Why Creating A Position As A Returning Student Concierge

Why creating a position as a Returning Student Concierge would be beneficial to Chattahoochee Technical College The goal of creating this position is to increase the return rate and persistence of returning students at CTC by focusing on creating a clearly defined re-entry path and a one-stop-shop of resources aimed at helping them reintegrate and succeed through the utilization of website information, specifically targeted marketing pieces, and the development of a returning student concierge. There was a survey that was conducted at CTC in 2011 which I have included and where students had listed comments out of 26 comments a concierge would have been able to help with 13 of the student comments and hopefully they would have stayed instead of withdrawing from classes CITATION Cha11 l 1033 (College, 2011). Returning students often pause in their education due to life obstacles. When they return to school, a majority of the time, those obstacles are still present in their lives CITATION Fus10 l 1033 (Fusch, 2010). Taking a more hands-on approach to reintegrate them into CTC would help stude nts not only seamlessly re-enter the college and their educational track, but would also help connect them to resources from their new beginning point that will help them persist to graduation. â€Å"Returning students interested in re-enrolling often get lost in the shuffle of a process that tends to be dominated by traditional students. Too often, they are steered toward several differentShow MoreRelatedA Report On Hospitality And Tourism Industry2538 Words   |  11 PagesMarriot Eaton is owned by Marriott International Inc. and is under the signature brand of Marriot Hotel (Toronto Marriott, n.d.). It provides luxurious upscale service and can be considered as a large sized hotel featuring 461 guest rooms, one concierge in lobby, 25 suites and 17 meeting rooms. Research Methods Having met Nancy Mcteague, Director of Human Resources Management at Marriott Eaton as a guest speaker has made the process easier to book a date to conduct an interview and observationRead MoreHistory of Mcdonald6287 Words   |  26 Pagesand counters with many operational cash registers. Under a high degree of customer satisfactory contributed for business expansion, McDonald today has over than 30,000 restaurants over than 100 countries in the world and it has maintained the top position in the Fast Food Industry for the past 50 years. http://sth-about-human-resources-management.blogspot.com/2010/01/i-tried-to-give-you-theoretical-basis.html What are the functions of HRM? HRM functions can be dived into primary (directly involvedRead MoreFundamentals of Hrm263904 Words   |  1056 PagesThis online teaching and learning environment integrates the entire digital textbook with the most effective instructor and student resources With WileyPLUS: Students achieve concept mastery in a rich, structured environment that’s available 24/7 Instructors personalize and manage their course more effectively with assessment, assignments, grade tracking, and more manage time better study smarter save money From multiple study paths, to self-assessment, to a wealth of interactive visualRead MoreStephen P. Robbins Timothy A. Judge (2011) Organizational Behaviour 15th Edition New Jersey: Prentice Hall393164 Words   |  1573 PagesWorkforce Diversity 18 †¢ Improving Customer Service 18 †¢ Improving People Skills 19 †¢ Stimulating Innovation and Change 20 †¢ Coping with â€Å"Temporariness† 20 †¢ Working in Networked Organizations 20 †¢ Helping Employees Balance Work–Life Conflicts 21 †¢ Creating a Positive Work Environment 22 †¢ Improving Ethical Behavior 22 Coming Attractions: Developing an OB Model 23 An Overview 23 †¢ Inputs 24 †¢ Processes 25 †¢ Outcomes 25 Summary and Implications for Managers 30 S A L Self-Assessment Library HowRead MoreInnovators Dna84615 Words   |  339 Pagesï ¬ nding with skepticism, since most of us intuitively believe that entrepreneurs are somehow different from other executives. Note that our research focused on innovators and, in particular, innovative entrepreneurs rather than entrepreneurs. Here’s why. Innovative entrepreneurs start companies that offer unique value to the market. When someone opens a dry cleaner or a mortgage business, or even a set of Volkswagen dealerships or McDonald’s franchises, researchers put them all in the same categoryRead MoreCostco Due Diligence Report28823 Words   |  116 Pagesessentially the same as a name brand item alternative. This limitation results in a high volume of sales from a single vendor, allowing further reductions in price, and reducing marketing costs. The savings then trickles down to the customers; which is why they are able to maintain such great pricing. Unlike most superstores that approach manufacturers of items, Costco is actually approached by manufacturers. However, if Costco management feels that the wholesale price of a product is too high, they

A Proposal For A Legalization Of Abortion - 1585 Words

Executive Summary The purpose of this policy paper is to address the egregious violation of rights that Ireland has submitted it’s citizens to by outlawing abortion procedures. This proposal calls primarily for a decriminalization of abortion and for the government to examine the religiosity of both Ireland’s political administration and the cultural view of abortion. The 2013 Protection of Life During Pregnancy Act fails to protect the maternal health of woman and is failing due to the vagueness in language and inconsistency in implementation. That being said, the source of the problem lies in the Eight Amendment of the Bunreacht na hÉireann, the Irish Constitution, that defends that a fetus is an effective Irish citizen at the time of†¦show more content†¦Women can experience serious, life threatening, and sometimes fatal complications during a pregnancy. The United Nations affirms that denying access to abortion legally qualifies as torture as a dangerou s pregnancy constitutes as an act by of severe pain or suffering, whether physical or mental (Convention Against Torture). Protection against this type of reproductive right violation is guaranteed by the The Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women, specifically Article 16.1; The Right to Decide the Number and Spacing of Children (CEDAW). In December of 1985 Ireland acceded the Convention. Although Ireland did not ratify CEDAW and the document is not legally binding, adhering to these human rights norms is an expectation that is on place on all the UN Member States. By criminalizing abortion Ireland violates these basic human rights and infringes on a women’s right to reproductive freedom 2. Origin/History of the Problem and Current Context†¨ The Republic of Ireland has been view in the international community as a â€Å"morally conservative country† (Bloomer 368). Contraception only became available in 1973 and divorce was prohibited until 1997. In 1983 the Eight Amendment to the Irish Constitution (Article 40.3.3) equated the life of an unborn child to that of it’s mothers and thus abortion was prohibited. Recently in 2013, the Irish government sought to try and appease critiques of their strict abortion ban when the government passed

Genetic Engineering Essay Introduction Example For Students

Genetic Engineering Essay Introduction Genetic EngineeringWithin the last two decades scientists have developed several new techniques, which manipulate and alter the genes found in the cells of living organisms. This wonder of the century, genetic engineering has turned heredity –the passing of inheritable characteristics from parent to off spring- from a natural, random event into a process that can be artificially controlled and exploited. It has the potential of giving humanity unprecedented power over life itself, and it has thus raised profound questions in such diverse areas as the environment, agriculture, biological warfare, and animal rights. Genetic engineering has clearly become the controversial topic of today and no doubt will extend into future. It will soon be, if not already, invading our schools, workplaces, and homes. And I personally believe it should never take place. First of all, who are we to be playing God? Since when have we decided that nature’s role in our lives becomes invalid just because we now have the technology to change it. You may be thinking that humans have been playing God since the beginning, but that just isn’t so. In fact, recently we have tried to tweak nature’s creation by such practices as life support systems and medications for terminal diseases. But prolonging someone’s life cannot compare to completely rearranging the sheer fabric of life on this planet. Many people are concerned with the emotional stress on the parents of a genetically altered child. You may question, as you watch your child suffering from a painful genetic condition, ‘how can I live with myself, I could have prevented my child’s pain,’ But how would you feel if your choice to alter your child ended up harming them? What if they were born with physical deformities or altered immune systems making life painful of impossible. Surly, we must consider the merits of genetic engineering from all angels. Genetic engineering is a new technology, which has only been around for a few short years. Although scientists know how to alter genes in some cases and assume that it is possible in others, little is really known about the long-term affects of the process. Adverse reactions and genetic mutations have the possibility of creating a strain of disease that could rival AIDS or even become much stronger. Another issue to consider is the mental and emotional state of genetically altered people. Considering the emotional effects of genetic engineering, It is unimaginable to think of the kind of devastating mental effects a child that was grown in a test tube would feel, knowing that you had no ‘real’ parents. Is they looked very different from the parent, would they still feel part of the family?I’d like to call your attention to the name Adolph Hitler; Adolph Hitler was the leader of the Nazi party in Germany. One of Hitler’s goals in his, â€Å"Reign of Terror†, was to create a master race. He believed that all people should look a certain way, now since the technology seems imminent, it would be as easy as passing a law to prevent babies to be born with brown hair or green eyes. If in the near future it is possible, would the fact that we can make that choice makes it right? Once we decide to begin the process of human genetic engineering, there is really no logical place to stop. If diabetes, sickle cell anemia, and cancer are to be cured by altering the genetic make-up of an individual, why not proceed to other â€Å"disorders†: myopia, color blindness, left-handedness? Indeed, what is to preclude a society form deciding that a certain skin color is a disorder? In fact, why would be ever say no to any alteration of the genetic code that might enhance the well being of the individual or the species? It would be difficult to even imagine society rejecting any genetic modification that promised to improve, in some way, the performance of the human race. .u09bdf71c5c591fc0b3df4fd1c3069517 , .u09bdf71c5c591fc0b3df4fd1c3069517 .postImageUrl , .u09bdf71c5c591fc0b3df4fd1c3069517 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u09bdf71c5c591fc0b3df4fd1c3069517 , .u09bdf71c5c591fc0b3df4fd1c3069517:hover , .u09bdf71c5c591fc0b3df4fd1c3069517:visited , .u09bdf71c5c591fc0b3df4fd1c3069517:active { border:0!important; } .u09bdf71c5c591fc0b3df4fd1c3069517 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u09bdf71c5c591fc0b3df4fd1c3069517 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u09bdf71c5c591fc0b3df4fd1c3069517:active , .u09bdf71c5c591fc0b3df4fd1c3069517:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u09bdf71c5c591fc0b3df4fd1c3069517 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u09bdf71c5c591fc0b3df4fd1c3069517 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u09bdf71c5c591fc0b3df4fd1c3069517 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u09bdf71c5c591fc0b3df4fd1c3069517 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u09bdf71c5c591fc0b3df4fd1c3069517:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u09bdf71c5c591fc0b3df4fd1c3069517 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u09bdf71c5c591fc0b3df4fd1c3069517 .u09bdf71c5c591fc0b3df4fd1c3069517-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u09bdf71c5c591fc0b3df4fd1c3069517:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Gone with the Wind EssayThe question, then, is whether or not humanity should begin the process of engineering future generations of human beings by technological design in the laboratory. What is the price we pay for embarking on a course whose final goal is the â€Å"perfection† of the human species? How important is it that we eliminate all imperfections, alldefects? What price are we willing to pay to extend our lives, to ensure our own health, to do away with all inconveniences, the irritations, the nuisances, the infirmities, the suffering, that are so much a part of the human experiences? Are we so enamored with the idea of physical perpetuation at all costs that we are even willing to subject the human species to rigid architectural design?With human genetic engineering, we get something and we give up something. In return for securing our own physical well being, we are forced to accept the idea of reducing the human species to a technologically designed product. Genetic engineering poses the most functional of questions. Is guaranteeing our health worth trading away our humanity?Science

Positivism and Interpretivism

Interpretivism suggests the research workers to decipher the essential features of the subject; thus this method accommodates personal concern into a research (Silverman 2007, p. 40). Accordingly, â€Å"interpretive researchers assume that access to reality (given or socially constructed) is only through social constructions such as language, consciousness, shared meanings, and instruments† (Myers 2008, p. 38). The advancement of the interpretive method is established upon the criticism of the positivist approach in communal sciences.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Positivism and Interpretivism specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The interpretive research generally aims its attention towards the essence of the issue and will more likely use assorted means in order to demonstrate contrasting features of a subject (Johnson 2006, p. 134). Interpretivism is correlated with the reflective attitude towards idealis m; moreover, it is adopted in order to combine disparate methods all at once, including â€Å"social constructionism, phenomenology, and hermeneutics† (Collins 2010, p. 38). These methods deny the perspective of objectivists, which imply that meaning dwells upon the universe separately from consciousness. It specifies on the precise, uncommon and abnormal center of attraction and implies the participative connection between the subject of research and a researcher. Positivism is founded on the assumption that science appears to be the singular means of discovering the veracity. â€Å"As a philosophy, positivism is in accordance with the empiricist view that knowledge stems from human experience. It has an atomistic, ontological view of the world as comprising discrete, observable elements and events that interact in a noticeable, determined and regular manner† (Collins 2010, p. 38). Within the approach of positivism, the research worker is autonomous from the subject. Moreover, the theory of positivism generates absolute knowledge by focusing on the inexact, mediocre and typical (Patton 2002, p. 113). The subject of the positivist approach in considered to be solidly detached from the researcher, whose goal is to obtain clarification and substantial prognosis towards the subject. Having observed the positivist and interpretive approaches of the researches, we can conclude that the most efficient method of the analysis is interpretivism. This could be explained by the variety of the approaches that are used, such as â€Å"unstructured interviews and participant observation that provides this type of data†, according to Weber (2004, p. 6). The researches that choose the interpretive method of the research accept that they will appeal to be not only influential towards the research they are connected to but also affected by it. Moreover, the connection between the research and the researcher evolves instinctively and as anticipated. I and the other supporters of the interpretive research assume that it is crucial for the satisfactory analysis to provide an interpretation of activities by certain individuals.Advertising Looking for essay on education? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Moreover, according to Weber (2004 p. 6), â€Å"excellent researchers simply choose a research method that fits their purposes and get on with the business of doing their research. They understand both explicitly and implicitly the criteria that their colleagues will use to evaluate their research†. Despite the fact that there are various similarities and distinctions in these two approaches, as well as the advantages and disadvantages, some researchers believe that interpretive approach is better only in those cases where the method of the analysis is more closely connected to the issue or the subject matter of the research. As I have already said, I will more likely choose the interpretive approach for another reason: the process of the analysis that holds my attention would likely be connected to the field that I am acquainted with and, as a result, I would provide a significant impact on the research. References Collins, H 2010, Creative research: The theory and practice of research for the creative industries, AVA Publishing, London. Johnson, P 2006, ‘Evaluating qualitative management research: Towards a contingent criteriology’, International Journal of Management, vol. 8, no. 3, pp. 131-156. Myers, M 2008, Qualitative research in business management, SAGE Publications, Thousand Oaks. Patton, M 2002, Qualitative research evaluation methods, SAGE Publications, Newbury Park.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Positivism and Interpretivism specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Silverman, D 2007, A very short, fairly interesting and reasonably cheap book about qualitative resea rch, SAGE Publications, London. Weber, R 2004, ‘The rhetoric of positivism versus interpretivism: A personal view’, MIS Quarterly, vol. 28, no. 1, pp. 3-12. This essay on Positivism and Interpretivism was written and submitted by user Alfonso Fletcher to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Thomas Jefferson Essays (2018 words) - Thomas Jefferson,

Thomas Jefferson The third president of the United States, a diplomat, statesman, architect, scientist, and philosopher, Thomas Jefferson is one of the most eminent figures in American history. No leader in the period of the American Enlightenment was as articulate, wise, or conscious of the implications and consequences of a free society as Thomas Jefferson. Thomas Jefferson was born on April 13, 1743, at Shadwell, a tobacco plantation in Virginia. His father, Peter Jefferson, was a self-made success, and although uneducated he was a very intelligent man. His mother, Jane Randolph was a member of one of the most distinguished families in Virginia . Peter Jefferson died when Thomas was 14 and left him valuable lands and property. Denied a formal education himself, he directed that his son be given complete classical training. He studied with Reverend Mr. Maury, a classical scholar, for two years and in 1760 he attended William and Mary College. After graduating from William and Mary in 1762, Jefferson studied law for five years under George Wythe. In January of 1772, he married Martha Wayles Skelton and established a residence at Monticello. When they moved to Monticello, only a small one room building was completed. Jefferson was thirty when he began his political career. He was elected to the Virginia House of Burgess in 1769, where his first action was an unsuccessful bill allowing owners to free their slaves. The impending crisis in British-Colonial relations overshadowed routine affairs of legislature. In 1774, the first of the Intolerable Acts closed the port of Boston until Massachusetts paid for the Boston Tea Party of the preceding year. Jefferson and other younger members of the Virginia Assembly ordained a day of fasting and prayer to demonstrate their sympathy with Massachusetts. Thereupon, Virginia's Royal Governor Dunmore once again dissolved the assembly (Koch and Peden 20). The members met and planned to call together an inter-colonial congress. Jefferson began writing resolutions which were radical and better written than those from other counties and colonies. Although his resolutions were considered too revolutionary and not adopted, they were printed and widely circulated and subsequently all important writing assignments were entrusted to Jefferson. When Jefferson arrived in Philadelphia in June, 1775, as a Virginia delegate to the Second Continental Congress, he already possessed, as John Adams remarked, "a reputation for literature, science, and a happy talent of composition" (Koch and Peden 21). When he returned in 1776, he was appointed to the five-man committee, including Benjamin Franklin and John Adams, which was charged with the most momentous assignment ever given in the history of America: the drafting of a formal declaration of independence from Great Britain (Daugherty 109). Jefferson was responsible for preparing the draft. The document, was finally approved by Congress on July 4, 1776. Cut and occasionally altered by Adams, or Franklin, or the Congress itself, the Declaration is almost completely Jefferson's, and is the triumph and culmination of his early career. At this time, had he wanted to be a political leader, he could have easily attained a position in government. Instead, he chose to return to Monticello and give his public service to Virginia. Returning to the Virginia House of Delegates in October 1776, Jefferson set to work on reforming the laws of Virginia. He also proposed a rational plan of statewide education and attempted to write religious toleration into the laws of Virginia by separating Church and State by writing the "Bill for Establishing Religious Freedom." In June of 1779, Jefferson was elected Governor of Virginia. He commenced his career as a public executive, confident of his abilities, assured of the respect and almost the affection of his commonwealth. However, he took up his duties at a time when the British were raiding Virginia. General George Washington did not have resources available to send to Virginia. Jefferson, during one of the raids, narrowly escaped capture at the hands of the British troops; and the legislators were forced to flee from their new capital city of Richmond. Jefferson, as head of the state, was singled out for criticism and abuse. At the end of his second term, he announced his retirement. General Washington's approval of Jefferson's actions as Governor is in marked contrast to the heated charges of dereliction of duty made by certain members of the legislature. After Washington's approval the legislature passed a resolution officially clearing Jefferson of all charges (Smith 134,135). Jefferson returned home to Monticello in 1781, and buried himself in writing about Virginia. The pages of text turned into a manuscript later known as the Notes on Virginia. This book, rich in its minute analysis of the details of external nature as in its clarification of moral political,

Clarinet essays

Clarinet essays The clarinet is a very popular woodwind instrument. It has been the instrument of choice for many brilliant performers in many styles of music, including jazz, classical, and pop. Composers have each developed unique styles of playing that illustrate the vast capabilities of the clarinet. Johann Christoph Denner, a German instrument maker, invented the clarinet in the 1700s. Although clarinets were first introduced in Europe as folk instruments, many composers such as Christoph Gluck, Georg Telemann, and Jean-Philippe Rameau regularly featured them in their works. Many music composers appealed the flexibility of the clarinet and its extraordinary ability to blend with other instruments. Wolfgang Mozart was the first major composer who saw the true potential of the instrument and penned a clarinet concerto, which today is considered one of the greatest concertos ever written for any instrument. After Mozart, many of the great composers who wrote works for the clarinet included Johannes Brahms, Ludwig van Beethoven, and many others. Today, the clarinet is heard in all types of music, and has been especially used in movie music. The clarinet consists of a tube with a mouthpiece at one end and an opening at the other end, called the bell. Small metal levers, or keys cover the clarinets open tone holes and other holes. By pressing these metal keys with the fingers of both hands, the player has the ability to play many different notes very quickly. The reed on the mouthpiece produces a full, rich tone. There are two types of clarinets: wood and plastic clarinets. Wood clarinets are made with African Grenadilla wood and provide a warmer, more professional sound than plastic. Plastic clarinets are more durable and do not contract with temperature changes, like wood clarinets. In appearance, wood clarinets have a grainy wood. Plastic clarinets are shiny and smooth. ...

Editor's letter and response Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Editor's letter and response - Essay Example and then introduces the concept of heat shock proteins in a more thorough manner, drawing from recently published papers and studies as well as important older ones. Also included is a table which outlines the diversity of the major molecular HSP families, details on synthesizing the heat shock proteins, and a summary of several of this chaperone proteins use in signal transduction, cell survival, immune response mechanics, and the effect of environmental stress factors on HSP responsiveness. The review is exhaustive, citing from thirty different papers on the topic after removing the irrelevant citations. The included cited papers range in date from 2006 to 2015, so that the mini-analysis represents a summary of the latest research on this important topic. 1. As well this mini-research contributes positively to the discovery of heat shock response which was discovered by Francis Ritossa in 1962 who made this accomplishment through an observation while treating flies. This mini-analysis would therefore contribute positively to the research on the thermal shock induced in an organism’s cells. The author is particularly pleased to see this section called out in your review. It is often the case that terms are not clearly defined, and the author hoped that, by doing just that, the paper and its conclusions would be accessible to a wider audience than is common for such topics. However, based on comments from the editor, this section has been removed to improve the flow of the paper and keep it properly on topic. Thank you for this idea, which is certainly worth considering at length. However, as pointed out by the editor, the heat shock proteins are chaperones, and in that sense this suggestion is redundant. Furthermore, a number of changes have been made to keep the paper on the relevant topics, as you suggest. The author is pleased to hear that the charts and diagrams included aided in reading comprehension. While these comments are appreciated, the

Descriptive Statistic paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Descriptive Statistic paper - Essay Example From the above data collected the column A represents high ATM usage while B represents debit card usage, the first data n high ATM usage has a mean value of 10.3 and the minimum amount is 2 and maximum amount of 20, the standard deviation is 18.45 and for this reason the data is negatively skewed The above chart shows negative skew for the high ATM usage, this states that more of the data observations lie on the lower measures of the data; less data on the other hand lies on the higher measure of the data. The data on debit card usage is also negatively skewed and this means that more of the data observations lies on the lower measures of the data, less data on the other hand lies on the higher measure of the data. The mean of high ATM usage is 10.3 showing that there are more individuals using ATM, the mean of debit card usage is 0.43 showing that less people use debit cards. The mean is a measure of central tendencies of the data and they give us the probability of expected turnout. Therefore from this measure it is clear that more people use ATM but less people use Debit cards. The standard deviation is a measure of dispersion from the mean, the higher the standard deviation then the higher is the dispersion from the mean, however the lower the standard deviation then the lower is the standard deviation. In our case the ATM usage standard deviation is 18.45 and this is higher than the deviation of debit card usage which is 0.25. The population standard deviation is a measure of dispersion from the mean for the entire population, In this case the ATM usage population standard deviation is 18.14 and the population standard deviation for debit card usage is 0.25, the population standard deviation helps us to determine the validity of data analysis of the sample because a sample should be a representative of the entire population, therefore our sample is not biased and therefore represents the entire population due to the low errors on central

There could be a trouble ahead Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

There could be a trouble ahead - Article Example From the article, it is clear that different economists have diverse opinion on the way to manage economic crisis. Whereas some argue that expansionary measures are the best to undertake, others view contraction measures feasible in correcting economic anomalies. Whichever the policy adopted, the end result should be recovery of the slow pace of growth (Chinn & Frieden, 2011). The article further compares the mitigation strategies pursued by different economies and the way they messed in the process. From the article, the author tries to justify his version that the lessons learnt in the 1930s depression helped in salvaging the 2008 economic depression. The author elucidates this by giving figures of the rate of unemployment, interest rates, currency rates, and contagion caused in the financial markets in both the depression and the recession (1936, 1938). From the analysis, it is evident that the expansionary policies that were employed in 2008 recession had better impacts than the contractionary policies in the 1930s recession (Krugman, 2009). In all instances, monetary policy was important in controlling the supply of money, exchange rates fluctuations and bringing smooth operations of the financial market. Fiscal policies were also crucial in stimulating growth hence increasing rate of employment and investment (2009). Debt management and control must also be checked in managing the depression. The fact that the author has extensively and concisely dissected the comparison makes me agree that the article is right. The facts have been well substantiated with figures and correct economic theories and knowledge. In my opinion, the periods of recession and depressions demands policies that stimulates growth and controls the level of debt while keeping the financial sector sound. In conclusion, Obama’s administration learned from the failure of the Roosevelt regime thus

Impacts of Anti-social Working Hours on Nursing Staff

Impacts of Anti-social Working Hours on Nursing Staff Abstract The aim of this research proposal is to outline a research study that is designed to determine the effects, and impacts, of anti-social working hours on nursing staff, with a view to assessing the validity of three main hypotheses: H1: The greater the number of anti-social hours worked, the more serious will be the negative effects on the professional and personal lives of nursing staff; H2: Nursing staff who have high levels of workplace support are less likely to be affected by anti-social working hours; and H3: Nursing staff who receive adequate monetary compensation for the anti-social hours they work are less likely to be adversely affected, in terms of their professional lives, by these anti-social hours. It is proposed that these hypotheses be tested through sampling twenty nursing staff, gathering both qualitative and quantitative data through the use of the Work Ability Index, a questionnaire and a logbook containing various questions the participants will be asked to comple te each working day for one month. Introduction A previous review of the relevant literature showed that there are many facets to the effects of anti-social working hours on nursing staff that are not understood. The critical literature review revealed that there were many and various effects of anti-social hours on the professional lives of nursing staff, including negative effects on performance at work, an increase in the number of mistakes made, a decrease in the patience nursing staff had towards patients, a decrease in the levels of holistic care provided and that anti-social working hours could lead to strains being placed on the relationships nursing staff have with their colleagues, their patients and the families of their patients. In addition, it was shown that anti-social working hours had negative effects on the personal lives of nursing staff, including on their home life, their personal safety and their overall health and stress levels. Research questions and objectives As a result of the findings of this critical literature review, this research proposal suggests a dual quantitative and qualitative approach to assessing the actual effects of anti-social working hours and their impacts on nursing staff, with three main hypotheses to be explored: H1: The greater the number of anti-social hours worked, the more serious will be the negative effects on the professional and personal lives of nursing staff H2: Nursing staff who have high levels of workplace support are less likely to be affected by anti-social working hours H3: Nursing staff who receive adequate monetary compensation for the anti-social hours they work are less likely to be adversely affected, in terms of their professional lives, by these anti-social hours Perspective and methodology The methodology to be utilised is both qualitative and quantitative, incorporating two quantitative methods (the Work Ability Index and a logbook) and a qualitative method (a questionnaire). In order to test the effects of anti-social hours on nursing staff, it will be necessary to sample a number of nursing staff each of whom work different types/number of hours. Twenty nursing staff will be sampled in total, five who work only during the day, five who work only during the night, five who work shifts without committing to night shifts and five who work shifts and who do commit to working night shifts. Sampling such a diverse set of nursing staff, in terms of the number/type of hours worked will allow the effects of anti-social hours on different types of nursing staff to be assessed, It is proposed that the Work Ability Index (Ilmarinen, 2007) be used to assess how anti-social hours are impacting nursing staff, in terms of their ability to do their jobs, and their own health. The Work Ability Index (Ilmarinen, 2007) is basically a series of questions which take in to account the demands of the work, the workers health status and the resources available for work, and is a summary of the responses to seven items, including: 1) Current work ability compared with the lifetime best; 2) Work ability in relation to the demands of the job; 3) Number of current diseases diagnosed by a physician; 4) Estimated work impairment due to these diseases; 5) Sick leave during the past twelve months; 6) Own prognosis of work ability two years from now; and 7) Mental resources. In addition to the Work Ability Index, several supplementary questions will be asked of the sample of nursing staff, in the form of a questionnaire, in order to gauge their attitudes to work and their overall satisfaction with their work and pay, their motivation and their opinions regarding the support that is available in their workplace. In addition to the Work Ability Index, and the supplementary questionnaire, which will be used to assess how the sampled nursing staff are being impacted, in terms of the anti-social hours, the sampled nursing staff will be asked to keep a logbook of their activities over one month of work, in which they will be asked to record: their scheduled working hours; their actual working hours; how many of their overtime hours were paid; the amount of sleep they have; a rating of the quality of this sleep; whether they use any sleep aids, and what these are; a rating of their sleepiness levels; a rating of the fatigue they feel each day; a rating of their stress levels each day; a note of any errors they made whilst at work; a note of the type of error made; a note of any potential errors they would have made had another member of staff not intercepted them; and a note of any errors observed in other colleagues. Methods Sampling The target for this research is nursing staff, in the hospital in which the researcher is employed. Due to time restrictions with the research project, which needs to be completed in two semesters, the number of participants in this study will need to be kept low, so that their responses to the Work Ability Index, the questionnaire and their records in their logbooks will be manageable, in terms of the amount of data that will result. It is therefore suggested that twenty participants are selected for the study, divided in to nursing staff covering a variety of shifts and working hours: five who work full-time, only day shifts; five who work full-time, only night shifts; five who work shifts, with no night shifts, only day shifts; and five who work shifts but who can work night shifts. Sampling the nursing staff in this way will allow an assessment of the effects of the type of extra working hours has on nursing staff, for example whether working anti-social hours at night has a grea ter negative effect on nursing staff than working anti-social (i..e, longer) hours during the day, for example. Data collection As has been discussed, the objectives of this research, and the associated hypotheses, will be tested through a combination of qualitative and quantitative research methods. The Work Ability Index will be utilised in order to gain an overall picture of the effect the work is having on the participants and the views the participants hold regarding their ability to do their jobs, and their own health (Ilmarinen, 2007). The Work Ability Index, as it requires participants to provide a numerical assessment of their responses to the various questions, will provide a quantitative assessment of the participants attitudes towards their work, their ability to do their work and their own health, as a function of the work they are required to do. The questionnaire that will be handed out to the participants aims to provide a snapshot of the participants’ attitudes to work and their overall satisfaction with their work and pay, their motivation and their opinions regarding the support that is available in their workplace. The responses to this questionnaire are intended to be open-ended and, as such, will constitute a qualitative approach to data gathering, with participants being free to respond, at will, to the questions asked. This qualitative approach will allow the participants to outline any concerns they have and to expand upon their feelings with regards to the impact of their working hours on their ability to do their work, on their professional lives, on their personal lives and on their health, amongst other factors. The logbook will, through the various questions it contains, allow both a qualitative and a quantitative approach to data gathering. Some of the questions will ask the participants to rate various things, with the responses being quantitative in nature, such as the quality of their sleep, the number of hours (scheduled and non-scheduled) that they worked, or their stress levels, for example. Other questions will allow for more open-ended responses, qualitative in nature, such as whether they use any sleep aids, and what these are, or whether any errors were made, with the opportunity to describe these errors. Analytical processes As the data that will be collected is both quantitative and qualitative in nature, various analyses will be necessary. For the quantitative data gathered, for example the responses to the Work Ability Index and the quantitative questions in the logbook, the data will be analysed with regards to determining any correlations between the responses, for example, whether longer hours, as recorded in the log book, correlates with lower satisfaction with their work, as recorded by the Work Ability Index. Such correlations can be performed using various statistical tests, via a statistical analysis software package, and will provide firm conclusions as to the relationships between the various variables being measured. The qualitative data that is collected will be voluminous in nature with a great deal of responses to view and analyse (Polit et al., 2007). As Thorne (2000) suggests, the analysis of qualitative data relies on some form of deductive reasoning in order to interpret and structure the meanings that can be derived from the data collected, within the framework of the objectives of the research and the hypotheses that are being tested. It is suggested that the data be analysed using content analysis (Pope et al., 2000; Miles and Huberman, 1984). Content analysis will allow the data to be analysed and to find emergent meanings from this data in order to find inferences from what has been said by the participants and to relate these inferences to the quantitative data that will be collected (Neuendorf, 2002). Analytical induction will be used to test and re-test the intuitive ideas the researcher has regarding the content of the responses, with regard to the objectives of the research and h ypotheses being addressed (Pope et al, 2000; Holloway, 1997). It is expected that the correlations found within the quantitative data will be supported by the qualitative data collected, and that the qualitative data will provide more of an in-depth understanding of the actual effects and impacts of anti-social working hours on nursing staff. This combination of quantitative and qualitative data is therefore expected to be a powerful tool in terms of gaining a full understanding of the impacts of anti-social working hours on nursing staff, in terms of the effects on both their professional and private lives, with regards to fulfilling the objectives of the research and determining the validity of the hypotheses being tested. Strategies to promote methodological rigour There is a risk, in this study, that the nature of the study, and implied pressure from managers and colleagues, may lead to bias in the results gained, in that nursing staff may not feel able to reveal their true feelings about these issues for fear of retribution. In order to minimise the chances of this happening, as has been seen, anonymity will be ensured at all times, minimising the chances of bias entering in to the data and maintaining methodological rigour. Access and Ethical issues In order to recruit twenty nursing staff, and to allow the research to be conducted, the Manager of the nursing staff will contacted and permission will be requested to contact the nursing staff to be able to recruit participants. As this research topic touches on a delicate subject, in that managers might be wary of addressing this subject with their staff, and because making recordings in the logbook will take time out of the working day of the nursing staff, the Manager will need to be approached with care. Appendix 1 provides a copy of the suggested letter, that will be sent to the Manager of the nursing staff, in order to recruit possible subjects for the research. All nursing staff on one floor of the hospital will be sent an introductory letter, given in Appendix 2, which will explain the purpose of the study, outline the aims and objectives of the study and outline what will be expected of participants, and which asks for any interested parties to come forward to volunteer themselves for the study. Participants will be selected on the basis of them being independent (i.e., not known to the researcher or any supervisors of the researcher) and will be contacted, within a few days of volunteering themselves and being selected, in order to sign a Consent Form (given in Appendix 3). Following the signing of the consent form, the study will be explained in more detail to the selected participants, with the letter in Appendix 2 being sent out to selected participants, with the various components, and how they will be presented to the participants, being explained within this letter. Following this, the questionnaire will be given to the participants and they will be asked to fill this in and to return it to the researcher within a week of it being sent to them. The Work Ability Index will also be passed to the participants, at the same time as the questionnaire, and the participants will be asked to complete this, within a week, and return the completed questionnaire with the completed Work Ability Index. At the same time, the logbook will be explained in detail, and passed out to each participant, for them to start recording their responses to the questions within this, every working day for one month. The actual Work Ability Index, questionnaire and logbook that will be sent out to participants are given in Appendix 4, 5 and 6, respectively. It is fundamental, at every stage of this process, that the responses of the participants are kept confidential, with only the researcher knowing which responses come from which person. This will be handled by allocating each participant a number and with the questionnaires, Work Ability Index and logbook being passed out, completed and returned, with only this number, not any names. This will ensure that only the researcher knows which participant provided which responses, ensuring that all responses will remain anonymous. Anonymity is fundamentally important in this study, given its delicate nature, dealing as it is with topics that are inflammatory within the workplace of nursing staff, and which could cause problems between nursing staff and their managers. In addition to the numbering system that will be used to protect the anonymity of participants, no personal data will be collected, other than the responses to the three tools, and the storage of all of the responses collected will be carried out in compliance with relevant data storage regulations, such as the Data Protection Act 1998. The data collected will be collected on the basis of anonymity being maintained, but, due to the nature of the study, in that the results are expected to be disseminated as widely as possible, although anonymity will be maintained, confidentiality of responses cannot be guaranteed, as it is these responses that will form the basis of the results, and conclusions of this research, which will be disseminated. The researcher could be affected by the conducting of this study, because, as has been stated, the research topic touches on sensitive matters that are often the cause of conflict within the workplace between managers and nursing staff. The very fact of conducting this study within the workplace may put the researcher at risk of reprisals of some sort, although it should be noted that the study will be introduced to the Head of Department and to managers as a research study, and that, as such, the researcher should be respected, without facing reprisals, and the research allowed to continue without problems. Timetable It is suggested that the work be conducted over the course of four months, January to April 2009. The nursing staff will be contacted, initially, and once the twenty nursing staff have been selected, the Work Ability Index and the questionnaire will be completed. Following this, the logbook will be handed out and the nursing staff will record their responses to the questions within that each working day for one month. Once the logbooks have been completed, all of the primary data will be collated and analysed, with the expectation that this process will require a further month. Once the results and conclusions have been gathered from the data, two further months will be required to write up this data in the form of the dissertation. The work would be more vigorous if a larger sample of nursing staff could be included, but this is not possible, unfortunately, given the time constraints, Budget and likely funding sources The researcher intends to apply for scholarships in order to cover the costs of the research materials needed, but, as the methodology is utilising reasonably priced materials, if a scholarship is not won, it is expected that the materials could be paid for out of the pocket of the researcher. The expected costs are as follows: Twenty notebooks (for the logbooks): 20 x  £1.50 = 30 Paper/pens/printer ink etc. for the questionnaire/Work Ability Index = 20 x  £1.00 =  £20 Small gift for each participant: 20 x  £2.00 =  £40 Binding of dissertation: 4 x  £10 =  £40 Total cost =  £130 Dissemination of results Given the intense interest in this subject in the nursing literature, it is intended that this study be written up for publication in a peer-reviewed nursing journal. In addition, the results of the study will be presented as nursing seminars and the abstract of the work will be sent out to various conferences, with a view to the work being presented at various nursing conferences. In addition, as with all dissertations completed at academic establishments, a copy of the dissertation will be deposited in the university library, so that the work is available for reference by other interested parties. References Holloway, I. (1997). Basic concepts for qualitative research. Blackwell Science. Ilmarinen, J. (2007). The Work Ability Index. Occupational Medicine 57(2), pp. 160. Miles, M. and Huberman, A. (1984). Qualitative data analysis. Sage. Neuendorf, K.A. (2002). The content analysis guidebook. Available from http://academic.csuohio.edu/kneuendorf/content/ [Accessed 27th November 2008]. Polit, D.F. et al. (2007). Nursing research: generating and assessing evidence for nursing practice. Wolters Kluwer Health. Pope, C. et al. (2000). Qualitative research in health care. BMJ 320, pp. 114-116. Thorne, S. (2000). Data analysis in qualitative research. Evidence-Based Nursing 3, pp. 68-70. Appendix 1: Access letter Address Date Dear XXXXX, Re: Msc dissertation An exploration of the impacts of anti-social working hours on nursing staff I am writing to ask permission for this research to be conducted within your section. As part of this request, I am asking for permission to be granted to make contact with staff under your management, and for these staff to be asked if they will participate in my research project. I hope to be able to select a total of twenty nursing staff to be able to participate in this research project. The research project consists of three separate sections: a survey of the participants using a Work Ability Index, a questionnaire of the participants and a logbook, which the participants will need to complete each working day for one month. I would like the opportunity to present the research project to all of the nursing staff under your management and to select twenty participants from the staff who volunteered their participation. The research project will require the participants to volunteer their own time and any and all research costs will be covered by myself. By the time of the study, the necessary ethical approval for the study will have been given by the relevant committee. I do hope you can consider my request for access to your staff and look forward to hearing from you. Yours sincerely, XXXXXX Appendix 2: Participant information sheet Address Date Dear XXXXX, Re: Msc dissertation An exploration of the impacts of anti-social working hours on nursing staff I am writing to you now to request your participation in a research study I am conducting, looking at the effects and impacts of anti-social working hours on nursing staff. A literature review I previously worked on showed that there are many facets to the effects of anti-social working hours on nursing staff that are not well understood and that, as anti-social working hours have many negative effects on nursing staff, in terms of their professional and personal lives, I am interested in looking in to this issue in further detail. The main aims of the research are to test three hypotheses: H1: The greater the number of anti-social hours worked, the more serious will be the negative effects on the professional and personal lives of nursing staff H2: Nursing staff who have high levels of workplace support are less likely to be affected by anti-social working hours H3: Nursing staff who receive adequate monetary compensation for the anti-social hours they work are less likely to be adversely affected, in terms of their professional lives, by these anti-social hours The research project will consist of three main tools, a Work Ability Index, a questionnaire and a logbook, to be filled in by participants every working day for one month. It is expected that the initial assessment, via the Work Ability Index and the questionnaire, would take around one hour of your time to complete, with the logbook taking around twenty minutes to complete each day. If you have any questions or concerns about your participation, please do not hesitate to contact me and I will address these. If you decide you would like to be part of this research project, I would be grateful if you could sign and return the attached consent form and return it to me in the attached stamped addressed envelope. Yours sincerely, XXXXX Appendix 3: Consent form Research title: An exploration of the impacts of anti-social working hours on nursing staff Name of researcher: XXXXXX Please tick the boxes I can confirm that I have read the participant information sheet and that I understand the aims and objectives of the proposed research _____ I have been given the opportunity to ask questions and to have these questions answered by the researcher ______ I understand that my participation in this research is voluntary and I have fully understood the amount of time my participation in this research will require ____ I understand that I will be able to withdraw from the research at any stage without any retribution  ­Ã‚ ­Ã‚ ­_____ I consent to my responses being used in the dissemination of the results of this research, under the proviso that my responses will remain anonymous at all times _____ I agree to keep the research study confidential in that I should not discuss this with my colleagues or managers ____ I agree to take part in the above study ____ Name of participant: Signature: Date: Name of Researcher: Signature: Date: Appendix 4: Work Ability Index The Work Ability Index (Ilmarinen, 2007) will be used to assess how anti-social hours are impacting nursing staff, in terms of their ability to do their jobs, and their own health. The Work Ability Index for each participant will be calculated as a summary of the responses to seven items, scored over a variety of ranges, giving a total possible maximum score of 49: Current work ability compared with the lifetime best (scored from 0-10) Work ability in relation to the demands of the job (scored from 2-10) Number of current diseases diagnosed by a physician (scored from 1-7) Estimated work impairment due to these diseases (scored from 1-6) Sick leave during the past twelve months (scored from 1-5) Own prognosis of work ability two years from now (scored from 1-7) Mental resources (scored from 1-4) As has been seen, in addition to the Work Ability Index, which will give a possible score out of 49, according to the status of the participants regarding their ability to work, several supplementary questions will be asked of the sample of nursing staff, in the form of a questionnaire, in order to gauge their attitudes to work and their overall satisfaction with their work and pay, their motivation and their opinions regarding the support that is available in their workplace. The actual questionnaire is given below: 1. What are your overall feelings towards your job? 2. What is your attitude towards your work? 3. How do you feel about your pay? 4. Do you work anti-social hours? 5. Are you compensated adequately for these anti-social hours? 6. Do you feel you are forced to work anti-social hours? 7. Do you feel motivated to do your work? 8. If not, please specify the reasons behind you lack of motivation 9. Do you feel you receive enough support in your workplace? 10. If not, what could be done to improve the support available to nursing staff in your workplace? 11. How satisfied are you, overall, with your work? 12. Have you ever considered giving up the nursing profession? 13. If yes, please expand upon your reasons behind this. 14. What do you feel could be done to make your job easier? 15. What do you think managers ought to be doing to minimise the impacts of anti-social hours on you and your colleagues? Appendix 6: Logbook The logbook is intended to be completed every working day for one month, and consists of the following questions, repeated every day: Date: Please note your scheduled working hours for today Please note your actual working hours for today Please note how many of your overtime hours will be paid Please note the amount of sleep you had last night Please provide a rating of the quality of the sleep you had last night (from 1 to 10, with 1 being the poorest quality) Please note whether you used any sleep aids If you used an aid to get to sleep, please note what the nature of this sleep aid Please provide a rating of their sleepiness levels (from 1 to 10 with 1 being very sleepy) Please provide a rating of the fatigue you feel today (from 1 to 10 with 1 being very fatigued) Please provide a rating of your stress levels today (from 1 to 10, with 1 being very stressed) Please make a note of any errors you made whilst at work Please make a note of the type of error made Please make a note of any potential errors you would have made had another member of staff not intercepted this error Please make a note of any errors observed in other colleagues Please make any other comments you would like to record here Appendix 7: Ethics form (NEEDS TO BE INCLUDED)

Air Conditioner Controller :: essays research papers

1. INTRODUCTION Today, thanks to the advancement in the field of electronics, most of the manually controlled systems are getting replaced with sophisticated electronic circuits with intelligent controlls. These circuits are capable of monitoring, analyzing and controlling the systems. In earlier days these electronic circuits were fabricated around discrete hardware components such as transistors, logic ICs etc that made the system bulky and costly. Also since the component count was more the failure rate was also more. But now due to the introduction of single chip microcontrollers, the hardware part was drastically reduced; so also the cost and size of the hardware has come down to a large extent. As a result almost all of the control circuits are designed over single chip microcontrollers. 2.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  SCOPE OF THE PROJECT The primary objective of this project is to make a simple circuitry for Air conditioner controller. This circuitry is based on the state of the art technology of Microcontrollers .The features of the project is has given below 1.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Facility to set the temperature using a potentiometer. 2.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  A Display indicates the temperature – both the set value and the actual value. 3.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  An indication when the set range is beyond limits. 4.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The system turns ON the Air conditioner when the set temperature. 5.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  A mode selector switch is provided to select between SET MODE and RUN MODE. 6.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  When the SET mode is selected the display indicates the set value. When RUN mode is selected the display indicates the actual room temperature. The whole circuitry works on 230V AC. From this a series regulator is designed to derive +5V regulated supply for the microcontroller part. The circuitry is based on the popular microcontroller Atmel 89S8252 The project consists of necessary software and hardware for implementing the above function. 3.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  BLOCK SCHEMATIC OF THE PROJECT The figure below shows the block schematic of the project. This consists of the following. 1.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Power Supply Unit 2.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Microcontroller Unit 3.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  A Potentiometer For Temperature Set. 4.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  A Temperature Sensor Circuit 5.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  A Display Circuit 6.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  A Relay Driver Circuit It also consists of the following indications 1. Temperature Display on seven segment Display (2 digit) 2. A set range out indication. The circuit turns on a relay when the set temperature is less than the room temperature. This relay turns ON the Air Conditioner. 4.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  STUDY OF MICROCONTROLLER This project makes use of a microcontroller-based circuitry for decision making such as password checking and device control. The microcontroller used here is microchip make PIC series IC 16F870. a. Microprocessors   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  A microprocessor, as the term has come to be known, is a general- purpose digital computer central processing unit (CPU).

How Are Racial Issues Such As Stereotyping, Centrality and Stacking Related to the Olympics?

There are different examples in the Olympics, which deal with racist issues. Stacking, centrality and stereotyping are just three. Stereotyping is defined as when the athletes are said to be good or bad at certain sports due to their race or ethnicity. An example of the stereotyping is that â€Å"white men can't jump†. Stacking is where players are put into positions and sports based on their ethnic background. An example of stacking is the North Americans in the marathons. A linked theory is called centrality; this is where the dominant group in society does the dominant role in a team or sport, (in the UK and USA this tends to be WASP's (White Anglo Saxon Protestants)). An example of centrality is the Olympic Committee being mostly white. Every race is stereotyped where people label a group of people as all having the same image or characteristics for example people say that black people are faster at sprinting than white people. This isn't a racist comment as it is the truth. Scientists have found that Athletes of West African descent which include most African American, Caribbean and black British athletes have a physique that is suited to explosive events, requiring sprinting and jumping. Such athletes possess what biologists call a mesomorphic physique with bigger, more visible muscles including a larger chest. Their muscles contain a higher proportion of fast-twitch fibres than do whites or East Africans. Athletes of West African descent also possess less body fat, a higher centre of gravity, narrower hips, and higher levels of testosterone in their blood. There are myths that are formed based on this information that isn't true like ‘Black men can't swim'. These myths can lead to putting a person off a certain race from entering the Olympics. They may start the particular sport because of the stereotype. However, there is also the negative stereotype that people will not take up a certain sport as they are channelled towards certain sports due to their ethnic background or race. They also might want to take up a sport that they haven't seen anyone form their racial background competing and therefore will not take up that sport. There is a lot of over representation at the moment but only in specific sports, for example there are lots of Afro-Caribbean's competing in boxing and sprinting, Asians competing in badminton and hockey, and lastly the Far East compete mostly in table tennis and gymnastics. There has always been racism in the Olympics. One of the biggest issues was in 1936 at the Berlin games. Jesse Owens, one of the greatest track and field athletes of all times came to the Games holding two world records. In all four events, Owens either equalled the existing Olympic record or broke world records. He went home with four gold medals. His three other African Americans teammates also won Olympic medals. But Hitler refused to recognize the achievements of Owens and his â€Å"black auxiliaries† as he called them. Hitler walked out of the stadium when the time came to congratulate and present them with their well-won medals. He did not want to shake hands with black people who he considered inferior to his Aryan race. In another case of racism in the 1968 Mexico City Olympics, two African American sprinters, Tommy Smith and John Carlos raised a black-gloved fist (the Black power salute) while on the victory stand to protest U.S. racial policies, causing acts of hooliganism and fighting among the Americans in the stadium. Both athletes were expelled from the Games and they were sent home like criminals. Carlos claimed that â€Å"Ours was not a political act; it was a moral act-and that's all right.† Also at these Games was the expulsion of South Africa due to the Apartheid, which has also been a major factor in Olympic history. They were not allowed to compete in the Olympics from 1964 to 1992 due to the discrimination between Black and White races. This showed that strong racist issues such as these were not being tolerated, the Olympics were starting to reflect world union, and everyone is equal. It caused major problems in the Montreal games 1976 because many African nations boycotted the games. They were in protest at New Zealand entering, because the New Zealand rugby team, the ‘All Blacks', had toured South Africa, where apartheid was taking place. Finally though in 1992 South Africa abolished Apartheid and was allowed back into the Barcelona games. As time as gone on roles of black people have changed. Nowadays there are many black role models for example there is Denise Lewis. She encourages young black girls to partake in athletics. More and more people of different origins are taking part in sports that they are expected not to take part in. Stereotyping, centrality and stacking are still happening in the Olympics now. Take the 100m final in the Athens Games; there was not one single white man in that race just black men.

Why Are You Interested in Our College Interview Tips

Why Are You Interested in Our College Interview Tips Like many of the most common interview questions, a question about why you are interested in the college seems like a no-brainer. After all, if you are interviewing at a school, you have presumably done some research and know why you are interested in the place. That said, it is easy to make missteps when answering this type of question. Key Takeaways Be specific. Make sure youve done your research and are aware of the features that distinguish the college from other schools.Give a well-rounded answer. Try to find features on the academic and non-academic fronts that you can address.Dont focus on selfish aspects of attending the school such as prestige or future earning potential. Weak Interview Answers Some answers to this question are better than others. Your answer should show that you have specific and admirable reasons for attending the college. The following answers are not likely to impress your interviewer: Your college is prestigious. This may be true, but what distinguishes the college from other prestigious colleges? And why does prestige matter so much to you? What exactly about the colleges academic and/or non-academic features make you eager to attend?Ill make lots of money with a degree from your college. This certainly may be an honest answer, but it wont make you look good. An answer such as this suggests you care more about your wallet than your education.All my friends are going to your college. Are you a lemming? Your interviewer will want to see that you have selected the college because of your own educational and professional goals, not because you follow your friends blindly.Your college is convenient and close to home. Here again this might be an honest answer, but college is preparing you for the rest of your life. Proximity to home suggests that location is more important than your actual education.My counselor told me to apply. Fine, but youll want a better answer. S how that you have done your own research and that you are eager to attend. Youre my safety school. No college wants to hear this even if its true. Colleges want to admit students who are eager to attend, not students who look down on the school and are likely to transfer after a year. Give Your Interviewer a Well-Balanced Answer The interviewer is hoping that you are interested in the college for reasons other than peer pressure or convenience. Similarly, if you say you applied entirely because of a parent or counselors recommendation, youll be suggesting that you lack initiative and have few thoughts of your own. When it comes to prestige and earning potential, the issue is a bit more fuzzy. After all, name recognition and your future salary are both important. The interviewer most likely is hoping that you find the college prestigious. That said, you dont want to come across as someone who is more concerned with material gain and prestige than with pursuing your passions and getting a high-quality education. Many students choose a college based on sports. If you love nothing more than playing soccer, youre likely to look at colleges that have strong soccer teams. During the interview, however, keep in mind that students who are interested in nothing except sports often fail to graduate. The best answers to this interview question provide a balance of academic and non-academic reasons for wanting to attend. Perhaps youve always dreamed of playing on the schools soccer team and you really like the schools hands-on approach to teaching engineering. Or maybe you like the opportunity to be an editor for the literary magazine, and you are eager to participate in the English departments study abroad program. Know the College What you most need to do when answering this question is show the interviewer that you know the colleges distinctive features well. Dont simply say that you want to go to the college to get a good education. Be specific. Let the interviewer know that you were drawn to the colleges innovative first-year program, its emphasis on experiential learning, its Honors Program, or its international focus. Also feel free to mention the schools wonderful hiking trails, its quirky traditions, or its amazing lilacs. Whatever you say, be specific. The college interview is a great place to demonstrate your interest in the school, but you can only do this if you have done your homework. Before you set foot in the  interview room, make sure you have done your research and identified several features of the college that you find particularly appealing, and make sure at least one of those features is academic in nature. Finally, make sure you make a good impression by dressing appropriately and avoiding common interview mistakes such as showing up late, answering questions with one-word responses, or proving that you are clueless about the school

The Struggle for Japanese Wome essays

The Struggle for Japanese Wome essays It is impossible to judge a book off its cover. Japan is like a bad book with a good cover. On the outside, Japans cover looks like one in which other countries should envy. When we take a look and see that their income gap between rich and poor is smaller than that of the United States. Generally, the Japanese are known for their teamwork, and equality. If anyone in Japan is making a outrageous salary they are looked down on because that shows individuality, and it goes against teamwork. There is no need for unions in Japan, equality seems to be each companies goal. But like a bad book with a good cover, there is a far different story behind all of this. In all of the great things listed above, Japanese women are not included in this dynamic. Throughout this report you will see the inequality in the Japanese workplace, the struggle between the Sogoshoku and the Ippanshoku, and how the Japanese women are starting to chose work over home. Inequality in the Japanese Workplace The socialization of men dominating women in Japan starts at a young age. Japanese boys and girls are taught to use different expressions and words. As Japanese girls reach their teenage years, the majority of them have no major goals. 52% of women and 65% of men believe that mens job is to work and womens is to keep house (Family Planning Perspectives,1999). They have grown up to believe that their first job is at home. One of the only things that the Japanese girls have to dream about is their elegant and elaborate wedding ceremony. Getting married though can hurt women from ever getting hired with any company. Large Japanese companies often encourage women to quit upon getting married, or at least when they have their first child (Newcomb, 1998). If a Japanese woman aims for other goals such as education, she needs to be careful. Most companies will not hire ...

Slavery in the United States Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Slavery in the United States - Research Paper Example In 1612 English planter John Rolfe who settled in Jamestown, Virginia was credited with successfully cultivating tobacco as an export crop in Virginia. Earlier English settlers did not like the taste of the tobacco grown there. In order to improve the taste Rolfe crossed the breed from Trinidad which had a sweeter taste with the Virginia tobacco to produce a plant that took well to the local soil. Rolfe was the first to cultivate these plants in North America and its export resulted in a boost of the Virginia colony’s economy. The popularity of tobacco in England and the available land in the Virginia colony led to plantations all over Virginia. Tobacco crops could best grow on extensive farmland. Growers constantly needed additional labor. Colonial leaders wanted indentured servants. That included â€Å"20 and some odd Negroes† brought to Virginia by a Dutch ship in 1619.† Blacks had been captured in Africa and were sold at auction in Jamestown. There have been c onflicting accounts indicating how the first blacks in America were treated. â€Å"The status of the first blacks in the New World remains somewhat mysterious, and any thesis about the change in black status generates sharp controversy.† ... e were many black indentured servants in Virginia and Maryland during the much of the 1600’s there was also enough white indentured servants that were able to work the plantations in those and other colonies. However during the 1660’s the supply of white servants declined due to the declining birth rate in England. This decline resulted in increased wages for the English so many chose to remain there. In order to make up for this loss planters in the Chesapeake region would get enslaved Africans to work their plantations.4 (Slavery Takes Root in Colonial Virginia). The number of slaves would increase in these colonies as years passed. In the 1660’s slavery spread quickly throughout the colonies. There were more slaves in the South where large plantations grew cotton and other crops. Initially there were no clear laws regarding slaves and some black and white slaves were given freedom after several years. During this time the American colonies passed laws that sti pulated relationships between slaves. One of these laws forbade intermarriage between white colonists and black slaves. Another law indicated that black slaves and the offspring of female slaves would be enslaved for the rest of their lives. These laws were known as slave codes. Under the slave codes slaves were also not allowed to own weapons, get an education, they needed permission from their masters if they wanted to move, and were prevented from testifying against whites in court. (Becker) Slaves on small farms had more freedom than plantation slaves. â€Å"This premise, combined with the natural population growth among the slaves, meant that slavery could survive and grow†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Becker 1660 section) Some reasons why Africans were chosen as slaves was because that more miners were needed, the

Precis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Precis - Essay Example The United States also imports oil from unstable countries such as Syria, Pakistan, Algeria and Colombia. Conflicts in these regions majorly arise from unequal sharing of oil revenue. Money from oil trade funds dangerous governments (Lefton & Weiss 2). The expanse use of oil in U.S. is a major cause of climate change. Global warming comes from burning oil by passenger vehicles. It is apparent that climate change has a negative impact on national security. Climate change will create unstable governments, increase terrorist activities and natural disasters, and as a result, displace people from there home (Lefton & Weiss 3). The top five oil companies; BP, Chevron, ExxonMobil, ConocoPhilips and Shell are the major benefactors of imported oil in the United States. These companies have made billions of profit by importing oil into the United States. These companies have invested a lot of money in campaigns against clean-energy policies with the objective of ensuring oil dependency (Lefton & Weiss 4). On the contrary, implementing clean-energy policies will save the environment from global warming and economic decline. The above will come into reality if the money to import oil is reinvested in the United States. There will be the creation of new jobs, maintenance of a clean environment and a stabilized economy (Lefton & Weiss

Public policy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

Public policy - Essay Example But they are a happy and hospitable people. It is a common public policy to smile and be hospitable to any foreigner who comes in and visit one of their islands. The Filipinos are proud of their race. They smile when they see a tourist: that’s tourism policy number one. Tourism has been a flourishing industry in the Philippines and an attractive business venture because of its beautiful scenic spots, baroque churches, white beaches and various heritage sites, a legacy of the hundreds of years of Spanish colonization, and subsequently the American colonization which led to the Philippine independence on June 12, 1898. However, the Philippine tourism industry has passed through various stages of decay and then development. If public policies had been enforced to the letter, the Philippines could have been the number one tourist destination in Asia because of its rich heritage, historic spots, rich natural resources, and a hospitable people willing to receive any guests who have entered into their shore lines. Tourism was used for political purposes during the regime of President Ferdinand Marcos. Tourism policies during Marcos’s time were concentrated on government efforts to gain support from foreign governments, especially during the period when he declared martial law. There was no popular support or cooperation from the local community who had mixed feelings of fear, hatred and remorse over the dictatorship. Human rights violations were rampant. Resorts, hotels and other business establishments were owned by Marcos ‘cronies’. Rebel groups started to surface, and there almost anarchy in the streets. People power led by Corazon Aquino, wife of the martyred opposition leader Benigno Aquino Jr. led to the toppling of the dictatorship. Tourism was totally down at that time. (Gray, 2008, p. 369) When the dictator Marcos was overthrown by a people-power revolt, Corazon ‘Cory’ Aquino took over, and once again, her government used

E-Library System Essay Example for Free

E-Library System Essay This chapter presents the software development methodology used by the researchers in the design and development of the proposed Online Library system of UCNHS, the scope and delimitation, the date gathering techniques, and the sources of data. Software Development Methodology The Modified Waterfall Model in software engineering came into existence because of the defects of the traditional Waterfall Model. The phases of the Modified Waterfall Model are similar to the traditional Model. The main change is that phases in the Modified Waterfall Model life Cycle are permitted to overlap. A lot of flexibility has been introduced in the Modified Waterfall Model in software engineering due to overlapping phases. At the same time, a number of tasks can function, concurrently, which ensures that the defects in the software are removed in the development stage itself and the over head cost of making changes to the software before implementation is saved. The Modified Waterfall Model is more relaxed approach to formal procedures, documents and reviews. It also reduces the huge bundle of documents. Due to the development team, the devote to work on the code has more time and does not have to bother about the procedures. The researchers used Modified Waterfall Model because documentation is produced at every stage of the software development. This makes understanding the product designing procedure, simpler and will closely work with the school and users to understand their needs. The figure below describes the structure and activities in the Modified Waterfall Model (Bhakti Satalkar, 2010). Requirement gathering and analysis System Design. Implementation Testing Maintenance Figure 2. Modified waterfall Model Requirement gathering and analysis. All possible requirements of the system to be developed are captured in this phase. Requirements are a set of functions and constraints that the end user (who will be using the system) expects from the system. The requirements are gathered from the end user at the start of the software development phase. These requirements are analyzed for their validity, and the possibility of incorporating the requirements in the system to be developed is also studied. Finally, a requirement specification document is created which serves the purpose of guideline for the next phase of the model. In this phase, the researchers gathered data that might be used in the proposed system and also through an interview with the library staff, performed observation to the transaction and conducted survey with students of Urdaneta City National High School. System Design. Before starting the actual coding phase, it is highly important to understand the requirements of the end user and also have an idea of how should the end product looks like. The requirement specifications from the first phase are studied in this phase and a system design is prepared. System design helps in specifying hardware and system requirements and also helps in defining the overall system architecture. The system design specifications serve as an input for the next phase of the model. In this phase, the researchers will use USE CASE, DFD, ERD to evaluate and design the system in accordance to the requirements needed. Implementation. On receiving system design documents, the work is divided in modules/units and actual coding is started. The system is first developed in small programs called units, which are integrated in the next phase. Each unit is developed and tested for its functionality; this is referred to as unit testing. Unit testing mainly verifies if the modules/units meet their specifications. The researchers will use visual basic 2010 as programming language to create and develop the system. Likewise, MS SQL as database is used as the back end to store, maintain and manage the database integrated to the system. Upon implementation, several testing will also be done to ensure that each module is working properly. Testing. As specified above, the system is first divided in units which are developed and tested for their functionalities. These units are integrated into a complete system during Integration phase and tested to check if all modules/units coordinate between each other and the system as a whole behaves as per the specifications. After successfully testing the software, it is delivered to the customer. In this phase, the researchers will test the system to ensure that the developed system functions are according to its requirements and to avoid errors. Maintenance. Inevitably the system will need maintenance. Software will definitely undergo change once it is delivered to the school library. There are many reasons for the change. Change could happen because of some unexpected input values into the system and it could directly affect the software operation. The software should be developed to accommodate changes that could happen during post implementation period. In case there are changes necessary it has to be fixed to make the system usable or to make it comply with the library staff wishes. In this phase, the researcher will instruct the librarian on how to operate and maintain the system. Meanwhile other features that will be implementing in this phase are beyond the limitation of the researchers. Scope and Delimitations This project covers the development of Digital Library System of Urdaneta City National High School. Specifically, it will cater all the processes done in inventory, borrowing, returning, and reservation of books. The Digital Library System of Urdaneta City National High School can access by the admin which is the Librarian, students in UCNHS, teachers of UCNHS and guest which is the alumni and students from different schools. Guest can only inquire for books availability and reserve it personally. However, the proposed system limits on the contents of book that can be viewed digitally, only the title page, table of contents and its overview are applied. Only the students and teachers are allowed to reserve and borrow book through online. The guest is not allowed to reserve books through online. Teachers and students referral is not included in the system. Data Gathering Techniques The researchers gathered information of the system through structured interview, questionnaire and document analysis to the UCNHS library staff and students. The use of references allowed additional information about software and system Requirements as well as how some organizations use the Internet in making achieves for records that later becomes a collective library on the internet. Structured Interview. Means of collecting data for a statistical survey. In this case, the data is collected by an interviewer rather than through a self-administered questionnaire. Interviewers read the questions exactly as they appear on the survey questionnaire. The choice of answers to the questions is often fixed (close-ended) in advance, though open-ended questions can also be included within a structured interview. In a series of interviews, researchers knew exactly what information are needed and prepared a list of pre-determined question that will be asking to the respondents. The researchers gather some viewpoints of the people around the system that could make more efficient particularly to library and employees. Document Analysis. Technique used to gather requirements during the requirements elicitation phase of a project. It describes the act of reviewing the existing documentation of comparable business processes or systems in order to extract pieces of information that are relevant to the current project, and therefore should be consider projects requirements. In support to the structured interview, the researchers gathered and examined thoroughly the existing documents like catalogue, logbook, and book card. Questionnaire. Research instrument consisting of a series of questions and other prompts for the purpose of gathering information from respondents. Although they are often designed for statistical analysis of the responses, this is not always the case. Questionnaires will be distributed to the students as input to the design of the proposed system. Likewise, with their feedbacks, features can be determined. Sources of data The Librarian, Library staff and students were interviewed as primary respondents. Also books and thesis manuscript were used to determine other requirements of the propose system. The researchers used websites, online libraries and other similar studies as references in this study. In addition to this, the researchers will distribute questionnaires to the Urdaneta National High School students to get information that will help in the progress of the development of the project study. Table 1: List of Respondents RESPONDENTS| NUMBER OF RESPONDENT| Librarian| 1| Library Staff| 2| Students| 100| Teachers| 50| Total| 153|.

My Educational Philosophy Essay example -- Philosophy of Education Tea

My Educational Philosophy A question that I have heard from several people in my life ever since the school year started is, "Why do you want to be a teacher?" Originally, I thought I just wanted the summers off. The truth of the matter is, I just want to make a difference in the lives of students. I have had teachers in my life that have pushed me way beyond even my own expectations of myself, and have had a very big influence in my life. I have also had the teachers that just accepted mediocrity, that didn't push the envelope, and those teachers I can honestly say I did not learn anything from. It was one of the influential teachers that prompted my decision to enter the teaching profession. I was in a completely different program of study, heading towards a totally different goal, until one day he looked at me and said, "What are you doing? This isn't you. You have potential to do so much more, and you'll never reach it doing what you are doing." It was this statement that made me sit back and realiz e that something needed to change. It was that something that led me to the Teacher Education Program at Concord. Once I started thinking about the reason that I wanted to be a teacher, I realized how incredibly idealistic it sounded. When we discussed educational philosophies in class, and when we went over the idealist, I thought, "that is definitely the philosophy that is geared towards what I want to be and the environment that I want my classroom to have." My goal as far as what I want when I enter the teaching profession is to be an effective history teacher. I love History, and I believe that my interest in History spurs off of the fact that I had several excellent History teachers in high school tha... ...ld be free to test all their ideas and explore values. He believed that children should participate in determining what their education should be. Schools are public servants. They are there for the children, and if they don't meet the needs of the children, they have failed as a public service institution. Once I graduate from Concord, I hope to pursue a Master's Degree and further my educational prospects. I have no idea what kind of teacher I will be. My ambition of course, is to be the teacher that every student loves and respects. Furthermore, I want to be the teacher that someone will look back at one day and say, "I am part of what I am because I had her for a teacher." Idealistic, yes, but if I don't believe in myself, and my students then I am defeating my whole purpose as an educator, and that is to make a difference in the lives of my students.

Examination Day and Harrison Bergeron Essay

The short stories â€Å"Examination Day† by Henry Seslar and â€Å"Harrison Bergeron† by Kurt Vonnegut, both examine the idea of a world where governments have total control over its citizens. The main characters in the stories are Dickie Jordan and Harrison Bergeron. In â€Å"Examination Day† discrimination against intelligence is portrayed through Dickie who is eliminated because his â€Å"intelligence quotient [was] above the Government regulation.† This quote depicts the governments authority in its society and how the government eradicated the people who questioned them through an intelligence exam. The irony of this examination is that success was seen as negative. Whereas, â€Å"Harrison Bergeron† explores the theme of forced equality in American society in the not so distant future. Right in the introduction, the three main issues concerned throughout the story are given, † Nobody was smarter than anybody else. Nobody was better lookin g than anybody else. Nobody was stronger or quicker than anybody else. All this equality was due to the 211th, 212th, and 213th Amendments to the Constitution.† Thus, absolute equality in intelligence, physical beauty, and athleticism have been ratified into law by the 211th, 212th, and 213th Amendments to the Constitution, respectively. Both stories share a conflict in regards to person versus society and both the protagonists die at the end. In â€Å"Examination Day† Dickie is on his own when it comes to the test given by the government. Before the test when Dickie asks his father what the test is for, his father tells him†the Government wants to know how smart [Dickie] is.† Later on, the story ends with an automated message from the government with the reason for his death and preferred funeral arrangements. In â€Å"Harrison Bergeron† Harrison knew better than to follow government regulations and tried to make a difference. In the end, he was killed as â€Å"Diana Moon Glampers, the Handicapper General, came into the studio with a  double-barreled gauged shotgun. She fired twice, and the Emperor and the Empress were dead before they hit the floor.† This quote shows the government’s control over what is accepted and what happens to those who exceed government regulation. Harrison wanted an end to the absolute equality so he stood up for the citizens of the country who did not realize how absurd their society was becoming; in the end, he died trying to make a difference. In â€Å"Examination Day† the setting invokes sympathetic feelings towards Dickie. Dickie , a week after his twelfth birthday, was sent from his â€Å"little apartment† to the â€Å"great pillared lobby† within the â€Å"polished† governmental building. This contrast of settings invokes sympathy for Dickie because he is limited to living in a small home while all the money is used by the government to develop large, modern government buildings. Also, Dickie is taken to a place that is foreign to him, with large intimidating architectural masses which makes him seem insignificant and isolated. The story compares the â€Å"dim† and â€Å"cold† room within the government building to the â€Å"warm†, â€Å"bright† house that Dickie lives in. The cold, clinical description of the government building is symbolic of distinction being taken away from humanity. It demonstrates the idea that Dickie is being taken from the comfort of his home and into the control of a frightening, overpowering government. Contrary to Harrison in â€Å"Harrison Bergeron† who is a fourteen year old boy that poses such a terrible threat that he has been shackled with more handicaps than anyone else. Giant earphones instead of the small ear radio his dad has. Large glasses to obscure his vision and give him headaches. So many weights that he â€Å"looked like a walking junkyard.† On top of it all, he is so handsome that they gave him a clown nose, shaved off his eyebrows, and blacked out his teeth. Also, Harrison is so frightening that he is arrested â€Å"on suspicion of plotting to overthrow the government.† The government’s news bulletin describes him as â€Å"a genius and an athlete, [†¦] under-handicapped, and should be regarded as extremely dangerous.† In conclusion, both â€Å"Examination Day† and â€Å"Harrison Bergeron† examine the idea of a world where the government has total control over the government and individuals living within the government.

Second Life Ready for Business

1. What problems can Second Life help businesses solve? Second Life provides businesses with tools for online conferencing, online collaboration, knowledge management, and prototyping. Companies can test new products using Second Life’s 3-D rendering programs. They can experiment with new marketing and advertising campaigns to see how people react. They can receive feedback on real-world products or services. 2. Considering what you have learned about Second Life, how could you, as an individual, create a modest start-up business on the Grid? What goods would you sell? Why would this be a good choice of product? What, in simple terms, would your business plan be? Why would it work? One potential new business would be to sell furnishings for online spaces. People inherently want to furnish and decorate their private spaces. The products could be bought and sold using Lindens. The start-up costs could be low since there aren’t any inventory costs. You can create the furnishings as they’re ordered. A business plan would include advertising ideas, marketing ideas, how to deliver the products, customer follow-up ideas, and financial planning. 3. Visit eBay on the Web and see what Second Life items you can find listed for auction. How would you rate the activity surrounding these items? Are you surprised by what you see? Why or why not? Obviously the information for this question will fluctuate. As of this writing, eBay offered 211 items. They included how-to manuals for making money on Second Life, a guide to selling land, and business opportunities on the site. One item in particular was a vending machine business package available for $4.99. The individual offering the item was an eBay Power Seller with 6,483 feedback postings. He was obviously an established eBay seller. Other items for sale include a Gym Workout package for $4.99 and a macro that makes navigating the skies of Second Life easier. It sold for $12.99. Answers to the last three questions will vary by student. The point is to have them realize how advanced and pervasive sites like Second Life have become. 4. How important is interoperability between 3-D worlds like Second Life and other Web sites such as Amazon, MySpace, and YouTube? Do you think that Second Life can survive and prosper on its own? What is the future of these entities? Separate or integrated? Interoperability between 3-D worlds and other Web sites is very important because of the increasing popularity of all the sites. People don’t want to continually learn new and different skills. Rather they want to transport their skills and software from one site to another. It’s doubtful that Second Life could survive and prosper on its own. Demand for the site will increase if it becomes more entwined with other sites and even real life. As people continue to combine offline and online activities, they want easy ways to transition from one to the other. This is where the people component of the three dimensions of information systems becomes apparent. Obviously this leads to more integration in the future. 5. What obstacles does Second Life have to overcome in order to become a mainstream business tool? Does it face fewer or more obstacles to become a mainstream educational tool? To what do you attribute the difference? Second Life needs to overcome the idea and perception that it’s â€Å"just another game site.† Other obstacles include ease-of-use, interoperability between pre-established business systems and Second Life’s proprietary system. It needs to create ways to import and export data between its system and external business systems—don’t require data to be re-input into either system. Second Life faces more obstacles in trying to become a mainstream educational tool. Educators are inherently opposed to online, distance education because it supposedly lacks the face-to-face communication between teachers and students. However, as more education is carried online, Second Life has all the tools in place to make it easy to conduct classes, especi ally its online collaboration tools. 6. What kinds of businesses are most likely to benefit from a presence on Second Life? Why? Retail businesses that are already used to doing business online may have an easier time of establishing a viable presence on Second Life. They are used to advertising and marketing to customers online and have the systems built for taking orders, accepting payments, and shipping products. Other companies, like IBM, that have established online collaboration systems and online knowledge management systems will probably have an easier time using Second Life as another outlet for these activities. 7. would you like to interview for a job using Second Life? Why or why not? Obviously the answers to this question will vary from student to student. Some may prefer interviewing for a job using Second Life since they may see face-to-face interviews as extremely nerve-wracking. Other may prefer a face-to-face interview rather than trying to create an avatar that adequately represents them. 8. Is Second Life a precursor of how business will be conducted in the future or a corporate experiment? Justify your answer. Second Life probably is a precursor of how business will be conducted in the future. Online presence and activity is increasing, not decreasing. Businesses are continually turning to online services to change the way they do business and move many of their offline activities to online ventures.