Saturday, August 31, 2019

Political Science Course Outline

| | |INTERNATIONAL ISLAMIC UNIVERSITY MALAYSIA | |COURSE OUTLINE | Kulliyyah |Islamic Revealed Knowledge and Human Sciences | |Department |Political Science | |Programme |Bachelor of Human Sciences (Political Science) | |Course Title |Introduction to Political Science | |Course Code |PSCI 1010 | |Status |Core Course | |Level |1 | |Credit Hours |3 | |Contact Hours |3 | |Pre-requisites |- | |(if any) | | |Co-requisites |- | |(if any) | | |Course |Izni Bazilah binti Abdul Razak | Instructor(s) | | |Semester Offered |Every Semester | |Course Synopsis |This course introduces students to the basic concepts and notions of political science in the areas of political | | |theory, comparative politics, public administration and international relations. The topics will be surveyed from | | |the Western perspectives; their shortcomings evaluated and an Islamic alternative conceptualization will be provided. | | |Combining the two perspectives, it provides students a base for advanc ed studies in the discipline. |Course Objectives |The objectives of this course are to: | | | | | |serve as a preparatory study for students majoring in political science and as a general overview for students of | | |other concentration; | | |make students understand the nature and scope of political science and how it affects people’s life directly and | | |indirectly; | | |make students understand the reasons why political science should be studied by Muslims; | | |identify the themes and issues discussed in the areas of Political Theory, | | |Comparative Politics, International Relations, and Public Administration; and | | |build the foundation of students in political science for future courses in the subject. | |Learning Outcomes |By the end of the course, students will be able to: | | | | | define politics and Political Science from both Islamic and Western perspectives; | | |describe various sub-disciplines of Political Science, along with its most basic concepts and the methods used; | | |explain the different types of governmental and political structures, institutions, processes, and perspectives—and | | |their respective historical evolution and functions—at the local, state, national and international level; | | |distinguish the Liberal-democratic, Islamic, Authoritarian, and Totalitarian political systems and their variants; | | |outline the key elements of various ideologies along with their critiques; and | | |Evaluate the roles of elites, masses and institutions in the governmental process. |Instructional |Content-based teaching | |Strategies |Task-based teaching | |Course Assessment |LO | |State weightage of each type |Method | |of assessment |% | | | | | |1, 2, 3, 4, 5 | | |Quizzes | | |5 | | | | | |1, 2, 3, 4 | | |Mid-Semester Exam | | |25 | | | | | |3, 4, 5, 6 | | |Group Presentation | | 10 | | | | | |3, 4, 5, 6 | | |Term Paper | | |20 | | | | | |1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 | | |Final Examination | | |40 | | | | | | | | |Total | | |100 | | | | |Content Outlines | |Weeks |Topics |Task/Reading | |1 |Introduction: An overview of the course.What is Politics, Manifestation |Moten & Islam (2009): 3-22, 40-53. | | |and Transmission of Politics, Political, Power, Influence and Authority, | | | |Authority and legitimacy in Islam. Moral basis in politics. | | |2 |Political Science: Nature, Scope and Development of the subject. |Moten & Islam (2009): 23-39 | | |The Evolution of Political Science: Ancient, Medieval Modern and |Shively (2003): 2-15. | | |Post-Modernism. | |3 |State and Government; features of an Islamic Political System. |Moten & Islam (2009): 78-98, | | | |131-157. | | | |Rauf (2002): 8-28. | | | |Shively (2003): 40-64. | |4 |Western Classification of Government: Democracy vs. Dictatorship, Unitary |Moten & Islam (2009): 99-131. | |vs. Federal, and Parliamentary vs. Presidential Systems of Government; |Shively (2003): 169-197. | | |Islamic evaluation. | | |5 |Constitution, Consti tutionalism. |Moten & Islam (2009): 159-172. | | | |Shively (2003): 204-220. | |6 |Organs of government: Executive: (Khalifah), Legislature, (Majlis |Moten & Islam (2009): | | |al-Shura), Judiciary, (Qada). |173-212; 232-255. |7 |Bureaucracy, Major Features, Role, Control and Accountability; Transparency|Moten & Islam (2009): | | |and Accountability; E–government; Military. |213-230. | | | |Shively (2003): 338-352. | | | | | |8 |Political Parties and Party Systems; Interest Group; An Islamic |Moten & Islam (2009): 314-345. | | |Alternative. |Shively (2003): 244-291. | |9 |Elections and Electoral Systems. Moten & Islam (2009): | | | |346-362. | | | |Shively (2003): 223-241. | |10 | Civil Society, Human Rights and |Moten & Islam (2009): 395-406. | | |Islam. | | |11 | Political Ideologies: |Moten & Islam (2009): 268-373. | | |Conservatism, Liberalism, |Shively (2003): 18-37. | |Socialism, Nationalism and | | | |Feminism. | | |12 | International Relations. | Moten & Islam (20 09): 407-435. | | | |Shively (2003): 372-399. | |13 | International Organizations. |Moten & Islam (2009): 436- 470. | |14 | Challenges: Globalization, Environment, AIDS, and Terrorism. |Moten & Islam (2009): | | | |471-476. |References |Required | | | | | |Moten, A. R. & Islam, S. S. (2009). Introduction to political science (3rd ed. ). Singapore: Thomson. | | | | | |Recommended | | | | | |Baradat, L. P. (2003). Political ideologies: Their origin and impact. New Jersey: Prentice Hall. | | | | | |Crouch, H. 1996). Government and society in Malaysia. Singapore: Talisman. | | | | | |Danziger, J. N. (2001). Understanding the political world: A comparative introduction to political science. New York: Longman. | | | | | |DeLue, S. M. (2001). Political thinking, political theory, and civil society. New York: Longman. | | | | | |Esposito, J. L. (1996). Islam and democracy. New York: Oxford University Press. | | | | |Grigsby, E. (2002). Analyzing politics: An introduction to political sci ence. Belmont: Wadsworth. | | | | | |Hofmann, M. (1997). Islam the alternative. Maryland: Amana Publications. | | | | | |Mawdudi, A. A. (1998). Human rights in Islam. New Delhi: Markazi Maktab Islami. | | | | | |Rauf, M. A. (2002). Concept of Islamic state.Kuala Lumpur: YADIM. | | | | | |Shively, W. P. (2003). Power and choice: An introduction to political science (8th ed. ). New York: McGraw-Hill. | |Proposed Start Date| | |(Semester) | | |Batch of Students |Semester 3, 2005/2006 onwards |to be Affected | | | | | | | | |Prepared by: |Checked by: |Approved by: | | | | | |Dr. Mohd. Fuzi Omar |Dr. Tunku Mohar Tunku Mokhtar |Dr. Badri Najib Zubir | |(Course coordinator) |(Head, Political Science Dept) |(Dean, KIRKHS) | Learning Outcomes Matrix: PSCI 1010 | | |Course Learning Outcomes | | |Outcome 1 |Outcome 2 |Outcome 3 |Outcome 4 |Outcome 5 |Outcome 6 |Outcome 7 |Outcome 8 |Outcome 9 |Outcome 10 | |Define politics and Political Science from both Islamic and Western perspectives. |3 | |2 | |3 | |2 |1 |3 | | |Describe various sub-disciplines of Political Science, along with its most basic concepts and the methods used. |3 | |2 |2 | | |1 | | | | |Explain the different types of governmental and political structures, institutions, processes, and perspectives—and their respective historical evolution and functions—at the local, state, national and international level in the western and Islamic settings. 3 |1 |1 |2 |1 | | |1 |2 | | |Distinguish the Liberal-democratic, Islamic, Authoritarian, and Totalitarian political systems and their variants. |3 |1 |1 |2 |1 | | |1 |2 | | |Outline the key elements of various ideologies along with their critiques. |3 | |3 |2 |3 |1 |1 |1 |2 | | |Evaluate the roles of elites, masses and institutions in the governmental process. |3 | |3 |2 |2 |1 |1 |1 |2 | | | *1=addresses outcome slightly, 2=moderately, 3=substantively The programme outcomes are: 1. Knowledge = The ability to demonstrate familiarity with major concept s, theoretical perspective, empirical findings and historical trends in political science. 2.Practical Skills = The ability to understand and apply basic research methods in political science, including research design, data analysis and interpretation. 3. Critical Thinking: The ability to acquire and use the scientific methods with their critical and creative approaches of problem-solving and decision-making skills. 4. Communication = The ability to work and communicate effectively and sensitively with people from a diverse range of backgrounds and varying demographic characteristics. 5. Lifelong learning= The ability to develop insight into their own and other’s behavioral, cognitive and spiritual processes and apply effective strategies for lifelong self-management and self-improvement. 6.Social Responsibility: The ability to understand and apply political principles to socio-economic and organizational issues. 7. Ethics, autonomy, professionalism: The ability to apply IIU M ethical guidelines in the design, data collection, analysis, interpretation and reporting of political research. . 8. Islamicisation: The ability to use principles in the Qur’an and Sunnah to evaluate and apply modern political theories and approaches. 9. Integration: The ability to integrate Islamic teaching in the theoretical, research and application of political principles in explaining and improving human behaviour. 10. Entrepreneurial Skills: The ability to successfully enter the job market.

Friday, August 30, 2019

In the Eye of the Storm Critque Essay

In The Eye of the Storm filmed by ABC News in 1970, Jane Elliot, a teacher at Riceville Community Elementary School, puts her third grade students through an experiment to show them how horrible colored people were treated. Since 1968, Jane Elliot always has something planned for National Brotherhood Week. On Tuesday, Elliot segregates her class by the color of the students’ eyes. The brown-eyed kids were to wear special collars around their neck so they could be seen from afar. In this situation the blue-eyed kids were all around better than the brown-eyed. They got to sit in the front of the classroom, five extra minutes of recess, and went to lunch first. At recess, the brown-eyed kids were being teased by blue-eyed kids that were their best friends just a few hours before. After lunch and recess, Elliot discussed what was happening. She asked why and what was going on between friends because of the segregation. She watched her students change into discriminating little monsters in as short as one day. The next day, the brown-eyed are treated with respect instead of the blue-eyed. The blue-eyed realized that it wasn’t very fair, and apologized to the brown-eyed for the day before. Jane Elliot got her point across and asked one more favor from her students; simply respect the colored. Jane Elliot accomplished exactly what she wanted; to show her students the under treated side of segregation. One strategy that Elliot used is figurative language. She argues the idea of segregation and teaches her students how people felt and how they will always feel if the color of their skin differs. Elliot’s lesson was strongly supported by cause and effect. In the classroom situation, having brown eyes lead to being treated poorly. The blue-eyed changed into completely different kids once they were declared the â€Å"better† party. Classification is the major strategy used. Jane Elliot classified or grouped her students according to the characteristic of eye color. One group, the blue-eyed, was considered superior. The other group, the brown-eyed, were under treated and had very few privileges. By using these example strategies, and more, Jane Elliot taught her students the many disadvantages of having colored skin and she leaves her students wanting to respect all people, disregarding their physical features. Teaching me how quickly people can be judged, I enjoyed watching this film. Even though the problem of segregation by skin color isn’t as strong in our period of time, I would still recommend this short movie to teenagers. Teens tend to immediately judge people by appearance rather than personality and it’s just not fair. For example, in the movie, the children were judged in a matter of seconds because of the collar around their neck. In our world today, people are judged by the style of their hair, the price of their clothes, and more accessories that really shouldn’t matter to others. Before the lesson, blue-eyed kids all had brown-eyed friends. During the lesson the two parties were fighting like nobody’s business. This shows how quickly you can lose yourself and people that you care about. This also happens in the typical high school world. Friends go off and try new things and they stop caring about people they were once close with because two different paths of life were taken. I just think that people should do what they want, but never lose the touch of true friends no matter their appearance and judgments made by others. The true friends will never fail to have your back as long as you have theirs.

Thursday, August 29, 2019

Human Resource Plan Essay

Abstract Planning is important in our everyday life. Similarly planning in Human Resource (HR) is significant for an organization wishing to be successful. It is vital for attaining competitive edge in the market. Mostly top management fails to use HR Department more than as administrative support because they don’t realize its importance in managing the most crucial asset of the organization i. e. Human Resource (Rothwell, W. J and Kazanas, H. C. , 2002). In this paper an HR Plan has been formulated for getting a practical view of Human Resource Planning. Super Mart is an American company dealing in chain of departmental stores. Founded in 1972, it is the largest private employer and grocery retailer in United States. It owns 20% of the market share. It is functional across globe in U. K, Mexico, Argentina, China, South America, Puerto Rico, Brazil, Canada, Japan, Germany and South Korea. The company’s main competitor includes American Superstore, Sellers and Canada’s PurchaseKo (Frank, 2006). Super Mart has developed a frugal culture. The company’s aim has been to keep the prices low and also maintain the cutting-edge technology, a frugal corporate culture and a drive to make suppliers sell merchandise at cheaper prices. The employees are expected to keep the expenses at bare minimum. This shows in the meager salary and health facilities provided to the employees. The culture is present at the Headquarter also which is situated in a suburban location of Arkansas rather than New York. Its executives use coaches and don’t drive limousines and share hotel rooms. They come early, go late and work half day on Saturdays. The company’s main aim is delivering to customers at low cost which shows in its work culture as well (Wilbert, n. d. ). For its internal communication Super Mart has recruited 300 HR personnel, whose job is to communicate the business objectives and growth opportunities to the employees. There also has been an integration of human resource practices with all business strategies for ensuring that all the employees are moving in same direction. An Ethics hotline has been developed where all the ethical issues are reported and promptly investigated (Wal-Mart’s new Communication Plan, 2007). The company has also updated its website to include all issues and controversies. The answer to the question as to why an employee will choose Super Mart as its employer lies in its brand value. Super Mart has 270 stores across America and has global presence. Its initiative in health care and employee benefits are gaining praise. Super Mart has realized that it is successful if its employees are happy, especially as it belongs to service sector, which spells good news for the employees. Recruitment and Selection Recruitment is an important aspect for planning manpower. The recruitment process has been divided into four stages i. e. search plan, selection techniques, timetable and recruitment budget (Human resource Planning, 2006) Search Plan: For attracting the potential employees, media tools like advertising, visits at university and job exhibition are planned. This process is carried on for a period of one month. Selection Techniques: First job specification is designed for a particular position, say for front office employee. Educational Qualification: 10+2 or Graduate Age limit: 25- 30 Qualities: Good communication skills, ready to work in shifts, adaptable to situations, customer friendly and persuasive and eye for detail. On the basis of the above specifications, candidates are shot listed and interviewed. The successful candidates are recommended and unsuccessful candidates are thanked and send back. The selection decision is detained with the area manager only. Timetable: The recruitment and selection process is spread over for four months, from January to April. The recruitment budget covering the advertisement, assessment of applications, interviews and reference checks of employees have been estimated around 2lac. The job description and interview questions have been provided in the appendix. Compensation and Benefits For determining compensation for various posts’ salary, survey is carried out. For making correct comparison, not only matching the job title but matching job duties and responsibilities is also essential. Salary is decided by considering labor market characteristics and cost of living (HR Planning, n. . ). Going by the example taken in this paper for fixing salary for front office employees, their job description is reviewed. Also other components apart from basic salary like traveling allowance and extra pay for overtime have been included (see appendix). Performance Management The performance appraisal of employees is an essential process to keep the employees in check as well as monitor the quality of work. It also provides avenues for development based on feedback and lacunae are identified. Here, as the employees in consideration are front office employees, a simple tool for performance management is selected as the Rating Scale Method. As only basic qualities are expected out of the employees and no technical or high expertises are required, a simple technique like Rating Scale is preferable. In rating scale, the appraiser is asked to rate individual employee on the basis of qualities identified like communication skills, customer feedback, product knowledge, attitude etc. (Sturo, J. , 2006). Employees are ranked on the basis of points assigned to them. Training Program Training is an integral part of HR activity. It is provided not only to new employees but also to the existing employees due to the technological changes or change in ways of marketing or introduction of any new methodology at work. The front office workers are provided training in communication and product knowledge. Certain level of computer education is also given for handling the billing job. The training period lasts for two weeks which includes lectures and simulation program. At the end of the training program, new employees are kept on a probation period of one month where their performance is monitored. Employees showing lack of any learning or scope of improvement are discharged. Retention Program A lot of revenue and time is devoted towards recruiting and selecting people for any position. The story doesn’t end here. The new employee is trained and becomes productive only after a month or so. This adds further to the expenses. Thus, loosing an employee in a short duration after putting so much of money into his/her development becomes uneconomical. This spells more damage for service sector companies because being intangible form of product customers symbolize their experience as equivalent to the standard of service offered. And front office staff is the key to this satisfaction in a big way. Thus, in order to retain the employees, various retention techniques should be adopted, for example incentives for being rated at the top of performance appraisal for consecutive three times, awards for most punctual and well dressed employees, having a star system where employees are given a star badge if he/she has received five positive customer feedback in a month etc. Super Mart is an American Company with global presence. But throughout the years, it is having an approach of ignoring the human resource development by following a frugal system. But with the changing time, it has realized that the best way to succeed is to have happy employees. Keeping this in mind, it has come up with an HR plan which covers areas of recruitment, compensation and benefits, training, performance benefits and retention programs. Hope it will bring smiles for the employees as well as the company in the future. Appendix Job Description: Working hour is 24/7 divided in shifts of 6 hours on a rotational basis. Employees should have good communication skills and identifying products Employees will be expected to deal with customers with patience Assisting customer with making right purchase choice and managing customer flow. Politeness and earnestness to help are other desirable qualities. Interview Questions: Tell me something about yourself? Have you ever lost your cool? When and why? Describe any random product’s features. Compensation Description Basic salary: 9000 Conveyance: 500 For overtime: 500 Total salary: 10,000 Rating Scale for Front Office Employee

Wednesday, August 28, 2019

This is not a paper just a MIDTERM question Essay - 1

This is not a paper just a MIDTERM question - Essay Example However, through the Bureau of budget formed in 1970 during President Nixon’s Administration which was and is still referred to as the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). This office is the largest office in the Executive office of the President, and is mandated to advise the president on issues related to budgeting and finance, also to countercheck and oversee budget and financial management of other executive branch groups (Gibbler, 2006, p. 14). In the congressional; action process, the budgeting committee through the Congressional act of 1974 direct s that the president submits the proposed budget to the House and Senate Budget committees so that the budget resolution may be created to serve as a universal framework through which the decisions of specific government spending and tax levies would be based upon. However, they do mot make budget nor do they require president’s signature but their mandate is to establish the budget structure to avoid both misappropriation and over estimation of the US Budget. The process is mandated to lay out guideline plan for government tax and disbursement in the next fiscal year. The Budget resolution is mandated to dictate the amount of money that ne government is permitted to pay out in the 20 Budget allocations. This process is controlled by the Committee on appropriation (Gibbler, 2006, p. 38). The process is mandated to take effect after the budget is through. Through the Appropriation Bill, the process should distribute funds to the key government programs through agencies to ensure that the prospective departments receive funding as appropriated in the budget (Gibbler, 2006, p. 72). Due to the poor economic state affecting the whole world, tax rates should be reviewed so tat the country and world businesses move. At present, business is at a stand still being that traders spend much during service delivery just to

Accounting for Liquidation of a Partnership Essay - 1

Accounting for Liquidation of a Partnership - Essay Example Hence, the balance sheet is the document open in the liquidation process (Delaney & Whittington, 2005). Liquidating a partnership necessitates selling noncash assets for cash and recognition of gain or loss on realization, allocation of the gains or losses to the partners based on their profit/loss ratios, cash payment of the liabilities of the partnership and distributing the remaining cash to the partners based on their capital balances. The aforementioned steps of the partnership liquidation process must be executed sequentially (Kimmel, Weygandt & Kieso, 2011). The other options available for partnership include placing the business under receivership where an administrative receiver is appointed to oversee the recovery process of the business in case of a limited liability partnership (Delaney & Whittington, 2005). In addition, the partners may decide to undertake an individual voluntary agreement with the creditors so that the secured creditors can be assured of their security enforcement before their final decision on forcing the partner into bankruptcy (Reeve, Warren & Duchac,

Tuesday, August 27, 2019

Visual arts...a visit to the metropolitan museum of art Essay - 1

Visual arts...a visit to the metropolitan museum of art - Essay Example as revised to state that: â€Å"The mission of The Metropolitan Museum of Art is to collect, preserve, study, exhibit, and stimulate appreciation for and advance knowledge of works of art that collectively represent the broadest spectrum of human achievement at the highest level of quality, all in the service of the public and in accordance with the highest professional standards† (Metropolitan Museum of Art). Where is the mission found  within  the museum? Is it written for all to see or is it in a piece of literature available at the entrance?  The mission statement can be found in a stairwell near the 81st street entrance. Is it written clearly or do you think it’s too obscure, or too general? What makes it so? The mission statement is clearly written. The original statement, however, connects the art within the museum to the American culture, the spirit of the idea of creating a collection more defined by the culture for which the collection was created. The newer statement separates the art from the public, re-enforcing the idea that art is elitist and through this idea, creates an alienation of the average viewer from the works. The first statement was inclusive, while the second creates exclusivity. Upon entering the museum, the massive size and detail of the architecture leaves one breathless in its impressive impact. The architecture of the front entrance is organized symmetrically, giving a sense of balance and stability. The architecture is serious, intended to denote the importance of the building and impacting with a solemnity that quiets the soul upon entering. Even with the colorful banners on the outside of the entrance, the attendee is intimidated by its impressive stature. Despite its serious nature, the entrance to the museum invites the attendee to enter, to want the experience that waits within its walls. Despite its large and impressive stature, it is not intimidating, but evokes a sense of excitement in the attendee because of what is

Monday, August 26, 2019

Legal framework governing environmental regulation of the oil and gas Essay

Legal framework governing environmental regulation of the oil and gas industry - Essay Example The paper tells that the constant need for energy in the modern world has made the offshore oil and gas industry a vital one for society. Without oil and gas, commerce will grind to a halt and daily life will be irreparably changed. A future without oil and gas is difficult to imagine. And yet, the oil and gas industry are also responsible for some of the biggest environmental disasters that the world has known, making it imperative to set up stringent regulations to ensure that environmental catastrophes and adverse ecological consequences are prevented, or at least mitigated. It then becomes necessary to balance these two sometimes competing interests and craft a regulatory framework that will take into account industry imperatives of the oil and gas sector, whilst at the same time ensuring that resource sustainability issues are adequately addressed. This balancing act, however, is not so easily done. Environmentalists argue that the environmental regulations are not enough and th at companies can still routinely flout the prohibitions, causing long-term damage to the planet. On the other hand, industry players say that the restrictions are too heavy-handed, thus unduly curtailing their business. It is in light of this that this paper evaluates the legal framework – international treaties, EU directives, national legislation – of the UK. The objective of this paper is to determine whether or not this is a case of â€Å"over-regulation† or â€Å"under-regulation†.... The Offshore Oil and Gas Industry and the Planet Experts have identified the three major environmental problems caused by the oil and gas industry to be air pollution, acid rain and global warming. These problems are found in the entire production chain, from manufacture to distribution to consumption of the oil and gas. According to Gao: environmental problems start right away with exploration activities such as seismic   surveys and geological prospecting, albeit the environmental interference and disturbance at this stage are limited. Second, it is interesting to observe that, in the upstream operations, environmental problems and their impacts tend to increase and build up along with the project's progress, from the initial visibility and acoustic issues at the exploration phase, accidental spills and blow-out at the development stage, and to operational discharge and emissions such as gas flaring during the production period1.   This is because of the precarious nature of oi l and gas extraction and emission. The problem is also political because many of these offshore oil and gas extractions take place in the developing world, where vulnerable communities are hard put to defend their resources from external influences, thus jeopardising the sustainability of these resources and availability for their own consumption. Without regulation, what the world will have in its hands is a veritable time bomb – ticking and waiting to explode. Legal framework of the offshore oil and gas industry The legal framework of the offshore oil and gas industry in the United Kingdom is composed of several components. The primary international treaties that govern offshore operations are the MARPOL (73/78) which is made to apply to Merchant

Sunday, August 25, 2019

Information Studies Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Information Studies - Essay Example Based on my readings, information literacy is the ability to know what information is needed to solve a problem, the skill to organize that information, and the intuition to know that a source of information is credible with the knowledge of where to look elsewhere. The concept of information literacy, then, is related to the epistemological problem of what is knowledge and what are the credible sources of knowledge, using modern terminology and more practical goals. For the Educational Testing Service, their assessment of Information Literacy is valid but it is not sound. The people in ETS have assumed that the population is more or less homogeneous. If that's the case, any result would be conclusive, and any mistake will like stem from an incompetent administrator of their assessment tool. However, their testing instrument is not sound since the population is more or less heterogeneous. They completely ignored the role of social classes. Different people from different classes will have different values on certain information. The better off a person, the larger is his or her social capital. This has created a digital divide. Formerly, it was just a problem of the rich getting richer and the poor getting poorer. Now, it is a problem of the rich knowing more and more by which to get richer and richer, while the poor will not learn enough to get rich or even a decent living. Until these issu Until these issues are resolved, I hold that the Educational Testing Services must revise their instrument, assumptions, and methodologies so that information literacy can be accurately and reliably measure across differently types of people in the country. 2. A group of software developers has recently published a letter to president Obama encouraging the new administration to adopt open source software in the government's IT infrastructure. Imagine what arguments they may have to support the use open source software by government agencies. What might be some of the drawbacks associated with the government's use of open source software Using the pros and cons you outline, draw your own conclusion about whether the federal government should use open source software. Arguments for the use of open source software are as follows: With the global financial crisis hitting the major economies worldwide and the US government on deficit spending, it is only logical that the government should cut costs. Government financial officials are injecting taxpayers' money to salvage ailing financial institutions, even at the risk of hyperinflation due to artificially low interest rates. It is a fact that every few years, or even months, commercial software companies like Microsoft will release updates or new versions of commercial software. If governments or corporations will like the new features, they will have to purchase updates. Hence, more costs are involved. This can be prevented through the use of open source software. Since they are free, the government could save much from potential expenditures. Besides, monopolies like Microsoft must not be tolerated. If the government could show some support to independent software developers, then true competition and capitalism could help lower the cost of commercial software. The public will benefit, and improved features can be expected. The arguments against the use of Open Source are as follows: Open Source software are not as used as commercial softwar

Saturday, August 24, 2019

Greeces Inadequate Response to the International Credit Crisis Term Paper

Greeces Inadequate Response to the International Credit Crisis - Term Paper Example In several areas housing markets suffered heavily, something that led to foreclosures, evictions and prolonged cases of unemployment among several industries. During that time, the crisis is said to have been responsible for the failure and closure of several key businesses (Laskos, & Tsakalotos, 2013), massive drops in consumer wealth, which had been estimated to range in trillions of American dollars. Similarly, the situation caused a huge downturn in economic activities, leading to the global recession of 2008-2012, thus resulting in another crisis, the European sovereign-debt (Shannon, 2014). It is believed that the most active part of the particular crisis that manifested itself in the form of liquidity crisis can actually be traced from 9th of August 2007 (Shannon, 2014). During this time, BNP Paribas is believed to have ended completely all withdrawals from the three main hedge funds because of a total evaporation of the much needed liquidity. This paper examines the concept of the international credit crisis as it happened, focusing on the strategies that Greece use in response towards the crisis including the United States and other European nations. The real cause of the crisis has been a subject of discussion, with different experts giving different opinions and perspectives as to the real causes. The Levin-Coburn’s report from the U.S senate explained that the crisis was brought about by those complex and high risk financial products, failure from the side of regulators, diverse conflicts of interest, agencies in charge of credit rating as well as the market itself, which wanted to rein beyond the Wall Street excesses (Laskos, & Tsakalotos, 2013). On the other hand, the conclusions by the commission of inquiry into the crisis argued that the crisis would have been avoided, had the financial regulators taken effective steps in good time. In this case, they explained that the crisis was to be blamed on financial supervision and regulation

Friday, August 23, 2019

Change Management (Business) Marketing Study Essay

Change Management (Business) Marketing Study - Essay Example The report will also examine the global market relative to marketing situation, including an industry-scoped PESTLE analysis. The report will follow with a recommended framework for change management and continuous improvement. The goal of this report is to serve as an informative analysis that can be utilized from its general structure to develop more specific strategies within the management of the construction industry market. According to the Department for Trade and Industry's (DTI 2007) annual report on the construction industry, there are over 250,000 individual firms operating in the UK construction sector which primarily operate within the residential, non-residential and civil engineering sectors. The construction industry employs two million persons. The focus of the construction industry is the acquisition of construction materials, management of suppliers and manufacturers, building design, service, and installation. This includes private contractors, sub-contractors and advisors in design, building, operation and refurbishing of buildings (DTI 2007). It is important to note that the construction industry is the second largest industry in the EU and contributes to slightly over eight percent of the national gross value (DTI 2007). The nature of t Nature Of Construction Market The nature of the construction industry market is that it is based on the national, and sometimes global, economy. The construction industry exists because the individuals within a community desire the building of certain constructs based on factors such as income, interest rates, value of money (in or EU), and thus the construction industry is at once a good indicator of economic health and subjected to the slowing or increasing of a nation's economic health. The construction market can exist on a local or global scale, increasingly the construction company must be able to function on multiple market levels. In 2005, there were approximately 15,000 million new housing orders in both public and private sectors (DTI 2007), not including refurbishment or maintenance of old houses. In the same year, 25,000 million was requisitioned for contracted infrastructure in private, industrial, and public buildings. According to Market & Business Development (MBD 2007) the construction market is expected to reach its peak in development and sales in 2006 with a growth rate of 4 %. Further market analysis by MBD (2007) shows that the construction industry output has an overall growth rate of 35% between 2002 and 2005, yet the construction market is foreshadowed by the upcoming industry pressure due to earnings growth continues to pick up and energy costs increase, combined with a slowing of public sector contracts. Analysis Of The Global Market The EU construction sector is a

Thursday, August 22, 2019

American Bar Association, Section of Environment, Energy, and Resources Essay Example for Free

American Bar Association, Section of Environment, Energy, and Resources Essay The utility that is currently regulated by a regulatory commission or agency is electricity. The state, federal and local agencies regulate electricity that is delivered to the consumers while at the same time determining the rate of return for the utility. One of the major bodies that perform the duty of regulating electricity rates is the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) (McGrew, American Bar Association, 2009). Regulation of electricity as one of the commonly used utility is done by regulatory agencies and authorities that determine the prices that are charged. Apart from the regulation of prices of electricity that consumers are charged, the regulatory authorities also determine the terms of service to the consumers, the budgets and the various construction plans that have been put in place (McGrew, American Bar Association, 2009).                  Electricity is a crucial utility that needs to be regulated so as to ensure the protection of the consumers from unscrupulous retailers of the utility (McGrew American Bar Association, 2009). The regulatory rules laid down help in setting the retail rates that are charged on consumers while at the same time helping the retailers to recover the various expenses that they have incurred hence provide them with a rate of return on its capital that can be considered to be â€Å"fair.† Regulation of electricity retail rates by government agencies and regulatory commissions is also faced with the problem of allocating the common costs that are involved in the regulation (McGrew, American Bar Association, 2009).                  Furthermore, the utility’s rate of return for the retailers is also affected by the politics, whereby this allows latitude that is involved in the setting of rates for the different consumers in the market (McGrew, American Bar Association, 2009). The regulation by the government as well as the regulatory agencies and commissions also require that the utility serves all the customers as well as be able in planning expansion and additions of facilities for the purpose of anticipating growth in the market (McGrew, American Bar Association, 2009). Deregulation has been part of the strategy that has been found to have some impact on the supply of electricity as well as the rates charged on electricity supply and distribution.                  According to the â€Å"Federal Power Act† (McGrew, J. H., American Bar Association, 2009), the wholesale price of electricity in addition to the charges on transmission, needs to be based on the costs of production (McGrew, American Bar Association. (2009). However, due to deregulation, the FERC tends to accept the prices that are set by the markets as long as the set standards by the agency are met. The main reason for this acceptance of prices set by the markets is to encourage and support competition within the industry and reduce monopoly (McGrew, American Bar Association, 2009).                  The deregulation of the industry in general makes economic sense in that when there is sufficient competition. Competition within a market helps in the provision of quality service to consumers because each of the suppliers tries their best to attract customers (McGrew, American Bar Association, 2009). Therefore, it means that the rates charged on consumers will not be as high as when there is monopoly in the industry. The general policy by FERC of wanting to expand the role played by the markets as well as increase deregulation makes economic sense in terms of revenues that suppliers will make as well as a healthy market for consumers (McGrew, American Bar Association, 2009). Reference McGrew, J. H., American Bar Association. (2009). FERC: Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. Chicago, Ill: American Bar Association, Section of Environment, Energy, and Resources. Source document

Wednesday, August 21, 2019

Winston Churchills Role in World War 2 Essay Example for Free

Winston Churchills Role in World War 2 Essay Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, shortly known as Winston Churchill was born on the 30th of November 1874 to parents Lord and Lady Randolph Churchill. He was born into the aristocratic family of the Duke of Marlborough in a bedroom in Blenheim Palace, Oxfordshire, two months prematurely. Winston is best known for his leadership during World War 2. He is regarded as one of the best war time leaders in the 20th century and served as Prime Minister to the United Kingdom twice, between 1940-45 and 1951-55. Winston Churchill was well known for being a statesman and orator but was also an officer in the British Army, a historian, a writer and an artist. He is the only British Prime Minister to receive the Nobel Prize in Literature and was the first person to be made an Honorary Citizen of the United States. Churchill gained fame as a war correspondent and wrote books about his campaigns. Churchill was important to Britain in World War 2 for many different reasons, mainly because he was just such a good leader and because of the choices he made whilst in power. One of the main reasons was that he gave the British public belief, belief that they would win the war and by making optimistic speeches he inspired them and told them what they needed to hear. But as well as being this inspirational figure he was also quite harsh. He basically harassed the military commanders in the Middle East and North Africa for action and he gave them hell when they did not achieve the results he wanted. Field Marshall Alan Brooke spent most of the war fighting Churchill, although they actually got on really well! It was his job to ensure that none of Churchill’s ideas ‘saw the light of day’ and he tried to shield the military from him. One of the major things that Churchill did, between 1940-41 was gain the support of the United States. This was vital as Britain were essentially alone at resisting the Germans. It wasn’t until then that he actually formed a war strategy. Churchill adopted two goals: to defeat the Germans, and avoid unnecessary carnage. His grand strategy was to weaken Germany by attacking its more vulnerable borders, opening up new fronts in distant sites. He wanted to make new allies like France and Russia to make the Triple Entente while forcing Germany and other central powers to rearrange their military and economic resources to their western defenses. He thought that an action that brought a new ally to the cause could be as important as an action that won a battle. Churchill believed this would allow a coordinated offensive that would overwhelm German defenses and break the stalemate of trench warfare and ultimately, end the war. Attacking the Germans on multiple fronts would weaken the ir most decisive one. On 15th of January 1965, Churchill suffered a severe stroke that left him gravely ill. He died at his London home nine days later, at the age of 90 on the morning of Sunday 24th of January exactly 70 years after his father’s death. His funeral was the largest state funeral in world history up to that point in time, with representatives from 112 nations. Only Ireland did not broadcast the service live on television in Europe, where 350 million people watching including 25 million in Britain. By the command of Queen Elizabeth II, his body lay in state for three days and a state funeral service was held at St Paul’s Cathedral on the 30th of January, 1965.

Personal Pronouns in Academic Writing

Personal Pronouns in Academic Writing Introduction This paper review on the works of previous studies regarding the usage of personal pronouns in research articles (RA). The review will look at the usage of personal pronouns in written corpora in different aspects; first looking at the use of personal pronouns as a whole in the world of academic writing and the differences in usage of personal pronouns among the native speakers of English and of those who uses English as a second language. In recent study, there has been an interest in investigating voice-related issues in the study of student writing (Zhao Llosa, 2008). McCrostie (n.d.) claims on the lack of research done to investigate the use of voice in non-native academic writing and fewer still, had been done on the studies below advanced level. Gender has also been mentioned as an area of study that has slowly gained attention in the study of second language research. Though this had been said, gender receives lack attention in the study of discourse; though many have claim of its importance as a mean and goal of language instruction. Thus, based on the issues above, the objective of this study is to investigate the usage of personal pronouns by male and female Malaysian academic writers. According to Nordquist (2010), personal pronouns are defined as nouns that are used to substitute the person or people who are talked about. Literature Review Personal pronouns There has been extensive research on various features of academic writing and one of frequently looked at feature is the usage of personal pronouns in academic writing. Using personal pronouns in academic writing has been related to writers voice and the writers position in the academic world. Hyland (2001) states that the use of impersonality has been proposed by manuals and textbooks as means of demonstrating scholarly persuasion and allowing writers to speak to readers in an unmediated approach (as cited in Martin, n.d). The usage of personal pronouns in scientific writing sees a development from traditional notion towards recognition of this particular writing style. Martin further comments that writers choice is announcing their presence in the academic field is viewed as a strategy that is increasingly used by writers of the international English speaking community in promoting and gaining accreditation on their claims in research. This is also supported by Cherry (1998) claimi ng on the importance of self-representation in academic discourse and Groom (1993) in his analysis of academic writing indicates the importance of writers textual voice and states that writers should clearly state when they are reporting the voice of an author or stating their own expressions and personal point of views (as cited in Martin, n.d.) Kuo (1999) investigated the use of personal pronouns in scientific journal articles and discusses on how writers are able to reveal on their own perception of their position in the academic field as well as other readers. Kuo further comments on how knowledge presented in article journals with the use of personal pronouns poses a great value towards writers as it allows writers to share personal contributions and seek solidarity with readers as well as others involved in the particular discipline. Hyland (2001) as cited in Martin (n.d.) supports this notion in his research articles across eight different disciplines on the attributions of personal pronouns, reporting a high proportion in the usage of personal pronouns in social sciences and humanities. Hyland concluded in his study that the usage of personal pronouns in scientific texts seems to be a valuable rhetorical strategy which allows writers to construct academic credibility and gain a certain degree of confidence and authori ty (as cited in Martin, n.d.). Tang John (1999) in Martin (n.d.) also mentions the importance on the usage of personal pronouns however suggests that both teachers and students should be aware on the real presence of how personal pronouns are used differently and other alternatives that can be opted towards the traditional method in claiming academic position and authority. The Use of Personal Pronouns among Non-native Speakers Martinez (2005) states on how using personal pronouns are not problematic for native, yet may pose as one on non-native speakers of English. Hyland (2000) conducted a study and revealed that non-native speakers uses personal pronouns in non-controversial contributions however avoid them when stating expressions, argumentations or opinions (as cited in Martinez, 2005). In a study conducted by Petch-Tyson (1998 in Martinez, 20005), it was found that non-native speakers use personal pronouns at a rate of two to four times more than native speakers thus concluded that learners overused first and second personal pronouns in their writing. A different study done by Tang and John (1999) on 27 Singaporean university students showed the frequency of personal pronoun usage where first person pronoun occurred 92 times in all 27 essays which indicates a similar role to Hyland (1999, 2000) and Harwood (2005 as cited in Martinez, 2005). Chang and Swales (1999) had also published a study concerning the attitudes of 37 non-native speaker graduate students studying at English universities regarding the use of personal pronouns in academic writing. From the study, it was found that regardless of their proficiency in the language, the students felt uncomfortable in using personal pronouns in academic writing. These graduate students believe that the use of personal pronouns is much more suitable to be used by senior scholars and states that using them makes academic writing more challenging. It was also found that these students rarely uses personal pronouns when giving opinions or stating the origin of a new idea (Chang and Swales, 1999 as cited in McCrostie, n.d.). McCrostie further commented that regardless of amount of studies focused on published writings, few studies had been done on unpublished writing of non-native speakers thus suggesting that there is a need to have more studies to compare unpublished writings among both native and non-native speakers which can also contribute knowledge to the study. Gender and Personal Pronouns As mentioned previously, very few researches have been conducted in the area of discourse with gender functions as a variable. Past researches focused on linguistic differences between gender and its role in the studies related to informal writing, speech and electronic messaging (Yazdani Samar, 2010). Yazdani and Samar (2010) further stated that gender; as an effective tool in writing has not given much focus on its impact or role in the methodology of teaching writing thus, needs to cater to the arising issues academically. A study done by Yazdani and Samar (2010) on Iran writers revealed that female writers use more personal pronouns compared to males. A study conducted by Armagon et al. (n.d.) also revealed similar findings in their research. Methodology This study adopts a quantitative approach. 10 articles were randomly selected where there is equal distribution among gender (5 males and 5 females). The articles were selected from GEMA Online Journal (Jurnal Pendidikan), the Malaysian Journal of ELT Research (MELTA) and The Open Applied Linguistics Journal. All research articles are from the Social Sciences field. The articles were then analyzed via Lex Tutor. The limitation to this study includes no control over the writers race; thus the variable is not used as a factor in the study. Secondly, the authorship of research articles varies where several articles are written by single writers and few collaborative writers in single articles. Third, the research articles vary in terms of length resulting in imbalanced amount of words and personal pronouns that could be affected by it. Finally, the approaches regarding to the research articles were not taken into consideration. Few research articles were found to have a qualitative appr oach thus relying heavily on interviews or written transcripts thus may affect the outcome of the study. Findings and Discussion The findings obtained from the analysis are presented as following: Research articles written by Malaysian males in frequency: Articles Personal Pronouns Singular Personal Pronouns Plural 1st 2nd 3rd 1st 2nd 3rd Male 1 (21) it (19) they (2) them Male 2 (13) I (1) me (5) you (44) he (16) him (2) her (3) us (31) we (16) they (6) them Male 3 (26) I (1) you (95) he (15) him (31) it (3) her (7) we (2) us (24) they (11) them Male 4 (4) I (3) she (1) he (1) her (1) him (13) they (11) them Male 5 (41) I (2) me (1) she (10) we (19) they (7) them Total 87 6 234 53 128 Total: Personal Pronouns Singular (327), Personal Pronouns Plural (181) According to the table above, it is found that Malaysian male writers uses more singular personal pronouns compared to plural personal pronouns. Based on results, it is also found that Malaysian academic male writers use more 3rd personal pronouns for both singular and plural categories however the highest frequency among personal pronouns used are 3rd singular personal pronouns with a frequency of 234. Among the personal pronouns used frequently by Malaysian male writers: He HE is very selective towards whom HE directs the venom. (male 2, 2002) In terms of average score, HE is the second highest (male 3, pg. 12) It and the enormous opportunity IT presents to higher education (male 1, pg. 4) engaged in a particular task and how IT will improve their reading skills. (male 3, pg. 2) Him done bad thing to HIM and this made HIM feel bad (male 2, pg. 10) this particular strategy to help HIM comprehend what he is reading. (male 3, pg. 13) They When these students enter university, THEY expect the spoon feeding (male 1, pg. 1) particularly when THEY proceed to tertiary education. (male 3, pg. 2) information elements did THEY instruct learners to find out (male 5, pg. 1) Them , thus prompting THEM to pay more attention to metacognitive reading (male 3, pg. 3) systems of the language that enables THEM to teach effectively. (male 4, pg. 1) Research articles written by Malaysian females in frequency: Articles Personal Pronouns Singular Personal Pronouns Plural 1st 2nd 3rd 1st 2nd 3rd Female 1 (1) he (1) she (3) we (10) they (1) them Female 2 (16) I (1) me (20) you (2) he (5) her (4) his (3) she (40) it (3) us (15) we (59) they (14) them Female 3 (2) I (10) they (6) them Female 4 (3) I* (2) we (24) they (15) them Female 5 (19) I (2) me (62) you (1) she (14) he (11) her (3) him (5) we (3) us (25) they (6) them Total 40 82 85 31 170 Total: Personal Pronouns Singular (207), Personal Pronouns Plural (201) Based on the table above, Malaysian female academic writers use more plural personal pronouns in writing their research articles. This finding is similar of their male counterparts. The findings also reveal that Malaysian female academic writers use more 3rd plural personal pronouns in academic writing unlike their male counterparts who uses a higher frequency of 3rd singular personal pronouns. Among the personal pronouns used frequently by Malaysian female writers: You What assumptions do YOU think administrators make about attire (female 2, pg. 6) If YOU have the main point (female 5, pg. 8) They real audience for the language task THEY were working on (female 2, pg. 1) THEY can be changed through the learning process such as by using (female 4, 2) THEY generally respond in predictable ways rather than be critical. (female 5, pg. 4) Them being presented with predetermined language structures and then practicing THEM. (female 2, pg. 2) It also requires THEM to state their name in order to enable (female 5, pg. 7) Usage total of Personal Pronouns by males and females Gender Male Female Personal Pronouns Singular 327 207 Personal Pronouns Plural 181 201 Total 508 408 Overall, the findings indicate that Malaysian male academic writers use more personal pronouns than Malaysian female academic writers. The findings obtained are not in line with previous research that was done by Yazdani and Samar (2010) in relation to non-native English speakers. Conclusion and Recommendations The findings had shed new insight on the use of personal pronouns between male and female Malaysian academic writers. In conclusion, there is no significant difference between the general use of personal pronouns among male and female writers. Both male and female writers were found to use more singular personal pronouns. However, there is a difference in terms of the personal pronouns used between male and female writers. Male writers were found to use higher frequency of 3rd singular personal pronouns whereas the female writers were found to use a higher frequency of 3rd plural personal pronouns. The findings have also revealed that male writers use more personal pronouns compared to female writers in the overall analysis. However, as mentioned previously, the findings of this study may be affected by factors listed in the limitation section as this study is based on a small scale range. Therefore, the findings obtained in this study are still questionable thus several recommendations are proposed for future researches interested in the same area of study which are (a) to focus on research articles under the same area of study and approach; (b) to consider the writers race as a variable and (c) to take into consideration of the length of research articles planning to be used in the study. List of Research Articles: Male Writers Subramaniam, G. (2006). Stickability in Online Autonomous Literature Learning Programmes: Strategies for Sustaining Learner Interest and Motivation. Malaysian Journal of ELT Research. (2). 80-96. Hazidi, H. A. H. (2002). Similar words, Different Meanings: A Natural Semantic Metalanguage Exploration of Cultural Differences. GEMA Online of Language Studies. (2)1. 1-13. Muhammad Kamarul, K., Chew, J., Abdul Rashid, M. (2006). Metacognitive Reading Strategies of Good Malaysian Chinese Learners. Malaysian Journal of ELT Research. (2). 21-41. Munir, S. (2009). Grammatical Awareness among Primary School English Language Teachers. GEMA Online of Language Studies. 9(1). 35-46. Lim, J. M. H. (2009). Rhetorical Categories and Linguistic Mechanisms in Describing Research Conditions: A Comparative Genre-Based Investigation into Researchers Choices in Education and Applied Linguistics. The Open Applied Linguistics Journal. 2. 67-85. List of Research Articles: Female Writers Ainol, M. Z. Noor Lide, A. K. (2006). Classical and Rasch Analyses Of Dichotomously Scored Reading Comprehension Test Items. Malaysian Journal of ELT Research. (2). 1-20. Mardziah, H. A. Tan, B. H. (2008). Wired Together: Collaborative Problem-Based Language Learning In an Online Forum. Malaysian Journal of ELT Research. (4). 54-71. Nor Shidrah, M. D., Nuraihan, M. D. Noor Lide, A. K. (2005). Second Language Writing Anxiety: Cause or Effect? Malaysian Journal of ELT Research. 1-19. Siti Norliana, G. (2008). Learner Background and their Attitudes towards Studying Literature. Malaysian Journal of ELT Research. (4). 1-17. Tan, K. E. (2006). Writing English Essays within Dominant Discourses in Malaysian Schools. GEMA Online of Language Studies. 21. 23-45.

Tuesday, August 20, 2019

Pieter Bruegel the Elder and Sons :: essays `papers

Pieter Bruegel the Elder and Sons Pieter Bruegel , usually known as Pieter Bruegel the Elder to distinguish him from his elder son, was the first in a family of Flemish painters. He spelled his name Brueghel until 1559, and his sons retained the "h" in the spelling of their names. Pieter Bruegel the Elder, generally considered the greatest Flemish painter of the 16th century, is by far the most important member of the family. He was probably born 1529, in Breda in the Duchy of Brabant, now in The Netherlands. He was accepted as a master in the Antwerp painters' guild in 1551, and was apprenticed to Coecke van Aelst, a leading Antwerp artist, sculptor, architect, and designer of tapestry and stained glass. Bruegel traveled to Italy in 1551 or 1552, completing a number of paintings, mostly landscapes, there. Returning home in 1553, he settled in Antwerp. Ten years later, Bruegel moved permanently to Brussels. He married van Aelst's daughter, Mayken, in 1563. His association with the van Aelst family drew Bruegel to the artistic traditions of the Mechelen region in which allegorical and peasant themes run strongly. Dated paintings have survived from each year of the period except for 1558 and 1561. Within this decade falls Bruegel's marriage to Mayken Coecke in the Church of Notre-Dame de la Chapelle in Brussels. His paintings, including his landscapes and scenes of peasant life, stress the absurd and vulgar, yet are full of zest and fine detail. They also expose human weaknesses and follies. He was sometimes called the "peasant Bruegel" from such works as Peasant Wedding Feast (1567). It was in Rome, in 1553, that Bruegel produced his earliest signed and dated painting, Landscape with Christ and the Apostles at the Sea of Tiberias. The holy figures in this painting were probably done by Maarten de Vos, a painter from Antwerp then working in Italy. Among his patrons was Cardinal Antione Perrenot de Granvelle. Granville was president of the council of state in the Netherlands, in whose palace in Brussels the sculptor Jacques Jonghelinck had a studio. He and Bruegel had traveled in Italy at the same time, and his brother, a rich Antwerp collector, Niclaes, was Bruegel's greatest patron, having by 1566 acquired sixteen of his paintings. Another patron was Abraham Ortelius, who in a memorable obituary called Bruegel the most perfect artist of the century.

Monday, August 19, 2019

Frankenstein :: essays papers

Frankenstein Mary Shelleyîâ€" ¸ Frankenstein is filled with various underlying themes, the crux being the effect society has on The Creatureîâ€" ¸ personality. In fact, the ethical debate concerning biotechnological exploration into genetic cloning has created a monster in itself. A multitude of ethical questions arises when considering the ramifications of creating a genetically engineered human being. Does man or science have the right to create life through unnatural means? Should morality dictate these technological advancements and their effects on society? The questions and concerns are infinite, but so to are the curiosities, which continue to perpetuate the advancement of biotechnological science. In literature, Mary Shelleyîâ€" ¸ Frankenstein serves as bio-ethical exhortation for today îâ€" ¸ technological advances in genetic cloning. Mary Shelleyîâ€" ¸ Frankenstein provides a clear distinction between the theoretical grandeur of manîâ€" ¸ ability to scientifically author life and the stark reality, which it encompasses. Shelley prophetically illustrates some of the potential hazards of breaking through the barrier that separates man from God. Her insight allows the reader to trace these reputations through Victor Frankenstein, the monster, and eventually society. The character of Victor Frankenstein illustrates the path of destruction scientists can create when ignoring their moral community. Victor was so impassioned with his life îâ€" ¸ work that he has lost all soul or sensation but for this one pursuit. Frankensteinîâ€" ¸ blinding ambition prevented him from seeing the potential consequences of his actions until it was too late. The first sign of Victorîâ€" ¸ fatal flaw of egotism is that he forgets his bond to nature and to the people he loves. î˜ £ new species would bless me as its creator and source; many happy and excellent natures would own their being to me.? (933). His absence of moral judgement is the catalyst for what becomes the demise of the creature, society and ironically himself. It would be years before Victor fully realized that his neglect of moral obligation to the creature and society had unleashed a hideous monster that would eventually destroy his society as revenge for the monsterîâ€" ¸ sense of abandonment. î˜ « shuddered to think that future ages might curse me as their pest, whose selfishness had not hesitated to buy its own peace at the price, perhaps, of the existence of the whole human race.? Frankenstein led by the desire to widen human knowledge finds that fulfillment of his lofty ambition has brought only a curse to mankind.

Sunday, August 18, 2019

Education has Lost Touch with its Origin and its Meaning Essay

Education has Lost Touch with its Origin and its Meaning "It is only when all these things, names and definitions, visual and other sensations are rubbed together and subjected to tests in which questions and answers are exchanged in good faith and without malice that finally, when human capacity is stretched to its limit, a spark of understanding and intelligence flashes out and illuminates the subject at hand." Plato had this to say about dialogue and its importance to the process of education. Does this sound like the educational system that is in place today in the United States? Odds are that it does not. What does being educated mean anyway? What is an undergraduate university education? These questions have been debated for centuries, and they are still relevant today. Many people feel that being educated is going to college and making good grades so that a diploma, the mark of an educated person, can be received. Does that diploma really signify that a person is educated? It does, if being educated means being able to p ass a series of tests and courses at the university level, but is that what it's all about? Many college students, and parents, feel that this is what being educated is. These people, it could be said, are missing the benefit boat when it comes to taking full advantage of what an undergraduate education has to offer. Being educated is more than taking notes and passing tests, it is in fact, a participatory process that takes place between students and faculty, through dialogue, all drawing out the best from each other. Through this process, a student develops an understanding of himself in relation to his community, and the rest of the world. With this comes benefits, both for t... ...ht, it is a privilege." At times, a privilege afforded to an individual by their government. It seems, at times, in this era that the idea of what an undergraduate education really means has been lost. For many it has been. That is a tragedy, but there is hope for others. A true university education is available for all who wish to pursue it. It can be achieved if the student enters the university open-minded and ready to participate in a free exchange of dialogue with other students and faculty. Only then will that person, and society receive the full benefits that a university education has to offer. A society filled with people who understand themselves in relation to the others around them is a much better place to live. Socratic dialogue says about education, "We come together to learn about ourselves and our world. We look within to see without."

Saturday, August 17, 2019

Continuity and Change over Time in Classical Civilizations

After the fall of the classical civilizations from 100 to 600 CE the world experienced many changes. China’s fall was not as drastic as Rome’s, but it was still worse than India’s. The collapse of the Han dynasty caused China to go into three centuries of unrest until the Sui and Tang dynasties came to the rescue. China had more continuities than changes after its fall, unlike the other classical civilizations.China went from a politically centralized civilization with a developed hierarchy with mutual respect of the upper and lower classes that followed Confucian ways of obedience and deference to the syncretism of Buddhism and Daoism during 100 to 600 CE because of nomadic invasions, corrupt bureaucracies, and religious fluctuations. However, bureaucracies and Confucianism remained. China’s collapse began because of outside nomadic invasions by the Huns. However, after the three centuries of unrest, the nomads simply tried to assimilate into Chinese trad itions after realizing they did not have anything better to offer.During the centuries of chaos, approximately one-half of the population was killed by epidemics. Confucianism, a large imprint of the ways of life in China, became intellectually less active. The bureaucracies became corrupt, which allowed Buddhism to expand to China and threaten its unity. After the bureaucracies corrupted, local landlords picked up power in local neighborhoods. This caused more taxes to the already heavily taxed peasants, causing further social unrest. During this time, Daoism’s appeal increased because of its healing practices and magic.A Daoist movement led by the Yellow Turbans (who promised a golden age) attacked the weak government; however, this failed and simply furthered the downward spiral of classical China. After three centuries of unrest in China, the Sui and T’ang dynasties stepped in. The T’ang dynasty is responsible for the glorious periods of China. This dynasty restored peace to China and revived much of its old ways. Because of the T’ang dynasty, China had returned to its Confucian ways as well as bureaucratic. Because of these dynasties, the bureaucratic system became more elaborate.Even though the bureaucracy declined during the pandemonium, it never did disappear. The structures of classical China were simply too strong to be completely overturned. Despite the continuities, China did exhibit changes after its political and social upheaval. Buddhism had become a major religion in the world because of the expansion eastward during classical China’s demise. Some Buddhist beliefs were syncretized into Confucian China. Despite the mark from the minor Buddhist presence, the chaos did not leave any permanent disruption like in Rome. China merely had to recover from a major setback, rather than reinvent an entire civilization.

Friday, August 16, 2019

Online vs traditional classrooms Essay

Online classes and traditional classes are both great options for obtaining a college education. They have a common goal of helping students reach their educational goals. Either path the student decides to take has its positive and negative aspects. The three biggest areas to consider when making the decision between online or traditional classes are the expenses, convenience or ease of accessibility, and the communication between students and instructors. Both online and traditional classes offer students an education, which is very important part of being successful in life. Expense is one of the biggest aspects of both online classes and traditional classes that should be considered when continuing your education. Online classes cost considerably less in tuition when a student completes a degree that is only online. However, online classes require you to have access to a computer and the internet at all times. There is no housing included, such as a room in a dormitory, so the st udent has to pay rent or mortgage and all the utilities. Books are available in a hardback or e-book, which cost about the same. Traditional classes can have an extremely high tuition, especially if it is at a university instead of a community college. In a traditional classes the student either pays to live on campus in a dormitory, or you rent off campus. If the student lives off campus, you spend money on gas, driving back and forth to campus. The car then has to have more maintenance which in turn cost more money. Depending on the students financial situation cost should be considered when choosing between online or traditional classes.Online and traditional classes are very different when it comes to convenience or the ease of accessibility. Online classes have twenty-four hour availability. A student can schedule the school work needed around their personal life, whether it’s a job, family, or personal time. This convenience can make life easier to balance, or it can make things harder. If the student procrastinates they will get behind in their school work. The work load for online classes can be more spread out, and they have the option to take test inline as long as they are submitted by the due date. The online school system can offer instant feedback on a test because the computer grades it when you submit it. Online  degrees can usually be completed in a shorter amount of time because the online classrooms can admit more students at one time. Students also have a chance to obtain a degree in a program that may not be available in a school in their area. Traditional classes offer the stability of a more structured schedule. In a traditional class you may have a larger work load because of homework due daily instead of weekly. In traditional classes attendance is mandatory which can be difficult for a student working a full time job, or having other matters they have to attend to. Accessibility is an important aspect a student should consider when choosing between the two types of classes. Whether in an online or traditional classes, communication between the student and instructor is important. Online classes require students to communicate with the instructor and other students by e-mail or in an online forum. In order to be successful the student has to have working knowledge of a comp uter and know how to search for answers. When a student has to ask a question they may not be able to get the answer quickly, which may cause them to fall behind. Having to rely on e-mails to communicate doesn’t give the student a chance to have personal contact. When a student is confused or having a hard time the personal contact with an instructor can be the best way to get help. Students also have more interaction with other students in a traditional classroom which teaches better communication skills.A college degree can be obtained by taking traditional or online classes. Some students take a combination of both to get the degree. Students have to consider their lifestyles and personalities when considering what type of classes to take. Some important things to look at when deciding what kind of classes to take are expense, convenience, and communication. Since every student is different there really isn’t an easy answer, both offers great ways to continue somebodies education.

Thursday, August 15, 2019

Hamlet’s Deception Essay

Shakespeare’s Hamlet is a play full of dishonesty and betrayal. Deception is the central theme in this play. Hamlet, in a state of emotional turmoil, deceives everyone by acting insane for a number of reasons. First, because he is deeply angry at his mother and at Ophelia. Second, because the opinions of his peers will need to be influenced. The last reason is so no one will notice he is trying to avenge his father’s murder. While some believe he fell victim, deception ultimately leads to the fulfillment of Prince Hamlet’s death wish. Not only is Hamlet deceptive, but so are the other characters. Horatio, Claudius, Polonius, Ophelia, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, Fortinbras, and Laertes are all simultaneously manipulating each other as well as Hamlet. Deception is evident in the opening act of the play. Hamlet portrays himself as someone who detests lies, corruption, and deceit. He explains that his grief is real and not simply a facade to feign his madness. He is adamant that his feelings are genuine. Throughout the entire play, Hamlet is manipulative, wise with his words and actions, and convinces everyone he is insane. He does these things because he is obviously grief-stricken with the news of his father’s murder and is angry at the person who did it, his uncle and his father’s murderer. He is also confused and hurt that his mother would marry his uncle, especially in such a short time after King Hamlet’s death. Not to mention he feels it is incestuous that his uncle is now his step father. He refers to his mother as the â€Å"good mother,† or step mother. He lies about his mental state to refrain from arousing suspicion and to create a distraction. While Hamlet gathers evidence against Claudius, he reveals to Horatio his plan to feign insanity: Here, as before, never, so help you mercy, How strange or odd soe’er I bear myself, As I, perchance, hereafter shall think meet To put an antic disposition on, That you, at such times seeing me, never shall, With arms encumber’d thus, or this head-shake, Or by pronouncing of some doubtful phrase, As ‘Well, well, we know’; or ‘We could, an if we would’; Or ‘If we list to speak’; or ‘There be, an if they might’; Or such ambiguous giving out, to note That you know aught of me: this is not to do, So grace and mercy at your most need help you. (187-199) Hamlet tells this to Horatio in confidence. He tells him nothing specific, but he does let him in on the fact that he’s trying to deceive everyone so they won’t know he’s trying to gather evidence against Claudius. Horatio swore his allegiance to Hamlet. A rational person would not be able to exlpain this to someone. He understands every situation and knows there will be consequences for his actions. These reasons further prove that Hamlet was being deceitful. When Hamlet meets his mother, Gertrude, in her chamber, his plan is to â€Å"speak daggers† to her for what she has done, but has no intention of being physically violent. If Hamlet were actually insane, he would have murdered his mother without a second thought. Irrational people cannot control their actions. They do not know right from wrong. Gertrude blames Hamlet’s behavior on the fact that he is obviously insane and feels a great amount of pity for him. An act of deception takes place when Hamlet stages the murder of Gonzago in the re-enactment of the Mousetrap play at the suggestion of the ghost. This re-enactment is to try to manipulate Claudius into feeling guilty about murdering the king. It worked. Claudius did feel guilty. This was a signal to Hamlet, but he unfortunately did not act immediately to avenge his father’s murder. In one of the events he concocted to discover the truth, Hamlet unknowingly kills Polonius, thinking it was Claudius. Because of Polonius’ death, Claudius is now afraid of Hamlet. Losing her father at the hands of her lover caused Ophelia to go mad. It only made Laertes seek revenge. Because of Hamlet murdering Polonius, he is exiled to England. I believe it was more so for Claudius’ safety than an actual punishment. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern accompany Hamlet to make sure he arrives where he’s supposed to. King Claudius ordered Hamlet’s death, but he does not know it. Hamlet is being deceived until he figures it out and turns the tables. He switched his name on the death warrant with Rosencrantz and Guildenstern’s name. They die in his place. Without deception, the plot would be at a standstill. Hamlet would not have his â€Å"antic disposition.† Claudius would be a flat character. Hamlet’s â€Å"to be or not to be† soliloquoy probably would not exist. If Hamlet had killed Claudius without debating it and weighing the pros and cons, I would not have enjoyed this play. Ultimately, deceit caused many unnecessary deaths. Polonius should not have died, but did because of a simple mistake. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern died because of Hamlet’s trickery. Ophelia kills herself because she cannot live with the dilemma of making everyone else unhappy. I am sure Hamlet telling Ophelia he never loved her (even though he did) also played a huge part in her suicide. Gertrude and Laertes unknowingly drink the poisoned wine that was meant for Hamlet. Claudius dies because he was stabbed by Hamlet with a poisonous sword. And finally, Hamlet dies because Laertes stabs him with a blade that has also been poisoned. Throughout Hamlet’s emotional turmoil, he remained sane. Outside forces influenced his behavior. His father’s murder set up a domino effect for Hamlet to lie, betray, and become filled with murderous rage. Hamlet got his revenge by killing Claudius, which is what he set out to do, but it came with a price. Hamlet fell victim to the deception he created.

Media and Nursing Essay

The differences between nurses at the associate degree level verses the competencies of a baccalaureate degree level is skill and education. Skills and knowledge are needed to provide safe and competent care regardless of what level of nursing that you are pursuing. According to the journal, Associate degree level nurses are trained more so at the bedside level. The Baccalaureate level nurse are trained to think and critically and solve problems. The Associate level nurse are trained to asses and look for abnormal findings such as abnormal blood pressures, a CHF patient with a significant weight gain in twenty four hours. The Baccalaureate level nurses are trained to think critically and solve problems. Although both levels are required to use critical thinking skills to pass the state board exam, the baccalaureate level nursing goes more in depth on how to utilize these skills. The Associate Nurse basically provides care for the patient, this includes completing all activities of daily living, assessing the skin, obtaining vital signs, obtaining lab samples, starting peripheral lines or administering intravenous fluids. The Baccalaureate level nurse educate the patient and attempt to prevent worsening conditions, the baccalaureate level nurse also instructs and educates the patient to monitor their surgical sites for signs and symptoms of infections such as redness, swelling, or drainage and to report the findings immediately. The BSN advises and instructs the patient to report signs and symptoms of pain at the earliest onset. The BSN advises the patient on the importance of reporting these findings. The Baccalaureate Nurse is in most cases a charge nurse who deals with staffing issues and deals with unit emergencies as they may arise. A senior Associate level nurse may be a charge nurse based on years of experience, knowledge and practice. Although both levels must have clinical competence they have different levels of knowledge used in the practice of nursing. According to the Journal of Professional Nursing Issue in May 2008, the educational preparation of nurses must provide the necessary skills and foundation for graduates to practice at a level of competency and safety (www. library. gcu. edu). This writer has personally witnessed a BSN level urse; actually a couple, that are new graduates who are not competent. They were obtaining blood pressures and was not sure how to place the cuff on properly or where to place the stethoscope on the patient’s arm and then they asked, â€Å" how do you know which on is the systolic and which is diastolic. This writer was frantic but as an associate level nurse eager to assist these new graduates on the proper way of obtaining a blood pressure and they were very appreciative. In thinking about this question further about entry into practice, I had to do some reflection. As I come from an AD program, I have to say that for the time (graduated 2007), and for the expectations of entry-level RN practice at that time, I received the most complete and comprehensive education that I could have ever asked for at Florida Gateway College in Lake City, Florida. I knew I was prepared to begin working as a safe, competent professional and I quickly learned as I worked alongside new BSN graduates that I was more clinically prepared in many ways. That being said, I also knew that if I wanted to have more choice with regard to my future, I would have to pursue at minimum a BSN. So, I find a definitive answered to the question posed to be difficult. Regarding ENTRY into practice, I believe that an AD program prepared nurse can be a huge asset to nursing practice, and in many ways is more prepared now than even I was with regard to some issues (e. g. : critical thinking and competency and skills). In light of the current shortage, as well as other issues, the reality is that AD program graduates are here to stay, due to the fact that they are geared for bedside nursing and the acute care setting is becoming more prominent. I do believe that if possible, a student should pursue BSN education in the nearest future to advance in knowledge and education, but there are often obstacles to that for some students. This nurse has enjoyed being at the AND level working closely with the patients at the bedside, working closely with the Primary Care Providers and all of the members of the Interdisciplinary team, but now I feel that there are more marketable opportunities as a BSN level nurse. At the end of the day it does not matter what level nursing you are on, you must keep the patient’s best interest as far as safety and education level at heart. The more you enhance and advance your knowledge the more you can teach your patients about prevention and safety. The health care field is however becoming more demanding as far as medically and requiring employees to be technology savvy. So to summarize, the AND level nurse is trained for the bedside and the BSN level nurse is trained more so to think critically and to solve problems.

Wednesday, August 14, 2019

A Study of the Events That Motivated My Identity

A Study of the Events That Motivated My Identity â€Å"I’m disappointed†, said my father after he saw the paper my teacher sent with my horrible test grade. I’ve always looked up to my father, so when he told me those words felt the shame piercing my soul. However, presently I am a hardworking person who has come far in school. The geeky glasses and pony tail add to my school girl look. Getting superior grades in school is one of my main priorities and it has been effective since I graduated in the top percent at my school. I’ve come far as a result of the dedication I put into my schoolwork. Throughout my life, I experienced many things that have that shaped who I am today, but that shameful event had the greatest impact on the person I’ve become. It taught me not to take things for granted and to always weight my options. In sixth grade they informed us of a state test that the students were required to take. We were told of its importance and difficulty. All my friends and classmates spent that year preparing while I passed the time watching TV and playing on the computer. I believed that I didn’t need to know any more information than what I knew in order to pass. I would say â€Å"Ill study tomorrow whenever my parents peeved about reviewing. When the day came, I sat down in that cold room and made a terrible realization; it was impossible to answer any of the questions. I just stared blankly at the clock and watched time pass while everyone around me completed the exam. When the results came back they reflected the horror I went through that day. My teacher became disappointed and sent a note to my parents. I let everyone down. The next year, I was forced to take remedial classes while my friends took classes like art or played outside. I stayed home and studied every day in order to retak e and pass the test. It was embarrassing that I acted carelessly and thought too high of myself. Consequently, I faced the consequences. That shameful experience taught me many valuable things. It helped me understand that I need to pay attention to the little things in life because they can impact our lives. I realized that I needed to work harder if I wanted a better future. Now I have a greater sense of my goals and priorities and no longer give up on my goals as easily as before. I work harder towards the things I want to achieve and try to focus more on my school work. These attributes are what helped me get accepted into my dream university and in am in one of the best colleges of the states with a scholarship. Everyone is made up of the experiences they faced. Events in our lives, whether large or small, shape the way we are. A shameful incident that marks who I am today was failing my exam at a young age. It made me into an intellectual student who is more focused on accomplishing her goals. It proved to me that we always learn from our past and our mistakes for we are the sum of our experiences and tomorrow we will become more than we are today.

Tuesday, August 13, 2019

Texas Instruments Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Texas Instruments - Case Study Example Despite the sceptical outlook that a majority of executives had with respect to ERP, it was chosen as the methodology that could bring answers to the issues Texas Instruments faced in the late 1990s. As the case study outlines, the executives at TI felt that granted the fast paced trend of information technology, it was necessary for the company to make some considerable changes as to their methods and processes, in a manner that would allow them to compete more favourably in their market. According to the authors Sarkis et. al, TI was facing some serious issues in handling large international orders and delivery demands. For instance, the study refers to a Taiwan customer asking for product orders to be made in California and delivered at a given location to be decided just before delivery time. Such procedural complications in the ordering procedure would cause logistics issues that would eventually impact delivery time. As pointed out in the study, TI was facing several similar pr oblems where the customer requests would be delayed as the information system in place was not flexible enough to streamline the ordering process or to meet customer demands adequately. The executive decision to invest 250 million dollars in a brand new web based ERP system was made to help address the several issues caused by the internal and incompatible information systems used for inventory, manufacturing, and sourcing. Consequently the overall decision to implement a novel IS strategy to better meet customer demands was handled properly. In implementing a web based ERP system, the company would help reorganize the many processes that tie suppliers, manufacturers, and resellers on a worldwide scale, and thereby meet market demands in a preferred fashion to become competitive again. In upgrading their internal information system, I believe TI executives made the right choice in partnering with Andersen Consulting for their consulting expertise in the area. Considering the size and impact of the project in the long term, it makes perfect sense to consider that managers would employ significant resources to plan and execute this strategy for an up-to-date information system capable of handling customizable orders in an effort to enhance overall customer satisfaction and loyalty to the company. The team in charge of the project, after meeting and evaluating the solutions of several vendors, eventually choose the SAP solution for its ability to handle large amounts of data. Due to the widespread nature of the project, reli ance and pragmatism of the solution become imperative to make the transition to a more productive system. In considering the processes involved in the decision making for the adoption of the SAP based ERP system; there are few objections when taking into account the pre-established goals of the company. However, in considering the results that came off the newly implemented system, there were some methods and processes that could have been considered for a better turn out. In fact, Texas Instruments experienced issues of delivery and lower productivity immediately after product launch within their enterprise. As reported in the study, it appears that the 13,000 thousand users of the ERP system were not properly trained on the new system prior to its implementation. The previous reasoning would explain in part the apparent low productivity pattern which occurred during the "go live" phase of the ERP system. The report

Monday, August 12, 2019

Self-Branding Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Self-Branding - Essay Example Evidence for the need of self branding in today's highly competitive labor market will be presented. Tom Peters, a well known management writer went on to say in an article in Fast Company 1997, "Regardless of age, regardless of position, regardless of the business we happen to be in, all of us need to understand the importance of branding. We are CEOs of our own companies: To be in business today, our most important job is to be head marketer for the brand called you." Self-branding, most simply stated is a source through which one can have a more successful career by promoting his or her accomplishments by the effective use of self-marketing. It's a technique of making oneself visible and letting one's accomplishments be known. Self branding is proving to be a new competitive edge that companies as well as individuals are focusing on. A business that is self branded is appealing to customers as it creates an emotional connection with the target market and makes the buyers feel more comfortable and interested in the company. Similarly, a person that is self branded gives the impression of a more professional, competent and attractive employee as compared to the competitors in the labor market. It is now well known and widespread that the world is a 'global village'. This means that globalization has shaken the world creating a unified society or community that needs to interact in order to survive. The shrinking of the communication boundaries has been impacting every facet of a business especially by creating more competition in the worldwide industry. The competitive environment due to the expansion of the markets has a direct impact over the labor market and makes it more important for each and every person to market themselves through the process of self branding and create a place in the global supply chain. (Stimpson, 2002) Another emerging phenomenon is the advent of Internet and other Technologies, anyone entering the labor market faces substantial competition and has to create an impact to stand out and be noticed. Employers can look all over the world for workers with the skills to meet their firm's needs. But are we as individuals ready for these challenges The answer is lies within the beholder. Self-branding, whether we consciously acknowledge it or not, is the ultimate personal resource we can tap into, not only to compete but to stand out in a global community. It is often claimed by people that they would not want to follow the approach of self branding for the reason that they may want to stick to their routines and see where their careers take them. Or at other times some believe that they are not good at marketing themselves. However, this is a misconception and misinterpretation of the concept of self branding because the fact is that if you do not brand yourself, others definitely will! This will prove to be a major drawback, the reason being that self branding is something that will show what one has to offer and letting go of this opportunity can prove to be the act of letting others make the best use of it and hence, benefiting from better career opportunities and openings. (Kaputa,

Sunday, August 11, 2019

Understanding Business and Management Research Methods Assignment

Understanding Business and Management Research Methods - Assignment Example Understanding Business and Management Research Methods Research methodologies generally are of two types viz. quantitative and qualitative research methodology (Cameron and Molina-Azorin 2011). When both of them are combined then it is known as mixed methodology. Although authors held the view that mixed methodology is increasingly used in the business and management circles, the use of pure form of qualitative or quantitative research methodology is more visible. Further, it is stated in the article that strong theoretical and conceptual framework, legitimating, publication, academic recognition and seminal mixed method theorists make mixed methodology legitimate in research arena. Along with this, the duo claimed that this methodology is gaining popularity in fields, like medicine, nursing, health, education, behavioural and social sciences which are very exact comment of them. Though, this method is now used by a number of researchers, an established definition has not yet been written. For example, according to Thurston, Cove & Meado ws (2008, p. 3) ‘Mixed methods studies can either combine methods from different paradigms or use multiple methods within the same paradigm, or multiple strategies within methods’. However, The Journal of Mixed Methods Research (2006) defined mixed methods as ‘research in which the investigator collects, analyses, mixes, and draws inferences from both quantitative and qualitative data in a single study or a program of inquiry’.... (1950s - 1980s), Paradigm debate period (1970s - late 1990s), Procedural development period (late 1980s – 2000), and the Advocacy as a separate design period (2000+). In addition to this, the duo authors have also discussed the growing interest of the academic journals and scholars in this third method of research which increases the academic weight of academic paper (Bergman 2008). Creswell and Plano Clark’s (2007) discipline acceptance levels for mixed methods is used by the authors to show the acceptance level of this third methodological movement. There are three level of acceptance developed by Creswell and Plano Clark’s (2007) .i.e. Minimal, Moderate and Major. For every level of acceptance there are certain benchmarks being listed below (Cameron 2008). There are five benchmarks for minimal acceptance and they are awareness within the discipline of qualitative research, publication of actual mixed method studies in discipline studies, graduate students usin g mixed methods in dissertation research, discussions in journals about the need for mixed methods, and mixed methods research discussed at professional conference. There are four benchmarks for moderate acceptance i.e. leaders in the discipline advocating use of mixed methods, workshop on mixed methods research forums dedicated to the discipline, Funding companies supporting mixed methods research, methodological discussions of mixed methods in journals devoted to the discipline. There are three benchmarks for major acceptance i.e. special issues of a journal focusing on the use of mixed methods in the discipline, publication of mixed methods studies in top discipline-based journals, course on mixed methods research as part of graduate research training programs. The authors have used above discipline