed in the back of his head. I quickly got out of the car so Juan could get out on my side also because the passenger side was smashed to where the door wouldn’t open. As soon as Juan got out of the car he instantaneously tried to get T.J. out, but T.J. was to... Free Essays on A Lesson I've Learned Free Essays on A Lesson I've Learned During the course of a lifetime, everyday life throws many obstacles our way. Many of these obstacles have potential to change our lives in either big ways or little. Many of these obstacles are caused by decisions that were made, but may have not been the greatest ideas. The consequences of these mistakes can ruin trust, break friendships, even do as much as cause bodily harm to ourselves as well as others. There are no ways to prevent accidents. The particular lesson I chose to write changed the way I drive. I learned my most significant lesson so far in life, when I was 17. I was in a car accident with two of my friends (Juan and T.J.) who were also 17. T.J. was hurt bad and it was my fault. The Tuesday that Juan, T.J., and I left Woodward High School at 1:30 pm in my 1989 Cutlass Supreme was a very warm sunny day. We just wanted to get out and enjoy the nice weather and listen to some music. We thought nothing could spoil our moods, or the great weather. That could be no further from the truth. Everything was great as we drove to Juan’s house on Bancroft and locust listening to music. I was driving Juan was in the passenger seat and T.J. was behind Juan. Then in the matter of seconds, our world was spinning, literally, and the damage was done. I stopped at a stop sign, on page and locust, looked both ways, and pressed the gas pedal. Not even halfway through the intersection another car (that must have been too far down the street for me to see) hit me on the passenger side causing my car to spin all the way around, and caused my friend T.J. to go into a seizure immediately. I was terrified as I looked back and saw T.J. shaking tremendously his eyes rol led in the back of his head. I quickly got out of the car so Juan could get out on my side also because the passenger side was smashed to where the door wouldn’t open. As soon as Juan got out of the car he instantaneously tried to get T.J. out, but T.J. was to...

Definition of Leadership and Its Traits

Definition of Leadership and Its Traits Although there is no universal definition of leadership, or the traits that comprise it, all definitions can be summarized as the â€Å"process of social influence in which one person can enlist the aid and support of others in the accomplishment of a common task† (Blake and Mouton, 1985). Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Definition of Leadership and Its Traits specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Basically, leadership concerns organizing a group of persons to realize a common objective and this involves inspiring them to adopt a teamwork strategy. There are four main concepts involved in leadership, i.e. the leader, the followers, communication, and situation. The leader must be honest in all his/her roles. It is vital to point out that it is the subjects who decide the success of a leader. Consequently, the leader must employ two-way communication and consider the situation before choosing a communication strat egy. There are two models of leadership in use today: the Four Framework Approach and the Managerial Grid. The Four Framework model proposes that leaders show leadership traits in one of the following structures: Structural, Human Resource, Political, or Symbolic. However, the Managerial Grid employs two axes: â€Å"concern for people† and â€Å"Concern for task or results† (Blake and Mouton, 1985). The dimensions are plotted in the vertical axis and horizontal axis respectively and have a range of 0-9. Since a leader interacts with all persons, below, at par or above his/her rank, it is vital that he/she wins their support and be able to inspire them. This can be effected by understanding human nature, which is defined as the common traits of persons such as values, beliefs, and customs. Another important aspect in leadership is vision, purpose, and goals. Goals must be realistic and attainable, should improve the organization in all aspects, should involve all peopl e, and should run on a predefined program. In addition, the following characteristics are important in goal setting: goal difficulty, specificity, feedback, and participation.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Although there are no common leadership traits, the following traits are vital towards the success of a leader: honesty, competency, forward-looking (vision), inspiration, intelligence, fair-mindedness, broad-minded, courageous, straightforward and imaginative. These are just a fraction of the traits that a leader should possess. There are various styles of leadership, each of which should be used according to the situation. They are authoritarian, participative, and delegative forms of leadership. A good leader employs all the styles with one of them being dominant, however, a bad leader tend to stick to one form of leadership. A leader may be required to cre ate a matrix team, lead one, or form a part of one. A matrix team may be a work group, task groups, brainstorming teams, or similar specialized groups in an organization. Communication, collaboration, and collective efforts is important in these working groups. One of the greatest challenges in leadership is to get all members of an organization to embrace diversity. Diversity is all about empowering persons and it increases the efficiency of an organization by making the most of the employees’ strengths. To develop diversity, a leader can use either of the following methods: training, education, and development. Time management is important too in all leadership processes. In today’s changing and highly competitive business environment, one of the proven methods of surviving is to adopt change. This strategy will ensure that consumer demands of quality products and services are met. Reshaping the organization may involve picking a highly flexible and committed workfo rce. Training can also increase output, but should be followed by an After Action Review (AAR) which evaluates the success of the tasks and goals set by the leader. Reference Blake, R. R. Mouton, J. S. (1985). The Managerial Grid III: The Key to Leadership Excellence. Houston: Gulf Publishing Co.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Definition of Leadership and Its Traits specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More

Cause and Effect Essay Essay Example for Free (#6)

Cause and Effect Essay Essay In Act Four Scene One Friar Lawrence explains the plan to Juliet, â€Å" Take thou this vial, being then in bed, And this distilled liquor drink thou off, When presently through all thy veins shall run A cold and drowsy humor, for no pulse Shall keep his native progress, but surcease. No warmth, no breath shall testify thou livest. The roses in thy lips and cheeks shall fade To paly ashes, thy eyes’ windows fall Like death when he shuts up the day of life. Each part, deprived of supple government, Shall, stiff and stark and cold, appear like death. And in this borrowed likeness of shrunk death Thou shalt continue two and forty hours,And then awake as from a pleasant sleep. Now, when the bridegroom in the morning comes To rouse thee from thy bed, there art thou dead. Then, as the manner of our country is, In thy best robes uncovered on the bier Thou shalt be borne to that same ancient vault Where all the kindred of the Capulets lie. In the meantime, against thou shalt awake, Shall Romeo by my letters know our drift,And hither shall he come, and he and I Will watch thy waking, and that very night Shall Romeo bear thee hence to Mantua. In Act Four Scene One Friar Lawrence explains the plan to Juliet, â€Å" Take thou this vial, being then in bed, And this distilled liquor drink thou off, When presently through all thy veins shall run A cold and drowsy humor, for no pulse Shall keep his native progress, but surcease. No warmth, no breath shall testify thou livest. The roses in thy lips and cheeks shall fade To paly ashes, thy eyes’ windows fall Like death when he shuts up the day of life. Each part, deprived of supple government, Shall, stiff and stark and cold, appear like death. And in this borrowed likeness of shrunk death Thou shalt continue two and forty hours,And then awake as from a pleasant sleep. Now, when the bridegroom in the morning comes To rouse thee from thy bed, there art thou dead. Then, as the manner of our country is, In thy best robes uncovered on the bier Thou shalt be borne to that same ancient vault Where all the kindred of the Capulets lie. In the meantime, against thou shalt awake, Shall Romeo by my letters know our drift,And hither shall he come, and he and I Will watch thy waking, and that very night Shall Romeo bear thee hence to Mantua. † Cause and Effect Essay. (2016, Sep 18).

Sustainability with Different Energy Sources Research Paper

Sustainability with Different Energy Sources - Research Paper Example It is therefore necessary to implement measures aimed at sustaining the energy under consideration. This paper takes a stand that energy is a very important element that helps in sustaining life, and making it easier. The term sustainability has a wide reaching effect on the various disciplines that are associated with it. The term sustainability refers to a variety of changes that occurs within a given population and this population is able to maintain these changes over a given period of time. Energy is a very important element that helps in sustaining the life and activities of human beings. People use energy in their day to day activities, and this includes firewood, electricity, solar energy, etc (Beggs, 39). Energy can be used for purposes of lighting homes, cooking food, and even in the manufacturing sector. Another term that directly relates to sustainability is sustainable practices. These are activities, which are responsible for the conservation and utilization of energy products and substances. Sustainable practices is not only limited to energy products, but it also involves other aspects such as protection, and preservation of the environment, health, etc (Simon, 39). Sustainability of energy refers to the methods and ways of preserving the productive capacity of the energy, for purposes of using it to the foreseeable future. This aspect of sustainability includes all the activities that human beings initiate for purposes of preserving energy. This includes the prudent use of natural resources that have the capability of producing energy. These resources are firewood, rivers, and the solar system. The activities that human beings can initiate for purposes of sustaining and preserving energy includes the enactment of laws that prevent illegal logging, and cutting down of trees. This is because trees are an important source of energy, and they help in the

The Scarlet Letter Plot Motif Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Scarlet Letter Plot Motif - Essay Example The way in which sin is associated with darkness and repentance to light is well consumed by the writer. The entire romance thus becomes a kind of exposition of nature. The mood of the characters is effectively set using the motifs. All the major actions of the characters can be categorized to those which happen in the darkness and those which happen in light. It takes place at Boston where people consider religion and law almost similar .The door of the jail was flung open. Led by the down beadle, a young woman emerged, bearing in her arms a child. On the breast of her gown appeared the letter A, done in fine red cloths, and elaborately embroidered. She was Hester Prynne who had been ordered to wear the scarlet letter â€Å"A†- â€Å"A† standing for adultery upon her bosom, for the reminder of her life as a mark of shame. Hester went up the steps of the scaffold. She was condemned to stand on the platform of the pillory for a space of three hours, as a mark of public d isgrace. The real sinner, the guilty lover, Dimmesdale is their itself before all, in the cold rays of light. Though he is exposed to deal with the sinner standing in front of him, he successfully hides himself in the darkness of his mind. Before the people like Governor Belligham , the reverend John Wilson ,the eldest clergyman. Reverend Mr. Dimmesdale was assigned the special charge of dealing with the poor sinners soul . It was at Dimmesdale that Hester had brought her scandalous sin. So Dimmesdale, her pastor came forward and exhorted Hester to name the man who was her partner in guilt. Hester says â€Å" Be not silent from any mistaken pity and tenderness for him †¦. But Hester refused to say the name of the father of her child Pearl instead says â€Å"my child must seek a heavenly father ...† The physician, before whom Hester was brought, is the real husband of her. Being afraid of the reality he also hides himself at the corner of his heart. After the captivity, on the day of her public punishment itself, he came to the town; saw her standing as a sinner. He suddenly raised his fingers near to the lips, thus making her silence about their past relations. They repented each other for misusing their youth. Though Roger begged her to reveal the name of her child’s father, she did not and also promise not to reveal the relation between the two. The period of punishment was over and Hester decided to settle in a small house on the outskirts of the town with her child Pearl. She engaged in needlework .But Pearl was growing up as an undisciplined girl. To save her from the custody of her mother and to bring her up as a good child, the governor Bellingham, Dimmesdale and Roger Chillingworth decided to take the child away from her. But Dimmesdale interfered and Hester was allowed to keep Pearl. The reverend believes that in the presence of pearl, Hester will not go into darkness. Thus once gain Pearl stand for the powerful light that can brig hten the life of Hester After that Dimmesdale began growing emaciated or the darkness in his mind began to fade always to receive the light of repentance. Roger Chillingworth was there to look after him. â€Å"Chilling worth maniacally uses his skills as a physician to probe, control, and otherwise torture the ailing Dimmesdale† (Johnson 63). The doctor understood that he was much perturbed by feeling of conscience and guilt. Chillingworth, so shrewd he was, could clearly infer the cause of Dimmesdale malady. Probably Dimmesdale was suffering from a troubled conscience because of his involvement with Hester in adultery. Dimmesdale longed to confess his sin from the pulpit of his participation in adulterous act. He wanted to tell the people how impure he was. The anguish in him was so strong to pull him to stand on the pulpit where Hester

Loyalty programmes..reflective statement for dissertation Essay

Loyalty programmes..reflective statement for dissertation - Essay Example However, on moving ahead with the research I realized the amount of hard work research work would demand. The preparation of research proposal was also difficult as this was the first time that I did such extensive research for a particular topic to ensure that I stay within the scope of the research I set before me and at the same time meet the requirements of the university. Before conducting the research studying deeply the different research categories like explanatory research descriptive research as well as exploratory research gave me an insight into which kind of research category to use in which situation. This was useful as it allowed me to understand the pros and cons of different research strategies like action research, grounded theory, surveys, etc. in order to decide upon the most suitable research strategy for my dissertation. It was through this process that I was able to develop an analytical frame of mind that helped me to quickly overcome the problems that I faced in conducting the research. I had to change my plan from conducting face to face interview to survey questionnaire because of the unavailability of responsible marketing / operations heads despite of calling 50 hotels for scheduling interview. Even designing the survey questionnaire was not easy and the data collected through this method was scrutinized by the supervisor for its limitations to ensure the objectiveness of the research is maintained at all times. The presentation of findings and analysis required use of different tools which I had to learn during the course of the research. The structure of the dissertation was also considered to be an important element of my research. I had to look at examples how a good dissertation needs to be written. The work flow should be in such a way that it covers different aspects of the research for better understanding of its users. The writing was built upon strong objectives and research questions which

To what extent do electronic cimmerce influence the lifestyle of Research Paper

To what extent do electronic cimmerce influence the lifestyle of lancaster people - Research Paper Example People who utilise e-commerce are influenced by many factors that drive desire to use the Internet or other mobile technologies. These include free delivery of product, the ability of the seller to ensure accuracy of order fulfilment and exchange and return opportunities. Research has also shown that there is even more incentive when sellers reduce potential risks, such as privacy and payment security (Makhija and Stewart 2002). These factors tend to influence increased use of e-commerce as a lifestyle tool. However, there is a gap in literature about, specifically, Lancaster residents and whether e-commerce influences their lifestyles and is deemed a relevant and valuable method of shopping or conducting other business. This study maintains the ability to gain an understanding of a specific geographic region and the extent to which e-commerce is considered a constructive and beneficial tool. According to Price (2014), e-commerce is becoming a widespread trend in consumer shopping, with buyers spending 23 percent of every British Pound spent on shopping in the e-commerce environment. What attributes to this growing trend for an industry now worth  £17 billion? Asfend-e-yar and Tjoa (2013) assert that social familiarity with computer science improves acquaintance with online shopping, making the industry flourish. Furthermore, online shopping maintains fewer costs to the purchaser, including labour expenditures and economics. This is due to the fact that e-commerce sellers have much less overhead costs than in a traditional bricks-and-mortar retail outlet (Lamson-Hall 2013). This has implications on whether a company can provide attractive pricing, facilitated by a more streamlined distribution system allowing for more price-conscious movement of inventories that translates into a better opportunity for buyers. Hence, e-commerce can facilitate more convenient and simpli stic shopping experiences than in traditional bricks-and-mortar retail outlets. There

Colonial cities or regions in southeastasia Essay

Colonial cities or regions in southeastasia - Essay Example Colonial cities are the conquered trading ports basically by Europeans and later on Americans that are part of a country or nation which were heavily influenced with culture. In Southeast Asia, these may include Singapore, Jakarta, Manila, Hong Kong and Saigon. Historically, the Philippines is rich in culture and tradition prior to the conquest of the Spaniards in the 16th century. Negritos or Aetas came to the area via land bridges during ice age, while the vast majority of Filipinos are believed to have come from Austronesians from Taiwan. Filipinos intermarried with its neighbouring races Indonesian and Malays and these mixes traded with Hindus from India, Chinese and the Arabs (Zaide, 1993). Trade has been established in most of its earlier ports including Cebu, Davao, Manila, and Dagupan. Doeppers (1972) called these coastal villages. While there had been proofs of a very early settlement in the Philippines, its coastal villages and river courses engaged in wet rice agriculture combined with hunting and fishing. The villages were fragmented and there were frequent inter-village fighting. Each village roughly made up of thirty to a hundred families make up the barangay headed by a datu or chief, followed in rank by the warriors, free men and slaves (Zaide, 1993). Intra-island trade were present and exte... Philippine settlements in pre-Hispanic period were not at all cities such as Cebu which was a minor port call, and Manila or Maynilad which was a point of importation for the Tagalog living around Laguna de Bay (3) and it was also said that of the 2,000 Manila inhabitants, forty were Chinese and twenty were Japanese (Doeppers, 1972). In fact, due to its location at an outer extremity of the Southeast Asian insular, Philippines also remained more detached with its Southeast Asian neighbours so that Buddhism and Hinduism did not take roots, except for Islam in the south. Mindanao, nevertheless showed an integrated group of Muslims that were able to "defend themselves effectively" (Doeppers, 1972, p 771) and it remained culturally rich with Jolo as the seat of the Sultan of Sulu. Ming naval vessels also visited the area. Colonial Period The Colonial Era In 1564, an expedition set out from Nueva Espana or Mexico which was the fourth to exploit Magellan's discovery of the Pacific Indies. Ferdinand Legaspi, the expedition commander was commanded by the Royal Audiencia to spread the Roman Catholic faith and send back to Spain spices and wealth. Cebu, specifically the island of Panay, became Legaspi's choice of settlement. But unlike the South Americas, Manila had no gold or "easily exploitable wealth" (Doeppers, 1972, p 772). Instead, it was an established trade port that made Legaspi propose a trade with China. So, a move of the seat of operations became inevitable in 1571. Urbanisation started to occur only during the Spanish period where coastal villages were turned into coastal clusters or settlements with at least 10,000 engaged beyond agricultural activities. These are called ciudades for cities and villas for towns. Their purpose had

Loyalty programmes..reflective statement for dissertation Essay

Loyalty programmes..reflective statement for dissertation - Essay Example However, on moving ahead with the research I realized the amount of hard work research work would demand. The preparation of research proposal was also difficult as this was the first time that I did such extensive research for a particular topic to ensure that I stay within the scope of the research I set before me and at the same time meet the requirements of the university. Before conducting the research studying deeply the different research categories like explanatory research descriptive research as well as exploratory research gave me an insight into which kind of research category to use in which situation. This was useful as it allowed me to understand the pros and cons of different research strategies like action research, grounded theory, surveys, etc. in order to decide upon the most suitable research strategy for my dissertation. It was through this process that I was able to develop an analytical frame of mind that helped me to quickly overcome the problems that I faced in conducting the research. I had to change my plan from conducting face to face interview to survey questionnaire because of the unavailability of responsible marketing / operations heads despite of calling 50 hotels for scheduling interview. Even designing the survey questionnaire was not easy and the data collected through this method was scrutinized by the supervisor for its limitations to ensure the objectiveness of the research is maintained at all times. The presentation of findings and analysis required use of different tools which I had to learn during the course of the research. The structure of the dissertation was also considered to be an important element of my research. I had to look at examples how a good dissertation needs to be written. The work flow should be in such a way that it covers different aspects of the research for better understanding of its users. The writing was built upon strong objectives and research questions which

Colonial cities or regions in southeastasia Essay

Colonial cities or regions in southeastasia - Essay Example Colonial cities are the conquered trading ports basically by Europeans and later on Americans that are part of a country or nation which were heavily influenced with culture. In Southeast Asia, these may include Singapore, Jakarta, Manila, Hong Kong and Saigon. Historically, the Philippines is rich in culture and tradition prior to the conquest of the Spaniards in the 16th century. Negritos or Aetas came to the area via land bridges during ice age, while the vast majority of Filipinos are believed to have come from Austronesians from Taiwan. Filipinos intermarried with its neighbouring races Indonesian and Malays and these mixes traded with Hindus from India, Chinese and the Arabs (Zaide, 1993). Trade has been established in most of its earlier ports including Cebu, Davao, Manila, and Dagupan. Doeppers (1972) called these coastal villages. While there had been proofs of a very early settlement in the Philippines, its coastal villages and river courses engaged in wet rice agriculture combined with hunting and fishing. The villages were fragmented and there were frequent inter-village fighting. Each village roughly made up of thirty to a hundred families make up the barangay headed by a datu or chief, followed in rank by the warriors, free men and slaves (Zaide, 1993). Intra-island trade were present and exte... Philippine settlements in pre-Hispanic period were not at all cities such as Cebu which was a minor port call, and Manila or Maynilad which was a point of importation for the Tagalog living around Laguna de Bay (3) and it was also said that of the 2,000 Manila inhabitants, forty were Chinese and twenty were Japanese (Doeppers, 1972). In fact, due to its location at an outer extremity of the Southeast Asian insular, Philippines also remained more detached with its Southeast Asian neighbours so that Buddhism and Hinduism did not take roots, except for Islam in the south. Mindanao, nevertheless showed an integrated group of Muslims that were able to "defend themselves effectively" (Doeppers, 1972, p 771) and it remained culturally rich with Jolo as the seat of the Sultan of Sulu. Ming naval vessels also visited the area. Colonial Period The Colonial Era In 1564, an expedition set out from Nueva Espana or Mexico which was the fourth to exploit Magellan's discovery of the Pacific Indies. Ferdinand Legaspi, the expedition commander was commanded by the Royal Audiencia to spread the Roman Catholic faith and send back to Spain spices and wealth. Cebu, specifically the island of Panay, became Legaspi's choice of settlement. But unlike the South Americas, Manila had no gold or "easily exploitable wealth" (Doeppers, 1972, p 772). Instead, it was an established trade port that made Legaspi propose a trade with China. So, a move of the seat of operations became inevitable in 1571. Urbanisation started to occur only during the Spanish period where coastal villages were turned into coastal clusters or settlements with at least 10,000 engaged beyond agricultural activities. These are called ciudades for cities and villas for towns. Their purpose had

Hannibal and the Carthaginian Empire Essay Example for Free

Hannibal and the Carthaginian Empire Essay Hannibal was great and famous Carthaginian general. He is remembered for his great strategic skills on the battle field and as a great military chief. Born in late 247 BC, was the oldest son of Hamilcar Barca. In 237 BC, Hamilcar took his nine year old son, Hannibal, to the altar of a Carthaginian god and made him pledge eternal hatred to the Romans. Then Hannibal and his father left for Spain. The headquarters of Carthaginian power in Spain was the city of New Carthage. Hannibal saw immediately his fathers techniques for war . When Hamilcar perished in the battle of 230 BC, his son-in-law, Hasdrubal, became the military leader plus the political leader and continued Carthages pressure in Spain. In 226 BC Hasdrubal signed an agreement with the Romans. The agreement stated that neither army could cross the Ebro River in the northern Spain . When Hasdrubal was murdered in 221 BC, the Carthaginians collectively elected twenty-six-year-old Hannibal to be the leader in Carthaginian government and commandant of the army in Spain. After Hamilcar’s death Hannibal became an excellent military leader. â€Å"Under [Hannibal’s] control the Carthaginians made large territorial advances†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (I-cias). He learned quickly how to be a leader and with the support of his brothers he was able to succeed through his battles. Hannibal was crossing the Alps and was able to receive rations for a couple days. â€Å"On the third day he captured a Gallic town and provided the army from its stores with rations for two or three days† (Alps). He wanted the best for his army, but had little support from Carthage. Despite the number of men falling from the army due to natural disasters he managed to recruit others. â€Å"Even if many fell from his army during this march because of snowstorms, landslides, and attacks from hostile local tribes, he managed to recruit new personnel along the route. † His strategy was to respond quickly to these natural disasters and it helped him. Hannibal earned his success by enduring hardships with his recruits and reinforcements. Hannibal experienced many challenges including battle delays little amount of military equipment and a small number of reinforcements from home. Other military leaders knew he would not be able to handle a delay due to the lack of preparation he took for each battle. â€Å"He [Fabius, Roman Military Leader] believed that Hannibal lacked the equipment for a prolonged siege and that a delay in the battle would seriously reduce the Carthaginian food supply†. Rome believed that delays would end in the conquering of Hannibal because of the lack of necessities there was little he could do. Hannibal began to suffer during his career due to the lack of food. â€Å"Zama was the only defeat. Hannibal suffered in his military career† . After his defeat his enemies began to discover his weakness. Hannibal was running out of everything during the Battle of Cannae and his help refused to aid him. â€Å"Hannibal needed reinforcements, which the Carthaginian government refused to furnish, and he also lacked siege weapons† . Hannibal’s restrictions could have given him success, had he been willing to bargain with another force greater then his own. Hannibal was the instrument of his own undoing. Hannibal was set on being the conqueror and set on some one else’s defeat, which lead him to his own. His enemy, Rome, was the center of his downfall. He would never settle and there was no satisfaction between them. â€Å"†¦In 218, he clashed with the Roman army. The Romans claimed that this was a break of an existing treaty between Rome and Carthage and demanded Hannibal surrendered to them†¦the Second Punic War started† (I-cias). If Hannibal conquered Romans he would never be able to rule over. â€Å"According to legend, Hamilcar had made the young Hannibal swear on a sacred altar that he would remain an enemy of Rome for life† . Hannibal had made a promise to his father, therefore intending to go on with nothing. â€Å"The loss of the second city of Italy cost Hannibal the allegiance of many of his Italian allies and put an end to his hopes of further replenishing his army from their ranks† . Hannibal had lost it all. His hope had been limited at this point. Hannibal both succeeded and failed. He never won the hearts of the people; therefore he was never able to truly be victorious. Hannibal married a Spanish princess and conquered the surrounding land and took hostages from the adjacent tribes to assure their loyalty to him without crossing the Ebro River, except for the city of Saguntum, an ally of Rome. When Saguntum began trouble between Carthage and Rome in 219 BC, Hannibal invaded the city. This began the Second Punic War . After hearing the declaration of war Hannibal immediately starts off towards Rome. The problem was he had to go by land since Rome controlled the seas. Hannibal began a long and hazardous expedition across the Pyrenees and the Alps in August of 218, with battle elephants walking at the front of his army . In the spring of 218 BC, Hannibal handed over command of the Spanish armies to his brother Hasdrubal. He then led his troops north toward the Pyrenees Mountains and began one of the most famous journeys in history . Hannibals army included Libyans and Numidians from North Africa, Iberians and Celtiberians from Spain, and Gauls from Spain, France, and Italy. There were thirty-five thousand foot soldiers, twelve thousand horsemen, and fifty war elephants. Hannibal used the elephants to break infantry lines and to create fear and disorder. The elephants also frightened horses, so they were able to disrupt the enemys cavalry . In the Pyrenees, Hannibal encountered resistance from local tribes. He lost a lot of his men to fighting, and some of the mercenaries went home because they were scared of the long journey. With all this, Hannibal continued to move as quickly as possible, but bad luck fell into Hannibals lap as early snows and landslides kill many of his men and almost all of his war elephants . He enters Italy with only twenty-six thousand men and five or six war elephants in September 218. Hannibal and his troops spent the winter in Po Valley. In the spring of 217 BC When news of Hannibals army reached Rome, the Gauls of northern Italy revolted. They joined Hannibal in fighting the Romans. Now Hannibal had a sufficient army of infantry and cavalry. The Romans had plans to attack Carthage and New Carthage, but they had to be delayed because of the rebelling tribes in Italy and the approach of Hannibal. So the Romans sent troops under the command of Publius Cornelius Scipio, to stop Hannibal at Massilia . Massilia is on the French coast where the Rhone River runs into the Mediterranean Sea. The Rhone is a wide river with a swift current, so it was a great obstacle to Hannibal. Scipios troops set up camp by the sea, thinking that Hannibal would reach Massilia in the near future. But he did not realize how fast Hannibal was moving his troops . When Scipio received news of Hannibal, it was too late. Hannibal had moved his entire army across the Rhone, fifty miles north of Massilia . Although Hannibals army had been reduced to twenty-six thousand infantry, nine thousand horses, and five or six elephants, it was a great accomplishment to get across the Rhone. To transport the elephants, the men built rafts . When the Alps came into view, Hannibal allowed his army a few days to rest, because he knew that his army had doubts about crossing the Alps. Never before had elephants crossed the Alps. The army did not reach the Alps until late in the year, and many troops and horses were killed. Some troops who came from warmer climates died from the cold. Some troops died of hunger because food was short to come by. Others died in fights with mountain tribes. Some of the mountain tribes rolled big stones down the mountains and caused men and animals to fall from the narrow mountain passage .

Research Critique of Quantitative Research on Nursing Practice

Research Critique of Quantitative Research on Nursing Practice Nurses are expected to provide the best standards of care possible for their patients and clients, and in order to do this, they are required to provide evidence-based practice wherever possible. Part of this process of providing care based on the best available evidence involves appraising primary research (Elliott, 2001, p 555). If nurses are to improve their practice, and apply evidence to improve their clinical and theoretical knowledge and skills, they must be able to assess the quality of the available research which is relevant to their practice (Freshwater and Bishop, 2003k p23; Hek, 2000, p 19). According to Hek (2000 p 19-21), evidence based practice incorporates professional expertise, patient need and preference, and the best available evidence. But in order to identify this best evidence, the nurse must undertake an evaluation and critical review of research studies, to see if the research is useful and of sufficient quality to be applied to their practice (Fink, 2005). This essay evaluates a quantitative research article which has relevance to nursing practice, because it deals with a chronic condition and one which is prevalent in worldwide populations. The author will review Tangkawanich et al (2008 p 216) Causal model of health: health-related quality of life in people living with HIV/AIDS in the northern region of Thailand. This article is published in a reputable journal, The Journal of Nursing and Health Sciences which addresses issues of interest and concern to nurses internationally, and as such, offers specific insight into HIV/AIDS and nursing within a global context. There are a number of appraisal tools available to healthcare practitioners to assist them in analysing and critiquing primary research articles. Such models are developed over time in relation to standardised conceptualisations of what constitutes quality and rigour in research and in its reporting. For the purposes of this essay, the primary tool used is that proposed by Cormack (2000), but the author will make reference to other critiquing guides and information, including the popular CASP tool (PHRU, 2009, online) Discussion 1. Title The title is concise (Cormack, 2000) and describes the focus of the research itself. While it clearly indicates what the purpose of the study was (Cormack, 2000), it could be clearer and more indicative of the nature of the study. While the nature of the research in setting out to examine the causal relationships between age, antriretroviral treatment, social support, symptom experience, self-care strategies and health related quality of life (Tangkawanich et al, 2008 p 216) in the chosen sample and population, is apparent in the abstract, there is little indication of these particular variables in the title, although the description of the causal model (Tangkawanich et al, 2008 p 216) does indicate the nature of the research. The use of the word causal (Tangkawanich et al, 2008 p 216) also suggests that this is a quantitative research article. It does not clearly indicate the research approach used (Cormack, 2000). To the less research-aware reader, it would be difficult to divine t his information from the title alone, and it could be argued that it would be better to include in this title a clearer indication of the nature of the study. This would then help the reader to identify if this is the type of research study that would be applicable to their own practice or learning. 2. Authors The authors qualifications are provided, and they all are registered nurses, all of which have postgraduate degrees, and two of which have doctorates. They all work within nursing education within a University context. This would suggest that they have the research skills and expertise to carry out such a study. However, there is no indication in the author list whether or not any of them have the statistical expertise for the study. 3. Abstract Tangkawanich et al, (2008 p 216) provide an abstract, which is identified by Cormack (2000) as an important introduction to the article. The study effectively summarises the research, by identifying the variables being tested. The authors do not, however, present the hypothesis in the abstract (Cormack, 2000). The abstract contains a summary of the study sample, and also identifies the research tools that have been used. They include the results and a summary of conclusions from these findings. As such, the abstract does represent the article itself (PHRU, 2009, online), and for the reader, it does make it easy to identify whether or not the article is relevant to their interest. In particular, it does indicate clearly that it is a quantitative paper which uses recognisable data collection tools. 4. Introduction and Literature Review Although Cormack (2000) separates these two into distinct subheadings, within this article, the introduction and literature review are contiguous. The author has noted that this is often the case in the reporting of such studies, but this may simply be a convention of the publication itself, and not the preference of the authors of the study. The authors use the introduction to contextualise the problem in relation to published research, stating the importance of health-related quality of life (HRQL) for people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA), because of the impact of the disease on these individuals daily lives (Tangkawanich et al, 2008 p 216). They discuss changes and advances in treatment options for this condition, and relate this to HRQL, and then discuss the disease itself, and how these impact upon HRQL (Tangkawanich et al, 2008 p 216). They summarise some research about this topic, and also look at self-care strategies, symptom management and treatment (Tangkawanich et al, 2008 p 216). There is some exploration of HRQL and its relationship to nursing and to existing literature on this topic, which aids understanding of the concept prior to reading the rest of the article. They highlight some important topics in relation to the focus of the article, including treatment, social support, and other issues (Tangkawanich et al, 2008 p 216). Although the introduction/literature review contextualises and introduces this study, this author believes that a more detailed critical analysis of the literature would be warranted here. It is not enough to cite previous research as a means of establishing the credentials of the study, as it were. A wider range of research could have been included Gerrish and Lacey, 2006, 38; Fontana, 2004, p 93), and this research could have been evaluated to identify its quality. It is left to the reader to pursue this matter and determine the quality of the research upon which they base the premise and justification for this study. This could be considered a limitation in the reporting of this research. 5. The Hypothesis The authors do not state a hypothesis (Cormack, 2000), as such, but instead present a research question. The purpose of this study was to examine the causal relationships between age, antiretroviral treatment, social support, symptom experience, self-care strategies, and the HRQL in Thai PLWHA (Tangkawanich et al, 2008 p 217). The nature of this statement would suggest that it is not an experimental study, but that it is within a quantitative research paradigm. 6. Operational definitions Cormack (2000) suggests that people appraising research question whether operational definitions are clearly presented. In this study, operational definitions are explained within the introduction but in language that would make it inaccessible to the less experienced or less knowledgeable reader. 7. Methodology The methodology section does not clearly state or discuss the choice of a quantitative approach (Cormack, 2000). The focus of the section on Methods is rather on the instruments that are being used. The quality of this study seems to rest in the choice of a quantitative approach, and the choice of data collection instruments. Quantitative research approaches offer a better standards of evidence, with generally greater ability for replication and greater rigour (Kitson et al, 2000 p 149; Duffy, 2005, p 233). As far as research for healthcare practice is concerned, quantitative studies hold better status than those based with a qualitative paradigm (Hek, 2000 p 19; Newman et al, 1998 p 231; Pepler et al, 2006, p 23). There is however no real discussion of the underpinning principles of quantitative research (Parahoo, 2006). It is good that the research instruments are explained in such detail, because it helps overcome one of the limitations of quantitative research, that of not asking the right questions to elicit answers that relate to person al experience (Johnson and Onwuegbuzie, 2004 p 14). 8. Subjects There is very limited detail given of sample selection, save stating that eight hospitals were randomly selected using a lottery method without replacement and that the 422 participants were randomly sampled (Tangkawanich et al, 2008 p 217). This could constitute a limitation of this research, as it is not possible to identify if there was any sampling bias, how participants were recruited, who recruited them, and any ethical issues in relation to participant recruitment (Hek, 2000, p 20; PHRU, 2009, online, Bowling, 2002). This author would argue that this is a weakness of the study, as these are crucial elements of quality measurement in primary research within healthcare (Austin, 2001 p 1; Cooper, 2006, p 439; Nuremberg Code, 1949, online). 9. Sample selection Sample selection is not discussed in any detail, which could be a weakness of the study, as mentioned above (Cormack, 2000). Sample size is stated, but it is not stated whether this was statistically determined, which could also be considered a weakness, as achieving a statistically sound sample size is important within quantitative research (Daggett et al, 2005, p 255; Donovan, 2002). 10. Data Collection Data collection procedures are not adequately described in this study (Cormack, 2000). This would be problematic for replication and for rigour. There is no indication who administered the questionnaires, whether or not they were self-report in the participants own time and convenience, or whether a researcher was present at the time of completion. This could be considered a weakness of this studys reporting. The issue of researcher bias is important in the completion of data collection tools, and while questionnaires may be considered a way of avoiding this, if they are remotely administered, it is not always possible to check they are full, or honest, or completed by the intended target (Gillham, 2000, p 48). Having the researcher present, however, could introduce bias or influence of some kind, particularly in vulnerable people (Bowling, 2001). As these are vulnerable adults attending clinics for their chronic condition, not discussion how the data was collected from them is a ser ious failing and may also constitute an ethical issue. However, a strength of this study could be considered to be the use of multiple data collection instruments, and the detail with which they are described, and their provenance accounted for. They have used the Social Support Questionniare, the Symptom Experience Questionnaire, the Self-Care Strategies Questionnaire, and the Health-Related Quality of Life Questionnaire (Tangkawanich et al, 2008 p 217). These are described in detail, and where they are based on previously developed research or derived directly from previous studies, this is also described. As these are established research data collection tools, this would suggest they have been previously validated, which adds to the quality of the research (Yu and Cooper, 1983 p 36; Oppenheim, 1992; McDowell and Newell, 1996; McColl et al, 2001 p 1). The demographics of the sample are addressed to some extent, and the use of multiple tools also helps to address potential confounding variables or factors (PHRU, 2009, online). 11. Ethical Considerations It is clearly stated within the study that ethical approval was derived from an appropriate body, and that informed consent was achieved, both of which signify good ethical consideration here (Cormack, 2000). However, there is no explanation of what information was given to the participants, how informed consent was achieved, or if there was any issue with communication or accessibility for people with different communication needs. It does not specifically address issues of anonymity and confidentiality (Cormack, 2000), but instead seems to focus on safety (Tangkawanich et al, 2008 p 218). 12. Results The results of this study are presented in tables, diagrams, and in great detail within the text of the paper. The key results and demographic issues are presented, but data presentation is summarised in a results section and then in more detail in the discussion. The findings are not very accessible, but p values are clearly stated, which is important in a study of this kind. PHRU (2009, online), within the CASP tool, poses the question of do you believe the results?. This is an important question. The results seem plausible, and relate to established statistical analysis procedures (see below). But because of the lack of detail about the sample, and the selection method, it is not possible to eradicate the doubts about these findings, in relation to potential bias. But in the context of the authors wider knowledge and understanding about people living with HIV/AIDS, the results seem believable. However, the issue of bias cannot be overlooked. More transparency in reporting of key e lements of this study would have made it easier to determine whether these results constitute good evidence for practice (Rosswurm and Larrabee, 1999 p 317; Pepler et al, 2006, p 23). 12. Data analysis The authors carried out the statistical analyses using SPSS, which is an established statistical programme, and LISREL, which is not a programme this author is familiar with. They describe generating descriptive statistics for each of the variables under consideration, but do not present these in any detail (Tangkawanich et al, 2008 p 218). They then describe the use of multivariate analysis for specific model development, and using other tests, some of which are familiar to the author, some of which are not. While the multivariate analysis and X2 tests are acceptable tests of inference or relationships between variables (Duff, 2005 p 234), anyone who does not have the specialist knowledge of the other tests would find it hard to determine their appropriateness here. The level of specialist statistical knowledge required to understand this would be significant. More transparency could have been achieved by including an explanation of these tests. 13. Discussion The discussion appears quite balanced (Cormack, 2000), and is very detailed, which is good, given the complexity of this study, involving as it does multiple data collection instruments. The study relates the findings back to a wide range of other research studies, which is a strength of this part of the report, showing congruence with many other findings in relation to quality of life, age, socioeconomic status, social support, antiretroviral treatment, symptoms, and self-care (Tangkawanich et al, 2008 p 219). Limitations of the study are also acknowledged (Cormack, 2000). However, the implications for practice are presented in a separate section. 14. Conclusions The conclusion supports the results obtained (Cormack, 2000), although it is not a very detailed summation of the complexity of the findings. However, this is referred to in the Implications and Recommendations section. (Tangkawanich et al, 2008 p 217). 15. Recommendations The authors of this study suggest that social support would have the strongest effect on HRQL(Tangkawanich et al, 2008 p 220). They recommend a wide range of strategies to support this, and also look at all the other factors, making recommendations for improving care for this patient population. These are all consistent with the study. However, the only recommendation for future research is that it should be longitudinal rather than cross-sectional (Tangkawanich et al, 2008 p 217). Conclusion It is apparent from this study that social and other factors have a serious impact upon the lived experience and quality of life of the target population. It is also apparent that social factors may outweigh medical factors, other than in the provision of antiretroviral therapies for these patients. It would appear, therefore, that understanding these factors and the relationships between them could improve nursing and healthcare practice for people living with HIV/AIDS. However, this author would also conclude that because of some methodological and reporting weaknesses in this study, it would be better to find other research confirming these findings before using it as evidence for practice.