Qualitative Research Assignment Essay

1. Was there a clear statement of the aims of the research ? Yes. In the article, the aim of the research was to understand the experience of participants, their knowledge about type 2 diabetes, and the factors of medication adherence in Malaysia. According to Susan (2010), the five components of PICOT are population, issue, context, outcome, and time. According to Al-Qazaz et al (2011), the PICOT was presented by the researcher in the study were, P: Type 2diabetes patients with receiving of hypoglycemic medication. I: Identifying participants’ perception, and their knowledge about type 2 diabetes disease and medication. C: USM clinic of Malaysia, where the study took place. O: It helps people living with type 2 diabetes to have a diverse understanding by relating with other people’s experiences. T: March and April of 2009.  Qualitative PICOT is a framework to help in formulating effective clinical question in a step-by step manner (Melnyk and Fineout , 2010). 2. Is a qualitative methodology appropriate ? Yes.Qualitative research is to study a person’s behavior and lived experiences related to what is being studied in the research (Denzin and Lincoln, 2011). The key characteristics of qualitative study in this article included a small sample size, in-depth interview (semi-structured), researcher involving during interview, non comparisons and non numerical. In qualitative study, sample size are usually small that achieve in-depth understanding of the experiences or feeling of the participants (Polit and Beck, 2012). Meanwhile, a semi-structured interview was used to collect data by codding participants’ ideas arising until no more new themes emerging. According to Polit and Beck (2012), semi-structured interview can provide rich and detailed information during phenomenon study. In this study, a phenomenological approach was used to described the aim of the research. It is to understand the experiences of diabetic patients in Malaysia, and explore their knowledge about the medications that they have been taking. According to Judith (2007), qualitative research is characterized by its  aims to understand the experiences and attitudes of patients. In brief, a qualitative methodology is appropriate to this research. 3. Was the research design appropriate to address the aims of the research ? Yes. According to NCBI (2014), a Phenomenological study can probably explore participant’s lived experience, beliefs about the efficacy of the medication, side-effects of drug and participants’ adherence to the treatment regime. By the square, in this article, the aim is to understand the participants’ experience and explore their knowledge and medication adherence related on type 2 diabetes. Therefore, phenomenological approach is appropriate to address the aims of the research. The advantages of Phenomenological study is to reveal patients’ beliefs and experiences by a flexible way to explore the respondents’ attitude, and allowing deep understanding about knowledge and feeling of participants (Polit and Beck, 2012). However, its limitation is that samples are often small band and the researchers are not attempting to generalize the findings. 4. Was the recruitment strategy appropriate to the aims of the research ? Yes.The researcher recruited participants from USM clinic and who were diagnosed type 2 diabetes while taking on hypoglycemic medications through a convenience sampling. According to HRDAG (2013), convenience sampling is to recruit participants from a particular clinical setting during data collection of a qualitative research. Moreover, convenience sampling is easy and efficient to extract the greatest possible information from the new cases in the sample, until there is no new data could be obtained and the redundancy of data saturation was achieved (Polit and Beck, 2012). However, convenience sampling may not be a preferred sampling in qualitative research due to unable to bring out the most information-rich sources and the representative of the population (Polit and Beck, 2012). In this article, the data was only obtained in one specific clinic, that would affect the credibility of result, such as the adverse effects of medication, and the satisfaction rates from health providers. It would be better if the researcher use purpose sampling into the study.Purpose sampling is to choose participants based on specific purposes, and it is primarily used in qualitative research (Polit and Beck, 2012). it can achieve  representativeness of the population and provide credibility of the result, because the researcher will not only focus on one clinic during recruitment of participants. 5. Were the data collected in a way that addressed the research issues ? Yes.A semi-structured interview was developed for data collecting of the research. Semi-structured interview is a paper-based interview guide which contain open-ended questions and the participant to follows (RWJF,2008). Moreover,Semi-structured interview provide rich, detailed information in the phenomenon study (Polit and Beck, 2012). In the study, the researcher has described in-depth interview to explore patients’ beliefs and experiences. Besides, a consent form was signed by participants before interview, a direct tell phone contact for arranging a time of interview. Further more, all the interview has been audiotaped, and the researcher did line by line analysis and coding the data to identify the key themes. The researcher interpreted to the participants who could not understand English during the interviewing by translating from a staff nurse to avoid bias that might affect the findings. In short, the data collected were fully addressed the research issue of this study. 6. Has the relationship between researcher and participants been adequately considered ? Yes. Qualitative researchers need to develop a strong relationships with participants in the study to establish credibility (Polit and Beck, 2012). In the article, all the participants were informed the purpose of this study, and a consent form was signed by each of them. The researcher also made phone call to arrange time and place that participants would like to choose for each interview. Besides, they are allowed to express their own views at the time of interview. From the analysis above we can see the participants have been fully respected by the researcher to gain their trust. Therefore, the relationship between researcher and participants has been adequately considered in this study (Al-Qazaz et al 2011). However, there was no mention about reflexivity by the researcher in this article. According to RWJF(2008), it described that reflexivity is a process use to exam researcher’s relationship to the respondent that refers to how the researcher’s values, beliefs, acquaintances and interests influence his/her  research. It would be better if it is mentioned about how the researcher located herself or himself in the study, the readers can identify how it affect the data obtaining, that will gain the findings of the research to be more credible (Polit and Beck, 2012). 7. Have ethical issues been taken into account? Yes.In the study, a respect for human dignity was fully presented based on informing the participants about the purpose of study, distributing a consent form, and a direct phone contact before interview. The participants have been fully respected by the researcher to benefit as well as the individual’s rights. Besides, they are allowed to express their own views at the time of interview, and the participants can choose place where they feel more convenience to be interviewed. It gave researcher a chance to explore the depth-richness data from participants, and enhance the participants’ autonomy and anonymity in the study. Further more, the study was also approved by the local ethics committee. In short, the ethical issues have been taken into the study as well. There was no coercion could be found in the study. However, the researcher did not mention about the confidentiality and how was data protected. Besides, they did not mention how many times participants understanding were checked before the consent form given. According to Polit and Beck (2012), it is described that it must deal with ethical issues if the studies involving human beings, because the human rights must be protected. 8. Was the data analysis sufficiently rigorous ? Yes. In the study, the researcher has described clearly that a transcript of 12 audiotaped in-depth interviews were double checked for its accuracy. And the researcher identified the emerging themes via line by line data analysis and coding the relevant content data into categories until the data saturation was met and no more new data emerging from the interviews. According to Polit and Beck (2012), data saturation is a measurement of sample size that based on informational needs under the study. It is to achieve the rigour of data analysis until no more new information can be obtained. However, the researcher failed to mention about member checking in this study. It is not clear whether the researcher asked participants to  review and comment on the case summaries or drafts of the research report. It will effect the credibility of the data. According to Polit and Beck (2012), member checking defined as the researcher confirm their data accuracy by providing a feedback to the part icipants during data are being collected to ensure that participants’ meaning were understood, and it is for enhancing validation of the research. Further more, the researcher mentioned their data were analyzed by using means of a standard content analysis framework. Its aim was achieved by a appropriate phenomenological design in this study which have been discussed in question two. Moreover, the rigor and validity can also result in developing trustworthiness of qualitative research, and the five criterion for evaluation the trustworthiness in the research include in credibility, dependability, confirmability, transferability, and authenticity (Polit and Beck, 2012). In the study, a phenomenological design was conducted with a semi-structured interview of data collection, and coding method for data analysis. this can be sufficiently proved its credibility, dependability, and confirmability. Therefore, it can be said the data analysis of this study is sufficient rigorous. 9. Is there a clear statement of findings? Yes. Four major themes were clear stated in the study which included (1). Participants’knowledge about type 2 diabetes and its medications; (2). Side-effects of medications; (3), adherence issues; (4), relationship with family on well-being (Al-Qazaz et al 2011). According to Polit and Beck (2012), the researchers interpret the data by rereading, categorizing and coding, then developing a data analysis to point out the themes into a unified whole. In this study, the researcher used qualitative design to consider increasingly the transferability of the findings to reflect the true experiences of the participants. It is relevance and accurately from the data, and give reader thought to the implications of the study for future research and practice. Meanwhile, the researcher are in the best position to demonstrate their limitations what they have been aware from the study. Consequently, it told readers that the researchers have done what they could do to guarantee the findings we re clearly and accurately as well. 10. How valuable is the research ? The purpose of qualitative research findings was described to explore participants’ experiences to develop a specific nursing intervention for improving a better outcomes of patients, and as a potentially applicable evidence influencing in future practice (NCBI,2011). Overview this study, a phenomenological approach that explore the aim of the research, it is to understand the experience of participants, their knowledge about type 2 diabetes, and the factors of medication adherence in Malaysia. Besides, it allows a deep understanding about knowledge and feeling of participants(Polit and Beck, 2012). Moreover, a semi-structured interview was used to provide rich and detailed information during the study for its validity(Polit and Beck, 2012). Further, a convenience sampling recruited participants and extract the greatest possible information to achieve data saturation for its rigour. Meanwhile, the ethical issues has been taken into account by the researchers to benefit as well as the individual’s rights. On the other side, the researcher demonstrated their limitations what they aware of the study to enhance the findings more clearly and accurately. Regarding quantitative findings, it is not generalizable that can be applied to entire populations, however, it is generalizable in a way this particularly pertinent to nursing practice in which there is an expectation that scientific finding, and provide knowledge about human experiences to readers for future research.Thus it can be seen, the research is quite valuable. Conclusion Critical appraisal is a process to judge weather a research is usefulness or its findings are trustworthy(Young and Solomon, 2009). The Critical Appraisal Skills Programme (CASP) produced a simple critical appraisal checklist guide people developing their skills what they need to make sense of scientific evidence(Burls, 2009). All of above,by following the CASP checklist in quantitative research, it was presented a Randomized Controlled Trial Appraisal Tool, to evaluate the effectiveness of intervention , a large sample size and a blinding to achieve the reliability of the outcome and prevent bias, a intention-to-treat analysis to compromise the validity of the study. Moreover, generalizability of the study can be practices in  other countries and helpful for further study. However, in qualitative research, the CASP is helped to understanding people’s lived experience and explore participant’s experience of taking the drugs, beliefs about the efficacy of the drug, side-effects and the adherence of treatment regime. A phenomenological method has been used in the qualitative study through a semi-structured interview, convenience sampling and coding to reveal patient’s beliefs and experiences, and allowing understanding of the knowledge and coping strategies in which the quantitative research is unable to cover. More, in this qualitative study, sample size is tend to be small, and the finding is not generalized(Polit and Beck, 2012). Both of researchers have considered validity, findings, and its relevance. However, in the qualitative article, if the researcher use a purpose sampling method and mention about reflexivity and member checking during data collection, that will enhance validity of the findings to be more accurate. Reference 1. Aveyard H and Sharp P (2009) A Beginner’s Guide to Evidence Based Practice in Health and Social Care Professions.Glasgow: Open University Press. 2. Al-Qazaz H, Hassali M and Sulaiman S (2011) Perception and knowledge of patients with type 2 diabetes in Malaysia about their disease and medication: A qualitative study. Research in Social and Administrative Pharmacy 7: 180-191. 3. Bandolier (no date) Intention-to-treat analysis (ITT) Available at: http://www.medicine.ox.ac.uk/bandolier/booth/glossary/itt.html [Accessed 5/92014]. 4. Chan Z, Fung Y and Chien W(2013) Bracketing in Phenomenology: Only Undertaken in the Data Collection and Analysis Process?The Qualitative Report.Volume 18, Article 59, 1-9 [online] Available at:http://www.nova.edu/ssss/QR/QR18/chan59.pdf(accessed 26/10/2014) 5. Denzin N and Lincoln Y(Eds)(2011)The SAGE Handbook of Qualitative Research (4thedition). Thousand Oaks:SAGE 6. Human Rights Data Analysis Group(2013) Convenience Samples: What they are, and what they should (and should not) be used for [online] Available at: https://hrdag.org/convenience-samples-what-they-are/ (accessed 3/9/2014) 7. LONDON SCHOOL of HYGLENE and TROPICAL MEDICINE(no date) Qualitative methods useful for agriculture, nutrition and health programmes. [online]Available at:https://ble.lshtm.ac.uk/pluginfile.php/54407/mod_resource/content/107/ANH101/sessions/S1S2/ANH101_S1S2_040_010.html(accessed 28/10/2014) 8. Melnyk B.M and Fineout-Overholt E (Eds) (2010) Evidence-Based Practice in Nursing & Healthcare: A Guide to Best Practice (2nd edition). UK: Lippincott Williams and Wilkins. 9. MEDECINS SANS FRONTIERES(2007) A Guide to Using Qualitative Research Methodology [online] Available at: http://fieldresearch.msf.org/msf/bitstream/10144/84230/1/Qualitative%20research%20methodology.pdf (accessed 28/10/2014) 10. Melling A, Ali B, Scott E and Leaper D (2001) Effects of preoperative warming on the incidence of wound infection after clean surgery: a randomized controlled trial. The lancet, 358: 876-880. 11. NCBI(2014) A phenomenological study to explore the experiences of Ugandan women that have undergone transvaginal ultrasound [online] Available at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4175835/(accessed 1/9/2014) 12. NCBI (2011) Qualitative Research Findings as Evidence: Utility in Nursing Practice. [online] Available at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3021785/ [Accessed 13 Nov. 2014]. 13. Polit D and Beck C (Eds)(2011) NURSING RESEARCH Generating and assessing Evidence for Nursing Practice (9th edition). UK:Lippincott Williams and Wilkins 14. Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (2008) Qualitative Research Guidelines Project Semi-structured Interviews [online] Available at: http://www.qualres.org/HomeSemi-3629.html [Accessed 11 Nov. 2014]. 15. Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (2008) Qualitative Research Guidelines Project what is reflexivity [online] Available at: http://www.qualres.org/HomeRefl-3703.html [Accessed 12 Nov. 2014]. 16. Susan B.S, Fineout-Overholt E, Melnyk B.M and Williamson K.M(2010) Asking the Clinical Question: A Key Step in Evidence-Based Practice. The American Journal of Nursing.Vol. 110,No.3.Available at: http://www.nursingcenter.com/lnc/pdfjournal?AID=982283&an=00000446-201003000-00028&Journal_ID=&Issue_ID=(accessed 22/10/2014)

Fox and Coyote and Whale

Native American traditional stories, folktales, are stories passed down from generation to generation by story telling and performance. Native Americans emphasized the importance of living in harmony with the naturual world. They had complex religious beliefs, sophisticated poltical systems, and strong morals. Some of the stories are creation myths, tales of heroes, and tricksters. Trickster tales are stories that have animals or human characters who engage in deceit, violence, or magic. Often trickster tales are said to explain why the world is the way it is.â€Å"Coyote and the Buffalo† and â€Å"Fox and Coyote and Whale† are two trickster tales, retold by Mourning Dove, explaining how Coyote's action created changes in the world. In theses two trickster tales, Coyote, the main character shares some similarities in morals, character, and transformation . Yet there exsists differences in how these traits are presented. One similarity between these two trickster tales i s that they both have purposes to teach morals. The moral teaching in â€Å"Coyote and the Buffalo† is to not be greedy.An example would be when Coyote killed the cow for more food because he was tired of eating only the fat. As a result he gets the remains of the cow stolen and is left with nothing. In â€Å"Fox and Coyote and Whale†, one of the morals is not to steal someone's wife.Whale steals Fox's wife and takes her to his lodge which leads Coyote and Fox's wife. Whale ends up getting his head chopped off and thrown into the ocean. They both teach morals, just in different ways. One difference that these two trickster tale have is Coyote's character trait. For example, in â€Å"Coyote and the Buffalo†, Coyote is portrayed as numbskull.Actions like kicking the Buffalo Bull's skull out of revenge, killing the cow Buffalo Bull gave him thinking Buffalo Bull will never know, and trusting a stranger with the little food he had left to take a nap, all make Coyote a numbskull. In â€Å"Fox and Coyote and Whale†, Coyote is smart and thoughtful.When Coyote helps Fox outsmart the water maidens, into telling them where Fox's wife was located, they go on a journey to recapture Fox's wife from Whale. Even tho Coyote in one tale contrasts Coyote's character from the other they both did well people. Coyote from â€Å"Coyote and the Buffalo†, got out of dieing by offering Buffalo Bull new horns.Buffalo accepted, so it was a win-win situaton for Coyote. In the other tale, Coyote helped find Coyote's wife by decieving the water maidens, and getting information before killing them. This helped regain Fox's wife's love.The coyote in these tales had diiferent mentalities from one another, one being an idiot and one being smart. Another similarity that theses tales have is that they both explain why the world is how it is. For example, in â€Å"Coyote and the Buffalo†, when Coyote gives Buffalo Bull new horns, they become the horns tha t all buffalos would have from that point on.Also, when Coyote kills the cow that was given to him by Buffalo as food he decides to go back to Buffalo to ask for another one but the cow that Coyote killed returned from the dead and refused to go with coyote again and Buffalo denies him another one.This explains why there are no buffalo in the Kettle Falls on the Columbia Rive, all because of Coyote. In â€Å"Fox and Coyote and Whale†, Fox and Coyote go after Fox's wife who was taken by Whale. After Fox and Coyote rescue her, Fox's cuts off Whale's head and tosses it into the ocean.This is why there are no whales in the rivers, and Whale could no longer make love to the wives of other men. This trickster tale also explains why Land people and Water people don't like each other. Coyote plays a role in how everything changed and how everything transformed.From reading both trickster tales, I learned that by decieving people you can get things out of them. These tales defenitely taught many moral, such as respect the dead, don't take what you have for grante, the importance of familiy and fidelity, ect. It gave a background on how the world transformed.

Succubus Revealed Chapter 15

It was easier said than done, and once Hugh and Roman gave me some space, the full impact of what had taken place really and truly hit me. Seth was Kyriakos. Kyriakos was Seth. Even after witnessing what I had with my own eyes, I don't think I would have believed it if something inside me . . . some gut instinct . . . hadn't told me it was all true. Not that I'd ever suspected it. Not that I'd ever dreamed it. The draw that I'd felt to Seth had been strong, no question, just as the draw to his other incarnations had been. I'd always felt there was something special about Seth in particular, though, and wondered now what might have set this life apart from the rest. Did some part of me – or some part of him? – recognize that this was the last chance for us to be together? Was that where the urgency was coming from? Or was it more about the passage of time and whom I had become? Recent years had made me more jaded about life as a succubus, and I wondered if perhaps that was what made him and our love so precious to me at this point in time. Our love, which had just blown up before my eyes. I called in sick to work the next day, something that didn't really go over all that well. It was Christmas Eve, one of the busiest days for Santa and his mall team, but I didn't care. There was no way I could face that chaos, not after what had happened with Seth. I was told curtly that if I didn't come into work, then I shouldn't expect to be rehired next year. I almost laughed and only barely managed to cling to some shred of professionalism, as I gravely informed my manager that I'd take that risk. Next Christmas, I'd most likely be in Las Vegas. Even if I wasn't, I was pretty sure I could manage to get by without minimum wage and my foil dress. Finding Seth proved trickier. He didn't answer my phone calls, and when I went to his condo, no one answered. Neither his nor Margaret's car was parked out front, leading me to believe they were either doing last-minute Christmas shopping or visiting Terry and Andrea. If it was the former, I had no way of locating Seth easily. If it was the latter, I certainly wasn't going to barge into Terry's house and demand Seth speak to me. The situation might be dire, but I still had my boundaries. It would've been so easy to use these obstacles as the means to dodge talking to Seth altogether. Despite my assurances to Hugh and Roman, I really didn't want to see Seth. Well, the part of me that was in love with him did. That part was in agony every moment we weren't together. But the rest of me didn't want to face that expression again, that terrible hurt on his face. I didn't want to confront the reality of what I was. Despite agreeing to see Seth, I really hadn't been able to truly convey to Roman and Hugh just how agonizing the thought of facing up to my sins was. I hadn't been able to handle the wrongness of what I'd done then; I could barely do it now. I'd sold my soul, blighted away the memories of all those I'd loved . . . all because I didn't want to accept the responsibility of what a terrible thing I'd done. You'd think after almost a millennium and a half, that fear and self-preservation would have changed. I guess it hadn't. Or maybe it had. The fact that I was trying to find Seth now was proof that I had changed a little, enough to attempt another conversation after his adamant rejection of me. â€Å"Kincaid?† I glanced behind me. I was standing in line at a coffee shop Seth occasionally patronized to sit and write. Coming here had been a long shot, and I hadn't been all that surprised to see he wasn't around. Last I knew, he hadn't been here in ages, especially with everything going on in his family. Apparently, this place had other patrons I hadn't known about. â€Å"Doug,† I said in surprise. I quickly placed my order for a white chocolate mocha and then waved as Doug strolled over to me. He'd just come in, and fine drops of water covered his black hair. â€Å"What are you having?† I gestured to the barista. Doug looked a little surprised but only hesitated a moment before ordering an inhumanly sized cup of drip. â€Å"Thanks,† he told me, when I handed it over to him. â€Å"You want to sit a minute?† I asked. My original intention had been to grab the mocha and go. I didn't know what Doug's plan was, but some perverse urge made me want to try to get a moment with him. â€Å"Sure,† he said, looking a little uncertain. â€Å"But just for a minute. I've got to be at work in an hour.† â€Å"We don't want you to be late for that,† I agreed, settling down at a small table that gave us a fine view of the sleet outside. Seattle wasn't really known for white Christmases. â€Å"All those last-minute shoppers trying to get their boxed sets.† The ghost of a smile crossed his face. â€Å"You know it. I'm surprised you aren't at work. Is it true? I heard you were, uh, working elf duty at a mall on the Eastside.† I grimaced. â€Å"Painfully true. But I quit today.† His eyebrows rose. â€Å"On Christmas Eve? That's cold, Kincaid. Think of the children.† â€Å"I know. But, well, something came up. . . .† I glanced away, unable to meet his eyes as all my troubled feelings threatened to surface. â€Å"Yeah, I can tell,† he said. I dared a look back. â€Å"What do you mean?† Doug shrugged. â€Å"I don't know. Just this vibe I always got off of you when you were feeling blue. You put on a good face for most of the world, but when something hurts you, your energy changes. Christ.† He took a big drink of coffee. â€Å"Now I'm sounding all New Agey and shit.† â€Å"Well, whatever it is, your instincts are right.† I reconsidered. â€Å"Though ‘blue' is kind of an understatement. More like navy. Or even black.† â€Å"Mortensen?† he guessed. I shook my head and glanced away again. â€Å"You don't want to hear about that.† Although, perhaps some part of him would be glad to know Seth and I were through. It'd be vindication after what we did to Maddie. â€Å"Try me,† said Doug. When I didn't answer, he sighed. â€Å"Kincaid, I don't hate you. I'm not happy about what went down, but in some weird, twisted way, I do still care about you. If something's wrong, you can tell me. Did Mortensen hurt you?† â€Å"No,† I said. Then: â€Å"Well, yes, but not without cause. I hurt him first.† â€Å"Ah.† I dragged my gaze back to Doug. His eyes were dark and serious, no trace of enjoyment in my suffering. â€Å"I've been trying to find him today . . . trying to get a hold of him. But I think he's avoiding me. No, I know he's avoiding me.† â€Å"You'll patch it up,† said Doug. â€Å"I don't know. I don't think we can this time.† † ‘This time,' † he scoffed. â€Å"Kincaid, the first moment I saw you and Mortensen together, there was something there. I don't know how to describe it. I was always surprised you guys never went out. I was surprised when he started going out with Maddie, though they seemed happy enough until . . . well, you know. Until he figured out he should be going out with you.† He paused, thinking. â€Å"Anyway, I talk a good talk about love in my songs but really don't know shit about it in real life. From what I do know, though, I feel like it's going to take more than whatever argument this is to keep you guys apart.† â€Å"Thanks,† I said. â€Å"That's nice of you . . . but you don't know. What I did was pretty terrible.† â€Å"What you guys did to Maddie was pretty terrible,† said Doug. â€Å"But I've forgiven you.† â€Å"You have?† I asked, startled. â€Å"Yeah.† He seemed a little surprised by the admission. â€Å"I mean, it helps that this neurosurgeon asked her out last week. I can forgive a lot if it means having a doctor brother-in-law. But in all seriousness? I know you guys didn't mean to hurt her, just like you didn't mean to hurt Mortensen here. What you did do is screw up majorly in the forthcomingness department.† â€Å"Forthcomingness?† I repeated. He waved me off. â€Å"Whatever. It's a word. If you guys had been honest with yourselves and with her, you could've saved everyone a world of hurt. Keep that in mind now.† â€Å"You're a regular relationship guru,† I said, earning me another scoff. Yet, as wise as his words sounded, I still didn't think there was any way to fix this thousand-year-old hurt. Before I could muster another comment, my phone rang. I looked down at the display in surprise. â€Å"It's Seth.† â€Å"You better answer it, then,† said Doug. With a gulp, I did. â€Å"Hello? Yeah. Uh-huh . . . sure. Okay . . . I understand. Okay. Bye.† I disconnected and Doug gave me a questioning look. â€Å"That didn't sound all that warm and fuzzy.† â€Å"Seth wants me to come to Christmas dinner tomorrow,† I said disbelievingly. â€Å"Well, that's a good sign,† said Doug. I shook my head. â€Å"I don't think it is. He said he doesn't want to create more upset in the girls' lives and just wants me there for appearances, to make them happy. He made it clear that nothing's changed, nor does he expect it to.† â€Å"I guess it's more of a lukewarm sign, then,† said Doug. I sighed, and Doug gently chucked my chin. â€Å"Cheer up, Kincaid. You wanted to talk to him. Here's your chance, no matter what he said. Don't waste it.† I mustered a smile. â€Å"How'd you get so wise, Doug?† He finished his coffee in a gulp. â€Å"Fuck if I know.† Doug's words were the kind that you hear in movies and books, the kind that power the against-all-odds comeback we love to see. It was my one chance, my chance to break through Seth's walls and surmount the insurmountable problems between us. But Seth made sure I never had the chance. I arrived on my own, laden with presents, and was immediately directed to entertain the girls. Seth made the request, since he and most of the other adults (except Ian, who only marginally counted as an adult anyway) were dug in inside the kitchen, and it seemed very reasonable. Normally, I wouldn't have minded either, except I had the gut feeling Seth was purposely keeping us far apart and constantly surrounded by people. So, I played with the girls, only half-listening as they excitedly told me about what they'd gotten for Christmas. The only time my brooding thoughts shifted from Seth was when Brandy remarked about how more presents had shown up under their tree this morning than could be accounted for. â€Å"No one will own up to having gotten some of the presents. Mom and Dad think Uncle Seth did it. He thinks Grandma did it,† Brandy said in a soft voice, so the littler ones wouldn't overhear her. â€Å"What kind of presents?† I asked. She shrugged. â€Å"Just toys . . . but lots of them. Like, Mom and Dad got Morgan some Princess Ponies. But this morning ? There were some Power Prism Ponies there too.† I vaguely remembered Carter and Morgan discussing those very ponies. â€Å"Maybe Santa came by,† I said. Brandy rolled her eyes, looking skeptical. â€Å"Maybe.† When dinner came, there was no avoiding being near Seth. Everyone expected us to sit together, and he could hardly ask to move somewhere else. But again, with so many people around, it didn't matter. I wasn't going to bring up any dangerous topics in the middle of Christmas dinner, and Seth knew that. Both of us were silent, simply listening as the others talked excitedly about the day and how happy they were that Andrea was feeling better. When dinner ended, Seth was the first one up and made a big deal about how all the guys should do dishes tonight while the ladies of the household retired to the living room. Everyone was pleased with this idea, except for Ian and me. â€Å"What is it with you guys and Christmas?† asked Andrea conspiratorially. I was sitting with her on the loveseat watching as Kendall directed Morgan's ponies into an epic battle to the death. â€Å"Huh?† I asked, glancing away from the battlefield. â€Å"You and Seth,† said Andrea. â€Å"I remember last Christmas, you guys were the same. Isn't this supposed to be the happiest day of the year?† I repressed a grimace. Last Christmas, I'd found out that Seth had slept with Maddie in an effort to â€Å"protect me† from a relationship with him. Yeah. That hadn't been a great holiday either. â€Å"We've got nothing against Christmas,† I said bleakly. â€Å"Just . . . some issues to sort out.† She frowned. â€Å"Is it about his tour? I figured you'd be for that.† â€Å"What tour?† â€Å"His publisher wants him to go traveling right after New Year's. Seth had originally refused because of . . . well, me. But I've felt so good lately, I told him he shouldn't waste the chance.† I hadn't known about that. I wondered if it was something that had just come up in the last day or if Seth simply hadn't told me beforehand. The tour would fall before my Las Vegas transfer, and I wouldn't have put it past Seth to decline it in order to maximize his time with me. Well, at least before things went bad. â€Å"That's not it,† I said after several seconds, when I realized she was expecting an answer from me. â€Å"It's . . . complicated.† â€Å"It always is,† she said wisely. I looked past her, toward the kitchen, where I could just barely see the Mortensen men moving around with the dishes. â€Å"For now, I'd just settle for a few moments alone.† She made no comment about that, but later, when the guys returned to the living room, she said very casually, â€Å"Seth, would you mind going upstairs to get my red cardigan? I left it on the foot of the bed.† Seth was about to sit down – far away from me, of course – but sprang up instantly at the request. As soon as he'd disappeared up the stairs, Andrea nudged me with her elbow. I turned to her, startled, and she jerked her head toward the stairs. Go, she mouthed. I glanced around, saw no one was paying much attention to me, and hurried after Seth. I found him in the bedroom, staring around curiously for the sweater that most likely didn't even exist. When he saw me in the doorway, he sighed heavily, realizing he'd been tricked. â€Å"I don't have time for this,† he said, attempting to move past me. I put out my arm to block the door. â€Å"Seth, please. Just listen to me. Just for a few minutes.† He stood there, only a few inches away, and then backed up. Since he apparently didn't want to push past and risk touching me, he must have decided distance was better, even at the risk of being trapped in the room. â€Å"Georgina, there is nothing you can say. Nothing that can change what happened between us.† â€Å"I know that,† I said. â€Å"I'm not going to try.† He eyed me suspiciously. â€Å"You aren't?† I swallowed, all words and thoughts fading from me as I stared into his eyes. There it was – that look. That same look of hurt and utter devastation that Kyriakos had worn so many centuries ago. It was looking out at me through Seth's eyes. I nodded. â€Å"We need to know about your contract. We just want to know some details.† â€Å"To help you?† he asked. â€Å"To help both of us. From what we've gathered, Hell violated my contract when it wrote yours. And that makes the conditions of yours contradictory. We might be able to get them both invalidated . . . but we need to understand yours better.† Seth leaned against the wall, eyes staring vacantly ahead as his thoughts turned inward. â€Å"I don't even understand the details of my contract. I barely remember it. . . . I mean, I do and don't. What went down . . . with the hypnosis . . . it's real and it's not.† I started to take a step forward, wanting badly to touch him and comfort him since he was clearly distraught. Caution held me back. â€Å"You have to try. Right now, if you don't, then you're going to go to Hell when you die. Doesn't matter if you become a saint before then. That contract brands your soul . . . unless, well . . . we're not sure if there was some condition that if you and I got back together, then you'd be free. That's what we need to know.† â€Å"Does it matter?† he asked. â€Å"Seeing as that doesn't look like it's going to happen – doesn't look like it was ever going to happen, if all those lives were any indication.† â€Å"Well, I mean, yeah . . . it matters in that the more information we have, the better our case.† â€Å"Can't you just have Hugh look it up?† I shook my head. â€Å"Not without raising attention. It'd be better if we can get the details from you.† â€Å"Well, sorry, then. I don't remember anything more than what I told you. And honestly? I don't care.† â€Å"How can you not care?† I asked incredulously. â€Å"It's your soul we're talking about!† â€Å"I'll take my chances,† he said. A spark of anger permeated the sorrow that had clung to me these last couple days. â€Å"There are no ‘chances.' It's a done deal. Your soul belongs to Hell. Nothing's going to change it.† â€Å"Does it really matter? You gave your soul to Hell.† â€Å"For you!† I cried. â€Å"I did it for you. To save you. I would do it a hundred times over if I had to.† Seth scoffed. â€Å"Why didn't you just not cheat on me one time?† â€Å"I was young, and I was stupid,† I said, amazed at how levelly I could acknowledge that. â€Å"I was scared, and I felt like you were so far away from me. Like I wasn't part of your priorities anymore. It was all about work and music for you.† â€Å"And you never thought about talking to me about any of that first? You know you can always bring anything up to me.† I sighed. â€Å"To you, maybe. Not to Kyriakos. He . . . you . . . may have meant well but wasn't always so easy to get through to.† â€Å"But I am him,† argued Seth, though he sound a little unsure. â€Å"Er, was.† â€Å"Yes and no,† I said. â€Å"Look, I'm no expert on reincarnation, but from what I know, even though the soul and some parts of the character are constant, there's still, like . . . evolving taking place. You grow and change. That's the point of reincarnation. You're the same person, but you aren't. You weren't perfect back then. Hell, you aren't now. Maybe you – Seth – can handle talking about this . . . maybe after ten lives, you've developed enough relationship maturity. Back then? I'm not so sure. I obviously didn't have it either.† â€Å"Obviously,† he repeated. His gaze held me for a long time, and this time, I couldn't tell what he was feeling. At least there was no overt hate or anything. Either that, or he'd simply learned to conceal it. Finally, he said, â€Å"I meant it. I don't remember the contract details. . . . Just that I would be allowed to keep finding you.† â€Å"That's it?† I said. â€Å"Nothing else? If there's anything more . . . I mean, the stakes here are huge, Seth. I know you said you'd take your chances, but remember when we're talking about your soul, we're looking beyond the scope of one human life. We're looking at eternity.† â€Å"There you go again,† he said, with a small, rueful smile. â€Å"Making an argument for the sanctity of the soul, a soul you threw away.† â€Å"And I told you before, I'd do it again.† â€Å"So you wouldn't have to face me and look me in the eye after what you'd done.† â€Å"In part,† I said. â€Å"But also to save your life. To give you a chance at happiness. Because at that moment . . . that was more important than my eternity.† Seth took a long time to answer, and I again wished I knew what was happening behind those brown eyes. Whose thoughts were stirring in there? His or Kyriakos's? Or any of the other men I'd had turbulent romances with? â€Å"You didn't want to face me then,† he said at last. â€Å"But here you are. Why? To save your own soul?† â€Å"To save both our souls,† I said. Seth straightened up from his slouch against the wall and moved toward the door. â€Å"I can't help you. I mean it – I don't remember anything else. Now. If you'd please make some polite excuse to the others and leave, I'd really appreciate it.† He came to stand in front of me in the doorway, and for a half a second, time stood still as we studied each other, only a few inches apart. A thousand feelings warred within me, powered by a thousand years' worth of lifetimes. With a slow nod, I yielded and let him walk past me. He didn't look back.

Fast Fashion Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Fast Fashion - Case Study Example The main aim of any business is the continued success in the market as well as an increase in revenue in the long time-period. In quick response or fast fashion business model, the time is of the utmost essence. So, every part of the business plays an important role. This starts from designing the garments to the vendor supplies and the production department. The marketing department, transportation system as well as the retail store have also a very important role in reaching the customers and sell the final product.1. MarketingA key factor of the fast fashion, this department identifies as well as creates the demand for new designs in the market. The main idea is to promote the fashion as disposable, changing and offer them at the low prices (Caro & Mart ´Ã„ ±nez-de-Albeniz, 2014).2. DesignThe designers are a critical component of the fast fashion business model as they identify the popular styles in any area and design the next collection by keeping it in the mind (Caro & Mart ´Ã„ ±nez-de-Albeniz, 2014).3. ProductionProduction department plays an important role in this process by producing an optimized number of collections within the given deadline (Caro & Mart ´Ã„ ±nez-de-Albeniz, 2014).4. Supply chain managementAs the supply chain management includes many processes such as the supply of the raw material from the vendors and the supply of the finished products to the retail stores, it plays an important role in Fast Fashion business model (Caro & Mart ´Ã„ ±nez-de-Albeniz, 2014).

Trends and Implications Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Trends and Implications - Assignment Example Therefore, this paper narrows to the causal factors driving these changes and the suggested impact. The conclusion suggested will be the futuristic predictions of the parallels between public health functions and prominent disease mechanisms Presently, these changes have marked the shifts of transferring from indemnity plans that are based on the primary patient’s requirements to managed public health functions and prominent disease mechanisms systems. They have not only encountered drastic changes for the past 100 years but also are in consistent evolution. As far as quality is concerned, observation across the reference websites concerning the parallels indicated that U.S citizens have turned to be equally satisfied from the quality of the public health plans and prominent disease mechanisms systems. The element of trust has been on constant increases from the ever improving means of disease mechanism systems. Patents have accepted that the public health providers acts unselfishly and putt the interests of their patients first and that the posses technical competencies that are necessary to efficiently treat and diagnose critical diseases. Patients and the general public believe in the quality of public health systems to a great extent assessing from these readings that the system can coordinate and control resources required in the delivery of quality care for the prominent diseases. Judging from the results of these reference sites, it would be right to draw an indication that approximately 30 percent of the U.S patients have an improved trust in the public health to adopt the right ways to ensure their health care is of top notch whereas only around 55 percent under the traditional plans trusted the public health provider. However, only 30 percent trust that the public health functions will control their cost without affecting the quality of care to the major diseases adversely (CDC, 2014). This has been the case for the past century, finances have

'Critically evaluate and discuss the influence of theories and Essay

'Critically evaluate and discuss the influence of theories and concepts drawn from psychology, sociology and social policy on social work practice with a specific service user group.' - Essay Example Traditional knowledge of learning disability generally denotes chromosome deficits, poor intelligence, and other medically identified defects. Therefore, in order to resolve this issue, it is important to understand the sociological and psychological theories underpinning social work practice with children with learning disabilities (Parrish, 2009). This essay also includes a critical evaluation of the relevant current social policy context and direction. The most accurate definition of learning disabilities is as follows: â€Å"a variety of disorders that affect the acquisition, retention, understanding, organisation and/or use of verbal and non-verbal information† (Georgas, 2003, p. 16). Although learning disabilities are believed to be acquired or hereditary, development of the disability affects a person’s social performance, relationships, family life, and emotional wellbeing. There is also an increasing awareness of the effect of socio-cultural aspects on children’s learning difficulties and styles, consequently changing the perception, assessment, and treatment of learning disabilities. Learning disabilities may work together with emotional, social, and environmental forces to impair the process of personality growth. Children with learning disabilities are prone to experience weak motivation, anxiety, and depression, and to have poor self-confidence (Burke, 2008). They usually display poor interpersonal a bilities leading to social exclusion. According to Howe (2009), this vulnerable population is predisposed to antisocial behaviour, both as offenders and victims. Children in special education are especially prone to aggression, both as aggressors and victims. Numerous difficulties encountered by children with learning disabilities persist into later life. The family of a child with learning disabilities may either be helpful or harmful, which may rely

Organisation and Management of Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words - 1

Organisation and Management of - Research Paper Example Planning comes in many different forms and this process involves setting the scope of the project as well as the necessary tools needed to conduct a successful research project. Tools planning might be measured in electronic database availability, resource literature compilation, availability of a non-disruptive environment for thought and secondary research, and also the planning of specific objectives related to the goal of project completion. After the planning stage, the student must be motivated to complete all tasks on time and remain focused on fulfilling all of their planned objectives. Because a project as large-scale as a dissertation involves multi-tasking in all stages of development, motivation is a primary factor to ensure that the project meets its proposed timeline without interruption to attaining a quality end result. There are generally two types of motivation, intrinsic and extrinsic. Intrinsic motivations come from within and are linked specifically to the task itself. For example, this motivation might be developed from having a personal association with the research project in a way that provides value to the researcher. Therefore, the student should be able to come up with a suitable topic that is directly associated with something in their career field that is personally rewarding or they feel would bring value to the reader. By identifying personally with the research topic, the student will probably have more incentive and enthusiasm for conducting all stages of the project successfully.

Bowling for Columbine Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Bowling for Columbine - Essay Example The possible conclusions of Moore adhere to a few criminological theories, among which the Classical and Rational Choice Theories can be considered the most convincing. The eclectic nature of Moore’s arguments can also lead to the Integrated Theory. The basic argument of Moore is that the American community has a strange affinity towards gun crime, for which the easy accessibility of gun merely serves as an encouragement. In this sense, there are no sufficient deterrents for an average American citizen to be held back from possible crimes. The movie begins with the sequence of Moore acquiring a free gun for opening a time deposit for a specific sum in a Michigan bank. The argument by the Michigan Militia that guns vouchsafe the safety of the individual and family is shown as a reductive one, discounting the possibilities of increasing numbers of gun crimes in a society where everyone is entitled to possess a gun. Though there exists sufficient punishment as a deterrent in America, there is not enough awareness among the public regarding the use of the guns. Eventually, it is possible that the guns end up being I the hands of school kids, like Erik Harris and Dylan Klebold, who perpetrated the shocking massacres at Columbine school. Using the metaphor of an irresponsible game like bowling, Moore exposes the lack of proper concern and clear rules reading the possession and use of guns. In a culture where even teenagers can procure guns from supermarkets, one has to assume that the rational choice deterrence would be nonexistent. Even though Moore asserts that the easy availability of guns is not the only reason why the crime rates are shooting up, the lack of proper deterrents combined with this situation could definitely be a major reason. Integrated Theory can also provide significant explanations for the American gun crime rates. There could be several reasons for the use of violence, which basically stem from the use and misuse of

Leadership, Attitude, Emotions and Issues Related to Employee Assignment

Leadership, Attitude, Emotions and Issues Related to Employee Satisfaction - Assignment Example He has a little â€Å"concern for Employees†. At this stage, it becomes important for Suprana to sit back and rethink her approach. She needs to make herself as a diplomat and need to increase her concern for employees. Aziz however, needs to be consistent and keep on trying. He needs to find other ways to increase his motivational level and try to voice his opinion to the top management. According to the financial reports of 2008, Google has revenues of more than 21.796 billion US dollars. Without any doubts, Google stands amongst the top organizations, when it comes to growth, profitability, brand image, brand recall and brand equity (Honeyman, pp. 19-21, 1982). Experts of organizational behavioral studies suggest employee pleasure as the prime reason for this outstanding performance of Google. The efforts it has been doing for outclassing employee satisfaction has raised the operating cost of Google like anything, but it seems that Google is not even bothered a bit by the increased costs. An uncountable amount of chef is prepared every day at the Google office. State of art Gym, volleyball court, lap pools, onsite car washes, saloons, dry cleaning shops, free on-site medical checkups and free transportation facilities are just some of the facilities that the employees enjoy at Google. Except for these, Google offers to its worker's benefits like parental leaves, automatic life insurance, tuition reimbursements etc. Google management understands that by all these efforts they can shape the attitudes of their employees that in turn results in desired behaviors from them. On the other hand, this will create employee satisfaction and satisfied employees create satisfied customers (Robbins et al, pp. 259-299, 2009). For the past few decades, organizations have diverted their attention towards studying concepts of employee attitudes and emotions, employee satisfaction and leadership issues.

Company Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words - 1

Company Law - Essay Example had shares with a nominal value of two hundred and fifty thousand pounds which were divided equally among the four founders. XYZ Ltd. was to own all the copyrights for band’s songs which were given to the company as a consideration for the allotted shares. The four shareholders also were the directors of XYZ Ltd. Employment of Xavier as the managing director of the company followed where he was to receive an annual salary of two hundred and fifty thousand pounds. Distributable yearly profits by the company were to be paid to the shareholders as dividends but the shareholders never received a single payment in dividends. Personal issues arose amongst the band members and this brought about differences between some XYZ Ltd.’s shareholders and directors causing the band members to split and form a new band. XYZ Ltd.’s existence had led to the formation of another company XYZ Concerts Ltd. to manage and run a performance tour that was to be TUVW band in the UK in 201 0. All issued shares of XYZ Concerts Ltd were held by the mother company, XYZ Ltd. The responsibilities of XYZ Concerts Ltd. ... Xavier hired Cold Chocolate PR Consultants to help improve the band’s image in May 2011. This was after Mitt pressed Xavier to improve the bands image before the release of a new album that TUVW was working on. Cold Chocolate PR Consultants spent a hundred thousand pounds for their work and the hired consultants continued working till the end of 2011 even though the bands reputation remained extremely bad and appalling. Xavier employed Yvonne as the production manager in July 2011 and they both subsequently entered into a contract with Jump Records to produce the next five albums for the band. A payment of twenty five thousand pounds was made to XYZ Ltd. by Jump records as an advance to the total payment for the five records. Due to the bad blood between the bad members, the band never met in a single occasion since March of 2011 and two of the band members had already formed another band. In January 2012, XYZ Ltd. was pronounced insolvent though its books of account showed th at the company had been insolvent since the beginning of the previous year, January 2011. At that time, the company owed the shareholders an equivalent of all dividends due to them since its incorporation, The Wyatt Hotel an equivalent of all bills incurred during their UK tour, Cold Chocolate PR Consultants an equivalent of their contracted amount as well as the amount paid by Jump Records as an advance totalling to twenty five thousand pounds. The liquidator deduced that the worth of the company as at January 2012 which was solely in the form of song copyrights was five hundred thousand pounds. Some of the issues arising in this case are discussed hereafter. First and foremost, no dividends were paid to any of the shareholders of XYZ Ltd. since its incorporation in

The United States Constitution Essay Example for Free

The United States Constitution Essay I. The United States Constitution is essentially a set of principles that provides for the framework of our government, establishes the three main branches of government and provides for their functions. It also contains an enumeration of the rights and liberties of the people. It is a relatively short document considering the role it plays in every nation. Because the constitution contains only general principles and policies, it does not seek to cover every eventuality. It also does not seek to provide a solution to every conceivable problems of man. As a result, disputes among those in power and those between the government and its citizens are likely to arise. Under the constitution, it is the Supreme Court and the other courts that are tasked to interpret the constitution. The concept of judicial interpretation has spanned a number of controversies regarding how the judges are to perform their constitutional function. Some say that the Supreme Court must adhere to the principle of strict constructionism. Under this principle, in case of doubts in the interpretation of any vague and doubtful provision of the Constitution, the Supreme Court must strictly construe its provision. According to Law. com, strict constructionism refers to the interpretation of the constitution â€Å"based on a literal and narrow definition of the language without reference to the differences in conditions when the Constitution was written and modern conditions, inventions and societal changes. (â€Å"Strict Construction†) This principle is preferred because it protects against judicial activism or judicial legislation which means that the Supreme Court goes beyond its function of mere interpretation and encroaches upon the domains of the legislature. By following this principle, the public can be assured that the constitution will not be abused and its meaning will not be changed depending on the whims and caprices of the Justices of the Supreme Court. Strict constructionism is contrasted with the principle of Original Intent. Under this principle, the vague and doubtful provision of the constitution is interpreted by means of ascertaining the intent of the framers of the constitution at the time it was enacted. They do this by examining different sources, including contemporary writings, newspaper articles and the notes from the Constitutional Convention. This is preferred compared to the principle of Strict Constructionism because it goes beyond the literal wordings of the constitution and determines the reason behind the constitution. It affirms that the reason why the constitution was vaguely written and couched in general terms is because the framers wanted the future generations to refer to the intention of the original framers of the constitution for guidance. Among the arguments against the principle of Original Intent is that the framers may have written the constitution but it was the will of the people who made it happen and who ratified it. Considering that they were merely agents and that the real principals are the delegates to the Constitutional Convention and the people, too much attention to the intent of the framers should be tempered. Secondly, even the framers had differences amongst themselves on some issues. In case of dispute, which intent should be upheld by the Supreme Court? For the present society, it is very troublesome that the intent of a person who has been dead for several generations shall be used as basis for important decisions that may affect a person’s life and his future. Among the arguments raised against strict constructionism is that it does not give justice to the constitution. As a living document, the constitution must be interpreted in accordance with its spirit that gives life to it not according to its strict and literal meaning that kills it. II. The procedure in juvenile justice system is essentially different compared to the procedure in adult courts. In criminal courts, our criminal justice system takes into account the element of free will. This means the court considers that when the crime was committed, the same was done willfully and intentionally by someone who is in full possession of his mental faculties. As a result, the penalty imposed is proportional to the crime committed. On the other hand, when a juvenile commits a crime, the law takes into account that he lacks full intelligence. The law considers that he is still corrigible. As a result, the emphasis is not on punishment and deterrence but on rehabilitation. The following are the differences in the proceedings before juvenile courts and adult criminal court: a) the proceedings in the criminal court are public and as a matter of public policy the public can gain access to their records except on certain cases. On the other hand, juvenile courts keep the proceedings private so as to avoid social stigma being placed upon the juvenile; b) another difference is that trial is strictly based on the fact of the commission of crime. No other evidence that seeks to prove the good character of the accused is generally admissible. On the other hand, juvenile courts take into account in its hearing the fact of the previous record of the juvenile; c) the determination in criminal courts is that the accused is either innocent or guilty. On the other hand, juvenile court’s ruling is that the juvenile is adjudged delinquent for the purpose of protecting the juvenile against the social stigma; d) two proceedings are involved in juvenile courts, once the juvenile is adjudged to be delinquent, another hearing is conducted for the purpose of determining the penalty to be imposed. On the other hand, only a single trial is conducted in adult criminal courts. Once the defendant is adjudged guilty, the finding already includes the proper penalty to be imposed without the need of separate hearing.

Growing Up, The Catcher in the Rye Essay Example for Free

Growing Up, The Catcher in the Rye Essay A young man going through puberty, not knowing what he is doing or where he is headed, in a world in which he feels he doesnt belong in, and feels he is always around a bunch of phonies. This would describe the position of Holden Caulfield, the main character in The Catcher in the Rye (1951) written by J.D. Salinger. The book, all narrated by Holden in first person, in its very unique and humorous style, is about Holden, and all the troubles he has encountered through school, family, friends, and basically life. Holden has been expelled from a private school in Pennsylvania because of failing classes, and decides to go to New York for three days before going home to his disappointed parents. At the beginning of the novel, Holden seems to be like any other 16-year-old young man. But the novel progressively displays through various examples of symbolism that Holden has many problems coping with the world around him. Holden likes to reminisce about his childhood and visiting the Museum of Natural History in Central Park. He loved to visit the museum, for many reasons, and he even said that he got very happy when he thought about the museum. He tells us of the symbolic details in the museum, by saying, The best thing, though in that museum was that everything always stayed right where it was. Nobodyd move. Nobodyd be different. The only thing that would be different would be you(121). Holden likes this kind of world, and wishes that he lived in it. He wishes things would stay unchanged and simple. Holden is almost scared by change, and cant handle the conflicts in his life. Another very symbolic example in the book is the title itself. On the first night of his three-night excursion, Holden decides to sneak into his house and visit his sister, Phoebe, who he adores very much. Phoebe asks Holden what he would like to do with his life. Holden ponders the question and tells Phoebe about the poem, Com in Through The Rye by Robert Burns. He tells Phoebe, I keep picturing all these little kids playing some game in this big field of rye and all. Thousands of little kids, and nobodys aroundnobody big, I meanexcept me. And Im standing on the edge of some crazy cliff. What I have to do, I have to catch everybody if they start to go over the cliffI mean if theyre running and they don look where theyre going I have to come out from somewhere and catch them. Thats all Id do all day. Id just be the catcher in the rye and all(173). He wants  to save the kids of their innocence, and protect them from the adult world. This indicates Holdens insecurity of the world in which he lives in, and his disgust with becoming an adult. Holden is a very unique individual. He thinks he is different than everyone else he meets, and he is quick to point out how phony everybody else is. While in New York, Holden buys a red hunting hat. It was a very odd hat to wear out in public, especially at a prep school, and the other kids were always giving him a hard time for wearing it. Holden describes it, â€Å"It was this red hunting hat, with one of those very, very long peaks. It only cost me a buck. The way I wore it, I swung the old peak way around to the back—very corny, I’ll admit, but I liked it that way†(18). Holden is always proud that he is different than everybody around him, and he sees that hat as a part of his independence. He always likes to think that he is not a â€Å"phony† himself, and will do anything possible to show how different he is than all the other â€Å"phonies.† Another thing Holden likes to recollect is the lagoon in Central Park, and the ducks that occupied it. He ponders,† I was wondering if it would be frozen over when I got home, and if it was, where did the ducks go. I was wondering where the ducks went when the lagoon got all icy and frozen over†(13). Knowing it or not, Holden is curious about the ducks in the lagoon, because he himself doesn’t know where he is going, or how he is going to get there. He has been kicked out of numerous schools, and he needs a scapegoat such as the lagoon freezi ng over in order to find out where it is he is going. Holden shows the reader how disgusted and disturbed he is by this adult world in which he is growing into. He wishes to stay young, and keep everything simple, and to keep away from all the â€Å"phonies† out there. After recalling all the people he has met, and admitting how sick he is, Holden realizes that he is just as phony as everybody else. He ends the story, adding,† Don’t ever tell anybody anything. If you do, you start missing everybody†(214).

Innovation And Managing Innovation

Innovation And Managing Innovation There are different types of innovation. Joseph Tidd and John Bessant describe in their books four broad categories of innovation. (Tidd Bessant, 2009) Following these categories are referred as the 4Ps of innovation: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ product innovation changes in the things (products/services) which an organization offers à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ process innovation changes in the ways in which they are created and delivered à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ position innovation changes in the context in which the products/services are introduced à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ paradigm innovation changes in the underlying mental models which frame what the organization does For example, the new version of a car, a new bank account offer and a new home personnel computer are all examples of a product innovation. In comparison to a product innovation a change in the production process and machines used to manufacture the car or the home computer these examples are process innovations. Similar the example of the new bank account offer if this came up by changing procedures and sequencing in the bank office. Characteristic for services is the merge of a process and product innovation. For example a new weekend trip package could be combination of both types of innovations. The third type is the position innovation. In this context an innovation changes the perception of the customer through repositioning of the established product or process. For example, to use shower gel also to wash and clean clothes is a good example of a position innovation. Sometimes innovation opportunities emerge when people start to think outside the box. A very good example of a paradigm innovation is Henry Ford. He fundamentally changed the way of transportation people. He archived this neither by inventing the motor car (Invention of the motor car was 1999) nor because he changed the way of manufacture and produce an automobile (also the inventor of the conveyer production). His idea was to change the underlying model for the automobile production in this time. He changed the perspective of producing automobiles from handmade specialist product to a few wealthy customers to a mass product with a price a normal household could afford. The ensuing shift from craft to mass production was nothing short of a revolution in the way cars (and later countless other products and services) were created and delivered. This example shows that a paradigm innovation also requires intensive product and process innovation for example, in component design, in mach inery building, in the layout of the factory and in the social system around which work was organized. (Edelhoff, 2009) Not only Henry Ford changed an industry. In the last decades the shift to low-cost airlines and the increasing numbers of goods sold in the internet are recent examples of paradigm innovation changes in mental models. From Incremental to Radical Innovation Every Innovation is new, but the question is how new. So we can divide innovations between incremental and radical. (doing the same, better à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦..) For example, a new version of a car model is incremental while coming up with a completely new electric driven concept car which is made out of new light weight carbon fibre is radical. Similarly, further development of the accuracy and speed of a saw mill is not the same as replacing it with a computer-controlled laser cutting process. This example shows there are degrees of new innovation, running from minor, incremental improvements to radical changes which changes the way things are done and we use them. These changes are often present to a particular industry, but sometimes they are so radical and extensive that they are able to change the core of society. The major steps in todays communication and information technology have affected almost every person on this planet and will continue to gain importance. Figure : Dimension of innovation from incremental to radical from component- to system level Mapping Innovation Space In the figure below each of the 4Ps of innovation can take place along an axis. Hence the blue circle indicates the potential innovation space within a business can operate, the innovation is able to run from incremental to radical change. Whether the innovation utilizes all the space is a question of the innovation strategy. The way day-to-day change is approached within an organization differs from the approach how to handle a radical step change in products or processes. Here it is essential to keep in mind that the perceived stage of novelty is the important part and that this novelty is in the perspective of the observer. For example, in a giant, technologically advanced organization like Volkswagen or Siemens the tracking of goods from suppliers by RFID and GPS is used and implemented in day to day business while such an expensive process might be totally new and innovative for a small car dealership or food processor. (Kern, 2006) Figure : Innovation space Sustaining or Disruptive Quite a lot of innovations involve a discontinuous shift but very few bring something completely new which changes a market conditions dramatically. Most of them usually are incremental. In recent time lean thinking came up in the production and service sector, which underlines the huge possibilities of continue improvements within a firm. (Kohlstedde, 2007) However this continues improvement idea is hampered through the new approach of the platform concept or robust design. This idea bases on the development of a future general design which will dominate the market as well as used by the competitor. A good example for such a robust design is the Walkman originally developed by Sony. This first design of a portable cassette and radio player system dominated the market for the whole product lifetime of cassettes. Also car makers tend to change their development process from each single model to a platform strategy. (Wallentowitz, Freialdenhove, Olschewski, 2009) The Volkswagen AG int roduced platforms which are used for different brands of the company group. This not only saves costs but also helps them to dominate the market with faster model updates and exchanges. The platform and robust design strategy of firms is a powerful way of recover the high initial investments such as Research and Development as well as market analysis. The Challenge of Discontinues improvement The common innovation process happens in a set frame, following certain rules and ways of thinking. This game played by competitors is to innovate by doing what has been done before like product- or process innovations or even position- and paradigm innovations, but doing it better. In this competition of playing the same game some firms manage to do better than others and can gain a competitive advantage through these innovations, but the set of the game is accepted and do not change. Very rare something happens that breaks up this framework and changes how the game is played. This will not happen every day but when this arises the rules and boundaries of a market change rapidly. This will result in upcoming new opportunities and challenge the existing players in their way of working, thinking and doing business. A discontinues improvement occurs out of a technological and conditions stable market, where is a long period of continuous improvements and variations around a basic product or service. The strategy, before the discontinues improvement was, doing what we do, but better. When such an innovation happens one or more of the basic conditions like technology, markets, social, regulatory etc. change rapidly. Now the time of doing different begins and the rules of the game change so the opportunity space for new innovations appears. Such a rapid technology change is happening right now with the development of LEDs in the light market. From the invention of the originally light bulb in the late nineteenth century by Edison and Swan the light market gets more and more restricted by the government. Furthermore the development of the LED light was a major step for the whole market and will influence our daily life in the future. With this upcoming technology new enterprises emerge in the market as well as the inventor Shuji Nakamura with the company Nichia Corporation. This discontinues improvement faces the market dominating companies very hard. Either they adapt to the new light technology or they will lose market share very rapidly. In the process the underlying rules of the game change and a new opportunity space for innovation opens up. Do different conditions of this kind occur, for example, when radical change takes place along the technological frontier or when completely new markets emerge. An emerging example of this could be the replacement of the incandescent light bulb originally developed in the late nineteenth century by Edison and Swan (amongst others). This may be replaced by the solid state white light emitting diode technology patented by Nichia Chemical. This technology is 85% more energy efficient, has 16 times the life of a conventional bulb, is brighter, is more flexible in application and is likely to be subject to the scale economies associated with electronic component production. In their pioneering work on this theme Abernathy and Utterback developed a model describing the pattern in terms of three distinct phases. Initially, under discontinuous conditions, there is what they term a fluid phase during which there is high uncertainty along two dimensions: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ The target what will the new configuration be and who will want it? à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ The technical how will we harness new technological knowledge to create and deliver this? No one knows what the right configuration of technological means and market needs will be and so there is extensive experimentation (accompanied by many failures) and fast learning by a range of players including many new entrepreneurial businesses. Gradually these experiments begin to converge around what they call a dominant design something which begins to set up the rules of the game. This represents a convergence around the most popular (importantly not necessarily the most technologically sophisticated or elegant) solution to the emerging configuration. At this point a bandwagon begins to roll and innovation options become increasingly channeled around a core set of possibilities what Dosi calls a technological trajectory.38 It becomes increasingly difficult to explore outside this space because entrepreneurial interest and the resources which that brings increasingly focus on possibilities within the dominant design corridor. This can apply to products or processes; in both cases the key characteristics become stabilized and experimentation moves to getting the bugs out and refining the dominant design. For example, the nineteenth-century chemical industry moved from making soda ash (an essential ingredient in making soap, glass and a host of other products) from the earliest days where it was produced by burning vegetable matter through to a sophisticated chemical reaction which was carried out on a batch process (the Leblanc process) which was one of the drivers of the Industrial Revolution. This process dominated for nearly a century but was in turn replaced by a new generation of continuous processes which used electrolytic techniques and which originated in Belgium where they were developed by the Solvay brothers. Moving to the Leblanc process or the Solvay process did not happen overnight; it took decades of work to refine and improve each process, and to fully understand the chemistry and engineering required to get consistent high quality and output. The same pattern can be seen in products. For example, the original design for a camera is something which goes back to the early nineteenth century and as a visit to any science museum will show involved all sorts of ingenious solutions. The dominant design gradually emerged with an architecture which we would recognize shutter and lens arrangement, focusing principles, back plate for film or plates, etc. But this design was then modified still further for example, with different lenses, motorized drives, flash technology and, in the case of George Eastmans work, to creating a simple and relatively idiot-proof model camera (the Box Brownie) which opened up photography to a mass market. More recent development has seen a similar fluid phase around digital imaging devices. The period in which the dominant design emerges and emphasis shifts to imitation and development around it is termed the transitional phase in the Abernathy and Utterback model. Activities move from radical concept development to more focused efforts geared around product differentiation and to delivering it reliably, cheaply, with higher quality, extended functionality, etc. As the concept matures still further so incremental innovation becomes more significant and emphasis shifts to factors like cost which means efforts within the industries which grow up around these product areas tend to focus increasingly on rationalization, on scale economies and on process innovation to drive out cost and improve productivity. Product innovation is increasingly about differentiation through customization to meet the particular needs of specific users. Abernathy and Utterback term this the specific phase.* Finally the stage is set for change the scope for innovation becomes smaller and smaller whilst outside for example, in the laboratories and imaginations of research scientists new possibilities are emerging. Eventually a new technology emerges which has the potential to challenge all the by now well-established rules and the game is disrupted. In the camera case, for example, this is happening with the advent of digital photography which is having an impact on cameras and the overall service package around how we get, keep and share our photographs. In our chemical case this is happening with biotechnology and the emergence of the possibility of no longer needing giant chemical plants but instead moving to small-scale operations using live organisms genetically engineered to produce what we need. Table 1.2 sets out the main elements of this model. Although originally developed for manufactured products the model also works for services for example the early days of Internet banking were characterized by a typically fluid phase with many options and models being offered. This gradually moved to a transitional phase, build- ing a dominant design consensus on the package of services offered, the levels and nature of security and privacy support, the interactivity of website, etc. The field has now become mature with much of the competition shifting to marginal issues like relative interest rates. The pattern can be seen in many studies and its implications for innovation management are important. In particular it helps us understand why established organizations often find it hard to deal with discontinuous change. Organizations build capabilities around a particular trajectory and those who may be strong in the later (specific) phase of an established trajectory often find it hard to move into the new one. (The example of the firms which successfully exploited the transistor in the early 1950s is a good case in point many were new ventures, sometimes started by enthusiasts in their garage, yet they rose to challenge major players in the electronics industry like Raytheon.39) This is partly a consequence of sunk costs and commitments to existing technologies and markets and partly because of psychological and institutional barriers. 40 They may respond but in slow fashion and they may make the mistake of giving responsibility for the new development to those whose current activities would be threatened by a shift.41 Importantly, the fluid or ferment phase is characterized by co-existence of old and new technologies and by rapid improvements of both.41,42 (It is here that the so-called TABLE sailing ship effect can often be observed, in which a mature technology accelerates in its rate of improvement as a response to a competing new alternative as was the case with the development of sailing ships in competition with newly emerging steamship technology.43,44 Whilst some research suggests existing incumbents do badly, we need to be careful here. Not all existing players do badly many of them are able to build on the new trajectory and deploy/leverage their accumulated knowledge, networks, skills and financial assets to enhance their competence through building on the new opportunity. 42à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚   Equally whilst it is true that new entrants often small entrepreneurial firms play a strong role in this early phase we should not forget that we see only the successful players. We need to remember that there is a strong ecological pressure on new entrants which means only the fittest or luckiest survive. It is more helpful to suggest that there is something about the ways in which innovation is managed under these conditions which poses problems. Good practice of the steady-state kind described above is helpful in the mature phase but can actively militate against the entry and success in the fluid phase of a new technology.46 How do enterprises pick up signals about changes if they take place in areas where they dont normally do research? How do they understand the needs of a market which doesnt exist yet but which will shape the eventual package which becomes the dominant design? If they talk to their existing customers the likelihood is that those customers will tend to ask for more of the same, so which new users should they talk to and how do they find them? The challenge seems to be to develop ways of managing innovation not only under steady-state but also under the highly uncertain, rapidly evolving and changing conditions which result from a dislocation or discontinuity. The kinds of organizational behaviour needed here will include things like agility, flexibility, the ability to learn fast, the lack of preconceptions about the ways in which things might evolve, etc. and these are often associated with new small firms. There are ways in which large and established players can also exhibit this kind of behaviour but it does often conflict with their normal ways of thinking and working. Extensive studies have shown the power of shifting technological boundaries in creating and transforming industry structures for example, in the case of the typewriter, the computer and the automobile. Such transformations happen relatively often no industry is immune (see Box 1.3 for an example). Worryingly the source of the technology which destabilizes an industry often comes from outside that industry. So even those large incumbent firms which take time and resources to carry out research to try and stay abreast of developments in their field may find that they are wrong-footed by the entry of something which has been developed in a different field. The massive changes in insurance and financial services which have characterized the shift to online and telephone provision were largely developed by IT professionals often working outside the original industry.6 In extreme cases we find what is often termed the not invented here NIH effect, where a firm finds out about a technology but decides against following it up because it does not fit with their perception of the industry or the likely rate and direction of its technological development. Famous examples of this include Kodaks rejection of the Polaroid process or Western Unions dismissal of Bells telephone invention. In a famous memo dated 1876 the board commented, this telephone has too many shortcomings to be seriously considered as a means of communication. The device is inherently of no value to us.

Maya Deren and Her Successful Integration of Dance and Film :: Biography Biographies Essays

Maya Deren and Her Successful Integration of Dance and Film The topic of dance films could not be discussed without mentioning Maya Deren. A dancer, ethnographer, philosopher, and â€Å"visual poet†, Maya Deren is said to have given birth to the American avant-garde film movement. Born Eleanora Derenkovskaya on April 29, 1917, in Kiev, Ukraine, (the year of the Russian Revolution), she was a revolutionary innovator from the start. She was born to her beloved mother Marie Fiedler and father Solomon Derenskovsky. In 1922 her family left the Soviet Union for America. They settled in Syracuse, New York. By 1928, her father had shortened their name to Deren. Maya’s childhood name was Elinka. As a young girl, Elinka hated her legs. She had a rather stalky build for American standards, and because of this, she loved to wear boots. At age ten she gave herself the nickname of â€Å"Bootsy.† Little did she know where those stalky legs would take her. Deren attended Syracuse University to study journalism. This is where her interest in film was first sparked. During this period, she began to write poetry, served as the national secretary of the Young Peoples Socialist League, and met her first husband, Gregory Bardacke. Although her marriage did not last long, Gregory helped her to develop a strong interest in politics, an area in which she would continue to participate. Deren completed her B.A. at New York University in 1936. She then went on to earn an M.A. in English literature from Smith College in 1939. It was her next move that introduced her to the world of dance. She found a secretarial job working for African American dancer and choreographer Katherine Dunham. With Dunham, Deren toured with the road show of Cabin in the Sky. While on tour, she met her next husband and life long inspiration, Czech filmmaker, Alexander Hackenschmied, later known as Alexander Hammid. It is her union with Hammid that allowed her to combine her interests and begin to create films. From an inheritance she earned from her father, she bought a second-hand 16mm Bolex camera. With this camera, Deren and her husband created her first and most famous film Meshes of the Afternoon in 1943. By this time, Elenora had shortened her name to Maya, the word for â€Å"veil of illusion† in Hindu mythology. Deren went on to create many more avant-garde films integrating dance, mise-en-scene, and the art of montage.

The Platonic and Aristotelian Views on the Role and Status of Women in

Introduction Women’s rights and societal roles have varied throughout history. Yet, a common theme that is notable across many times and cultures is the notion that women are inferior to men. In ancient Greece, the opinion toward women followed this trend, and women were often overlooked in how they could contribute to society. It was rarely considered that the traits women share could be of use beyond their household duties. In this essay I will analyze the Platonic and Aristotelian views on the role and status of women. Although Plato and Aristotle had distinct beliefs on what women could contribute to the collective well being of society, they shared similar opinions about the genuine status that women had in comparison to men. The Platonic view advanced the idea that secluding women to the home was counter-productive to the community as a whole. As such, women should be afforded roles that stretched beyond the boundaries of the home for the benefit of the community. The Aristotelian v iew, contrastingly, believed that the natural characteristics of women, which deemed them physically and intellectually inferior to men, made the home their proper place within society. In this essay I will advance the view that through the logic constructed by both Plato and Aristotle it follows deductively that women not only have a place outside of the home but their distinctive nature can add something of value to many areas of society. A Platonic View Toward Women: A Community of Women and Children It is sometimes contended that Plato was a feminist, but his concern for women did not stem from an interest in women’s rights, but rather the usefulness women could contribute to the benefit of the community. Meaning, society would receive... ...oes not follow logically that women are intellectually inferior. The nature of women that emanates from their traditional role as mothers and caregivers can in fact not only be sufficient but necessary for the optimal functioning polis. The compassion and consideration that emanates from the nature of women could be the true keystone in wholesome state, and the highest form of collective well being that Plato and Aristotle searched for. Works Cited Aristotle. The Politics. Trans. T.A. Sinclair. Rev. ed. Trevor J. Saunders. New York: Penguin classics, 1957. Print. Bloom, Allan (1968, revised 1991). The Republic of Plato. Translated, with notes and an interpretive essay. New York: Basic Books. Magnusson, Warren. â€Å"Ancient and Medieval Political Thought.† Political Science 300A. University of Victoria. British Columbia, 4 Jan. 2012 – 21 Mar. 2012.

Martin Luther :: essays research papers

The Renaissance marked new interests in the discovery of the natural world through art and the sciences. In art, the discovery of perspective brought a revolutionary realism to painting, architecture, and exploration. This led to the Europeans’ discoveries of new lands, such as Africa, Asia, and the Americas. Because of the Renaissance’s deviance from the thoughts of the medieval age, an opportunistic view of humanity developed. Many began believing that man was capable of doing anything, as long as they had the will.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Society developed a man-centered thought, somewhat departing from the God centered thought of the medieval period. The educated leader, soldier, and artist were revered, whereas the bishop, priest, and monk took a back seat. The artists and humanists of the Renaissance era would help establish this age as one of individualism and creativity Renaissance thinkers appealed to a combination of Christianity and Humanism, by referring to Genesis 1:26 (â€Å"And God said, ‘Let us make humankind in our image, according to our likeness’†) and Genesis 1:28 (â€Å"Have dominion over [earth]’†). Because man is made in God’s likeness and has dominion of Earth, Humanists believed they were divine creations of God living on Earth. The Renaissance helped secularize Europe. Man was now the creator of his own destiny.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The exploration during this era brought more centralized monarchies. The flood of silver and gold made many nations money hungry, as they raced to discover more lands. Also, this era could be considered a scientific one, as Copernicus published his De Revolutionibus, which culminated into the growth of universities. Also, the printing press had created the ability to produce books cheaply and in more quantities. And this was important, as the Renaissance created a literate public eager for whatever was freshly published.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Renaissance occurred for many reasons. One main reason could be with the dissatisfaction with the Church. There was a shift from group salvation to a more personalized view on life, due to the Humanistic movement. People wanted an individualized way of salvation. The sacraments became devoid of meaning. The papacy lost much of its power, due to the secularization of many cities. People were able to congregate among themselves and discuss ideas and thoughts. Many people noticed the wealth of the papacy. The poor resented this wealth, while the rich citizens envied it. At the same time, the popes were still selling indulgences and high offices. The clergy had become lax and corrupt.

Research Concepts Summary

The group moves through 4 stages: Planning Acting Observing reflecting This research is popular among: Organizational management Community development Education Agriculture Ethnography is another type of research, the emphasis is on describing and interpreting cultural behavior. The researchers participate in group activities while observing their behavior, taking notes and conducting interviews etc. It may also be called ‘Fieldwork or ‘Participant observation' Feminist research is yet another type of research.There was an argument of whether this was a methodology (general principle which will guide your research) r an Epistemology (study of nature of knowledge and Justification, it looks where the knowledge came from and how we know what we know). But it can be both. Feminist research is about the fact that mostly male people are used for research and when a research is called objective and scientific truth when only used male participants, that's not right. It's emphas is is on participative, qualitative inquiry. Feminist research has provided a framework for researchers who do not want to treat people as research objects.Grounded theory: The emphasis in this methodology is on the generation of theory which is grounded n the data – this means that it has emerged from the data. Grounded theory is therefore flexible and enables new issues to emerge that the researcher may not have thought about previously. Triangulation: Combining qualitative and quantitative research. Unstructured interviews: As less questions as possible Participant free to talk about what he/she demands only for qualitative research Semi-structured interviews: researcher wants to know specific information which can be compared.Same questions have to be asked but the researcher can be flexible There is a need of an interview schedule Qualitative social research Structured interviews: Asks a series of questions and ticks boxes Used in quantitative research Focus Groups may a lso be called discussion groups or group interviews. The discussion is led by a moderator or facilitator who introduces the topic, asks specific questions, controls digressions and stops break-away conversations. She makes sure no one dominates the group and everyone contributes.Focus groups Advantages Disadvantages Can receive a wide range of responses during one meeting. Some people may be uncomfortable in a group setting and nervous about speaking in front of others. Participants can ask questions of each other, lessoning impact of researcher bias. Not everyone may contribute. Helps people to remember issues they might otherwise have forgotten Other people may contaminate an individual's views. Helps participants to overcome inhibitions, especially if they Some researchers may find it difficult or intimidating to moderate a focus group.The group effect is a useful resource in data analysis. Venues and equipment can be expensive. Participant interaction is useful to analyses Diffi cult to extract individual views during the analysis. 3 types of Questionnaires: . Closed-ended questionnaires This type of questionnaire is used to generate statistics. They follow a set format, and most of them can be imported into a program to generate it's data. 2. Open-ended questionnaires Are used in qualitative research, although some researchers will quantify the answers during the analysis stage.This will not only be box ticking but there will also be space for the participant to fill in their own answers. This kind of questionnaire might also focus on what people think about a certain thing which make it more difficult to analyses the data. 3. Combination of both Many researchers use this combination to get either qualitative and quantitative data. Market research and online poll companies pay their participants money to fill in their questionnaire which makes the participants loyal followers and receive data earlier because they can work with deadlines.However, in this re search participants are self-selecting, they do this on a voluntary basis and maybe they only do it for the money. There are 2 ways researchers observe: Participant observation â€Å"they participate in the group they're observing† Direct observation â€Å"Just look at the people you're observing, mostly used in psychology' search Overt: Overt participant observation, where everyone knows who's the researcher and what she's doing. Chapter 4 Secondary research: collection of information from studies that other researchers have made of a subject.Primary research: Research you conduct yourself Primary research Secondary research Relevant people Research books Researcher observation Research reports Researcher experience Journal articles Historical records/texts Articles reproduced online Company/organization records Scientific debates Personal documents (diaries) Critiques of literary works Statistical data Critiques of art Works of literature Analyses of historical events Work s of art Film/ video Laboratory experiments Summary There are two types of background research – primary and secondary research.Primary research involves the study of a subject through first hand observation and investigation. Secondary research involves the collection of information from studies quickest way to access secondary sources are libraries or the internet. Any information obtained from secondary sources must be carefully assessed for its relevance and accuracy. Notes from primary and secondary sources should be ruefully filed and labeled so that the source can be found again, if required. When noting details for books, reports or articles which may appear in the final report, include all the details which would be needed for the bibliography.Chapter 5 2 different ways of sampling: Purposive sampling: Snowball sample: Ask one person for more names who are likely to help. Quota sample: to make sure all the groups in a community are represented. Theoretical sampling: Using this method the emerging theory helps the researcher to choose the sample a convenience sample: The researcher is a teacher himself and decides to interview colleagues, as he has limited time and resources available to him. Cluster sample: a random cluster of e. G. Schools in a geographic area is chosen to convey research Random sample: Randomly generate. Quasi-random sample or systematic sample: Using this method he chooses a random point on the list and then every third pupil is selected stratified random sample: Using this method the researcher stratifies his sample by subject area and then chooses a random sample of pupils from each subject area. Disproportionate stratified sample: increase the sample size of the science pupils to make sure that his ATA are meaningful If it is not possible to contact everyone in the research population, researchers select a number of people to contact. This is called sampling.There are two main types of sampling category – probabili ty samples and purposive samples. In probability samples, all people within the research population have a specifiable chance of being selected Only within random samples do participants have an equal chance of being selected Purposive samples are used if generalization is not the point The size of sample will depend upon the type and purpose of the research Sample sizes should take into count issues of non-response Remember that with postal surveys it might be difficult to control and know who has filled in the questionnaire.Will this affect your sample? In some purposive samples it is difficult to specify at the sampling techniques within one project which may help to overcome some of the disadvantages found within different procedures. Chapter 6 The content of a proposal: 1. Title Should be short and explanatory 2. Background Why are you undertaking the project? Why is the research needed? You need to show that you know what you're talking about. 3. Aims and objectivesThe aim is the overall driving force of the research and the objectives are the means by which you intend to achieve the aims. These must be clear and succinct. Why have you decided upon your methodology? Why have you decided to chose those particular methods? Why are other methods not appropriate? This section needs to include details about samples, numbers of people to be contacted, method of data collection, methods of data analyses and ethical considerations. . Timetable A detailed timetable scheduling all aspects of the research should be produced. 6. Budget and resources If you're applying to a funding body you need to think about what you will need for your research and how much this is likely to cost. 7. Dissemination What do you expect to do with the results of your research? How are you going to let people know about what you have found out?Reasons good proposal Reasons why proposals fail Relevance, either to the work of the funding body or to the student's course Aims and objectives are unclear of vague The research is unique, or offers new insight or development There is a mismatch between the approach being adopted and the issues to be addressed The title, aims ND objectives are all clear and succinct The overall plan is too ambitious and difficult to achieve in the timescale Comprehensive and thorough background research and literature review has been undertaken The researcher does not seem to have conducted enough in-depth background research There is a good match between the issues to be addressed and the approach being adopted Problem is of insufficient importance The researcher demonstrates relevant background knowledge and/or experience Information about the data collection method is insufficiently detailed Timetable, sources and budget have all been worked out thoroughly, with most eventualities covered Information about the data analysis method is insufficiently detailed Useful policy and practice implications Timescale is inappropriate or unrealisti c Resources and budget have not been carefully thought out This topic has been done too many times before – indicates a lack of background research Most research projects will require the production of research proposal which sets out clearly and succinctly you proposed project. Before you write your proposal, check whether you need to produce it in a specific formatThe standard research proposal should include the following: – title – background (including literature search) – aims and objectives – methodology/methods – timetable – budget and resources – dissemination. Research proposals stand a better chance of being accepted if you're able to prove that you have the required knowledge and/or experience to carry out the research effectively. It is important to make sure that your proposed methods will address the problem you have identified and that you are able to display an understanding of these methods. Chapter 7 For most types of interview you need to construct an interview schedule. For structured interviews you will need to construct a list of questions which is asked in the same order and format to each participant.For semi-structured interviews the schedule may be in the form of a list of questions or a list of topics. However, a list of topics tends to offer more flexibility, especially in unstructured interviews where the interviewee is left to discuss issues she deems to be important. By ticking off each topic from your list as it is discussed, you can ensure that all topics have been covered. An interviewer has to establish rapport before a participant will share personal information with him/her, there are a number of ways to do this: Treat interviewees with respect Think about your appearance Think about body language Firm eye contact Don't invade their space That's interesting; can you explain that in more detail?I'm not quite sure I understand. You were saying? Can you elaborate a littl e more? Could you clarify that? Could you expand upon that a little? When you say ‘ . ‘, what do you mean? Practice with the recording equipment before the interview takes place. It might be useful to conduct some pilot interviews so that you can become familiar with the recording equipment. Develop an interview schedule, starting with general, non- personal issues. Check the recording equipment works and make sure you have enough tapes, disks, memory and/or batteries, paper, pens etc. Check that you have a suitable venue in which to carry out the interview, free from noise and interruptions.Make sure you know how to get the interview and arrive in good time. Dress and behave appropriately Establish report Negotiate a length of time for the interview and stick to it, unless the interviewee is happy to continue. Ask open questions, listen to responses and probe where necessary. Keep questions short and to the point. Avoid Jargon, double-barreled questions and leading ques tions Listen carefully and acknowledge that you are listening Check recording equipment is working without drawing attention to it Repeat and summaries answers to aid clarity and understanding Achieve closure, thank them and leave a contact number in case they wish to get in touch with you about anything that has arisen.Respect their confidentiality – do not pass on what has been said to third parties unless you have requested permission to do so Chapter 8 Asking questions Easy to ask questions should be asked first in focus groups, personal disclosure is costly in the ending phase of an interview/ or such like it. Make sure that no one person dominates the discussion as this will influence your data. Seeking responses You have to use your discretion about how much you do this as there might be occasions when somebody is unwilling or too nervous to contribute. Often, some of the most useful and pertinent information is given once the ‘official' time is over. Also, you w ill find that people talk to you on an individual basis after the group has finished, especially those who might have been nervous contributing in a group setting.