Character Analysis: Alias Grace, Margaret Atwood

Grace Marks being the protagonist of the historical novel Alias Grace matures and grows as most protagonist do. Grace goes through many stages in her life where she needs to adapt to the situation in order to not be taken advantage of. She Is either too naive, too deep in self-pity or too self-aware. She Is a dynamic character who goes from being a scared little girl Into a convicted murderess. The stereotype surrounding her being a woman – making her too fragile to take part In such a crime actually helps her and saves her from the noose.Like every proper girl Grace was very naive when It came to things of the sexual nature. When she observes Nancy dress to have some Ink-Sis snuff stains she tells herself â€Å"she most likely slipped and fallen down† (262) She TLD understand where the stains could've came from, besides getting dirty doing house work. Throughout her story Grace speaks a lot about Mary Whitney and all she taught her regarding men such as ‘not sitt ing where a man just sat' and how street whore's made money. Unfortunately Mary died while going through an abortion, which ironically Grace did not understand at the time.All of this new information did scare Grace, until she finally realized how naive she really was when she was informed about Mr†¦ Skinner and Nancy relationship as to which she remarked â€Å"l was much surprised , and said so; â€Å"l was not so knowing as I thought myself, and could scarcely see the nose before my face†. (295-296) Grace started losing luck as soon as she decided to work for Mr†¦ Skinner. Chapter 23 in the novel is named â€Å"Snake Fence† hinting Grace is walking into danger. Immediately after she enters the town she is confronted by a stranger before being saved by Jeremiah (239).Once she began working in the new village she felt very isolated † . It struck me at once how very solitary I was, as I had no friends here except Nancy, if she could be called a friend . . .1 did not know where my family was, which was the same as having none†. (301-2), she also confesses tootsie Walsh, â€Å"l felt would cry again, and said simply, I have no friends here. † (303). Unfortunately Grace soon finds out that that sort of loneliness is nothing compared to what was waiting for her in solitary confinement, where she would soon have to learn how to entertain herself â€Å"l sing a song, Just to hear a voice and keep myself company†. 37) By the end of the novel grace becomes very self-aware of how people view her, she knows people view her as a type of romantic notion and tells Lydia â€Å"But If I laughed out loud I might not be able to stop; and also It would spoil their romantic notion of me. Romantic people are not supposed to laugh, I know that much from looking at the pictures†. (27) And later admits â€Å"l look at him stupidly. I have a good stupid look which I have practiced†. (43).Her role playing seems to throw ma ny off when It comes to her being guilty or not, because she is so deep into her role of playing the â€Å"Lady of complete truth to Doctor Jordan it would never be known, with all the role playing she admits to doing. Grace's character and Tattoo's feminist views play a big part in how Grace is portrayed throughout the book. Just analyzing Grace acutely one cannot miss how her traits and situations make her seem to usually be the victim. But then again, if this wasn't the case, her story wouldn't be so interesting to the masses.

Do Not Go Gently Into That Good Night

Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night â€Å"Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night† is a villanelle style poem written by Dylan Thomas, and is the poem he is best known for. It was left untitled by the poet therefore the first line of the poem became the title. The speaker in the poem begins by telling the reader to â€Å"not go gentle into that good night† line 1 using night as a metaphor for death. The theme of death is repeated at the end of line 2 with â€Å"close of day† and in line 3 with â€Å"dying of the light. By the end of the first stanza it is obvious this poem is speaking of death and stating that old men should not accept it peacefully but to should â€Å"burn† and â€Å"rave† against it with great intensity. In the second stanza of the poem the speaker tells us that â€Å"wise men at their end know dark is right,† line 4 the speaker is telling us that death is inevitable. To every beginning there is an end and we will all face death at some point, a wise man knows and accepts this fate. This stanza also tells us that as we are nearing the end of our lives we tend to reflect back to the impact we made on the world.Since â€Å"there words had forked no lightening† line 5 the speaker suggest that they had made little impact on the world in which they had lived and could not simply give into death without a fight. In the third stanza the speaker proposes that â€Å"good men† fight the inevitable with all their might. Thomas uses the image of a wave â€Å"last wave by, crying how bright† line 7 about to crash into the shore or, die. As men approach the shore of life they cry out how much more fulfilling life could have been if they had been allowed to live longer.Their lives would be so much richer if they were allowed to dance in the â€Å"green bay. † The green bay representing life because it is full of living things such as algae and seaweed. However their future actions  "frail deeds† will not be able to come to fruition because they must die. Stanza four speaks of â€Å"wild men† those who grab life by the horns and live it to the fullest â€Å"wild men who caught and sang the sun in flight† line 10 only to discover that the life they lived so charismatically is slowly oming to and end as they wither with age. The â€Å"sun† in line 10 represents the beauty that exists in the world, and â€Å"flight† as in across the sky symbolizes the life span that moves quickly to the sunset of our days. In opening with â€Å"Grave men, near death, who see with blinding light† line 13 in stanza five Thomas uses the pun â€Å"grave† to speak of the seriousness of a dying man. As men grow older they begin to lose the sense of sight, however the speaker states they will â€Å"see with blinding light. line 13 Even though they may be suffering from loss of physical sight they can see with perfect clarity that end is ne ar and while they may not be in control of the timing of their death they certainly choose the manner in which they handle it. The speaker suggests they â€Å"blaze like meteors† line 14 and go out with a bang instead of giving into to death without a fight. Finally in the last stanza of the poem we get to the heart of the matter. The speaker is addressing his father who is on the verge of death.The father’s death is devastating and the speaker implores him to fight passionately against it and leave this life heroically. The poem ends with the two lines that were repeated throughout the entire poem â€Å"Do not go gentle into that good night, Rage Rage against the dying of the light† lines 18 and 19 the speaker is begging his father to not submit to death but to fight it every step of the way. Works Cited Dylan Thomas. â€Å"Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night† Literature: An Introduction to Reading and Writing. Ed. Edgar V. Roberts and Robert Zweig. 10 th Ed. New York: Pearson Longman, 2012. 959 – 960. Print

Humanities are not useless Essay

Humanities are the subjects such as history, philosophy, and literature which are concerned with human ideas and behaviors. This is only a general idea. The deeper meaning of studying humanities is that it is an academic approach to understanding people better, a way to enable us to develop better not only through four years university life but also in one’s entire life. Some people may say that humanities are useless because people cannot make considerable money with them. However, that is not the truth. Once someone has realized the value of studying humanities, this will be beneficial for his or her life. I study humanities because I believe I will gain plenty of meanings of life through the learning process. Most people think that humanities are useless, my mother is one of those people. She is always asking me that why would you waste our money and your time on such useless stuff. However, my father does not think so, he believes that everything has its own value, even humanities. In this case, I strongly agree with my father. The reason why my mother thinks that humanities are useless is that people cannot make good money with them; the jobs related to humanities are not well-paid. Actually this is a generalization which people have commonly. Nevertheless, people who think so are wrong. The truth is opposite. According to the article â€Å"Liberal Arts and the Advantages of Being Useless†, the author explains that even people with Liberal Arts degree have pretty much the same chance as other majors to end up making good money. Although humanities are useless for maximal one’s salary immediately after graduation, and bring a slightly greater risk of unemployment immediately after graduation, there is good evidence that Liberal Arts majors tend to earn higher salaries by midcareer. Besides, life is short, and it should not be all about money. There are other intangible things to pursue. â€Å"There are lessons to be learned from the humanities that were not available anywhere else† said by Julia T. Cadenhead(2001). According to the Syllabus of ACMA01, courses in humanities explore such fundamental questions as how we use language, how our ideas and thoughts on the human experience are expressed and interpreted, how we determine value of meaning, how we define ideas such as †truth† â€Å"beauty†, and â€Å"arts†. They consider ideas about meaning of life, the reasons for our thoughts and actions, and the values and principles that inform our laws, norms and customs those written and unwritten. Unlike science, there are not standard answers to these questions. Furthermore, different people grew up in different environments, they have various cultures, backgrounds, and languages. Studying humanities make people think in different ways and experience a journey that they have never taken before. In addition, people who are studying humanities are becoming more comprehensive and compassionate about one’s self and one’s community. Different from other subjects such as medicine and law which make people useful for specific purposes, humanities make people better citizens. During the learning process, people gain self-improvements because studying humanities can make people think meaningful questions that somehow change people’s life in a good way. For example, many prisoners do not have religions before they go to prison, but some of these people are found through religions. When they are not only learning religions but studying humanities as a whole, they reflect what they have done. They can tell the rights from wrongs. They are becoming better. After they are released from prison, they behave well, they become useful citizens. This is beneficial for both society and individuals. Humanities are not useless. They can make you earn considerable money; they can make you gain self-improvements; they can make you question things that may change your life. Once someone has discovered the value of studying humanities, his or her life will change. Reference: Jones, Nichlaos. â€Å"Liberal Arts, and the Advantages of Being Useless. † Academia. edu. n. p. n. d. Web. 5 Sept. 2013.

Strengths and Weaknesses of different Interview Modes Assignment

Strengths and Weaknesses of different Interview Modes - Assignment Example The responses to the questions will rather provide the researcher information which qualifies as insights in probing the research question that the study poses. Thus, the interview process has to combine with the systematic analytical skills of the interviewer. In this process of analysis, there are number of associated elements which come to the aid of the interviewer in the case of a face to face interview. Kvalve (1996) has opined that the process of a research interview includes techniques to understand and describe the meanings underlying the central themes on which the interview is based on. This means that the process of interview does not limit to the direct outputs from the interviewee. The important task in an interview is analyzing the meaning of the direct inputs from the interviewee. However, for this to happen in a proper manner, there are a number of other factors which contribute towards it. The physical setting of the interview is one of the most important out of the se elements. The success of an interview in bringing out reliable qualitative information depends largely on the trust that the interviewee has on the interviewee and the associated systems. In this context, the physical environment influences the perception of the interviewee.

Beneficiary of the Financial Liberalization Essay

Beneficiary of the Financial Liberalization - Essay Example Financial liberalization involves reduction of regulations and involvement of regulatory agencies in the financial system of a given country or region. It refers to the ‘deregulation of domestic financial markets and the liberalization of the capital account’ (Ranciere, Tornell & Westermann, n.d, p.1). The financial system broadly refers to the lending system in a given country and includes the players like banking institutions, the central bank, the treasury in a country, or the money markets authorities. Financial liberalizations will have varying effects on the players in different industries at the national, regional, or international levels. While some economies may suffer the negative consequences of financial liberalizations, other players in the economy will benefit from the initiative. This paper focuses on the likely beneficiary/beneficiaries of financial liberalization. Some financial reforms Financial liberalization measures can comprise both internal regulat ions (imposed by the central banks within a country) and external regulations effected by the regional and international agencies or the regulatory agencies in foreign countries. Internal FL measures are many. ... ludes a state’s withdrawal from involvement in financial intermediation (Ghosh, 2005), which is characterized by the transformation of development banks into regular financial institutions and privatization of publicly owned banking system. Financial liberalization also involves creating a relaxed environment for investors and firms to participate in the stock market through dilution of the listing conditions as well as relaxed regulation on the financial instruments to be used or acquired within a given financial system (Ghosh, 2005). A liberalized economy will also be characterized by better access to financial sources. Thus, internal financial liberalization also includes improving access to funds by the financial agents and firms and removing regulations on the kind of investments that can be made by these financial agents (Ghosh, 2005). External financial liberalization may include steps like allowing foreigners to own domestic financial assets, allowing domestic resident s to own foreign financial assets, or allowing free trade of foreign currency asset within the domestic economy (Ghosh, 2005). Who gains from financial liberalisation? Financial liberalization has positive and negative impacts on the economic development in a given country. While it can promote financial deepening and increased economic growth of a country, it can also lead to financial crisis in other countries resulting from increased macroeconomic volatility and excessive risk taking (Ranciere, Tornell, & Westermann, N.d). Financial repression, caused by governments’ interventions in the financial sector, leads to low economic growth and poor allocation efficiency in countries with negative interest rates and vice versa for positive interest rates (Caprio, Honohan & Stiglitz, 2006, p.5).

Features of administrative leadership and successful relationship with Research Proposal

Features of administrative leadership and successful relationship with the institution - Research Proposal Example Using the specific objectives and research questions as a scope for the study, secondary data were collected using the review of related literature. As part of the literature review therefore, the specific objectives were changed into thematic topics, under which the literature review took place. Some of the major findings that were made from the literature review touched on areas such as the general definition and meaning of administrative leadership and organizational relationship, leadership styles that works best in promoting effective relationship with the institutions, challenges faced in implementing an all inclusive institutional leadership, and benefits for using administrative leadership to enrich the relationships that exists within the institution. The proposed study also involves primary data collection, which requires the researcher to set up a research setting, from which data shall be collected from a group of respondents. The generalized reason for having such primar y data collection in place was to ensure that the data that were collected from secondary sources were compared with real life situations to confirm their authenticity and accuracy. Generally, the primary data collection was also focused on the need to have an action research that would ensure that a primary is identified within a localized setting and attempted to be solved by use of an intervention. In this instance, the problem to be identified was a leadership crisis situation that was making organizational cohesion difficult for an identified institution. The intervention on the other hand was to be the introduction of the administrative leadership style, which involves and enhances effective participation between the leader and other people on the administrative staff. The primary data collection is thus proposed to take place to take place within one specific educational organization. As part of the primary data collection, various methodological approaches were followed. In the first place, the sample size was developed. This was proposed to be done by selecting a group of employees from the institution that was to be used as the research setting. These people will be tasked to respond to a self-administered questionnaire that contains questions focusing on the research objectives and the research questions to be used for the study. With questions focusing on various leadership styles and leadership skills in place at the institution, key issues of leadership that did not promote successful relationship with the institution and ways of correcting these were to be identified. The data collection process is to be followed with data analysis, which is also expected to take a quantitative approach. What this means is that the researcher shall make use of various mathematical formulas and indexes that will ensure the empirical interpretation of data. 2-Abstract This proposal focused on the impact of administrative leadership in bringing about effective rela tionship in the institution. Data collection was change oriented as it focused on leadership crisis and ways of improving it. Ahead of this, secondary data had been collected using the critical review of literature. Key ways used in the study included: leadership, change, interpersonal relationship, democratic leadership, leadership style, delegation, conflict management, shared responsibility, competency training, training and development.

Socioeconomic Status in Relation to Language Literacy Research Paper

Socioeconomic Status in Relation to Language Literacy - Research Paper Example Therefore they should work hand in hand with each other. The content-area instructor must assist the learner to develop the reading strategies, acquire knowledge and thinking skills to have insight and learn text that are complex (Comber, 2013). This should be done to both students who come from high socioeconomic status and those who come from low socioeconomic status. The content-area instructor may enhance the learning strategies by providing the students with instructions that are more effective for them depending on their socio economic status to improve their reading skills. Some of these instructions are: 1. There is need for dialogue on content from the text to enable students to share different ideas about the subject of discussion. The teacher can act as a facilitator among learners in their focused group discussion and encourage discussions among people from different socioeconomic status. 2. In order for the student to improve on their language and literacy it is necessar y to revise the curriculum. 3. Content-area teacher should create a motivating and engaging classroom, by interacting with the students in a more friendly way to know more about their socioeconomic status in order to understand their problems at a personal level and motivate them. 4. Teacher should be aware that the students come from different cultures. Hence he should know to teach them and the teaching techniques that should be used to teach different students depending on their culture especially those from non English speaking origin. Family Support Parental support is one of the crucial elements that impact children’s learning because it is the pathway through child competences are influenced and enhanced. Research carried out on the influence of parental involvement... This essay stresses that parental support is one of the crucial elements that impact children’s learning because it is the pathway through child competences are influenced and enhanced. Research carried out on the influence of parental involvement on their children’s language/literacy revealed that maternal education qualifications and other factors such s family income played a critical role in children’s learning of language and literacy skills. This paper declares that parents are the people who set and lay foundation for their children; therefore, their support and involvement in early language and literacy learning is very valuable in helping the children prosper in education. Furthermore, parental interventions are also essential because it helps children develop positive behaviors towards literacy. In addition, it is important that families should have a good knowledge of literacy and language in order to assist the young ones in developing these skills. Similarly, family support is closely related to culture, which also proves to be extremely valuable in language and literacy development. For instance, social activities available in ones culture allows the children to derive meaning from what is learn from text or classroom, and consequently, put this to practice. The early years of a child with parents and family are very important because what they learn impacts on future activities. Families and parents assist child ren to establish emotional interconnections, which gives children strength and resilience to meet future difficulties.

Report outlining the major stages & variables of Business Relationship Literature review

Report outlining the major stages & variables of Business Relationship development (BRD) - Literature review Example Any organization specialising in the production of a particular goods has a number of supplier who supplies raw materials and equipments to the company. Thus, stages for widening supplier relationships are the focus of the current study. This report gives insights into the essential steps and ideas required in attaining an effective supply chain management strategy in the concerned DIY furniture company. The concept of business relationship management deals with linking the organization with various stakeholders in order to fulfil business requirements as efficiently as possible (Krause et al. 2007). In order to develop a new supplier relationship, organizations like DIY furniture provider, can implement the supplier relationship model. The Supplier Relationship Model (SRM) consists of planning and maintaining a constructive relationship with the suppliers who supply materials and goods to the business (Hakansson, 1982). SRM is a part of supply chain management that provides major focus on developing and nourishing a strong relationship with the organizational suppliers. As per the model, when a business communicates with its suppliers, it needs to manage its entire supply chain in an efficient manner. Buying SRM software is a good option to start. Apart from that, there are four other stages that can be taken into account to build a good partnership with the suppliers and increase an overall organizational performance. In order to develop a good supplier relationship, business organizer can purchase Supply Chain Management Software (SCMS) that contains features of SRM or apps (Wilson, 1995). This type of software includes invaluable features to perform a task of building a good relationship, such as deifying and accommodating new suppliers, monitoring supplier’s performance, providing all suppliers’s updated business profile etc. This software helps to keep

Naturalistic Philosophy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Naturalistic Philosophy - Essay Example Plot characters development showed the degree of control that man had over their destiny. American realizes that the power of outside forces is what limited humanity’s freedom of choice, to them individuals had no choice since their lives dedicated to only hereditary and external environment. To naturalists, humanity was helpless and wholly dependent on nature’s favors. American naturalism got to its peak at around the beginning of the nineteenth century. Charles Darwin’s theory of phylogeny also played a great role. Malcolm Cowley states that years between the first and second world wars were a flourishing time for the American writers. American literature had attained a new maturity and an abundant diversity. Marked by the publication of several works? It was at this time that memorable works published though they were not up to standard an excellent number became influential and were later in time criticized. Most novels that were written around this time majorly based on the war that had just ended. It was only by means of civil war that the young country could achieve both unification and peace. Stephen Cranes, The Red Badge of Courage, illustrates an actual description of fighting in the civil war that ended up leading their country to victory. Novels about the war have been the most reliable ways of writing about the war life. Some permeated with a lot of protests, therefore, they were named war books in general. In the history of America, war writings are considered to have taken a greater part of the portion when all books put together. It was around this time that Stephen Crane’s The Red Budge was written and published for the first time. Its location is the battlefield, Crane attempted to explain and draw the picture of what was happening during the war and in the lives of the soldiers.  

Auditing Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Auditing - Assignment Example There are many factors reported in the profit and loss account that have affected the company's profit. The most prominent of them being increasing cost of sales and interest expenses. The major trends and tendencies in the company's financial position and performance for the current year as indicated by Adios Ltd's financial statements can be assessed with the help of the following factors: The company's balance sheet shows that the company has enhanced its investment in tangible asset by 84% whereas the investment in the intangible assets of the company has been reduced by 80%. But overall as compared to the previous year, the company's investment in total assets has been increased. Working capital is the capital, which remains with the company after accounting for all the current liabilities of the company out of its current assets. This capital is required by every company to meet its short-term obligations or liabilities without any hassles, whenever a need arises. Working capital can be obtained by subtracting a company's current liabilities from its current assets. The Adios Ltd's total current liabilities are about 25% of its total current assets, which shows a good working capital position for the company. The company's fiIncreased Long-term Borrowings The company's financial statements indicate that the company's long-term debts and borrowing has been increased to a great extent. As compared to the previous year, the company's long-term debts have been increased by about 7 times. Consequently, the company's interest expense has also been 6 times more than that of the previous year. Increased Sales According to the Adios Ltd's profit and loss account, the company's total sales are increased by 11.46% as compared to the previous year. Simultaneously, the company's cost of sales has also increased by 55%, which has resulted into a decline in the company's gross profit margin. Adios Ltd's gross profit margin was about 55% in the year 2004, which has decreased to 23% in 2005 despite of an increase in company's sales. Decreased Profit The company's profit margin for the year 2005 has declined by 30% as compared to that of the year 2004. Company has shown many factors responsible for this in the financial statements. The most prominent of which being the increasing cost of sales and increasing interest expense resulting from an increasing trend in the company's long-term debts and borrowings. INFORMATION IMPORTANT TO BE ASKED BY AN AUDITOR An auditor needs to obtain the following information from the company's management in order to gain a better insight of company's financi

Miscarriages of Justice are Inevitable if we are to Ensure that Essay

Miscarriages of Justice are Inevitable if we are to Ensure that Criminals are Convicted - Essay Example The criminal justice system in England and Wales is a complex social institution that is heavily regulated under the law. In a society that is fair and just, the innocent people should be protected from being charged for a crime that was committed by other people By all means, the criminals should convicted and be punish for their criminal acts. To come up with a fair and just criminal system, the prosecutors should be neutral and impartial when it comes to making decisions whether or not to convict the defendant from the crime he or she is being accused of1. Miscarriages of justice are one of the most serious problems we have in our society. Despite the lawyers’ effort in giving justice to the innocent people, there are quite a lot of legal cases wherein the poorest sector in our society failed to receive fair treatment and justice. As a system, the law unites the society as a whole. Therefore, each individual should wholeheartedly respect and abide with the law. Since a seri es of wrong conviction on innocent defendants could weaken the effectiveness of our criminal justice system, miscarriages of justice is often kept a secret from people outside the group of lawyers and juries. Miscarriage of justice is referring to the inability of the court to reach the desired end result for justice. To promote a fair and just legal system within the society, it is necessary to prevent miscarriages of justice... Miscarriages of Justice Miscarriage of justice is pertaining to many criminal cases wherein the defendant suffers from a wrongful imprisonment. In line with this, Layne explained that one should be clear that there are two different types of wrong conviction. First, there is a possibility wherein a guilty or not guilty defendant is unfairly convicted by not giving them a fair trial or has been legally discharged by the judge, detained on remand, or acquitted during the court trial. The second type of wrong conviction is when an innocent defendant was convicted for a crime done by other people. On top of these two types of wrong conviction, there are also cases wherein innocent victims can be detained in a prison cell without being charged guilty of a crime3. In line with this, the term miscarriage of justice is often referring to the second type of wrong conviction wherein an innocent defendant has been wrongly convicted but can also increase public concern each time a defendant who is guilty of a crime has been acquitted by the Court4. Given that issues related to miscarriage of justice are mostly kept unpublished, the continuously increasing number of cases associated with miscarriage of justice remains a social problem. In fact, wrongful conviction can eventually become a norm within the legal system in UK5. Because of the past and current cases of miscarriages of justice throughout the United Kingdom, the need for â€Å"corrective justice† arises6. According to Sir William Blackstone, â€Å"It is better to let ten guilty men go free than to wrongly incarcerate one innocent man†7. Despite the fact that it is wrong to convict an innocent person of crime he did not commit, there are quite a

The programs that run on the hardware Essay Example for Free

The programs that run on the hardware Essay Presentation software The main use of this software is to animated visual presentations. Examples of use include:   presentations for meetings   computer-based help systems Graphics software There are two types of graphics packages. Bitmap graphics software stores images as lots of coloured dots, known as pixels. Vector based graphics software stores images as rules, covering the dimensions, direction, and colour of the drawn object. Function Explanation/description drawing tools pre-defined shapes ability to scale, stretch, and crop images ability to rotate images ability to flip images paint palettezoom/magnify ability to fill Computer aided design (CAD) software The main use of this software is to design three dimensional objects. HTML editing software The main use of this software is to create web-pages. Communications software There are two types of communications software. Electronic mail, used to send and receive messages. Web-browser software to view web pages on the Internet. Integrated software A software package that combines the functions of two or more distinct generic applications. Specific software Software designed to carry out a single task for users. System software Software that manages and controls the computer and all its peripherals. Operating system software A layer of software that enables a user to control the hardware, and application programs to run on the computer. Utility software Software used to carry out routine tasks often needed by the user to maintain the performance of the computer. Hardware Hardware is the name given to any part of the computer that you can actually touch. A device is an individual piece of hardware. Examples include:   keyboard   visual display unit (VDU) or monitor   floppy disk drive Describing hardware Technical specification. This is a list of its properties. It usually refers to the performance and/or capacity of the device. Performance This is a way of describing how well a device in a computer system does its job. This often refers to the speed at which it works. Capacity This is the amount of data that can be stored. Processor The central processing unit (CPU) is the part of the computer where the searching and sorting of data, calculating and decision-making goes on. Also known as the processor. Choosing a processor Processors are measured by their speed. The number of instructions it can perform in 1 second. This is measured in hertz (Hz). 1 hertz = 1 instruction per second 1 KHz = 1,000 instructions per sec 1 MHz = 1,000,000 instructions per sec 1 GHz = 1,000,000,000 instructions per sec Input devices Input devices are used to enter commands or information into a computer. Examples of input devices include:   keyboard   mouse   scanner   microphone   trackball   joystick/ joypad   graphics tablet digital camera/ web-camera Output devices Output devices are used by the computer to communicate information to human users or to affect a change in a physical environment. Examples of output devices include: VDU/monitor   printer   speakers Types of VDUs/monitors cathode ray tube (CRT) liquid crystal display (LCD) less expensive to buy more expensive to buy better quality image lower quality image can be easily viewed from an angle can only be properly viewed from one angle requires more power requires less power gives off lots of heat gives off less heat takes up a lot of space takes up less space more likely to cause eye strain less likely to cause eye strain Choosing VDUs/monitors Type cathode ray tube (CRT) or liquid crystal display (LCD) (thin-film transistor [TFT]) Colour. Monochrome, or grey-scale, or colour Resolution measured in pixels; 640 X 480 (VGA), 800 X 600 (SVGA), 1024 X 768 (XVGA or XGA) Size diagonal distance, from one corner to another (inches) Types of printers inkjet laser less expensive to buy more expensive to buy more expensive to run less expensive to run relatively slow speed printing relatively fast speed printing Choosing printers Speed characters per second (cps) or pages per minute (ppm) Quality dots per inch (dpi) Colour monochrome, or colour Data storage devices Storage devices are used to store the programs and data needed by the computer. The two main categories of storage devices are main memory and backing storage. Main memory RAM random access memory RAM is used by the computer to store the programs and data that are being used at a given time. RAM is volatile which means that when the computer is turned off all its contents are wiped clean. Choosing RAM RAM is measured by its capacity; the amount of data that it can store when the computer is switched on. All computers ultimately store data as 1s and 0s (this number system is known as binary). A single unit (either 1 or 0) is called a bit. 8 bits = 1 byte 1,000 bytes = 1 KB 1,000 KB = 1 MB 1,000 MB = 1 GB Backing storage Backing storage is used to store programs and data when they are not being used or when the computer is switched off. Backing storage is non-volatile which means that when the computer is turned off none of its contents are lost. backing storage device used to read and write data onto storage media. backing storage media the collective name given to the disks and tapes used to store data. Choosing backing storage The first decision is between fixed media or removable media. Backing storage media can be measured by its capacity; bytes, or kilobytes (KB), or megabytes (MB), or gigabytes (GB). Backing storage can also be judged by the data transfer speed of the backing storage device to the backing storage media. This is measured in; bytes per second (Bps), or kilobytes per second (KBps), megabytes per second (MBps). Audio CDs read at 150KBps 8X, 16X, 24X, 48X, 52X. The final way that backing storage can be differentiated is whether it is: * read only memory (ROM), or * recordable (R)/ write once read many (WORM), or * read and write (RW). Types of portable backing storage * floppy disk drive (FDD) * compact disk (CD) drive * Zip drive * digital versatile disk (DVD) drive * flash stick Computers and peripherals Desktop computer An entire computer that sits on a desk or a table. Laptop computer A personal computer that can be simply carried around by one person and used in transit from internal battery power. Peripherals Standard (expected) Additional (extra) hard disk drive (HDD) printer floppy disk drive (FDD) scanner VDU/monitor microphone keyboard web-cam mouse (pointing device) joystick CD drive (ROM/R/RW) DVD drive (ROM/R/RW) speakers Zip drive Social Impact In the home In business P:\ICT\KS4\Yr09\Yr09Revision. 0304. doc HBDugard Page 1 of 10 Last printed 28/05/2004 14:09

Crisis Management A Brief Study Management Essay

Crisis Management A Brief Study Management Essay An individual, an organization, a government, or the global economy at any point of time may face debacles. This may come in any form and can devastate the present circumstances and can lead to difficult situations. Such occurrences are often termed as crisis. It is therefore defined as a major, unpredictable and upsetting event that intimidates to harm. Even though crisis is an unpredictable form of event, but it is not unanticipated. This report will present a brief overview of crisis associated with the companies that is, organizational crisis will be the main area of study. In addition, this report will also present insights of the modern crisis management techniques adopted by organizations around the world. Furthermore, the report will also throw light on the cases where companies have faced crisis situation and how they dealt and overcame that situation. In this context the company which has been chosen to depict the importance of crisis management and also to reveal how the company surmounted the situation is Nokia. After that, depending upon the findings of the literature study a conclusion will be drawn. Finally some recommendations will be also provided by which will assist companies to address different forms of crisis. Defining Crisis Eminent scholars have stressed on the fact that crisis is a threat to organizations, an unexpected element and short periods of risk (Akers, 2007, p.11). It can affect every segments of the social order that include educational institutions, non profits, churches, business, families, government etc. This study will however focus on the issue in the context of an organization. For an organization crisis can be illustrated as an anomalous and uncharacteristic situation or perception, which is beyond the control of an organization and also threatens to impact their operation. Several cases have also pointed out that if a possible crisis is identified at the initial stage, it will have least impact or the impact can be minimized to a large extent. On the other hand if a company fails to determine the possible crisis at the initial stage, it can adversely affect the operation of an organization. Even in some cases, a crisis can also threaten the survival of a business. Hence for them to s urvive and operate effectively in the market place, superior crisis management techniques and tools should be in place (Fearn-Banks, 2010, p.2). Defining Crisis Management Crisis management is simply defined as a systematic effort to circumvent or manage the crisis that an organization may face during its lifetime. The concept of crisis management was initiated during the 1980s, when large number of environmental and industrial disasters took place (Barton, 2007, p.5). In order to manage a crisis effectively an organization should consider a systematic approach towards the improvement process as it is indispensable to safeguard the reputation of company along with its brands. Therefore companies should enlighten their customers about the happening and to some extent is necessary for survival (Khodarahmi, 2009, p.524). Additionally, eminent scholars such as Appelbaum, Keller, Alvarez BÃÆ' ©dard (2012) added that relatively modern concepts such as strategic planning can also be effective in managing organizational crisis to a satisfactory level. The authors also put emphasis on the fact that a number of US corporations are employing this concept to f orecast and deal with the issues, threats or problems that are beyond the operating control of the firms. Discussion Eminent scholars such as Dinant and Miller have identified seminal researchers in the same field of study. They categorized the study into two major groups namely macro and micro sizes. The primary intention of their study was to offer insights regarding the most committed and active researches in the field of crisis management (Jaques, 2008, p.192-195). Hence based on their study a number of literatures have been consulted to formulate this report. Several authors also highlight that effective communication plays an imperative role towards managing any form of crisis (White, 2009, p.177-178). For example cases such as oil spill of Exxon Valdez, issues at the Enron Energy Company and the disaster of Space Shuttle Challenger portrayed the importance of communication to get rid of the crisis situations. However not only having effective crisis management team helps an organization to deal with any form perils, it also needs to know the types of crises that may impact the functioning of the organization. Types of crisis A company has to deal with different forms of crisis. Some of the major forms of crisis are detailed below:- Natural Disaster: It is about the physical demolition of the organizationà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢s assets due to some naturally occurring disasters. For example flood, earthquake and volcanic eruptions etc (Martin, 2012, p.83). Industrial Accidents: In this aspect the crisis occurs primarily due to a collapse in construction, release of toxic substance, fire etc. Product or Service harm crisis: This type of crisis does not demolish the physical assets of the organization, but impacts on the cognitive aspect of the firm. Some of the examples of product or service failure crisis are equipment failure, system failure and failure in communication (Siomkos, Triantafillidou, Vassilikopoulou Tsiamis, 2010, p.770). Capacity: This type of crisis arises due to some faulty or defective goods. It may have health related issues if not handled properly. Public Relation: This is another type of cognitive crisis that an organization faces. In this context the intangible assets of the company are threatened. In addition, this can have direct effect on the brand image and brand value of the company. Apart from that it can also indirectly affect the net sales. The PR crisis occurs primarily because of poor media attention, negative publicity in the media, or it may also arise to the changes in the management of an organization (Pride Ferrell, 2010, p.412). Legal Crisis: A company may face legal crisis due to product liability, health scare or due to any kind of fraud from the employees of the organization. Business or Corporate Crisis: This is one of the most common and vital type of crisis that an organization faces. Some of the common causes for this crisis are sudden shortages in demand, competitor launching a new and advanced product, large number of customer switches, strike by the workforce, strike by suppliers and hostile takeover. Financial Crisis: One of the major crises that a company some time faces with is the financial crisis. Often companies deal with financial crisis and ultimately losing their position from the market. It is a situation where the company witnesses shortage of fund to properly operate in the market. Crisis Management: A Business Case In order to give a real world example, Nokia has been chosen to depict, how actually a company deals and manages crisis. It was during the time of 2005-2006, when the company was charged with defective batteries. The battery that Nokia used to give with the handsets was BL-5C. Customers complained that the battery gets over heated after certain interval of time. Hence it was a product related crisis and can be termed as Product or Service Failure crisis. However, the situation did not remain curtailed to a product failure; it went on to become one of the largest PR crises of all time. The crisis had struck the company in such a way that the company in the subsequent years went on to record low sales. The company has taken early actions to minimize its impact. The strategy adopted by the company was to simply accept the product and replace the defective batteries. The company well understood that if they do not act in this way, their reputation will be strongly affected that may resul t in negative public relation. The decision of the company to replace all the affected batteries paid off and the company succeeded to a large extent. Although the company initially lost some customers, but later on after the implementation of this strategy Nokia regained the confidence of the customers. The company not only handled the situation effectively, but also displayed how they are prepared for any such occurrences in the future (IBN Live, 2007). Meanwhile other companies such as Cadbury have also faced similar situation. It was related with a worm. The chocolate packets had worm in it and several complaints came forward for the same issue. The company managed the concern by launching a PR campaign within two weeks of the news outbreak. Celebrity endorsement also played a major role in the survival of the company. The campaigned helped them to regain consumer confidence within 3 months only. This shows how effective crisis management can actually offer quick and effective results to a company (Manning, 2007, p.506). Facing Crisis In order to successfully diffuse a crisis, an organization at first, needs to know how to handle that crisis before it actually takes place. Different authors have given different approaches to effectively handle crisis, but among those the most popular theory has been provide by the Gonzalez-Herrero and Pratt in the early 1996. The authors, Gonzalez-Herrero and Pratt have divided crisis management into three stages. The three phases are named as diagnosis of crisis, planning-prevention, and adjusting to changes. The model developed by them to address the issue of crisis management is demonstrated below: Diagnosis of Crisis: According to the authors the first stage is about determining the early indicators or signs of the crisis. This is an essential task for the managers and executives to sense the warning indications of the crisis. If they are successful in sensing the early signs, it is the duty of the organization to make the employees ready for facing the situation with firm determination and courage. Planning: The second step associated in this model is about the proper planning towards addressing the crisis. Once the crisis has been identified the next step is to plan how the crisis can be handled. According to the authors, the management team should take immediate action to minimize its effect. Also in order to avoid urgent situations relevant strategies are developed and take quick decision. Adjusting the Changes: The final step is to get accustomed with the new situation. It is the duty of the employees to get along with the changes for the purpose of making the organizationà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢s function more effective. Also for getting adjusted to the situation properly, it is also important to evaluate the cause that that led the organization to face the crisis. This will prevent the company from doing any mistakes and will foster them to develop new plans and strategies for the future course of action. This phase is also referred to as the post crisis phase (Coombs, 2011, p.10). Apart from that there is one more method by which companies can effectively handle crisis and is commonly known as corporate crisis management. In this context, the management of the organizations forecasts, identifies, examines and acts immediately upon the issue that led to the crisis. This approach enables organizations to deal with any form of crisis (Heller Darling, 2012, p.153). Conclusion The report was about the importance of crisis management within an organization. In this study the company used for depicting the importance as well as revealing the way a company actually deals with crisis situations is Nokia. The study has reviewed substantial amount of literature or the works completed by earlier scholars in the same field of study. It revealed that an organization may face with different type of crises. It includes Natural Disaster, Industrial Accidents, Product or Service Failure, Capacity, Public Relation, Legal Crisis, Business and Management Crisis and Financial Crisis. Similarly Nokia in this context, also faced product and service related crisis which further turned into PR crisis, but the company has effectively managed the situation. The company has a well prepared crisis management team and also contingency plans. Hence analysing the situation, it can be clearly highlighted that each organization should have a well defined crisis management framework to continue its operations effectively in the market place. Recommendation Some of the ways by which a company can effectively manage crisis are as follows: Issues Management: No organization in this world would like to face any situation that may harm their operation process or may disrupt the functioning. Especially, organizations do not like face any circumstances that fuel media coverage. This is because any issues that are scrutinized by the public can result into pessimistic and negative legal, financial and political impacts. Contingency Planning: It is highly recommended that companies around the world must have contingency plans to deal with different kind of crisis situations. Preparing an emergency plan in advance reflects that a company is aptly prepared for crisis. Thus contingency planning is highly essential in crisis management. Business Continuity Plan: There are situations when, to some extent, organizations will be affected by a crisis. To deal with such scenarios organizations should have business continuity plan. A business continuity plan highly assists organizations to reduce the impact of the crisis. In addition, organization must understand the important elements that run daily operation. Hence, a backup for each element must be in place so that the company functions even during the time of crisis. The company should continuously train each employee regarding how to deal with crisis situation. The training should not only be about physical crisis that may occur due to some natural calamities, but also training should be given to deal with cognitive factors.

Practical Application Of Evidence Based Practice Nursing Students Nursing Essay

Practical Application Of Evidence Based Practice Nursing Students Nursing Essay In the modern era of health care services, most health care practices practiced by healthcare organizations are based on research. It gives a positive presentation of teaching and learning activities based on patient care needs and is also cost effective (Doebbeling et al. 2006, Higgs J., Jones M., 2000). Applications with the absence of critical thinking proof might be risky to patients. The same can be said when relating to any situation where the evidence says otherwise (Zelm , 2006). According to Rycroft Malone et al (2004), evidence is a major study based on a systematic review that has been identified by researchers and subsequently included their views and results from the quality improvement and enhancement programs. s Whilst and banning (2005) also claimed that evidence expanded and is widely used in practice because there are more educated individuals, the increase in public awareness and also the increasing rate in productivity and cost efficiency while providing high quality health services. This resulted in the need to access the latest scientific knowledge and also emerges the need for individual practitioners to be able to think critically in the effort to help optimizing patient care results. The demand for evidence-based decisions has also risen because todays healthcare services are also increasing beyond the existing resources of service providers. However, this does not speak for individuals working in health and social care environment because there is the need to be able to critically evaluate the latest research. Cormack (2000) said critical evaluation (critical appraisal) is the process of systematically evaluating and interpreting evidence by considering validity, the results and relevancy. Obviously it is important to be fair and not prejudicial to the research being done. Critical assessment, which is sometimes referred to as criticizing, is more focus to find the advantages and disadvantages of a particular rsesearch and make a fair decision on what was presented in the publication. If all the studies with weaknesses and flaw are to be ignored, then there will be no evidence that can be relate to neither being used in future practics. The ability to wisely identify and study those research weaknesses and flaw would more likely to ensure the accuracy and validity of future research outcomes. Burns (2000) concluded that being critical means being able to make judgments about the value of a work or literature art in the context of how a critical evaluation of a study is to be done. This paper focuses on a study of nursing students motivation towards their learning. The objective of this paper is to criticize a selective review of the Bio Medical central issue in the year of 2008. This study is found beneficial for health care sector workers, particularly nurses. The Nursing field is working to develop evidence-based practice, which involves finding, criticizing, and applying evidence in practices. According to Parahoo (1997) nurses are expected to be able to understand and critique research and work related to their practices as well as identifying the importance and relevance of the research to the current practice in order to improve and enhance the quality of patient care practices. Criticizing a study involves an in-depth and comprehensive examination of all the aspects included in the study with the intention to further consider the benefits or strengths, the limitations means and the significance of the study (ha, 1996). Polite Beck (2004) suggested that nurses are encouraged to use evidence in their profession to ensure that the best care given to patients is also cost effective. The proposal is supported by Regan (1998), whom stated that providing both excellent and effective care to patients is the basis for evidence-based practice. I will further critically analyze this research paper and point out several recommendations and to apply the results and recommendations contained in it in my practice environment. The title of the study is Nursing Student Motivation Toward Their studies a survey study. The title clearly reflects the overall content of the study. It is to inform and acknowledge readers about what is being studied and the type of study which is survey study. The title of an article review should be concise and precisely reflect the content aside from being able to attract readers and encourage them to further read the content (Cormack, 1996; Parahoo, 1997). The selected topic is relevant to my work place, in terms of the factors that influence our choices, which forms the direction and strength and continuity in our thinking and behavior (Kelly, 2003). Research topic is considered appropriate if we take into account the importance of the relationship between motivation and results. By analyzing the estimated degree of students motivation during and in different semesters, this research could also enhance and improve their learning. The study was conducted by two researchers, Kerstin EL Nilson from Medical School, University of Skovde Sweden and Margareta I Warren Stomberg from the Institute of Health and Care Science, Sahlgrenska Academy at Coteberg, Coteberg Sweden. Although both of the researchers are from the same country, their background is not described, only their department was mentioned. Abstract provides consise yet precise summary of the study by including a glimpse of the objectives, methods, results and conclusions, which also attract readers to further read the entire article. According to ha Moule (2006), the abstract is a brief summary that identifies the different stages of the review process. Abstract offers a good overview content of the research which can be seen in this paper. It explains how information accessed from selected participants, in terms of survey in the form of questionnaires. This allows readers to decide by themselves whether to continue reading or otherwise. This study is found to be well designed and its objectives are clearly defined. When the objectives are clearly defined, other aspects of the design of the study will blend in nicely and smoothly (Cormack 1996). The objective of this study was stated in the abstract and in the body of the article. This shows that it has been well studied and a literature review was conducted carefully and with great concern to further equipped the work with credibility. In this study, qualitative approach was carried out since research is commonly involving human behavior and changes within their behavior. Qualitative studies are often utilized when one does not possess adequate knowledge related to a particular issue or matter. Participants can express their feelings and experiences about certain issue or phenomenon in their own words. According to Morse Field (1999), qualitative research can help us better understand the reality, to reflect and explain the social world and develop models and also theoretical explanations. Baldwin and Nail (2000) defined qualitative research as a method of advertising research, which is to emphasize the meaning of quality in terms of views and perceptions of consumers, for example, in-depth interviews and focus groups. Qualitative study is a systematic and subjective approach to describe and potray life experiences and the meaning within it. However, it also comes with a drawback in which researchers admitted the fact that when they have any subjective feelings related to a critical phenomenon, they would be inclined to reflect and include their personal perception and understanding of the phenomenon being studied (Jackson, Daly Chang, 2003). Literature review is an evaluation report of information found in the literature which related to the selected study. According to ha Moule (2006), literature review is a written work to evaluate and conclude a specific subject in only a few details. Literature reviews are conducted in order to either determine the results of previous studies or to know whether the problems in previous studies were successfully overcame and then repeat the same steps to solve similar problems encountered in the current study (Dempsey Dempsey, 1996). These processes account for the strategies, methodologies, data collection, data analysis, discussion and recommendations for future practice. In addition, it also informs the reader that the author recognizes that there are other studies that may have similarities with their studies, nevertheless this study reinforce the relevance of their research implementation, and reflect the fact that if they repeat the same study, it will only be a waste of time , resources and effort (Parohoo, 1997). This literature review mentioned a total of 24 references, of which 16 references are from primary sources, while the remaining six are secondary sources. As stated by Mc Burney White (2004), a primary source is the original material. Primary sources are from the original time frame involved and have not filtered through translation. Secondary source is a detailed, written only after the fact interpreted. It is the evaluation and translation of the primary sources. These resources are not considered as evidence, but rather as comments and discussions related to evidence. This study also deploy a variety of extensive literature sources, such as books, journals, articles and also statistical analysis performed during the period from April to May 2006. A literature review which are both latest and comprehensive presented in which researchers involved aware of the latest information and the need for additional research. Research design involved the planning of implementation of a specific study (ha Moule, 2006). The research design deployed in this study is a survey study in which survey study is carried out in accordance with the expected reasons. Researchers will study their subjects and find the effects caused by the expected reasons. According to the Burn Grove (2001), within the scope of scientific thinking, survey study applied in two ways. First, it is used in a broad sense as any descriptive studies or correlational studies. In this sense, the survey used to describe a data collection technique in which questionnaires or personal interviews are used to collect data about a specific identified population. Data collection was performed by two researchers. One researcher accompanied by a volunteer randomly attended a university nursing program at a medium-sized university in central Sweden with the intention to obtain related information from students who are willing to take part in the study . Completed questionnaires collected after lecture session ended. Compilation of information about research procedures and the steps required are adequate to understand how data is collected and measured. Questionnaire distribution is a popular research method and used frequently by researchers (Leininger 1985). Morse (1999) says that questions which are very open and complex can be restructured and modified to be able to answer various research questions. Distribution of questionnaires is the medium through which data is collected. Open end questions can provide a variety of information but more time is required to respond and analyze compared to a closed end question (Kerlinger Lee. 2000). Among the benefits of deploying questionnaire method to gather information are including cost reduction while have access to samples around the world, capable of providing large samples at a time and is more likely to reduce research bias (ha Moule, 2006). Although the researchers who conducted this study provide limited information as well as not providing information related to the selected questions, the methods used to collect data are appropriate. Reliability and validity of data collection method deployed in the study is important because it contributes to the credibility of the data collected as well as the research outcomes. As proposed by Polit Beck (2006), a valid and reliable instrument used to measure what is expected and is also able to provide consistent reading is considered as the ideal tool for measurement. Therefore, a valid instrument measures what it is supposed to measure and a reliable instrument measures what it is supposed to measure (Robson, 2002). Participants of this study are divided into six groups which consisted of nursing students from 1st to 6th semester. Out of the total number of students who took part (597), only 315 randomly selected students who attended the lecture took part. As all students who were invited to participate in the study consensusly agreed, the response rate was 100%. However, the response rate of the overall student population was 53%, of which 18% consisted of male and 82% of female. Questionnaires were distributed to students from first semester, second semester, third semester, fourth semester, fifth semester to sixth semester. The mean age for first to third semester students are 27 years old, 29 years for fourth semester students, 28 years for fifth semester and 32 years for sixth semester. Mean score for the motivation of the entire semester is 6.3. Figure 1 shows the motivation score for each semester. The researchers have taken the necessary effort to comply with basic ethical principles while conducting research by obtaining written permission from participants. One of the crucial obligations when conducting human related research is to obtain written permission. Written permission means that the subjects have adequate information about the study, the ability to understand the information and provided with optional choices which mean that it is up to the subject whether to volunteer or reject the invitation to participate in the study (Polit Hungler, 1993). As stated by Lahmeyer (2006), the process of getting the written permission including which all participants are obligated to go through all the stages presented in the clinical study. The written permission processes inform the participants about the objectives of the study, procedures involved, risks that may exist and also benefit of the study. No measure was taken to ensure the privacy of participants involved in the study. Each participant is only given a letter of written permission. However, no physical danger, discomfort or psychological stress might interfere in the study. Participants are not deceived in any way possible because they are fully aware and conscious while participating in the study. The study was approved by the Institute of the University which involved in the study but it is not monitored by any Institutional Review Board or any ethics committee of its kind. Based on the research article, the results of the study was clearly and systematically presented. It is both reliable and valid. According to Gerrish and Lacey (2006), reliability is a term that reflects the consistency and reproducibility of a measurement, while validity is the actual level of instruments and procedures to ensure what is measured. The researchers conducted a specific discussion about their study and clearly outline the significance of the findings of the study. Table 1 provide information on categories of data. A category can be measured as either positive value category or negative value category. The study is considered as valid and reliable because during the analysis phase the two researchers have taken their effort to independently perform analysis and later compare the analysis. Thus, the influence of personal perception of the researchers related to the study can be avoided and they are also fully aware of the risks found in the research process. All data is stored in an information base and analyzed by using the Statistical Package for the Sciences (SPSS version 14.0). Data are divided into categories similar to the categories in the questionnaire where statistical calculation performed were including frequency counts, mean, percentages and other standard statistical counts. Non-parametric Kruskal Wallis Test was used when comparing the graded motivation between semesters. Mantel test was applied for comparison between gender and motivation where background variables included. Further data were analyzed according to gender perspective with motivation score between 6 as well as the extreme scores of 0 or 10. Reliability of the accuracy of these instruments reflects the true nature of the review score. Open end questions in the questionnaires were analyzed systematically by analyzing oral or written data so that a specific phenomenon can be pictured and quantified into categories of low content but interrelated in terms of similar meaning. The results of the study were presented in table format. One figure and three tables presented for each different result. The results of the study are considered as well presented since the results were clearly indicated and supported by figures and tables. Apart from that, statistical analysis is also done well. In Figure 1, researchers focused on motivational score for each semester where scores were found to be significantly different for each semester. In Table 1, the researchers focused on the formulation of existing categories of data after the analysis was performed. A category is measured as either positive value or negative value. Each subject of the study may provide more than one reason for their graded motivational scores. In Table 2, researchers have identified a low rate of motivation with a frequency score of 6. The authors also stated the limitations found while conducting the study. As stated by Polit Beck (2006), a reviewer should be careful if the discussion fails to state any limitation of the study. Conducting a research is the best party to detect and assess the impact of the lack of sampling, practical constraints, quality problems and so on and it is indeed a professional reliability to inform readers about these problems. The researchers included both report of the expected results and unexpected results. Limitations of study are the use of scale in positioning. It can be seen as a limitation because it only grade views on the motivation of students. The limitations in comparing students from different semesters lies within the students themselves, such as undertaking the same curriculum, studying at the same university and there was no change in the organization during the period of learning. The results of this study show potential, but further research is required in order to yield more positive results before any dramatic changes regarding nursing student performance recommendations can take place in Malaysia. The objective was to analyze the degree of motivation of nursing students from different semesters of learning and identify the reasons behind the motivation grade. This study has shown that most nursing students grade their motivations differently yet positively. However, during the first three semesters of learning, their grades show a positive and quite similar in pattern. Afterwards there was a slight difference between the fourth semester to sixth semester. Figure 1 shows the mean distribution quite well. Mc Evan Goldenberg (1999) considers motivation is to be given high grades for first and last semester, which marks their fresh college entry and also right before they start entering the working environment. This study draws attention to the needs of the students to understand the situation and their needs for tutorial support. Nurses who made clinical decisions based on scientific information document is professionally reliable and also help nurses to establish their professional identity. In view of the students being the subject of the study, it is more likely to influence them in a more positive attitude and encourage them to give positive statements when responding to open-ended questions. According to Bandura A (1982), the ability of students to assess their own competence and capability is a motivational factor which gives a positive impact. The study shows the importance of providing tutorial support for students in a broader perspective other than academic achievement. This can be implemented by promoting flexibility in planning personal learning program (Janhonen Vanhanan, 2000). It also emphasizes the responsibilities of lecturers and universities to provide support to students, especially when they are less motivated to study which consequently affect their academic performance. However, the publication of the research findings does not guarantee that practitioners will use the techniques described in the study (Gerrish Lacey, 2006). Achieving evidence-based practice is a complex responsibility. With the presence of strong evidence to support any changes in practice, the reason behind it being difficult to implement the findings should be explored. According to ha Moule (2006), practical reasons act as a barrier to the implementation of the study, including not working in a similar culture where debate, review and critical awareness is something that is encouraged, and also a working culture that does not encourage any changes. Certain terms and conditions are essential for the implementation of successful evidence-based practice. It includes the establishment of practices that encourage knowledge application, a system that supports practitioners access to knowledge and practitioners who are willing to review their practices and consider other alternatives to it. Individuals who work within the establishment and environment of such practices will be able to see that knowledge-based practices will increase positive outcomes, proving a sense of professionalism and enhance job satisfaction (Barsteiner, 1996). However, various studies have also reported strong barriers that limit utilization of research. Barsteiner (1996) has said that the most often reported constraint is the insufficient level of authority to implement changes in practice, inadequate administrative support, difficulty in obtaining access to the results of the study and the discomfort of staff to critique research findings in determining the clinical relevance of the study. According to the authors, their study shows that there is a need to increase nursing students motivation. There were also nursing students who merely graded their motivation as being positive and distributed the similar grades evenly during their entire education period. The most important motivational factor is the intrinsic factor and goal-oriented, which is to become a nurse. Nursing students did mentioned intrinsic factor motivation as an explanation to their degree of motivation. These results emphasize the need to understand their situation and needs for students tutorial support. Restructuring programs should be designed in partnership with students to match the course content with the degree of motivation during different academic years. In our prospective study, we will monitor and observe the degree of motivation on a group of students in one class during their three years of learning. In future, we expect nurses to be more motivated, being comfortable and dedicated to their job, being concerned with sincerity, able to identify the underlying problem or problems that may suffered by client and subsequently develop research-based strategies. There is a strong motivation among nurses to apply research findings into evidence-based nursing practice. In the effort of reducing cost, the result which is client-oriented is increasingly becoming the focus of health care. Whenever health care is given and provided based on the most excellent current evidence, intervention will become more effective and improve client results. Without a doubt, controversy in inevitable, but we have to practice what we believe without feeling guilty. According to Klosser T. (2005), a combination of good evidence paired with a broad experience would produce a good practice. This is also the reason why the findings of this study is important to be analyzed as well as trying to understand the lev el of nursing students motivation , especially at the location where study was conducted by researchers. In my view as a provider of health services, we are encouraged to read more journals and conduct online searching to find reliable and valid research and evidence based articles. Health care professionals and nurses should find solutions, options and results to achieve an effective patient care. Polit, Beck Hungers (2001) said that a professional health worker should read more and able to think critically, able to apply theories based on reliable evidence and must attend professional seminars in the effort to promote utilizations of the research results. Thus, the Nursing Association can start promoting evidence-based practice in nursing practice through continuing professional development, such as Continuous Medical Education and Continuous Nursing Education (CME and CNE). Paradigm shift in health care is now more focused on evidence based practice (EBP) and act as guidance in reaching healthcare decisions. Rycroft-Malone et al. (2004) emphasized that the best evidence intergrated knowledge from various sources including research, clinical experience, patients and clients testimonials and also the local context. The need to integrate knowledge from various sources is essential because research evidence should be aligned with the experience and preference of patient. 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The Clever Use of Diction in Mary Shellys Frankenstein :: essays research papers

Frankenstein is the story of an eccentric scientist whose masterful creation, a monster composed of sown together appendages of dead bodies, escapes and is now loose in the country. In Frankenstein, Mary Shelly’s diction enhances fear-provoking imagery in order to induce apprehension and suspense on the reader. Throughout this horrifying account, the reader is almost ‘told’ how to feel – generally a feeling of uneasiness or fright. The author’s diction makes the images throughout the story more vivid and dramatic, so dramatic that it can almost make you shudder. A clear example of the use of diction to provoke fear is seen in Chapter IV. Mary Shelley uses words such as â€Å"wretch†, â€Å"yellow skin†, â€Å"horrid†, â€Å"white sockets† and â€Å"shriveled† to describe the monster, thus making our stomachs churn. Later on, she uses words such as â€Å"livid†, â€Å"grave-worms†, â€Å"crawling†, â€Å"dim† and â€Å"convulsed† to describe a terrifying nightmare Victor Frankenstein, the main character, had had the night his monster came to life. Mary Shelley carefully picked which words to use when describing a certain object, place, or situation. She obviously knew what words would arouse our trepidation and make us quiver at the thought of such a horrifying description. Whether it’s because of the way the word fits in the sentence or because of the sound of it, words like â€Å"disturbed† and â€Å"chattered† simply make us feel uneasy. When the author was describing the petrifying appearance of the creature, she made sure to use words that would make us sick to our stomachs in order to get a really good idea across about how simply disgusting this now-animate creature was. She does this by explaining to us how the creature’s â€Å"yellow skin scarcely covered the work of muscles and arteries beneath†. The thought of seeing something so sickening even makes us make a wry face and try to get the image out of our heads – and that’s exactly the reaction the author is hoping to see from us. This also helps us know how Mr.

Cryptography :: essays research papers

Cryptography is one way you can keep information secure. A person who does not know the method used to change the information to keep it secure cannot copy the method used or reverse the change. The basic components of cryptographic systems are used to encipher (scramble) information so that it is difficult to determine the meaning without the appropriate key or key(s) to decipher (unscramble) the information. The components include cryptographic algorithms (mathematical functions) for enciphering or deciphering information and keys. Symmetric and asymmetric are two examples of cryptographic systems. Symmetric systems use the same key to encipher and decipher. Asymmetric systems generate and use different keys to encipher and decipher a secure key pair. With this key pair, consisting of a public key and a private key, only one key can decipher what the other enciphers. Merely knowing one key does not make it very likely that someone will be able to figure out the other key. Asymmetric key pairs are used in creating digital signatures and transporting symmetric keys. In the past, most encryption systems only used symmetric cryptography. The problem with symmetric cryptography though, is the difficulty encountered in distributing keys to certain people. Since symmetric cryptography uses the same key for enciphering and deciphering, a person has to use creative and difficult means to prevent someone from intercepting the key. If a third party were to intercept the key, they could use it to decipher anything it was used to encipher. A solution to this problem is public key cryptography which uses asymmetric cryptography to transport symmetric keys.

Gladwell Power of Context Analysis

Gladwell Power of Context Analysis Common belief in todays society would most likely base an individuals behavior on factors such as genes, upbringing, personal convictions, a persons history, personality, etc. These factors seem like reasonable and logical conclusions, but which is most significant? Is there anything missing? Malcolm Gladwell, a writer for The New Yorker and author of The Tipping Point: How Little Things Make a Big Difference, has a special desire to come up with an answer to this question.In the chapter â€Å"The Power of Context: Bernie Goetz and the Rise and Fall of New York City Crime† Gladwell examines this interesting question and comes up with an answer of his own. According to Gladwell the different conclusions listed above do play a role in determining how one behaves but are not the most significant factors. Gladwell believes that the immediate environment has the most significant influence on ones behavior, also referred to as his Power of Context theory.Although Gladwell understands that this theory might sound a bit crazy to most he stands by his belief by offering different means, both directly and indirectly, to help persuade his readers into accepting this â€Å"radical idea†. Gladwell presents a number of different studies which help substantiate his claim. He begins the chapter by discussing the transformation of the New York City subway system that took place in the late 1980’s. In the years leading into the transformation conditions on the subway were extremely poor with crime rates at a all time high.The Broken Window Theory, based on the same premise as the Power of Context according to Gladwell, was put into effect resulting in a dramatic decrease in the crime rate. Another study, held at Stanford University, examined what causes prisons to be such a nasty place; â€Å"was it because prisons are full of nasty people, or was it because prisons are such nasty environments that they make the people nas ty? † This study concluded that certain situations are powerful enough to â€Å"overwhelm people’s inherent predispositions. In other words, the participant’s surroundings caused what we consider mentally healthy people to crack and break down. In addition to the previous two studies mentioned, Gladwell also cites another study conducted by Princeton University. This study suggested that what you hold in your heart and your thoughts are less important in guiding your behavior than the immediate context; disproving the idea that personal convictions guide the way one behaves. Evidence is effective in Gladwells effort to convince readers that the immediate environment influences behavior significantly, but is not his only means in doing so.In addition to providing evidence to validate his claim, Gladwell also employs the use of rhetorical strategies. Rhetorical strategies are efforts made by an author to help persuade their readers into accepting their main argume nt. Recognizing such strategies is crucial when effectively examining and analyzing texts because it gives readers the power to decide how they choose to respond to an authors (Gladwells) view. Without this valuable knowledge readers are more susceptible of falling victim to this strategy and are more willingly ready to accept his claim.With that being said, it is essential to recognize the rhetorical strategies used by Gladwell to properly examine and evaluate his argument. In an effort to sway reader into accepting his claim Gladwell links his Power of Context Theory with the Broken Windows Theory. Gladwell makes the decision to connect one another when discussing the success of the Broken Window theory in the transformation the New York subway system; asserting that they â€Å"are one and the same. Gladwell understood that he was likely to meet much opposition in respects to his claim, especially from those who do not believe the environment plays a role in determining ones beha vior. A majority of people would concur that other factors play a much more significant role when determining behavior; as he himself even acknowledges his claim to be a â€Å"radical idea. † Such resistance would greatly threaten Gladwells attempt in persuading his readers. Gladwell attempts to undermine opposition by linking his theory to another, one in which has already been proven to be successful.Doing so not only allows Gladwells audience to see his theory applied in real life situations but also helps build credibility to his claim as well. This strategy is quite clever in his attempt to persuade the reader; without doing so his audience would likely still have some doubts regarding his claim and whether or not changing the environment plays a key role in shaping personality. Evaluating this strategy leads to the conclusion that showcasing the relationship between the Broken Window theory and Gladwells claim helps better his chance of persuading his readers.Another pe rsuasive strategy used by Gladwell is citing scientific evidence from different prestigious universities around the country. Gladwell discusses studies including the prison study done at Stanford and the Good Samaritan study done at Princeton as well. Gladwell anticipated that many people would not accept such a â€Å"radical idea† if he was the only one who has working to prove his claim to be true. By citing such universities Gladwell effectively removes the opposition from those who might not believe this is an important topic and would simply ask, â€Å"Who cares? By stating these major universities held studies it helps persuade readers that this topic is not only important in the academic community but to a degree also to be important to our country as a whole. Gladwell understands most of his readers are assumedly intelligent so citing such information might help sway the hesitant into believers. Essentially, Gladwell implies that his claim is one of great importance without coming right out and saying it.Without doing so many people would stick with their convictions and hold the belief that this topic is not one of any importance; leading to a rejection of his claim all together. Finally, another strategy used by Gladwell in his text was acknowledging other factors indeed play a role in influencing ones behavior. Gladwell does so after citing both studies done at the different universities, stating in one instance â€Å"This does not mean that our inner psychological states and personal histories are not important in explaining ones behavior. By acknowledging other factors as playing a role he avoids the resistance of those who believe that those factors are the only factors that influence our behavior. Gladwell refers to his idea as being hard to accept on numerous different occasions throughout his text, leading one to believe he anticipated resistance from those who had trouble accepting his claim about environment playing the biggest role in influencing behavior. This aspect of the text increases reader’s likelihood of accepting Gladwells claim because it shows that he is not rejecting common belief, but adding his take on it.Rejecting a person’s belief will not only anger them but also decrease any chance at getting them to accept your argument. Gladwell understands this fact and hopes to avoid this problem by agreeing with what he assumed his readers would be feeling. If Gladwell decided not to do so I belief he would face a bigger challenge in changing the way people think about behavior and might not have been as successful in his attempt to persuade his readers. As evident throughout this essay, Gladwell offers different means, both direct and indirect, to help persuade readers into accepting his claim.Gladwells direct use of evidence sets a solid foundation on which he can place his argument that the environment significantly influences ones behavior. Providing evidence helps substantiate his arg ument while his use of different rhetorical strategies assists his efforts in persuading his readers to accept it. Identifying such strategies is beneficial because it allows you to make an informed and educated decision on whether or not you agree with Gladwells c

King Lear: Critical Study of Text Essay

In this production of Shakespeare’s King Lear, a feminist reading of the play has been chosen to be presented to the audience. Certain important factors must be taken into consideration as to how this reading will be reflected on stage. Thus, we will examine, in detail, two important scenes: Act I, scene i, and Act IV, scene iv, their impact on the action and main issues of the play (ambition/ greed, power, corruption, appearance versus reality and growth through suffering) and how the characters, specifically the women roles, are to be portrayed to reflect this particular critical reading. Act I, scene i, is worthy of our attention as a valid representation of the major issues within the play, an impetus for the play’s ensuing conflict and a display of the nature of the characters. The scene opens with Gloucester and Kent discussing Lear’s plan to retire and partition his kingdom amongst his daughters. The king’s public drama of the love test denotes the insecurity and fear of an old man who requires reassurance of his importance, blindly accepting his elder daughters’ seditious falsehoods. As opposed to a genuine assessment of his daughters’ love for him, the test seems to invite, rather demand, flattery. Goneril and Regan’s professions of love are banal and insecure, ‘I love you more than word can wield the matter,’ however Lear unreservedly welcomes these trite remarks. Regan echoes her sister by saying, ‘I find she names my very deed of love; only she comes too short.’ In contrast to her sisters, Cordelia, the youngest and favourite daughter responds to Lear’s emotional demands by answering ‘Nothing, my lord.’ Markedly, she has a much greater degree of forthrightness and assurance: ‘Unhappy as I am I cannot heave my heart into my mouth,’ a metaphorical statement that enrages Lear, who thus disinherits Cordelia, triggering the tragic events that are to follow. A feminist reading of this play could focus on a number of aspects from this opening scene. Consideration could be given to the early dialogue between Kent and Gloucester. Gloucester’s blatant indiscretion to Edmond’s bastardy compels the audience to see reasoning in the character’s subsequent actions, ‘I have so often blushed to acknowledge him.’ Edmond is seen as flawed owing to the flaws of his mother, ‘A son for her cradle ‘ere she had a husband for her bed. Do you smell a fault?’ The metaphorical devices that can be seen in  this statement, ‘husband for her bed’, works to both debase the maternal figure and offend the son. Gloucester seemingly disengages himself from any form of culpability and particular emphasis on this aspect of the scene could direct more focus on the ensuing misogynistic aspects of the play. Traditionally, from a feminist perspective, the characters of Goneril and Regan are branded villains ; stock characters, conventional representations of ‘evil’. This ‘evil’ is defined by acts of will, power, desire, and sexuality – acts which disrupt both conventional morality and the patrilineal order’s definition of ‘appropriate’ femininity and consequently must be met with punitive penalties. Feminist perspectives examine the explicit attack on Goneril and Regan as evil, lustful creatures and the savagery of Lear’s curses and harsh judgments, †Down from the waist they’re centaurs, /though women all above†. Once their fraudulent appraisals of their father secure their powers and demotes his, their villainous agendas come to surface as reverence to Lear is ultimately decimated. Family relations in King Lear are fixed and determined by the patriarchy and any movement is destructive of this rightful order. The actions of Lear’s treacherous daughters are thus seen as not simply cruel and selfish, but as a fundamental violation of human nature. A feminist reading of the pl ay focuses on the propriety of male power – fathers are owed particular duties by their daughters and we must be appalled by the chaos which ensues when those primal links are obliterated. Furthermore, the abruptness of Cordelia’s refusal to play her role in Lear’s test of love dramatizes the outrage of her denial of conformity, and the fury of Lear’s ensuing appeal to archetypal forces shows that a rupture of ‘propinquity and property of blood’ is tantamount to the destruction of nature itself. Cordelia’s words, ‘I cannot heave my heart into my mouth,’ introduce a conflict into the question of obligations within the family. A feminist reading of the play could consequentially give particular consideration to the prospect of women being regarded a key to property. Burgundy states, ‘Royal king/ Give but that portion which yourself proposed/ and here I take Cordelia by the hand;’ feminist critical reading implies that the motivations are imbedded with misogynous ideas, that females are merely in place to fuel the institution of male power. This is further underscored by the notion that Regan and Goneril c ontrol their land through their husbands, Cornwall and Albany  respectively. Following from this, the characterisation of the roles, to reflect a feminist reading of the play in the production, is of particular importance. The characters of Goneril and Regan would need to be portrayed as ambitious, cold and calculating, ruthless in their disloyalty to the patriarchy, as this links both to the major issues within the play of ambition/ greed and the concept of appearance versus reality, and to a feminist reading of the play. The hollow flattery of Goneril and Regan represents the type of service traditionally expected of women. Their actions in the opening scene seemingly facilitate a feminist reading as their contrived accolades and dismemberment of familial links provides for a source of conflict and witnesses the destruction of the patriarchal system. Cordelia, here, is the first to revolt against Lear’s organizing authority and at the end of the play her saving love is less a redemption for womankind as an example of patriarchy restored. Cordelia is sanctified as angel/Madonna, as Goneril and Regan are demonized as devil/whore. Lear’s description of Cordelia’s voice as †ever soft and low† establishes images of the conventional patterns of behaviour that are required of women. For a feminist production of the play, an actor portraying Cordelia in this scene would need to place particular emphasis on this aspect of her character, the acknowledged ‘joy’. The imbalance in power between the sexes is clear; women are consistently shown as disempowered by men and the actors playing the role of these three women would be required to make this evident on stage. In terms of this production, the second significant section of the play worthy of feminist consideration is Act IV, scene iv, where Lear and Cordelia are reconciled. Her part in establishing the terms of the conflict is over by Act I and when she reappears it is as an emblem of dutiful pity. Lear’s metamorphoses takes full form in this scene as the old king, formerly prone to foolish rashness, demonstrates the humility and humanity that was severely lacking in his life, which evokes our pathos and Cordelia’s forgiveness. From the angry autocrat of Act i to the appealing figure of pathetic insanity to a man with new perceptive clarity, Lear’s character evidently comes full circle. The psychological realism of Lear’s decline  into madness, specifically in Act II, scene iv, forges the bonds between Lear as a complex character and the sympathies of the audience. The ideological power of Lear’s speech lies in his invocation of nature to support his dem ands on his daughters; its dramatic power lies in its movement from argument to desperate assertion of his crumbling humanity as the abyss of madness approaches. However, once again, that humanity is seen in gendered terms as Lear appeals to the gods: ‘let not women’s weapons, water drops/ stain my man’s cheeks.’ In terms of a feminist reading of the play, when Lear condemns Goneril for her treachery, ‘But yet thou art my flesh, my blood, my daughter, or rather, a disease that’s in my flesh,’ the emphatic repetition of ‘my’ indicates ownership and although he effectively destroys the filial link to his daughter in this scene, the idea of female subordination remains. In the scene of reconciliation, Act IV, scene iv, Lear discovers that he is to drink not the poison of Cordelia’s revenge as he had expected, but rather her unconditional mercy. In this scene Cordelia represents the stereotypical feminine quality of healing. The imagery in this scene gives Cordelia’s forgiveness divine sanction and the realism of Lear’s struggle for sanity closes off any responses other than complete engagement with the character’s emotions. When Lear fears that she cannot love him ‘your sisters†¦done me wrong/ you have some cause, they have not,’ Cordelia demurs ‘No cause, no cause.’ Here, the spectacle of suffering eradicates past action so that the audience, along with Cordelia, will murmur ‘No cause, no cause.’ Rather than a resolution of the action, their reunion becomes an emblem of possible harmony, briefly glimpsed before the tragic debacle. The portrayal of Cordelia in IV vi is of particular significance in facilitating a feminist reading of the play. Here she acts as a feminine catalyst for the purgation of her father’s evil doings. An actor portraying the role of Cordelia in this particular scene would need to make evident Cordelia’s compassion and exhibit the virtues of patience, forgiveness and familial loyalty.